Trigger Warning: sexual assault, child abuse, drug abuse

Sally…. You outdid yourself! Sally Hepworth has been an auto read of mine for a while now so imagine my excitement getting my hands on an ARC.

However, this one is dark. Dark like The Push. So if anything in those trigger warnings makes you a little uncomfy I wouldn’t recommend. This is an amazing thriller that, for the most part, kept me guessing. I slowly figured out where it was going but never had it truly figured out.

Strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I adore Sally Hepworth’s novels- she is an amazing writer and the character personalities she creates as well at the plots she weaves are honestly incredible.

This book was hard to read at parts (trigger warning: child abuse) but though it was hard is was necessary to help you “know” certain people in the story. It also helped to make certain aspects of the plot more satisfying in the end.

Jessica, Norah, and Alice work through their past as foster children at Wild Meadows. They’re forced to confront what they went through when the body of a child is found under the home while it’s being demolished. As they grapple with their past and present issues they find out things aren’t always as they seemed.

I didn’t want to put this down once I started and I highly recommend this book just like I have all her others.

Thank you to NetGalley for this free uncorrected digital copy.

Very interesting story that I feel is a lot like another book that I read a few months ago, which kept popping into my head the whole time. Girls from an orphanage are called back to town for questioning when the house is demolished and a body is found.
The mystery of whose body it is and the final reveal surprised me. The relationship between the girls was well written as was each sisters personality.

I really enjoyed this! It was suspenseful and full of twists that I did not expect. It has alternating timelines and multiple POV’s, despite this, it was not hard to follow and only captivated me more.

I was rooting so hard for the three sisters and for anything good to happen to them. Reading about their backstory was a little painful and hard to take at times. But this was a great mystery with really creating twists!

I absolutely loved this book! I am a huge Sally Hepworth fan & was so happy to read this early! The storyline, characters, short chapters-I couldn’t put this one down. Definitely recommend!

“Darling Girls” is Sally Hepworth’s latest effort and lovers of both her work and domestic thrillers in general will not be disappointed.

I have been a fan of Sally Hepworth since her very first novel, and honestly, there were parts of this novel where I could not stop shivering--with horror or anticipation, I am not sure! The focus of the novel is on three women that grew up in the foster system under the harsh treatment of their foster mother. Years later, they return when they are contacted by a detective. Bones had been discovered under the foster house where the women had received such heinous treatment.

The reader learns each of the women’s stories—from both past and present. I found that each of the woman had her own unique voice and the shifting of timelines and POVs was not at all confusing. I did find this story exceptionally darker than Hepworth’s last work. The ending a bit twisted, but overall, if you want to be kept guessing, you will enjoy this book.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you the Sally Hepworth, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

5⭐️

Alicia, Jessica and Norah has worked hard to leave what happened at Wild Meadows behind them. They’ve tried to come across as normal, well adjusted women who had a normal childhood. But they all know their childhood was far from normal. The three girls grew up in a foster home owned by Miss Fairchild.

Miss Fairchild had strict rules and a temperament that could change at the drop of a hat. In a moment of bravery, the three girls went to authorities and got away from Miss Fairchild and they thought they’d never have to think about Wild Meadows again. But then the property was sold and when the house was torn down, human remains were found. And Alicia, Jessica and Norah are forced to talk about what happened behind those closed doors.

Sally Hepworth has became a go-to author for me so when I got the chance to read this early I was beyond ecstatic! And she didn’t disappoint! This is the second release in a row that’s a five star for me.


I appreciate how much research and sensitivity she puts into each book. Darling Girls primarily focuses on the foster care system and the lasting effects of being raised by a narcissist. I feel like this did a good job of capturing a lot of experiences of foster care-the good and the bad. The three girls personalities as adults perfectly captured how much a person’s childhood effects that.

I also really liked the therapy sessions scattered throughout the book and I liked trying to figure out who was actually attending the session.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC to me!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a story about three girls who become sisters because of the horrific circumstances they endure during their tenure at a house of horrors foster home. This story twists and turns and I was utterly captivated.

OMG. This was not a typical Sally Hepworth read and I was actually quite nervous as I began reading....the storyline had me freaked out that something awful was going to happen every time I turned the page. It was so good I devoured this book in 2 days. I liked how you didn't know who was in session with the therapist until the end (even though you could work it out about half way through) it keeps you guessing. Great book.

DARLING GIRLS
BY: SALLY HEPWORTH

3.75 stars rounded up!

I thought long and hard before deciding if I wanted to read Sally Hepworth's newest novel called, "Darling Girls." I had good reasons for my mixed feelings and while reading my first impression was to ask myself: "What have I gotten myself into?" This particular novel in my humble opinion is probably my favorite of hers by far because it tackles some difficult to read at times subject matter. I was quite uncomfortable at times reading about the child abuse inflicted to the the children who are placed into Foster care with the antagonist, Miss Holly Fairchild. So beware before deciding to read this if you're up for the disturbing, realistically portrayed abuse and cruelty perpetrated on young, impressionistic minds by the Foster mother. I liked the ending so overall I thought it worth the one sitting read which while upsetting has depth and illuminates the traumatizing, long lasting effects of being exposed in youth to horrific living situations.

The novel goes back in time to the harrowing and unpredictable actions that three young females placed in Miss Fairchild's care to explain why these three adult women are struggling in the present. I did like that these three females who weren't biological sisters formed an enduring bond that resulted in them considering themselves sisters deeply caring for each other. All three of them are supportive of one another, but display emotional scars from their exposure to their narcissistic Foster mother's self-serving and insensitive poor treatment.

Jessica who was the first and the youngest to be placed with Miss Fairchild exhibits an obsessive compulsive need towards perfection as a grown woman. Although she is the only one out of the three women to be married, her husband feels that she puts her two sisters needs ahead of his. Jessica organizes homes and steals her clients Valium prescriptions for her anxiety. Norah who was the second child fostered by Miss Fairchild is angry and physically abusive leading her to have trouble with the police and courts. She had violent tendencies as a child and hasn't overcome them in adulthood either. Alicia was the third to be placed in Miss Fairchild's Foster home which was supposed to be temporary. She had a loving, nurturing grandmother who Alicia expected to be reunited with after her grandmother recuperates in the hospital after a bad fall. Alicia is a case worker in the Foster care system as an adult.

The three sisters are notified that they need to return to Port Agatha, Australia which is a two hour car ride from where they currently live in Melbourne to answer questions in an investigation by three detectives. There have been bones discovered which were buried on the property where they lived in Foster care with Miss Fairchild. Whose bones are these? Was somebody murdered? Who is the murderer? You'll have to read this to find out.

As I said this is my favorite of Sally Hepworth's novels because it illustrates how damaging childhood experiences lead to self sabotaging choices that can be life long lasting if they aren't dealt with. Interspersed with the past and the present are short chapters of an unknown character that is meeting with a psychiatrist. I liked the ending of this so it elevated this suspenseful and character driven novel to 3.75 stars. This made me feel that I was glad that I read this unsettling novel, although I do question how it most likely takes years of self examination and hard work to overcome self destructive tendencies in adulthood that is the result of childhood abuse by a care giver. I cautiously recommend this after deciding if you are willing to be able to tolerate the insidious emotional cruelties that you'll be witnessing done to innocent children. It does make you think and this is one I'm not likely to forget.

Publication Date: April 23, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Sally Hepworth and St. Martin's Press for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#DarlingGirls #SallyHepworth #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

Darling Girls is a story of the dark side of foster care and has well developed characters and it is fast paced and kept me guessing till the end.

This is dual timeline and told in the POV of Norah, Alicia, and Jessica. They are foster sisters who learn that bones are discovered on the foster home they were in years ago. Their time with foster mother Fairchild was not easy, and their stories are heartbreaking, but they are strong women.

I rushed through this, because I had to know what happened. I'm going to read out again, because it's just that good. Hempworth is a master!

Thank you #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC of the masterpiece!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia....three sisters but not by blood. All three grew up in the foster care system with Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild had rules, she had moods, and could be very unpredictable. After fleeing their foster home in a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. But years later, when bones are discovered buried under the farm house of their childhood, they're brought back to their past. Who is buried under the house??

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an ARC of this book. I could not put this down! This is my first Sally Hepworth novel and it did not disappoint. Right from the beginning I was hooked. Short chapters, perfectly paced, and so intense. I highly recommend.

First off, I love Sally Hepworth and this one did not disappoint!
It does have a trigger of child abuse just so you are warned.

THE DARLING GIRLS are 3 children brought together in a foster care situation. Twenty years later they are dealing with their trauma in different ways. Now a body has been found at the site of their former foster home. Who? Why?
Hepworth is a master of character descriptions and surprises! Each woman’s story is told and they must come together to find some closure and discover ways to move forward.

Pub date is April 2024

Thank you to Netgalley for this “read now”

Thought this book was really well done. The mystery of the novel was very interesting, and I enjoyed going back and forth from the present to the past. Another great book from the author. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN. I was blown away! This was my first SH novel & wow.. I’ll be reading all her books now.
Right from the beginning, I trusted no one. All the characters are wild and for good reason. The three FMCs grew up in an unstable environment as foster children with a sociopath. Many years later, human remains were found under the house they lived in. No one “knows” who was buried there or by who.

Read if you love:
Crime fiction
True crime
Murder mystery
Untrustworthy characters
Found family
Multiple POV
Duel Timeline

I always enjoy Sally Hepworth's books. This one moved a bit slowly for me ... I was waiting and waiting for some more excitement. The ending was a bit predictable but it was a good read. I wouldn't call this a dark or twisted thriller, though.

One thing I have to mention is that, though this was an ARC, there were so many typos and proofreading issues that it made it honestly a bit annoying to read. ARCs generally are mostly corrected, so I'm not sure what happened here ... did they upload the wrong copy?

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. Thanks for reading my review! Based in Australia, three grown women are bound by a horrific childhood. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia met as kids in the same foster home under a monstrous and deceptive foster mother, As adults, they are asked for assistance when human remains are found under their old foster home, Wild Meadows. Now they're forced to re-open old wounds in order to find out not only who the remains belong to, but also who's responsible.

I'm assuming this book still needs proofreading as I found numerous simple proofreading mistakes. Beyond that I absolutely LOVED this book and am thrilled to recommend it. I loved how each chapter was relatively short and it switches to different peoples points of views and also goes back and forth between past and present. This one had me guessing quite a bit.

Darling Girls is one of the most incredible thrillers I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. My mind is blown. I feel speechless but this book deserves a review so I’m going to do my best. I jumped at the chance to read it when I saw it on Net Galley as I’ve be never been disappointed by Sally Hepworth, but it exceeded all of my expectations. My only note is that some of the subject matter is tough to read; I suggest being mindful of triggers.

The characters have such depth to them, I’ve never felt so connected to fictional people. This book is perfectly paced, the back and forth between past and present is done incredibly well, and the touch of first person narration is a great addition. The ending was simultaneously infuriating and satisfying.

I don’t keep a lot of physical books but this is one I’ll absolutely buy when it’s released. I’m sure there’s so much more I could say, but you really need to read this for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

About three sisters and the love they have for each other while in foster care. The length that they wilk go through to protect each other while in foster care. It's about how the struggled as children and into their adulthood because of their experiences.

This book was so good! It kept me interested the entire time. It was written from diffrent viewpoints, aswell as past and present but was extremely easy to follow along. The twist at the end when I thought it was over made it imitate 5 stars!