Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth absolutely creeped me out in the best ways. Beautifully original, un-put-downable...you won't sleep without finishing!

Darling Girls is an interesting and saddening look into adoption and how it changed the lives of three girls. It was told in an alternating time period format. Starting in the present and flip-flopping to the past and back again, you almost get whiplash from reading it. But that does not take away from your interest in following the lives of these sisters.
As an American, reading a book about the Australian adoption system was just as sobering as reading one about America. I thought with public healthcare would be a more caring government for those on the fringes of society, but it seems like orphans everywhere get the short end of the stick.

This book did not disappoint! I loved the foster care story line, which isn’t something you get very often. The personalities and issues each character expressed made it easy to differentiate between them when they hopped perspectives. However, i do feel like last chapter made the entire book. There are so many times when it could’ve just ended without any “OMG” moment, but that chapter certainly gave it that little bit that was lacking!

I always look forward to Sally’s books.
Over the years she’s definitely become one of my favourite authors. Her plots are always unique and her characters grab hold of you never letting go. I find myself thinking about the stories and characters years down the road. That in itself is something else for me because often I’ll forget a plot 2 days after I finish a book. (I always remember my favourites though)

Darling Girls grabbed me from the very first chapter and I when I put it down to go about my day I would continuously think about it until I picked it back up. For me, that’s a sign that I definitely love a book.

One thing Sally always does is write an excellent sisterly dynamic. We’ve seen great sisters and we’ve seen some toxic ones but these sisters were unlike any sisters prior. Their bond was amazing, and I will remember Jessica, Norah and Alicia always.

For a thriller there were a couple of really funny lines and I enjoyed that. It was a nice little surprise in an already amazing book.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

Thriller fans!! This is such a goody. I love an original plot in a thriller, they are few and far between. I could not put this down or figure out wtf was going on. I recommend even if you don’t consider yourself a Sally Hepworth fan this might just change your mind.

"Darling Girls" was a book that had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

The story follows three sisters, not by blood relations, but through their experience together in a particular foster home. The chapters are cleverly arranged in a way to slowly reveal the events as the story progresses. In present time, the sisters are adults who are still struggling to acclimate into their surroundings when they are suddenly called back to their home town. A place they never wanted to return to. The reason? Because they found remains of a child buried underneath the foster home they grew up in.

Throughout the story, I felt the raw emotions of the characters as they come to terms with their childhood and what is to come in the future. The secrets that kept getting unveiled left my jaw dropped up until the last words. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend to those who love thrillers with a good twist!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am a big fan of Hepworth and this one did not disappoint! Get ready for a twisted ride.

Darling Girls is now my new favorite Sally Hepworth novel! It's a riveting thriller and the ending was Whoa!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were taken into foster care as preteens, and though not related, after surviving the trauma of Wild Meadows together, they think of each other like sisters. It's been over twenty years when they're contacted about their time in foster care, because the bones of a child have been found buried beneath the house.

Told through multiple perspectives, this book had a lot going on. There was a bit of an unreliable narrator storyline, but there were also a few spots where you could tell editing was meant to happen but had been missed. I'm sure that these will be caught before the final publication, so I'm trying to keep them from impacting my review, but I definitely found them a bit jarring and had to keep going back to make sure I had read things correctly.

The twists are entertaining and I think that many would enjoy it, but it is important to know going into this book that they talk about the kids' foster care experience, which is layered with stories of child abuse. Approach with caution.

Out in April 2024!

CW: gaslighting, child abuse, death, violence, drug abuse, mentions of sexual assault

TW - Child abuse/child death mentioned

🏡👩‍👧🚪🍼🐴🧼

One thing about Sally Hepworth: I can <b>always</b> count on her for a quick, captivating thriller that serves as an easy read. <i>Darling Girls</i> is no exception.

This story is shown from Jessica, Norah, and Alicia’s POV (third person). The trio of sisters grew up in the same foster home together under the care of Miss Fairchild. While Miss Fairchild and her home were seemingly picture-perfect from the outside, the truth of what happened there is anything but.

Diving right in, <i>Darling Girls</i> begins with a phone call to each of the girls that consists of a detective informing them that human remains have been found buried beneath <i>Wild Meadows</i>, their former foster home, and that their presence is needed for the investigative process. Initially, the police seem quite suspicious of the girls, and they do themselves no favors with their behavior. Each of them carries the weight from their time at Wild Meadows differently, still struggling to cope in one way or another. When everyone is keeping secrets there’s more than one version of the story, who is to be believed?

What I loved:
- The pace
- The brutal truth of what foster care unfortunately looks like for many. It seems Sally Hepworth did a great deal of research when writing about this topic, and I commend her for that.
- The complexity of the characters. Each of them had their own voice, which is so important when a story is shown through multiple perspectives.
- The way all the strings are woven together in the end. Little things that I didn’t think were even important came back as meaningful, I was so impressed by the way Hepworth tied everything up together perfectly by the ending.

What I didn’t love:
- The abuse and trauma that some of the characters faced. I found it hard to read through these parts, especially as a mother. But honestly, this story wouldn’t be what it is without it, so I can’t really find fault here

Overall, <i>Darling Girls</i> deserves at least 4.5/5 stars. I absolutely devoured it, as I imagine any psychological thriller fan will.

4.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

Sally Hepworth’s Darling Girls introduces us to Jessica, Norah (with an H), and Alicia who were all foster children at Wild Meadows in their teens. Each has their own story on how they ended up there, but once they entered each other’s life, they decided to become sisters. Sisters who cared for each other, who looked out for the others, who protected the others. Jessica is the organizer of everything, except her life. Norah is the troublemaker who is always keyed up for her next battle. Alicia is the insecure one who just wants to be stronger for her sisters. Unfortunate circumstances brought them to Miss Fairchild and Wild Meadows and they managed to escape it once. Then the discovery of bones when the house was being torn down brought back the nightmare they endured while living there. Whose bones are they and how did they end up there?

Hepworth gives us both worlds: the before and the now. We hear the backstories and trauma faced by each of the girls, as well as how Miss Fairchild exploited their weaknesses when it worked to her advantage. A picture perfect foster placement is painted when necessary, but then you get to see the cracks start to form in the picture until we learn the truth of what really happened at Wild Meadows. This book will have you guessing who is responsible for the bones being under the house and then Hepworth will feed you a little more that makes you question your guess. Everyone’s flaws will be laid out for investigation and in the end, Hepworth throws a few twists at you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book is set for publication on April 23, 2024.

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #sallyhepworth #darlinggirls #stmartinspress

This was the first book I've read by this author, I've had a different book of hers on my TBR list forever. This book was great and I look forward to reading more of her books!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.

Sally Hepworth offers readers another well-written, compelling novel with her newest release, Darling Girls. This is the fourth novel by Hepworth I’ve read for review, and each book has been wholly unique and expertly crafted. Darling Girls delves into the sometimes dark and dangerous home lives of foster children. We meet foster sisters Alicia, Jessica, and Norah and their physically beautiful but emotionally abusive caregiver, Miss Fairchild (the irony of her last name is not lost on us), whose resentment of the bond the girls create is at the heart of the novel. Each girl tells her individual tale in alternating chapters and timelines, but the construction is so well done there’s no interruption to the overarching story. The setting is Hepworth’s Australia but, sadly, could just as easily take place in any number of countries.

Darling Girls is listed as Women’s Fiction but described by the publisher as a twisty domestic thriller. I see the book as domestic suspense. The pacing is virtually the same throughout, with clever plot twists marking the high notes, until the mystery is solved. The story of displaced children is a sad one, yet Hepworth offers her characters hope of finding love and a better life. That hopeful optimism buoys the reader, too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing an ARC to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the AR

Four stars for the novel Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

The book is telling the story of three sisters that have grown up in the same foster home. Now adults, they come back to the same town when a body turns up...

Darling Girls was an excellent thriller. I loved the different point of views throughout story. There was plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing the ending. I found myself rooting for the characters.

I would suggest the book to anyone who loves a good thriller!

This was such a well planned out book. A great line up of diverse characters, written across past and present timelines, and always leaving the reader wanting more.

What I found I most enjoyed about the book was how even when jumping between characters on the various chapters, the book kept moving forward and not repeating the same event from someone else’s perspective. The other thing I really appreciated was the advancing of the secondary storyline with the antagonist in the background constantly and wrapping that at the end.

Thank you for the eARC!

Three sisters bound by their circumstances, not blood, grow together suffering the abuse of their psyco foster mother. Their circumstances make their bond stronger, so much so to still be extra close when adults. They are called back to the town they escaped from, for an investigation on bones found under the house they grew up in. This meant to be, short trip, makes their lives spiral, and all the new secrets, information, and stories come to life derailing the lives they had lived so far.

This book was good, and it was my second read by Sally Hepworth. The story opens with a woman talking to a psychiatrist but no indication who this woman is. The chapters go back and forth between the sister, the unidentified woman, and the past and present. Because of this, I found it hard to get into the story at the beginning, but as the story advanced, it pulled me in. The strength these girls had to survive this together, because the only thing going on for them was being sisters.

Miss Fairchild is desperate for money after her husband's passing and starts to foster kids. But she abuses them after losing interest in them, finding new kids to foster, over and over again.

I enjoyed the twist and turns, I was surprised by the ending but really loved that each sister, in the end, got to have the life they always yearn for.

Darling Girls kept me hooked throughout the whole book. Sally Hepworth is one of my favorites to read because she gives a great back story and depth to all of her characters. I loved learning each of the sister's quirks and how they came to be that way, even if it was because of their sad pasts. To quote Phil (Jessica- a main character/one of the three sister's husband) "It's like a sick, tragic bookclub." It is as if Sally Hepworth described her own books, and had the character say it cheerfully- which is how I pick up her books even though I'm in for a crazy, sometimes sad ride. The content matter was heavy (definitely a lot of trigger warnings in this book) but Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were all so likeable as children and adults that it gave me hope for a happy outcome (no spoilers on whether or not it happened).
On more than one occasion, a twist came along that I didn't see coming.

The ending was something I didn't see coming, and while I enjoyed it, it leaves me with some questions about one of the main characters- who up until then I thought I had a good understanding of. Maybe this was the point?

I definitely reccomend Darling Girls for its twists, awesome 3 main characters, and interesting plot.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my first ever ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was interesting to see a book in its unfinished stage, typos and all!

Sally Hepworth has been an auto-buy author of mine for years now, and I was beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Darling Girls. The book follows three girls, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as they recount their upbringing in a foster home that definitely was not what it appeared to be.

This honestly may be my favorite of all of her books. It is written in Hepworth's usual voice, rich with detail that make the characters likeable and unlikeable in all of the best ways, and of course, has the twists that we have come to expect from her stories. I cannot wait to purchase a hardcopy of this to add to my shelf as a new favorite!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are sisters in every sense of the word; they protect each other, defend each other and love each other but they are not blood. They met as children at the Wild Meadows, a foster home ran by Miss Fairchild. While the name implies an idyllic place to grow up but the girls were mentally abused by Miss Fairchild who toyed with their emotions and used their deepest fears against them. The girls bonded as the punishments became more severe, which only enraged Miss Fairchild more. She started bringing babies in as respite foster children forcing the teens to skip school and care for the child until it vanished back into the system. 25 Years later the women are called back to Wild Meadows after a body is discovered beneath the house. The women, especially Norah, are the prime suspects. But who's bones are they? And who was the killer?

I am a fan of Sally Hepworth's previous work and this does not disappoint. The domestic mystery is told from the POV of the 3 main characters with both present and past storylines. I enjoyed the back and forth but was more captivated by the past. Hepworth is great about slowly unveiling the story and keeping your guessing until the very end but keeping a fast and engaging pace throughout. The characters are enjoyable, albeit scarred by their childhoods. I liked the way she wrote the different women and how they each grapple with traumas of their past. Their bond is wonderful to see. The ending had some holes for me and I struggle with the girls not being aware of certain tells in each other. I highly recommend this novel for domestic suspense fans. Please be aware some of the topics could be triggering: child abuse, overdose etc.