Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
#thriller
#netgalley published 4/23/24
#foundfamily

4 POVs. 2 timelines. All clearly marked. Not confusing at all. Pulled me in right from the start as per her usual. SH weaves a great story of the girls horrible little life living with their foster mom. The story is about 3 foster kids from one house, now sisters. All grown up with their all slightly messed up lives. Only to be called back to their hometown bc bones were found under the now demolished house. Who will be suspect? Who is telling the truth?

I don't think I want to say anymore. Don't want to give anything away. So we'll done! That's why SH is an auto-buy author for me.

#arc #darlinggirls #sallyhepworth @sallyhepworth
#bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendation #booknerdsbookreview

This is my first Sally Hepworth book and it won't be my last. Thankfully, she has a backlist I can get to!

I loved this book! Three foster girls return to the house that they grew up in, as there is an investigation happening from human remains that were found. This book is told from two time lines of before and after they escape Miss Fairchild, their foster mom. I enjoyed the fact we got all POV's from the girls - it really added to the suspense.

I did guess a few twists and turns but there were a few that totally got me! I couldn't read this fast enough.

There are a few triggers to be aware of, so be sure to look at those before jumping into this.

After reading The Soulmate last year and absolutely loving it, I can say I went into this one with very high hopes….
Darling Girls did not totally meet my expectations but was still a very enjoyable read. I found the multiple POVS to be very distinctive and easy to follow but at times I did find myself getting a bit bored or just not feeling the excitement to pick up the book. What I did really enjoy was the final twist as it’s not what I had guessed was going to happen. Overall, a very solid 3⭐️ and will definitely still continue to pick up more books by Sally Hepworth in the future!

Dark subject matter but there’s also something hopeful about it, in the connection the sisters have with one another. Their upbringing, which we glimpse in flashbacks told by different sisters, is traumatic but they survived by having each other. And there’s something nice about that and it gets them through their present unknowns as well.

For what should be a dreary story, it plays out nicely. Even saving some surprises for the very end.

Sally Hepworth is one of the very few authors that I clear my calendar for when she releases a new book. What sets Hepworth's books apart is how different the subject matter is in each book. Other authors I follow have a somewhat formulaic way of telling a story, and if you like their style that's not a bad thing. You know what you're getting. With Hepworth, all I know is that there will be a murder, probably. But the story around that murder is always so varied. And the murder is never the main point. The books are character driven, and an observation on the crazy things people do within their structured worlds.

I won't go into the details of the book as many other reviewers have done that. I'll just say that it was a fun, solid read that I sped through in two days. Was it my favorite of her books? No. But it was still a solid five star read for me, the criteria being it was highly entertaining and I couldn't put it down. There was a twist at the end that I really enjoyed, although it seemed to upset some people. I'm not sure why. I will say that this book had a bit darker tone than I've found in some of Hepworth's books. Maybe it was because it tackled the subject of foster care, and children being mistreated is always a sensitive subject. But even the villain was more evil than usual in her books. In the past, even though Sally's books usually deal with very serious subject matter, I often find myself laughing and smiling. Not so much with Darling Girls. It was pretty dark.

I hope Hepworth keeps turning out a book a year, and I don't know where her many varied ideas come from, but I love it!

Thanks to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big fan of Sally Hepworth so when I saw this ARC was available, I grabbed it immediately! I LOVED The Soulmate and had a strong feeling that I’d enjoy this one too.

Why 4 stars:
- I quite literally could NOT put this book down! I read it in one day!
- The 3 sisters have such different personalities, it keeps things interesting! I can’t decide who was my favorite sister
- Trauma bonded them from a young age and they’ve been there for each other ever since <3
- Just like The Soulmate, this book really made me want to travel to Australia!
- Miss Fairchild reminded me of a mix of Nanny Carrie (any One Tree Hill fans?!), Nurse Ratched, and Miss Trunchbull. Sounds like a peach.
- I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for adoption. While I don’t know all the ins and outs of the system, I do know that foster care isn’t always an ideal situation for kids. This book showed the scary (and some sweet) parts of that world. My heart breaks for all the kids who have had bad experiences through foster care.

“Being loved had been the goal of her life.”

If you are a fan of Sally Hepworth, read this book. If you’re not a fan of Sally Hepworth, read this book. It will not disappoint! Thanks so much Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

Oh My Goodness. If I had not already been a fan of Sally Hepworth, I would have been sold on her after reading this book. Three foster care girls bonded through their shared experiences, travel back to the scene of their unfortunate foster care home. This story is told in both the present and past seen and told through the girl's voices. Absolutely thrilling to read, a psychological thriller done in its best.

If you are looking for a thriller that you are absolutely unable to put down, filled with complex, flawed characters and twists that had my jaw dropping, look no further!

Darling Girls is an exploration of family, trauma and secrets. As young girls, Norah, Jessica and Alicia all found themselves in the care of their foster mother, Mrs. Fairchild. While each of them ended up in her care due to different circumstances, that horrors that they endured were done so together. One day, when things go too far, the girls find their voices and speak up for themselves, looking for help. But nothing is as it seems, and trauma is not an easy thing to run from. Years later, a body is found on the estate on which they grew up, and their pasts are brought right back into the terrifying present.

I loved this novel. We get multiple POVs, each of which were interesting. I never found myself rushing through one POV to get to another. They all had such unique voices and experiences, and were so different from one another. The small chapters with the clinical notes in them were so good as well! I could not put this book down until I figured out what was happening. The pacing was perfection, and just when you thought things could not get more horrifying, they definitely did. The mystery was done so well, and had me guessing until the very end. And, oh, that ending! I think I just sat there for like ten minutes when I read the last page. It was just so good! I definitely recommend this psychological thriller, but be sure to check trigger warnings first if you are unsure.

Read if you like:
Psychological Thrillers
Found Family
Suspense/Mystery
Multiple POV
Shocking Twists

This is a dark and haunting book about three women that grew up in the foster system that have to return as adults to the house they grew up in. This was the first Hepworth book I've read and I absolutely loved it! The writing was absolutely amazing and gave me chills. It did start off slow but it built up and was haunting yet so so good. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Sally Hepworth just didn’t disappoint! Even though fiction, this book is heart breaking and shows a glimpse into the absolute terribly broken foster system and the trauma/violence that children can experience when they are part of it. The story told in alternating timelines from the point of view of the girls is intriguing and keeps you wanting more.

Lots of good twists and turns in this story. A depressing story of the treatment of foster children but with an uplifting storyline of the bond formed between three foster sisters.

My favorite Sally Hepworth since The Mother-in-Law! I read this in a day! Jessica, Alicia and Norah all end up in foster care due to different circumstances in their preteen years. All three girls end up going to Wild Meadows to be fostered by Miss Fairchild. All three girls face borrows while at Wild Meadows. Fast forward to present day, Wild Meadows is demolished and human remains are found on site. The girls are called back to a place they never want to return to.

So incredibly wonderful, in that deeply disturbing kind of way. The story within these pages will stay with me forever!

Something terrible happened at Wild Meadows. Many terrible things, actually. And now, 25 years later, the truth is coming out, in the form of human bones found as the deceptively charming white farmhouse is finally being torn down.

Australian author Sally Hepworth, who will be in St. Louis Monday, specializes in female-centric suspense. In “The Younger Wife,” sisters cope with their father’s decision to divorce their mother, suffering from Alzheimer’s, and quickly marry again. In “The Good Sister,” my favorite, a delightfully quirky woman, likely “on the spectrum,” leans heavily on her sister, until their roles change.

Hepworth’s latest, “Darling Girls,” again focuses on sisters, but these three are bonded not by blood but by shared experience. All three were fostered at Wild Meadows Farm, ruled by the terrifying Miss Fairchild.

Jessica was the first, taken to Wild Meadows at age 4 after the death of her mother, a Chinese immigrant. She was enchanted by Miss Fairchild, who “looked like a fairy princess. She had wavy golden hair, blue eyes, and wore a white dress covered in tiny blue flowers. … She smelled of flowers!”

Jessica’s idyllic first years with her foster mother soon fade. Small cruelties become bigger ones. Money is tight, and Miss Fairchild takes in a second foster girl, Norah, who is 10, about the same age as Jessica, and suffered molestation in previous placements. Then comes same-age Alicia, whose beloved grandmother never gets out of the hospital.

Sally Hepworth
Australian author Sally Hepworth specializes in female-centric suspense.
Courtesy of author
The girls unite to get through the miseries of life with Miss Fairchild, pinky-swearing to stay together. As adults, they couldn’t be more different, but they remain a tight trio. As such, they are all left reeling by the discovery at Wild Meadows, traveling there to talk to police. Are they witnesses? Or are they suspects?

Hepworth takes her time getting through the story, building portraits of each of the three both “before” and in the present. Other chapters take place in the office of a psychiatrist, Dr. Warren, whose mystery patient narrates in the first person. Do the math — this means seven time lines to keep track of.

Jessica’s idyllic first years with her foster mother soon fade. Small cruelties become bigger ones. Money is tight, and Miss Fairchild takes in a second foster girl, Norah, who is 10, about the same age as Jessica, and suffered molestation in previous placements. Then comes same-age Alicia, whose beloved grandmother never gets out of the hospital.

The girls unite to get through the miseries of life with Miss Fairchild, pinky-swearing to stay together. As adults, they couldn’t be more different, but they remain a tight trio. As such, they are all left reeling by the discovery at Wild Meadows, traveling there to talk to police. Are they witnesses? Or are they suspects?

Hepworth takes her time getting through the story, building portraits of each of the three both “before” and in the present. Other chapters take place in the office of a psychiatrist, Dr. Warren, whose mystery patient narrates in the first person. Do the math — this means seven time lines to keep track of.
After misbehavior, Norah is dragged “to the basement. The pitch-black basement. That, of course, was the point.”

Grueling descriptions of punishments like these have to make readers wonder: Was the foster care system in Australia 25 years ago really as dysfunctional as Hepworth depicts? (In fact, we can also wonder how badly broken our own is.)

In acknowledgments, Hepworth reports speaking to former foster kids, parents and social workers. “For every villain in the foster care world,” she writes, “there are a hundred heroes.”

I love me a sally hepworth book and this one was one of the best!!! I did not expect the twists, every character was so complex and I liked them all. Great thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of both the audiobook and the digital book. I ended up listening to the audio. At first I wasn't sure that I would like the audio because of the British accent, but I think the accent added to the narrative. I have read many of Sally Hepworth's books and this one didn't disappoint!

This was a slow burn, but one that really delivers in the end. I always look forward to Sally Hepworth’s wild stories and this was another gripping one. I love a good dark murder mystery with a satisfying ending. Well done Sally!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters. Their bond was forged in foster care when they endured the abuse of their guardian Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows farm. Years later, they are forced to return to Wild Meadows when a body is found buried under the house.
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💭 Thoughts 💭
This book was strange but interesting. Neither my favorite or least favorite by Sally Hepworth, it lands somewhere in the middle. Parts of it were dark, but there were some twists I did not expect!
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⌛️ Favorite Moment ⌛️
Norah had three large dogs.. that she brought with them on their road trip home. Jessica brought treats, one dog ate the whole bag, and his farts stunk up the car. That scene had me laughing!

Told from three darling girl POVs, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, this book is set in both the present and the past. The characters are realistically flawed and I found them easy to like. I especially loved their sister bond! Their upbringing with their foster parent, Miss Fairchild, is sad and scary. TW: child abuse. Bones have been found at the site of the house they grew up in and now the sisters have been called back to the town of their childhood in order to help the police figure out just who the bones belong to. I found the police investigation to be completely unbelievable and while I enjoyed the overall story, I didn't find it to be very exciting. That being said, the ending got me. Way to go Sally!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! The characters were lovable and I felt relatable with their life quirks. Just when I thought that I had it figured out, BAM! I was wrong!