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!

I am a huge fan of Sally Hepworth’s so I knew I wanted to read her most recent book, Darling Girls. I began it with lots of excitement and interest. The three main “girls” of the ‘Darling Girls’ the book is titled after were easy to like and I enjoyed reading about each of them. The book goes back in forth in time between when they are children and when they are adults. I thought Hepworth did an outstanding job of developing these characters and connecting the two timelines. I wish I could be friends with the three girls in real life!

About a third of the way into the book, it hit a point where it felt a bit too bogged down for me. It felt repetitive and closed in on just a few characters in just one location, repeating similar things. It could have just been my reading mood so I put it aside for a bit and came back to it later. When I returned to and continued reading, the plot moved forward so my interest quickly resumed. I had to know how this book would end!

One thing I love about Hepworth’s writing is how realistic her characters and situations are, and this book is no exception. She does a great job writing different personality types and weaving together probable occurrences. This book has heroes and villains, and I was equally interested in knowing what happened to each. Sometimes you might think you know what’s happening but may still be surprised at the twists and turns on the path to the ending. There were a few supporting characters who were developed enough to fit in the story as well. This book has Hepworth’s unique wit and sense of humor. I laughed out loud a few times and was moved by some of the hard topics she broaches with dark humor and a soft touch. This juxtaposition in the hilarious and the hard makes for some of the best reading and Hepworth does it well in this novel.

I give this book 4.5 stars and I’ll definitely continue reading anything Sally Hepworth writes!

While I have really enjoyed other Sally Hepworth novels, specifically The Soulmate which was released earlier this year, Darling Girls was not my favorite book of hers. I mostly struggled with the content of the novel, reading about these girls struggling as children in foster care was really difficult for me to read. I am always invested in finding out what happened and all the twists that occur along the way, I just struggled with this book more than others. All that said, Hepworth is a master at crafting suspenseful books full of twists and turns. I just think the subject of this one wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of the book.

The first half of this novel was an interesting study of the way three traumatized foster children dealt (or didn't deal with) the pain they experienced as children ... but I naively felt that I knew where the mystery was headed already, and that it was more of a character study. The midway twist absolutely threw me for a loop and kept me riveted! I didn't know what to expect, and Hepworth upended my expectations multiple times.

I was gifted a copy of this book from NetGalley. Sometimes I have a hard time with thrillers but this kept my attention from the very beginning. There was something quite compelling and eerie about this story. A few unexpected twists and turns. Excited to dive into more of this authors writing. I also found it quite an interesting insight into the foster care system and the feelings that come along with that.

I always love Sally Hepworth and Darling Girls didn’t disappoint. Every time I thought I had figured it out another twist came. I couldn’t put it down until I learned the truth. I truly enjoyed this page turner.

This was a great read and kept me interested until the end. I loved how I got to know all main three characters by reading through their past. Sally Hepworth never disappoints me!!
Thank you again for the ARC!! :))

Three women, who are chosen sisters after sharing a heartbreaking, abusive, and traumatizing experience in a foster home called Wild Meadows Farm, are called back <i> home </i> after remains are discovered beneath the farmhouse.

Reeling from their shared trauma and the grisly discovery, the three sisters are wondering who was buried beneath the home? Is their monster foster mother to blame? Could they have done something to prevent the loss of this life?

The story jumps through the sisters' POVs, and from <i> then and now </i> perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and felt the heartbreak and suffering of each girl. Just when I thought the story was resolved with a neatly tied bow, Sally throws a final, shocking twist to end the story.

3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced readers copy of this book.