Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC of Darling Girls in exchange for my honest review!

This book was pretty average for me, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. It’s one of those solid 3 star reads that is a good time filler but didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat. I think the premise was SUPER exciting, but the book didn’t end up delivering in the way that I was expecting. If you manage your expectations (this is NOT a thriller/whodunnit), then I think you’ll enjoy this better than I did. Also this ended up being much darker than I thought it would be as well, make sure to check TWs before diving in!

Jessica, Norah, and Amelia are brought to Wild Meadows, a pretty country house to be raised by Miss Fairchild, their foster mother. Not all is as it seems and Miss Fairchild becomes unpredictable and often abusive. The three girls form a tight bond and this angers their foster mother who decides to foster babies, one at a time. One day the older girls break free from her and get away never to see her or their former home Wild Meadows again. Years later the women are called in for questioning by the police when human remains are discovered under the house when it was torn down. The rest of the book follows this mystery through and we go forward and backwards in time to learn more about these foster sisters. I enjoyed this thriller from Sally Hepworth, a favorite author of mine. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for an early copy. Darling Girls is available on April 23.

I have enjoyed many of Sally Hepworth’s previous works, but this one was not for me. The abuse these girls faced from their foster mother was incredibly disturbing. As someone who has adopted multiple children from foster care, my heart couldn’t handle these children being abused on the page. I’m sure many readers who are not sensitive to reading about child abuse will enjoy this thriller overall.

Holy cow! I have been immersed in this book for the past few hours. It was heart-wrenching at times and disturbing at other times. Jessica, Norah and Alicia are not blood sisters, but they are sisters united in the art of survival. Their bond may be even stronger than blood.

These girls grew up in foster care under the care of Miss Fairchild. From the outside looking in everything looks rosy, but the glass we are seeing through is murky. There is some sort of evil residing in this house of the worse kind because she looks perfectly normal to the outside world. After these girls escape from her clutches, they remain close, but the damage has already been done. These poor girls will never be completely healed. Their past abuse has definitely shaped them into the women they are today.

Now they have been contacted by police who found a body underneath the house of horrors they grew up. The police have questions. This story is told from dual points of view of Jessica, Norah and Alicia and it reverts from the present to the past to build the story. I was riveted to the pages right up until the chilling and twisted ending. I felt such empathy for these girls and the horrors they went through when they were young children. The mystery continues to build with an ending you will not see coming.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The "Queen of Domestic Suspense" and master storyteller Sally Hepworth and comedian (a favorite author) returns following The Soulmate with her latest highly anticipated addictive domestic unputdownable thriller, DARLING GIRLS.

No one does dysfunctional families better! I have read every book by Sally since her debut. She is a star! Each book is unique and has the signature Hepworth trademark style, which I love. She knows how to create some devilish characters and puts them through the wringer, but somehow (the good ones) come out stronger on the other side!

Meet Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. They call themselves sisters (not blood-related) but bond through their tragedies and misfortunes. Foster sisters.

As young girls, they are rescued by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild. They thought this would be a second chance to live a normal life at the lovely Wild Meadows. However, she is anything but—a total nightmare horror show.

When they entered this beautiful farming estate in an idyllic setting, Miss Fairchild put on a different face and personality, making them feel loved and part of the family.

However, soon, her true colors and personality rear its ugly face as a master manipulator, from cruelty, abuse, and gaslighting. She looks for the vulnerabilities and the weaknesses and uses them to her twisted advantage. The pool scene was scary!

Their fairy tales turn into horror. They learned Miss Fairchild was impulsive and highly unpredictable. She was never to be crossed, or you would PAY.

Desperately, the three girls escape, but she is always in the shadows of their minds. The girls have remained close friends, each with their own issues and problems.

Later, the media would call Wild Meadows a House of Horrors, The Secrets Buried Beneath the Wild Meadows, and What's Lurking in the Wild Meadows.

Before the media, a body is discovered under the home of Miss Fairchild in Wild Meadows some twenty-five years later. Now, the girls (women) are in the middle of a crime investigation as key witnesses, OR are they suspects?

The detectives come calling, and now they must relive the horrific past. Whose bones are under the house?

Oh my goodness! What a story. Initially, Miss Fairchild was charming and turned into Dr. Jekell and Hyde. That ending!?! Oh, my, so twisted!

I loved the girls' relationship, bonds, and sisterhood—each with its own struggles, insecurities, and traumas from the past that carry over to the present. The girls depend on one another for ongoing support.

DARLING GIRLS is told through the POVs of the girls, both past and present, infused with chapters from a chilling, unknown voice speaking with a creepy psychologist, Dr. Warren.

As always, Sally blends the dark evil side with the good, and the three strong, lovable girls/young women are resilient, resourceful, witty, and intelligent. I loved the gals!

If you enjoy darky charming, twisted villains, dark secrets, deception, gaslighting, revenge plots, mystery, suspense, and sisterhood mixed with MURDER —give DARLING GIRLS a whirl. Be prepared to be hooked from page one to the explosive, satisfying ending. And you will also be burning the midnight oil. I highly recommend all her books.

AUDIOBOOK: I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the talented Jessica Clarke, for a highly entertaining listening experience. I also read the e-book.

Thank you for the honor and privilege of reading an early ARC and ALC from St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
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Jessica, Norah, and Alicia ended up in the same foster home when they were young girls, bonding as sisters for life as they navigated day-to-day life with a strict and unpredictable foster mother who keeps them in line through psychological abuse. Now adults with the enduring emotional scars of their childhood, they are drawn back to the small town they grew up in after the body of a child is found under the home they grew up in. The police have questions that take the three women back to a traumatic period in their life and it's not clear whether they are considered witnesses or suspects. Alternating between the past and present and each woman's point of view, the story explores how the girls' childhood shaped their personality and distorted their ability to form close relationships with anyone but each other. Suspenseful with a couple of good twists, another hit from Sally Hepworth IMO!

I’m usually a big fan of Sally’s, unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.

I got about 15% in and DNF. I may try it at a later time, but as of right now, I’m not interested in the story or characters.

I think the timing is off for me and I may just need a break from certain genres.

No rating

I will read anything Sally Hepworth writes! I always enjoy her stories and this was no different. I enjoyed the multiple POV’s.
I love how she weaves a mystery within a believable story. Loved it!

I love Sally Hepworth, and this one was really good. Some of it is a bit hard to read if you are an HSP, but she is such a great writer and he deftly handles the tough stories. Recommend!

This is the 3rd Sally Hepworth book I’ve read, after The Soulmate (4/5 stars) and The Younger Wife (3/5). It was an entertaining read, and the last 1% made my jaw drop - but that’s about it. I thought it was pretty slow, there could’ve been quite a bit taken out. I will say that the insight into the foster care system made it evident that the author did her homework on the subject, which I can appreciate. At the end of the day, it was an OK read - probably not something that will stick with me months down the line. Definitely read the trigger warnings before diving in, as there were some uncomfortable and tough parts to read.

Thank you to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

2.5 Stars

I had so much hope for this book. I found it boring, to be honest. I also could not connect to any of the characters. I also do not think that it fits the thriller/mystery genre.

The whole thing with Jessica was ridiculous and she didn't even get in trouble for doing what she did.

There were so many spelling errors, that it took away from the book.

This was a dark tale of sisterhood by chance and trauma. A villainous character pulls the strings of the sisters’ lives in the past and present.

I'm not sure how to review this book; it's probably a perfectly fine book, I just feel like it wasn't for me. The writing was decent enough, and the dual past and present timelines worked well, but I found the past storyline far more interesting than the present. In addition, I found the characters to all be annoying and harsh. The ending had a good twist to it, but I can see how it could potentially be triggering to some readers. Overall, it was just "meh" for me, but I'm willing to say it was likely me and not the book.

This book had quite a few unexpected twists, and kept me reading to the end. It had many disturbing elements, so I can’t really say that I enjoyed it fully. As a retired children’s social worker, I guess I have some biases, but reading about child abuse is very upsetting for me. Nonetheless, I imagine that many readers will be drawn to the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth books are consistent favorites for me, and Darling Girls is no exception.

Told in varying character perspectives and timelines, this story kept me engaged and guessing even up to the ending. I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy!

I'd probably rate this 3.5 stars. I have enjoyed this author in the past so I was pleased when I was approved to read Darling Girls. The author writes well so I was interested from the outset of the book. However, I found this wasn't one that kept me wanting to read. I could easily put it down in favor of other things.

Darling Girls covers some very deep topics which may be triggering for some including child abuse, drug abuse, and sexual assault.

The story was interesting - three girls who grew up in foster care bonded together because of the abuse this endured. But somehow the execution was not fully there for me. I neither loved nor hated this story. It was just - fine!

I've seen some reviews where people were bothered by the ending. I was not and some of the "twists" I figured out along the way.

Overall, this was an ok read and because I have had prior experience with the author I would likely read other books written by her.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery/ thriller 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I hooked into this one right from the start!
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Dark and twisty thrillers
Unique plots
Unreliable narrator
Multiple POV
Forster children
Slow burn suspense
Narcissistic foster parent
Engaging reads

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Greyhound mix dog!

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Ending was a little too over the top for me

Sally Hepworth has done it again! I knew I had it all figured out, but then the last 3 pages, I realized I did not. I love her style of writing. She sucks you in and then gives you a twisty ride. I loved all these characters, except the ones you weren’t supposed to like. I felt for the girls and wanted to see them succeed. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read another by her!

Many thanks to my friends @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the free #gifted copies of this book.

Move over Miss Hannigan. You’ve got nothing on Miss Fairchild!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia share a tight knit bond of sisterhood after surviving years of abuse under foster mother, Miss Fairchild. When skeletal remains are found below their childhood home, secrets and suspicion loom large.

I’ve come to count on Hepworth’s remarkable ability to play with perception. She has a knack for whip smart plots that are deftly written and easily entertain. Her books are ones I count on.

But Darling Girls...it pains me to say... just didn’t give me that same experience.

While I appreciated the darker undertones and the well-depicted bond of sisterhood, little else clicked for me.

These sisters were so neglected. So abused. And yet, I found myself... not caring like I normally would.

Was it because I needed more depth and layering to the characterization? Was it the inconsistent pacing in the storyline? Maybe the gamut of holes in the plot or the meh present day timeline?

Honestly, I’m not sure. But whatever the reason, Darling Girls felt lackluster and underwhelming. Still, I’ll be eagerly awaiting what Hepworth writes next!

My SH rankings:
The Younger Wife 5⭐️
The Good Sister 5⭐️
The Soulmate 4⭐️
Darling Girls 3⭐️

🎧 I am a sucker for a buoyant Aussie accent. And narrator Jessica Clarke delivered. Her voice transported me across continents and immersed me in the land down under. She also navigated the multiple POV with skill and keep me engaged.

A terrific suspense story set in Australia about three young girls who met in a foster home called Wild Meadows in Port Agatha, run by a psychotic woman named Holly Fairchild. Jessica, Noah and Alicia eventually grow up to be as close as sisters but all bear the emotional and mental scars of how they were treated.

When Wild Meadows is torn down, bones are found buried under the old house, and all three women are contacted by the police. They decide to return to Port Agatha to face their demons.

A very absorbing, compelling story told from multiple points of view. I enjoyed these characters with all their flaws and appreciated the twists and turns of the plot.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new suspense novel. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.