4.5 stars-Three girls grew up in foster care. One since she was four years old and the other two as teenagers. It is years later and the three are as close as can be. Out of the blue the each get a phone call from a detective wanting to speak with them about their time in care. Their old foster home has been demolished and a skeleton was found in the ruins. The story follows two timelines, the past and the present. I was so intrigued by the story and the invested in the characters that I could not put this one down. Not only did the plot keep me guessing, there was also some hilarious moments. Jessica has 3 large dogs that she brings to the police station. She tells the detectives that they are emotional support animals, one for each of the sisters. Why do you need them the detective asks. For irritable bowel syndrome. Three separate diagnoses, you can call our doctors. This is definitely one of the best of Sally Hepworth’s books! A special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. It was a privilege to read and provide an early review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow that ending!!!!

This is my 2nd book by Sally Hepworth and this one did not disappoint. Told from multiple POV's and past/present time line. Man this book was filled with so much thrill as suspense even had some dark moments.

Highly recommend this book!!!!

Darling Girls is a chilling read about three sisters who became bonded while in foster care. Twenty-five years later, they are forced to relive their childhood traumas when a crime is uncovered at their former foster home. Their story is told through alternating points of view, both past and present. It is both heroic and heartbreaking. This book kept me intrigued and guessing until the end. Having read all of Sally Hepworth’s books, Darling Girls is by far my favorite!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St.Martin’s Publishing Group for an advanced digital copy of this book

This was a phenomenal, heartbreaking story that will stick with me for a while. Told from several different P.O.V's as well as the past and present, this was already a five star read halfway through the book. There came a certain point that I had to put this down for a moment in fear of what may happen next. It was disturbing to say the least. But the bond between the sisters was absolutely beautiful and inspiring. Although I have only read a couple books by this author, this is by far my absolute favorite. This was written with such heart by a clearly seasoned author that I found myself so completely invested in this story while also thinking about what happens everyday around the world with foster children. While there was so much tragedy going on in this, there was also light and hope. I could not recommend this enough, just do your research before diving in if you have triggers. Five Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Sally Hepworth is one of my go to’s for mystery and thrillers, and this is my favorite yet! I was kept on my toes until the final page! A story of three girls who lived in what looked like the perfect foster home on the outside, but was really a nightmare on the inside. The girls have to return when human remains are found under the house. They have to face their past, try to heal, and get some answers along the way. Thank you, Sally for another story full of twists and turns.

Wow what an ending!!

Darling Girls is another mind blowing book with twists and turns that take you on a wild ride til the very end. This book isn’t for the faint of heart and will have you feeling big emotions and jaw dropping moments. Sally Hepworth never disappoints.

Three girls arrive at the foster home; one by one, all for different reasons and end up becoming the “sisters” they all needed. It was supposed to be a safe place for them but it was everything but. 25 years later they get a call that changes everything.

Yes! Sally did not disappoint! Sucked in from the first page, I couldn't put this one down. It was fast paced with cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. Highly recommend

This was a good read! Entertaining and suspenseful, kept me guessing and wanting more… I would recommend this book and all of Sally Hepworth’s other novels for great psychological fiction!

“Darling Girls” is my third read of Sally Hepworth’s books and sadly, my least favorite.
The story centers around 3 foster sisters in the present and past timeline when bones are found on the property of their foster home. While this was a fast read, the plot was really uneven and convoluted.

I am a huge Sally Hepworth fan and this book did NOT disappoint! The setting, plot, characters, and details kept me hooked! I read this book in a weekend because I couldn’t put it down.

Sally Hepworth never disappoints! This was wild story, every time I thought I knew what was going to happen- I was completely surprised. This story follows three foster girls from the time they first met to decades later and their foster mother-Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild is anything but motherly, she wanted to be the only one everyone loved. When that didn't happen, she found a way to punish. Years later when the women were on their own, bones were found under their old foster home and they were all summoned to figure out what happened. excellent read- highly recommend. I appreciate the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Darling Girls.

I'm a fan of Sally Hepworth's books. I like her writing style and tone, and her narratives generally have a good premise that sucks me in.

Darling Girls is less suspenseful and twisty than her previous books, but I enjoyed the story.

It centers around three loyal foster sisters, Jessica, Alicia, and Norah, who survived a tumultuous time with a cruel foster mother during their childhoods.

When a dead body is discovered on the grounds of the foster home, the sisters return to their hometown, but will confronting the truth set them free?

I loved the bond between the sisters; their loyalty, their friendship, their unique traits and issues, and how they came to deal with the challenges and hardships of being a foster child.

It was also great to see the supportive and loving people in their lives; Meera, Phil, and even Norah learned to love someone other than her dogs. Not that dogs aren't awesome. Dogs are better than people, in my opinion.

I'm appreciative of the author highlighting the foster care system in this story and the obstacles and horrors foster children encounter when they enter the system.

I had a good idea what the twist was, and I was pleased to discover I was right.

Darling Girls is about jealousy and narcissism, but also about love, loyalty, and resilience.

First I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance to review this book early. That being said this book was incredible, I felt the whole gambit of emotions, from frustration to sadness and even anger toward a character, it was truly a moving experience.
In this story we follow Jessica, Norah and Alicia through the foster care that Mrs. Fairchild provided. Through years of systematic and emotional abuse and gaslighting these girls were finally able to get away and become their own people. Though they are called back to their origins when a body is discovered buried under their former foster home. These three sisters have to stick together and stay strong through the investigation into their childhood and into the relationship between them and Mrs. Fairchild.
This story was heart breaking as much as it was enlightening, it shows that family can be thicker than blood and that sometimes we choose who those people are. I highly recommend this read and would read it again.

Another 5/5 Sally Hepworth novel. Incredible, twisty plot with gray characters. I finished it in less that 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down. Thank you @netgalley!

I want to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.
“Wild Meadows or House of Horror?”
“Have fun, my darling girls.”
Jessica, Norah and Alicia are foster children who bond while growing up under the evil, diabolical Miss Fairchild. They become closer than sisters as they protect each other. Being mistreated is an understatement! As Miss Fairchild assumes responsibility for many babies that come and go with caring for them very dependent on the older girls. At one point Amy comes to live with them and then she seems to vanish into thin air!
Life goes on. All the women are damaged, one way or another, from their previous lives.
Years later the girls receive a phone call from the police in the town where the foster home was! Something has happened and they need to go back.
Are the girls being accused of something really horrendous? How is Miss Fairchild involved?
The drama grows. Couldn’t put the book down!
Would be a terrific discussion book for book clubs.
Darling Girls publishes April 23, 2024.

Sally Hepworth never disappoints! What a wild story, every time I thought I knew what was going to happen- I was completely surprised. This story follows 3 foster girls from the time they first met to decades later and their foster mother-Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild is anything but motherly, she wanted to be the only one everyone loved and when that didn't happen, she found a way to punish you. Years later when the women were on their own , bones were found under their old foster home and they all reunited to figure out what happened. SUCH a good read- highly recommend.

Loved this story of three girls bound together forever and ever by one place. Lots of juicy details, and a twist like only Hepworth can write. I really enjoyed this!

Wow. WOW WOW WOW.

I love Sally Hepworth. To me, the Soulmate was not it. But it didn't dissuade me from her, and when I saw that Darling Girls was available as a Read Now on NetGalley, I grabbed it so fast. I was so excited, especially since it doesn't release stateside until next April, and dove into it immediately.

We meet Norah, Jessica, and Alicia, three foster sisters who are now grown and following three distinctly different paths. What hasn't changed, though, is their love and devotion to each other that started back when they were just children who met at a foster home known as Wild Meadows, run by Miss Fairchild. When the girls are contacted in the present day by police detectives from the town where they grew up, they find out that Wild Meadows has been demolished and that bones were found underneath. Though none of them wants to relive the horrors that transpired there, they owe it to each other -- and some others -- to get it straightened out.

This book jumps back and forth from the past and the present, and we get the POVs of all three girls, plus a special fourth person. This book immediately grabbed me with a sense of foreboding and an overwhelming need to untangle the web of what happened to these three sisters. I don't want to give anything else away, so I won't say any more. However, I will say that this may be Hepworth's best yet and I feel so lucky that I got to read it so early!! Thank you so much @netgalley, you da real MVP.

Wow. This was the first book in a long time I did not want to put down. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. Hepworth is so good at developing interesting characters and relationships. Alicia, Norah, and Jessica stayed together at a foster home run by Holly Fairchild. It was a difficult upbringing, one that lead them to find comfort in each other. Even as adults, they were their own family- sisters. A tragedy leads them back to their foster home and they face their past. And Holly Fairchild. A must read for those who enjoy psychological thrillers

I usually really like Sally Hepworth books. Most get at least 4 or 5 stars. This one just didn’t do it for me. Not enough twists, not real likeable characters. Never really grasped me and pulled me in.