Sally Hepworth is an auto read author for me. All of her books are just easy to read. And they’re interesting! This one was no exception. I think if you enjoy any of her prior works - you’ll like this one

Sally Hepworth’s *Darling Girls* is a fantastic blend of suspense, emotion, and gripping storytelling. The book hooks you from the start with its mix of sisters, secrets, love, and murder.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are foster sisters who were supposedly lucky to be rescued by Miss Fairchild. But their childhood on her farm was far from the happy picture everyone imagined. Miss Fairchild had strict rules, and she was unpredictable and strict, leaving a lasting impact on the girls.

Hepworth brings these characters to life with vivid details. Jessica's quiet strength, Norah's rebellious nature, and Alicia's vulnerability make them feel real and relatable. Their bond as sisters, forged through shared trauma, is the heart of the story.

When a body is found under their childhood home, the sisters are thrust back into the past they tried to escape. They become key witnesses—or suspects—in the ensuing investigation. The plot thickens as they unravel long-hidden secrets and confront the ghost of Miss Fairchild's influence.

The writing is sharp and engaging, seamlessly moving between past and present. The suspense builds perfectly, keeping you on the edge of your seat as the mystery unfolds. Hepworth does an excellent job exploring deep themes like trauma, resilience, and identity, making the book as emotionally impactful as it is thrilling.

*Darling Girls* is a must-read for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller with emotional depth. It's a story about the ties that bind us and the secrets that haunt us. Highly recommended!

LOVED this book! I couldn’t put it down! It had twists and turns even on the last page. sally Hepworth is definitely one of my absolute favorites authors . Thanks to netgalley for an advanced readers copy (but my review is unbiased).

I love this author and this book was another thriller. The character, the setting, the storyline, the twists and turns. I couldn't put the book down.

I loved this psychological thriller by Sally Hepworth! I immediately became invested in the lives of these three women who grew up in foster care and what happened there. There are some twists and interesting reveals. Great story! 4 stars!

Darling Girls, by Sally Hepworth

Genre: psychological thriller

Three foster sisters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia

I enjoyed the dual timelines, and multiple point of views. I especially loved how each of the sister's endings were presented. The author did a great job showing their bond to one another, as well as the psychological effects of abuse.

Without giving too much of a spoiler, I don't know that the last twist at the end was truly necessary.

I would recommend looking up trigger warnings.

I read this with a book club, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it, and had some great discussion. The one piece of feedback that I will give is I thought my copy had grammatical and spelling issues because it was an ARC, however the other members of my book club had completed copies, and saw the same, so I would recommend corrections in future prints, and editions.

Your star rating: 3

A big thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC,

I love sally hepworth she is awesome, but this book. I would give it a 4/5 usually im not one for going from timeline to timeline and multiple pov but she did it very well to where you didnt get lost. The twists that she adds to her books are right on time and i love it. I have seen where some people thought the last one was not needed and its a matter of opinion. I say keep writing and doing you.

As someone who loved "the soulmate" by Hepsworth I was delighted to receive this ARC from net galley! I couldn't put this book down! It was dark twisty and unpredictable, just how I like my thrillers!! I enjoyed the multiple POV and timelines. Will definitely recommend to my friends looking for a solid thriller and will continue to read more of her back list!!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all met when they were placed in foster care with Miss Fairchild when they were young. Now older and loving their own lives, the girls are forced to relive that time of their lives after a body is found buried under their foster home. Told in alternating points of view, follow Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as they retell their time in foster while also learning about the problems that they are facing in life now.

This was a great thriller. When you think you know how this will end, you will be in for the shock you never saw coming.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I just cannot seem to focus on this story.

DARLING GIRLS is another zippy, twisty, and dark thriller from Sally Hepworth.

Set in Australia and centered around three women - Jessica, Alicia, and Nora - who grew up together in an “idyllic” foster home. When a body is uncovered in the rubble of this home, the three reunite and uncover secrets from their past.

I love the way Sally Hepworth combines family dynamics and compelling thrillers and DARLING GIRLS does not sway from this winning formula. The relationship between the sisters is compelling and heartwarming, though at times underdeveloped.

The mystery elements of the story are relatively run of the mill. I guessed the ending coming a mile away, which is unusual for me, but could be due to the many Hepworth novels I’ve consumed in the last few years. The novel is also darker than her others, the subject matter centering on children made it quite hard to read at moments.

Overall: I will always reach for a Sally Hepworth novel when I want something propulsive, particularly if I need a book to break a reading slump.

Sally Hepworth did it again. One of the things I love most about her writing is that she is SO good at making you think one thing about someone's intentions, and then all of a sudden you get their point of view and it changes EVERYTHING. The way she writes her characters is amazing, and this one was no exception. This is definitely a heavier topic than her other books, but it was really well done.

Hepworth gets me with her twists and turns yet again!

Anytime I see a new book from Hepworth on the horizon, I know it’s a must read for me. Some of course are better than others, but if there’s one thing I can count on, it’s the wild twists and turns you don’t see coming.

I love how this story switches back and forth between present day, the past, and even further into the past. Having these three different storylines really help shape readers to understand why each character acts they way they do in present day.

DARLING GIRLS covers a lot of topics, with the main plot centered around foster care. While I am not an expert in what foster care is like, knowing how delicate of a topic it can be, it really seemed like Hepworth did her research to truly understand the nuances and everything that goes into fostering children.

The characters are well-written, engaging and painted authentically in their own flawed ways. There was never a question in how I felt each character would react to a situation!

I was sort of surprised how dark this story was. There are a ton of trigger warnings so please check out other reviews to see if this story is right for you.

Big thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC/ALC.

Content warnings: child abuse, death, emotional abuse, drug abuse, addiction, kidnapping, sexual assault

This book is wild! I thought it was so good and thrilling/mysterious. The ending bumped up a star for me cuz I wasn't expecting it! Fantastic book

A masterful blend of character-driven drama and plot twists.

>Darling Girls delves into the complex lives of three foster sisters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia.
>The foster sisters were raised by the enigmatic Miss Fairchild. Their idyllic past shrouded in secrets.

>When a body is found under their childhood home, their lives unravel. They become witnesses—or perhaps even suspects—in a chilling murder investigation.

>As the layers of secrecy peel away, we see the bonds between the sisters tested. Their loyalty, love, and shared trauma shape their choices.

>The novel explores themes of identity, trust, and the haunting power of the past. Prepare for twists, revelations, and a journey into the shadows.

🎧Jessica Clarke’s performance is gripping. She breathes life into each sister, weaving suspense and emotion.

The reveal at the end was okay but ultimately this had too much content that I am just not on board with, which is ultimately a me-problem. I probably should have just DNF'ed this one but I normally really like Sally's books. *Trigger warnings for child abuse in many forms.

As children, Jessica, Norah and Alicia were placed with Miss. Fairchild. From the outside, Miss. Fairchild was loving and life on her farm idyllic, the girls were lucky. In reality, the girls were subjected to unpredictable behavior, strict rules and abuse. Years later, the police call after finding a body on the property and want to ask the women questions. What happens is a heartbreaking and thrilling story of their childhood and what really happened with Miss. Fairchild.

What I liked: Let me pick my jaw up off the floor because that ending shocked me. I’m usually decent at guessing endings of thrillers and while the twist makes sense, I also was completely caught off guard. Way to go Sally!

I could not stop listening to this one. The flashbacks interspersed with the present-day details what the girls went through and how they are coping (or not). The story moved at a fast pace, keeping the reader engaged and guessing what would happen next.

Each character really felt like a separate person with a clear voice and motivations.

What didn’t work for me: I really liked this one, but I do think it’s darker than some of Sally’s other books and readers may want to look up content warnings before starting it. There were some difficult to listen to moments.

For the audiobook, I wish there were separate narrators for the different characters.

Who should read it: Grab this one for your beach/pool bag! You enjoy domestic thrillers and liked Hepworth’s other books.

Another amazing book by Sally Hepworth! I have yet to find one of her books that didn't impress me. The characters were so well developed and the story had me hooked from start to finish!

I feel like this book was more of a fiction book with a mystery subplot, not that this book was actually a mystery. There was nothing thrilling about this or even a little bit mysterious. I was more so interested in the characters in the story than the actual plot itself, which isnt always the best thing when you're supposed to be interested in the actual plot considering its supposed to be a mystery/thriller. I also didnt love the ending of this book. It was just a bit too slow moving for me and it felt like a slog to get through

I started reading Sally Hepworth a few books ago. I have enjoyed her books up until her last, The Soulmate, which I thought was quite awful. I debated whether to pick up her latest, Darling Girls, and am happy I did.

Darling Girls is a thriller that follows three foster sisters who all lived at Wild Meadows many years ago with their foster mother. When a body is found under Wild Meadows, the sisters must face their past and the maniacal woman who made it hell.

Darling Girls is narrated through two timelines – the past and the present, each examining both the viewpoints of all three foster sisters – along with an unidentified character telling their story to a therapist. Hepworth excels at creating multiple timelines that are easy to follow and differentiate. However, in this novel, the past timeline outshone the others and was the most interesting. I also think that switching between timelines created an inconsistent pace. Yet, I hardly noticed as I was enthralled with the story and wanted to uncover its mysteries. But, if you prefer only edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Darling Girls may not be for you.

The plot of Darling Girls is dark and ends with a twist (undoubtedly for shock value). For me, this story’s strength is the relationship between the three sisters. Although not related by blood, the three girls bond through their childhood trauma and act as a family going forward. The clear love and support they have for one another shined and ingratiated the story with me. As far as the final twist is concerned, I think some readers will love it, some will find it unnecessary, and others will start thinking of possible plot holes it causes. Your enjoyment of this novel really depends on the amount you critically examine books.

Often when a book has multiple protagonists, their identities and personalities blend together until they are undistinguishable. Hepworth created the three foster sisters with unique personalities that allow readers to easily recognize who is who. I found this to be a strong point of the book, although I wish their voices were as distinct as their personalities.

Overall, Darling Girls is a dark, entertaining thriller that will make you think both about people’s capacity for evilness and where the world redeems itself. I do recommend Darling Girls, but I acknowledge not everyone will love it.