Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Jessica is finally enjoying life with the success of her business. She learns that their was something found when they were tearing down the house. This brings back bad memories of her and her sisters childhood. She likes to bury the past and move forward. This book grabbed my attention from the start.

When skeletal remains are discovered underneath their former foster home, three sisters return to the site and to their memories to uncover the mystery of who it could be. This is a psychological mystery (I don’t consider it a thriller) that alternates between the three women’s viewpoints as well as between the present and the past. It is compulsively readable, well written, and an emotional read. There are definite triggers for child abuse (especially psychological abuse). But it is also the story of strong sisterly bonds and dealing with the aftermath of childhood trauma. I loved it and highly recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy.

DNF @ 22%
I have enjoyed some of Sally Hepworth’s older books, and I am generally a fan of her writing style and unique storytelling approach.
But unfortunately her newer books have contained too much rough content for me to read as relaxing entertainment.
Although the characters seemed to be compelling and multi-layered, I didn’t find them to be likable. Plus, it contained a high concentration of harsh material in just the first quarter. To list out a bit:
- language & drug abuse
- consistent negative portrayal of kids within the foster system, along with foster parents and social workers
- Multiple off-hand references to sexual harassment
- Explicit child abuse
- Detailed lesbian kiss
- Fantasizing suicide

I read for joy and entertainment. That being said, I do not appreciate the above material in my fiction books.

I received a complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This is my first Sally Hepworth book and it will definitely not be my last. What a page turner!

Alicia, Jessica and Norah are foster sisters, and are met with a phone call investigation about their foster home when they were children. Having to face their dark past, including their more than unfair foster mother Miss Fairchild, we uncover more of what they went through and how much of a hold Miss Fairchild has as adults.

This became an instant favorite in the psychological thriller category. You wanted to know more about their past and became immersed in their current life. By the end, you're hit with the realization that not everything is true and some characters are not what they seemed the entire book.

Darling Girls will have you bite your nails from beginning to end and you may need a few days before starting your next read.

Releases April 23, 2024!

I didn't even read the synopsis of this book, I just requested it immediately! I went into this one with high expectations because I LOVE this author's books! I read it in two sittings because it was that good!

Another Knock-out by Hepworth! The beginning drew me in, the middle kept me hooked and the ending was shocking! I really felt for the characters and grew to love them each along the way.

This book was absolutely amazing!! I was hooked from the very first page. I read it in one sitting. I was DYING to know what Miss Fairchild was going to do next. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time! 5/5 stars.

*Trigger warning for child abuse and sexual abuse*
Another amazing book by Sally Hepworth. "Darling Girls" follows the life of 3 foster children who grew up in Wild Meadows, flashing between present day and past when they were under Miss Fairchild's care at Wild Meadows. Recently, Wild Meadows was torn down and there were human bones found underneath, which prompted the police to request all the foster children to return to Wild Meadows so police can try to understand who the bones belong to. This book is so twisty and one that is truly hard to put down, but there are definitely some parts that are hard to read. Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait for others to be able to read it! Thank you to the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another great Sally Hepworth book! I didn't want to put the book down. I couldn't wait to get to the end but also didn't want it to end. The characters were relatable and felt real. The storyline was great. Some parts seemed like a bit of a stretch but even real life has those events sometimes. Sally Hepworth has become an author that I will Auto buy books from, even without knowing what they're about.

**trigger warning: child neglect, abuse, death**

4.5 stars!

“Well, as you may or not be aware, Wild Meadows has recently been demolished. And while excavating, the construction workers uncovered human remains. Bones, really.”

Three foster sisters, Jessica, Alicia and Norah met in Wild Meadows under the care of Miss Fairchild in the early 90’s. The girls remained close into adulthood, and when they each get a call from a detective asking for help with an investigation into their old foster home, the women band together nervously to relive their past.

They weren’t believed before when they tried. Would they be believed now, or would they become suspects?

Absolutely loved this! Kept me intrigued from page one all the way to the last page! Love the twist and turns that kept me on my toes and guessing and still never guessed the correct ending. Love it and will recommend to everyone.

This story goes from past to present with the POV’s from each sister Jessica, Norah & Alicia. These three were foster kids that grew up in Wild Meadows (with their manipulative foster mother) and have to return as adults when bones are found on the land. The characters were well developed and it was easy to feel a connection to them. I did not predict the twists and certainly did not predict the twist at the end! This was a fast paced domestic thriller that I could not put down!

This was a usual departure from Hepworth's domestic thriller and I was here for it. She explored the brutality (both mentally and physically) of the foster care system while providing unreliable narrators, twists, multiple POV, and a dual timeline. I will always be a Hepworth supporter and she didn't fail me with this upcoming release.

Jessica, Alicia, and Norah were all placed into foster care for different reasons. Jessica's parents died, Alicia's grandmother was in the hospital, and Norah's family just couldn't take care of her. At around 12 years old, each of them enter Wild Meadows a beautiful foster home run by Mrs. Holly Fairchild. At first glance, Mrs. Fairchild (think Mrs, Honey from Matilda) presents as warm and caring, but begins to show a darker more abusive side as the girls become more comfortable in her care. After years of abuse, the girls finally decide to take a stand and tell an adult of what was happening at Wild Meadows and were displaced from Mrs. Fairchild's care. Years later, bones are discovered under Wild Meadows. The girls are called back to confront their past, aid in the case, and come face to face with their abuser.


Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this highly anticipated book coming out next year!

4.5⭐️!!

This is my first book by this author, and it won’t be my last! This is definitely a slow burn psychological thriller, which is my favorite.

I thought this was thrilling enough where it wasn’t too graphic for the topics in this book, specifically abuse. It was a twisty book, but believable!! Really touches on the nature vs nurture aspect, and how a traumatic childhood affects so much.

Not quite a 5 stars for me, not sure what it mainly is, maybe a tad slow in the middle? But this was a really solid read!!

What a page turner! From the first to the last chapter, each one left little nuggets that kept going throughout the story. I liked the dynamic and perspectives of the three sisters and their POVs.

Oh, Sally Hepworth has officially outdone herself with this one!!!
I absolutely devoured this book in a matter of less than 48 hours. I could not stop thinking about it when I had to do boring things like work and sleep - I wanted to spend all my time reading it! The entire book was perfectly executed, but that final chapter was absolutely mind blowing.

Darling Girls is a perfect psychological thriller following 3 foster sisters who grew up together at Wild Meadows. When a body is found buried on the grounds, the adult women are forced to return back to their foster home to help answer the police questions during this investigation- but a whole lot more gets revealed than just who is buried under the house.
There are plenty of twists, quick and engaging chapters, and characters that are somehow the perfect mix of likable and unlikable that makes you want to read more about their lives.

I cannot recommend this book enough!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for my honest review. (Now can April 2024 get here already?!?!)

TW: drug abuse, drug overdose, assault, child abuse, murder of a child, sexual assault, rape-off page

This was a really good mystery with a found family of characters and an intriguing plot that had me curious till the end. With a body found at the former site of Wild Meadows, the home of foster parent Mrs. Fairchild, former foster children Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are called in by the police. This begins the introduction of the story following their three points of view, and a mysterious fourth person. We are introduced to each character and then drawn back into the past as Mrs. Fairchild brings them into her home. We learn more and more about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Mrs. Fairchild, as the mystery of the body in present day starts to unravel long held secrets.

I thought the character building was well done for the three main sisters, but with multiple perspectives and timelines the story did start to drag and slowed the pacing until they finally arrived at the police station. Once they start interviewing each of the women, the pacing and intrigue really starts to pick up. I had a hard time putting the book down, and had to keep reading to find out more.

I felt the present day mystery seemed to have less development compared to the story from the past. In a few cases the police investigation came across illogically, and a major twist seems to be undercut by that fact that police should have, and could do a simple DNA test.

Despite those few things, I really enjoyed the book and found it to be a compelling plot. It had characters that I grew to root for regardless of their flaws, except for the obvious one, whom I loathed. I am definitely interested to check out more from Sally Hepworth in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another masterpiece from Sally Hepworth! 10 out of 10 stars!! Compelling mystery filled with great characters!! Each character was well fleshed out, The mystery kept me guessing the entire time, Sally sure knows how to write a great book!! I want to thank NetGalley for the ARC!!

Darling Girls - Sally Hepworth

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Sally Hepworth writes dependably entertaining domestic psychological thrillers that draw you in, almost as though you are a silent character in the story, and her latest offering is no exception.

This story tells of girls who survived a hellish existence in a foster home, where the maternal stand-in is anything but motherly. This foster "parent" is a vile, manipulative and cruel woman, and it takes the foster sisters everything they have to emotionally survive the experience. They get through their somewhat nightmarish existence by creating unbreakable bonds with each other as sisters, although each is uniquely and deeply emotionally scarred by the experience of growing up in such a flawed environment.

With a mysterious murder added into the mix, each young woman is forced to reexamine and relive the details of the time they spent in a home where the only thing "fostered" was ill-will, hatred and cruelty...

Perfect for fans of: Freida McFadden, Nina Manning, Philippa East, Keri Beevis, Natalie Barelli, and Minka Kent.

Until next time, remember, what doesn't break you makes you stronger (or so they say)...

Sally Hepworth has done it again. Darling Girls kept me up late at night reading and guessing what twist would come next. Norah, Jessica and Alicia were foster sisters who stayed close for decades after their stay with Miss Fairchild. Even though I didn’t particularly like the main characters I did care what happened to them. I cannot wait for Sally’s next book.