Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth has been sitting on my NetGalley shelf far too long 🙈

There is a format of chapters breaking up to follow each character wherever they are at that point and this style is a hit or miss for me. Sometimes the jumping around I get confused who did what along the way. But this one I was able to follow along pretty clearly.

The core characters spent time together at a children’s home growing up and twenty five years later demolition of the house digs up a secret from the past. The women return back to a place they used to call home and face the past.

I am very mixed feeling on this one. I was hooked at the start and then the middle seemed to drag a little for me but then the end seemed to come so fast with reveal after reveal. I don’t think I liked a single character 😂 each one annoyed me in different ways.

I would recommend a read if you enjoy Sally and I do think it’s worth checking out because the story is very interesting though I think I feel like the middle was rushed to add meat to get to the ending.

WOW. In typical Sally fashion, she throws a wrench in at the last minute that has my jaw dropping. I loved this book! It was twisted and sad at times, but kept my attention and made me question everyone at some point. I love a book where you aren’t sure who to trust and this one nailed it.

I will say I was a bit confused towards the end with all the characters and names - I had to go back and try to remember who was who when it came to the foster babies etc. But it could have been the breaks I had taken during reading that caused it. Overall, I loved this one and definitely think it’s close to The Good Sister in terms of my recommendation of her books. Every loose end was tied up and each character has the ending they deserve - even Mrs. Fairchild (kinda) 😏😏

Gripping, fascinating story with engaging characters you feel for and root for. The book is not done in a hokey, cliche, stale thriller/mystery way. It is much more well-done and richer than a commonplace thriller. I couldn't put it down. Excellent!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: CHILD ABUSE, SEXUAL ABUSE AND INFANT DEATH

If you enjoy a doozy of a story, this one is for you. If you want to be simultaneously intrigued and nauseated within a short span of time, this one is DEFINITELY for you.

Darling Girls follows the story of Jessica, Norah and Alicia, all former foster care children who met during their time living with a Miss Holly Fairchild in a home called Wild Meadows. Jessica arrived first, instantly falling in love with Miss Fairchild and vice versa. But the arrival of Norah, and then Alicia, quickly made Jessica realize, along with the other two young girls, that Miss Fairchild isn’t who she thought she was.

Darling Girls serves all you can want in a suspenseful novel. Regardless of the child abuse, sexual assault and infant death mentions within the story, Sally Hepworth delivers a truly enduring tale of sticking together through hard time. Three girls went into Wild Meadows strangers and exited with a lifelong bond that would only be brought together through finding out exactly what happened all those years ago.

With all of this being said, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has a strong stomach for stories like this. As mentioned above, this comes with a plethora of trigger warnings, and any one should proceed with caution when reading this book. This is my second Hepworth novel, and I thoroughly enjoy her stories. She leaves me both intrigued and wanting more, while also wanting to put the book down (but absolutely being unable too).
I would personally like to thank St. Martin’s Publishing as well as Sally Hepworth with entrusting me with this ARC. 4/5 stars!

I’m such a fan of Sally Hepworth. I loved this book, especially the ending! I love a satisfying conclusion.

I really enjoyed reading Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.
This follows three women Alicia, Jessica, and Norah. All three of them grew up in foster care and ended up in the same home when they were 10-13 years old. All having a close bond as they navigated surviving being raised by their awful foster mother. The chapters go from past to present giving you more details of the history of them in the house. I love how in depth Sally Hepworth writes her characters.

Thank you to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for providing this #ARC Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is April 24, 2024.

“Darling Girls” by Sally Hepworth is a gripping novel that weaves together sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder. The story revolves around three women—Jessica, Norah, and Alicia—who were rescued from family tragedies as young girls and raised by their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Under her care, they grew up on an idyllic farming estate, but their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale it seemed. Miss Fairchild had rules, was unpredictable, and was never to be crossed. When a body is discovered under their childhood home, the sisters find themselves in the spotlight as key witnesses—or perhaps prime suspects. The novel delves into their complex relationships, hidden pasts, and the shadows that linger from their shared upbringing. Sally Hepworth masterfully combines suspense, emotion, and intrigue in this thrilling page-turner.

This book is testament to the obstacles faced by foster children as much as it is a work of fiction. The main characters are a trio of girls forming a self-made family after surviving a challenging foster home together. Though their experiences may seem exceptionally abhorrent at times, they still know they are lucky to be together and not subject to worse abuse. Hepworth gives us 3 girls from such divergent backgrounds and circumstances, and she masterfully blends them into one unit. Even when they might not like each other, they are united in their belief that it is "us against them.' Hepworth also masterfully feeds you background that will have you tripping over your own feet. There was more than one instance of me thinking "No way!' after reading a passage. I compare this psychological thriller to the game Musical Chairs - you will go round and round what is, reaching for false stops, until the chair is pulled out from under you! There are so many twists toward the end that your sympathies will shift like the tides. This is a very clever tale of the muddled mind of damaged youth.

"Darling Girls," which follows foster sisters Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, immediately grabbed my attention and kept me hooked until the very end. I had previously read only one other book by this author, "The Good Sister," which I thoroughly enjoyed, and felt that both the way the story was told and some of the subject matter really reminded me of that other book. The mystery kept me guessing, and I felt the plot and pacing to be relatively fast paced. Miss Fairchild is a truly evil antagonist, and the story, sadly, exposes some of the horrors that can arise in the foster care system. What really stuck with me is the love these sisters have for each other. It is a bond, not by blood, but one that they chose. The ending really brought everything full circle which I greatly appreciated. If you enjoyed "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate, which is based on an adoption organization that kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families, I believe you will like this story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title early in exchange for an honest review!

Obsessed with this book. This book has everything I am looking for in a 5 star book. The twists, turns, characters- everything was great.

this story follows three sisters who were brought together through their trauma of living with an extremely abusive foster mother when they were younger. From the outside they look like they are living the dream in the picture perfect foster home but what happens behind closed doors is not so picture perfect.

We follow dual timelines of the past and present. We see how they are decades later as well as what they endured while under their foster mothers roof. The description sounded so interesting and sad that it hooked me. The alternating timelines really kept me hooked and wanting to know what happened next. We did get to see from all three women's POVs through the story which I sort of like but it felt like a lot at the same time.
The story was suspenseful and thrilling. Major triggers so make sure to check them out. However it was so heartbreaking to read its something that needs to be brought into the light as well.

I didn’t put this book down until I was finished with it! The build up was good. The character development was good and the wrap up was good. I recommend this book!

This was an advanced reader copy of this book. This does not affect my review.

Quite a book of suspense. The only thing I needed was more information on the abuse of the four children. Too much left to the imagination.

It is disturbing the three were not believed when they were still children. I did not expect Mrs. Fairchild's story. Very disturbing how the psychiatrist believed her story.

It had a good twist at the end.

Darling Girls was definitely 5 stars. A page turner and did not disappoint, Absolutely fantastic and had me captivated from beginning right through the end which I was not expecting. It was also emotional and heartbreaking in some parts but in all FANTASTIC and I highly recommend.

An excellent layered and twisty story as you would expect from Sally Hepworth.

Three foster sisters are called back to the house they lived in together to help with a police investigation. I liked the two timelines and thought the plot was balanced well between the past and future and the individual POVs to move the story along. Miss Fairchild makes Miss Hannigan look like Marmee from Little Women. Those three girls were at her mercy and there was no one for them to turn to except each other.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

This was more of a psychological mystery to me than a thriller. It was a slower burn with plenty of twists and turns at the end. The story is told from the perspectives of three sisters in the past and present as well as entries of an anonymous character during visits with a psychiatrist. It delves into the world of foster care, trauma, gaslighting, abuse, lies, betrayal, the journey of healing, and family bonds that are stronger than blood. The characters struggle with challenges such as addiction, lack of impulse control, and self loathing. There could be some topics that are triggering for some so check the trigger warnings. This was my first book by Sally Hepworth and I'll definitely be checking out her other books.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this ARC of Darling Girls in exchange for my honest review.

If Dante had ever wanted to fill one of his rings of the Inferno with a foster care home, he could have done no better than to use the foster care home found in "Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth. I've enjoyed other books by Sally Hepworth so was extremely pleased when I received an Advance Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

Sally did not disappoint: I read this book in less than 24 hours. The only story that comes to mind that I can compare it with is Cinderella, with an emphasis on the wicked stepmother.

Three young girls, each with different circumstances, find themselves in a dreadful home and each, in her own way, copes with knowing that no one will help them. We learn their histories piecemeal, with multiple timelines revealing their stories.

Somehow Jessica, Norah, and Alicia make it-- albeit scarred-- to adulthood. Probably thinking themselves finally free of their early childhood traumas, something totally unexpected happens. Like a phonograph needle ripping across the surface of a record, they are ripped back into that awful childhood home, somehow threatened again.

Did something even more sinister happen in that foster home? Is one of them responsible?

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is full of secrets, mystery, and sisterhood.

This book focuses on 3 girls who grew up together in the foster care system. Each "sister" has their own unique personality, and each struggle with their own demons within themselves.

Told in alternating timelines, we take a journey to the past as we explore whose bones are buried beneath their old childhood home they grew up in with Miss Fairchild.

This is a must read if you are into a good mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for this ARC.

This is my third @sallyhepworth and my favorite thus far! This used multiple POVs (Jessica, Norah, Alicia and a mystery narrator whose identity was disclosed over the course of the book), as well as dual timelines (present and past). This could be confusing if not done correctly, but it was done so well here! I finished this in 2 days! I didn’t want to put it down! This was more of a mystery than a true thriller, we have bones and work throughout the story to discover who they belong to and how they got there. And just when you think you’ve figured everything out, you find you don’t! The ending of this was top tier endings for me. Similar to when I read “None of This is True” by Lisa Jewell, I finished this and said WTF did I just read? And I mean that in the best way possible! This releases April 23, so definitely check it out!

I've read a few books by Sally Hepworth and I've always enjoyed your work. Not to my surprise I really enjoyed Darling Girls. This book is a psychological thriller, with some heavy family drama. I was here for it. There are many sensitive topics involved in this story. Although it is thriller, everything was written well and not in cringy, poor taste. I always appreicate short chapters, especially when a story has you reading during the night and at any available moment throughout the day. Darling Girls is a definite page turner.
Sally Hepworth will continue to always be on the top of my TBR list.