A cleverly crafted thriller. The story of these three women captivated me and made me see survival in a different light. And there is definitely a twist.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a 3.75 star read for me. Easy to read, fast-paced, twists and turns and all sorts of unreliable characters. Unexpected, but there were also a few funny moments where I literally laughed out loud - which is rare for me when reading a thriller.

The way everything came together in the end was a bit predictable, but I still loved it. The "villain" is also terrifying.

The biggest thing that really that pulled me out of the story was that some things just happened way too conveniently. Commonly happens in thrillers to wrap things up quickly, but just broke my immersion in the story a bit.

Loved it!

This book surprised me. Usually I rate Sally Hepworth novels between a 3.5-4 star but this by far was her absolute best. 5⭐️ all around.

The story line was so unique and captivating. It hit a lot of harder topics like addiction, rape, child abuse, foster care, teen pregnancy, suspected murder, neglect. (Trigger warnings)
I could simply not put this book down. It especially got really good at the 50% mark where I binged read from 10:30pm until 1am.

Our main characters are foster kids who come together at a Wildwood Home. Jessica, Alicia, and Norah each of whom have their own individual heartbreaking story of why they’re in foster care and how they band together to help break the abuse.
The subplot ending with the murder that happened years ago included an insane plot in which it did not see coming. Again the whole book is incredibly fast paced and intriguing,

All the characters were just immaculately unique and loved in different ways. I really really enjoyed this, I will gush about this book for a long time.

Thank you so much NetGalley at allowing me to read this in advanced in exchange for my honest opinion.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reading copy of this book. Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming one of my favorites! I could NOT put this book down and can't wait to share it with my friends. There was a lot going on but not so much that you couldn't keep it straight. I love the way Sally writes each chapter from a different point of view and follows it up at the end so that you aren't left wondering what happened to the characters.

When bones are discovered at their foster home, three women must return and face their painful past. With found family themes, a broken foster system (potential TW), multiple POVs, and therapy sessions of an unknown person, the queen of domestic thrillers did not disappointed and is her best (and darkest) yet!

Thank you to @Netgalley and @StMartinsPress for the advance copy. It is out April 23, 2024.

If you’re looking for a twisty domestic thriller that will grasp your attention from the very beginning look no further. Darling Girls is gripping, emotional and unpredictable all in one. It keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Jessica, Norah and Alicia are three foster kids who become inseparable during the period of time in which they are placed at Wild Meadows. In this story they quickly learn that all they have is each other because Miss Fairchild is not at all what she pretends to be on the outside. The ending will have you surprised!

A big thank you to both NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first Sally Hepworth and what aabulous read. It drew me in quickly and kept my attention right up until the last word. Rarely does a book keep my attention through out. This will not be my last Sally Hepworth. When this is released, grab a copy,a gallon of coffee and prepare for an "all nighter".

"Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth is a gripping psychological mystery set in the realm of women's fiction. The story follows three girls who form a strong bond while living in the same foster home, where they are subjected to psychological manipulation by their foster mother, Holly Fairchild. The scars from their traumatic experiences linger long after they escape Holly's clutches.

The narrative focuses on Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who endured years of abuse under Holly's control. Fast forward 25 years, and the aftermath of their shared ordeal is revealed. Jessica's life spirals out of control due to addiction and estrangement, Norah battles anger issues and the threat of imprisonment, and Alicia struggles with insecurities while working as a social worker. When their childhood trauma resurfaces with the discovery of human remains at the old farmhouse, the three women must confront their past and seek closure and healing.

"Darling Girls" expertly weaves between past and present, offering insights into the characters' evolution and survival mechanisms. Each protagonist resonates powerfully, with Norah capturing the heart with her blend of sarcasm and vulnerability. Alicia's kindness and Jessica's unraveling layers evoke empathy. The narrative builds suspense, culminating in a stunning twist. This poignant and empowering story sheds light on mental health awareness and women's empowerment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so good. If I read 100 books again this year, it will probably be one of my favorites. It was my first book by this author (I know, I'm late to the game!) but I am now planning to devour everything else she has written.

I am a Mental Health Counselor and was blown away by how accurately she wrote about trauma. I thought she must have some personal or professional background herself, but no- she just really did her research! She is up there with Lucinda Berry (who is a former clinical psychologist and trauma researcher.)

This book made me laugh out loud and ugly cry, and I kept picking it up every time I had a spare minute because I just had to know what happened! I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Sally Hepworth is an experienced Author who is able to craft a well thought out and twisty thriller. I have ready and loved all of her books. This book is no exception, Alicia, Jessica and Norah all have interesting individual stories to tell with twisted pasts. These three women have a strong sister-like bond which a lot of people don't understand as all of them have quirks to them.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a layered thriller that her fans are sure to love. When a body is found on the site of a former foster home, all the past trauma of the women who grew up there is unraveled. Who do the bones belong to and how did they die? What happened in that house?

Releasing in April 2024, Darling Girls is one for fans of domestic thrillers to pre-order.

Many thanks to #netgalley #stmartinspress and the author #sallyhepworth for an #arc in exchange for an honest #bookreview.

#darlinggirls #domesticthriller #thriller #booksbooksbooks #thrillernovel

Sally Hepworth has penned another satisfying, twisty thriller!! Jessica, Norah and Alicia are flawed and awesome. The mystery was intriguing. The supporting cast could have been fleshed out a tad more, but Miss Fairchild definitely gave me the creeps!!!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia met and bonded while growing up together at their foster mother’s home. When years later bones are found under the house where they lived, they must return to their hometown and try and find out what happened and who was buried there.

This was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. The writing was well done and the story was compelling with complex characters - switching between past and present and the POVs of the three sisters and their foster mother. I appreciate when book characters don’t feel like “characters” and more like real people and I feel this did a good job with that.

I really enjoyed reading Pet in 2023 and this reminded me a bit of that.

I would classify this as more in the mystery/literary fiction genre than a thriller.

This book was AMAZING!! I couldn’t put it down until I knew ever last detail. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I finished it in one day. The ending was mind blowing. Sally Hepworth never disappoints but with book she blew the lid off!

Thank you to St. Martin’s press for my digital advance reader copy.

Foster siblings Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are now adults and have largely put the trauma of their pasts behind them, but when their old foster home is demolished and a body is discovered, everything comes rushing back.

While I loved the main characters, ultimately, the plot was missing something to make it truly shine, though I’m hard-pressed to say what exactly that something is. The last twist in the final was jarring and stands in stark contrast to the rest of the book. It felt as though it was added for shock value, especially since the book abruptly ends shortly afterward.

This was not my favorite of Hepworth’s, but it won’t put me off of her future releases.

I've read other Sally Hepworth books and I've always been slightly disappointed. I’m not sure why this one didn’t work for me exactly because I usually love thrillers but something about it wasn’t super compelling for me. I didn’t feel the need to continue reading and I felt like I was dragging my way through it.

Oh Sally Hepworth, what have you done? I had this one all figured out early on. But it turns out it was all a giant shell game, and while I was guessing the middle cup over and over again, you’d long since dumped the ball in your lap. (Cue author’s evil laughter.)

I’m unsure how to classify this – (dysfunctional) family drama, coming of age, thriller, or domestic fiction. It crosses a lot of genres. The main story revolves around three orphans, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who are brought together in what is seemingly an ideal situation. They’ve landed at a farmhouse called Wild Meadows under the care of Miss Fairchild. As each one arrives, they are treated very well, but that is a short-term situation.

While they are very different, the three form a bond and truly become sisters. They need their relationships because they are mentally and emotionally abused by the woman who is supposed to care for them.

Fast forward 25 years, and the farmhouse is being torn down. During the demolition, bones are found on the grounds, and all of the characters converge to talk to the police about what happened when they lived there. The story is told mainly through the three sisters' POVs. But there is also an unknown narrative, as related to a psychologist. I thought the shifts from past to present and through the different narrators were done very well.

The abuse scenarios of the story got very dark. But the sisterly bonds kept the story from going too far down that hole. I thought it did a great job of exploring the long-term ramifications of abuse and how it lingered in three very different ways for Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. It also deftly handled the effects of children being in foster care.

This isn’t a fast-paced run, but the ending slapped me across the face. I did not see that coming and I loved it. I’ve read several of Hepworth’s books and will continue!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC to honestly review.

Sally Hepworth has quickly become an auto buy author for me and I really need to read her backlist next! Darling Girls is another twisty thriller that will have readers guessing until the end. The story centers around three women who grew up together in foster care and had to endure the difficult abuse from their former foster mother. Switching between the past and present, the book showed the view points of each woman and really conveyed how each of them had been affected by their earlier childhood. I really enjoyed how Hepworth unraveled the story and pulled readers in. This was a quick read and I would recommend to anyone who’s a fan of Hepworth’s prior work or is looking for a twisty thriller. I will note that there are descriptions of child abuse that may be difficult for some readers.

Such a good thriller! I always enjoy Hepworth’s books and this one might be my favorite. I found the storyline really intriguing, loved the character development and all the twists! There were multiple prominent characters in this book and something I really appreciated was how well everything within their personal lives, outside of the main event, wrapped up in the end. This one kept me guessing until the very end and I definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Another compulsively readable Sally Hepworth title. I accidentally read it one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, and the story was carefully crafted to keep revealing information slowly and steadily.