'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!

DARLING GIRLS made me think a lot about the foster care system. With that being said, there are some triggers warnings to expect. I did appreciate that this was something very different from her past novels, but it did make me feel all kinds of emotions. Overall, I think Sally Hepworth is a very talented author. I will remember this story for quite some time.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my gifted ARC and ALC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to the pub date.

A twisty psychological thriller that kept me engaged, reading and not doing much else! The four girls characters were well developed and the nasty Miss Fairchild was as awful as they come, except later in the book, when you find out the backstory. All along there are snippets of what’s really going on, but it took me a bit to connect the dots.

Thank you St. Martin Press & NetGalley for this eARC.

“Darling Girls” is a sublime psychological mystery, involving three women who have an unbreakable bond due to the abuse they endured together at the hands of their foster mother growing up.

25 years after they were in foster care the girls received a phone call that skeletal remains were found under their recently demolished former foster home and the burning question is WHO IS IT?

The book has four different point of views: Jessica, Norah, Alicia & their abuser Holly Fairchild. The storyline alternates from present day & their childhood memories. My only complaint is that it was a little bit more difficult to keep track of all the POV’s and the past or present tense chapters.

The plot was definitely PLOTTING. The whole time I thought I knew who the remains were but Sally Hepworth throat punched me with a huge plot twist that I didn’t see coming. The last chapter alone had me gasping out loud. It definitely solidified that Holly Fairchild is a demented b*tch.

Although this wasn’t the most fast paced book, it’s worth sticking through it because it didn’t disappoint.

Thank you for the ARC! I am a fan of Sally Hepburn and have enjoyed her previous titles. Darling Girls is a very quick read that definitely pulls you in. Trigger, there are examples of child abuse and there were some items that were a bit difficult to read as the mom of a young child. I liked the sisters and their dynamic with one another and I think the best part of the story was the nonlinear timeline as we went back and forth to learn about the beginning of their relationship and how it led to how close they are. The twist was a bit predictable but overall I enjoyed reading this book and loved the way it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC. Jessica, Norah and Alicia were all raised together by their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. It wasn't as pleasant place to live and Miss Fairchild had frequent mood swings. She also had rules that had to be followed. As the girls struggled with their daily home life they became close. The day finally came that they could all move out on their own and never have to think about Miss Fairchild again. That was until they received a call from the Police advising each of the girls that human remains had been found located on the property where they grew up. Who was the person and what happened? In order to find out the answers, the girls would cross paths once again with the one woman they never wanted to see again. Enjoy!!

Just finished reading this page turner and Macmillan Publishing, I can't thank you enough for giving me the green light for this ARC. This is the first book I've read by best-selling author, Sally Hepworth, and it won't be the last. This is a masterful thrill ride about three girls who find themselves in the foster system for very different reasons and the family bond they share as a result of surviving their time together with their crazy foster mother, Miss Fairchild.

It all comes circle when, as adults, bones are discovered under their childhood home
and they are pulled back to the town where they spent their formative years answering questions from the police and facing the demons that haunt each of them in different ways. Interwoven is the story of Miss Fairchild and the childhood that shaped her. Sally Hepworth doesn't leave a stone unturned, and it's a guessing game until the very last page.

This book was so good! From the beginning to end, I enjoyed the constant twists and turns. I really thought everything was settled up until that very last chapter. There were times my jaw dropped while reading. Definitely a 5 star book.

This is just another thriller. Nothing to special but still very very good. Somewhat predictable but also comforting in a suspense way

Sally Hepworth is one of my go to authors. I always look forward to reading her books, and this one did not disappoint. I was very excited to receive an ARC from netgalley for my honest review.

Darling Girls is told from four different points of view as well as the past and present. It gives the reader a deep understanding of the lives of four foster children and their foster mother and their struggles into adulthood.

I'm generally not a fan of stories that go back to the past but this was a necessary part to the sisters' story and was well written.
The past gives insight on how the three foster girls came to be sisters and is centered around them and the horror and abuse they went through as foster children. It gives understanding to the issues they are each suffering with as adults and how that bond they formed as children is still unbreakable as adults.

This was a very well written and interesting read with an awesome ending. I enjoyed this book and look forward to her next one.

Darling Girls was more about child abuse than suspense. It was sad and painful to read. It made my heart heavy. I usually enjoy Sally Hepworth's books, but this is one I would not reread. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. To be honest, this was my first book by this author and maybe not the best place to start. The writing is solid, but the majority of the book that's spent in the past with the 3 main characters in foster care with Miss Fairchild were triggering. Depicting child abuse was done realistically, but uncomfortable as a reader.

The present time, the 3 sisters - not by blood are bright together by bones found in the burial ground where they lived at Wild meadows farm. Jessica, Norah and Alicia are all differently affected by their abusive foster home mother. TW for sexual assault, abuse and drugs.

The audio was well done. I was pulled into the story and the mystery of the “Darling Girls”! I’m a fan of Sally’s books but I can’t say this is my favorite. She is a great storyteller and her plots are always compelling!

The only thing that didn’t work for me was just I feel like I was missing a bit of a shock value that I went in expecting.

Sally Hepworth never fails to deliver an intriguing family drama, mystery, and wildly unreliable narrators. I dove right into this story of three foster children who grew up as sisters in an abusive household, and the mystery surrounding their childhood home, Wild Meadows. 5/5 stars!

Follow the stories of 3 foster kids as they discover the dreamy farmhouse called, Wild Meadows, isn't as dreamy as they might of thought.

Starting out, Hepworth is one of my top authors. I'll read anything she writes. So when I was offered an ARC of her upcoming book I dropped everything and dove in. Even without the hype... I would have been just as obsessed.

Hepworth showed off her talent as she seamlessly flowed between past tense, future tense and a psychologist appointment. The character perspectives were unique and whether you like them or not, I believe every reader will feel attached to these characters. Characters were strong and the intelligence was high but appropriate for their ages. I was left hanging, little revelations partially revealed, only to have Sally throw me into a new perspective. Every transition left a trail of crumbs and happened smoothly so the reader didn't get motion sick. Extremely impressed.

Another pet peeve of mine that Hepworth did not do, so I can't help but call it out ... there was no repeating. When characters needed to exchange information, we were told the information was exchanged rather than having the reader go through all points of the scenario all over again.

All my questions were answered eventually. Any holes I felt were there, were revealed later in the story (again, good job Hepworth). Loose ends tied up. A well rounded story. And a lovely little bomb dropped at the end.

My only criticism is at one point Alicia asks Meera a question in the social work topic that I felt Alicia should have already known. Even I knew the answer to Alicia's question and I don't do social work for a living. To comment on other reviewer's criticism; I do not think the book is slow. There are enough crumbs and side stories going on to keep the reader entertained. I don't think the examples of what happens in foster homes that were included in the book were over done. I can see why the author wanted to include as much as she could as she did research with actual people who were in the foster system. It didn't feel over done

I'll admit, I have a lot of praise for this book. I got through it very quickly. Halfway through I thought to myself, this is a solid 4 star book. (Nothing wrong with that...) The ending though.. pushed it to 5.

I would recommend this book to my reading friends.

I know it is dark to say you loved a book with such disturbing subject matter, but even though this was tough to read at times, it really kept me guessing!

Sally Hepworth is a favorite author of mine because she has a way of crafting these domestic thrillers with totally messed-up family dynamics. In Darling Girls, the story centers on three foster sisters whose childhood was not what it appeared to be to outsiders. When a body is found at the estate where they were fostered, questions are raised and you don't know what or who to believe.

There were multiple times my jaw dropped while reading and even though I did guess one of the twists, Hepworth masterfully chooses what to reveal and when, right up to the very last chapter!

The storytelling unfolds through the POVs of the three sisters, in both current and past timelines. In addition, there are psychiatrist notes that are sprinkled in providing an added glimpse into one of the characters.

This solidified that Sally Hepworth is a must-read author for me. If you can get past the tough moments of child abuse, this is such a page-turner!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Always such a fantastic author!!!! Gripping, and I couldn’t put it down!!

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy.