Oh this was so good!!! Such interesting characters that are forced to relive their childhood experiences. Twisty plot had me devouring this very fast. Couldn’t put it down! Well done.

Thank you St Martins Press & Netgalley for an ebook ARC copy of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book. It was my second Sally Hepworth book (the first was “the younger wife”) and I gotta say this one makes me want to read all her books.

Though I think it shouldn’t be marketed as a “thriller” (I tend to think only books where the characters are actively escaping death should be classified as such) it was a perfect mystery read.

The story follows 3 women Alicia, Norah, and Jessica who grew up in the same abusive foster home. 25 years later, now adults, there are human skeletal remains found under their foster home. They are forever to go back to the place that still haunts their lives. Who is buried under the home? Did the girls have anything to do with it? You gotta see how this all comes together- it’s WILD

3.5 stars rounded up! Sally Hepworth is a favorite of mine, and this isn’t a *bad* book, it just wasn’t my favorite. It follows Alicia, Jessica, and Norah, and their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. On a personal note, foster children have always been a sensitive topic for me, so that could be a reason why it wasn’t a favorite of mine. That, and half of the book documents their abuse. The other half shows where they are today, after they get a call from police that human remains are found under the house. The sisters (not by blood but an unbreakable bond) return to Wild Meadows for questioning, while their own issues and secrets are slowly revealed. It’s not a very fast paced book…that doesn’t mean it’s boring! On the contrary, I enjoyed reading it so much that I could barely put it down. It just isn’t an action-packed thriller with twists and turns, so as long as you don’t go in expecting that, I think you’ll find it an enjoyable afternoon read.

I receive an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

Three woman call themselves sisters, but they are actually survivors of a tumultuous time they spent together in a foster home, Wild Meadows. Miss Holly Fairchild raised one girl, Jessica, from toddlerhood. Norah came next and spent several years after bouncing from 7 homes in 9 years. Norah was next after her grandmother passed unexpectedly. The girls couldn't be more different, but become confidants amongst their strict foster mother. Babies would come and go and the girls were their main caregivers.
When human remains are found under Wild Meadows decades later, the woman return to speak with the local authorities. They meet many of the 'babies', now adults and reflect on how they survived those years with Miss Fairchild. Speculations are made as to who could possibly be buried under the house...the babies seem to be documented for and only 1 missing was baby Amy. The straw that broke the foster home open.
The culminating moments had me on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting the stunning twist that was delivered with precision. highly recommend!

Darling Girls follows 3 women forced to face their past when a body was discovered under the foster home they spent time in. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia formed a trauma bond being fostered by Miss Fairchild and enduring the psychological abuses she put them through. Now, they have returned to help investigators figure out who may have been found under that house, but after the first line of questioning, the three fear they will not be believed and some think they may be responsible for the death.

Hepworth provides seamless transitions following each character during the current investigation and back to their time with Miss Fairchild. This thriller was fast-paced with good character development. You can feel the bond the characters share and want so badly for them to see the justice they deserve. I was hooked from the very beginning.

Really enjoyed this new book by Sally Hepworth, lots of twists and turns and the last chapter was a shocker to say the least! Another great read.

This tale of 3 foster sisters flips back and forth between the present events and their past which explains the current present situation. All 3 girls' characters are fully developed and while you don't really like them that much, you are rooting for them. Quite honestly, this might need a trigger warning for some as there is domestic physical and psychological abuse and a lot of gaslighting. All that being said, the plot kept me engaged and wanting to find out how things resolved.

Sally hepworth never disappoints. Each book gets better and better. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first novel I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and now I’m a fan. The main characters are there girls that were fostered at a house called Wild Meadows and their Foster mother. The main characters switch chapters in narration. In addition, throughout the book there is an unknown character speaking with their therapist which ties everything towards the end of the book. Hepworth does a good job with character development and setting the ground work for a pulse pounding mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller.

“How I love you, darling girl.”

Giving this new novel, Darling Girls, 5 ⭐️’s was easy peasy…but the lives that Jessica, Norah and Alicia lived was absolutely NOT.

When all three girls were put into foster care for one reason or another, they were sent to live with Ms. Holly Fairchild at her home; Wild Meadows. It didn’t take long for them to learn that Ms Fairchild wasn’t kind or fair at all. Nor was she a good person.

Fast forward 25 years later. Their current lives come to a screeching halt when they receive some disturbing news. Now after so long, they have to return to the little town that they tried so hard to get away from…will they all be able to handle what’s next ? Or will it be too much ?

‼️TW: foster care trauma, child abuse, sexual abuse, death, murder and substance abuse.

JUST WAIT until you read the very end 😳🤯😱 oh my gosh I absolutely never saw it coming!!!!

Three girls grow up in foster care under an abusive guardian. They bond and become sisters, a bond cemented by mistreatment from their foster mother, the duplicitous and cruel Miss Fairchild. Years later, the discovery of a body beneath Miss Fairchild’s house forces them to confront the ghosts of their past — and look upon an evil secret in their former guardian’s past.

This thriller will have you burning the midnight oil to finish! (I read it in 2 days.) Jaw-dropping twists await you at regular intervals throughout this book - with the most shocking of all on the very last page!

Sally Hepworth does not disapppoint. This psychological thriller takes us on a ride through a corrupt foster care system to the detriment of the children. Jessica, Norah and Alicia all end up under the care of Miss Fairchild. 25 years later a body is discovered and all three are brought in for questioning. With flashbacks to their time as foster children we get to understand the adult women and all their failings but the question remains - whose body was it and were they murdered? A hard to put down mystery with a killer last chapter, you won't regret picking this one up.
#DarlingGirls#NetGalley#StMartinsPress

The latest thriller from Sally Hepworth brings the twists and turns up until the very end!

We are introduced to three women, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia and the book alternates between the past and present with their stories of foster care at Wild Meadows and their foster mother Miss. Fairchild. The mystery throughout the book is what is found after Wild Meadows is demolished and the women have to go back to the town to tell their childhood to police.

Each "sister" is fighting her own inner demons in the present and we learn through the flashbacks much of this has to do with the few years spent at Wild Meadows. Miss Fairchild is abusive and manipulative towards the girls, however we also find out she is manipulative to everyone in her life.

I enjoyed this book immensely and read it in two sittings. The characters pull you in, wanting to get to know their story and also learn the mystery. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced digital copy.

Wow, this one was a page turner! Jessica, Norah, and Alicia became sisters all by unfortunate events in their lives. Growing up on what looks like an idyllic farm with a foster mom who is anything but what she looks to be.

As grown women, they are asked to come back to town when bones are found under the now torn down farmhouse. Weaving between past and present, we learn about what brought them to the farm to begin with,how it has affected all their lives, and the biggest question of all… who do the bones belong to?

Great ending that I didn’t see coming! Another winner by Sally Hepworth.

𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆...𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆, 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒕 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆, 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕.

Alicia, Jessica, and Norah grew up as foster children on Wild Meadows Farm with the mercurial Miss Fairchild. They learned early on to anticipate her wildly fluctuating moods and how to take care of each other.

As adults these women still bear the inner scars of that tumultuous childhood. each grappling with her own personal demons--obsessive organization, explosive anger, and low self-esteem. The women are contacted by the police when bones are discovered buried underneath the house where they grew up. For these women it's not just a physical journey back to the place that holds so many memories, but it's also a mental journey back to a time where they had no one but each other when they realized Miss Fairchild was never going to be their savior.

Told through alternating points of view, dual timelines, and a few well-placed anonymous therapy sessions, DARLING GIRLS was deftly plotted with beautifully crafted characters that will make you ache for the children they were and cheer for the women they become.

Be sure to read the author's notes as this book was SO much more than just the mystery of whose bones lay under the house.This book hit me in unexpected ways as I did not have the best start in life and spent some time in foster care myself. I thank her for allowing these children to be seen and spending the time talking with those who are entrusted with their care. After reading this book, you will think twice about ever using the word "lucky" to describe these children again.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this stunning early copy. DARLING GIRLS will publish April 23, 2024.

Sally Hepworth’s latest novel “Darling Girls” deals with three women who were in foster care together as children at Wild Meadows, a farm two hours from Melbourne, Australia, where their foster mother, Holly Fairchild, subjected them to mental cruelty for several years. As adults, the “sisters”, as they refer to themselves, live near one another in Melbourne. They each have residual mental health issues resulting from their treatment at Wild Meadows. Jessica is addicted to valium and has an obsessive need for order, which she channels into her home organization business. Norah has anger management issues which manifests as uncontrollable violence, for which she has been arrested for assault on numerous occasions. Alicia, while seemingly adapting well as a child welfare social worker has difficulty forming close adult relationships.

When they each receive a call from a police officer near the town where Wild Meadows was located, informing them that a body was found at Wild Meadows when the farm was torn down as part of construction there, they go together to answer the police’s questions, and hopefully find answers of their own.

The narration has four POVs: Jessica, Norah and Alicia (past and present), as well as an unknown individual who is relating their childhood issues to Dr. Warren, a psychologist. The author does an excellent job conveying the fears, neuroses and personalities of each of the protagonists. The narrations focusing on the past were somewhat difficult to take as it dealt with the “sisters” emotional abuse at the hands of their foster mother; however, the reader’s discomfort at these sections demonstrates the author’s gift at portraying the characters’ emotions. The novel holds the reader’s attention as the identity of the body found, the cause of death and the possible perpetrator are slowly revealed, with an interesting unexpected twist at the very end.

(Note: I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review).

This was my first Sally Hepworth book and she did not disappoint.

Three sisters are called back to the home they were fostered in together where a dead body is found. As the we hear more of their stories going from past to present we learn more of what the sisters endured and the strong bond they share.

The story kept me wanting to pick my book back up each time I stepped away. I enjoyed the twists and turns we were taken on.

Thank you Net Galley for letting me read and review this book.

I absolutely love this book! Sally Hepworth can do no wrong and I think this is her best book yet! Recommending it to all my friends!

This is exactly what you should expect from a Sally Hepworth novel, which is to say: Expect the unexpected, the perverse, and always, always one more twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC!

Wow, what a great read! I was instantly hooked. We follow three women who grew up as foster sisters. After some bones were discovered under the foster home they shared together, they decide to go back to the town to help figure out the mystery behind them. The novel shifts back and forth between different POVs, both present day and the past, and so many secrets and twists are uncovered!

This one had some characters that were very unlikeable and some that you couldn’t help but root for! The book definitely had some dark plot lines, but I thought it was an excellent story. I thought everything worked well and made sense in the end. I also loved how everything was wrapped up and explained. So many twists throughout the novel and we even get one more twist at the end! So good!