WOW!! What did I just read? Very well written book about three foster girls( Alicia, Norah, and Jessica) who bond while is foster care. They are now sister and years later human remains are found at the home where they resided with their foster mom Miss Fairchild. Told in the past and present tense this book weaves an incredible tale. While it sounds like it could be confusing, this author does it in a way that does the opposite. It brings the story together and you understand these three women and why they do what do. From mannerisms, protecting one another, habits, life choices, etc. Sally Hepworth has done it again and written a superb book! Thank you for net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

I was excited to read this, as I love Sally Hepworth, and it did not disappoint. The story follows three women who became sisters in the foster care system, growing up together with a sociopathic foster mother in an isolated mansion. It’s a slow burn, classic to the author, and a searing portrayal of trauma.

This was an incredible slow-burn of a thriller. I felt like I was living this story along with the characters. Sally Hepworth really knows how to draw the reader in and keep them hooked.
This is such a twisty story of 3 foster sisters and their terrible foster home. The sisters have to come back to the home from their past when a discovery is found on the property. I loved how Hepworth told the story from different viewpoints and timelines.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! Darling Girls comes out in April
2024!

This was a great book for character development. It follows three young women who were all foster children at the same home together. They consider themselves sisters because of their shared trauma. The novel explores how each of them have internalized their childhood trauma and are still acting out due to their trauma. In addition, the story is centered around a mystery. There are human bones discovered under their former foster home. It was an interesting, enjoyable read.

Sally Hepworth can do no wrong in my eyes at this point. This book was wonderful! Kept my attention and I would definitely recommend to others.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth in exchange for an honest review.

Set in and around a former Australian foster home where the bones of a child have been found, Darling Girls features a split timeline and explores the lives of protagonists Jessica, Alicia and Norah (“with an H”) as they navigate life with foster guardian Miss Fairchild as children and return to the site of their upbringing as adults. The mystery of the bones is one of several themes running through this propulsive novel, and the end was perfection (it turned this from a four star to a five star read for me). Put it on your TBR list now. Coming in April 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Couldn’t put it down! The story was so interesting as well as the characters! It’s a dual timeline of 3 sisters that grew up in a foster home and stayed close after their shared trauma there. The villain is pretty clear but the twist! Just wait!

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors for a reason. She consistently delivers addicting reads and Darling Girls is no exception.

This is a twisty novel told from three sister’s points of view alternating between present and past. We open to seeing them in their present day lives as they receive a jarring call that causes their childhood traumas and memories to instantly come back. A detective calls each of them to inform them bones were found at their previous foster home, and they would like to interview each girl. The novel progresses from them going back in time to understand what happened at that home while they deal with the current day findings.

Darling Girls was captivating from the beginning and all the way through the end. There were twists and shocking information learned throughout along with a very big twist at the end. Satisfying ending!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Sally Hepworth, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy.

•Plot: 5/5 (Three former foster children are forced to confront their traumatic past when a body is discovered beneath their former foster home.)

•Characters: 4/5 (Each of the girls has a distinct personality and even with the changes in perspective and timeline, each voice comes through.)

•Writing: 4/5

•Ending: 3/5

This is the Sally Hepworth I know and love! This is a return to form and I loved every second of this twisty novel. Special thanks to Sally Hepworth, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC.

I have read other books by Sally Hepworth and this one did not disappoint! Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was thrown for a loop. It does pull at the heart strings and was very emotional, but I felt so connected to the sisters!

From the outside, Alicia, Jessica and Norah might seem like ordinary women you'd meet on the street any day of the week.

Great mystery with great twists and turns. Well done.

Sally Hepworth is definitely one of my favorite authors. Her books are interesting and easy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed “ Darling Girls”, which takes place in Australia and captures the story of three little girls placed in the foster system with a less than desirable foster mother. Couldn’t put this book down.

Sally Hepworth is an author worth reading. With each book she writes, she unleashes a mystery from the first page to the last, making you want to read until you've finished the book. I fell in love with her when she released The Good Sister and she is now a staple on my "Must Read Author" list.

Alicia, Jessica and Norah (with an 'h') are sisters, though not by blood, who will do anything for one another. They share a bond that nobody really, truly understands. After a harrowing childhood in the foster care system, with a monster for a foster mother, Miss Fairchild, they are all thrown back in time when they all receive a phone call about a dead body being found at the site where their old house sat. They've told their story once before, but will anybody believe them this time around? Told from multiple view points and different timelines, this is a book you will want to read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth in exchange for my honest review.

Darling Girls by sally hepworth was an addictive read I could NOT finish fast enough.

Three sisters raised by the same foster mother in a rollercoaster ride of unpacking their past while coming to terms with found bones at their childhood home.

This is a book to preorder for sure. I can NOT wait for more people to get their hands on this story.

4.5 Stars!!! An arc from Netgalley and I DEVOURED THIS BOOK. Super dark, but the strength these girls show one another was really powerful and moving. Loved loved loved the ending!!

Thanks to Netgalley for access to this E-ARC! I really enjoyed this. The characters were very well-written & loved the setting. I also enjoyed the twists. Definitely will continue reading this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for giving me the opportunity to receive an ARC for this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I need no other reason to pick up a book other than seeing Sally Hepworth's name on the cover. What else can I say? Another fantastic read that did not disappoint.

IF YOU LIKE.. dysfunction main characters, toxic family relationships and generational trauma, then well, read any book by Sally Hepworth, including 'Darling Girls'. While this one was maybe not my favorite so far from her, I did love every minute of it. Hepworth has such a skill for representing flawed characters that feel natural, real and relatable.

I am sure that the last chapter of this one will be controversial, but I am here to say I loved it! I didn't really think that the final page twists were necessary for this book to be great, and I think that is why it did catch me by such surprise.

I was delighted to receive an e-arc of Sally Hepworth's newest novel Darling Girls courtesy of @netgalley and @stmartinspress.

📚 At its core, this is a novel about child abuse and trauma in its myriad forms, both blatant and subtle, the impact it has on those children as they grow into adults, and the inner power we all have to heal. It is also a story about love in all its different versions: between a parent and a child, spouses, grandparents and grandchildren, social workers and their charges, siblings, new lovers and old flames. Oh, and it is also a fun, twisty mystery about three former foster kids, their foster mom, and the bones of a young child who are found beneath the home they all once shared. Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors, and she has penned another great read with Darling Girls.

🩺 One of the characters has a sixth toe on her left foot. Polydactyly, the medical term for extra digits on the hand or foot, occurs in about 1 out of 500 births. It can be inherited, and is more common among certain ethnicities or communities, such as among Amish and African Americans. It is often associated with other medical syndromes, is more common in males than females, and affects the hands more than the feet.

There are two things I look for in a Thriller: some kind of sympathy for the main characters and surprise. My first wish was fulfilled. The three sisters are loveable yet flawed and show support for one another through their trauma. I liked how the sisters were very distinct characters with different backgrounds. Where I think it was lacking is the surprise aspect. Once we get a few passages in from Dr. Warren's office, you know what will happen. You can also guess that the it is an unreliable narrator and while I did not expect the ending I understood quickly that the patient was Miss Fairchild and that she could not be trusted in her testimonies.

All in all a very enjoyable read with a strong start and ending. The middle was dragging a little bit, but kept me on my toes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. What can I say.? Another Sally Hepworth book that I truly enjoyed. I have read her entire back list and was extremely excited to get selected to review in advance copy of her current novel. All I can say is five stars all the way!