3 "sisters" that were raised together in foster care. with a dual timeline, one describing compete over the top horrors in the. way it was done. I think it lacked true depth and the main hook was shock after shock. This generally has the opposite effect on me and I get bored, which I did. This may have been my least favorite by Hepworth.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a spine-tingly multiple perspective thriller taut with suspense and fascinating twists. Flashbacks are cleverly done and give necessary back stories.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia come from brokenness and are thrust into a walking-on-eggshells situation with their disturbed foster mother. They become sisters through shared trauma and loyalty to each other. Miss Fairchild is unhinged and treats the girls abysmally, neglects them yet at times smothers. Her rules are unusual, she is unpredictable and she must not be crossed. At first Jessica felt adored and loved but things change. Some time later, the girls finally leave. As adults, they are contacted as a dead body is found at the foster home they shared as girls. They're understandably not enthused about re-living their nightmares but have little choice.

Though well plotted, riveting and beautifully written, my mind was unsettled and not in a good way. Abuse and dysfunction are rife and left an acrid impression. This is not my favourite Hepworth but is more of a personal taste thing.

Those seeking a gripping psychological thriller may love this. Just know child abuse is rampant.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engrossing novel.

Well… the fact that at ONE point I felt sorry for Miss. Fairchild ONLY to have that final twist absolutely make myself disgusted that I could EVER feel sorry for someone so sick and cruel shows just how well her character was written! I enjoyed the back and forth timelines, as well as Jessica’s perspective. I didn’t quite find myself caring much for Alicia’s or Norah’s though. Overall, addictive towards the 60% mark to the end.

Amazing book! I love the color and the way the title is linked to the story. I enjoyed the multi POV. While not a thriller in the usual sense, this book kept me hook from the beginning. I read this whole book in one sitting. There were some typos, but nothing that wouldn’t be caught in final editing. Definitely looking forward to more by this author.

2.5 ⭐️
Three grown foster sisters head back to their childhood foster home when the bones of a child are found. The majority of the story features flashbacks to the girls’ time in foster care with their abusive foster mother.

Too much was tackled here: child abuse, substance abuse, a broken foster system, murder… the author tried to do too much and for me, it was just too disjointed and contrived and. The nonlinear timeline also felt fragmented and didn’t flow well.

There were parts that were good and I love Hepworth’s signature twist endings, but unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me.

The story pulled me in right from the beginning and held my interest throughout. This is the story of 3 foster girls that forged an everlasting sisterhood bond while living at Wild Meadows with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Definitely a page-turner to unbury the secrets that lies under Wild Meadows. Once again, great writing from this author. A suspenseful plot with well-developed characters. Loved Norah's character.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for an ARC of "Darling Girls".

Darling Girls definitely pulled me in and was a page turner with a compelling mystery. I would normally have flown through it, but the child abuse, and the constant threat of it, made me feel uneasy and put the book down for a time. While it isn't my favorite book by this author, it was a solid thriller with a hard twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this arc.

Overall this was a super entertaining thriller. The pacing at the beginning felt a little off for me personally, but once I was hooked I flew through this book. This story jumps between multiple POVs and multiple timelines which worked really well for me. Hepworth really stuck the landing with the ending as well.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Dazzling Girls" is an enthralling psychological mystery/thriller that captivated me from beginning to end. The tale of three foster girls forging an enduring bond in the face of their harsh foster mother's cruelty held my attention every step of the way.

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫

Thank you to @Netgalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Darling Girls is yet another winner from author Sally Hepworth! This thrilling and suspenseful tale of a decades old murder being uncovered is told by changing the point of view and by switching from a past timeline and the current timeline.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia met as children as they all past through the foster care system and were eventually all placed with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. The girls time with Miss Fairchild was tough to endure but bonded the trio as sisters who are now adults and forced to look back at their past.

After receiving a call from the local police near their old foster home Jessica, Norah, and Alicia travel together to face the past. After the old home was torn down bones of a child were discovered underneath. The women are asked to help police determine just how that child came to be there and who it could possibly be.

It might be a little obvious that Sally Hepworth is an author that I absolutely love returning to after enjoying all the books I’ve read from her so far. Darling Girls quickly showed it would rate right up there with her past novels as it drew me into the story and just wouldn’t let go. This book is one that is obviously not going to be for everyone with child abuse being the main theme or the story but if the dark theme is one that will pull you in I highly recommend checking this one out and hold tight until the very end!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Sally Hepworth has done it again. This story is so good, it kept me guessing until the end. It tells the story of Jessica, Norah and Allison and their time in Foster care.
It is told from each of their perspectives of how it was.

We are now in present day when the three of them are called back to their town where the home once stood. There has been a discovery on the premises and they need to meet with detectives.

Ms. Hepworth knows how to make us think one thing and pull the rug out from under you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Amazing book! Had me guessing until the very end and I was so wrong! Tons of character build up made me feel like I had to keep on reading to find out what happens next. Would recommend to anyone who loved a good psychological thriller, but does include some hard things to read (child abuse).

I’m literally depressed that I have to give this one 2 stars. Like where is Sally?? Is she ok? Because there is no way this is the same author as The Soulmate.

The writing was childish and choppy, and the whole story was just way too over the top. It’s literally 350 pages of (mostly) child abuse. I’m not even exaggerating. Every. Single. Chapter. I’m disgusted and feel very uneasy.

I did finish the book because I wanted to know what happened, but I would say it was fairly predictable and the ending was not very satisfying. I wish I had better thoughts 😭

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this ARC of the Darling Girls!

Mystery and suspense readers will enjoy this book. The dark side of foster care comes to light as three girls bond together to endure an abusive foster mother. Told in a past and present manner, the girls share their story while an unknown character is being interviewed by a psychiatrist. The unknown becomes apparent rather quickly as the tale unravels. The three girls are obviously damaged by the abuse by Miss Fairchild dealt out. Some twists at the end will certainly surprise some readers.

4.25-4.5 stars

First, let me say I think Sally Hepworth deserves more attention! If you read Ruth Ware, Shari Lapena, Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell, etc. you should definitely check out Sally Hepworth's thrillers!

Second - trigger warnings - abuse of minor children. Nothing terribly graphic, but could be upsetting nonetheless.

This book involved multiple POVs and alternated between the past and present, but I did not find it confusing at all. The three main characters were well developed and I liked the relationships amongst themselves.

This was definitely a readable book, but probably not my favorite from this author (definitely recommend The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law especially).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: April 23, 2024

Sally Hepworth has done it again and is definitely on my automatic read authors list!!!

Jessica, Norah and Alicia foster children that have formed a bond while at Wild Meadows under the care of Miss Fairchild. They survived their time there but are called back after a discovery is made under the house. All three girls stories are told and does alternate back and forth some to then and now. Easy to follow though.

A mystery/thriller that is written with overcoming qualities, no slow burn here, some romance, conquering a life threatening addiction and drama with a perfectly written resolution. Highly recommend this read!!

And THAT ENDING!!!

Thanks to netgalley and St Martins press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
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Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were all placed in the care of Miss Fairchild, their foster mom, after tragedy stuck their families. The girls experience trauma and abuse during their stay with Miss Fairchild and finally break away. 25 years later, human remains are found at the property where the sisters stayed. They are called back to Wild Meadows and thrust back into their traumatic past.
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🔹Psychological thriller/mystery
🔹Past and present timelines
🔹Pieces of the puzzle are slowly revealed
🔹Keeps you guessing until the VERY end!
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Thank you netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book!

This was my first Sally Hepworth and I have to say it won’t be my last. I really enjoyed the plot of this book. It brought me in from the start. Specifically when the opening page was someone talking to a psychiatrist but we weren’t clued in on who it was. It was nice to see just how different the sisters are from each other but they still had a very tight bond. It was exciting to see how the past shared trauma showed up in the girls present lives. I really like the alternating chapters (and past and present chapters) because the reader got to see each girls individual thoughts. I do with the chapters were written in first person since that seems more intimate. I sometimes forgot who was speaking because of the third person POV.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

DARLING GIRLS by Sally Hepworth

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

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters through their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. While her farm seems like a perfect placement for these pre-teen girls, the abuse they suffer is an undercurrent of the household. As adults, a body is found below the farmhouse, and the police have questions.

This is a story of generational trauma. The emotional abuse these girls went through and the gaslighting and withholding of love… plus mention of “the lucky ones” because there wasn’t physical or sexual abuse- mentioned again in the acknowledgments- no child deserves any of it. Bad/hurt people can raise children who can turn into bad/hurt people.

The short chapters, the suspense- all of it kept me in the story and I did not want to put it down. There were dual timelines and povs, but I never felt overwhelmed or confused. I thought the characters were well developed- I appreciated how each sister dealt with the trauma in a different way.

My only complaint is how everything fit together. About halfway through I figured out where I thought it was going, but then the last chapter flipped it all upside down. I think maybe this chapter was just added as a major twist / shock value, that sort of took away from the rest of the story. It didn’t ruin it for me, but I think it could’ve ended with the sisters’ “later on” parts.

Sally Hepworth is a talented writer and unexpectedly this is another entertaining thriller. Definitely going to be a popular one around Bookstagram / Goodreads!

Pretty twisted, Sal! Those last 2 pages, damn girl! Ever since I had a kid of my own, books with bad things happening to kids are hard. Consider that before reading, but this has all kinds of twists and turns and I just couldn’t stop reading - it’s a YAS from me.