Sally Hepworth has done it again.

Darling Girls was just a perfect Hepworth book. I loved the differing POVs, the past and present storylines. It made the book interesting and had me turning pages quick to figure out what all was happening.

I enjoyed that Jessica, Nora and Alicia were flawed but not unlikeable. And they weren’t unreliable narrators which is a nice change in thrillers. They knew what had happened to them and were gaslit into thinking otherwise. I trusted those girls with my life.

There are so many twists and turns in this book. And while I thought I had figured out the major twist early on, she adds one POV at the end to turn my world upside down.

As a big fan of Sally, I was thrilled to get my hands on this. In her typical fashion, Sally creates a unique cast of characters who you are never sure who to root for. While this wasn’t my favorite novel by her, I read it as quickly as my life commitments would allow due to the suspense. Sally is always an auto buy for me!

After recently reading The Soulmate, I was super excited to read Sally Hepworth"s new book Darling Girls and it did not disappoint!

This is the story of Jessica, Norah (without a T 😊) and Alicia who grew up together as foster children in a farmhouse called Wild Meadows with Miss Fairchild, their evil, narcissistic foster mother. The experience for each of them is slightly different but equally horrible and they develop a bond and become sisters not by blood but by love. Years later, they must return to the town where Wild Meadows is located when human remains have been found under the house. The story is told from the point of view of each of the three sisters and a mystery narrator.

My heart went out to all three sisters. Jessica becomes the organizer, the caregiver who looks out and supports her sisters but can't take care of herself. Norah is so smart and so beautiful but her anger issues get the best of her as a child and later as an adult and she is in constant trouble with the law. Alicia becomes a social worker with a huge heart but doesn't know how to let herself be loved.

There are definitely mysteries and twists but the beauty of the writing and the excellent character development makes this story so much more compelling than a typical psychological thriller. This was absolutely a 5 star read for me!

Thank you so much to netGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book which will be published on April 23, 2024.

Thank you net galley for the advance copy of Sally Hepworth DARLING GIRLS. It was awesome. The story centers around three girls that spent a couple of years together in the same foster home and their experiences while living there. The story goes back and forth between present day and what happened while they lived there. They kept in contact into their adulthood and when a body is found at Wild Meadows they make the trip back together. There were quite a few twists in this novel as is typical of Sally Hepworth novels. Personally, I think her books keep getting better and I am already looking forward to the next one.

Sally Hemsworth is an excellent storyteller. She combines elements of mystery and drama and addresses important topics without melodramatically hitting readers over the head. Darling Girls intertwines a mysterious death with an examination of the lives of children in the foster system. The characters are well-developed and believable. The plot is engaging and riveting. Another enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinion.

Sally Hepworth is the queen of the draw-dropping twist. She is an amazing author, who weaves masterful plots together. This newest installment is a wonderful example of what a psychological thriller should be. Twists that came out of no where, wonderful characterization, and just great character stories. Loved it!

This story was totally captivating and had many twists that I did not see coming. It was well written and easy to imagine, but at the same time so unimaginable that people could be so cruel. Every time I was convinced I knew who was really evil, I would be proven wrong. This was my first Sally Hepworth novel and definitely will not be my last!

I really liked how this was written. Interspersed with the story of the 3 foster girls was someone talking to a psychologist. Could not figure out who. On top of that is the mystery of the bones. Great twists at the end.

Very special thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth And St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this incredible psychological thriller.

I think the short amount of time that it took me to read this book just says it all. It was so good, you just can’t put it down! There are countless twists throughout, but so many towards the end. I would love to read it all over again for the first time. Highly recommend.

Not a positive view of foster care at all. Miss Fairchild is pure on crazy. I felt sorry for the children put in her care. But that twist at the end was a fabulous twist. That ending is why I read this author's book. She rocks!

Darling Girls, by Sally Hepworth, is a dark, disturbing novel that combines domestic drama with a mystery component and psychological thriller aspects. It’s fraught with tension that only increases as the story unfolds.

We follow three women, foster sisters, in both present and past timeframes and hear from each of their perspectives. They are drawn back to the town where they were raised when bones are found underneath the house they grew up in. The detectives have requested they return for interviews and the longer they are there, uncomfortable truths begin to come to light as they relive that traumatizing time in their lives.

Darling Girls is a very character-driven story that showcases significant personal growth and perseverance. We get to peer into the women’s growing up years, the atrocities they endured, and also the bond of friendship that carried them through. We also witness the related issues they currently struggle with in adulthood as a result of their earlier years. This is, admittedly, a hard read. The abuses within the foster system and the things done to these young children is revolting. But the strength and determination gained from simply having someone on your side is impactful and an important reminder.

The conclusion, of course, is twisty, startling, unsettling and yet also satisfying. This wasn’t my favorite book by this author given it’s distressing content and somewhat repetitive middle portion, but Sally Hepworth is a fantastic author who always pens engaging stories, and I will always read what she writes.

Hands down Sally Hepworth is one of my go-to authors. At this point, I would read anything she puts out. It could be the ingredients listed on a box, and if she wrote it I would devour it.

Darling Girls is enthralling, and I am going to so ahead and say it: it's PERFECT. 5 beautiful stars.

I was hooked on the story from Page 1 and was completely emersed in each characters story. Darling Girls is a slow burn, that is so satisfying you will stay up all night to finish it. Masterfully crafted, 3 sisters are brought together when they're informed a skeleton has been found in the remains of the home they all grew up in. Miss Fairchild is holding on to secrets, a w0man with something to prove, with a sinister plot line. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were so well written, I enjoyed them equally. Typically, with dual characters I attach to one more than the others, but I was invested in all sides of this novel.

Heart wrenching, with clever and humorous moments, Darling Girls isn't to be missed. The importance of seeking help for mental health is at the center of this story, and she writes about it beautifully and very respectfully.

THAT ENDING. This book will stay with me for a long time. Thank you to St Martins Press for the copy to review!

Solid 4.5. 3 sisters (found-family) that grew up in the same abusive foster home are called back to their childhood trauma when bones are unearthed at Wild Meadows, the name of the farm where they spent 5 years in their teens.
25 years later, Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been called by police for help with their investigation into the bones that were buried at Wild Meadows. Told in 4 POV, from childhood and what's happening to the girls as adults. Miss Fairchild also makes an appearance from her POV in therapy. The twist is, as always, excellent. I didn't see it coming.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

I enjoyed this one. I liked the writing and the twists. I did see a few things coming but that didn’t make me dislike the book. I was entertained throughout. Some of the things are hard to read, there is straight up child abuse mentioned as well as foster care - be aware. I liked the shifting timelines and the multiple POV - those are things I almost always like in a thriller. I wouldn’t say this is the most shocking thriller I’ve ever read, but I was entertained and flew through this one in a day. I’m happy with that!

Sadly this one didn't totally live up to my expectations or the recent hype around it. I thought the pace was quick enough and enjoyed the back and forth timelines, but there were a handful of parts that felt way too exaggerated or almost cheesy? Almost felt forced in some areas which just felt off. But like I said, it was a quick book and maybe a good one for a beach/pool read that doesn't make you think too much and you can just flow through it.

My new fave from Sally Hepworth. I could NOT put it down. But wowowow was it dark!! Lots of TWs (which can be spoilers, but in this case the whole book is basically about child abuse so pretty easy to sum that up.)

No one writes a f*cked up story that you don't want to put down like Sally Hepworth. Some might even say she's our very own Miss. Fairchild -- she lures us in and then finds ways to slowly break us down.

Jessica, Norah (with an H), and Alicia are sisters, not by birth, but by their shared placement as foster children at Wild Meadows, a lovely farmhouse complete with stables, land, and a pristine pool, owned by Miss Fairchild, their foster mother. While Wild Meadows is beautiful from the outside, Miss Fairchild submits the girls to daily tortuous physical and verbal abuse and erratic behavior -- and she keeps taking in babies for temporary placement and leaves all the caretaking to the girls. The girls finally concoct a plan to escape and leave Wild Meadows, and Miss Fairchild, behind for good.

Fast forward twenty-five years later, and the police contact each woman after remains are discovered at Wild Meadows during demolition. The girls reluctantly agree to go back to Wild Meadows and aid the investigation, but going home isn't always as easy as they say. Especially when everyone has secrets they would like to stay buried in the past.

I love Hepworth's sharp, quick writing, and I always appreciate the relationships -- especially between sisters -- that she examines in her books. I found the ending of this book to wrap up so quickly, which was odd because the girls lives at Wild Meadows were told with such detail.

I would recommend listening on audio because the narrator is fantastic. There are a lot of characters but she does a good job slightly differentiating the tone and inflection of each woman.

Four stars. Thank you, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was too dark for me but I LOVED the twist on who the psychiatrist was interviewing. I never saw it coming, Unfortunately, that brilliant twist was not enough to get me to enjoy this novel about child abuse in a foster home. Trigger warnings abound. The twist was enough for me to keep reading anything Sally writes, though!

Woooaah, this is easily Sally Hepworth's best book. Talk about wild twists and turns, on the edge of your seat dramatic. I was fully engaged the whole book and couldn't get enough. This book was really dark, different than a lot of Hepworth's books. I loved the back and forth with the different POV's from the sisters, and all the easter eggs throughout the book.

Please be aware of all the triggers in this one, because I wasn't aware of any of them and it threw me a little bit and I wasn't super comfortable for some of it. Also keep in mind this isn't necessarily a thriller, so don't have that mindset going in.

Sally Hepworth never disappoints. This book grabbed me from page one and kept me in a choke/heart hold. It covers child abuse/foster care so it may be rough for some people. It is a great book that will have you emotional. Lots of twists and unexpected turns. It definitely kept me guessing.

Thank you Netgalley, Sally Hepworth and Macmillan for the opportunity to read this ARC.