Zoom! That’s what you will do as soon as you hit page 1 of this book. Sally Hepworth grabs you and does not let you go with this masterpiece. The twists and turns of this book were like no other that I read this year and kept me guessing right up until the end.

I loved the duel time line because just as you thought something would happen the cliff hanger in that chapter literally left you hanging.

This is a definitely must read book for everyone younger (YA)and older. The writing style flows so well. Can’t wait to read the next masterpiece from this author.

Thank you to Sally Hepworth, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC! Can’t wait to add this one to my shelf!

This book was great! Some good twists and turns. I figured out the plot pretty early but still had some unexpected thrills!

Another great book from Sally Hepworth. This time it's about three foster girls who are placed with an abusive, sadistic foster mother. They are able to survive and all three are leading reasonably productive lives of so it seems. Everything comes crushing down when the bones of a child are found twenty five years later under their former foster home. Written in past and present and from each girls view, we slowly find out who was buried under the house. Crazy twist at the end.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC, I was thrilled to read this book.

Another gripping book from Sally Hepworth! She is so good at character development and unique stories. She delivers again in this twisty thriller! This book has domestic abuse involving children, which is hard to read. I couldn’t put it down up until the very last page.

This was a suspenseful domestic drama that had me completely drawn in. Three foster sisters who bonded together in an abusive home. All three women carry scars from their childhoods, leaving them unable to fully move on with their lives. When bones are found under their old foster home it opens up a million questions. Who’s bones? What happened to them? Who hid the body? Are the sisters bonded so tightly by murder?
I loved how this book gave each sister’s perspective and alternated between past and present. The twists in this book are insane. The final one had me shocked. Some parts were hard to read and my guesses as to what could have happened had me putting down the book to take a break but this was such a gripping story, I needed to know the ending. I’m very glad I pushed through and was wrong in my guesses.

Sally Hepworth does it again. I am very honored to have been gifted an early reader copy of this book and I devoured it. It took a few short chapters in the beginning of the book to get to know each “sister”. Ms Hepworth has such a way that enables us to feel as though we have always known each character. The three girls, Jessica, Norah and Alicia bonded when they were young girls and lived with their foster Mother on a farm. Without giving too much away, Miss Fairchild who fostered the girls seemed to have a hidden agenda. The book has a great twist at the end. Just read it.
A special thank you to St. Martin’s Press for trusting in this retired senior who very much enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed this book but struggled with the child abuse aspect. The ending especially ended up being too much for me.

Sally Hepworth is always a must-read for me. Darling Girls is amazing!

The story is told from a few different viewpoints which as a reader I truly enjoy. Mrs. Fairchild is a compassionate, single foster parent who selflessly takes in vulnerable young girls." The first we meet is Jessica, who has been with Mrs. Fairchild from a baby. Things were going great for Jessica until she didn't live up to Mrs. Fairchild's standards and Mrs. Fairchild began to bring in more children, Norah, Alicia, and others. The girls find that Mrs. Fairchild isn't who everyone thinks she is. The story flashes back to when the girls were young and then forward to the present day. Something brings them back to Mrs. Fairchild's house and they have to relive all of the trauma all over again. I did not see this one coming!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

I enjoyed this story and read it in a day, I found the storyline interesting, yet a little predictable. It kept my attention and I liked the characters. The ending had a good little twist.

Sally Hepworth is the queen of psychological thrillers! I cannot put her books down once I start one. Darling Girls takes place in a small Australian town, Port Agatha, alternating between two timelines: present day and the 1990's.

Over two decades ago three foster girls find themselves in the care of foster parent, Miss Fairchild, a narcissist living alone on her family's large farm. The girls, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all have very different stories and personalities, but they eventually become friends out of necessity, and soon they bond as sisters. What they endure at the hands of the foster care system is appalling and the author finds a way to write about their experience without allowing the reader to turn away.

Present day finds the girls grown and still as close as sisters when each woman receives a call from a detective from Port Agatha asking them each to come in for questioning right away because their old foster home has been demolished and bones have been recovered. Each woman is now dealing with her own crisis internally and what lies ahead for them in Port Agatha will only add to their burdens.

This is not a light story, yet Hepworth infuses humor throughout and I even found myself laughing out loud a couple of times. She creates characters the reader can really root for. or loathe Her books are a perfect intersection of plot-driven and character-driven writing. As always, Hepworth adds a good twist at the end. Pick this one up if you like a fast-paced book that has excellent character development, a touch of sarcastic humor, and twisty turns.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

"Darling Girls was an incredibly done, psychological mystery. From the first chapter, I was sucked in. The intertwining of the stories of the girls (both past and present) as well as the therapist conversations revealed a twisted story of an evil, manipulative foster mother and the impact on the kids in her care all while unraveling the mystery of the bones found at their home. Loved this one and definitely would recommend!

Great storyline With lots of twists and turns. I always enjoy your novel by Sally Hepworth. Love the mother-daughter dynamics. Great characters. Thanks so much for my advance copy

Sally Hepworth has consistently maintained a standard of excellence that continues with her newest novel, Darling Girls. I've read and loved every one of this author's books, but I think this may be my favorite to date. In this domestic thriller about three foster "sisters" bonded through a dysfunctional and heartbreaking childhood, the characters practically leap from the page they are so real. You can tell Ms. Hepworth really did her research on this one. Highly recommend this 5-star read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75

Darling Girls is a wild ride through past and present following three "sisters" who met while being fostered at Wild Meadows. Many years after they left they are called to return after a body is found and everyone whose lived there is under suspicion, especially the three 'troublesome' girls who called this place home, against their wishes.

I found this to be pretty quick and fast-paced to read. I did sort out some of the twists but it didn't make it any less enjoyable.

Overall a great read for anyone that likes suspense or Sally's past works.

Sally Hepworth can seriously do no wrong in my eyes. I have enjoyed the majority of her book and this one is no exception. Fair warning, this book has a lot of child abuse, so it was a bit heavy at times.

What I liked
Multiple POVs & non linear time lines
The characters were incredibly well developed and I connected with them immediately
A truly despicable villain that was all too believable
The last chapter, WOW jaw dropped

What I Didn’t
I did figure out some of the twists
Jessica was so infuriating and Phil deserves better – kidding. Kind of.

Three women return to the foster home where they lived and endured the craziness that was the woman who ran the home after bones are found under the house after it was sold and torn down. They relive their memories.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

Everytime Sally Hepworth publishes a new novel it goes to the top of my TBR

This was was no exception and had everything I love about Hepworth's novels.

The story rotates through a three person POV (past and present), as well as a mystery 4th "voice" in the threrapist's office. However it was never confusing or something that takes me out of the story.

As is typical of Hepworth novels, readers think they are reading a story that will wrap up nicely with a neat bow, only to be thrown off their axis on the last page and question everything they read before.

TW: descriptions of child abuse, drug use

What a gripping thriller!! My Darling Girls is a multi POV story following the past and present of three foster sisters and their evil foster mother. In the present timeline, bones have been found beneath their old foster house, bringing to light the terrible things that happened to them in the past. Full of twists and turns!

Sally Hepworth truly cannot write a bad novel. I enjoyed this one, as I have all of her previous books, immensely.

Another great book by Sally Hepworth! I was a bit confused in the beginning with trying to figure out who was talking to Dr Warren and how that fit in. It was a great twist, as was the ending.