After reading The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth, I was so excited to receive an ARC of Darling Girls. One of my favorite genre tropes have to do with getting revenge and this book did not disappoint at all. I finished it in 5 hours and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything so fast. I love Hepworth’s witting style and the twists were great. If you love women’s fiction and thrillers, this will be your new favorite book.

O.M.F.G

Ok ok I love Sally Hepworth. All of her books? Amazing. But ‘Darling Girls’ has creeped its way up to my ALL TIME favorite novel of Hepworth's.

The amount of emotion packed into this was actually insane. So many twists and the ending left my jaw on the floor.

I absolutely blown away. This book was absolutely phenomenal.

I always look forward to a new Sally Hepworth book! This one was excellent—I really, really wanted to make it last longer but it was a story that captured my attention from the start and I could not put it down. The story of three sisters (by choice, not by blood) is the main focus of the book but along the way we get to meet other people who have shaped the lives of these sisters into who they have become as adults.. It’s a somber look into the foster care system and the abuses and neglect that it is riddled with—which only makes you root for each of these sisters along the way, despite one who steals to feed an addiction, one who is prone to using violence to express herself and one who is emotionally guarded and afraid to be loved. The ending was one I didn’t fully piece together until the last few pages! I highly recommend this book & this author!!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Wow!! This was by far the best book I have read all summer!!
The storyline was very unique and helped me to race through this book in 2 days. Thrilling, suspenseful and a whip lash ending. Highly, highly recommend

A great book by Sally Hepworth. There were heartfelt moments, a nice conclusion and twist at the end to keep you engaged throughout the whole book.

A breath of fresh air! Unforgettable characters and a plot that kept me interested. It was definitely a slow burn for me but once I got a couple chapters in, I was hooked! Kept me up way past my bedtime. Can’t wait to read more from this author

You will go from sad to wtf to awww to WTF through out this book.

I liked the three sisters. Miss Fairchild is a true villain. Like a well written and fleshed out villain.

Be prepared for this one as there is a lot of abuse in it, describing the foster home and foster system. The relationship between Norah, Jessica and Alicia is lovely in the book but how it came to be and what it means is incredibly heartbreaking.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC,

Four stars! I really enjoyed this one! The pacing of the novel was strong and kept me guessing until the end. The stories of Alicia, Norah and Jessica took me on a thrilling ride. Bonded by their childhoods spent in foster care, this book was the perfect mix of drama, darkness, tragedy, family and love.

Another twisty tale by Sally Hepworth that kept me on the edge of my seat. A story of three foster care sisters who unite over tragedy. I loved the bond between the three sisters and the dual timeline as well as multiple POV.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are three foster sisters who grew up in an abusive home. They have to go back to their hometown to be questioned about some human remains found in the basement of their foster home.

This book has a lot of time flipping back and forth which was a little confusing for me. It’s an interesting look on the difficulty of being raised in a foster family and how that can impact your ability to make and maintain healthy relationships going forward.

Special thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the advance reader edition of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

U.S. Publish date April 23,2024

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

I love and adore Sally Hepworth books. She is one of my go-to authors and I will read anything she writes. That being said, this was, sadly, not one of my favorites. Did I still enjoy it? Absolutely devoured it in 2 days. However, I had a harder time connecting with the characters and much of the writing felt juvenile to me. It felt highly unrealistic - but I guess that's what fiction is, right?
The story is told from the varying perspectives of 3 women who were raised for a period of time at Wild Meadows, a foster home, under the not-so-loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild. It goes back in time from the past when the girls were residing at Wild Meadows to present day when a body has been found buried on the grounds of what was once the foster home. The mystery of the body and who it is and how it got there draws the three girls back together to the town where they grew up. As they try to help the police while professing their own innocence, they come up with more questions than answers until all is revealed in the end.
Don't count this book out though. It is still definitely worth picking up!

Pub date: 4/23/24
Genre: suspense/thriller
Quick summary: Foster sisters Alicia, Jessica and Norah suffered under the iron fist of Mrs. Fairchild - years later, bones are discovered below the house, and everyone's secrets are about to come out.

I absolutely love the cover of this book, and the sisterly relationships made me excited to read it. Like most books by Hepworth, it's a quick read with a last minute twist. But for some reason, it didn't give me the same OMG I loved this book feelings that I'm used to with this author. Maybe I've just read too many books with child abuse elements recently? I think the cover also made me this the book would be more summery/beachy than it actually was.

While this wasn't my fave by Hepworth, you might enjoy it if you want a quick read with plenty of family drama!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Sally Hepworth so was delighted to get this one! It begins with the remains of a body being discovered in Wild Meadows, a place where young girls, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were all brought up as orphans by Miss Fairchild. But what wild things went on there? We get perspectives from each but have no real idea of the terrors inflicted on children when they don't "behave" or ask for something "unrealistic." Alternating in time, the novel shows us these "sisters," their hopes, their fears, and their realizations as they grow older and wiser. It's a wild ride for sure, as only Hepworth can provide with chilling details to keep your head spinning until the end!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Foster sisters, Alicia, Norah and Jessica all learn some disturbing news - a body was recently found buried under the home where they all met and spent time as foster children, A home where, their foster mother Mrs. Fairchild, subjected them to psychological and physical abuse. The women are called in by police to describe their upbringing at the home, but soon, it turns out that one, or all three of them, may in fact be suspects themselves.

I love Sally Hepworth, but I have to say this one was a fail for me. The characters seemed more like caricatures, lacking nuance. No one was particularly likable, despite the fact that you really want to root for three former foster kids. There were some twists and turns that I appreciated, but since I didn't really care for any of the characters, the twists fell flat for me. A lot of the dialogue seemed stiff and unnatural. I would not say that this is Ms. Hepworth's best work.

Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another Hepworth winner! This time Hepworth focuses on a troop of “sisters” who grew up in foster care together and the woman nee mobster who took them in. Norah is the wild one. Alicia the cautious, and Jessica the perfectionist with a drug problem. We learn about how they all came to be in foster care and then also learn backstory of their foster mother.
This was such a page turner and I quickly became absorbed in each woman’s story. I especially loved Norah and would love a whole book of just her! I think this may be my fave of Hepworth after the Good Sister.

At this point, I think I will literally read anything that Sally Hepworth writes! Getting an ARC of Darling Girls was like being thrown a surprise party, I was elated. Having seen Sally speak and adoring her delightful personality, I’m always shocked at how she’s able to create characters that are just horrible and dark individuals. This is clearly a testament to how splendid of an author Sally Hepworth is. While the story line is told in multiple perspectives, across multiple timelines, it wasn’t difficult for readers to follow. Norah, Jessica and Alicia all find themselves being fostered by Miss Fairchild in their youth. Subjective to serious manipulative and horrific events, they’ve held together a bond into their young adult lives. When the body of a young child is discovered under the home of the house they spent years living at, the three sisters return to the site of their darkest memories. Darling Girls is a true psychological thriller, but also filled with family drama, romance and excellent character development. Fans of Hepworth will be exuberant to add this one to their pile and should not be missed!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my gifted eARC. Pub date 4/23/24. I will also repost closer to Pub Day.

Sally Hepworth, holy cow, this was absolutely amazing!!! This is one of those books that you constantly think about when you are unable to read, I could not flip the pages fast enough!

Darling Girls is a slow burn suspense that follows 3 young girls that are all fostered by Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows in Port Agatha. On the outside, Miss Fairchild looks like a well put together and great foster mother, but on the inside, she is anything but. Fast forward, 25 years later, the 3 young girls now older are living their lives. They are still close, and they call themselves sisters. They all get a call from a detective in Port Agatha saying a body has been found under the house at Wild Meadows.

The book is told from the views of the 3 sisters in the past and present. Their is also a mystery person POV, which is incredible. That ending, holy cow, it definitely took me by suprise, and I loved how it wrapped up and was not over the top! This was such an easy fast read that I devoured! Also, I want to put this out there. This book was dark and had some disturbing parts about child abuse, so check the trigger warnings.

This book does not come out till next year, but I definitely recommend putting it in your wishlist. It was SO good!

Darling Girls, by Sally Hepworth is a slow building domestic suspense that leaves your heart beating out of your chest until the last page. It is the story of Jessica, Norah and Alicia who are foster sisters that lived together when they were children in a country town in Australia. Through the interactions they have with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, they develop a bond that makes you believe they would do anything to protect each other.

I like that this book is told in dual time, before when the girls were younger and after, as adults dealing with the aftermath of a police call that shattered their seemingly normal lives. The timelines show extensive manipulation and horror that the girls endured in foster care and how it affected them as adults. From a psychological perspective, this was really well done and show the intricacies that adverse childhood trauma can have on a person as they grow up. The intrigue and mystery of the story continued to unravel page by page and chapter by chapter and the twist at the end had my mind reeling. It really does make you question can the past ever truly be buried or will it always be uncovered?

I literally finished this book in a day, I didn't want to put it down. If you like psychological thrillers, then add this one to your TBR for 2024. Rated up for 4.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for this eARC of Darling Girls in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for Darling Girls, 23 April 2024.

This is a suspenseful read that dives into the story of Alicia, Jessica, and Norah who became sisters through their foster experience at the home of Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild showed her love in unexpected and bizarre ways, and the girls quickly learned how to balance her moods, punishments, and actions.

Now, as adults, the three women receive a phone call from a police detective after bones are found at the location of the home. The women are forced to face the demons that they had previously dealt with, along with some demons in their current life. Miss Fairchild is still around and quickly finds the women when they come back to town to meet with the police.

While some aspects of the girls' past may be difficult to hear, the book is suspenseful and will keep the reader wondering true motives and intentions.