OMG! THIS ONE IS WORTH THE WAIT!

DARLING GIRLS by Sally Hepworth had me walking around because the adrenaline was coursing through my body so fast I just HAD to move.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia share an unshakable bond. They were all victims of Miss Fairchild, the sadistic, overbearing foster mother they were placed with in their early teen years. Decades later, while still close, they have all settled into their own lives and careers but the sins of the past come back to haunt them. Contacted by Detective Patel after an infant’s remains are found at Wild Meadows Foster Home, the women return to the area to answer questions about the baby’s remains. What secrets are the women hiding from that long ago and now, for each of the women has been keeping secrets from her “sisters”. And what happens when Miss Fairchild comes back into the picture, not so different from the woman they couldn’t wait to get away from.

It’s no surprise to me that I absolutely loved DARLING GIRLS as I have enjoyed every thriller coming from the mind of Sally Hepworth. Her writing is flawless, and she keeps the thrills coming with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. If you love, dark, twisty thrillers, don’t miss the latest from one of the best writers out there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin’s press for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Thank you to @NetGalley for the e-arc for my review!

I love Sally's books, and this was no exception! This was a dark and uncomfortable read at times but well written about foster-care and mental health struggles.

This was not what I expected and I mean that in the best way. Had life not gone in the way, I'd have binged this in one sitting (maybe two) because her writing style is so addictive. Multiple POV's but never confusing.

Id say be wary of content warnings here as this must be her darkest book and made me cringe at times. That said, she wrote it with care and I loved how this book ended. That last chapter was excellent!

The twists in this book kept coming and i could not put this book down. It's told in multiple POVs, between past and present and i really enjoyed that format. It's about Jessica, Norah and Alicia who are all foster sisters living with Miss Fairchild. Years later bones are discovered under the farmhouse where they lived and everyone goes back to the town to talk with the police and figure out who the bones belong to.

4.25 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published April 23, 2024.

This was my 5th book by the author and I was not disappointed! I was immediately drawn in and read it in a day. Chilling and suspenseful with 3 unique characters.

What does it mean to be lucky? The author has a talent for weaving together stories in a brilliant way. This story centers on 3 young girls who are placed in foster care under the care of Miss Fairchild. They are not treated well and they need to escape. But the past comes back to haunt everyone involved. No spoilers here…

Trigger warning if you experienced poor care while in foster care.

I have loved everything Sally Hepworth has written. This was not my favorite. The beginning is rather slow with the three sisters. Then the story gets moving, but there were no huge, surprises, or twists. Which is fine. But it just calls for a stronger story that I felt like this one was.

After a slow start, this was a story that really picked up--and yet somehow continued to remain a slow burn throughout. There was layer after layer of half-truth, manipulation, and long-stemming consequences that took time to unravel as everyone seemed to be an unreliable narrator as the story progressed.

The bond between Jessica, Alicia (my personal favorite), and Norah really propelled the action. Character development was deep and complicated. Pacing took a while to get going, but then worked. Red herrings and twists kept the intrigue up.

Overall: 4 stars
I'll tell my students about: child abuse, trauma, mental health issues, foster care system, LGBTQIA+, language, sex, alcohol, physical violence, sexual assault/rape, drug additiction

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I love Sally Hepworth and this was another winner for me. I feel she writes females characters, and the relationships between sisters, very well. Whether those relationships are mostly antagonistic or, in the case of this book, loving and supportive.

If you love a good slow burn with lots of true darkness simmering in the background, you will love this book ( and if you haven’t read all of Sally Hepworth’s other books - you should!
The horror that is Mrs Fairchild seemed so real to me
As I read this, and I enjoyed the tease of the gradual unfolding drama.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book through Netgalley, many many thanks to the author Sally Hepworth and the publisher for the exciting opportunity to enjoy the book! 5 stars for me , you don’t want to miss this one!

3.5/5 - I wasn’t so sure about this book given its slow start. I have read at least 3-4 other books by this author and had been drawn in almost instantly. In the end i would say i like this book but it’s definitely not her strongest work.

"Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth is a wonderful thriller with many twists and turn. The reader can't help empathizing with the main characters, Alicia, Jessica, and Norah even as there are hints they might be involved with an unsolved crime. These three grew up together in foster care with a cruel foster mom. Although they would like to forget the past, they came together to confront it when they are all forced to return.

This took me a long time to finish, because when are you in the mood to read that book about child abuse? I did want to be with the characters, though. They all felt so real and in need of closure. Also, the mystery was building throughout, so at a certain point I had to know. Nearly the entire second half felt like a strong finish. I'm still reeling from what everyone in the book experienced, though. (Everyone but one.)

😭🥺👀 - I did NOT expect the content of Darling Girls. Not only was the ending explosive... but I had a feeling about what I was going to be reading and just couldn't look away from the page!

The three sisters/main characters are such an interesting mix!! I think they're character developments were absolutely my favorite part of Hepworth's latest. How people tackle their survival.. whether in the form of feral instincts or strict organization - it's insane what people will do to make their way in the world. And for the world's most vulnerable (i.e., children) ... is it any wonder what they turn into when faced with such horrors?

As soon as I started reading Jessica's character - I was immediately hooked on Darling Girls. Something happens to people to make them need that form of control, and I found this passage to feel insanely relative to my own life:

'Nothing-nothing!-vexed Jessica more than tardiness. Except perhaps messiness. And people who cut corners, or people who missed RSVP deadlines. Jessica always RSVP'd to invitations the moment they landed in her hand or inbox. Then she diarized the event, made a note in her Organization app to buy a gift, if necessary, and created a block of time in her calendar to ensure she had an appropriate outfit to wear.'

I don't think I can explain the level of stress relief it brings to know that you don't have to waffle over any decisions the day of if you've grown up in a chaotic household!!

NOTES:
- CWs: foster care system, s3xual abuse, mental health problems
- Somewhat of a resolved ending - but the trauma of the situation will always remain of course.

**Thank you to St.Martin’s Press & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Sally Hepworth has an incredible knack for creating emotionally charged thrillers that have you guessing until the end. This book was no exception!
Three foster sisters are brought back to the house of horrors where they spent a few years with a calculated and unstable foster mother. The story is told in the past and present. I loved trying to figure out what really happened and I was shocked at the ending.

This was a great read! One of Hepworth's best, I'd say. Little surprises popped up throughout the story, which switches between the past and the present in a few different POV. It wasn't entirely unpredictable, but it was fun and was definitely hard to put down.

Thank you for the ARC. The twists in this book were so good. I thoroughly enjoyed one. I would definitely recommend it

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC! Sally Hepworth does it again. I was so engrossed in this one. I couldn’t wait to finish for the twists. Multiple points of view, but only about 3, so not bad if that’s not your thing— I liked the characters and was just enough character development for me.

Major triggering warnings! There is an audience that will be unable to read this because of this. But artfully twisty and page turning as Sally Hepworth does.

I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and the story kept me engaged throughout. I would recommend this book to others. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This book was enjoyable in many ways. I was constantly wondering what the end game was and was always surprised by the plot development. This book kept me on my toes until the very end and I was still feeling surprised by the time I finished it. It was a quick and enjoyable read!

A captivating story about the dark side of foster care ! I was sucked in to the complexities of the sisterhood and their individual stories.