I had to DNF this one. Just not for me.

Horrific child abuse and sexual exploitation. Too much for me to try to work past even if it is fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you to the publisher #partner & Netgalley for gifting me an e-ARC!
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Darling Girls centers around 3 girls, Jessica, Alicia and Norah, who bonded as sisters growing up in a foster care home by a very abusive foster mother, Miss. Fairchild. Despite their childhoods, all 3 women have gone on to lead mostly normal lives. However Sally does a superb job of portraying the cracks that consistently resurface in the women’s lives due to extreme trauma they endured.

Now once again, their traumas are brought to life when all 3 women get a call from the police that they need to be questioned when the police discover human bones in their former foster home. As they travel back to their home of horrors, reluctantly, lot of old secrets get dug up and unsolved mysteries are discovered.

The chapters alternate between the past and present of each of the 3 women but we also get some bonus chapters of a mysterious character with her psychiatrist, which were my favorite as the reader isn’t clued in to that character is, until deep into the book. As with all Sally Hepworth books, Darling Girls also has an explosive ending that will make for great buddy read discussions.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Darling Girls follows three adult (foster) sisters as they confront their experiences in foster care and reckon with the discovery of human remains at the site of their former foster home.

I enjoyed the suspense aspect of this book, but at times it felt like too much was trying to be jammed in. As it got closer to the end, I wondered if it could all be resolved. It’s a quick read with unreliable narrators that you can get through in a weekend.

Alicia, Jessica, and Norah may appear ordinary on the surface, but their shared history runs deep, connecting them in ways that no one else can understand. The story revolves around the mysteries of their past, tied to their time on a farm with a foster mother named Miss Fairchild, a figure who's best left forgotten.

Hepworth's storytelling is a masterclass in character development and family dynamics. The sisters' struggles with identity, forgiveness, and the consequences of their actions hit home, leaving a lasting impact. The pacing is impeccable, with revelations unfolding like breadcrumbs, building tension and anticipation as the narrative progresses.

This novel is a compelling exploration of sisterhood, wrapped in a suspenseful narrative filled with unexpected twists. It's a story that not only entertains but also prompts introspection, making it a must-read for fans of contemporary family drama. "Darling Girls" has earned its four-star rating, and it's a book that will stay with me for quite some time.

This was such a good book and I know it would be even better on audio! I loved the dial timelines and multiple pov’s. The character development was also great. Multiple twists that I didn’t see coming!

Thank you St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for an arc of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. I loved this book. It is a great psychological thriller that explores a small town in Australia where bones were found buried under a house that was known for being a foster home to three girls. The story goes back in to their childhood and 20 years later when the discovery of bones occurs. The girls banded together as sisters and always have each others backs. But who's bones were discovered? Throughout the book there is a storyline of an adult talking to a psychologist, but you don't find out who it is until the end and it was not who I expected. This book is so good.

This was a fun read! Quite a few twists which kept me wanting to know more. I really enjoyed the different points of view from 4 different narrators although it took me a minute to keep them straight. The ending also felt a tad rushed, but glad all of my questions were answered - no loose threads.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early review.

Liked the past/present format but had a hard time reading about the foster care abuse---while, I know it's a real problem that hurts so many, I immediately tune out when reading about children, self preservation or something. I don't think SH can write a bad book, but this one just wasn't for me, which is a ME problem, so many other people are going to love it--especially the ending.

An incredible book! I loved the flashbacks between past and present and the multiple narrators. The dimensionality was such a treat and didn't take away from building momentum. I've read some of Sally Hepworth's books before and this is hands-down my favorite one. It has some of the classic elements she includes, like the past and present switching but this really levels it up. Highly recommend!!

Thanks to SMP & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say - I'm a sucker for Sally Hepworth. Each book seems to be a little darker than the last, and that's fine by me, although it seems that her fans who like just a tinge of nasty in their books are displeased {shrug}. This story is DARK - it deals with 3 sisters, fosters sisters rather than blood, but sisters just the same, as they have helped each other survive their foster mom, Miss Fairchild. Each has her own issues in the aftermath of this awful experience, and now that they are adults, they are pulled back into Miss Fairchild's orbit after human bones are found under the site where her house used to stand.

Miss Fairchild is basically a sociopath, and we get detailed info on what the girls (her "darling girls") are subjected to from her, both as individuals and as a group. It's not pretty and can be a little challenging to read. What really, really worked for me was the bond these women shared - they are all sorts of fucked up, but their sisters do not desert them and they support each other without question and unconditionally. If you have sisters, or siblings, you know how valuable this can be.

Is the story implausible? Maybe a little, but I have read FAR worse. The writing is excellent, and I will forgive a lot for good writing. It's no more implausible than anything we watch on TV.

In a sea of crappy, badly-written thrillers, Sally Hepworth continues to be worth the read.

Here I am again, devastated I have no more Sally Hepworth novels to read. This one was SO good. The twists, the perspectives. The perfect thriller that won’t make you lose sleep. As a note to the publisher and editor - there were a lot of misspellings and typos but I’m sure those will be resolved.

The character development was great and the plot was engaging! I do wish there was more justice for Miss Fairchild in the end…

Sally Hepworth has become an absolute favorite.. I know that her writing will immediately draw me in and will be hard to put down. Her newest book did exactly that! The plot centered on several "darling girls" forced to grow up in a foster home situation and it didn't take long for my blood to boil when reading about the abuse that the girls were forced to live through via the hands of Miss Fairchild. When a body is uncovered under the Wild Meadows Estate the readers immediately have many unanswered questions.
You wont be sorry picking this one up when released- 5 ⭐️.
Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I took my time getting into this one, I was worried it was going to drag on, at first, but I was very wrong once I got out of the first few chapters. The last chapter really clinched it for me. Sally Hepworth is an automatic "add to TBR" for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for the ARC of this boo

Oh! I just loved Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth! Tackling issues of foster children, their struggles and trauma, as well as the people in their lives which mold their personalities, good and bad. Excellent characters, deep sisterly bonds and full of twists and turns, this novel was great! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the advance reading copy. All opinions are my own.

I went into this Hepworth novel blind, and it was the best decision. This is quite possibly my favorite book of hers yet. Chosen family, secrets, the many feelings and roles women play in each other's lives, with the added layer of the main characters being raised in foster care.

The story jumps back and forth between present day and their upbringing in foster care, leaving the reader itching to know just what life was like for these three young girls to have them avoiding the town they were raised for so long. So many important topics captured in these pages.

This was a fast-paced suspense with plenty of twists and turns! The story is centered around three women who grew up at the same dysfunctional foster home and bonded as sisters. When bones are recovered from the site of their childhood foster home, they come together to get to the bottom of the mystery, and gear up to face their old demons again.

Really enjoyed the surprises in this one and looking forward to reading more of Ms Hepworth's works. Highly recommend - great weekend cabin reading!

There girls find themselves in a foster home together. Their horrific experience at Wild Meadows bonds them like sisters. Years later a body is found at their former home and things begin to unravel.

Sally Hepworth is an automatic read for me. She does psychological thrillers without being too creepy or disturbing. This one follows suit. I ended the book with a literal “STFU.” My jaw dropped. Some of the twists along the way were pretty predictable. Some were not. The ending was 🤌. Whether the twists were predictable or not I was fully invested and HAD to know how the unraveling left our MCs.
I do think it’s worth putting on your TBR. It’s never too early to put it on hold. 😘
This book comes out April 2024 and it’ll be a great kick off for summer thriller season. PS that’s not a thing. I just made it up.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC. I absolutely devoured it!

Spice level: 🌶️/5

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: April 23, 2024

Rating: 5 stars!

Wow! This book was binge-worthy! It felt like those true crime mini series on Netflix, where as soon as the episode was over you clicked "Next" and before you know it, you finished the entire series in two days. That was this book! Run, do not walk to preorder! I'm still at a loss for words.

TW: child abuse (emotional/psychological), PTSD, addiction

Perfect for fans of:
- True crime
- Psychological thriller
- Mystery
- Fast paced
- No loose ends
- Twists
- Gasping when you get to twists
- Ashley Winstead, Alice Feeney

Not all sisters are bonded by blood, some ties are even stronger. That’s true for Jessica, Nora, and Alicia. Once foster sisters, now bonded for life after sharing unthinkable traumatic experiences at the hands of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild.

The girls are now grown and being forced to relive their previous experiences at Miss Fairchild’s farm, Wild Meadows in Port Agatha, when human remains are discovered and answers are being demanded.

This gripping novel travels between past in present while sharing multiple point of views. The characters were well developed and easy to connect with. I found myself routing for Jessica, Nora, and Alicia and completely baffled by the narcissistic behavior and manipulative abilities of Miss Fairchild.

I stayed glued to this dark and heartbreaking story from beginning to end and will definitely be on the lookout for more Sally Hepworth reads!

Bonus points for cute dogs!

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. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild, and they thought they were free. But the reach of someone with such power is long, and even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. 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.

Hepworth's writing is a true standout in this genre. Her ability to create characters that are both deeply flawed and entirely relatable is nothing short of remarkable. The story revolves around the relationship between three sisters, and as the layers of their shared history are peeled back, we are given a front-row seat to their joys, their struggles, and their darkest secrets. The characters' struggles with identity, forgiveness, and the consequences of their actions resonate deeply, making this a story that lingers in your thoughts long after you've finished reading. The pacing is near perfect, with each revelation serving as a breadcrumb that leads to the next, and the tension building steadily as the mysteries unfold.

I gave this novel a four star rating. It was a compelling exploration of the intricacies of sisterhood, wrapped in a suspenseful narrative that keeps you hooked from the very first page. With complex characters and a storyline filled with unexpected twists and turns, this novel is a shining example of contemporary family drama. It's a book that not only entertains but also prompts introspection.

A special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this suspenseful read in exchange for my honest thoughts.