I was a little unsure of this one at the start, but it didn’t take me long to become engrossed in the story of Norah, Jessica, Alicia, and their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. I loved the dual timelines, so we got to follow the developing mystery and investigation at the girls’ former home AND we got to learn about their experiences in the home as children at the same time. I enjoyed learning about both the girls’ lives as adults and their experiences, and trying to put together the effect that their pasts had on their current situations, and their childhoods, and how they came to live with Miss Fairchild. This one kept me guessing the entire time, and I flew through it! And BOY do I love a last page (or last chapter in this case) surprise. Highly recommend this one!

“‘At least here, we have each other,’ Norah said at last. ‘Maybe if we stick together, we can become like…like sisters.’”

I loved Sally Hepworth’s previous thriller The Soulmate, so I was honored and thrilled to receive the ARC of Darling Girls. At first glance this novel is a masterclass in gaslighting, but the true heart of the book is the relationship between the three sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. Exhibiting an unbreakable bond that can only come from choosing to be sisters rather than being born that way, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia weave a thrilling mystery told in two timelines: their abusive childhoods in the foster system under the care of Miss Fairchild, and the present day investigation into the recently discovered bones under the house they were fostered in. With gasp-inducing reveals, Oscar-worthy gaslighting, and an extremely compelling cast of characters, Darling Girls is a brilliant addition to Hepworth’s library of thrillers.

Synopsis:
They were supposed to be lucky. Miss Fairchild was young and beautiful, living on a big country estate with stables and a pool, and her house was meant to offer sanctuary after years of physical and sexual abuse in the foster system. But while Wild Meadows may have appeared to be a safe-haven to every case worker who dropped their wards off, the three girls inside knew better.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia share no DNA. They look nothing like each other, and their close ages would make it impossible for any woman to birth all three of them, but each girl knows as clearly as the sky is blue and the grass is green that they are sisters. Although the three each arrived at Wild Meadows at different times, once the girls were together they formed an unbreakable bond, thickened with trauma and pain, and tightened every time someone tried to separate them.

Now, twenty-five years later, the three are still just as tight-knit, sisters in every way that counts. After all, they escaped Wild Meadows and the manipulative woman who called herself their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. But when detectives call the sisters to inform them that bones were found buried underneath the foundation of Wild Meadows, old wounds are opened, and forgotten mysteries resurface. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia make their way to Port Agatha to be questioned, quickly realizing the investigation may not be as cut and dry as it should be; after all, Miss Fairchild always was the master gaslighter, even to the police.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia each have lingering scars from their childhoods, and present-day secrets that could ruin them if uncovered. Will the bones of their past come back to bite them, or will the sisters finally get the justice they deserve, twenty-five years later?

Thoughts:
I ate this book up almost alarmingly fast. Sally Hepworth always does such an amazing job of keeping a reader hooked through each chapter, and Darling Girls was no different. The multiple points of view and dual timelines had me speeding through the novel, desperate for answers, and the unreliable narration made each reveal even more shocking. Using red herrings and delayed reveals, lies and withheld facts, Hepworth manages to have the reader questioning every character that emerges, from the lovable, awkward social worker who surely couldn’t hurt a fly, to the suspecting detectives who can’t seem to do their jobs right the first time. Of course, we have an obvious villain in Miss Fairchild, but Hepworth skillfully weaves a narrative in which we begrudgingly sympathize for the monstrous woman.

I adored the dynamic between Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, and especially loved their unwavering dedication to each other throughout the whole story. The three girls truly emulate the sisters-by-choice philosophy, and make it clear to everyone in their lives that their bond comes first. I loved Norah’s wit (especially the names of her three dogs), Alicia’s near-fallible kindness, and Jessica’s over-protective nature. Hepworth did a beautiful job representing the plight of the foster system and the lingering trauma it leaves, demonstrating the effects—both subtle and obvious—it left on each girl well into their thirties.

Hepworth is quickly becoming my go-to mystery/thriller author, and I can’t wait to continue reading her heart-pounding stories. I love female mystery authors, and I’m always excited to recommend Hepworth at the bookstore. In fact, Darling Girls may just edge out The Soulmate for my staff pick come April!

I had a very hard time reading this book. Child abuse is not something that I want to immerse myself in. At times some of the scenes seemed gratuitous. And the ending was disturbing!

Jessica, Nora’h and Alicia were all in the same foster home. 25 years later An investigation has been opened,into a crime that may have occurred while the girls were living at the foster home. This book will make readers uncomfortable and many May put it down. Having said that I do recommend for public libraries as Hepworth has a large following. Perhaps it should come with trigger warnings?

Thank you Netgalley and Sally Hepworth! This was my first Sally Hepworth book and it will not be my last. This multiperspective, across different timelines story was a fast paced read. I found the stories enthralling and couldn't put it down! An amazing story of how family can be made. Fast laced thriller

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth tells the story of Jessica, Norah and Alicia “sisters” that grew up in foster care at the home of Miss Fairchild. Then a small body is found underneath the house and an investigation ensues. A good character development of the sisters. This was a good read and a lot of research into the foster care system. Thank you NetGallery and St Martins Press for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Three girls form a sisterhood after living in a foster house of horrors. I read a few reviews before diving into this one and was anticipating a great read. Unfortunately, it was just okay for me. The characters failed to compel me to care about them and the storyline was a stretch.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and am writing this voluntary, honest review. Although this was another fantastic book by Ms. Hepworth, this was not an easy read. Trigger warning for child abuse, drug use, and abusive/narcissistic mother. That aside, the story arc was well written and I was hooked to the 2nd half and read it all in one sitting. Thank you for allowing me to review and I hope others enjoy it as much as I did!

Sally Hepworth always knows how to blow my mind! This book was so good; I devoured it in less than 24 hrs. She so skillfully draws the reader in to the plot with her characters that when the twist occurs, it leaves you with your mouth hanging open. Darling Girls is NO exception. This is one of Hepworth’s best. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book is amazing. The good reviews you see on it are true I highly recommend this the way the author speaks the words on the page have you invested

"Darling Girls" kept me guessing with its dark secrets and unsettling past. The bond between the sisters draws you in, and the farm setting builds suspense. However, predictability creeps in, and the ending feels rushed. While an engaging read, it doesn't delve deep enough into the characters or their trauma. If you enjoy domestic thrillers, give it a try, but don't expect a mind-blowing twist.

This is my favorite Hepworth book to date! I don’t even have words to describe just how good this was. I was absolutely hooked into the story, these characters, and the plot unfolding. I even tabbed/annotated while reading. It deals with some heavy, emotional stuff (trigger warnings for child abuse/neglect). But, wow, did it make me feel everything. It made me think very deeply about the foster care system, and what those kids have to go through. I loved the structure of the story, getting the past and present timelines, as well as the multiple POVs. The building suspense was gripping, with a mystery at its core that kept me guessing. The girls felt so real to me - I wanted to reach through the pages and save them. I can’t recommend it highly enough! Going to be a favorite thriller of the year for me.

Thank you for the ARC #NetGalley #SallyHepworth #MacmillamPublishing

Three foster sisters find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. Really good psychological thriller with a few twists. Great character development. Which left me wanting more. This would be a perfect scenario for future books involving the sisters.

This was so twisty and suspenseful, so good! Foster sisters Jessica, Norah, and Alicia survived Wild Meadows and the horrible behavior of owner, Holly Fairchild. They each receive a phone call from the police telling them that they found bones on the property and with much hesitation they return! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I haven't found a Sally Hepworth book that I didn't love. This book follows three girls who grew up in foster care. They are called years later as there is a body found at the residence they grew up in. What do they know about this? Fast, fun thriller!

A dual timeline narrative with some trigger warnings of abused foster children.
This one is dark.. I enjoyed reading Sally Hepworth books in the past, but having small children, it is a trigger of mine so I couldn’t finish it. Based on the other reviews the ending is pretty shocking so I might have to go back and read it some other time

My heart broke for the three sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. At one point in this novel I was an emotional wreck and could not stop reading because I just had to find out how things were going to play out. The novel alternates between the present and the past. Bones have been found at the house where the sisters grew up. The question is who do the bones belong to and does it have anything to do with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild?

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing of this novel. The story flowed and I was very invested in what was going to happen to the main characters. I also thought I had figured out the twist in the novel but I was wrong. The ending just blew me away. This was a fantastic thriller and be prepared to be emotionally invested!

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

This book made me feel all sorts of emotions. I loved how 3 main girls were so different and yet they so needed each other to lean on. Child abuse is always a hard topic for me and I had to stop reading couple times but it really shed some light on children in foster homes and how much they need us even they are about to grown out of the system.
Character development was good. I enjoyed everyone's story and story within itself. I love non linear time line. I love it because it keeps us guessing and entertained. I didn't figure out the twist up to the very end. I was not huge on the ending because I felt the building up to it was so strong and I expected something bigger more shocking - but I did not hate it.
Overall very good thriller with twists and turns and with a little humor and wit.

Thank you Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC E-book. After reading The Soulmate I was thrilled to be able to read Hepworth latest novel. This story of 3 girls, who are basically like sisters, spans from childhood:adolescence into adulthood. Growing up in the same foster home they endure psychological trauma and abuse by the hands of their foster mother. As adults they are still close and act like sisters and suddenly they are forced to relive theirs time under their foster mother’s roof when bones are discovered beneath the home. Could it be that of a fourth girl they had believed was once there? This had all the elements of twists and turn at every step. I enjoyed it all the way up until the end where I felt like I was left with lots of unanswered questions while getting thrown right back into a plot twist. If you enjoyed The Soulmate this book will not disappoint.

Darling : noun
used as an affectionate form of address to a beloved person – Oxford Languages

Three young women: Norah, Alissa, and Jessica, were all lucky girls. They were brought together by unlucky circumstances and formed a tightly knit bond as foster children. Their sisterhood was what saved them then. Can it save them now? When a body is found buried on the property, the women are called upon to be interviewed by the police. Whose body? Are they suspects? Each woman is panicky and flustered about returning to Port Arthur. Could they be feeling guilty? Or is the thought of returning to the place where they had so many unpleasant memories that has them so upset?

Sally Hepworth’s Darling Girls takes the reader back to when each girl arrived at a farm called Wild Meadows to be under the care of a foster mother named Holly Fairchild. Jessica is the first child to arrive, and she’s a clingy youngster, starving for love and attention. Miss Fairchild obliges, to a point. When Norah arrives, we see a whole different side of Miss Fairchild. By the time Alissa arrives at the home, the other two girls have plenty to warn her about.

The narrative flips between past and present. The adult sisters bear the scars of their years spent enduring the verbal and physical abuse of their supposed caregiver. Initially, there is humor, but this gives way to maladaptive behaviors in each of the women, who have issues with relationships, employment, and other areas of their personal lives. However, one thing does not change. They are sisters, through thick and thin.

Chapters alternate from back and forth among each of the three, plus an unnamed female who meets with a therapist. Eventually, the identity becomes obvious. Ms. Hepworth had me stumped for a while about this mysterious person and her story about her upbringing, but eventually, I figured it out. I did not, however, come up with the whole story! That was clever.

I thought the Fairchild character rather stereotyped and too malevolent; however, there seems to be a psychological explanation, so maybe I’ll allow the author that one. I’m not sure we needed quite so many examples of her horrific behavior, however. The effects, however, were well demonstrated, and I did appreciate the ways in which the women were able to begin healing.

I received a digital copy of Darling Girls as an ARC. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ms. Hepworth.

4 stars

This book was incredible! I couldn’t put it down. It consumed me. This is a book that I’ll definitely be recommending to everyone. It’s one of the few books I wish I could read again for the first time!