Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5)

Song: everything I wanted by Billie Eilish

TW: Death of a child, child abuse, sexual abuse, murder, child neglect, rape

Thanks so much to the author and publishers for my copy of Darling Girls, I was invested from start to finish and that ending 😱.

This book was way better than I ever expected, but 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙳 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙶𝙶𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙰𝚁𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂.

It had complex characters and found family. There were lots of family dynamics bubbling up throughout the book so buckle up, you’re in for a wild ride. There were a lot of characters but they were so well defined that it was easy to feel like you know all of them.

There was a twist that I didn’t see coming, like I knew something was coming, but I wasn’t expecting the exact twist.

Darling Girls is the latest novel by author Sally Hepworth. I have read several of her books including The Soulmate, The Good Sister, and The Younger Wife so I was very excited to read Darling Girls.

Three foster sisters grew up on a property called Wild Meadows. Each of them is told how lucky there are to be at Wild Meadows and with their foster mother Miss Fairchild but Miss Fairchild is not as kind as she seems. The author really delves into the foster system and gives us a look at what the dark side of foster care is like.

Twenty five years later, the sisters who have remained close over the years, receive a call that there have been human remains found at Wild Meadows which is being torn down. They travel back to the town they grew up in to be questioned by the police and try to identify whose remains were found.

This book is really part thriller, part women’s fiction, and part domestic suspense. I really enjoyed the relationship between the three sisters. The book is told from all of their POVs and alternating between present and past. I loved reading about how the sisters became so bonded and how their relationship is still so strong to this day.

I was all over the place with my guesses on who the remains were but it all came together in the end. I really didn’t see the ending coming at all. This book kept me reading all night long and I couldn’t put it down at parts.

I recommend this to anyone who likes a popcorn thriller with a side of women’s fiction and suspense. Sally Hepworth has risen to be a must read author now.

Darling Girls will be released on April 23, 2024. Thank you to Netgalley and Saint Martin’s Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars! This was another great thriller from Sally Hepworth — I read "The Soulmate" earlier this year and thought this one was much more exciting. The past/present timelines weaved together nicely, the characters and storyline were compelling, and I enjoyed the twists and reveals throughout!

Darling Girls follows three adult women, Jessica, Alicia and Norah, who grew up together in foster care at a home called Wild Meadows, under the care of Miss Fairchild. They stay in touch from their childhood to adulthood, and are brought back to Wild Meadows when human remains are found underneath the house after it was demolished. Recounting their past, we learn about what life was like in the house and are drawn deeper in to the mystery of who the bones belong to, and how they got there.

A great, quick thriller that picks maintains a good energy level throughout!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.

Sally Hepworth always writes the most gripping psychological mysteries and I love all of them! Darling Girls is no exception…I was instantly hooked, and that ending?! So good! Every character was so well developed and fascinating and I loved the flow of the plot. It’s always heartbreaking reading about the bad homes in the foster system or child abuse that occurs, and I feel like Hepworth brought attention to that important issue, while also handling it really respectfully. Such a good read!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are not sister by blood, but are each others chosen family. They grew up together as foster children with Miss Fairchild, and unfortunately, their life was far from perfect.

This book was a page turned from start to finish. I enjoyed the past/present timeline coupled with the 3 POV of the women, now all grown up. There was mystery, drama and murder throughout, and I couldn’t put it down. I listened to the audio thanks to (Macmillan audio) and I highly recommend this format. The audio brought this novel to life. There are a ton of TWs (child abuse/neglect) but it wasn’t too much for me to handle which I was thankful for. Overall, a great thriller!

Once upon a time there was a sprawling ranch called Wild Meadows nestled in Port Agatha, Australia. It was originally working farmland in the 1990's. But the winds blew in a different direction and it eventually became a children's home. Believe me, Wild Meadows took on a complete change to its landscape and to the interiors of its designs.

Three sisters, not by blood but by circumstance, have been contacted about their stay at Wild Meadows. Many years have gone by and they are all adults now with various commitments. Jessica is a home organization guru; Norah finds herself in and out of trouble with the law; Alicia provides shelter for foster kids and crisis care.

Detective Ashleigh Patel informs them that in the course of tearing down the old estate, a body has been found long buried in the ground. Sally Hepworth slides in the possibilities here as the sisters gather together. Will they show up in Port Agatha to answer questions or are they hiding something from their past?

Chapters will be headed from Past to Present and in the points of view of the three women. Is there truth in the telling or is this fairy tale time?

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors. Darling Girls is not one of my favorite books. It ranks about 3.5 Stars in all honesty. Hepworth adds a note at the end about interviewing women brought up in foster care. Nightmares in abundance in many cases. We've still not got a handle on foster care and the profound impact of abuse that can no longer be hidden in unreported or ignored cries for help. And yet, there are still good homes where caring individuals have saved so many.

Darling Girls is twisty and shaded in many areas. Hepworth is still a stellar author. It was the prolonged detailed incidents of abuse and the heaviness of the subject matter that weighed this one down. We longed for light at the end of the tunnel and it was long in coming. Still a worthy read in the hands of Sally Hepworth.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to the talented Sally Hepworth for the opportunity.

Due to the on going St. Martins Press reviewer boycott. I will not be leaving a detailed review of this book.
Why is this boycott happening? Directly from readers for accountability: "The boycott of St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and other related imprints is a direct response to the publisher’s lack of accountability regarding statements made by an employee in their marketing department and their failure to respond to concerns about possible systemic issues within the department."

Sally Hepworth never disappoints! I love her writing and this book didn't disappoint!!!

Everytime Sally writes another book I want to read it right away. When I first started rhe book I thought it was similar to herothet books but the foster care aspect was very different which makes this unlike her other books!

The books is fast paced and makes it easy to read and keeps you engaged to keep reading.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book! I have been looking to read one of Sally's books for some time now and I am so grateful that this one came my way! My goodness, this story about three foster sisters, their horrible foster mom and a mystery about a hidden body at their foster home that turns up years later hooked me so quick! The uncovering of the real truth at the end left my jaw on the floor, so clever! I really enjoyed this book and other mystery/thriller fans will too!!

Darling Girls engaged me right from the beginning. I prefer my thrillers to be more about the characters than the fast paced action and this fits that bill. I immediately bonded with these women! Brava to Hepworth who can project a fully formed character with just a chapter or two.
Jessica, Alicia and Norah were three foster children who spent their preteen years at Wild Meadows, which belonged to Miss Fairchild. They were told how lucky they were, but that was only because no one knew what was happening there. Miss Fairchild was unpredictable, to say the least. So, 25 years later, when the police ask for their help as material witnesses because human bones are discovered on the property, they have no clue what to expect.
Alternating between the past and the present and between the three POVs and the psychiatric sessions with Dr. Warren and an unknown patient, the story moves along at a fast clip. It didn’t take long to figure out the identity of the unknown patient and what was coming. The book ends with the kind of twist I expect from Hepworth.
Hepworth takes the reader on a trip into the girls’ past and why they have turned out the way they have. Each is damaged, in their own way. This is a character driven story, so if you’re looking for a nonstop action, you might be disappointed. <spoiler> I did get a kick that seemingly all of Jessica’s customers were on Valium. </spoiler>
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

What a great read! Told through alternating perspectives, this twisty thriller will keep you on your toes and is extremely enjoyable.

Darling Girls reeled me in and kept me coming back until I reached the conclusion. It has a great plot, well thought out characters, and is well written! I can’t wait to seek out Sally Hepworth and see what else she has written.

Wow! This book hooked me in from the start and I grew to love the bond between the three sisters-Jessica, Alicia, and Norah (with no t).

Sally Hepworth wrote an intriguing story with two timelines- one 25 years past & one in the present tense. The stories of the three sisters now and before helped the full story come to life. It had a wonderful flow that kept me wanting more. I read the last half quickly to know what happened.

The ending was shocking yet satisfying. My heart aches and cheers for those not so lucky in foster care and those who grow stronger due to their experiences. TW child abuse, foster care, childhood trauma, domestic violence.

I'd recommend this book to those who love an exhilarating read from multiple POVs and timelines. It keeps you guessing and wanting to know the fate of the three sisters and dare I say Miss Fairchild too.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the electronic ARC of this book.

Darling Girls is my new favorite by Sally Hepworth! I inhaled this one over the weekend--it was a fast read that kept me turning the pages until the final twist. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia formed a close sisterhood bond while surviving the subtle horrors inflicted by their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Many decades later, the sisters have returned to their hometown when a body is discovered on the site of their former home. Whose body is buried at Wild Meadows, and who is responsible for the murder? This is a quick, thrilling must-read for your summer reading list. Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the librarian preview copy.

Loved. This was my first Sally Hepworth read and it will not be my last. *Adds all of Sally's collection to my TBR* This book kept my brain engaged. I felt like I could feel my brain cells firing as I was reading this. The plot was excellent, not like anything I have read before. The twists were unexpected, my jaw dropped more than once and I had to stop reading in order to let it all sink in. I might even have to give it another read in order to view it from a different perspective. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for this fantastic eARC in exchange for an honest review. Publication date, April 23, 2024.

Darling Girls is a thrilling novel that centers around 3 foster sisters that are called back to the foster home they met in where a dark mystery has arisen.

Goodness, this was a thriller that sucked me into the story! I felt every emotion possible while reading this, especially during the second half of the book. It kept me guessing and I was in shock after that last chapter!

I think this book does a good job showing complex characters and is absolutely heartbreaking at times. I think it is important to check the content warning for this book due to the child abuse especially.

This is my second Sally Hepworth novel and I will definitely be reading more of her books. This has been one of my favorite thrillers in awhile!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I enjoyed Sally Hepworth's the Soul Mate immensely last year, and was indifferent on the Mother in the Law, so I figured I would give this a shot. But it fell very flat.

There was nothing inherently wrong with the plot or the writing-- I was simply bored! I consider Hepworth a domestic thriller author and I was never thrilled-- not even a little bit. The plot moved slowly, a good portion of the characters were extremely unlikeable, and then it all resolved very neatly and easily at the end, which was a let down after a very slow burn for the other 90% of the novel. Normally, I am excited to read before an after my work day, but I really just didn't look forward to this one at all. Bummer.

I wouldn't necessarily say this is a "Don't Read" if you're a Hepworth fan, but if I had a mile-high TBR, I would probably prioritize other reads. I'll still give Hepworth more tries in the future.

'Darling Girls' is a devastating, emotional read as Sally Hepworth weaves a tragic and horrific tale of trauma, an unbreakable sister-bond, and unthinkable horrors. A story sure to bring you to tears, enrage you, and warm your heart all in one cover, 'Darling Girls' touches on the failures of the child welfare and foster care system, trauma bonds, and genuine compassion and healing in such a well-written and thoughtful way. One of my best reads to date!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

Three sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, go back to their former foster home after human remains are found. They were each rescued by their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on a farming estate. But their childhood was far from easy. Miss Fairchild had rules, she was unpredictable, and unfairly disciplined her "darling girls."

Jessica, Norah and Alicia return to Wild Meadows after being requested by police as key witnesses. They relive everything that happened 25-years ago in their time as Miss Fairchild's foster children.

I would rate Darling Girls a 4.25 stars out of 5. This was the second book I have read by Sally Hepworth, and I LOVED this one too!! She does a great job at creating compelling stories, and is now one of my go to authors when I am wanting a thriller or mystery.

I really enjoyed this book, and thought it was an excellent portrayal of the challenges that foster children face. Sally Hepworth had me hooked from the first page until the end. The last chapter was something I did not see coming, and there are plenty of plot twists within the book to keep you on your toes while reading.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth will be released on April 23.

I have enjoyed everything Sally Hepworth has written, and Darling Girls is no exception. It had me guessing until the very end. Add this to your must reads!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.

Darling Girls was such an emotionally powerful book. Each chapter had me feeling something deep within, whether it was sadness, hopefulness, or straight anger. Sally Hepworth has once again crafted a masterpiece that has left me reeling.

Darling Girls follows three "sisters" who were in a foster home together and each endured different, though equally as appalling, abuse from their foster mother. When human remains are found on the property decades later, the sisters must return and face accusations and previous traumas alike in order to finally put the past behind them.

5 stars, one of the best books I have read so far this year!