Alicia, Jessica and Norah met as children, a group of young girls known by their foster mother (Miss Fairchild) as her “Darling Girls”. To the outside world, Miss Fairchild was a loving caretaker but the girls in her care suffered unimaginable abuse bonding the girls as sisters. Now as young women, the three are trying to navigate “normal” lives despite their trauma. They soon learn that a body has been discovered in their old home and the police are asking them to revisit their past and once again return to the place that holds the memories they have been trying to forget.

Darling Girls is a twisty new mystery by author Sally Hepworth which follows three young women bonded by the trauma they experienced while in foster care as children. Typically I really love this authors work but this one wasn’t a great fit for me. The book is well written and had a fantastic twist at the end but reading about the abuse and continued trauma of young women in foster care was very depressing. Each of the women continue to suffer as adults using sex, addiction, etc as ways to cop and their abuse and trauma was the primary subject of the story. Overall the book just made me feel very heavy with emotion and in desperate need of a pick me up novel after. That being said, I think many reader, and fans of this author will still really enjoy this on.

Sally Hepworth is my go to girl for domestic thrillers! I can devour her books in a couple sittings and always love them and look forward to the next. This one, I felt, was a bit of a pivot from her previous works. It is dark! So dark. There are some sensitive topics that may be disturbing for some readers, namely abuse and specifically, child abuse. The realization that this does happen to children who are fostered and adopted is sickening. Sally did her research and really got into the minds of these children to create this novel and it is so well executed!

This book goes back and forth from present to past with three girls, who think of themselves as sisters as they spent time in a foster home together. To get through the trauma, they came together to form an unbreakable bond. You can see how their upbringing has made them who they are today. When bones are found under their old house, they decide to go back and face their fears.

There are so many appalling moments that had me gasping and twists that had me holding my breath to see what would come next. Sally really leveled up her writing in this book, and that’s saying a lot because I have loved all of her previous work! I loved the ending and how everything came together!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I enjoyed this story, it did take me a bit to get into it though. I felt everything fell into place and the end and everything made sense. BUT then they threw the last chapter in and the twist- I didn’t see coming!

I enjoyed Darling Girls!

Three women were brought up in foster care together and consider each other sisters. In present day these 3 have a very strong bond.

Bones are discovered under the foster home they grew up in. Whose are they? How did they get there?

The story is told through their 3 point of views in present and in past time.

Theres definitely some child abuse in the story. So readers be aware.
But this was a good thriller/suspense! Definitely would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The journey thru Alicia, Norah, and Jessica's childhood is so emotional. I cannot begin to imagine the cruelty that these girls endured at the hand of Miss Fairchild.
When some boned are found, they are brought back to Wild Meadows 25 years late. Who do they bring to? What happened? Do the girls know? I was shocked to find out what really happened. The very ending left me speechless and wondering how can there be such evils in this world? I do recommend this book. However, there's triggers for abuse and foster care.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t be mislead by the title because there is nothing darling about Sally Hepworth’s newest book—Darling Girls. Instead Hepworth delivers a twisty, dark, domestic thriller in a way that will keep you on the edge of your seat and flipping pages as fast as you can.

Set in present day, Sally Hepworth weaves a twisted web of stories, taking us back to the early lives of Alicia, Norah and Jessica, foster sisters who are being cared for by Miss Fairchild. Quickly we learn that the childhoods they have lived are quite the opposites of darling…and now have tied them together to a mysterious set of bones. But who’s? And how did they get there? Together, the sisters must face the dark truths- of their past and current lives.

As a genre, thrillers are my go-to favorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the pace to be quick but not too fast- enough to keep me rapt. Although the chapters bounced between past and current stories of each of the characters, the writing was clear and the storylines were easy to follow. In addition to the main plot, each character had their own subplot which added dimension and depth and connection to the main story. The timing of the reveals were perfect, and continued right up to the very end. Although the characters were all flawed, there was enough development of their story for me to feel connected and empathy for them…all.

With all that said, this book is dark. I would be remiss to not include a warning for readers about the mature themes which include child abuse, the child welfare system and substance use/abuse. Although the plot is far-fetched (meaning, in the world of child welfare the likelihood of it occurring is incredibly rare- if ever!), it was clear to me (as a former child welfare caseworker) that the author had done her research, particularly for Alicia’s character and role.

Overall, the storyline will leave you holding your breath right up to the very last page. Woven in to the dramatic, dark tale, there is a little romance, a lot of friendship and a reminder that healing from traumatic pasts IS possible, with a the love and support of professionals…and sisters.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to access and review Sally Hepworth’s forthcoming book, Darling Girls.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I was really excited to get to read Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth early because I have heard of this author before and a few of their other books. I did not really enjoy reading this, I found the pace to be too slow and the story just couldn't keep my attention. This book just wasn't for me. It felt painful to keep reading and I just wasn't interested.

I wanted to love this book as I've loved Sally Hepworth's previous books but the whole storyline felt too convoluted to me. There were so many characters and it felt like each new character introduction also introduced a new completely dramatic plotline. Despite all of that, the shock at the end and the fact that the book did pull me in so that I needed to read more, I gave it a solid 3 stars. Thank you NetGalley!

Darling Girls, Where to start? I absolutely loved this book! Twists and turns rght up to the last page, The relationship between the three main characters was inspiring as were their stories. All grew up in the same way but ended up living such different lives as adults. This was my first book from this author but will not be my last. I will recommend this book to anyone that asks.

This was my first book by this author and it did not disappoint! In this story, we follow three sisters Norah, Jessica & Alicia. They all grew up together in a foster home under the “care” of Miss Fairchild (if you can call it care). 20 years later, all 3 women are called by police to come back to this home to help them investigate the bones that are found buried under the house. This can get a little repetitive when we are going through each day with the girls, but you won’t see the twists coming! Mark your calendar so you won’t miss this when it publishes April 23, 2024! All of the thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press & Sally Hepworth’s team for allowing me to read this early digital copy!!

Alicia, Jessica, and Norah are not related by blood, but are sisters at heart. They spent time together as children on a farm with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild was abusive, controlling, and difficult to be around. The girls managed to get away from her and from the small town. Years later, human remains are found under the farmhouse they used to live in, all three women are summoned back to town by local police to figure out what happened in that home.

Sally Hepworth has done it again! I have loved every single one of her books and this one is no exception. I strongly encourage all of you to pick this one up. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

Another gem by Sally Hepworth. I loved the multiple POV’s, and while this was a bit of a departure from her typical domestic suspense style, I really enjoyed it. However, I will say this one is very dark and there are major trigger warnings for child abuse. Highly recommend reading her authors note at the end. Would recommend for fans of her books!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my eARC.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia have an incredible bond; spending several years years in the foster care of Miss Fairchild. The girls have endured more than any child should and consider themselves sisters in every sense of the word. This story bounces back to their foster care days to the present day which is 25 years later when a body is found under the place they spent too many years.

I loved the girls camaraderie and their unbreakable bond. This was a great book which I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this to read.

i loved this from the very first page! the three main characters were unique and individual, i loved their relationship with each other. it has so many of my favourite tropes; multiple povs, past/present timelines, unreliable narrators. sally hepworth is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors when i need a good thriller, highly recommend!

tw: abuse (physical, sexual, substance)

thanks to netgalley for my copy of darling girls by sally hepworth. all opinions are my own.

This was a slow burn thriller. The twist was near the end and I almost predicted it correctly. The very last chapter was the most shocking !

I want to first thank Netgally and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this as an early release. With that being said, the review and opinions are all mine.

Now that that is out of the way, let's chat about this book!

Whoaaaaa. Darling Girls is a whirlwind. My head is still spinning, my stomach is churning and I'm trying to process what I just consumed throughout these pages over the last few days.

Synopsis: Wild Meadows is run by Holly Fairchild, or as the girls call, Miss Fairchild. Jessica, Norah and Alicia have shown up to live at Wild Meadows all for different reasons but grow an instant bond and sisterhood and learn to survive the nightmare of their foster home. Miss Fairchild has rules and if you cross her she will use your biggest fear against you as punishment. After years of torture they were able to free themselves, however, their memories of what went on never escaped them. Wanting to never step back on those grounds, bones are discovered under the house and an investigation is underway and they need the three girls help to uncover some gritty details.

The story is told from each girls point of view during the present and past. I loved this storytelling and learning about each character in the then and now. Each voice was heard loud and clear and I loved how raw their stories were.

Jessica was the first to arrive at Wild Meadows. She is now married with OCE and is a closeted pill popper.

Norah arrives to the home second and has some aggressive issues, then and now but she is true blue to a fault.

Alicia is last to the group and has very little self-esteem but is the perfect addition.

This book is sad. The girls lives are sad. Before living in Wild Meadows and during their time there. At times I wanted to look away. I felt uncomfortable and it was depressing. But the detail made me feel HARD for each of them.

I loved each girl and was rooting for them the entire time. (Loved them all coming out on top at the end!)

With every unraveling detail I needed to know more. I kept trying to piece it together but I didn't see it coming.

There were a few slow parts for me in the middle but overall, Darling Girls was a thrilling rollercoaster with so many unseen turns.

This would be a great audio to listen to!

Sally is always an auto-read author for me, and her latest DARLING GIRLS didn't disappoint. Five enthusiastic stars!!!

Highly recommend this one. I was completely intrigued with the plot and needed to see how it ended. I cannot wait for this one to come out for everyone to enjoy. I'll be adding the physical copy to my collection.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity for this ARC! In short- I devoured this book. It was such a good thriller- the story was unique, twisty but with a lot of great characters and good character development. I really liked the ending as well as the stories across all the sisters. It’s a wild ride but I highly recommend!

I really struggled reading this book, the content was just so dark. The book was very well written and so engaging! I wanted to continue reading to see what would happen next, but also had to put the book down because I couldn't stand it at points.

Reading about physical and emotional child abuse is torturous. Especially for the neediest children in foster care who have no one in their corner advocating for them. Reading about the abuse from "trusted" adults was beyond heartbreaking and difficult to read about. Reading is an escape for me and my favorite form of entertainment and enjoyment. This book was just not my choice of topic.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the ebook.