Sally Hepworth is a master at domestic suspense/thrillers, and while Darling Girls was not my favorite of hers, I would still say it was a solid 3.75 star read for me.

I enjoyed the past/present chapters, as well as the story being told from each sister's viewpoint. And just when I thought I saw the twist coming all along, the final chapter turned it on its head (in the best way possible)!

I will say that I didn't feel strong character development in this book. In fact, I found most of the characters unlikeable. However, the book was so fast-paced that it kept me interested and engaged the whole way through.

Note: Check trigger warnings.

Sally Hepworth has done it again!

“Darling Girls” is the latest thriller in a long line of excellent stories written by Sally Hepworth.

If you’re a fan of multiple storylines and time jumps, this is the book for you.

The narrative revolves around 3 women who grew up together as foster sisters under the abusive care of their evil foster mom. The reader is taken on a journey to understand the torment they suffered then and its lasting aftermath.

Called “home” after a body has been unearthed, these sisters will go through an array of emotions, and the reader will be on the edge of their seat.

Thank you NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin’s Press for selecting me to read this ARC. I’ve been a fan of Hepworth for a while now and will tell everyone I know to check out this book.

This book kept me wanting to read more and it was hard to put down. I thought I knew where the book was going and then the author writes something that pivots it all in a different direction. It was a good book and an easy read. Want to read more!

Wow. I love Sally Hepworth and she did it again. This was a strong 4-4.5 star read. The premise of this book was very interesting, and I loved the alternating chapters between three different viewpoints in addition to past and present. Sometimes when authors choose to write this way, I feel like the characters are underdeveloped and hard to follow along with, but that was not the case here! All three women were distinct in personality and developed so well that I was invested in each storyline. I also felt the chapters composed of interviews with the psychiatrist were well placed and kept me guessing. The reason this wasn't a perfect 5 star read for me was largely the last chapter. I felt like it was added largely for shock value and would have preferred for it not to be there. Without giving anything else away, I didn't like how it altered our view of the character.

As soon as I get my hands on a new Sally Hepworth book I have to start reading it. It doesn't matter that there's a whole stack of books that should be read first -- Sally's book starts out on the top of the book pile. I do this because I know that her books will never disappoint me, that they'll be well plotted with interesting and realistic main characters. I also know that I won't want to put it down once I start because I have to see how it ends. And even though I have been known to read the end of a book before I get there, I don't do that with her books because along with a great ending are all of the twists and turns that keep the book exciting and I don't want to miss a page!

Jessica, Alicia and Alicia are all foster children living on a farm with their loving foster mother Miss Fairchild.
But things aren't always what they appear to be. Miss Fairchild runs her home with strict rules and punishments and was never to be talked back to...ever. The three girls bonded and referred to themselves as sisters. Jessica was the first foster child and was 5 years old when she moved to her new foster home. She and her foster mother bonded and she felt like she had finally found a home filled with love and attention. But when Norah shows up, all of the attention goes to her. Norah at just 11 has been in lots off foster homes and knows how to handle a foster parent like Miss Fairchild. Alicia is 12 when she comes to live at the farm. The 'sisters' knew that they had to escape the farmhouse and they left together as soon as they got a chance.

The second time line is 25 years later and the three girls are grown up but are still feeling the effects of the time with Miss Fairchild. Jessica has OCD, Norah has problems with anger issues and Alicia is a social worker who works to place children in good foster homes. They are surprised when the police contact all three of them and want to talk to them about bones recently found at the farmhouse. After doing testing, it was determined that the person died when the three girls lived there and the police want to know what they remember and if they were involved in the death. The police ask all three women to go back to the town they grew up in -- somewhere they have all avoided since they escaped twenty five years earlier. What repercussions will they face being back in the town with so many bad memories? And what did they really know about the death? With the story being told in alternating chapters by each of the three women, the reader is able to get a clear picture of their lives in foster care as well as their problems as adults. One thing that continues is the strength of their relationship with each other and how much they depend on their 'sisters'.

I absolutely loved this book and it's my new favorite Sally Hepworth novel. The three sisters were well written and it was easy to quickly understand their lives. I enjoyed how they went from strangers to sisters and how they took care of each other and stayed close even after they escaped. Miss Fairchild presents a pretty picture to the town but is basically an evil person more interested in the money she is making for fostering children that she is in the lives of the children she fosters. This is a book that you don't want to miss!

Darling Girls centers around three girls: Norah, Jessica, and Alicia; who are in foster care and are housed at the same residence. Their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, is mentally and physically abusive to all of the girls. A very punny name because she is far from fair to any of her foster children. The girls are now grown and have a bond as tight as biological sisters would have, if not stronger. Norah, Jessica, and Alicia are contacted by a police detective and made aware bones from a child were found underneath their old foster home.
Through dual timelines between 25 years ago and now, the story unfolds through alternating POVs between the three girls, and a mystery POV from someone’s sessions with a psychologist.

Norah, Jessica, and Alicia were strong, likable characters. They were presented in a way that made you root for them throughout the entire book as the each battled their personal demons. The alternating POVs helped with that as it made you get a better sense for who each one truly was.
The beginning was a bit slow, but about a third of the way in the pace picked up and kept me wanting more. The ending was a little predictable to me, but still very enjoyable. Overall this was a 4.5/5 for me.

Wow.

First off, thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for providing me with a digital reviewers copy!

This book surprised me in the best way. I thought I had the story figured out early on in the book but that last chapter threw me for a loop. I was prepared to give this book an average rating until that last twist!

If you’re a fan of multiple POVs, many twists and psychological thrillers this books if for you. There were quite a few lines in this books that gave me chills reading them so check trigger warnings before you read. Great book from Sally and can’t wait to read more in the future!

4 stars
Sally Hepworth is a solid author. There were a few too many characters for me to track, but this was an interesting story..

Let me start by saying I love Sally Hepworth and I’m very thankful to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book in advance…
With that being said, Holy Trigger Warnings! This book was very disturbing… a good story and wonderfully written, and it had many twists and turns and the ending was great but I found myself needing to walk away from it several times.

Sally Hepworth is the queen of the domestic thriller. This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning and didn’t let it go until the last page. Although, I preferred the ending without the last chapter included. The characters were overall very likable and relatable. It was nice to see how they developed and matured as the story unfolded. Seeing how bad their lives were at Wild Meadows and how they remained close and continued to support each other long after foster care was also very interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth manages to grab me and pull me in with her latest installment Darling Girls. When a body is found at their old foster home, the "sisters" decided to return. Told in pieces from the past and the present; Hepworth's twisted story kept me gasping for me. These poor, darling girls! This is one thriller you are not going to want to miss in 2024!

Could not put this book down!! Loved the character development and how the stories flashed from past to present. It will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

A beautiful thriller about past trauma, friendships, grooming, and facing all of that in one's current life. Tightly plotted and fascinating.

4.5/5, I really enjoyed this book! Sally Hepworth is an amazing storyteller. I was sucked in as soon as I started reading. The multiple perspectives going between the past and the present really kept me guessing. Overall this was a great read!

Sally Hepworth is an auto-read author for me, so I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of her upcoming release!

As we’ve grown to expect from Hepworth, this book delivers on the twists and turns that had me literally gasping aloud. This book is the darkest of Hepworth’s that I’ve read, and it definitely doesn’t shy away from hard topics. It was creepy and sinister and really kept me on the edge of my seat.

I actually think this is my favorite of this author’s recent thrillers and I definitely recommend putting this one on your radar if you’re a thriller lover!

Whoa. This book is hard to review: I was riveted and stayed up too late finishing it, but the story and a particular character are very disturbing. With that it needs to be said that this book comes with a huge trigger warning for child abuse.

Hepworth’s stories and characters are deep and complicated, and this book is no different. I just wish I had a better idea of what I was in for. This is definitely a page turner, but I was often sick to my stomach reading it, and wanted the twisted Miss Fairchild to come to an untimely end. It’s a hard read, but the story of foster children is important, and ultimately I was glad the author wrote about such a tough topic, and I’m glad I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Oh boy… this book was so incredibly hard to read, but I could not put it down. If I didn’t have responsibilities needing my attention I would have finished it in one sitting. As I said though, it is very hard to read about the abuse without throwing my book (kindle) across the room in frustration for the lack of help those girls desperately needed. And the ending… THE ENDING!!!!!! 🤯🤯🤯

Holy moly this book was great. Just loved the dynamic of the sisters and their story. And twists!!! Just when you think you know what is going on!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, with my honest review below*

Sally Hepworth has written a page turner filled with tension and trauma in Darling Girls. Following three foster sisters, now grown, we revisit their past and upbringing with Miss Fairchild, who ran Wild Meadows, their foster home while solving a mystery in the present of a body found under the since destroyed home. Throughout the novel you get to know each sister (my favorite being the feisty Norah) and how trauma shaped them as well as the psychology of a major player in the novel.

I enjoyed this book, both for the depiction of the good and bad of foster care (foster parents with the right intentions should be honored by everyone, and I’m glad the book focused on them as a counterbalance to foster parents with more selfish intentions) and its suspense as we learn more about the mystery of the body. The closure at the end was well done, and the final twist came out of nowhere but made perfect sense for the character it focused on. With excellent writing, I would recommend this for readers of this category and beyond.

WOW!!! Just wow with the surprises in this story. I loved how this story was told in both present day and in the past. The way it flipped between the two just left me in suspense and it let the story unfold perfectly! I thought I had it figured out a few times, but nope! This one will truly have you guessing until the very end. The last chapter totally got me!!! I highly recommend this one as a MUST READ!