I’ve read several of Sally Hepworth’s novels and have yet to be disappointed! I found Darling Girls to be a very well-written story and I especially appreciate the care with which she depicted the lives of the characters who’d experienced the foster care system. While most of the circumstances they endured throughout the story are heartbreaking, they are all too common in the nonfiction world of foster care.

The relationships built between the girls who were put together are what make the story so meaningful; I loved all of these characters and the ways in which they supported each other! As usual for Hepworth’s novels, Darling Girls is not without its twists and turns and I was thoroughly engaged and did not anticipate how it would end! Another great read by this author!

Darling Girls is an emotional, compelling read about Norah, Alicia and Jessica, three young foster sisters, their experiences living with their troubled foster mother, and the discovery, twenty-five years later, of a body buried under the house in which they lived.

Told in dual timelines (Norah, Alicia and Jessica as young girls and them as adults) and from each woman’s point of view, this family relationship and mystery story unfolded seamlessly. It was gripping throughout, though emotionally challenging to read at times (the novel deals with trauma and abuse but also resilience). I felt for each of these characters and rooted for them. The mystery element - whose body was discovered and who was the murderer - had some great twists and turns and there was a satisfying ending and a final clever twist.

This is one of Sally Hepburn’s best novels and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I will admit, I was skeptical going into this one. I wasn’t a huge fan of the other Hepworth book I read (The Younger Wife) so I didn’t have very high expectations, but it surprised me.

Darling Girls is a duel timeline journey full of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes. The writing style and short chapters made it really easy to consume, and by the time I got to the end of a chapter I found myself constantly telling myself I had time to squeeze in one more, cause look! It’s only 5 pages!

I liked that this book focused more on the mystery element, as I found The Younger Wife was advertised as a mystery/thriller but then ended up being more of a family drama. I was worried that would also be the case here but was happy to find it wasn’t.

If you don’t consider yourself a fan of Hepworth but love mysteries I would suggest still giving this one a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin Press for the eARC of this book.

Sally Hepworth is an auto read/buy author for me. If she writes it, I read it! When Darling Girls was available on NetGalley I literally rushed to request it, and couldn’t have been happier to be approved. Let me tell you, I was not surprised how much I loved this book!

Three foster sisters need to reunite after the bones of a child are found under the home they grew up in. I mean honestly, that description is enough for me to want to read a thriller, but this book was so much more than that. It literally messed with my mind in a good way. I couldn’t trust any of the sisters yet, I felt so many emotions for each of them.

The multiple perspectives and dual timelines worked perfectly for this book with each sister sharing her story. Then Hepworth throws in a fourth narrator who we don’t know who it is until way into the story. Hepworth writes domestic thrillers so well, and I loved that she took this one a little further and gave us a dark and twisted psychological thriller. I didn’t know who to trust, and that worked perfectly for me! The twists kept coming up until the very end which made this a must read thriller for sure!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Darling Girls is a wonderfully crafted psychological mystery. Set in Australia, we follow three foster children and their unstable foster mom. Years later, they receive a call pulling them back to that time in their life…human remains have been discovered. Will they ever be free of Miss Fairchild?

This was my first book by Sally Hepworth and I found it a bit disappointing. I didn't find this to be much of a mystery or thriller, despite the twist at the end and I just did not find the characters very compelling, especially Jessica who was just annoying. I think I expected something much different from what the book ended up being but I would still try another book by this author.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy.

Darling Girls tells the story of three foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who bonded while growing up together on an idyllic farming estate with their erratic foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Many years later, when a child's body is found on the property, the sisters are questioned by the police but are they witnesses or suspects?

I found Darling Girls a little slow to get into and didn't like it as much as I have other Sally Hepworth books I've read. But once the story started developing and more secrets were discovered, it did become a page turner. Miss Fairchild was such a complex and manipulative character! I really enjoyed seeing the different perspectives from each sister when it came to their relationships with her. The sprinkling of the psychiatrist appointments at the end of some chapters was what kept me reading. This is a heartbreaking story of survival that will stay with you for awhile. -g

Read if you like:
▪️Dual timelines
▪️Multiple POVs
▪️Sisterhood
▪️Psychological mystery

DARLING GIRLS is the latest psychological suspense novel by Sally Hepworth. I have read and enjoyed several of this author’s novels, but this is my new favorite. It is a dark and twisty story of sisters and secrets with a compelling murder mystery thrown in. Three girls, Jessica, Norah and Alicia, form an unbreakable bond while under the care of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Each was rescued from a tragic situation and given a second chance for happiness on a secluded farming estate in Port Agatha called Wild Meadows. But things are not as perfect as they might seem. Miss Fairchild secretly subjects the girls to cruel psychological manipulation that leaves them traumatized long after they escape her care. The three young women retain their strong bond of sisterhood into their adult years. Twenty-five years later, they are contacted by the Port Agatha police to inform them that human remains have been found buried beneath the estate where they once lived. The three reluctantly return to Port Agatha and become involved in the police investigation. Who is buried beneath their former home and are they suspects or witnesses? The story alternates between the past and present and is told from the points of view of Jessica, Norah and Alicia. Having these different points of view gives the reader a true sense of what these women have been through and what they have overcome. The story kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the shocking ending. I enjoyed this well-plotted and riveting tale and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

LOVED this new one from Sally Hepworth!

I think I’ve read all of her books except for one and they never disappoint me. This one though might be my new favourite! Lies, secrets, sisters and a twisted foster home! Definitely check out the trigger warnings on this one before diving it but wow I couldn’t put it down.

There were twists I didn’t see coming and that ending!!
So good!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy!!

Just finished reading and did not disappoint!! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Sally Hepworth throws in a twist that I didn't see coming. Highly recommend

Darling Girls is a psychological thriller about three girls who grew up in a foster care home where they bonded as sisters for life. 25 years later, the past collides with the present when a body is found under their former foster home. The story of their traumatic childhood is told mostly from the 3 sisters POV and alternates between past and present with pieces of the puzzle being revealed along the way.

It started out a little slow but that was because Hepworth was taking the time to develop multiple characters which I appreciated. The characters were given distinct personalities which heavily reflected on the coping mechanisms they used due to childhood trauma. After characters were introduced, the story really picked up and was hard to put down. There were a couple of twists I didn’t see coming. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I actually did not and was so wrong. It definitely kept me guessing and wanting to read more to see what happened next…in my opinion, this is what makes a great thriller. Hepworth does a great job balancing a very heavy topic with humor and sarcasm, although some was dark humor, it was definitely needed to help keep that balance.

I was fortunate enough to have an epub and audio version and appreciated having both. I listened to the entire story but was thankful to have the kindle version to look back on different characters and to see and understand the multiple POVs and alternating timelines.

Trigger warnings—domestic/child abuse and family trauma

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia became sisters while in foster care at Wild Meadows. After putting their childhood behind them, they are forced to come back to Wild Meadows after human bones are found underneath the house. Even though they participate in the investigation and tell the police of their experiences, none of their lives stopped. Each woman has their own set of traumatic experiences with Miss Fairchild, and each of them has her own life that continues. Though the mystery revolves around whose bones are found and how they got there, I was more interested in the dynamics of the women.

I was ready to be annoyed with the ending because I wanted more.
THEN THE LAST CHAPTER HITS.

Enjoyed this read by Sally Hepworth. She has an ability to write characters that are vastly different, but still empathetic, and you can become invested in them. Some harder topics but still a relatively easy read, and delivers in the way Hepworth always does.

WOWOWOW this was a gripping thriller for sure. Hepworth dove into some intense foster family dynamics, and I could not put this one down (seriously I was up until 3am trying to wrap it up). I was holding my breath during the quiet yet unpredictable scenes with Miss Fairchild. Not once was I able to predict how this story was going to end, it took me by complete surprise. I'm glad the three girls, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia stuck together throughout life. I can't imagine the real-life horrors foster children must go through. Definitely a trigger warning for readers.

I’m not a huge thriller girl but I do love a juicy Sally Hepworth novel since they tend to be fun and suspenseful but not too creepy / disturbing. That being said, this book felt a lot more dark / creepy than her previous books, so much so that I didn’t think I’d be able to keep reading past the first few chapters but I’m so glad I pushed through! The first 25ish% is pretty awful and unsettling to read since it’s dealing with child abuse but it gets better once the other sisters are introduced and in true Sally Hepworth fashion she pulls it all together for a very satisfying ending and she sprinkles in plenty of comedic relief throughout that helped make the book way more fun/ less depresso. I LOVED these sisters and overall enjoyed this story though I do think it’s my least favorite of all the SH books I’ve read so far.

<i> Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review. </i>

Another hard to put down book that is both thought and emotion evoking. As with her other books, Darling Girls is well written, well thought out, gripping, twist filled, moving and shocking. You won’t be able to put this down.

Three girls, Norah, Alicia and Jessica are placed in the foster home of Miss Fairchild. All seems fine to the outside world, but behind closed doors it is a nightmare. They suffered together under the highly unpredictable, extremely strict, and often cruel and abusive Miss Fairchild. When small infants were placed in Miss Fairchild’s care, the girls would take care of them and try and keep Miss Fairchild happy so they were not abused. The three girls figured that they needed to stick together to get through this. They formed an unbreakable bond. Now as adults they’ve kept that bond alive, always vigilant for one another. They still wondered what happened to the infants that they had to leave behind once they “aged out” of foster care.

The women, Norah, Jessica and Alicia are contacted by police when bones are found buried under Miss Fairchild's former home. Miss Fairchild and the sisters return as requested by the police. Maybe they’ll find some answers of their own. Could this be one of the foster children that was there before them? After all they did find clothes and toys with “Amy” on them in the basement.

Sally Hepworth wrote such a gripping and suspenseful story with this one, that it will keep you guessing until the end. THE END!! Oh boy, it got me. I could have never guessed.

This is a fast paced, character driven thriller that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. The story and the characters were unexpectedly unique and some of the twists caught me entirely off guard. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy.

This was dark and emotional as we follow three foster siblings and learn how childhood trauma and abuse can impact lives differently later on in life. I was fully invested in this book from the beginning and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know it all about everyone and everything. I feel like it can sometimes be hard for a thriller to have a well written plot AND well written characters, but Hepworth did a phenomenal job at both.

I loved reading about the relationship between the three girls and the lengths they would go to in order to protect each other. I also enjoyed the snippets of the past about what they endured when they were children. I LOVED the exploration of family that we get in addition to the mystery.

The alternating POVs give a good sense of each woman and how their pasts have affected them in the present day. There are also a few chapters of psychiatrist visits with an unknown person that I found to be so interesting!

✨ multiple POVs and timelines
✨ super twisty 🌪️ I guessed a few things, but there was still a lot I didn’t see coming
✨ short chapters + fast-paced
✨ features dogs!!
✨ the ending?!?! mind blown and jaw on the floor level of shock 🤯😱

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Sally Hepworth's books and am always anxiously awaiting her next one! Darling Girls did not disappoint! I loved the premise of the story and the well developed relationship between the 3 "foster" sisters. The twist and turns kept me questioning what was really happening and I did not guess the ending at all! Thank you net galley for the advanced ebook!

Okkkkkk this blew me out of the water!! (pun intended!)

I could NOT put this one down! I loved the story, the pacing, the povs…(I think you all catch my drift!)

While I would be mindful of TW – this wasn’t a scary or gory. And I’d describe this as a “popcorn thriller” – just on the basis of it not being TOO heavy of a thriller.

I love how distinct each pov was – the character depth was out of this world! While they were SO different – the “invisible string” tying these girls together was so powerful.

I also think the care and attention to the subject matter was done beautifully.

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT TWIST!?!?! I LOOOOVED IT!! I appreciated how while it was mind blowing – it wasn’t too over the top or completely out of left field to be believable!

This is now my new favorite Sally Hepworth book!!