Years ago, Jessica, Alicia and Norah were foster children at Miss Fairchild's house. Her Darling Girls. But Miss Fairchild ran a strict household and she was not to be messed with. At any costs.
Now adults, the three sisters are convinced the past is behind them, until the cops contact them to discuss new findings at their previous foster house. Sometimes the past isn't burried as deep as you think.

I could not put this book down. This is my new all time favourite by Sally Hepworth. I loved the various povs and I did not see the ending coming.

This was an excellent read. The characters suck you in, and the twists keep coming until the very end.

I’m always excited for a new Sally Hepworth offering! This wasnt my favorite of hers but it was still a solid psychological thriller, this author’s bread and butter! Won’t be turning down reading one of her books any time soon.

Sally! You did it Again! I devour her books and this was yet another I couldn’t get enough of. Just enough suspense with great characters

This was probably one of my favorite reads of 2023. I loved the writing style. I love that it was told from so many perspectives but it was very clear. This book fluctuates between past and present, but I never felt lost. There is a lot to unpack in this book, but it was such a great read!

The story is about a woman named Miss Fairchild, who is a foster mother. Her home is perfect for raising kids. She fosters and ends up adopting Jessica, her first foster. Norah and Alicia quickly follow. Something changes in Ms. Fairchild, she is obsessed with cleaning and not to be crossed. Her punishments are severe. Soon after, Ms. Fairchild starts bringing in babies to increase her income. The girls end up caring for the babies. They are sisters forever and have an unbreakable bond. Fast forward to the future and bones are discovered beneath Ms. Fairchild’s home. An investigation begins and no one knows who to trust!

I really enjoyed this book, can’t wait to read more books by Sally Hepsworth! Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I was feeling like this book was a little too predictable but oof a horrifying twist at the end. Easy read and entertaining - thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

This book kept me reading tell the end with still being surprised, I also love that it went alternate between the past and present of each of the women And I really enjoyed that!

This story is told in alternating view points from three foster sisters. Each sister shares perspectives of current happenings as adults, and when they were together as tweens in foster care.

The formatting makes it easy to read and the writing is fine. I'm so tired of the evil foster/step mother trope. Sure, sometimes foster parents aren't great. But sometimes we do absolutely everything we can and spend money and time and love the kids as our own. We spend hours with therapists and biological parents and lawyers and doctors. We have little to no help from the professionals who are supposed to be there for us.

The idea of people fostering for money is mostly a joke. We always spent way more on our foster kids than the stipend we received, without taking into account the incredible time and emotional commitment.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I'll buy for my library because this is a popular author.

thanks NetGalley,

I don't even know where to start with this one. This is by far the best novel from Sally Hepworth to date. There were a few WTF moments that literally blew my mind and had to recover before continuing reading. The ending was one of those moments and was utterly stunned. Many say the ending was over the top but I thought it was perfect. I never saw it coming which is why I enjoy this author so much because nobody could have seen it coming.

I loved the friendship/sisterhood the three girls shared and even after everything they went through they continued to support one another. Everyone's childhood is different and this book highlights what childhood can be like for a child in foster care, bouncing from home to home or in the care of someone who mistreats or abuses you, whether it is mental or physical abuse. It also shows how the adults who were suppose to take care of them gaslighted them and made them into unstable adults. Just go read it already!

From the outside, Alicia, Jessica and Norah might seem like ordinary women you'd meet on the street any day of the week. Sure, Jessica has a little OCD and Norah has some anger issues. And Alicia has low self-esteem that manifests itself in surprising ways. But these three have a bond that no one can fully understand. It's a bond that takes them back decades, to when they were girls, and they lived on a farm with a foster mother named Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed.

When bones are discovered buried under the farmhouse of their childhood, they are called in by the police to tell what they know. Against their will, they are brought back to the past, and to Miss Fairchild herself. DARLING GIRLS asks the questions: what are we capable of when in a desperate place? How much can we hide the demons inside us? And can the past ever truly be buried?

When you hear foster care, you know it can't be good. The story follows three foster girls who become friends, and remains friends into adulthood. Bones are discovered under their former foster home and they're reunited when the police call them in. Sally Hepworth is an automatic read for me, her storytelling sucks you in! Told in alternating perspectives, this book kept me on my toes (but be aware that this isn't an adrenaline-filled plot but more of a slow-burn). Still highly recommend this one!

A perfectly fine book, but it just didn't work for me and I can't put my finger on why. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

Darling Girls is a story of three foster girls told in chapters that jump between the past and present. The book offers multiple POVs that help you to learn more about each character and their own journeys throughout the story. The three girls, Alicia, Jessica and Norah, are bonded by their time as foster children under the care of Miss. Fairchild. One thing I loved about this story was seeing the tight bond the three women had and how they were always there for one another. Please read the trigger warnings for this book as it showcases horrible truths of the foster system. Although there were a lot of dark parts, this book was full of twists. While the book was very well-thought out and researched, it was too much for me, which is why I gave it 3 stars.

I read this book in a day. I give this book 5 stars. I loved how well I felt like I knew every character personally. I was Invested from the first couple of pages. I’ve recommended this book to a lot of readers I know! I will be reading more by Sally Hepworth.

As a Sally Hepworth fan, I think this book may be her best one yet. It's told through multiple POVs with past and present time jumps which really added a lot to the story. I was captivated from the start and stayed interested right to the very end. It was thrilling and had me guessing what would happen.

This was a great read. It was thought provoking and emotional. I found myself crying and completely immersed in the story. It was gripping, moving and beautifully written. I read this in a day because I could not put it down.

This was another addictive read from Sally Hepworth!

I've read a few of her books and I love them. I couldn't put it down; I finished it in 3 days even with a busy schedule!
The bond between the 3 sisters was really special and it was super interesting to read about the foster care system. I liked that there real consequences for the characters' actions in the book & people didn't just get away with things. This made the story feel more realistic.
The twists & turns were great!! I did guess some of them, but I think that's because I'm more familiar with Hepworth's work now. It certainly didn't detract from the enjoyment of the read.
Really enjoyed overall & would definitely recommend !!!

Thank you to Sally Hepworth and NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review✨

Psychological Mystery
5/5⭐️

Pub Date
04-23-24

* Alicia, Jessica and Norah grew up as sisters- sharing an unpredictable & abusive foster mother. They all grow to have their own quirks and struggles from trauma but find a home base within each other. In their adulthood when they are finally freed from the chains of ‘Wild Meadows’ where they grew up, they are contacted by a detective regarding an investigation of human remains found on the property. Who is responsible? Who’s body is it? Who did it? Can they handle reliving their childhood?


SALLY IS MY GIRL! When I say she is phenomenal…wow. This book was amazing. So twisted. So eerie. So messed up. So unpredictable. So damn DARK. The twists were twisting. This story started off with a bang for me, got a little bit slow toward the middle and then picked RIGHT back up. If you love a psychological thriller or a who done it this one’s for you. I’ve never read anything like this, ever. I could not set this down. This should be everyone’s most anticipated read of 2024.

One of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. I wish there had been trigger warnings ahead of time. As a new mom (and anyone who experienced trauma or abuse) this was so upsetting to read. Love Sally and her work but this one was a struggle due to the constant images of child abuse.

I love Sally Hepworth’s novels, and this was another great one. The characters were all interesting and there were lots of unexpected twists and turns. It was a very engrossing read, and I really enjoyed it.

4.25 stars I really liked this one!

This was a suspenseful twisty story of three sisters who grew up in a foster home together under the watchful eye of Miss Fairchild. Years after they have left Miss Fairchild behind, a body is discovered underneath the home that they grew up in, and the three of them have to return to the foster home together.

Oh my god, this was a crazy ride! I literally tore through this in a day because I was so invested in the story. The characters were so well crafted, and I loved how the timeline switched between now and then because it helped a lot with staying super engaged with the story. There was always a twist that I didn't see coming, and THE ENDING HELLO???? I was so shocked it was actually insane. I can't wait to read more of Sally Hepworth's books because this one was so good!