A twisted and dark thriller that is fast paced and suspenseful!

Three sisters are called back to the foster home where they grew up to aide with the investigation of the body that was discovered under the house.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia never intended to revisit the trauma that ensued in their childhood, but through dual timelines the horrors come to light.

Hepworth did a phenomenal job of weaving this story together with layered and complex characters as their past and presents were explored, and brought to the forefront of the plot.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Darling Girls is available now!

An interview in a psychiatrist's office is our introduction to Darling Girls. The (unnamed) interviewee is not yet ready to talk about Wild Meadows. We glean that it was a foster home, and a place of much suffering.

Human remains have been discovered on the site of Wild Meadows, and somebody is guilty.

Three women, bonded by the trauma they experienced at the hands of their demented foster mother at Wild Meadows, come back to aid in the police investigation. They're scarred by the terror they lived through, but also incredibly close, and would do anything for each other. Going back and forth in time we learn the story of how each arrived at Wild Meadows, the horrors they endured and the strength they found in each other, in their sisterhood.

An engaging mystery with some wild surprises and twists, the abuse described is intense and could be triggering. It was tolerable for the resilience shown by the foster sisters as they finally address their childhood nightmare. Darling Girls was an emotional and gripping read.

The audiobook version of this book was well done and easy to follow, with the narrator providing different voicings to the characters, coloring in their personalities. The story takes place in Australia and the accent grounded me in that setting.

My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.

I have to start off with warning you that this book should be flagged with trigger warnings here so make sure you review before reading.

Darling Girls is set in Australia and has then and now narrative from the perspective of 3 foster children.

The plot of the book is very intriguing, a body has been found, who does it belong to? Someone is talking to a therapist throughout the book and we aren’t sure who it is? The book reads very fast and I did find myself wanting to know more.

The book fell a little flat on character development and overall writing style for me. That of course can be personal preference.

The story has me right up until the last page so for that I gave it 4 stars. I would recommend reading it!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advance copy of this book for my honest review.

Another winner from Hepworth! The darling girls is the story of three foster sisters who are brought back to the foster they lived when bones are discovered underneath the house. The story then flashes back between the present day investigation and the sisters experiences and past in the house under the care of miss Fairchild-a cold, brutal foster mom. Who do the bones underneath the house belong to and what role do the sisters and their foster mom play in the death? That is the ultimate mystery that will keep you glued to the pages. Like Hepworths other works though, the mystery at the core takes second stage almost to the interplay of the characters in the novel. Hepworth is a master of slow-burning suspense and pacing, as she reveals just enough information to keep you turning the pages but never fully sure of where it will lead, and, as always, there a few twists up her sleeve at the end!

An excellent page turner and an atmospheric psychological suspense novel that will hook the many readers eagerly awaiting another go with Hepworth.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all spent time at Wild Meadows Farm, a foster home under the supervision of Miss Fairchild. Although they were not sisters, they kept together as sisters would to support one another during their time there. The things they suffered under this woman were totally horrific.

Now, they are grown and each has their own job. Jessica has a home organization business. Norah works to help prospective employees take and pass tests to get a job. Alicia works with foster children getting them settled into a new home. Now, years later, a body has been discovered under the house. Who is it?

At the request of the police, this discovery takes them back to Wild Meadows Farm to be questioned as to what they may know about the body. Back there, their memories are laid bare and seeing Miss Fairchild again fills them with different emotions.

As this story slowly unravels, we see how their early treatment in life has affected them now as adults. It is not a pretty picture at all and will probably fill the reader with much anger, sadness, and enormous grief at how badly many foster children worldwide have been treated and overlooked. Truly a broken system that desperately needs to finally be fixed. Very cringe-worthy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A solid twisty thriller from Sally Hepworth. However I did guess the ending or at least I thought I did until that crazy epilogue. It was a tough read at times because of the abuse of foster care children but a well written twisty ride

I'm really skeptical of mystery/thrillers but this book was surprise after surprise for me. I found the twists to be really interesting and well though out. This is the first of this author's work for me but I'll definitely be adding more of her work to my personal library.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

‘When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects? A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth. ‘

Darling Girls is the tale of three young women, forced together in foster care, who chose to bond together for life.

I loved the character development in this story. Even though, there was a wide cast of characters, Hepworth does a fantastic job at giving us background story on each of the three sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. We can fully see how they grew into the adults with the personalities they each did, based on the childhood stories each character has and the abuse they suffered at the hands of their foster mother.

Sally Hepworth’s latest novel has it all! Sisterhood, chosen family, unbreakable bonds, mystery, and twists that will keep you guessing.

This is a must read for fans of Sally Hepworth and for thriller lovers.

#netgalley #bookreview #bookstagram #sallyhepworth #darlinggirls #stmartinspress

★ ★ ★ ★
loved!! sally is a hit or miss author for me but with this one, she absolutely hit it out of the park!! this book was filled with family drama, murder and mystery right up until the very end but still had such sweet moments and so much heart!! i am so excited that this book is finally out and more people can get their hands on it!!

This book was very, very good, but also very triggering for me personally. TW for CA, CSA, and SI.

This highlights the details of a traumatic childhood for three foster children as well as their struggles to overcome their past as adults.

An amazing psychological thriller that had me quickly turning the pages. I definitely lost a good amount of sleep because I kept thinking I would read just one more chapter.

This book focuses on 3 girls, Jessica, Norah and Alicia, that were raised in foster care. The girls first met when left in the care of Miss Fairchild in her country home, Wild Meadows. It was a beautiful home and Miss Fairchild gave the impression of someone that was going to be a wonderful foster mother. Norah's first impression of Miss Fairchild was that she looked like Barbie but she quickly found out that looks can be deceiving because miss Fairchild did not have a bubbly, happy personality. She was, in fact, a master of gaslighting and she puts these 3 girls through so much abuse. The only good thing that happened at Wild Meadows was that these girls formed a strong sisterly bond and protected each other the best that they could throughout the abuse. This bond lasts into adulthood and they are lucky to have each other when suddenly they are summoned back by police to their childhood home after an unidentified body is discovered under Miss Fairchild's home.

Masterfully told through multiple points of view and a shifting timeline between the present and the past the reader is pulled deeply into the lives of these 3 women. We see why they have problems in adulthood as the abuse of their pasts are revealed. Each character is very well developed, the plot is extremely well conceived and unfolds perfectly.

I highly recommend that you take a trip to Miss Holly Fairchild's home, Wild Meadows, for a roller coaster ride of twist and turns throughout this superbly written book. The ending will shock you!

I am extremely grateful to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this suspenseful masterpiece in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions in this review are my own.

During the past three spring breaks, I read the newest Sally Hepworth, and I always look forward to the easy reading and page turning of a Hepworth novel on the beach.

I really enjoyed getting to know the “darling girls” as they are introduced to the reader as adults. Sisters bonded by their experience together as foster children, Jessica, Nora, and Alicia have stayed close since living together in the 1990s at Wild Meadows Farm.

Years later, the women are contacted by authorities when bones are discovered under the former foster home after its demolition.

I found this novel harder to read than some of Hepworth’s other books solely due to the topic of child abuse in a foster home. It’s always challenging to read about children being hurt physically and emotionally.

I like that the reader sees the characters dealing with their current personal problems in the midst of the investigation and the backstory of their upbringing.

My favorite aspect of the book is the close relationship between the main characters. I found the last quarter of the book very gripping.

This review is posted on Instagram and Facebook @beginandendwithbooks and on Goodreads Michelle Beginandendwithbooks

I always enjoy Sally Hepworth’s novels - absorbing, well plotted thrillers. Unfortunately the subject matter of this book was a little too dark for me. Still, I was gripped from start to finish and the twist was definitely a surprise.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Sally Hepworth has done it again! From the beginning I was pulled into this story filled with secrets and lies. Three sisters, now grown up and trying to live their lives are drawn back to their life with Miss Fairchild, their foster mother, after bones are discovered when the house is demolished. The story moves between the past and present and the point of view of each sister. As more is revealed, more questions are raised? What really happened and can the sisters move on from it?

I felt like there was too much back story with the girls and the foster home on this one, and then it started getting good at like 70% in which by then was too late. The twist with the therapist and the baby was all interesting for sure but still not one of my favs overall. Still a Sally Hepworth fan tho!

A trio of foster sisters must confront their worst memories of the home that brought them together when a police investigation makes a discovery there. As the women travel back to the place of their adolescence, they carry with them secrets that they’ve managed to keep from one another but that tie them together. Author Sally Hepworth returns doing what she does best in the domestic thriller genre with her latest page-turner, Darling Girls.

In Melbourne, Australia, Jessica Lovat has the most perfectly ordered life. As an expert in home organization, Jessica is sought all over the city for her ability to bring even the most chaotic living spaces into submission. So what if she happens to swipe a few bottles of Valium here or there? The uber rich women she works for probably don’t even miss them anyway, and it’s much easier than getting her own prescription. It’s also easier than admitting she needs one.

On the way home from working with her latest client, Jessica gets a call that forces her to pull to the side of the road. During the routine demolition of a building in the small town of Port Agatha, two hours away from Melbourne, construction workers came across human remains. Now the police want to talk to Jessica, because the remains were found under the foster home where she spent a decade of her life.

Jessica wants absolutely nothing to do with the investigation. The foster home, Wild Meadows, provided her with some of her most painful memories. The foster mother, Miss Fairchild, leaves Jessica feeling angry and confused and sad and desperate to please.

In the early years, Miss Fairchild loved Jessica best. After the others came, she gave her affection to them. Even though she knows Miss Fairchild was the problem, Jessica has been fighting a twisted sense of loyalty ever since.

Fortunately, Jessica wasn’t the only witness to Miss Fairchild’s erratic behavior. Her sisters, Norah and Alicia, each have their own complicated relationships with their former foster parent. Although Jessica, Norah, and Alicia aren’t sisters by birth, the awful upbringing they experienced at Wild Meadows bound them more closely than any blood bond could.

It makes sense, then, that the police reach out to all three women about the human remains at Wild Meadows, but the sisters aren’t surprised by the call. The world thought Wild Meadows was a safe home for children. No one knew better than Jessica, Norah, and Alicia that it was a place where children were punished for the smallest infraction by extreme measures, and a heavy burden they share from their years at Wild Meadows leaves them unsurprised about the discovery.

Now the three of them will have to figure out how much responsibility they bear for that burden. It’s the only way they’ll be able to convince the police, themselves, and each other that what happened during their years at Wild Meadows truly wasn’t their fault. Unless the police call them out first for what is looking more and more like murder.

Author Sally Hepworth’s latest book carries her trademark dedication to strong female relationships and the complications that run between them. All three sisters are flawed and relatable. It’s easy to draw a line between their years at Wild Meadows and the personality traits that develop later in life as a result.

Hepworth’s storytelling shines as she switches points of view from one character to the next, giving each of the women their own voices. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all share time on the page and get to tell their stories. Readers will find themselves sympathizing with the girls in a narrative that, despite being a world away, will sound unfortunately familiar to anyone with experience connected to any kind of foster or home care system.

The book is compelling enough to be read in a single sitting but, at times, lacks the depth of Hepworth’s earlier books. Readers follow the sisters from Melbourne to the town of Port Agatha and through the police investigation at a breakneck pace. The narrative would have benefited from a little more nuance and time spent with each of the women to build tension and allow the sense of drama to grow. Instead, it feels like the novel is running toward its conclusion, and it doesn’t give readers time to settle into any one plotline before jumping lanes.

Still, Hepworth’s books are always a delight. Those who enjoy her work will not be disappointed with this latest addition to her list.

This was my first Sally Hepworth book, and I will definitely be reading more!  "Darling Girls" is a dark and twisty thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter until the jaw-dropping ending. The story alternates between past and present from multiple viewpoints, including the perspective of an unknown patient during psychiatric sessions. I loved the alternating POVs to learn more about the girls' pasts and how they've adjusted to life outside of the foster home. In addition to this being an enthralling mystery full of twists and turns, it is also quite a poignant story about the three sisters grappling with their childhood traumas. This is one page-turner you won't be able to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ooooweee! This was a fantastic novel. I loved watching the mystery unfold and was immediately drawn to the characters. Hepworth had a lot to say about childhood trauama and overcoming your past and did so with care. There are some very disturbing scenes in this one but the jumps between the past and present helped to break the harder parts up. The narration was fantastic and I would highly recommend listening to this one!

In Darling Girls, you are introduced to Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, three girls placed into the foster care system for various reasons. They all end up under the care of Miss Fairchild on her large, country estate, Wild Meadows. Jessica is the first to arrive, and her bond with Miss Fairchild is almost instant. Since Jessica is pretty young, their bond grows enough for her to call Miss Fairchild "Mummy" (this book is set in Australia, so Mummy for mom). Things remain wonderful for "mother and child" until Jessica becomes school aged. They are now separated for part of the day, throwing off their natural rhythm. Then Norah shows up at the house, and everyone's world is turned upside down. Norah is a fighter. She has to be given the circumstances she was put in with her previous foster homes. Her fighting instincts don't go away even in this idyllic new life. Alicia is the last one to enter into the home. It was only supposed to be temporary, but sadly, it was not. As each girl enters into the house, the dynamic shifts. Miss Fairchild acts more and more strangely. The girls form a bond stating they are sisters in every single way except by birth. Nothing and no-one will rip them apart. Then comes Amy, a beautiful toddler, and their lives will permanently change with her arrival.

Fast forward to the future, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are summoned back to their foster home. Bones of a young child have been found, and they are questioned about everything that happened in that house. Suddenly, the past they have run so far from has collided with their future.

This was such a good, good book. Lots of twists and heart wrenching scenes. The characters were so well developed. Each of the three girls had a uniquely different personality before, during, and after staying at Wild Meadows. My emotions were so tied up into each one of them. And, wow, wow, wow! What an ending to a twisted story! I thought I knew what had happened, but I did not expect THAT!

I will say there should be a trigger warning due to all different types of abuse being portrayed. If you are sensitive to this, please be aware.

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors, her books never disappoint. Darling girls is a fast paced plot that you will not want to put down. The characters are a perfect fit and described so vividly, you feel as if you know them. Darling girls should definitely be put on your bucket list of books you want to read.