This was a very compelling and fast-paced thriller that kept me guessing really until the last final pages. The story switches back and forth between the present and the past and follows the story of three foster children of a woman named Miss Fairchild. To be honest, the psychological torment that Miss Fairchild displayed and the experience that these three girls had under her care and the long-term effects of it made it a tough read for me, as a mother. Nevertheless, it did bring great awareness to the foster system and the extreme hardships some foster children face. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sally Hepworth has done it again for me! She has a way of taking messed up things and making them even more messed up than they already were. This book was no exception. Three foster sister endured the abuse of a foster mother and went to authorities only to not be believed. Years later a body was found and now the police are interested in their story, but not necessarily because they believe what they said all those years ago as kids. The story is told from multiple points of views and time spans which makes it a little confusing. Someone is also taking to a psychiatrist throughout the book, but it’s never clear who is speaking until the end. I know some people don’t enjoy that aspect of the unknown, but I enjoyed it and thought it played into the mystery of the whole thing. Would I have been able to follow this book as well if I had listened to it as a audiobook? Probably not. I recommend reading it yourself the first go around and then maybe listen to it. Overall, I thought this was a great book. I’m glad the characters got wrapped up nicely at the end and I didn’t feel like I was left hanging. The ending was messed up, but definitely believable which is something I liked. The characters were fleshed out nicely and I was able to connect to all of them, which is important for getting me into a book.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC!

This had some pretty dark content, but kept me entertained the whole way through. I've learned Sally likes to make those main villains extra crazy in the end, or provide a pretty psychotic twist, which I'm here for. Overall a good quick read that id recommend for people who aren't skittish with this type of content.

A compelling domestic suspense with a clever, utterly beguiling plot and expertly crafted, deeply flawed and relatable characters. I was completely hooked from the start.

The story is told from the past and present POVs of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, as well as one unnamed mysterious POV. With so many POVs and timelines, it could’ve been confusing, but Hepworth expertly managed each of these threads, winding them beautifully together into a taut, sinister, impossible to predict story.

The three protagonists – Jessica, Norah, and Alicia – were all rescued from family tragedies and raised by Miss Fairchild. But Miss Fairchild wasn’t what everyone expected. In a moment of desperation, they escaped. Now, as adults, a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, forcing them back to the place they swore they’d never return. But are they witnesses? Or suspects?

Fresh, sharp and surprising, with a twist I didn’t see coming. I highly recommend!

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy. This book is an absolute page tuner, Has all of my favorites........ multiple POVs, short chapters & told in alternating times.
Another of Sally Hempworth familial thrillers that I loved.

This book was a 5 star read! Thank you net galley for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read. Alicia, Jessica and Norah (no T) seems like ordinary sisters, but they are anything but ordinary and their childhood was anything but ordinary. Miss Fairchild has rules and you must always follow the rules, if you don’t there will be consequences. The Darling Girls thought they had left their past in the past and that is where it would stay, but fate has a way of bringing it back. Will it haunt us or set us free? This book is an edge of your seat thriller with twist and turns all throughout.

I couldn’t put this book down, I read it in a day I really enjoy this author and this book was no different! You really get to know the main characters and I always appreciate that. I didn’t predict the ending at all and was very pleased with the outcomes for my favorite characters! The book wrapped up with a nice twist that I didn’t see coming at all!

I read this in one sitting! I could’t put it down! As with Hepworth’s other works, it pulls you in, tugs at your heartstrings, and then takes an unexpected twist!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading my first book by Sally Hepworth, but I would like to start by acknowledging that this book discusses some heavy things that may be difficult for some to read regarding child abuse.

This book moves between two timeframes, which I often dislike, but it was done well in this book. In the present, we had the chance to get to know three of the main characters and who they are (which is primarily due to their upbringing). When flashing back to their childhoods, we were always presented with relevant information that lends itself to the twists and turns without bogging us down with unnecessary details.

Numerous times throughout, I believed I had it figured out, but by the end, I was still shocked. I didn't feel the final chapter was necessary; it was the one part I felt didn't add much value, but aside from that, I REALLY enjoyed it!

Thank you, Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ARC. Darling Girls will be published on April 23, 2024.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
I enjoy Sally Hepworth’s books. They are usually easy to get into and quick reads. This book is no exception.
This is the story of 3 foster care girls and the foster home/mother they had. It is not real pretty. It also goes into how each girl (now grown) carries these burdens although their lives. When a child’s bones are found under the house many years later, these girls are forced to go back and face all their demons.
The last chapter will BLOW YOU AWAY.

I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers and read them regularly. I've been so frustrated lately (like the last few years) that everyone I've read has just been okay, some even bordering on mediocre. I really wanted to love this latest by Sally Hepworth since I've really enjoyed her previous books, but I'm not sure I even liked it and unfortunately I'm lumping it into the just okay pile.

The writing was rushed and repetitive with minimal plot and character development. Pacing was slow. Almost like a first draft that will be fleshed out and developed, refined at a later date. This is unfortunately a pass for me, although I still plan to read others by Sally Hepworth.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Go to author Sally Hepworth delivers again!
This was so well done, from the strong sister bond to the twisted hold of an unpredictable foster mother, I could not put this one down.

Secrets and manipulation at every turn with a murder that leaves the sisters in a position of key witnesses … or are they suspects.

And OMG the ending. Sort of what I was expecting and then NOT! Boom!

I was so excited to read this book! The cover caught my eye immediately, but it is an author that I thoroughly enjoy! After reading the synopsis, I was so excited! This book was such a whirlwind of emotion, and every single character stuck with me! The ending really shocked me! I ate this up and it’s one of those that will stick with you for a long time after! Thank you so much, NetGalley!

Solid thriller by Sally Hepworth. I always enjoy her books and this was no exception. The book was told in alternating POV by 3 sisters who grew up together in foster care. It kept me entertained and did not end in an expected way. Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Darling Girls focuses on three foster
"sisters", who grew up together for a couple of years at Wild Meadows foster home in Port Agatha. They are all grown and living their not so best lives, when they each receive a phone call 25 years later from a detective about the discovery of human bones on the site of Meadows Hill.
After human bones are discovered under the aging foster home of Miss Fairchild, the sisters return as requested by the police.
Maybe they'll find some answers of their own.
Sally Hepworth writes a gripping,
suspenseful tale that will keep you guessing to the end! This one was hard to put down!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a great read! The book was set up from the rotating point of view of the three main characters moving between past and current. This set up of small chapters made it a “just one more chapter” book. Each chapter ending started a twist you had to know more of, uncovering more each page. The characters were strong and by the end of the book you understand why they lived the life they currently do based on their past and the bond all three girls face.

There were parts that were difficult to read. It reminded me of If You Tell but it was easier to push through because there wasn’t physical torture and I knew this was fiction. I didn’t realize the same foster/adoption industry corruption issues that the US faced were also an issue for Australia so long ago.

Like the other authors books, a solid twist at the ending that I think we may have all seen coming.

I am a slow physical/electronic book reader, where my average read takes 3 weeks. This book was finished in just over one which says a lot for it.

This has been posted to Goodreads

Darling Girls explores some heavy topics and felt slower paced and more character driven than the author's last couple books but, as usual, I found the story impossible to set down.  


Jessica, Norah, and Alicia meet in a foster home and form close sisterly relationships while enduring their time spent at Wild Meadows foster home with Miss Fairchild, a volatile woman who makes their lives miserable.  Decades later, the sisters are called back to Wild Meadows when demolition reveals long buried human remains. 


This time around, the domestic suspense centers on foster care and the complicated bonds of sisterhood rather than the usual marital relationship setup. This book worked for me as a family drama with a mystery side story more so than as straight domestic suspense. I found the mystery compelling enough that I really needed to know what happened and finished the book in a day, but I didn't love the ending. It's a personal preference issue, but the ending felt a little too neat, and I wasn't a fan of the final twist. 


I absolutely loved the bond between Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. Their stories, both past and present, were my favorite parts of the story. Sally Hepworth does such a great job of crafting complex, relatable,  real characters who come off the page and have me caring for them. 


I love how Sally Hepworth continues to give her readers addictive stories while also mixing things up and offering something new and intriguing with each book. I truly go into each of her books with no idea what to expect beyond knowing I'll enjoy whatever type of story we're given. While the mystery side of this book didn't fully work for me, I did love the family drama aspect and found both past and present timelines engrossing. Overall, Darling Girls is a domestic drama that kept me both entertained and invested in the lives of the main characters even if the ending left me somewhat disappointed.


Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing me a copy to read and review.

Sally Hepworth does it again! This is my 7th book by my author and I will not ever pass up one of Sally Hepworth’s book, she has yet to disappoint me. I devoured, Darling Girls. The book takes place between present and then 25 years ago. The characters were all well developed and likable. I liked the twists and looked forward to finding out what was going on in the foster home of Ms. Fairchild.

Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for inviting me to read, Darling Girls, in exchange for my honest review.

The most fascinating part about Darling Girls to me is not necessarily the story itself, but moreso how Sally Hepworth utilizes her writing not as a way to tell a story, but instead as a tool for leading the reader in a direct direction of her own creation. The reader is given information in which they can draw a conclusion of their own, but that conclusion is constantly undermined by brand new information almost as soon as their conclusion is drawn. In her particular style of writing, it fully feels as though the reader cannot trust themselves or the information given, and that heightens the experience of reading through Darling Girls.

In this way, Sally Hepworth's story is not just one about weaving together a tale for the reader to enjoy, but we are actively put within the investigative role, and behind the scenes, we know even less than we thought was the case. Much like how in art, an artist will utilize leading lines and negative space that gives the viewer a forced, cramped perspective and leads us in a specific direction, Sally's own writing does the very same: in Darling Girls, forced perspective is combined with unreliable narrators centering the mystery right through to the very end with a surprising, demented, and disturbing twist ending within the very last pages.

An absolutely delightful read the entire way through with distressing situations that made me cringe in horror.

Thank you Netgalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press for this arc!

My further thoughts can be read on my blogspot! https://booksifixion.blogspot.com/

Wow! Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was so good! It was a dual POV by Alicia, Norah, and Jessica. You go from current time to them growing up in the foster home. A body is found under their foster home so everyone is heading back to Port Agatha to find out who it is. We see why the girls are the way they are based on growing up. There is a thought on who the body was, does it end up being their sister?
Thank you to NetGallery for allowing me to read this book.