DARLING GIRLS follows a group of 3 girls who grew up together in a foster home with a crazy foster mother. Years later in adulthood, the foster house is torn down and bones are found underneath the house.

If there’s one thing Sally Hepworth is going to do it's going to be to deliver a shocking ending! DARLING GIRLS was a wild ride and it’s certainly the darkest book of hers content-wise as it moves away from her more standard domestic thriller and is more of a psychological thriller with a domestic twist. If you loved her previous work I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot.

This is definitely going to be one of my top reads of 2024! 🤩 and how is this my first read by Hepworth?! I need to go back and read all of her other books now!

Needless to say, this was 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞, 𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗, and 𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗙𝗨𝗟 with so many shocking twists!

It was a slow burn yet also a page turner 🤔 I had such a hard time putting it down with the multiple POV’s (Jessica, Alicia, and Norah) and dual timelines. I enjoyed just watching the bond of the 3 sisters grow and develop throughout their trauma and the story. It was beautiful to watch how deep and strong their sisterhood was even if they weren’t blood.

And of course, the shocking twist at the end…🤯

This is my first book by this author and I was very impressed. The story kept me engaged the whole way through, where I could not put it down. I loved how the story went from past to present, which let me learn each character individually, with an additional voice, who you don't know, thrown in here and there that tied up the story at the end. This book kept me guessing and trying to figure out what would happen next, but with the twists and turns throughout, it just kept me shocked again and again.
As a mother of two daughters, my heart was drawn to the characters where I just wanted to adopt them myself and show them what true love is and means. This book gives you a tad incite of what some foster children go through, from the past to present concept in this book, which is sad, and how it traumatizes them throughout their lives emotionally.
The last chapter was definitely a shocking twist that I did not see coming! I was left with a WOW! If you enjoy darker context books then I highly recommend this book! I am excited to read more from this author!
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for my advanced copy of this book!

I will always read Sally Hepworth. Always. Her writing keeps me interested and I always want to know what is going on. DARLING GIRLS is no different. We are introduced to Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, foster children raised by their foster mother Miss Fairchild. Not everything is picture perfect. The girls escape Miss Fairchild’s care and years later, a body is discovered under the house. Are the girls suspects or witnesses? I loved going back and forth between past and present, it really gave me an insight into each girl and their trauma, how it played into who they were as adults. It’s a heartbreaking, and trauma filled book and I loved the twist. Another great book by Sally!

Sally Hepworth never fails to write a domestic suspense that I absolutely love. Her characters are real, the situations written as if you could've known that person or been in the situation yourself. Darling Girls is a messed up thriller that really shines the light on nature vs nurture, with a little nightmare of foster care thrown in. Sit down and buckle up. I highly recommend you read it.

I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved Darling Girls. When the remains of a child are found at their foster home 30 years later, three foster sisters are drawn back to their "home" and reconnect over their shared nightmarish history.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of Darling Girls!

I have loved every Sally Hepworth novel I’ve ever read and this one doesn’t fall short!

This one is a slow burn but well worth the weight!! A MUST READ!

4 STARS

This book. Yesss.
Absolutely yess

I wasn't sure where this book was going at first. But then something happened and I couldn't put it down.

This book was so easy to read. I loved the twists and the ways it makes you question everything.

And then you get to the last chapter. And BOOM.

I enjoyed every minute of this well- plotted, well-paced novel by the super talented writer Sally Hepworth. I had already read her previous book, The Soulmate, and thought it was excellent. I liked Darling Girls even more.

Three main characters are all courageous, likable, and inspiring women. They were foster kids were raised by an abusive foster mom, and the wounds of their childhood have made them all troubled as adults. They are all working on themselves, and trying to heal and support each other, and I was rooting for them the whole way.

Miss Fairchild, the foster mother, is a narcissist, and accurately represented. Anyone who has spent time in the company of a narcissist will recognize how realistic this character’s behavior is. Sally Hepworth knows her human psychology for sure.

There are also four lovable dogs in this book who add humor and to balance out the sad scenes. There is one chapter where the dogs are farting in the car. I was falling over with giggles as I was reading that part.

Thank you so much Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio, for giving me free digital downloads of both the written book and the audiobook. Having both forms of media is my favorite way to experience a book, because I can absorb every sentence book by reading and hearing it.

The narrator of the audiobook was terrific, and I love hearing an Australian accent. I need to get more audiobooks read aloud by Australians.

Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I found this book to be dark and twisty. I loved the sisters and their flaws. The twist got me, and was perfect. I would definitely recommend.

Three sisters that grew up in a foster home relive their past when bones are found beneath the home they grew up in. I enjoyed seeing the bond between the sisters and the book kept me guessing. Fast paced read!

I love when a book can keep me guessing (and convinced I know what's going on even when I don't) and Darling Girls absolutely delivered on that. When I first started reading, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the plot/where we were headed, but I am so happy to report that I loved it. Hepworth brings depth and care to her characters' trauma and backstories that help to create an unputdownable read.

This title was less creepy than previous ones but it held my interest well enough. I enjoyed the sister's relationships and research done on the foster care system. Thank you NetGalley for the advance ecopy

Sally Hepworth has again written a fast-paced, intriguing tale of sisterhood, secrets, betrayal, and murder. I dare you to start this book and try to put it down. I loved the relationships that developed between Jessica, Norah, and. Alicia, complete strangers until they all came to live with Miss Fairchild at her sprawling farming estate, But life on the farm was not all rainbows and unicorns. As the girls uncover secrets from the past and try to figure out how to move forward, a body has been discovered in the garden at the farm. Now they must face the woman from their past who shaped them all so much, one Miss Fairchild. This book is interesting and has a lot of great twists. A must read!

Review: Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth 4.25 ️
When a body turns up under their former foster home, three sisters must confront their past to keep their names clear.
Sally is my go-to for domestic suspense and Darling Girls was another hit that was darker than her past books. I love how she explores family dynamics and her books on siblings (in this case foster sisters that become family) happen to be my favorite. 
Sally delivered on both plot and character development. The beginning was a little slow but the multiple POV and dual timeline set the scene for the mystery to unfold as the book progressed. Each character was flawed and dealt with their traumas differently, keeping you guessing who could have been behind the dead body.  While some of the twists were easy to spot, there were a few that surprised me and the ending was a sinister shock. I read and listened (the Australian narrators are amazing) and it had me saying just one more page!

Review: @sallyhepworth never disappoints me! I was dying to get a copy of this book. Darling Girls absolutely captured my attention and I devoured it in one setting. I cannot praise this book enough.

From the first chapter, I was completely captivated by the 3 sisters. The book shares the story of their upbringing in a foster home, from each of the perspectives. The story is told in a dual timeline- the time the sisters spend at their foster home and current time where police have found a body in that that foster home.

Having to relive their past, the story unfolds the traumatic experience of the girls. The past and present start to combine and questions are continuously being raised. The story is more than just about survival but it’s about the power of trust and loyalty. What these sisters survived is incredible.

More of a domestic suspense, the ending does have some good twists. I gasped at the last chapter, not believing how it ended. It was absolutely incredible and twisted.

Aside from the plot, the characters were incredible. I usually don’t like multiple POVs, but the author did such an incredible job giving light to each of these stories. It wasn’t all dark, some chapters, especially Norah’s made me laugh at times.

Even though this psychological family thriller didn't blow me away, it did keep me solidly engaged, and the last chapter definitely got me -- I didn't see it coming. I really love the relationship that the three sisters have, and I enjoyed seeing how their wildly different personalities and lives still all worked together. And getting a little update on each of them at the end was just what I needed! Not often the MCs of a thriller get a happy-ish ending.

What a good book! Jessica, Alicia and Norah came to Wild Meadows as foster children. There was a beautiful home with a swimming pool, and their foster mother, Miss Fairfield, appeared to be perfect. .To those on the outside everything appears to be good, but inside, the story is different. Miss Fairfield's behavior is unpredictable, food is often scarce, and punishment is ever looming. The three girls have no one else, but choose to be sisters, looking out for each other.

Fast forward until the time the three girls are grown women. They are living mostly responsible lives, although each has scars from their childhood. Then the call from the police comes - during a demolition of the house, bones have been found buried in the basement. Who do the bones belong to? Who is responsible? Will they be accused?

This is an excellent book with good character development and an intriguing story line. Read it-you won’t be disappointed!

Thanks to Net Galley for and ARC of this book.

Sally Hepworth is back and dare I say this is my favorite?

The perfect amount of family secrets and intrigue with mystery. The sister relationships really worked here

This is only my second book by this author, but I do believe I quite like her. This story didn't feel like a psychological thriller like those I'm used to. True, I was confused as to who was actually the main narrator, so that little twist was a surprise. What these girls went through was painful, but seeing them pull together I order to protect each other, despite not being related by blood, was an important aspect of this story. Did it WOW me with lots of twists and a-ha moments? No, but all in all a good read.