Sally Hepworth has a way with writing psychological thrillers and I am here for it. Darling Girls is by far one of her best books. I loved the character development and the dual storylines. This was definitely a page turner which I managed to finish in about two days. If you are a thriller lover or want to try reading thrillers, give this book a go.

Alicia, Jessica and Norah have had it pretty rough, but they managed to move past their childhood and create new lives. Until one day when their childhood comes knocking on their door in the form of a police call. When bones are found under their foster home, all three girls are asked to come back to their old hometown for questioning. Will they be able to face their past or will they crumble under the gaze of the eyes that once striked fear in them?

TW: The book touches on topics such as child abuse and domestic abuse.

Darling Girls was just okay. There was enough mystery to keep me intrigued, but it wasn’t a page-Turner like I expected. I never read a book by Sally Hepworth, but she came highly recommended. I think I just had really high expectations for this book, and so it fell a bit flat for me. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this advance reader’s copy and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

The story alternates between our three heroine’s past and present; plus another character’s POV. Once I got past the triggers, this was a great mystery and thriller. I was hooked. I worried about the girls, I was furious with Miss Fairchild.

I cannot stand reading scenes of child abuse. It’s so hard to swallow but we have to give credit where credit is due because Sally Hepworth really portrayed the character’s struggles so vividly and viscerally.

The plot is so intriguing and no matter how much I wanted to stop—because I wasn’t sure if I can continue reading child abuse—I couldn’t put it down. It’s easy to read in spite of the triggers.

The characters are all interesting and their differences were clear when brought into focus. It’s also heart warming that no matter how different our heroines are, they had one goal in common: to stay together and keep each other safe. The antagonist, Miss Fairchild is so infuriating, cunning and conniving. These are proof of how well they’re written. Though the ending is satisfying, I found it a little rushed.

In conclusion, “Darling Girls” is very captivating, a little traumatizing, but solid overall. Sally Hepworth is becoming an instant read for me!

Loved the premise for this one! Three foster sisters are thrust back into their life 25 years ago after a body is discovered under their foster home. Unfortunately, this was very hard to read. The abuse that they endured was awful and I do not enjoy reading that type of material. The weird quotations throughout the book also took me out of it. I didn’t see the ending twist so that was a plus. Overall, not my favorite. 2/5 ⭐️

I got this authors debut in a Goodreads giveaway and thoroughly enjoyed it. This book i also thoroughly enjoyed, however I did find the beginning a bit slow. I read 50% in one sitting and the other 50% over the next two day. By the end I loved the main 3 girls. I felt so happy where their stories ended up.

That ending twist I did NOT expect at all. That was crazy.

Darling Girls was a very impactful novel. It focused on three women, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who 25 years ago endured an abusive foster care situation under Holly Fairchild’s care. Miss Fairchild herself is a very sociopathic and narcissistic individual, somehow continuously dodging any social workers catching wind of the way she treats those under her care. Content warnings are very important to consider, and include child abuse, child neglect, drug abuse, abuse within foster care environments, issues regarding adoption, and mental illness. I thought Sally Hepworth did a great job telling this story, though at this moment it is just an ARC. Character development was great for most characters, the plot was so thoughtfully built. My criticisms would be that sometimes there were lulls after big plot turns, slowing down the pace. I also felt a little let down by the focus of Norah’s backstory revolving around the Kevin situation; it did not seem applicable or relevant to developing her character. Also, what we ultimately find out about Jessica, I understand the ultimate forgiveness from her sisters but given the deep and decades-long dishonesty, there really should have been some anger or some indication of “we are going to really have to work through this”. Beyond that it was great, one of her best novels. Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC!

When I get a Sally Hepworth novel it immediately goes to the top of my TBR pile and this is a solid 4 star read.

The novel is told from four points of view —

Holly Fairchild – the malevolent foster mother who finds more and more ways to manipulate and terrorize her young charges.

She relies on the girls not only for help but wants the money she will receive for fostering them!

Jessica - in the novel she is the first child that comes to live with Ms. Fairchild. She is very young, aged 5, and is easy to win over. Jess is desperate for attention and love and she thinks that is what Holly is offering! AT LEAST AT FIRST!!

Norah - Norah is 11 and has been in many foster homes throughout her life. She knows a thing of two about how to handle Miss Fairchild. WILL SHE HELP HER “SISTERS” WHEN SHE’S NEEDED??

Alicia is 12 years old and is supposed to be a short term foster - her grandmother is in the hospital recovering from an accident. She is sweet and shy but is quickly included in the trio!

Alternating Voice – we have a mystery voice that belongs to someone who is at a psychotherapy session. Creepy and mysterious, I enjoyed these chapters a lot

These three thought they were free of Ms. Fairchild and their entire childhood, though they remained close friends.

UNTIL A CALL THE FROM THE POLICE - HUMAN REMAINS HAVE BEEN FOUND UNDER THE HOUSE AND THEY ARE ALL SUMMONED BACK TO THAT DARK PART OF THEIR LIVES.

I enjoyed the Author’s notes which include the ways that she researched the book! The theme of sisterhood and friendship is woven throughout the novel. Childhood trauma can follow a person through adulthood and manifest in many ways!

This would have been a 5* but I thought there was a lot of repetition of the days spent under Ms. Fairchild’s care. It slowed the book down a bit.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three grown women who grew up in the same foster home and consider themselves sisters are called back to the house where they were fostered because the remains of a human body were found on the property.

This was my least favorite book from this author whose work I have really enjoyed. I think the issue is that there were a lot of flashbacks to the abuse in the foster home and it just wasn’t subject matter that I was interested in reading about. The way it all came together at the end was interesting and the end was good, but it took me too long to get there because for much of the book I wasn’t interested in picking it up after I had put it down. Regardless, I really like this author and look forward to her next novel.

This story was the perfect amount of mystery and intrigue. I was invested from the very beginning. I love when a story gets told completely with no loose ends. Perfect ending to a book that had flying through the pages.

Darling Girls felt like a departure from the normal Sally Hepworth domestic thriller. The rotation between the three person POV, as well as the flashbacks to the threrapist's office took me awhile to fall into, but as the story progressed and secrets were unfolded, the differences between the three sisters and Miss Fairchild became more distinct. In usual Hepworth fashion, 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. I think each sister received a nice, full character arc without any loose ends, but I would have loved to get some more insight into the relationship between Jessica and Phil, as well as Scott Michael's role in the entire plot.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was intense. Three foster girls become sisters not just by connection, but by the horrors and secrets they endured. Now they have to face those memories and the one and only Ms. Fairchild. Great story and unbelievable twists.

I requested this one because I love Sally Hepworth and I was not disappointed! We start to get to know the 3 main characters, sisters, plus a mystery 4th character who is seeing a psychiatrist in an unknown timeframe, and everyone has their issues.
We learn about the history of the sisters, who we find out are not related by blood, but through the strong bond they made as foster siblings. They are contacted by the police to be interviewed as a body has been discovered at their former foster home leaving the reader to wonder - are they suspects? Witnesses? Who does the body belong to?
Great character development with a great twist at the end left me satisfied with this one!

I absolutely loved every second of this book.

Darling Girls switches between past and present following the story of Jessica, Norah and Alicia and their time in the care of Miss Fairchild as foster kids.

I was hooked from start to finish. I loved the three girls and their stories, past and present. I will definitely be reading more from Sally Hepworth.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Totally sinister!

Absolutely loved Sally Hepworth’s newest novel. This novel tells the tragic story of 3 foster girls who go through hell at Wild Meadows foster home. The twists and turns had me holding on for dear life!

Darling Girls
by Sally Hepworth

Darling Girls is domestic thriller that will pull you into the sad and often dark world of foster care. Alicia, Jessica, and Norah will never forget their time at the farmhouse with Miss Fairchild. Together they survived that horrible place which created a special bond between them. Although none of the girls were left unscathed, together they did leave with what they needed the most, to feel seen, loved, and to be part of a family.

But when bones are found under the farmhouse decades later, Miss Fairchild's Darling Girls return to face her and the memories that haunt them to this day. Who do the bones belong to? Did they finally have proof of Miss Fairchild's abuse? Or did the horrors they faced turn one of them into a killer?

This book grabbed me from the start to the final twist, and won't be my last from Sally Hepworth.

Than you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Sally Hepworth fan, and I think that most of the problems I had with this book have to do with the stage of the editing process it seems to be in. Aside from the typos, it felt like the bones (no pun intended) of the book are there, but it needs more polish. It doesn’t feel as tight as her other books, and some of the storylines seemed a little extraneous to the book as a whole. For example, while I understand showing Norah’s run-in with Kevin was a way to show both how much she resorts to violence and how she uses her sexuality to her advantage, ultimately I think that storyline could be dropped without losing much from the book. I did love the ending, though! I have no doubts that when this book has been fully edited, it will be another hit!

Sally Hepworth's "Darling Girls" is a poignant and emotionally resonant exploration of the complex bonds of sisterhood, secrets, and the enduring power of love. With her trademark storytelling prowess, Hepworth delves deep into the lives of her characters, unraveling their intertwined histories and hidden traumas with exquisite sensitivity. The three Darling sisters, distinct in their personalities yet united by a shared past, are brought vividly to life with authentic voices and relatable struggles. Hepworth expertly navigates themes of motherhood, identity, and forgiveness, creating a narrative that is both heartrending and heartwarming in its portrayal of the complexities of family relationships. The novel's compelling dual timelines add depth to the mystery at its core, keeping readers eagerly turning pages. "Darling Girls" is a beautifully written, emotionally charged tale that reaffirms Hepworth's status as a master storyteller, leaving readers with a deep appreciation for the enduring strength of sisterly bonds and the healing power of truth. A must-read that tugs at the heartstrings and lingers in the mind long after the final page.

I've read most all of Sally Hepworth's books & really enjoyed them all, so I had very high expectations for her latest, "Darling Girls", and they were actually exceeded. I really enjoyed this story of three foster “sisters”, who grew up together for a few years back at the Wild Meadows foster home in Port Agatha. Jessica, Alicia, and Norah are now all grown up, when they each get a phone call 25 years later about the discovery of human bones where their foster home was. Could it be their very cruel and abusive foster mother, Miss Fairchild? I did think there was a bit too much child abuse & endangerment, though I never found it gratuitous, it was a necessary plot device. I was heading for a 3 star review when the ending just blew me away! WOW! The author delivered & how! My sincere thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC - my pleasure to review it.

What a page turner this book was!! Though I was busy, I read this book in 3 sittings and couldn’t put it down. Jessica, Norah and Alicia aren’t not biological siblings but foster sisters with a shared past and trauma. When bones are discovered at their childhood foster home, they must return to face their past. Told from different perspectives and in dual timelines, this book was dark and so good. This book played with my emotions a lot! The twist at the end….perfection!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This is one of those cant put down books and I stayed up way too late reading it.
25 years ago three young girls find themselves in the same foster home - Wild Meadows run by the very unstable Miss Fairchild. They form a bond stronger than blood that lasts into adulthood. Now as the home they once lived in is being demolished, bones are found and they are forced to confront the horrors they faced all those years ago as well as perhaps find closure and healing for they trauma they each still carry.

I loved the way the author wrote these characters, each with a unique voice- I especially was enamored with Norah the rebel, who uses her fists to solved her problems, but has all the love to give to her three rescue dogs- Thong, Couch and Converse- each named after the first thing they destroyed. I wont spoil the ending, but there is a nice twist.
Lots to discuss at book club- including the sentiment that children of adoption or foster care are not LUCKY, the don’t need to be grateful. They are there because of tragedy that happened to them, and a loving home is the least that they deserve. Recommend