Wow this was a great book by Sally Hepworth! It will keep you guessing.

This story follows Jessica, Norah, Alicia, and their foster mother Miss Fairchild. You get to see the trauma these girls faced in foster care. This may be a little dark for some people. I really loved seeing all the points of view and watching the characters develop. Great book and would recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming a favorite thriller author for me. Each book I pick up of hers is just as good, if not better, than the last.

Darling Girls was not only a heartbreaking story, but it was also a masterfully crafted thriller. I loved how Hepworth decided to switch up narrators as well as timelines. This technique kept me fully engaged in both timelines. The reveals were breadcrumbed throughout the book. I would keep thinking I knew what happened and then she would throw another curveball. I was definitely kept on my toes which is something I enjoy about thrillers.

The subject matter is hard to read at times. I felt the anguish and shame and anger that the women relayed about their childhood. It was interesting to see how each one coped with these feelings as adults.

I can’t wait to read more of Hepworth’s backlist. She has been added to my auto-buy author list!

I have to be honest, I actually read this one last November, so I really should have reviewed it when the whole story was much fresher in my mind. However, it comes out on April 23, so naturally, I procrastinated until the end.

I’ve read several of Sally Hepworth’s novels and enjoyed them, but this one was a bit of a departure from her normal psychological thrillers. With The Good Sister, The Soulmate or The Younger Wife, you know what’s going on and it’s pretty clear who the culprit is early on in the novel while you wait for the main character to get there. Darling Girls was such an unexpected ride!

For the first half of the book, I’m not sure I even fully understood what was happening and it was a little slow-paced. Once I hit that halfway mark, however, the story started unraveling and I couldn’t put it down. Then, every time I thought I got it, I got hit with another twist! I never want to give away any spoilers, but this was a doozy and my favorite of her novels so far!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮:
👯‍♀️Enjoy domestic thrillers
👯‍♀️Love a found family
👯‍♀️Can handle reading about child abuse and trauma (it wasn’t intensely graphic, but reading about child abuse is never easy)

Fantastic psychological thriller!! I have become a Sally Hepworth fan over the last few years, so it was no surprise to me that this book was amazing from the first sentence.
The plot takes place in Australia, in a foster care home called Wild Meadows. Such a serene looking place and the name just brings peaceful thoughts. But is that really the case inside the walls of the old home?
The story is told in multiple person pov. I felt like the story was easy to follow, with the chapters being titled by the pov being told. The trauma, the drama, the lies, the grief.... it will bring you into a heartbreaking story but one you can't put down. We start with girls in the foster care home, then as the story unfolds it brings us into their adult life when they each receive a phone call from the police department in the town they grew up in. They're needed for questioning. A body has been found under the home they were raised in. What do they know? What are they willing to tell? I loved the feeling of 'sisterhood' that these girls had.
If you've never read a Sally Hepworth book, then it's time you picked up this awesome author. She won't make you regret your choice.


Thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth and St Martin's Press for allowing me this arc eversion copy to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

I finished this book last night and honestly my stomach is still in knots. This was my first read by this author and wow. As someone who went to school for Social Work and currently works with the vulnerable population, this book was such a tough and heavy read for me. I can’t necessarily say I “enjoyed it” as that just feels weird, but I do think it was a good read that will definitely stick with me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It captivated me from the beginning and held me until the very last page. I appreciate how it shone a light on foster homes and the everyday struggles some foster children go through. While the content itself was rough to read at times, it was written tactfully. The character and plot development was clearly thought out. The only thing that kept this from being a five star read for me was that there weren’t any characters I felt emotionally attached to. Other than that it was a fantastic read!

So, so good. I loved this book. It kept the reader engaged the entire time. There are little twists and reveals along the way and I was happy with the ending. There was trope that I am not a fan of (view spoiler) by one of the characters and it started to feel a bit repetitive, but by the end I realized how well it was done to get to where the story went.

All of the characters in this story have some issues they need to deal with and it was interesting to see how their childhood affected the adults they became. I enjoyed getting to know them and seeing how their relationships evolved as well.

This definitely does not have a neat bow ending if you need that and there are major abuse trigger warnings in this one, but if you want a book that keeps you reading this is great. I highly recommend this one and look forward to seeing what Hepworth puts out next.

This was a very well developed and gripping read. I was completely invested from the start wanting to know which character was having a session with their therapist. As the story progresses more and more information is dropped - while I found most of the reveals to be a bit predictable; however, the author still shocked me on the very last page. I never saw it coming. I will defiantly be checking out this author’s back list and keeping an eye out for future releases.

Darling Girls is about three former foster girls raised by an abusive foster mom. When bones are found on the premises decades later, they become suspects. (Major trigger warnings for child abuse and the foster care system.)

What worked: This was another solid mystery (not really a thriller) from Sally Hepworth. Like most of her novels, it was unlike everything I read. It was really fast-paced with short and engaging chapters designed to keep you reading, and you can fly through it. It kept suspense building (Such as whose bones are these?) and went in some unexpected directions.

What didn't totally work for me: Some of it was predictable, and I also felt the short, fast-paced nature of the book kept the reader from learning really complex things about the characters. While there was an overview of how they came to be and how they coped with their traumas, it lacked depth that could have made it a true learning experience for the reader.

Read this if: You want a fast-paced mystery and aren't triggered by child abuse or the foster care system.

This was a very much character driven story, more of a mystery than thriller. If you’re sensitive to abuse and trauma stories then you might want to skip this one. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

[4.75]

OKAY! This one was SO good I can't even write a blurb about it. This was my first Sally Hepworth novel and it won't be my last. Going into it, I thought it'd be your typical domestic thriller - family drama (and trauma), the wife/mother is the main person behind it all, etc. However, I have a serious case of whiplash. Every time I thought I had the twist figured out, I was way off. And then the twists kept coming. AND THEN THE ENDING ITSELF WAS A TWIST. I'll be thinking about this one for a while. I loved the dynamic between the three sisters and how their experiences in their foster home shaped their futures. I really connected with each sister and felt how this awful experience made an impact on their lives - both positive and negative. The only reason why this did not get a full 5 stars is because I hated Miss Fairchild so much (which was the point, I know lol).

If you're looking for something that is going to ruin your life in the best way, please give this one a read! It may end up being one of my favorite books of the year.

WOAH. This was intense. It was a difficult read for me, I had to take a few breaks but I’m so glad I finished it. Darling Girls was a true testament to found families while also shedding light on the corruption of the foster system. Sally Hepworth knows what she’s doing!!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Three foster women return to their childhood home when a body is found.

Sally Hepworth delivers another great read that you won't want to put down. Jessica craves the affection of a loving mother when she is placed under the care of Miss Fairchild. Things go well as Jessica and her foster mother, Miss Fairchild, create a loving bond. Their relationship begins to change for the worst as two additional girls, Alicia and Norah, join the household. Many years later as adults, all three women return to Wild Meadows. Their return brings back childhood memories which lead to answers regarding a dead body on the property.

Sally weaves three women collective experience growing up in foster care flawlessly. Their childhood experience shape their unique personalities which develops in each chapter. I highly recommend this book for those wanting a read with an ending you won't see coming.

The latest from the queen of domestic suspense. This is a story based around three girls who met in the same foster home. Now some 2 decades later they have been contacted by the police because some human bones are found buried in the grounds of the foster home. This brings to light the entire back story and a whole lot of memories. Narrated from multiple Points of View of the characters and fluctuating between Now and Before, this is an easy entertaining read. Not just a suspense novel but also a story of sisterhood and female friendships and what it means to be a family. Perfect for the upcoming summer.

Thank you Netgalley, St Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for the ARC

Wow! I was so drawn into Jessica, Alicia, and Norah’s story. And when we got to the end I was like yeah it all turned out the way I wanted. It was twisty and fun but not unexpected. And then i read the final chapter and the plot twist I didn’t see coming flipped the world upside down! A whole book to foreshadow a single chapter! It was amazing!
* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

What a wild ride! I thought multiple narrators plus duel timelines was going to be confusing, however the characters were all so well developed and distinct enough that it was easy to understand the story. This was my first Sally Hepworth book and it will not be my last. Every time I thought I knew the twist, I was almost always wrong!

Wow! Darling Girls is a book that pulls at the heartstrings. There are hardships, misfortune, struggles, but also true friendships and loyalty. It centers around the Wild Meadows foster home and the lives of three girls who spent time growing up there. After facing loss and tragedy in their personal lives, they were "lucky" to be placed together at Wild Meadows with the caring Miss Fairchild ... or were they???

Jessica, Norah and Alicia faced some incredibly difficult and troubling challenges and obstacles growing up. And now at Wild Meadows, they are confronted with lies, secrets, abuse, betrayal and maybe even murder ... Although this book could be depressing and at times horrific, I was glued. Why do some people do bad things? What makes a true sister? Why do people stay devoted to each other? How do people survive in tough situations? How does childhood trauma affect someone the rest of her life? Darling Girls is a compelling and engrossing read, and I'm glad I picked it up. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC.

In the 1990s, Miss Fairchild, an owner of the foster house, appeared to be a kind and caring person who was happy to be a mother to girls who had lost their parents. She was also unpredictable, and it was difficult to determine her mood. And then she became a monster to her Darling Girls.

Three sisters who are not related by blood, but by the foster house where they lived, return to Wild Meadows, where bones were found during excavations. What happened in the foster home many years ago?
 
During the investigation, everything began to get complicated, and it was difficult to guess who was telling the truth and who was lying. At the top, everyone had their own secrets that added adrenaline to the story. At one point in this book, everyone seemed suspicious to me. The most traumatic moment was the end. Just when I thought everything was resolved, the last two pages changed everything again.
 
This is what I like most about thrillers. Unpredictable plot twists and a shocking ending.
 
It’s a great book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and didn't want it to end.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.

First and foremost: ***Content warning*** for intense child abuse and neglect
I couldn't put this book down and really connected with the three sisters. The very end was shocking and disconcerting and I'm not sure it fit with the rest of the story as much as it maybe would have without the final twist, but that's just my opinion.

I always enjoy reading books by Sally Hepworth and Darling Girls did not disappoint! This is the story about 3 young girls, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who are all in foster care and are placed at Wild Meadows Farm in Port Agatha. Their foster mother is Miss Holly Fairchild. Although the girls are not related to each other, they grow up to be very close and consider themselves sisters. This is because of the horrible treatment they experienced while under the care and supervision of Miss Fairchild. Fast forward approximately 25 years and the police have called the girls back to Port Agatha because a child’s remains have been found buried under the house where they had lived. This was a great read, I liked how each chapter was about a different character and how they were sometimes told in the past and then sometimes during the present. It made the story really easy to follow. I found it interesting how the abuse they suffered caused them such differences in their personalities. One turned to drugs, one to violence and one was afraid to show her feelings. This was a story that kept me turning the pages because I couldn’t wait to see who those human remains belonged to and who was responsible. But just when I thought everything had been explained and that there wasn’t going to be anymore surprises, the author decides to end the book with the biggest shocker of all! Did it all stem from jealousy, craziness or pure evil? This is a book you don’t want to miss! I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the arc. I’m giving it a 5 star rating and highly recommend reading this book.