This book was a wild ride! I knew to expect twists and turns because I've read many of Hepworth's books, and this was no exception. Sometimes I had a hard time reading about how the girls were treated - I had to remind myself it was fiction - and I suppose that shows how great the writing is! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This one will most certainly keep you guessing! You will keep guessing what is going to happen to only find out that you are horribly wrong! If you are a fan of books that are told from a variety of perspectives this is one you will not want to miss. Might make you think a little about the foster care system and what happens in those homes!

I just finished this book and I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened. The story keeps you guessing and the final plot twist lands in the last chapter!

The three main characters were interesting enough, but I didn't really love them. Sure, I wanted them to be ok and loved their bond with each other but didn't feel equally attached to them (I mostly rooted for Norah). Ms. Fairchild was an intriguing villainish character, portrayed as a narcissistic and emotionally manipulative woman.

The novel is gripping, suspenseful, page-turning- pretty much a roller-coaster ride. The reader sees two timelines- the past and the present from each of the 3 MCs perspectives. I found all of their backstories interesting as they shaped them in both timelines.

I will add that I am not big on thrillers and usually read romances. I don't even remember why I requested this book, but the read was surely memorable. In my comfort genre, I don't mind reading triggering themes of self-harm, some manipulation, sexual harassment, death of loved ones, or even miscarriages. But the same ideas escalate to a whole different level in this book, with it being centered on physical and mental childhood trauma. It may not be the best place to start as a newbie in mysteries, but I recommend it nonetheless. (I've read thrillers before and this one wouldn't let me sleep)

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a complimentary e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Darling Girls! It is very fast paced, but still “meaty” and thrilling. It follows Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, three women who grew up as foster sisters. For years the girls suffered mercilessly at the hands of their foster mother Miss Fairchild. Twenty-five years after escaping her cruelty, the ladies are contacted by the authorities and learn their foster home had been torn down and human remains were discovered buried underneath. Now, they must return to the place of their trauma to try to piece together what happened. Hepworth did a great job of revealing the events one by one, each one more intense than the last. She also strategically dropped clues in order to cast suspicion in all directions, at times in the main characters themselves. It’s a really quick read, but still satisfying.

have been a fan of Sally Hepworth and was excited to see a new book! This in her typical style is a slow burn (not a negative at all). I felt myself continually saying “oh no!” and “well they are screwed” throughout the book. The storyline had me attempting to come up with some theories and some nonsensical ones because i just wanted to know the end game of the book! But that is such a positive in a thriller for me. I love how I was trying to be a detective and figure out this book. Once the plot twist happens you are like well I was completely wrong; exactly what a good twist does!

Warning: The book does talk about the foster care system and the trauma that can be involved in it. Overall I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

𝒲𝒾𝓁𝒹 𝑀𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓈 𝑜𝓇 𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝐻𝑜𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓇𝓈

Special thanks to Sally Hepworth & @netgalley for this ARC.

My Review::
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟(3.75)

This is my ☝🏼st sally hepworth book, and was this a doozy. Although it was a slow burn, the end of every chapter left me craving more. I needed to know what I was missing.
**If I didn't have stupid work, I probably woulda finished this in one sitting. But ya know..... sleep and stuff. Lol **

This shows you the gruesome and unkind side of fostering, which in many cases can be the norm for a lot of kids. People can act this way for many reasons, which is sad considering these kids just need a good home and some love.

This books plot was different than any I've read before, and I totally didn't guess "the bad guy". It actually had me mind blown once it was revealed in the end.

I will say, though, that this book left me wanting more throughout it. Even though it had me turning the pages, I wanted more action.

Pub Date:
Apr 23, 2024

QOTD❓️⁉️❓️
What a book you picked up from "insta hype" that was good but not as good as you hoped?

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#bookish #bookishfeatures #tbr #tbrpile #bookbuzz #mysteryandthrills #BookstaBFF23 #thrillerbooklovers
#sallyhepworth #darlinggirls #upcomingthriller
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This was another great story by this author. I’m never sure what to expect when I read a Sally Hepworth title and she didn’t disappoint!

Hooked from the start. I love Sally’s writing. She knows how to draw you in and does really well with the twists and suspense you never know how it will go.

I read an advanced reader's copy of Saly Hepworth's forthcoming book Darling Girls thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review. I enjoyed this one. The book is about three women who were all foster children on a farm under the "care" of Miss Fairchild. Their foster-mother was anything but caring. It was an abusive environment and the three girls (all tweens at the time) bonded and consider themselves sisters.

From the beginning of the book we know bad things happened at "Wild Meadows" and the women are all requested to travel there to meet with the police. The facility had been closed and razed to the ground, And bones were found. The question is whose bones? And what did the girls have to do with it, if anything. The book uses a fairly standard motif of alternating chapters from the perspectives of the three main characters (Jessica, Norah, and Alicia) and chapters take place in the present and "before." I think you can see where this is going. Over time we get closer and closer to identifying what happened and, maybe, whose bones were found.

There is much more to the story, but it's a fun read and I think will be a great summer beach read once it hits the bookshelves in the spring of 2024.

Wild Meadows was supposed to be a foster child's safe haven, but turned into a house of nightmares for Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. Years later, the now-adult "sisters" must confront their abusive past, when a body is found buried underneath Wild Meadows estate. Darling Girls tells the heartbreaking childhood the girls survived with Miss Fairchild, their narcissistic foster mother, and the resonating trauma that has manifested in each girl's adult life. Darling Girls was a quick, tense thriller, with a dark subject matter that stayed on the lighter side of any graphic descriptions. I really love Sally Hepworth and enjoyed this novel, especially the twisted last chapter.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is your next thriller. Stop reading this review and go start reading it!

I loved the sisters relationships in this book and didn’t see the twists coming no matter how hard I guessed. What else could I want?

Darling Girls is a book in which we follow three women who grew up in the foster-care system in Australia. These women lived in the same home with an abusive foster mother. She is very emotional and psychologically abusive. The girls live in constant fear. This book a great representation that abuse is not always physical. There is a vast difference in the types of abuse. This book also highlights narcissism. It's filled with gaslighting and manipulation.

I've not read any work by Hepworth prior to, although I do have some of her work on my bookshelf. After reading this very different thriller, I plan to delve more into her writing.

I connected with the storyline and characters quite easily. I got confused at the end but once I realized what was going on, I was all good. Will definitely recommend to friends!

will always pick up a Sally Hepworth novel, so when I had the opportunity to read her forthcoming novel, I jumped at the chance. Her novels always have the right mix of mystery and what I would categorize as women’s fiction. Her books have just the right amount of plot to make the novel almost read itself without sacrificing interesting and complex characters. Having read a fair number of Hepworth novels, my verdict on Darling Girls is: I think this is her best novel to date!

Darling Girls focuses on three women who grew up in the foster-care system in Australia. The women, who refer to each other as sisters, all lived in the same home with an abusive foster mother. What’s interesting about the abuse is that none of it is physical. It’s all emotional and psychological. But these girls live in fear. I think this book a good reminder that sometimes emotional and psychological abuse is almost more deceptive than physical abuse because a savvy abuser will convince you that you deserve it. This book also highlights some serious gaslighting and a surprisingly unreliable narrator. I always find unreliable narrators especially creepy.

Unfortunately, Darling Girls will not be released in the United States until next year. But definitely pick this one up when it comes out. I predict you will see this book on a lot of summer reading lists for 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Three girls, sisters by choice, are forced to face their past, their foster mother, and their own ways of handling trauma when a body is found below the home they grew up in. Alternating between the girls' in the perspective of their past and present and an unknown first person perspective of a psychiatrist appointment, the reader follows the story of the girls as they grow up under the care of Holly Fairchild, how they bond and learn to protect themselves and each other and how they have "moved on" - but have they really? - from the trauma they faced and as they try to figure out who's body was found.

This might be my favourite thriller of the year so far. It's Hepworth at her finest.

This story is twisty, compelling and unexpected.

I felt equally as connected to the girls - each one is unique and endearingly broken - as I was repulsed by Miss Fairchild.

This is a story of abuse and the dark side of the foster system. A trigger warning here is important. While thrillers entering around abuse can often be quite dark, I think that Hepworth has done an excellent job of walking the line with this one. The content is dark but there are moments of levity and parts of the story that provide enough healthy space that the reader doesn't get bogged down in it. If you love dogs, they're one of the bright spots.

If you're reading it and find the beginning a little slow, buckle up because the twists at the end are 100 percent worth the wait. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Hepworth takes you on another turn. For someone who analyzes thrillers big time, to be able to be caught off guard by the ending is a really delightful experience.

Another winner from Sally Hepworth! Darling Girls is a slow burning suspense, but it was truly a wild ride from start to finish. If I didn’t have to do my silly little job I would have finished this in a single sitting.

I love Hepworth’s writing. She peppers so much charm and wit and emotion into her stories and you can’t help but love, or at least care about, her flawed characters. It’s clear she did a significant research for this book and handled some complicated subjects with a lot of sensitivity. I particularly loved the discussions around being “lucky” (read the author’s note!).

Darling Girls follows three women who grew up in the same foster home and for all intents and purposes, are true sisters. I afored the dynamic between Jessica, Norah, and Alicia and as usual with Hepworth, each character was incredibly well developed.

The girls each experienced significant trauma in childhood, and specifically in foster care, that has impacted their adult lives and relationships. I really enjoyed the past and present timelines as well as getting a POV from each sister. This is a bit more of a character driven story than Hepworth’s previous books in my opinion but I was so invested in each character I barely came up for air. I was rooting for all three girls, especially Norah!

The story is heartbreaking at times but for the most part, it’s more emotional than dark and gritty. At times, I was afraid it was too predictable but there were a few really good twists I never saw coming! Also, I’ll be processing that ending for a very long time!

4.5/5
As usual with Sally Hepworth, I couldn't put this one down!

Told from multiple point of views, Sally Hepworth somehow managed to make all three sisters likeable characters despite their flaws, making it all that more compelling of a page turner. As the story unfolds, we meet the therapist, Dr. Warren, whose character seems to exist to make the plotline more intriguing - although I did find this to be confusing at times. Both him and the detectives were less realistic characters at times. Nonetheless, I often find myself disappointed with the ending of domestic thrillers - but this one left me completely satisified.

Thanks to Net Galley for my Advanced Reader's Copy! To be published 4/2024

I really looked forward to reading Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth and I was not disappointed. The story moves along at a pace that keeps you reading for the next bit of information that will slowly unravel the mystery of what really happened in Miss Fairchild's foster home. The stories of the three young women who spent several years in Miss Fairchild's care are interwoven with the shocking discovery of a body buried beneath the house. I will admit that I believed I had a pretty solid idea of the ending about 75% of the way through the book, however, I kept reading and there is a twist. I highly recommend this book. It's entertaining as well as informative. No disappointments.

Thank you NetGalley, Sally Hepworth and St Martin's for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it. There were some breathless moments. Plot twist at the end that you might see coming but was shocking nevertheless. The development of the characters was really good and I found myself caring for them and the outcome of their stories. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone that enjoys twists and turns. The storyline kept me guessing till the end! I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.

In this heart breaking tale of three girls and their years in a foster home you learn that not all is what you think. In typical Sally Hepworth style just when you think you have it all figured out the twists and turns just keep coming.