I am a big fan of Sally Hepworth and always enjoy her novels and admire her character development throughout her novels. Darling Girls is a difficult book to read, but the book is certainly worth it. These darling girls, three unrelated foster children who bond in terrible circumstances are sisters for life, no matter what happens. And things happen, terrifying and cruel things happen yet the girls survive, loving and trusting each other. Years later, bones are discovered under Miss Fairchilds, the awful foster mothers home., going home the darling girls need to come to terms with their past and their present and we follow breathlessly along.. You think about the girls when you are not reading, a sure sign of brilliant writing. Five star read.

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed reading Sally Hepworths last triller Soulmate, so I was excited to dive into this one. Jessica, Norah and Alicia, self-proclaimed sisters, bonded during their abusive time in foster care under the watch of Mrs. Fairchild. The story alternates between the past and present and the three viewpoints of the girls. In the present the farmhouse they lived and suffered abuse has been demolished and bones of a child have been found buried under it. I think that the characters were well thought out, each girl having their strengths and weaknesses. We can see how the past has helped to shape their futures both positively and negatively.

Sally Wepworth is always very good at keeping your interest peaked and wanting to know what will happen next and what twist is coming. I was a little disappointed with a few plot holes… does DNA testing not exist? I found it very compelling in the beginning and had a hard time putting the book down but that momentum died off a little towards the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martins Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Darling Girls is about 3 foster "sisters", who grew up together at Wild Meadows foster home in Port Agatha.
25 years later they receive a call from a detective about the discover of human bones under the farmhouse of their childhood. The 3 return to be interviewed by the detectives on the case. Alicia, Jessica and Norah all have flashbacks from their time at Meadows Hill with their cruel and abusive foster mom, Miss Fairchild.
It's a mystery who the bones are since as children no one believed them and they were gaslit for years.
This book was an excellent telling of the permanent effects of being raised by an abusive, narcissistic parent I highly recommend this book, as the twists and turns were non stop! I read this book late into the night, and the ending was well worth it!
Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Sally for this ARC in exchange for my honest review
Publication date: April 23, 2024

Sally Hepworth never disappoints! This story was twisty and absorbing and I couldn't wait to find out what had happened to three foster sisters brought up by an overbearing and vindictive foster mother. I felt that the end wrapped up a little too neatly, but it also brought a satisfying conclusion to the story, maybe better than real life would have been. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Darling girls is a thriller with a twist you will not see coming.

Darling Girls follows three former foster children, Jessica, Alicia, and Norah who spent a few years at Wild Meadows together under the care of their foster mother, Miss. Fairchild. Through the physical and psychological torment they suffer at the hands of their foster mother, they grew close enough to consider themselves “sisters”.

One day, they receive a phone call that human bones were found on the site of Wild Meadows. They all return to be interviewed by detectives. News of the human remains being found causes each women to face their past as they begin to have flashbacks to their time spent at Wild Meadows.

Who do the bones belong to? Is it one of the former foster children? Is Miss. Fairchild a master manipulator? Or is Miss. Fairchild the loving mother she claims to be and the three girls imagined the neglect “because of their trauma”? Can our pasts ever truly remain buried?

Hepworth did an amazing job at portraying the long term damage that childhood trauma and narcissistic abusive parents can inflict well into adulthood. I highly suggest reading this book if you have the chance. The last chapter of this book easily placed this book into my top five reads so far of the year. 👏🏻

Thank you again to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this book which I was lucky enough to read. Publication Date: April 23, 2024.

(This book does touch on child abuse - both physical and physiological- which may be triggering to some.)

***all opinions are my own***

This was incredibly good! I could see it being picked up by some book clubs for sure. Highly recommend from me! Sally Hepworth is back and better than ever!

“Being loved had been the goal of her life. Loving someone in return . . . that was just showing off.”


Every time I think I can’t possibly love a Sally Hepworth, book more, another Sally Hepworth book comes along.

Sally has such a tender and special way of writing her characters. The best thing about them is that they are never ever quite as they seem. They are always layered and nuanced and you always fall in love with them and feel protective of them as the pages fly by. And I mean FLY- I absolutely devoured this

The best part of this one is the delicate and soul-baring depiction of sisterhood. Each of the three sisters has such a beautiful heart. It takes some time getting down to the nitty gritty of their true selves but man getting there is fun.

5 shiny stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this novel. All opinions on my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. Norah, Jessica and Alicia are foster sisters who have been summoned back to their foster home to help with the investigation of bones that were found under the house they used to live in. The sisters do not want to relive this part of their lives as their foster mother was at times abusive to them. Do they know who is buried there? Have they killed someone? Read to find out! Sally Hepworth is a favorite author of mine and I always enjoy her books.
3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Another intriguing thriller from Sally Hepworth. This novel explores themes of foster care, abandonment, addiction and more all wrapped up in a murder investigation decades in the making. Readers of Sandie Jones & B.A. Paris might enjoy this one as well.

This was one of those books I couldn’t put down and had to keep reading to find out what happened next. Five stars!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxCS53mgxzU/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

What a fast paced book I love books that keep me on the edge of my seat. The points of view really added to the story and since I’ve read all of Sally’s books I know her twists are always amazing. I really enjoyed the plot as well as the writing style

"Look at you, my darling girl."
Cute, right? Yeah, until you read this book

This is easily my favorite Sally Hepworth book so far! We get multiple POVs, short chapters, likable characters, dark moments, and great plot twists! All of this can make a domestic thriller great, but the fact that Hepworth pairs it with the awareness of the foster care system, childhood, sisters, and even luck made it that much better.

It was definitely a wild ride and I loved every minute!

The way my jaw DROPPED reading that last chapter… I cannot recommend this one enough and I hope you add it your 2024 TBR!

Thank you NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Expected pub date is 4/23/2024

Salt Hepworth is an auto-buy author for me so I was pretty excited to recieve this advanced readers copy of Darling Girls. I really enjoyed this book and the end was a total wtf moment! If you're a fan of Ms Hepworth, you'll definitely want to add this to your list!

4.5 rounded up. Love Sally Hepworth. Any new release is an immediate addition to the TBR pile. Loved all the twists and slow release of secrets. Deducted 0.5 for the epilogue but only because I’m being picky.

Thanks to St Martins Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such a shocking and twisty read. The ending of this one left my jaw on the floor. I quite literally could not put this one down. So good.

Jessica, Norah and Ashleigh were all foster children at the same estate when they were little. Jessica was the first, when she lost her mom at four years old. Ashleigh was the last, thinking that she was only there for respite care. They grew up as sisters, and have a shared bond of their terrible time they shared with Miss Fairchild.
Things get interesting when they are called back to that town when a police investigation discovers human bones buried underground. It means they will have to relive unpleasant memories to help assist with the investigation.
As usual, Sally Hepworth doesn't disappoint in her art of story telling, and weaving multiple tales inside of the same story.
Thank you to #netgalley for this #arc.

My goodness! My first book by Sally Hepworth and it won’t be my last. I loved the characters each getting to narrate their side of the story and the pieces fit beautifully. The twist in the last several chapters, you think you know it but then it gets even twistier. I loved the environment of a children’s group home, talking about foster care and some of the tragedies of it but seeing the girls become sisters in more than one way was perfect. The villian of this story was one of the best portrayed narcissists ever.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book ASAP. This is the second Sally Hepworth book I have read and it sure didn’t not disappoint.
The story alternates between three sisters points of view. The reader quickly learns that these are foster sisters who were brought together under Miss Fairchild’s foster home. The story starts strong when bones are found under Miss Fairchilds home. As the reader is finding out what’s currently happening, we also get bits of information on each sister’s past. We quickly learn that their experience with Miss Farchild was anything but pleasant.

This novel is crafted beautifully and makes it almost impossible to put down. Both past and present timelines leave you wanting to know more. The twists are unpredictable and will leave your jaw on the floor.

Disappointed in the story & characters--unexpected after being a fan of the author's and enjoying most of her books greatly, especially her last.

With thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC.

Sally Hepworth writes a tragic tale of the bond between sisters, even if they aren't sisters by blood. Three sister who were raised in the same foster home are forced to confront their past in this fast paced thriller with twists at every turn. I highly recommend it!