Sally Hepworth fans will be very happy with her latest book, Darling Girls! While the first half moved a bit slow and became repetitive for my taste, once past the 50% mark I was eager to find out what happened next, and the twists and turns continued to the very last chapter.

Content warning for descriptions of child abuse

4.5 stars

Sally Hepworth proves once again that she is a master at writing women characters. Not fairy tale women, but the vulnerable, broken, strong and determined women that walk amongst us every day.
Jessica, Alicia and Norah are called by the police to return to the foster home they lived in as children. Also called was Miss Fairchild, at whose hands they were abused physically and emotionally. The question the police have is whose bones have been found when the old house was being razed ?
We are taken back through the memories of the three girls. The horrible experiences they endured and the love they shared that bonds them as "sisters" by choice. We meet the other children who are passed through Miss. Fairchild's house of horrors. There are plenty of twists as their stories unfold, but the biggest one is left until the end.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I don't think I have read a Sally Hepworth book I haven't liked and Darling Girls is no exception. Darling Girls follows three foster girls who come together after being placed with the same foster mother. However, the girls are forced to come back together when, decades later, a body is found under their idyllic farmhouse foster home. Darling Girls is a classic case of not everything is always as it seems. 4 solid stars!!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

I devoured this book in one day. It’s been awhile since that has happened and I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. It has a slow burn with multiple narrators, each chapter is a different characters point of view with a reference to the past. I found myself trying to guess the ending and the author threw me for a loop at the end in a good way. Solid 4 stars for me!

Ooooh this book completely changed my feelings towards Sally Hepworth. First I read by her was the Soulmate and I just didn’t love it.. but Darling Girls was such a fun read.

POVs: for this story, I loved reading the multiple povs and now v then timelines! It fit perfectly with the plot of multiple girls having different feelings and stories tied to their foster home. I was SO lost on who was talking to the psychiatrist until the very end, hopefully I wasn’t the only one lol. Once that clicked, I freaked out. Loved it

Characters: each character had perfect personality traits and stories to match. Again, it was fun seeing through their eyes. I might have even liked a Zara pov????

Plot: I personally love reading stories about foster homes/adoption because it’s not something I know much about so I loved this. There were some times that felt redundant or confused me (mainly bc I didn’t know who tf was talking to Dr Warren) but overall I think it flowed really well and the different timelines were perfect for adding to the plot. The ending was great and very sally Hepworth with the last minute twist. I wish it was a bit darker..is that effed up? If you want a chill thriller/mystery, this is a good one

Will be posting a full YouTube review and bookclub questions closer to the USA release date!

Thank you to Sally Hepworth, st martins press and net galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review!

This started off so strongly for me, I thought it would end up being 4 if not 5 stars. The writing was easily digestible, and I like the three POVs and the mysterious 4th one. However, it fell flat for me around the first 'twist' about halfway through. It felt like an odd direction to take the story, and I was waiting for the plot to get darker, but it really didn't. I want to be shocked when I read a thriller, and this one just did not shock me. I would still recommend it for a standard slump=buster or to someone who wants to read a thriller but does not want gore or a ton a violence. The ending just left me unsatisfied, and seemed to wrap up a little too nicely.

Just wow!!! I have only read one other book from this author which I also enjoyed, but this is a new favorite from Sally Hepworth. From the beginning I was hooked especially with the cases of the sisters and their foster mom, but then the 50% mark came and I was not expecting that twist. The ending also had me shook.
This book also has great commentary about life growing up in foster care, the effects trauma can have on you, and the bond of a chosen family.
I highly recommend this book to those who like character driven stories with some crazy twists. Giving this 5 stars 🌟.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Sally Hepworth for the eARC of this book!!

THE TWISTS! Sally Hepworth knows how to write domestic thrillers! This book was suspenseful and unique. The characters were raw and honest. Great read! I can’t wait to read Sally Hepworth’s backlog now!

I had never heard of Sally Hepworth prior to reading this ARC. I thought the description sounded interesting.

I am SO GLAD I stumbled upon this title.

Three girls are raised at a foster home by Miss Fairchild, a single woman. The absolutely unhinged abuse they incur leads to an insane series of events as the book bounces back and forth between their adulthood and childhood.

The twist in this book was so far beyond what I could have imagined.

This is easily the best book I read in all of 2023. A true psychological thriller, Sally Hepworth is now on my list of authors to track!

Sally Hepworth has always been a favorite author of mine, and this book did not disappoint. I loved the each character, and they all had their own voices. Hearing about the things that these sisters experienced in foster care was intense and sad, but the way that the story progresses was unique and unexpected. Overall, I would recommend this book based on the twists alone.

As a fan of Sally Hepworth, I am very grateful to read her newest novel early. Similar to her other domestic thrillers, Darling Girls tells the story of three foster sisters being raised by an unstable and abusive foster mom. I enjoyed as the story unraveled through the eyes of the sisters in present and past times. One of my favs by Hepworth.

Darling Girls starts off slow at first, but after a few chapters, I found it hard to put down. The three main characters have a great dynamic that helps move the plot forward. The alternating timelines reveals the plot at a good pace and the twists keep you wanting more. The ending is satisfying, with one final twist that isn’t far fetched. Overall, great read and will be looking to read more from Hepworth. (4.5/5)

While I found parts of the book predictable, I did not see the actual ending coming. There were some twists that I did not see coming, also. Overall, very good book. Sally Hepworth is an instant but for me.

This was my first book by Sally Hepworth and will NOT be my last! Darling Girls had me from start to finish. This book was unique and raw telling the story of three “sisters” who grew up in the foster system each with their own heart wrenching backgrounds and life long effects of the past. The girls are brought back to the small town where the discovery of human remains are found buried beneath the childhood home of their abusive and manipulative foster mother. Darling Girls had me on the edge of my seat with a twist I never saw coming!

Sally Hepworth writes a gripping, suspenseful tale that will keep you guessing to the end!
I kept predicting small pieces along the way, but not enough to put the whole picture together!

That’s the best! When you guess just enough to be proud of your detective skills but the author still slips one past you, keeping you humbled and in the dark for the overall picture. Like a cat toying with a mouse…and a recipe for the perfect thriller!

I’ve read and enjoyed all the books from this author and cannot wait for more!

I always look forward to Sally Hepworth's books, I have read most everything she has published, and so when I received her newest, I couldn't wait to pick it up.

Another domestic thriller, as is her trademark, that will keep you turning the pages and guessing the ending.
The story, told from the perspective of three girls with a shared foster home experience, was told in multiple timelines, which is a format I enjoy.

Of Sally's books, this wasn't my favorite but I am glad that I read it, and she will continue to be an auto-read author for me!

Expected publication date: April 23, 2024
Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley.

I always loved Sally Hepworth's book and this was no exception!! It kept me hooked from beginning to end. She is becoming one of my favorite Authors. This follows the foster girls living in a foster home with a eccentric women named miss Fairchild. The mystery surrounding her is intriguing. It jumps to past and present but in the end becomes apart of the story.

Darling Girls

I haven't read a Sally Hepworth book in awhile because I tend to get really disappointed in her books.

Unfortunately, this book was a tad too close to home with being a social worker. I used to work in foster care as well so it just hit differently for me and I know the ends and outs of a lot of trauma since I work with a lot of adults/children with trauma.

I also was disgusted by Dr. Warren as the therapist. Ok this was absolutely ridiculous.... I would hope to god no one ever would see a therapist like this. He was so incompetent and just awful!!!

Also, you can tell that the author doesn't have much experience with those that suffer from the mental illness OCD. I have OCD myself and it's the stereotypical "I have OCD" basic background. People need to be educated on what OCD actually looks like and how much it can be traumatizing in very different ways. It doesn't just come out as germs or the basic stuff thats stereotyped in our society.

Ugh.. I was just triggered too much in this book and ended up not reading the rest of the book.

Hope everyone else has a better experience then I did.

1/5 stars

Wow, what a ride! This is a quick paced thriller in which the reader goes for the ride of solving a crime in which a body is found under a former foster home. Bringing together the former foster girls, they must solve the mystery, while dealing with everyday life.

I’ve read several other books by Sally Hepworth and this one was my least favorite - however, she does know how to tell an enthralling story with characters I’m rooting for.

This is told from 3 POV in both present day and past. I liked the multiple POV and felt I got a lot of insight into the characters because it was also told in the past.

I had a few issues with the storyline. I just couldn’t figure out why Miss Fairchild was so bad. It didn’t really click at all. It wasn’t until the very end that it came together and that was a hot mess. It seemed like it was just all shock value.

I seem to be in the minority with my review. The writing kept me coming back because I wanted to find out what happened. It just was kind of a poorly executed story line.