This was a pretty good thriller. I did expect few twists but the final one was really cunning and so good - I love how this author portrays women's emotions so well. This was my second book by Sally Hepworth and I really like how she writes her thrillers. There are some pacing issues but overall, A really nice read

4 Stars

I quickly devoured this book. I enjoyed the sister dynamic and all the twists kept me guessing. I audibly gasped multiple times during this book, it kept me on my toes much more than most. I would highly recommend this quick thriller.

This is the fifth book I've read by Sally Hepworth and I'm pretty sure it is my favorite. The story is told from the perspective of three sisters that grew up together in foster care, alternating between present day and flashbacks to their childhood. Usually when I read books that are told with multiple timelines, one is much more interesting than the other but there was so much going on in each timeline I found myself wanting to know more at the end of each chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and as much as I didn't want it to end, I was extremely satisfied with the ending. It always seems like a lot of authors try to throw in some wild twist at the end of a thriller that just doesn't sit well, but the ending of Darling Girls felt right. I love a book that keeps you guessing what is going to happen next, and this one delivered. I can't wait to see what Sally Hepworth comes up with next!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was good and kept me engaged.. It was an easy and quick read. I didn't want to put it down. Plenty of tdrama as well as wists and turns but I felt like it was missing something maybe more depth

Introducing my new favorite Sally Hepworth book! Every time one of her books comes out, I look forward to reading about the new characters. It is no secret that Sally Hepworth is known for memorable characters that you never forget…and this book is no different!

3 new characters that embody the truest meaning of sisterhood and friendship. Get ready for Jessica, Norah, and Alicia to capture your heart. Beyond the amazing characters, this book is quite the dark and suspenseful thriller! I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the entire book and it continued to escalate until the very last page. The last chapter threw a curve ball that made my jaw drop and totally made this book a 5 star thriller for me.

This is Sally Hepworth’s best work yet & her author’s note is also a must read! Mark your calendars for April! You will want to get your hands on this book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review!

This book was unlike other Sally Hepworth books that I've read recently, but it still had the elements I've come to love from this author--domestic drama, a plot that propels the reader through the pages, and characters that feel like real people. This book digs into child abuse in the foster care system, so a warning about that, but the twists were interesting and I didn't quite know what to expect as I turned those last few pages. An engaging read!

Sally Hepworth has done it again! Darling Girls will immediately draw readers in and keep them enthralled until the very end. Darling Girls begins with an introduction to each of the main characters and then begins to weave a web of connections between and among each of the characters and their chaotic, difficult past connections. This is a fast-paced read, that fans of thrillers will enjoy immensely.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. And I can honestly say this book is my favorite of all Sally Hepworth’s books I’ve read to date!

Three foster sisters endure their time with Miss Fairchild at what on the surface seems to be a perfect country home and estate. But, inside the house, secrets, abuse, and manipulation are abundant.

Grown now, the three sisters by oath are still together and are called back to Port Agatha when the remains of a body are found after the house is sold and demolished. Each sister is grappling with the aftermath of their childhood trauma even as they near 40. But, they must stick together to figure out who the body belongs to and find justice for the past once and for all.

At its core, this book is about friendship and the idea that family isn’t always blood related. This book also delves into the good and the bad side of the foster care system.

I really enjoyed the alternating perspectives and seeing the inner demons each sister was wrestling with while still trying to protect each other. Without spoilers, the addition of the psychiatrist and the narrative added there was very well done. This was such a fantastic read that I managed to devour it in just over 24 hours. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for my eARC of Darling Girls in exchange for my honest review!

This is my first Sally Hepworth book, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it! I will absolutely be checking out her other books.

This story follows three foster girls: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. They’re under the care of Mrs. Fairchild at her home called Wild Meadows. We are bounced around from the past, when each were placed at the home, events while they lived there, and to the present when they’re all contacted about human remains found under the house after it was sold and torn down.

It starts a little slow, as there are multiple characters and a solid foundation to build, but once I got everyone’s story straight, I couldn’t stop! And the end was so twisty. I absolutely loved it! Highly recommend.

I’m still shocked with this psychological thriller from Sally Hepworth. The book weaves through an intricate narrative of three girls that were in foster care to a manipulative foster mother. The psychological games played by the foster mother leave you hurting for the three girls as you hear each of their stories in both the Then and Now. When the girls are summoned back to the town after bones are discovered buried under the old foster home, you will be searching to find out whose bones they are, who buried them, and when did this all happen?!

I loved the shocking ending and found there to be many turning points at just the right time. I didn’t particularly love any of the three girls’ characters, especially in their Now perspectives. I much preferred the Then storyline. However, the Then & Now & an element of a mystery narrator made for a thought provoking way to acknowledge how an abusive, narcissistic parent can cause life long challenges for children.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.
Add this book to your TBR list!
Releases on April 23, 2024.

I loved this book. I read it at record speed for a Hepworth book. The plot is unique and twisty. The characters are a little unbelievable which leads to many guesses. I thought it was written perfectly with the dual timelines and povs. Definitely recommend this one!

4.5/5 stars for this one! A little slow but the twists kept coming till the end. Overall would highly recommend this one to my friends and family!

I have a love/hate with this authors books: sometimes I feel like they are stuffing too many “hot topics” into their storylines. However, Darling Girls has become one of my favorites of theirs!

It felt fast pace enough to keep my attention and kept me guessing (which isn’t an easy task!) Definitely will be recommending to friends.

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

Sisters, secrets, love, and murder. Four of Sally Hepworth’s favorite things. I’m a fan of Sally, so I was excited to dive into this one. This book follows three sisters, raised by a foster mother, who was not as she seems. Even after breaking away from the foster mother, the truth always comes out.

This was a great read. Sally knows how to keep you on your toes!

This was my first Sally Hepworth book and I was such a fan. This book kept me guessing until the very end- even the last page surprised me! Darling Girls has a multiple POV writing style that alternates between the past and present perspectives from Jennifer, Norah, and Alicia. (as long as you can remember the three different characters it isn't too difficult to keep up with who is who as it switches). There are also counseling sessions with Dr. Warren sprinkled throughout the chapters. These three characters spent a couple of years in a foster home called Wild Meadows under the care of Miss Fairchild. Fast forward to present day when they are informed that bones have been found under Wild Meadows. The chapters tell of how each girl ended up at Wild Meadows, their experience while they were there, where they each are as adults, and how they coped with the trauma of their childhood. This book really had me questioning what really happened the entire way. There were a few moments where I audibly gasped because I was so shocked. As a reader you'll ask- Whose bones are did they find? Who buried the bones? Will they go back and visit Wild Meadows after all those years? How did the girls leave Wild Meadows? What happened to Miss Fairchild? And so many more. This may be a hard storyline to read for some people so look at some trigger warnings before reading.

tw: child physical/emotional abuse, neglect, substance abuse, kidnapping, pornography, one sex scene at the end that is easily skippable.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book is set to release 4/23/24

Sally Hepworth’s latest domestic suspense novel centers on three former foster children, Jessica, Norah and Alicia, who have been contacted about bones which had been found at Wild Meadows Farm, the property where they had lived together with Miss Fairchild, their foster mother. The three women had formed such a close bond as a result of their experiences on Wild Meadows Farm that they considered themselves sisters, despite their very different temperaments, abilities and appearances. But all three had been shaped, for better or worse, by their years together as children.

The discovery of the bones brings the past back with a vengeance, uncovering secrets and throwing into question what each of them actually knew about what happened with Miss Fairchild. Thinking they are being asked as key witnesses, they decide to return to Port Agatha to aid the police in their investigation, despite the fact that, or perhaps because, all three are facing separate crises in their personal lives in Melbourne where they now live. Quickly, however, they realize they may just be the prime suspects in the case.

Hepworth weaves a twisty tale of personal trauma with now and then chapters, as well as three POVs for Jessica, Norah and Alicia, along with a few chapters interspersed throughout following an unnamed character. But the twists are only one reason you won’t want to put the book down. The relationship between the women is just as engaging, at times heart-warming and heart-rending, at others laugh-out-loud funny.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this Advanced Review Copy.

Absolutely loved this book! It had me on my toes from the very beginning, to the very end. The characters are built well, and their relationships have been explored deeply. Each of the sisters have such different personalities and a unique relationship with the foster mother, Miss Fairchild. It ends perfectly, especially for fans of dark thrillers!

Darling Girls follows the lives of 3 girls who grew up together in foster care. When a body is discovered under their old foster home, they must return to the place that they were desperate to get away from.

Sally Hepworth is one of the best at domestic thrillers. We get dual timelines, the scary side of the foster system, twists and turns, and a jaw dropping ending. This was such an easy read to stay connected to and I couldn’t wait for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC!

Thank you for letting me read this arc! The captivating story of this twisted Wild Meadows was certainly a page turner. Enjoyed the multiple POVs and the twist ending!

3.5-3.75 ✨ rounded up.

I'm always up for a read by Sally Hepworth! I didn't hesitate to request this one as well, but it took a few months before I finally got around to digging into it. (Didn't take near as long to devour it.)

The book was told mostly from the perspectives of the 3 foster sisters, both in the past and in the present, with some entries sprinkled in of a character talking to a therapist as well (I won't reveal which character as that is a possible spoiler for a little while in the book, although I did guess early on who it was). I found the sisters to be fleshed out well with each having different backgrounds and dealing with their childhood trauma and demons in different ways, but in ways that made sense for who they were and for foster children in general. On the subject of the therapist bits though, I found the therapist character, Dr. Warren, to be off-putting more and more with each entry but was curious to see where that part was all going to lead to and where it would go in relation to the rest of the story. The plot was also interesting trying to piece together what had happened all those years ago as well as seeing how it was all going to play out for everyone in the present day.

The most heartbreaking aspect of this book was not really the book itself, but just knowing that this happens too often in real life. Maybe not necessarily finding a child's body buried under a foster home, but everything else: the treatment of foster children, social workers turning a blind eye, people who only foster to get the paycheck, police not believing foster children when they are brave enough to go forward with abuse allegations, etc. Sally's acknowledgments at the end were a nice addition and quick read. She researched this, and you could tell.

Overall, I thought this was one of Sally's better releases in recent years. It wasn't hard to follow along, even with the different character perspectives and the past and present timelines. The characters were interesting and well developed. The story was well thought out and executed. It took a little while to really get into the main mystery, but once it did, I felt even more engaged with the story and couldn't figure out exactly where it would all end up (although I did have a few predictions tumbling around) which is always part of the adventure in Hepworth's novels. I can't say I didn't see the ending coming because I did, but I don't think anything else would have truly fit the final story anyways.


Thank you to Net Galley, St Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth!
Expected US publication: April 23, 2024