InDarling Girls, three girls navigate the challenges of a foster home led by an unpredictable foster mother. Deputies her erratic behavior, Jessica, Norah and Alicia find strength in their sisterhood. This book sheds light on the resilience of children in foster care, highlighting the power of love and compassion to heal.

A gripping psychological thriller that follows the lives of 3 foster children who formed an unbreakable bond during their time at a foster home called Wild Meadows.

Now in their mid thirties, they are still coming to terms with the trauma they’ve endured at the hands of their foster mother, Miss Meadows. The abuse shaped who they are today and these 3 women must come together and face the past to unravel a mystery that no believed happened in the first place.

This is my favorite Sally Hepworth novel to date. I could not put this book down and enjoyed the multiple POVs to tell an emotional story that tugged at my heart strings. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with shocking twists and turns ‘till the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the gifted ARC in exchange for my candid thoughts.

This was an interesting read. I flew through my first Sally Hepworth book so was very excited to see this one be released. Right away I was in it and excited, but then I struggled through learning about the girls time in foster care. I have a hard time reading about children being abused.

The story did keep me captivating and I was excited to see how everything played out.

I'll definitely tell my friends about this one but probably include some trigger warnings.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this!

While I normally like Sally Hepwroth's books, this one just wasn't my favorite. This is probably a me thing though since I've been really into reading romance lately. The premise of this book was something that I just didn't enjoy. Children in foster care, being abused. I almost DNF'd but decided to push through to be able to write a review. While this one wasn't as dark as others I have read in the past, it still was a little too much for me in this moment.

The pace is a bit slower but the twists at the end are well worth the wait.

I did enjoy the female friendships and to see how they grew into three amazing women.

I really enjoyed how this book kept me guessing throughout. I didn't feel like I could fully trust any of the characters, which kept up the suspense. Of course, I definitely had one character that I didn't like at all and I think the author meant for us to hate this person. I liked the ending and how I got to see each of the character's moving forward in their lives. I would recommend this book for all fans of psychological thrillers.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a psychological mystery about three girls who become sisters when placed at Wild Meadows, a foster home run by Miss Holly Fairchild.

Jessica Lovat was only four years old when she was placed at Wild Meadows; her mother, a Chinese Immigrant who worked as a seamstress, died, and her father was unknown. She became Australia's reading expert on home organization and married Phil.

Norah Anderson was ten years old when she was placed in the foster system. Her mother became addicted and died of a drug overdose holding Norah's hand. She's six feet tall, has olive skin, blue eyes, and a Lebanese heritage. When she was placed at Wild Meadows, it was already her seventh placement.

Her grandmother raised Alicia Connelly until she became ill and was hospitalized. She went to Wild Meadows as a respite case but stayed for over a year. Later, she became a social worker, working with foster children.

Miss Holly Fairchild owns and operates the Wild Meadows foster home. Ms. Fairchild had rules, was unpredictable, and was never to be crossed; the punishment could be detrimental. At one point, it was only young girls, but then she started taking in infants Rhiannon and Bianca. Taking care of particular needs, infants became overwhelming; she gave up the babies and adopted a little girl named Amy, a blue-eyed blond-haired girl.

Dirk Winterbourne is a red-haired, freckled young man who is the horse caretaker who worked on the property for the boarded animals.

Scott Michales is the darling girls' social worker who placed them at Wild Meadows.
Dr. Warren Psychiatrist

Twenty-five years later, Miss Fairchild sold the property, and they were knocking down the house to build a McDonald's when they came across human remains. The police contacted all the girls who lived at the home, asking questions about their time at Wild Meadows.

The twists and turns, the abuse and trauma these women experience at the hands of a psychopath narcissist.

This was my second Sally Hepworth (the Soulmate) and I am so happy to have found her as an author! Darling Girls was one I could not put down, I was so invested in the 3 "sisters'" stories both past and present, I needed to know what happened next after each chapter. Also loved the Dr. Warren parts and I figured out pretty quickly who he was treating, but that did not ruin the story for me. There was still a great twist at the end to satisfy me! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Sally Hepworth is a dependable twisty mystery author and I have liked all of her books so far. The subject matter of Darling Girls is surviving childhood abuse and trauma and how that can play out in adulthood. It is difficult and because of that, this one isn't for everyone. The story is told by 4 people in two timelines but it was never confusing to me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth is an author I always enjoy reading. And this story was quite masterful. Three women, “sisters”, who all grew up in the same foster home with the trauma to prove it relive the past when they try to learn who the bones recovered from the ground belonged to. While there were numerous characters, I was able to keep track of who was who. A quick read that will keep you guessing.

Sally Hepworth does it again with ‘Darling Girls!’ This new book will be out April 24, 2024 and you’re going to want to add it to your spring TBR stat!

Alicia, Jessica, and Nora are not sisters, but they may as well be. They grew up together in foster care under Miss Fairchild. We’ll just say… it wasn’t the best. Now they are grown, with lives and secrets of their own. When one day they all receive a phone call that brings them back to the house they grew up in… Something was found under the house… what was it… and who put it there??!
And that ending!! 😳

I would describe this book as a twisty domestic thriller. It was a quick poolside & airplane read for me! Pictured: my delicious mimosa. I wish I had one RIGHT NOW.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book early.

Q. Have you read Sally Hepworth? If so, what’s your favorite?

🖤🖤🖤

Both a beautiful and heartbreaking tale about three young women in foster care and how their experiences stayed with them for life. I loved reflecting back on the past to see their sisterhood form and their love for one another grow. Each character was unique in their experience and carried their trauma and abuse with them into adulthood in various ways, it was interesting to read their past and see how it formed their future.

A great suspenseful read, however, just downright sad knowing that the things portrayed in this book actually happen in real life. Thank you to Sally Hepworth for bringing it to light.

A story about three young girls in the Australian foster care system. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have all found themselves in the care of Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild is a woman who is not to be crossed. She's a master manipulator that has everyone fooled into believing her to be a caring woman that helps children in need. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Once these three girls made their escape they agreed never to return.

Until the police call. A body has been discovered buried under the farmhouse they lived in with Miss Fairchild and they have some questions they'd like answered.

As always, Hepworth delivers a page-turning mystery. I adored our sisters in this story, especially dog-loving Norah. The bond these women share is unbreakable and the love they have for one another is immeasurable. A perfect example that blood doesn't always make a family.

Miss Fairchild is a perfectly despicable villain that readers will love to hate.

For a book about abuse and trauma it never feels too heavy. Much needed humor via the sisters themselves and three rambunctious dogs brings levity to the story. With a few surprising reveals and a satisfying (yet disturbing 😮) ending make this another winner for Hepworth. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.

I absolutely couldn't put this one down. It's by far my favorite book by Sally Hepworth. It grabbed me from the very start and kept me guessing until the very end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

I'm having a hard time rating/reviewing this one. I read it in a day, so clearly it was attention grabbing. That being said, I was sometimes a little bored. There's a lot of back and forth dual timelines, but it was done in a manner which made it fairly easy to keep up. There are couple of "twists", one of which I didn't see coming...so that's definitely a win. However, it happens at the very end so you really don't have time to digest it or make sense of it. So honestly, I'm all over the place with Darling Girls. I didn't LOVE it, I definitely didn't dislike it, so let's just say it's "entertaining."

There are a ton of trigger warnings, dark topics, so keep that in mind and take care.

TW: Fostering, adoption, abuse of children (physical & mental), toxic diet culture, drug abuse, addiction, depression, child death, anger issues, neglect.

I devoured Darling Girls. I couldn’t look away from the tragedy and cruelty these girls faced., and the sense of hope I had for them. There is such a strong theme of sisterhood, bonding, and what love can mean and look like for everyone. A decade after they left, bones were found under the house, the girls must revisit those horrible years. The story really messes with your head the way things happen and how you feel about it all.
5⭐️

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy.
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**This book will be published on 04/23/2024!**
I received this e-book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

From a young age, Jessica, Norah, & Alicia have been in the foster care system. When their paths crossed at Wild Meadows in the care of Miss Fairchild, they became very close, like sisters. Miss Fairchild was an unpredictable woman with crazy rules. Once they escaped her, they thought they were free of her forever. That is, until a body was discovered under the house they grew up in at Wild Meadows. Whose body is under that house & will the three girls be believed this time?

Sally Hepworth is a newer author to me & I am loving her work! She definitely knows how to keep you hooked and wanting to keep reading. I couldn't stop reading! There is psychological child abuse & some physical child abuse (stated & assumed) so if that would affect you, please reconsider reading. I find it very hard to read those types of subjects, but was too into the story for me to consider not finishing.

Having read many of Sally Hepworth books (loved The Mother-in-Law), I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book. Fast paced, this plot driven story keeps you engaged. However, the characters are flat and some places are rushed. Interjections of characters such as "the babies" are randomly thrown in with not a lot of background and it feels like catch-up for the reader. Additionally, be aware that this story has the premise of child abuse and dysfunction of the foster child system that makes it sad. It becomes the children who need to save themselves as the adults are not dependable or reliable. The effects of their childhood played heavily on their normal functioning as adults. I found this book a rather sad commentary. But that being said, there is a mystery, not it's not exactly a thriller or suspense. This might be one that I would pass on and choose a different book by Hepworth. Many thanks to #netgalley, #sallyhepworth #darlinggirls for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you so much for letting me read another Sally Hepworth ARC! Sally has created another book that I could not put down. The bond between three sisters is formed when the girls are fostered at the home of Ms. Fairchild. Years later a body is found under their childhood foster home and the sisters must go back and face their shared trauma while the truth about who is under the house is being investigated.

I’ve read other Sally Hepworth novels and loved them, so I was excited to receive an advanced copy of Darling Girls. It really didn’t live up to my expectations. I thought the characters were really flat; I felt like it was too plot driven. I didn’t get to know or care about any of the characters. The writing felt juvenile and not as good as her other books. My ARC also had a ton of typos which really threw off my experience.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading "Demon Copperhead," I thought I was done with fiction drama centered around foster care, but after picking up Sally Hemsworth's "Darling Girls," I couldn't put it down. 
Jessica, Norah and Alicia, sisters since their days in Miss Fairchild's horror-care, I mean foster care, are all grown up and moving on with their lives. Until they get a call from the police in their childhood hometown, a body has been found under the home they grew up in, at the hands of MIss Fairchild. The book is a stark reminder of the lingering demons of our past, particularly when intertwined with a figure as mysterious and fearsome as Miss Fairchild. Her erratic behavior and stringent regulations create a chilling portrayal of life in foster care. Hemsworth adeptly captures the individual hardships faced by Alicia, Jessica, and Norah, each grappling with their own psychological wounds—Alicia's struggles with self-esteem, Jessica's battle with OCD, and Norah's anger management issues. What sets "Darling Girls" apart is its exploration of the bond shared among these women. It's a connection forged in adversity, stemming from a shared traumatic ordeal that serves as both their source of strength and their burden. The unearthing of bones beneath their old farmhouse symbolizes the revelation of their buried past, compelling them to confront memories and truths they had hoped to bury.
The novel raises thought-provoking questions about survival, the resilience of the human spirit, and the potential for overcoming the shadows of a traumatic history. It's a gripping, intense read that may not suit all audiences, especially those with similar traumatic experiences, given its unflinching portrayal of abuse and psychological anguish.