This book was intense.

I love the author’s writing, I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed in a book by Sally Hepworth. However, I wish I had more insight into the books topic prior to reading. As a new mother, some of the book was extremely hard to absorb. I understand this is the reality of many children, foster care and otherwise, but it is a still a very difficult topic to see play out.

Overall, I loved the book and can’t wait to see what great work comes next?!

Sometimes, family is what you make it!!

I really enjoyed reading this book, trying to link the pieces, and sort the past along with the "sisters"! It was intriguing and kept me guessing!

This has become one of my favorite Hepworth novels! The premise is unique in that we get a story about 3 foster sisters who experienced a great deal of trauma at their foster home. The story goes back and forth, from past to present, as Hepworth unravels the details of a body found at their old foster home.
I really enjoyed getting to know each sister and figure out the mystery. While it is a quick read, it definitely touches on some heavier topics. Highly recommend this one!

I could not put this one down, read it in 2 sittings! My favorite type of thriller with lots of twists & a surprising ending! A story about 3 girls in foster care that end up in the same home with a nightmare of a foster mother. 25 years later they receive a call that the home was sold, demolished & bones were found under the house. This book was dark but I loved the “sisters” POV & their bond in this book. Thanks NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book!

One of the best mysteries I have read in a while. This is the first book I have read by Sally Hepworth and I plan to read all of them now. It was engaging and I was interested in what happened to the characters. It is worth reading and reading now!

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I love Sally’s books! This one has some secrets along the way and some family drama. Sisters Jessica, Norah, Alicia have been informed that some remains were found at the location of their childhood foster home. We get to hear each of their childhood stories in an alternating pattern. What they endured in that foster home was unforgettable.

I really enjoyed this story. It goes through these saga of three girls living in a foster home together and how they became family by going through an emotionally abusive home. They found a body under the house and are wondering whose it is.

Sally Hepworth does it again with Darling Girls, a book focused on foster sisters who grew up together at Wild Meadows foster home.
I loved this book the entire way throughout, but of course this author keeps you guessing until the end! Perfect for any fan of twisty thrillers.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is another winner - a domestic thriller that deals with 3 girls who grew up in foster care together and have been summoned by the police to try and figure out whose bones are buried beneath the house where they grew up. All 3 girls have their own issues and memories, and the chapters are told in alternating views, along with the narration of an unknown character speaking to a therapist. Hepworth builds the suspense throughout the story and throws in a twist that you won't see coming. I absolutely loved this book and could not wait to get to the ending - highly recommend for your summer reading! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the twists and I didn’t see the end coming. I would recommend this book to others.

A masterfully written psychological thriller that showcases Hepworth’s talent for storytelling and character development!

At the heart of this story are three spirited women of immense strength who are forced to reckon with their malicious and abusive upbringing, decades after they were gaslit for the same abhorrent experiences they must now retell. Each sister was so different yet well fleshed out, I found myself deeply understanding the root of all their actions and wanting to give them each a hug. I’m a sucker for dual timelines as well, and Hepworth is immensely skilled at utilizing secret narrators and multiple timelines to keep me on the edge of my seat. This was one of the most masterful uses of that element that I have seen so far.

I so deeply appreciate when plots centered on horrific abuse end with happiness, redemption, and love. I don’t enjoy trauma porn whatsoever and it was encouraging to see the three sisters on their individual journeys of healing their inner child and finally accepting the love and happiness they have always deserved. I only wish I can spend more time with each sister as they continue to heal.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press! Hepworth has not disappointed me so far :)

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is about three young girls brought up in foster care. Jessica, Alicia and Norah couldn't be more different but they were bonded together because of the way they were brought up by Miss Fairchild. On the surface everything looked perfect - the girls were "lucky" to be there. But Miss Fairchild has rules to follow and you don't want to be on her bad side! Years later bones are discovered under the farmhouse where they grew up and they are brought together again and old memories are hard to ignore. Another great psychological thriller you don't want to miss!

Darling Girls
By Sally Hepworth
Review and Rating 4 ⭐️

Sally Hepworth sure knows how to write a page turner! Devoured this one in two days.
Jessica, Alicia, and Norah are three sisters raised in foster care. They bond over the shared trauma they endure at the hands of their foster mother Mrs. Fairchild. They finally escape and years later return to the home they were raised in after a body is found buried under the house. Are they key witnesses or prime suspects?
The story is told in dual timelines, with multiple point of views and a surprising ending. I really enjoyed this twisty thriller and highly recommended it! 4⭐️

I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.



Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

🛟𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🛟

𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were saved from family tragedies and brought to a farm estate in Port Agatha, AU. Their “loving”foster mother, Miss Fairchild, was everything but what she was perceived to be by the outside world. Miss Fairchild was manipulative and unpredictable. The three girls break free from Miss Fairchilds grip, although she never was far from their minds. Years later, a body is discovered under the farm estate and the foster sisters are forced to return to Port Agatha. Are they witnesses or prime suspects?

𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
This is my first book by Sally Hepworth and it sure won’t be my last! This book had so many twists and turns and I enjoyed each of them. Each sister had a unique story and personality, told in present and past, that was woven together to create a multidimensional story. This story has many trigger warning such as, child death, addiction, verbal and emotional abuse, child abuse, and sexual assault. Although, at times a dark story, it kept you turning the page to see how it ends. The ending surely did not disappoint. I highly recommend this psychological mystery. Grab a copy today, out now!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing an ARC of Darling Girls in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I feel like Sally Hepworth is getting better and better with each book. Even with being told from multiple point of views and during two timelines it was not confusing. I could not put down this book as I had to find out what would happen next. Mrs. Fairchild was written to perfection. Add that ending!!! It was such a great way to end the book and had me screeching aloud!
I highly recommend this book any fan of thrillers! You won’t be disappointed!

I really enjoyed this one. The plot twists were well done. The characters were flawed but beautiful and grew so much.

In a twist of horror, a loving foster home becomes a murder scene. Three girls becoming closer than sisters. Infants in and out. A manipulative foster mom looking to fulfill the loss of love from her childhood.

The story unravels and lives are connected forever. The bond of sisterhood beyond the imagination of any blood-relations. The story is good and makes you lift an eye more than once. The twists are good, the characters are strong!

I will recommend to friends.

Sally Hepworth keeps on making great books!

Jessica is the first foster girl living with Miss Fairchild. As she gets older, she has other "sisters" added to her life. Once she has sisters, her treatment changes drastically. She goes from being doted on because she is doing her chores well each day to being a problem and getting punished frequently. Norah and Alicia join her in the house in short succession. They are soon tasked with caring for the foster baby girls because Miss Fairchild is upset they will not bond to her like a mother.

25 yrs later, Jessica receives a phone call pulling her back to Miss Fairchild and what she tried so hard to leave behind. She calls her sisters, Norah and Alicia, and they all go talk to the police about the body that has been found in the remains of the house that is being torn down.

This is a haunting look into the foster system that is difficult to read for many people. It is a wild ride that you both want to be over as well as need to know what happens.

Sally Hepworth does it again! I have absolutely loved all of her previous work and Darling Girls was no different. This had Sally's typical domestic suspense feel but with some darker themes woven throughout and I absolutely loved it. So glad I chose this for my bookclub read and can't wait to hear everyone else's thoughts. If you've enjoyed this author's previous work, definitely do yourself a service and give Darling Girls a read as well. Huge thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my early review copy!