Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited to get an advanced copy of Darling Girls! It was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of 2024.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are foster children that were placed with the stereotypical wicked foster mother, Miss Fairchild. She doesn't seem so bad to start with, but things quickly become weird and then worse.

The story jumps back and forth from when they were young to when they're all grown and they have to go back to the farm because some old bones were discovered.

The ending was definitely a twist that I didn't see coming.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC through NetGalley.

This was my first Sally Hepworth, but it definitely won’t be my last.

We have three grown women who grew up in the care of Mrs. Fairchild and what happened within the walls isn’t all roses. Told in third person and first person for alternating chapters, I enjoyed watching this unravel.

Thrillers no longer really surprise me and I saw most things coming, I still felt the story was compelling and the characters were really fleshed out. Each girl had to work through their own experiences with their foster mother and their past trauma.

I enjoyed the touch of looking at ways of healing and how these experiences affect people into their adult lives and subsequent relationships.

There are some pretty dark themes, so be aware of that going in, but this one you’ll have a hard time putting down.

4.5/5 stars

Darling Girls is a domestic suspense book that focuses on 3 foster sisters: Jessica, Norah and Alicia.

The book is set in Australia and has multiple points of view. The story has a past/present timeline, which isn't always my favorite. However in this case the past was very interesting.

The three foster sisters all stayed with Miss Fairchild. And we go back and forth between their time in foster care and the present (where something is discovered at the house where they all lived).

I found both timelines to be quite riveting. I really enjoyed seeing how the girls bonded as children. And I really enjoyed the mystery in the present. I was especially interested in how all three women functioned as adults. And I was very curious about Amy.

Overall this was an intriguing mystery with some really fun reveals. And the last chapter was epic!

This book is not my normal genre but all the hype made me want to read it and I definitely not disappointed. It was a thrilling adventure with twist and turns and kept me guessing the whole way.

I’m glad I branched out of my comfort zone of romance to give this one a read. It was 100% worth the hype it has received.

Darling Girls
By Sally Hepworth
Published by St. Martins Press
4/23
3.5*

Sally Hepworth always has a good story to tell and her newest is no different. The story focuses on Mrs. Fairchild and her relationships with her foster daughters. Over the years she fostered many, but the story centers around the eldest three and another younger child that cannot be accounted for.

I feel I must disclose my state of mind in reading this book. I was post surgery and on pain pills, so each chapter featuring a foster child had me guessing at who and what happened. I also had a bit of trouble keeping track of the girls.

By the time I got near the end of the book, I had my theories, which were close but not on target. I loved the surprise, twisty ending.

Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to recommend this to readers and give my honest review.

This was my first Sally Hepworth book, and when I say I was blown away, that is exactly what I mean. Hepworth caught my attention from the first page, and I couldn't stop. I had a love-hate relationship with some of the characters, and couldn't stop thinking about the goings-on as I was reading them. The story follows the troubled lives of multiple women who were foster children and who suffered from mental, emotional, and even physical abuse from their foster mother as children. When a body is discovered in the ground where the home they shared once stood, they were all thrown back into the memories of what they had endured. As the investigation carried on, we learn so much about each character, and grow to either love or hate them, depending on who we are hearing from at that moment.

I truly loved this book, from beginning to end, and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller, or who loves Sally Hepworth in general. I'm going down the rabbit hole with her books after reading this, and cannot wait to read more of her work!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review. 5+ stars!

Sally Hepworth has done it again. If you are seeking a thriller that you can be immersed in this is the book for you. Three young preteens in foster care were placed in the home of Miss Fairchild. Reading this made me want to sign up to take foster children so they would not be treated the way these poor girls were. Truly heartbreaking. Their descriptions and actions seemed so very realistic and many times I forgot they were characters in a book. So happy they had each other and formed the lifetime bonds they did. Twenty five years later bones are discovered. Who do they belong to? What caused the death? This read will make you cringe as you judge the foster care system while you inwardly cheer for the poor children placed within its confines.
The additions of the sections of meetings with Dr. Warren kept me wondering and ultimately resulted in me figuring it all out…until the chilling ending.
Many many thanks to Sally Hepworth for another chilling read, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasurable opportunity to read an arc of this psychological thriller, published on 4-23.

I am shocked at home much I enjoyed this book! I couldn't put it down! The plot twist I didn't see coming but at the same time i kind of did if that makes sense. The writing was fantastic and completely drew me in and kept me excited about the book and where it was going to go

Not for the faint of heart. I should have known better than to read this book. As a former foster parent, this book was extremely hard for me to read. Unfortunately, the horrible experiences these poor girls go through are sometimes the cruel and unfair things that children in the system go through. It felt too real to me at times, reminding me of stories some of my kids had told of the things they experienced in other homes. Despite the heavy feelings this book brought on; the book was well written. The characters were well developed, and the story flowed well. This book was quite good and enjoyable but extremely sad. ⅘ stars. Thank you, netgalley, for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

Darling Girls is another blockbuster pyschological thriller from the master, Sally Hepworth. Young foster sisters Jessica, Alicia and Norah are raised by Miss Fairchild, who portrays herself as the benevolent dream-mother when really a monster lurks below the surface. Jessica found herself at Miss Fairchild's first and initially is living a fairytale but soon realizes she can never do enough to win Miss Fairchild's attention and affection. When angry Norah and sweet Alicia join the fold, they bond together and form a united front against the abuse. Decades later, still close as sisters but each facing their own demons following their upbringing, Miss Fairchild is back in the news. A body has been found on the property and the investigators ask the sisters to travel to the farmhouse as former residents to help shed light on the potential victim and cause of death. This novel, told in alternating timelines and perspectives, is as fast-paced as it is chilling. Is one of the sisters a cold-blooded killer? Or, is the truth far worse than what is imagined? Hepworth is at her best in this engrossing novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia aren’t related by blood, but they are sisters through and through. The three spent several years together at a lovely farmhouse as foster children. The woman taking care of them, Miss Fairchild, seemed to be a loving and kind woman.

But the time they spent there was horrific, and they endured emotional abuse and lived in fear. One day, they spoke out and were freed from Miss Fairchild’s care. But years later, each still carries wounds.

When police notify the women that human remains were discovered buried beneath where the house used to stand, they are asked to return to that place of nightmares, both physically and metaphorically. The headlines “practically write themselves” since they’re former foster children. People are fascinated by them and the lurid news. The police, well, they’re gathering information, but who knows when the women may be arrested?

I automatically picked up this book as an ARC because I’ve enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s other thrillers. And they’ve all been rated moderate. I was disappointed because this one has more strong content. I probably should have paid closer attention to the summary of the story; I have found I don’t do well with stories of abuse. That said, though, I also didn’t find the ending to be at all a surprise. It made complete sense to me, so it wasn’t a shocking twist. Not sure if that’s what it was meant to be, but it felt like a bit of a letdown.

So, all in all, Darling Girls is my least favorite of Hepworth’s books. My favorites would probably be The Mother-in-Law and The Good Sister.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This might be one of my favourites from Hepworth; it was twisty, fast paced and very very tense. I was engrossed in this model right away and I wanted to just sit and read the entire thing. I enjoyed the pacing and the ending so much - I definitely recommend.

Thank you to @stmartinspress, @netgalley, & @macmillan.audio for the advanced reading and listening copies!

Oh. My. God. I’m not entirely sure what I read but what I do know is that everyone else should also read this (& I mean this in the best way possible).

But let’s start from the beginning. The story is about Jessica, Alicia, and Norah. 3 girls within the foster care system that wind up at Fair Meadows under the care of Miss Fairchild. In this story we’re given the present day where the 3 girls have gone back to Port Agatha because a body has been found under Wild Meadows. The other part is “before,” where we’re given a look at the childhoods of the girls while at Wild Meadows. This story had everything - from the psychological workings of sisterhood, found family, the foster care system, and the meaning behind nature vs. nurture. I found myself getting emotional towards the end as I felt truly attached to all 3 girls. In college I minored in Psychology and I found this book brought me back to why I loved it in the first place. I don’t want to give anymore away because everyone just needs to pick this up TODAY. Just know that the ending blew my mind and I promise it won’t let you down.

Thanks to @macmillan.audio, I was able to continue listening while commuting to work. Narrated by Jessica Clarke (whose accent is phenomenal), I found myself entranced by her voice as it portrayed the story and location in a way I didn’t think possible.

I liked it! The hard reality of what some children have to go through in foster care is hard to comprehend. There were many instances that I had to put the book down because it was hard to read. As a mother, it's heartbreaking. There were some surprises throughout the book but none that left me with my mouth open or led me to scream. The last chapter didn't surprise me entirely. I felt it was very on brand for Miss. Fairchild to have lied knowing what she knew. I did love the sisteryl bond that Jessica, Norah and Alicia had. Even with Amy. My heart broke for all thre for what they endured and still continue to struggle as adults. Overall, it was a book that I needed to know what was going to happen next!

Oh my gosh! I absolutely LOVE Sally Hepworth’s writing! Even though there are different parts to the book (different POV, then/now, and then even a mysterious person meeting with a therapist) Hepworth knows how to make it flow so seamlessly and not be confusing. I loved all the different characters and how we are able to see the past events of their childhood and what made them who they are today. And the twist 🤯 one that I definitely wasn’t expecting!! Overall, she is definitely an autobuy author from me and one that I will always recommend!

What a wild ride this was! I've read a few of Sally Hepworth's books now and it never ceases to amaze me how each story is unique and flies right off the pages. This one is no different. I highly recommend this title is you are looking for mystery, murder, and multiple view points.

Wow. What do I say?! This is my first Sally Hepworth book and I now I will stop doing anything productive in order to read all her other books!

3 girls each with their own story of trauma and neglect, but saved and lucky they were told to be with Miss Fairchild. And from the outside looking in - they were lucky. But living there -Jessica, Norah and Alicia - had a different opinion. Miss Fairchild wasn’t the saint everyone thought and her rules were different than anyone would assume. So they ran and never looked back until one day they became murder suspects.

I’m willing to say that in the beginning I didn’t feel like I was going to like this book but as we got more involved and more information my opinions changed drastically! I love a before and after timeline and this was masterfully done with the tiny bits we kept discovering along the way. My favorite chapters were from our “mystery” character in their sessions. I don’t want to give anything away but go read this book and go along for the ride!

Hepworth is one of my go=to authors, and this one didn't disappoint. Along with a solid mystery, the dynamics between the sisters quickly pulls readers in with their ability to come together and navigate the trauma they faced and work their way toward healing. I also love how the story is a reminder that family doesn't have to only mean blood relatives. Unexpected twists keep the reader guessing and engaged. The abuse angle (from the past) could be triggering to some readers, but there is a nice balance with the present day storyline. For instance, I really liked the bedtime jokes! They were ones I'd never heard before, and they made me chuckle. The twist at the end was unexpected, which I loved. I can't wait to read what Hepworth writes next!

This story is told in third person with multiple narrators in a dual timeline format. It follows three foster sisters and an anonymous woman in therapy in an additional ambiguous timeline. The three foster sisters come together in the present timeline when a body is discovered during an excavation at the site of their former foster home known as Wild Meadows. The story alternates between the present as the sisters travel to be questioned about this discovery and “before” revealing their history with the foster home and how each individual ended up there. The audiobook was narrated by Jessica Clarke who did a fantastic job distinguishing all of the various personalities of the sisters and other characters.

All three foster sisters have very different backgrounds and histories with their foster mother, Mrs. Fairchild. I really enjoyed their present storyline which reflected the bonds that the three women have held onto from their childhood experiences. However, the “before” storylines were filled with physical and emotional abuses that I didn’t enjoy reading. The focus on the story was more on the emotional bonds of these sisters and how they were built and less about the mystery of the body.

I think a lot of readers will enjoy this story more than I did. I’m more of a mystery reader and was more interested in the investigation than the foster story. I found the foster mother to be irrationally cruel. Some of the girls’ reactions to her abuses did not resonate with me. I was also annoyed with the ambiguous therapy storyline. There were a couple of twists that I did enjoy but overall, the themes here were just not for me.

Recommended for the sisterly bonds and overcoming of childhood abuse and trauma.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy provided for an honest review.

This was my first Sally Hepworth read, and I will DEFINITELY be looking into the rest of her back catalogue after this. "Darling Girls" is a propulsive slow-burn (trust me, it makes sense), with expertly-drawn characters, a plot that twists and turns along hairpin curves like a professional driver, and plenty of misdirection and untrustworthy narration. I will admit, I figured parts of it out early on, but not because Hepworth telegraphed it; I just read a lot in this genre, and watch a lot of Dateline. It was just...I could not put this book down, and I'm itching to finish a bunch of the things waiting in my TBR pile so that I can check out another one of her books. What a ride.