Oh. Wow. That ending was seriously amazing. I couldn’t believe it. This was one of those books where when I finished I had to start it all over again to see all the little hints that were left… I just needed that moment of reading this all over again!
Sally Hepworth is a talented author with these captivating plots I just can’t get enough of!

This story is told from the past and present lives of Jessica, Norah and Alicia. As children the three “sisters” lived in Wild Meadow, a supposedly peaceful, idyllic foster home that is far from a nurturing environment. As adults they are summoned by the police back to the town of Port Arbor after their foster home had been demolished. Human remains have been found in a grave at the property and the police hope that they can shed some light on what happened. The police are also talking to their abuser Miss Fairchild whom they haven’t spoken to since leaving the foster home and seeing her again brings up too many memories. Their time together and the lingering results from the abuses continue to affect the women into adulthood. Lots of twists and turns, secrets and surprises along the way. This was a tough one about child abuse in a care home. My initial thought was that I wouldn’t be able to finish it. Definitely not what I was expecting. This ARC was provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just don't think this author is for me. I liked the characters and really loved some of the twists, but the overall pace of it was too slow for me.

I liked all the characters I was supposed to like? Sally Hepworth really has a knack of writing characters you want to root for. And this didn’t disappoint. I loved the bond between the sisters and was surprised by the twists. Very interesting story. I do feel a bit disgruntled by the end because I HATE WHEN SOMEONE GETS AWAY WITH MURDER.

Man. Sally Hepworth knows how to build complex, flawed and possibly very evil characters... and is good at throwing in a twist. This one had all of that and more.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital review copy of this title.

This book gave me the biggest pit but I couldn't put it down! Norah, Jessica and Alicia are foster sisters who share trauma from growing up under the care of Miss Fairchild. Years after leaving Miss Fairchild's care, the three sisters are called back to their foster home when they learn that a body has been found buried beneath the house. As a parent, I was horrified at some of the things I read but Sally Hepworth knows how to keep her readers engaged, and I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for ARC access

3.5 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a good mystery told in two different timelines and multiple POVs. The story focuses on three women that formed a sister bond while in the same foster care at Wild Meadows estate run by Miss Fairchild. On the surface the girls are "lucky" to be in such a wonderful placement, but scratch the surface and you'll find Miss Fairchild is unpredictable, vengeful, and is not to be crossed. When they are young teenagers they are able to break away from her and go on to grow up and be successful. But, each women still carries deep scars from their life at Wild Meadows, and the last thing they want to do is return to the place of their nightmares. But, when a body is found under the house, they are forced to return to speak with detectives. The question is, are they witnesses or suspects?

The story switches between Outwardly successful, the girls are internally a mess and lean heavily on each other to get through life, including this latest stress of the police investigation. They're forced to re-live some of the worst moments of their lives, and are not dealing with it well. Jessica has OCD and is dependant on valium that she steals from her clients. Norah has anger issues and is quick to react with her fists. Alicia is filled with insecurity that interferes with every relationship she's had and one that she may enter into.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Despite the subject matter and their issues, they still felt a bit flat. I kept waiting for something big to happen, but I never got that payoff. The book flows along at a low simmer but never reaches a boil. I kept waiting to get tense and concerned for the girls' welfare, but I never felt they were in danger. Even the twists were tame and predictable. Overall, the book is well written and a good mystery, but just a bit tame for my tastes. I think people that don't want their mysteries dark and twisty will really enjoy this book.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

This story follows three "sisters" in two different time lines as we learn about their childhood in a bad foster care situation and then as adults where they have just learned there have been human remains found under their childhood foster home. This was an interesting story, the alternating timelines did keep me more interested in the story and I felt the pacing was effective. This story was an interesting mystery and suspenseful and it gives enough information at just the right time to keep you reading and wondering. Overall it was a good book but not amazing.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

* Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for providing the ebook and the audiobook in exchange of a honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of the best book I have read this year. I am a huge thriller lover and this one hit all the right spots. The sisters dynamics was amazing, I didn't had a clue what was going on and the end made me gasp because I really didn't see that coming. Amazing 🙌

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I loved Sally Hepworth’s THE SOULMATE and looked forward to reading her new book, DARLING GIRLS. For me, it started off well. Three girls are being fostered by Miss Fairchild in an idyllic setting. We switch from the past involving each of the three girls who are referred to as “sisters.” I was deeply involved in their histories and relationships. However, as we moved to the present, I became lost and found myself rereading and rereading to get the stories straight. I hurt for some of the psychological abuse they suffered. The story just did not work for me. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Hepworth does no wrong in creating a quintessential thriller. The story of friendship created in the darkest of places as the narrative varies between past and present.

A well written thriller involving three foster care sisters and the foster parent they lived with during their pre-teen years. I wrote a staff pick for this for our library system and will be recommending it to patrons.

Alicia, Jessica and Norah grew up in the toxic environment of Wild Meadows as foster kids under the care of Miss Fairchild. Bonded through their shared trauma, they formed a sisterhood and did whatever they could to protect each other.

But so many years later, a body has been found underneath Wild Meadows and three women are forced to relive their past and confront Miss Fairchild and the system that let them down. All as they fight to prove they are innocent of murder…

Beware reading this book as there are difficult themes of abuse and neglect and the consequences of childhood trauma. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives in this novel. The mystery surrounding the identity of the body and the slow reveal of what happened in the past was done well as Hepworth is great at throwing the twists just as you think you have figured it out. I was fortunate enough to receive this in both digital and audio form and enjoyed both versions as I went back and forth between both formats.

Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for the gifted digital review copy and gifted audiobook.

The Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth, what can I say about this book but wow. The abuse that takes place in this book is hard to read, but I do realize that it happens more than I would like to think of in the foster system. There was plenty of twists and turns, and not sure exactly who was telling parts of the story line until very late in the book. Three young girls build a unbreakable bond living in a house full of abuse. Was great to see each one redeeming themselves in the closing pages of the book. I would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

"𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬."

Sally Hepworth is a must-read author for me; she does domestic dramas with a touch of mystery so well, and this one does not disappoint.

I listened to and read this one; both ways captured my attention and had me speeding through. No matter how Hepworth’s prose is delivered, it is always compelling. Narrator Jessica Clarke had a great inflection when she read which was easy to follow; her Australian accent helped me dive into the Australian setting easily too. Hepworth weaves a few different narratives: the past of foster sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia at Winding Meadows, the present day sisters point of view after the discovery of bones at Winding Meadows, and the therapy sessions of an unknown first person narrator. I found all three sisters to be sympathetic and I was cheering for all of them as they confronted their defence mechanisms for survival. Miss Fairchild, the sisters’ foster mother, was a total narcissist and I anxiously awaited her downfall (making for a perfect antagonist). Although a darker tale for Hepburn, with its focus on the ways the foster system can fail the children in its care and the abuse that can be suffered, it is powerful and poignant. There are some very well placed reveals that had me gasping, alongside an ending that is both smile-worthy and gasp-worthy.

Darling Girls is a story of survival, empowerment, gaslighting, safety, sisterhood, and the search for love. It is bingeworthy and I think might be my favourite Hepworth novel yet. Thank you to St. Martins’ Press, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ARCs!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were raised by a foster mother named Miss Fairchild. Everyone thought the girls were lucky to have someone taking such good care of them but all isn't as it seems. The wonderful life everyone thinks they have is filled with rules. When the three got the chance they left Miss Fairchild behind freeing themselves from her grasp. When a body is located under the house they grew up in the girls become witnesses but will they remain that way or will they soon be looked at as suspects.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth delves into the lives of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, three foster sisters raised by the enigmatic Miss Fairchild on a secluded estate. Despite the idyllic facade, their upbringing was marred by rules and the looming presence of their foster mother. When a body is discovered on their former home's property, the sisters find themselves entangled in a web of secrets, love, and murder. The narrative weaves between past and present timelines, exploring the complexities of their relationships and the haunting specter of Miss Fairchild, keeping readers on edge until the final revelation.

However, while the premise held promise, Darling Girls didn't quite hit the mark for me. The constant shifts in perspective between past and present disrupted the flow of the story, making it feel disjointed at times. While I anticipated some twists, others blindsided me. Additionally, sensitive topics like child abuse and CSA warrant trigger warnings for readers. Ultimately, this book fell short of my expectations.

Thank you NetGalley and Sally Hepworth for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sally Hepworth's writing, but I think Darling Girls is my favorite yet. Yes, the subject matter is dark, but I just really loved the characters of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia and their bond. Each struggles with their own demons, even as adults, but they support each other no matter what, and, when they're called back to the scene of their childhood foster home, secrets of the past are revealed, leading up to an ending that blew my mind.

In the world of psych thrillers, this one stands out and is to be applauded because it is uniquely original and outstandingly written. The story of three young women who suffered abuse at the hands of their foster parent is compelling and heart-wrenching at the same time. I could not drag my eyes away from the page as I read the stories of Jessica, Alicia and Norah, all affected in different ways by their stay with Miss Fairchild. When the bones are unearthed at their old home, they feel that they must go back and confront the evil there, but at what cost to them do they return? I enjoyed getting to know the well-rounded characters, but I mostly enjoyed the dual timeline and the twists in the plot. The ending was such a surprise that I think I gasped audibly! Sally Hepworth tells a story that is engaging, realistic and horrifying at the same time as she offers a glimpse into possibly a hopeful future. The title and the entire book were perfectly suited for each other, and the plot clipped along at a fast pace that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next revelation.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book kept my attention from the very first page to the very last page! This book did NOT disappoint! I would definitely recommend this book to all my reading buddies!!