I really enjoyed this story. It goes through these saga of three girls living in a foster home together and how they became family by going through an emotionally abusive home. They found a body under the house and are wondering whose it is.

Sally Hepworth does it again with Darling Girls, a book focused on foster sisters who grew up together at Wild Meadows foster home.
I loved this book the entire way throughout, but of course this author keeps you guessing until the end! Perfect for any fan of twisty thrillers.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is another winner - a domestic thriller that deals with 3 girls who grew up in foster care together and have been summoned by the police to try and figure out whose bones are buried beneath the house where they grew up. All 3 girls have their own issues and memories, and the chapters are told in alternating views, along with the narration of an unknown character speaking to a therapist. Hepworth builds the suspense throughout the story and throws in a twist that you won't see coming. I absolutely loved this book and could not wait to get to the ending - highly recommend for your summer reading! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the twists and I didn’t see the end coming. I would recommend this book to others.

A masterfully written psychological thriller that showcases Hepworth’s talent for storytelling and character development!

At the heart of this story are three spirited women of immense strength who are forced to reckon with their malicious and abusive upbringing, decades after they were gaslit for the same abhorrent experiences they must now retell. Each sister was so different yet well fleshed out, I found myself deeply understanding the root of all their actions and wanting to give them each a hug. I’m a sucker for dual timelines as well, and Hepworth is immensely skilled at utilizing secret narrators and multiple timelines to keep me on the edge of my seat. This was one of the most masterful uses of that element that I have seen so far.

I so deeply appreciate when plots centered on horrific abuse end with happiness, redemption, and love. I don’t enjoy trauma porn whatsoever and it was encouraging to see the three sisters on their individual journeys of healing their inner child and finally accepting the love and happiness they have always deserved. I only wish I can spend more time with each sister as they continue to heal.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press! Hepworth has not disappointed me so far :)

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is about three young girls brought up in foster care. Jessica, Alicia and Norah couldn't be more different but they were bonded together because of the way they were brought up by Miss Fairchild. On the surface everything looked perfect - the girls were "lucky" to be there. But Miss Fairchild has rules to follow and you don't want to be on her bad side! Years later bones are discovered under the farmhouse where they grew up and they are brought together again and old memories are hard to ignore. Another great psychological thriller you don't want to miss!

Darling Girls
By Sally Hepworth
Review and Rating 4 ⭐️

Sally Hepworth sure knows how to write a page turner! Devoured this one in two days.
Jessica, Alicia, and Norah are three sisters raised in foster care. They bond over the shared trauma they endure at the hands of their foster mother Mrs. Fairchild. They finally escape and years later return to the home they were raised in after a body is found buried under the house. Are they key witnesses or prime suspects?
The story is told in dual timelines, with multiple point of views and a surprising ending. I really enjoyed this twisty thriller and highly recommended it! 4⭐️

I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.



Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

🛟𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🛟

𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were saved from family tragedies and brought to a farm estate in Port Agatha, AU. Their “loving”foster mother, Miss Fairchild, was everything but what she was perceived to be by the outside world. Miss Fairchild was manipulative and unpredictable. The three girls break free from Miss Fairchilds grip, although she never was far from their minds. Years later, a body is discovered under the farm estate and the foster sisters are forced to return to Port Agatha. Are they witnesses or prime suspects?

𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
This is my first book by Sally Hepworth and it sure won’t be my last! This book had so many twists and turns and I enjoyed each of them. Each sister had a unique story and personality, told in present and past, that was woven together to create a multidimensional story. This story has many trigger warning such as, child death, addiction, verbal and emotional abuse, child abuse, and sexual assault. Although, at times a dark story, it kept you turning the page to see how it ends. The ending surely did not disappoint. I highly recommend this psychological mystery. Grab a copy today, out now!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing an ARC of Darling Girls in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I feel like Sally Hepworth is getting better and better with each book. Even with being told from multiple point of views and during two timelines it was not confusing. I could not put down this book as I had to find out what would happen next. Mrs. Fairchild was written to perfection. Add that ending!!! It was such a great way to end the book and had me screeching aloud!
I highly recommend this book any fan of thrillers! You won’t be disappointed!

I really enjoyed this one. The plot twists were well done. The characters were flawed but beautiful and grew so much.

In a twist of horror, a loving foster home becomes a murder scene. Three girls becoming closer than sisters. Infants in and out. A manipulative foster mom looking to fulfill the loss of love from her childhood.

The story unravels and lives are connected forever. The bond of sisterhood beyond the imagination of any blood-relations. The story is good and makes you lift an eye more than once. The twists are good, the characters are strong!

I will recommend to friends.

Sally Hepworth keeps on making great books!

Jessica is the first foster girl living with Miss Fairchild. As she gets older, she has other "sisters" added to her life. Once she has sisters, her treatment changes drastically. She goes from being doted on because she is doing her chores well each day to being a problem and getting punished frequently. Norah and Alicia join her in the house in short succession. They are soon tasked with caring for the foster baby girls because Miss Fairchild is upset they will not bond to her like a mother.

25 yrs later, Jessica receives a phone call pulling her back to Miss Fairchild and what she tried so hard to leave behind. She calls her sisters, Norah and Alicia, and they all go talk to the police about the body that has been found in the remains of the house that is being torn down.

This is a haunting look into the foster system that is difficult to read for many people. It is a wild ride that you both want to be over as well as need to know what happens.

Sally Hepworth does it again! I have absolutely loved all of her previous work and Darling Girls was no different. This had Sally's typical domestic suspense feel but with some darker themes woven throughout and I absolutely loved it. So glad I chose this for my bookclub read and can't wait to hear everyone else's thoughts. If you've enjoyed this author's previous work, definitely do yourself a service and give Darling Girls a read as well. Huge thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my early review copy!

I definitely enjoyed this page turner from Sally Hepworth. Everytime I thought I had it figured it she managed to throw another twist my way.

4.5 stars
Darling Girls was an excellent book and I really enjoyed it! I have also read The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth and enjoyed that as well. I liked Darling Girls even more.

This is a mystery novel about 3 girls who became sisters in the foster care system. The story is told from each sisters POV and from their foster mothers POV. It also has multiple timelines but they were very easy to follow and outlined clearly.

I absolutely loved Jessica, Norah and Alicia (Norah was my favorite). Their connection, their bond and each of their personalities and growth throughout the story kept me flipping the pages! Their foster mother Mrs Fairchild was a despicable villain and played her part well. I despised her and found myself sadly relating to the girls in many ways. Their story was heartbreaking and so sad but their bond and the way they took control of their adult lives and tried their best to do better was fantastic.

The mystery of the story was a body found buried beneath their foster home and the search to discover who it was and how they ended up there. It was very very good and kept me flipping pages! I love the mystery and the reveal!

This story was overall good in my opinion, and I didn't know what to expect as I progressed through the book. The stories main characters Jessica, Norah, and Alicia who all were raised by the same foster mother, Mrs. Fairchild. It goes from current to past points of view. I sometimes felt it was challenging to keep up with all the characters but figured them out pretty quickly.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an ARC of "Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth.

I am a Sally Hepworth fan so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Darling Girls. Thank you Netgalley & St Martin's Press! I have really mixed feelings about Darling Girls. I found parts of it very disturbing with regard to the child abuse and manipulation, but at the same time I kept reading it and cruised through this one very quickly. I spent most of the book not liking it but decided to add a star to my rating due to the surprise ending. Looking forward to more from Sally Hepworth in the future though!

Sally Hepworth never fails to impress me with her writing. I was immediately drawn into this because she did such a good job of developing the characters. Each character was so interesting and distinct and had a journey I wanted to follow. I loved the relationships between the sisters and watching their story play out and justice be served was wonderful. The scenes with the therapist really shocked me at the end and that final twist really threw me for a loop. Miss Fairchild was a twisted woman but it was very entertaining watching her get what was coming to her. There wasn't a dull moment in this book and it was full of intrigue. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely a favorite from Sally Hepworth! Had me hooked from the beginning and kept me intrigued until the very end. Really enjoyed this one!

🎁 📚 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 🎁📚
3.75/5 🌟

Happy pub day to Sally Hepworth! This was my first Hepworth novel and I read it in one day - which rarely happens to me! It’s relevant to note that I read it on a day I was traveling (the 3 hour plane ride helped) but the book proved to be a compelling page turner.

This one centers around Norah, Jessica and Alicia, three women who spent time as adolescents in the foster care of Miss Fairchild at the idyllic-sounding - but far from idyllic in reality - Wild Meadows estate.

The now-grown women have been close since their traumatic experiences there, and are forced to revisit the past when the police uncover some incriminating evidence on the grounds of the old estate.

I loved the relationships between the 3 (foster) sisters, the relatable writing and the nicely placed twists. Hepworth creates a believable story through well-defined characters and a smooth storyline. I was fully invested in each of the sisters and seeing how their shared trauma plus each of their own unique resilience led them down different paths and made them the adults they became.

It’s definitely a dark look at the foster care system and mental health, but treated in a way that was integral to the story, and not gratuitous. I’ll absolutely be reading more of Hepworth’s novels!

QPTD : If you’re an avid reader of Sally Hepworth, which would you recommend I read next?

This one is out today, 4/23, and it’s a good pick if you want quick and engaging.

My thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced readers copy in return for my honest review.

#bibliophile #stephsalwaysreading#bookstagrammer#bookstagram#tbrlist-#arcreview#darlinggirls#sallyhepworth#whatshouldireadnext