I am Sally Hepworth's biggest fan, and I have read every book of hers. She did not disappoint with her latest novel, Darling Girls. This page-turner revolves around 3 foster children, one murder, and one wackadoodle of a foster parent. Hepworth's characters seem to jump off the pages. I always get sad when I am at the end of one of Sally Hepworth's books because I know that I have to wait quite a while to read her next book.

Trigger Warning : talks about sexual abuse , drug addiction, and children who have been in foster care and had a bad experience may experience PTSD. .

Absolutely stellar book !This is my first time reading this author though I have seen her books recommend to me through goodreads and my library. I hadn’t yet had the chance to read any of her books — I will definitely will be trying more of this authors books in the future . We are introduced to three characters in this book Jessica , Norah and Alicia who all grew up in foster care and are called by the police due to a body being discovered at the foster care property where they grew up. These characters are all intriguing and I wanted to know more about them and their pasts . Around 58% in I was making guesses about who the unknown character POV was — with the phycologist — this book was extremely hard to put down and I had to know what really happened . The writing was excellent the twists were good— Highly Recommended .


Thank-you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for this ARC . This is my honest review.

This book will definitely be talked about next year! Such a great thriller and had me wanting to know what happens next. The twists and suspense was unmatched. Seeing the darker side of foster care really opened up my eyes to something I wasn’t aware about. The twist at the end was well written and completely unexpected. One of my new favorite authors! Such a great read!

Thank you NetGalley and Sally Hepworth for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
👧🏼 multi-POV 3 foster sisters
👧🏼 dual timelines
👧🏼 family drama
👧🏼 slowwwww burn

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are 3 foster sisters that grew up together on a farm with their evil foster mother Miss Fairchild. When the bones of a child are found buried beneath the porch, all 3 girls are called in for an investigation where they all tell their sides of the story. Whose bones are they? And where is Amy??
There were a lottttttt of perspectives going on in this one. We had a multi-POV from the point of 3 foster sisters, we had dual timelines of before the murder vs. 25 years later, and we also had transcripts of therapy sessions between Dr. Warren (a psychiatrist) and a patient. To be honest this many POVs/timelines was definitely a little confusing to keep straight in the beginning, but I really do love books that show multiple people’s perspectives, so I really did enjoy.
This was definitely a slowwwwwwer burn than most other Sally Hepworth’s that I’ve read so far, but it all came together nicely in the end and I really enjoyed it!
I was very intrigued and invested with this story the entire way through, and I tore through this book in only a few hours!
Maybe I’m just dumb, but I am still super confused by the ending??!
Definitely another hit from Sally Hepworth, who is very quickly becoming one of my favourite authors 💕 I can’t wait to read the next by Hepworth!

Oh. My. God.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked this book up, but it sure wasn’t this. All of the NetGalley reviews rated this book amazing, so I was really looking forward to reading it, but I stayed away from reading the plot summary details of the actual reviews because I wanted to be surprised. I’m glad I did that. Mainly, I chose to request this book and read it for the book cover lol. The entire time I was reading this book, I was on the edge of my seat with the suspense of what happened at the foster home that our main characters, Alicia, Jessica, and Norah grew up in. And boy, did it exceed my expectations. The last chapter blew me away. I was SO not expecting that. Also, this book did a very good job of showing how abusive parenting in any way can affect a human being, from childhood to adulthood. Ms. Fairchild being narcissistic and manipulative felt so real, and it broke my heart for the three girls. I seriously cannot get over the ending!

So thankful to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

CW: parent death, child abuse, grandparent death, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, drug overdose, suicide attempt

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of DARLING GIRLS by Sally Hepworth in exchange for my review.

This was wild! It's not a thriller, rather a slow burn family drama. I figured out part of the twist, but not the other. The plot was compelling to the point where I was excited to keep going and find out where the story was going. Sally really makes you feel for the sisters who have endured horrific circumstances and who just want to put the past behind them. I liked that we got each sister's perspective to learn how each of them were individually impacted by the events in their childhood. It made for a very well-rounded story. Sally is an auto-buy author for me and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
I always think that Sally Hepworth can't outdo her last book, and then I read her newest and always leave with a new favorite. This one gets a bit darker than some of her others - it deals with foster children being abused while in the system, but there is so much more here. I liked how distinct Alicia, Jessica, and Norah were. This book alternates between their past and present when bones are found at their old foster home. As the story progressed, so did my intrigue and guessing. She surprised me quite a bit in this one, and just when I thought I had something figured out, it turned out that I was wrong. And that ending, it was so well done. I suggest going into this one without reading the synopsis and let the story sweep you away. Easily bingeable and so well written. Can't wait for her next one!

Wow, Sally Hepworth has done it again! This was suspenseful from the get go and trying to keep up with the different perspectives of the girls and figure out the mystery was fun. I loved each character and their personalities and how they all got to tell their perspective. The bond they had was unbreakable. There were some plot twists at the end I did not see coming, especially with the therapist I assumed it was Norah speaking. Fairchild was an evil character and written perfectly. Great novel!

Umm, I loved this book???

Sally Hepworth was a new to me author last year when I read The Soulmate! As much as I enjoyed that book, I enjoyed this one even more!

I was immediately drawn into this book from the beginning. It has a lot of great aspects that make a thriller a good thriller. I felt like she gave all the characters depth which helped emphasize with them.

I really loved the camaraderie between the “sisters”

✔️Dual POVs/Timelines
✔️Creepy Foster Care “Mother”
✔️Police Investigation
✔️Therapy Sessions
✔️Twists Until The Very End

Such a good read!!! I would say probably some triggering moments so check the TW before reading!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for a an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This booked sucked me in from the beginning. The character development made me connect and empathize with each person. Because I was raised with two sisters, I was able to relate to the three sisters in this book and the bond that they shared. The author did a good job of putting a couple of pieces together but leaving you hanging with many more. There was a twist at the end that I did not see coming at all. I appreciated the short chapters, changing perspectives, and the twists and turns. It also made me think about the negative side of the foster care system and the impact it can have on kids for the rest of their lives. This author has always been a favorite of mine, and this is now my favorite of her works.

If you loved Sally Hepworth’s The Soulmate, The Good Sister, and the Younger Wife - you’re going to want to get a copy of Darling Girls - which will be released on April 23, 2024!!

Definitely another winner for Sally Hepworth! Just when I think she couldn’t get a darker novel out, she does!

Darling Girls is a twisty thriller that delves into the lives of Alicia, Jessica, and Norah. They seem like your pretty average adults, until you learn more about their bond, a bond that was created and united decades ago in foster care living with foster mother Miss Fairchild. Going through each of their perspectives and bouncing between present day and decades ago - we learn about bones discovered under the farmhouse “Wild Meadows” where the girls lived with Miss Fairchild. As the headlines then stated: “Wild Meadows or House of Horrors?” That leads to the girls, 25 years later, returning to Port Agatha together to work with the detectives to discover who the bones belong to under the house.

I thought this was really well done - definitely a slow burn type of thriller but it kept me guessing and wanting to know how it was going to end. It was definitely more psychological mystery than thriller.

I loved the unbreakable bond the girls had and the fact that Hepworth went to great lengths to really get into issues in foster care and the realities that many children in the system face. The heart-wrenching aspects of foster care and children and teenagers going into terrible situations was handled with care and due diligence and Hepworth did a really great job intertwining each character and their differences into the narrative to make that point. She also did a great job dealing with the abuse and neglect of a foster parent or biological parent/parent’s spouse.

The entire book was really great but the last chapter really took the cake and made the book exceptional. Any book that keeps me up well beyond my bedtime I know is well worth it!

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hear/read/see the phrase “darling girl” without cringing!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sally Hepworth for an advanced copy of this book. Make sure to get on the library list or a pre-order list for this gem coming out April 23!

Yes, yes, yes! Sally Hepworth is always an excellent read, but she's outdone herself with this one, coming April 2024!

Three sisters, one mysterious character visiting a psychiatrist, and two timelines. Alicia, Norah, and Jessica are sisters - foster sisters. Their bond was forged when they were all foster children at a farmhouse under the care of a just-careful-enough foster mother, Miss Fairchild. They're adults now, closer than ever, but with their own dysfunctions, difficulties, and secrets. They receive a phone call one day to report to the police station in the town they lived with Miss Fairchild, as long-buried bones were found beneath the farmhouse. What happened there all those years ago?

This was a quick read, mostly because I couldn't stop reading! It's easy to read, the sisters are lovable and sympathetic, and the dual timeline is easy to follow. This is a domestic thriller meets character study of four women - with a twist in the last page or two that I definitely didn't see coming! Pre-order this one now so you don't miss it when it releases! Also consider checking out some of my other Sally Hepworth favorites: The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

Snarky humor was needed & appreciated for balance as the dark psychology of foster care children was a large prescence.

However, there was also some sweet heartfelt moments, satisfying twists and a satisfying ending.

Thank you to St. Martins, Sally Hepworth, and NetGalley for my Advance Reader’s Copy!

*Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for an ARC of this book. Publication date: April 23, 2024*

This is my first novel of Sally Hepworth that I have read and can easily say that I was impressed! This story follows the lives of three foster “sisters” during their time under Miss Fairchild’s care in the 1990’s; then jumps back and forth from past to present time using multiple POV’s. Because of this and the short chapters, it was impossible to put down as it was suspenseful and I just could not figure out how it was going to end! Hepworth kept me on my toes with so many surprises throughout the book. She wrote about sisterhood and trauma in such a beautiful and careful manner. I highly recommend this novel to others.
TW: book does have content related to sexual assault and child abuse.

Darling Girls is another terrific psychological thriller by Sally Hepworth.

A wicked foster mother, three young girls damaged by her, and dead bones under the house......the race is on to finding answers and unraveling secrets.

There are a lot of twists and turns and unexpected healing in this thriller. The characters are fully realized. The three foster girls, now women, are the narrators. Told in the past and the present the book maintains a continuity that never lags.

I recommend this book.

This book has less page-turning thrill to it than other Sally Hepworth books I’ve read. I didn’t really feel connected to the story or the characters. I didn’t like this one as much as some of her other books. I love books with short chapters! But in this book it felt like there wasn’t much happening, so it was disjointed. As soon as something started happening, it cut to a new chapter and the anticipation just kind of fell off. I wanted to see some action! Phil was just kind of… there. He really didn’t add anything to the story for me and I can’t even remember a single thing about his character. That twist at the end was great! I wish I liked the book more because that was a classic Sally Hepworth ending.

I loved this book but I’m not surprised because I have enjoyed all of this author’s books. The story is about three women who are not blood relatives but call themselves sisters. They all three were raised in the same foster home. They are all grown now and have different lives and careers when they get a phone call from the local police informing then that there were bones discovered buried under their old foster home. Now they have to travel back to answer questions about the past, which they would like to forget. This was so well written and I like the switching back and forth from the past to the present. This book kept me guessing till the twist at the end. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my ARC.

Sally Hepworth has done it again in creating a masterpiece for us to devour.
This is one heck of a psychological, suspense novel; with sadness, abuse and PTSD within the pages!
Three young women, sisters in every way, yet not from the same parents, came together as children in a foster home living with Miss Fairchild, their foster mother.
These girls now adults, never forgot the horrors that occurred nor the neglect, which is still to this very day causing trauma for each.
One day they receive a call that at the house they once resided in as children, bones have been found that were buried under the house. How long have they been there?
Whose body is it? Who is the murderer?
The drama begins to unfold once more for these women as they return to this town to assist in the investigation. The memories are not pleasant!
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Thank you to @NetGalley and to @St Martin's Press for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review. Wow!

I love reading books by Sally Hepworth and Darling Girls did not disappoint. Through the individual stories of how each girl came to be foster children with Holly Fairchild, the book continuously kept my interest. There were many twists and turns in the development of the mystery that ran through the book. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the unedited edition. It was much appreciated!!

3.5 stars!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a fun and suspenseful ride of a book! Three former foster kids, Jessica, Norah and Alicia, are still close as adults (even though their lives have taken different paths). When bones are discovered underneath their old foster home, they are called by the police to give a statement on what they know.

Weaving together a dual POV and timeline, plus a therapists notes, this book had me piecing together the puzzle and flying through the chapters.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is expected to publish April 23, 2024.