This is a captivating story that showcases that family is not always defined by blood. Three foster sisters are shown from present and past perspectives to share the experiences they endeavored under the care of a foster mother. It is heartbreaking while keeping me on the edge of my seat. This is my first read by Sally Hepworth and will not be my last.

Rounded up to five stars bc I laughed and cried while reading this domestic suspense centered around three foster sisters. Their story is heart breaking and nuanced and the story itself isn’t over the top. Three girls come together in foster care and forge an unbreakable bond. Twenty five years after their stint at the same foster home, the police call them back to the small town where the home was when bones are found buried under the house. It’s told through multiple points of view and in dual time lines of before and after. I flew through this and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. This is probably my favorite book from this author and I was thrilled when I got this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own

I don’t even have words for this one, but I’ll try. The book follows Alicia, Norah, and Jessica who were in foster care with Miss Fairchild. They dealt with horrible circumstances and treatment from her, and as adults, they get a phone about a body found under the home they lived in.

This story is told in “before” and “now” timelines, and it works so well. It also has therapy sessions intertwined in there. I 100% guessed some things but the ending epilogue threw me. This was a really interesting book and a quick read. I read it in less than a day! I’d definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Possible Spoilers: Thank you for the opportunity to read this new book by one of my favorite authors Sally Hepworth. This book grabbed me from the beginning! This was a riveting story of three girls who spend time at a foster home with an awful mother who had a lot of issues of her own. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all have suffered by the hands of Miss Fairchild and now as adults must find their way to live as normal as a life as possible. The woman are notified that bones were found under the home they lived in while it was being excavated for a new building. They return to the area together to answer questions and find a way to figure out what really happened. Great story with lots of twists and turns. Being a social worker I was disappointed with the portrayal of the social workers who placed the girls in the home. They were heartless and later we learn one of them was very underhanded and self serving for his own financial gain. Alicia, also a social worker, as an adult, did have great qualities and turned her history into healing by helping other children in foster care. The author did a great job in letting the reader know what the future held for the women and Miss Fairchild (Holly). Definitely recommend.

Sally Hepworth does it again! As a mental health professional, I am extremely touched by the themes in this book: Childhood trauma, mental health, family dynamics, and foster care. I became invested Jessica, Norah, and Alicia from the start. Character development was included perfectly. Not too much to where it gets boring, but just enough to feel connected to their stories. The progression of the book kept me wondering, dropping hints here and there, but never became too confusing to follow or too obvious. Just when I thought the puzzle had been solved and the book was ready to end, the last chapter concludes the book shockingly. I should've expected this!

I’ve enjoyed all of Sally Hepworth’s previous books that I’ve read, but this one is hands down my favorite. I think it’s her best book to date. It had excellent character development, great pacing, and some well-timed twists. I love that the author doesn’t veer to the outlandish, but delivers a well-plotted and well-written read that I couldn’t put down.
Make sure to read the afterword/acknowledgements. I usually ignore these sections but I was glad I read this one.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.

Such a great book! I have loved all of Sally Hepworth’s books and was so excited to get this! It was great! I loved the character development and the bond between the sisters. The twist was so good!

We know this: the foster care system needs serious help. Yet, it takes a book like this to bring attention to a problem that has been going on for years.

Three sisters from different parents are living together with their foster mom. They have created a protective bound which helps them cope. Jessica came to Wild Meadows when she was four years old. She’s eager to please and her wish is to be safe and loved. Alicia is a year younger than Jessica. Her grandmother took care of her until she became hospitalized. Now she has to learn how to adapt to her new environment which isn’t easy. Norah is the youngest by a year. She’s beautiful and the smartest but she has a temper which can explode instantly and get her in trouble.

Miss Holly Fairfield makes me cringe. She is the foster mom in control of her “Darling Girls.” I’d say she’s pretty toxic.

The sisters have individual POVs from the past to the present. There are also periodic reports from visits with a psychiatrist.

As adults, each sister gets a call from one of the detectives working on a new investigation. The property of Wild Meadows was sold and cleared to be a McDonald’s restaurant and in the process, human bones were found. Now the sisters are asked to meet at the police station where they will be questioned for a murder that took place years ago. Who did it?

Sally Hepworth has a large following of readers for a reason. Her books are well written and exhilarating. With “Darling Girls,” she wrote what we all know: the foster care system needs serious help. The story is fast paced and each piece brings the reader closer to solving the case. The end – well it hits you like waking up to a loud alarm clock. It’s definitely a good book for group discussions. It's a story that stays with you.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy with an expected release date of April 23, 2024.

Darling Girls is one of the best Hepworth books - it was a compulsive read and kept me guessing to the end. I loved the sisters and their strong relationship throughout. Will be recommending this as a perfect Summer 2024 read.

The Darling Girls were foster sisters, now adults called by the police to come back to the small town where they grew up. It is easy to tell the three sisters apart; one has OCD, one has anger management issues, and the third is now a social worker. Hepworth does a good job detailing the abuses they went through in the foster home and their lives.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this read!

my new favorite Sally Hepworth novel! Such a great story with some amazing plot twists that were completely unexpected!

Sally Hepworth writes twisty page turners that leave you looking for more. I definitely enjoyed this book more than others of hers. The novel is set in both the past and the present between their time in foster care, and the now, when the girls return to the home for a discovery of bones on the property.

I enjoyed how it created an unknown around the police discovery, but also created a detailed look at the past life and abuse that these girls endured.

let me be clear - this book was dark. It did not "feel good" but it was raw, emotional, and well written.

Definitely would recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Wow!!! This was such an amazing book! I love a story about the horrors of foster care and this one did not disappoint. The book switches between the POVs of three foster sisters that survived a horrific experience in a foster home called Wild Meadows. Jessica, Alicia, and Norah all come from different backgrounds and they all end up in Miss Fairchild's care at what appears (from the outside) to be an idyllic place to grow up. It doesn't take long for each of them to realize that is not the case. The three girls are close in age and create a sisterly bond that follows them to adulthood. Even as adults, they still hang on to and process their childhood traumas in different ways. Jessica is a bit OCD and keeps her husband at an arms length at all times. Norah stays in trouble with the law. Alicia works as a social worker to try and prevent the atrocities that she experienced as a foster child, but she does not allow herself any type of personal relationship with anyone except her foster sisters.
The twists and revelations in the story are so well done and most of them were unexpected. The end of the book will literally leave you with your jaw hanging open. Absolutely recommended!

3.5 ⭐️

Whenever I have the opportunity to read a new Sally Hepworth book early, it goes straight to the top of my overflowing TBR pile! 📚📚📚

After all, I have never given one of her books less than 4 stars-with most earning 5 stars……until now.
Although, I think it’s impossible for her to write a BAD book-this just wasn’t a favorite.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia share a bond that takes them back decades, to when they were girls, and they lived on a farm with a wicked foster mother named Miss Fairchild. They may not be sisters by blood, but they are as close as three sisters can be.

When bones are discovered buried under the farmhouse of their childhood, they are summoned by Police to tell what they might know.

The story opens in the office of Dr. Warren, Psychiatrist- but which woman is speaking with him?

We then alternate between the PAST and the PRESENT, examining both through the viewpoints of all three girls/women. It isn’t confusing at all, but I rarely enjoy spending half of a book with children, especially those who are being ABUSED in FOSTER CARE.

But, that’s a “me thing” as the book has all 5 star ⭐️ reviews so far!!

As ALWAYS, Sally Hepworth writes another SHOCKING ending, which will probably be met with more mixed feelings! I always ENJOY them (extra half star for the surprise reveal!) regardless of how DISTURBING or UPSETTING the ending might be.

And, I only hope that this time, she gets to KEEP the ending she wants!!

Expected publication date: April 23, 2024

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

If Hepworth writes it, I'm going to read it. I often devour her books in less than 2 days. They are always so entertaining and twisty.

This book was no different, I enjoyed reading it on vacation and will definitely be recommending it.

OMG! Go Sally! This is definitely her best book, so many twists and turns. Just when you think you have reached the end..nope! Another twist on the last page! 5 well deserved stars! #NetGalley

This was one of the best Sally Hepworth books I have read! The twists and turns kept me guessing the entire time, family secrets, murder, so much drama.

Wow!!!!!!! Mrs Hepworth, I am deeply moved and in awe of your work. I owe an amends for not having read you sooner. Please continue to write awesome books!

The story-- Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters. Sisters by a bond through the foster system, not by relation. As adults, they are contacted and told there has been a discovery of human bones in the ground of their foster home. Perplexed, they decide to travel back to the town and find out what's going on. Who do the bones belong to? Was it murder? Who did it? Are they suddenly suspects even though they were only children?

The story has two timelines- 25 years in the past and current time. Which I love, btw, especially when a story is told right and it all comes together. Told from different POV.

25 years ago-- The three girls are taken to a woman, Miss Fairchild, who lives alone. Let's just say.... Miss Fairchild is a hideous woman. As you can imagine, their foster lives are unhappy ones.

You know how in books that have child abuse can become too much? Too descriptive. Horrible to imagine? For example- the book If You Tell by Gregg Olsen. It was a gawd awful true story of child abuse. Well... this doesn't even come close to that. Yes, it is sad... but not deeply depressing IMO.

What I loved the most were the characters. I felt connected to them in so many ways. Alicia, Jessica, and Norah experience pain through childhood that ultimately leads to strength and an unbreakable bond. I was not only rooting for them, I was connected to them. Chemical dependency is mentioned, as I have been a recovering alcoholic for 20 years.... I felt connected. I too have been a victim of abuse. However, today I am a survivor!

--- Definitely read the Acknowledgements! It's extremely important to the story and the research Hepworth went through. I was moved. I will definitely be thinking about this book for a while.

--Trigger Warnings-- Child Abuse, sexual abuse (nothing descriptive), addiction, and death of a child. I hate to read about these things, but Hepworth told these things without ripping my heart out. No descriptive scenes.
*5 huge ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Thanks to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy for my honest opinion.
*Expected publication date April 23rd 2024

I always really enjoy Sally's books and this one was no different! It was hard to read as a foster parent, but the thriller was really well written, with constant turns and emotions and well written characters your heart ached for.

Before writing my review, I want to extend a huge thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press for gifting me the ARC of this book! I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!! It was a privilege to be able to read DARLING GIRLS before publication.

This was my first book from Sally Hepworth, and I absolutely, positively loved it!! I’ve been wanting to read one of her books for quite some time, and I was beyond thrilled and super excited to receive the ARC of DARLING GIRLS!! Where to begin??

Well, the premise was fantastic— and within minutes of starting the book, I knew without a shadow of a doubt this was going to be one I couldn’t put down. What an understatement that was, too. Had I not had a life I needed to get back to, I would have finished the book in one sitting!! (But 2 kids and 4 dogs make that impossible!!)

At its heart, DARLING GIRLS is a poignantly written psychological thriller revolving around a decades old mystery. Our three protagonists—Jessica, Norah, and Alicia—are like sisters in every sense of the word that counts. Their enduring bond was forged in childhood as a result of shared trauma at the hands of foster mother, Miss Fairchild. The physical and emotional abuse inflicted on the three young girls by Miss Fairchild was not easy to read, I must admit. And as your love for the sisters grows, so too does your hatred for their foster mother. You begin to feel fiercely protective of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as they are forced to endure the horrors and humiliation of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Who says monsters aren’t real?

The nightmares of their childhood spill over into adulthood, impacting every aspect of their lives. Happiness is hard-won, especially considering the depth of their psychological scars. But escaping Miss Fairchild as children was only the beginning because the past was always there, waiting in the shadows to resurface in an inexplicable way.

I must say, I enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s writing style immensely!! Her ability to skillfully move between the past and the present made the narrative flow seamlessly. There was no confusion in the timelines, and using this style of writing helped more fully develop our characters. As you near the end of the book, the mystery at its center is explained brilliantly, but not without heartbreak and sadness at the revelation. And one final twist had my head spinning in disbelief. Wow!! Didn’t see that coming!!

So if you enjoy thrillers with long buried secrets, edge of your seat suspense, twisty twists, and lovable dogs (I LOVED the dogs), you should definitely add DARLING GIRLS to your TBR list. It’s not a book you’ll soon forget.