Darling Girls is a unique domestic suspense/mystery. I enjoyed the different points of view and the rotating timeline. I did find it to be a bit slow but I was interested to figure out what exactly was going on. Another solid ready by Sally Hepworth

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Darling Girls unfolds in the different view points of Alicia, Jessica, and Norah (and one unknown POV with a therapist that I figured out pretty quickly, but that didn't take away from the story because there are twists, people!) both in the present time after the discovery of bones under their old foster hoe and in the past when they were bonding in that home as children. It's interesting to watch the way the girls experienced their time in foster care manifest in their current lives and how they interact with relationships, though my only qualms with the story were the extra characters that showed up as a twist who really didn't seem necessary at first and what I felt was a pretty cozy little wrap up. I did love a few of the twists that I did not see coming and will be recommending this book. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another 5 star book from Sally Hepworth! What a master storyteller! This book is phenomenal and is one of my favorites this year! A suspenseful journey that had me feeling so many emotions. This is one of those books that you will still think about years down the road. Such a dark side to the foster care system, but the love these sisters shared was heartwarming. I loved all three and their very different personalities. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the copy of this eARC.

Thank you for the opportunity for the ARC of this book. I throughly enjoyed it!

Wow! This novel has me turning the pages from the beginning. Hempworth has created likable characters with layers. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia come from a past of trauma. They are connected together at Wildwood with their new mom, Miss. Fairchild. The girls return to their foster home when a body was found. Together, they uncover secrets from their past.

With a twist you won’t see coming— do the sisters overcome their past? Who can they trust?

“…instead of seeking kind people, she sought out those who disliked her…the certainty and security of what she was getting became like a drug. A much more powerful drug than the agony caused by a desire for love and warmth. ”

Sally Hepworth has never disappointed me. Her reign as the queen of domestic suspense continues with her latest novel, Darling Girls. As is typical for Hepworth, it is full of twists and turns and just when you think you have the story figured out, she pulls the run from under your feet!

The story is told in alternating timelines from Jessica, Alicia, and Norah. The three girls formed a bond of sisterhood while living in the same foster care home, where they joined forces to shield themselves from a malicious foster mother. The story’s timeline alternates between 25 years ago when the girls were living in foster care to present day, where each girl is struggling to live an ordinary life. The girls assume the past is buried, until the police request their return to the town of their childhood home for questioning when bones are discovered under the home.

Hepworth’s dark wit is present, adding an occasional bit of humor to the book’s theme, the broken and disturbing foster system. Hepworth does an excellent job relating the far-reaching mental and emotional effects of foster care tragedy, isolation, and heartbreak.

Trigger warnings: child maltreatment, rape, domestic violence, drug abuse

My thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley, for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Thank goodness I didn’t have any plans for today because I devoured the whole book in 1 day. I always love a Hepworth novel and this one didn’t disappoint. From the first chapter in Dr Warren’s office to the last chapter that took quite a turn, this was a wild ride. I loved the alternating chapters between past and present with Jessica, Norah (with an h) and Alicia. This is one that will stick with me and I can’t wait to recommend it to my friends!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for the ARC. I absolutely adore Sally Hepworth’s writing so I was excited to see the upcoming publication of Darling Girls.

This book follows 3 women who spent time together in the same foster home, “Wild Meadows,” when they were younger. Their bond became so close during this time, and remains so, that they consider themselves to be sisters. One day, they receive a call that a set of human remains have been found under Wild Meadows. They are asked to take a trip back to help uncover the mystery of the remains. During their trip, they must confront the nightmare that was their past, their evil foster mother, Miss Fairchild. The last thing they want to do is relive the horrible abuse they suffered. However, this may be the one chance they have to get the justice they have longed for, for so many years.

This book gripped my attention from start to finish. It was tough to read at times as it touched on the horrors that unfortunately sometimes happen within the foster care system. However, I think this is such an important topic to touch on.

While this whole book was a wild ride that I thoroughly enjoyed, the last chapter absolutely blew my mind. Such a good twist that made the whole book even that much better.

I adore Sally Hepworth. When I found out I was approved for this advanced reader copy, I jumped at the chance to read it right away. Unfortunately, this was not my favorite book by this author. Part of the problem was that I did not connect well with any of the three (four?) main characters. However, I think the triggers (abuse, addiction, violence) were really what got me with this book. I don't particularly like reading about foster children that were abused. I know it was a work of fiction but I still found it difficult to read about. Despite the triggers, the book was fast paced and kept me guessing in typical Sally Hepworth fashion, I ended up rating this one three stars.

Thanks for the ARC! I really, really enjoyed this book - as I do with all of Sally’s! The book was for sure a page turner. I loved the mystery and that it kept me guessing on what happened with the girls and their foster mom. Will absolutely be recommending this!

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I loved the premise of this book. The idea of foster children escaping from an abusive household sparked my interest. I never would have guessed the outcome and I loved the little twists and turns throughout the book. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes a good thriller

3.5 stars. This was a quick and enjoyable read. The story centers around three women who became bonded as sisters when they spent time together in the same foster home as children. News breaks that a body has been found under this home, bringing them back to confront their past.

While there are a few twists and surprises right up until the end, a lot of this story focuses on the mistreatment of children by their foster parent and how that experience has impacted their lives as adults. I did overall find this to be a compelling, if difficult read, and really liked the three main characters. For me, it did feel a bit different from Hepworth’s previous books and so maybe didn’t quite align with my expectations.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I will say this has some trigger warnings in it. I felt like the story was new/unique and perspective of the foster system. I liked the different perspectives but sometimes would have to check the chapter to see who the narrator was. I loved the twist of who was actually speaking to Dr. Warren and where that took place. I think it would be suited better has it own chapter vs. being added onto the end of Jessica’s sections.

There was ALOT of spelling errors on the kindle app version of this book.

I loved this book! Three foster sisters have to return to the town where their traumatic childhood in foster care unfolded after police discover the bones of a child beneath the house where they were fostered. The characters in this book were so well written. The foster mother, Miss Fairchild has a creepy Stepford Wife vibe but when her veneer cracks it is scary. My favorite thing about this book though is the strength of the found family bond that the sisters have. All three of the girls manifest their childhood traumas in different ways, but they are always supportive of each other even though gaslighting has made them doubt events. I have read a few of Hepworth's books and enjoyed them all, but this one has been my favorite.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book for review purposes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. TW: child abuse and neglect and narcissism. This book was captivating and hard to put down. Part mystery, part thriller. The characters were well-constructed and believable. I struggled reading about the abuse and neglect of the children in Miss Fairchild's care. I was able to pick up on some of the smaller twists before they were revealed, but the major twists totally took me by surprise. I would recommend Darling Girls to fans of Sally Hepworth's other books.

I want to thank Net Galley for my preview of Darling Girls. I have read, and enjoyed, several of Sally Hepworth’s novels. To summarize, the setting is Australia and 3 young girls end up in a foster home which seems perfect from the outside. It is not giving much away to say that the illusion of a perfect home quickly resolves into something less. The novel is set in two different times, first when the girls are young and in foster care and then when they are adults. We see how each of the three has coped and is still coping with the effects of their time in care. Suddenly their lives are thrown into a tizzy with the discovery of bones under the foundation of their former foster home. How they deal with this is a large part of the book. What I did not care for was the heavy handed inclusion of an unknown (but obviously connected to the situation) person at psychiatric appointments. No spoilers here but it was fairly obvious who this mystery person was. I think the book would have been better without this side track. But, overall it was an enjoyable, if fairly predictable read.

Wow what a twisty thriller right up to the very end! It did have a lot of mistreatment of children, which was hard to read.
This left you guessing until the very end! Thank you for allowing me an advanced read of it!

What happens when a body is found under the foster house you grew up in? I really enjoyed reading this! The three sisters are very different and reading from each perspective made the story better. The flashbacks also helped flesh out the story so the reader could understand the mental & emotional abuse they endured. The twisty ending was fanstastic! I love books by Sally Hepworth, and this one did not disappoint in any way. Highly recommended.

I have a long list of arcs to read this year, some of which have already published. So what did I do? I read a book publishing in April of 2024 instead!

I couldn’t help it. Sally Hepworth writes such bingeable books and Darling Girls was no exception. I didn’t want to stop reading to reapply sunscreen or seek out more shade.

This domestic suspense had me at the edge of my seat wondering how it would all wrap up. It was like a car wreck I couldn’t turn away from as the psychological scars left behind on 3 foster children became apparent when they returned to the foster home where it all began. I think this may be my favorite book of hers.

We received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley! The release date is April 23, 2024.

You guys knoooow I love my girl Sally Hepworth, but I also take pride in being an honest book reviewer 🫡 and unfortunately this book didn’t hit the mark for me. I’ve sat on this review for a while thinking maybe I was in a funk when I read it or something. Nope, just not a fan lol I don’t think it was a bad book at all, It was just not the story for me… and that’s okay!!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were foster children at Wild Meadows under Ms. Fairchilds care. Years later, body remains are found under the house at Wild Meadows which catapults Jessica, Norah, and Alicia into an investigation that they don’t really want to be a part of. They’ve all worked so hard to leave the past in the past, but they must reopen the door to all the painful truths in order to get to the bottom of this case.

I found the main characters to be kind of unlikeable. I also thought the topic of child abuse and neglect was tough to read about. The book did leave me wanting to know more about Ms. Fairchild and the ending was pretty twisty.

All in all, there are way better Sally Hepworth books out there, this one just wasn’t my fave! Excited for her future books, as always ❤️

3 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. It started off strong, which I personally love. I love books that hook me from the start. This is a story of children who have gone through so much, children who despite all the abuse and confusion they may have gone through, only ever wants to be loved and adored. I also am amazed with how in the ending contradicted everything that happened. This is a masterpiece!!! Everyone go read it now pls.