Sally Hepworth did not disappoint with another amazing book jam packed with twists and turns! It even had some snarky humor. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this book and well all of her books!

Darling Girls is a whirlwind, mind boggling, heart wrenching novel that makes you second guess everything.
A Multi-POV thriller that keeps you on your toes. Each backstory to tie together the whole story of a who-dunnit after a body was found under the Foster home the main characters lives in for a period of time.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves a great plot, character development with plenty of twists.

Thank you for the early advanced copy! I was very invested in the setup of the story and couldn't wait to dig into the mystery it promised. The pacing at the beginning hooked me right away, and I was sure the body under the house was going to be Ms. Fairchild. The final twist about Ms. Fairchild was great. Turns out she was the real monster all along!
But then things kinda slowed down once we found out she was alive. It felt like the story lost its steam in the middle.
Rating this one was tricky because it had me glued to the pages, but it also left me feeling pretty disturbed. I liked how the author switched between past and present with the foster children storyline—it kept things interesting. However, I think they dwelled a bit too much on the abuse stuff, and I wish she'd spent more time developing the characters. Overall though, the story flowed well, and there were some surprises I didn't see coming mixed in with the stuff I could predict. It's definitely a book that'll keep you turning pages, even if it's a bit heavy at times.

I recently finished Darling Girls , and I must say, it took me on quite the journey. From the very first page, I was hooked by its intricate plot and dynamic characters. The author skillfully weaved a web of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

What I loved most about the book were the unexpected surprises sprinkled throughout. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another curveball was thrown my way, leaving me eagerly turning the pages to uncover the next revelation.

And oh, the ending! It was nothing short of shocking. Without giving away any spoilers, I’ll just say that it left me reeling and contemplating the story long after I turned the final page.

In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend Darling Girls to anyone who enjoys a gripping, suspenseful read filled with surprises. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions that you won’t want to miss.

I was lucky enough to snag an audio and e-book copy and I'm so glad that I had the chance to experience both. The narrator was wonderful, and I easily followed along with who was who within the story. The sister element is a favorite of mine and this was multi-layered. The past and present timelines were well done and tied the story together and the addition of the therapist notes added a twisty element. This was a story that kept me guessing and still found a way to shock me at the end. Well done.

Miss Fairchild has a had a history of taking in foster girls. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia we raised in Miss Fairchild home but have differing memories of growing in the household. With the discover of a body, the girls must re-examine their memories to face the truths of their past.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth--Thriller fans will likely enjoy this upcoming release (April 23) by Sally Hepworth. Norah, Jessica, and Alicia spent several years together as foster children in Miss Fairchilds' abusive home. Now as adults they still consider themselves sisters bonded by their childhood. Then they are contacted by police about bones being found under their foster home and drawn back into the story of their childhood. Flashbacks are used to fill in the story. I liked that the chapters were short and fast-moving. The twist ending wasn't super shocking but maybe I've just read too many thrillers.

As an avid, long-time fan of Sally Hepworth's novels, I started DARLING GIRLS expecting her clear-eyed, well-written story of what happens when three young women are brought for their perspectives for a murder investigation involving their foster home at Wild Meadows and Miss
Fairchild. Each character is given a voice and I enjoyed the wildly different perspectives and the dual timelines of their past and the current day when police are attempting to solve the mystery of bones found underneath the house where they lived. Hepworth is an excellent writer -- and I particularly savor her descriptions of setting and surroundings. What did me in was the horrific cruelty and unbelievable horrors inflicted on the vulnerable children left unsupervised and undefended under the care of a pretty "Barbie doll" blonde monster dressed to impress. Even knowing that the girls ultimately left the farm and grew up did not help. I wondered if the horrors inflicted on the children might have been better hinted at rather than drawn out in exquisite detail with additional insight on how they moved past that time to arrive in the current day and in creating new futures for themselves now that the past truths are known. Deeply disappointed in how a fascinating story was told. Do not recommend. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Foster families, emotional and physical abuse coupled with a murder is everything you can expect from Darling Girls. I enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s last novel, The Soulmate so much but can not say the same for this novel. The past and future timeline is always a great page turner for me but the depth of the characters was a miss in this novel. I am still a Sally Hepworth fan and look forward to another novel from her in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and Saint Martin Press for the opportunity to read in advance.

This would have been a 5* but I thought there was a lot of repetition of the days spent under Ms. Fairchild’s care. It slowed the book down a bit. Otherwise, great page turner! I found myself fully invested in this book from the very beginning and found it hard to put this book down. I wanted to know about the bones, how they got there and whose bones were buried under the house. I found this to be a suspenseful and shocking read. I enjoyed reading the POV chapters and learning more about each character. I also enjoyed the therapy sections and did not know initially who was talking to the therapist. This book does discuss the mistreatment and abuse of children, and it may be a trigger for some, so please be aware of this.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this review. I'm a longtime Sally Hepworth fan and I always get excited when I receive and ARC of her work. I was expecting this book to be just as great as her other books, but I found myself struggling with this one.

Firstly, I'm not a huge fan of third person narration, but I think it can work. Here, the names were used too much so it felt like, "Jessica this. Jessica that. Jessica said. Jessica was shocked. Jessica laughed" over and over.

Second, the content felt shocking compared to Sally's typical book. There's always a level of trauma in Sally's books, and they're done in a way that lets you understand the impact of the trauma all around. While I did appreciate that the reader was shown how trauma affects everyone different, the psychological torture in this book was too heavy for me. At times it felt like it was used for the shock value and I didn't personally feel all of it was necessary for the story or for the reader to understand what the girls went through. All-in-all, this was in no way a bad book from Sally Hepworth, but likely not one I would recommend to my audience because the level of phycological abuse.

Another great one for Sally Hepworth. I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. I appreciated the way the story was told, past and present . There was a good amount of suspense and though it touched on the subject of foster children and the abuse that can occur it was done well.. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

DARLING GIRLS is a character driven, somewhat slow burn mystery that I really enjoyed! The three POVs of foster care sisters and dual timelines were all intriguing and I found myself flipping pages quickly and listening at every chance because I needed to know what was going to happen! The sprinkled in psychiatrist sessions had me wondering all the way through how those were going to connect in the end. I stayed up late to finish— always a sign of a good one! The subject matter is probably the darkest of the author’s books I’ve read, so be sure to check for the triggers (lots of childhood trauma), but if you’re someone who can handle a darker thriller, I highly recommend it. The ending was 😳 and I didn’t see it coming.

Sally Hepworth has easily become an auto-read author for me. Darling Girls is a fantastic thriller with many twists and turns. It also broke my heart at times for these girls. The characters were well developed and felt like real people. The ending completely shocked me and left me with so many emotions. I highly recommend Darling Girls.

Expected publication: April 23, 2024

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc and allowing me to share my early thoughts.

This was such a fast-paced and engaging read as always! The book explored complex relationship dynamics between foster siblings and the abuse a child goes through in the foster system which was not at all easy to read. I felt so horrified reading about the kinds of abuse these poor souls are put through, so definitely watch out for trigger warnings for child abuse, neglect. I loved how the characters are multi dimensional especially as they come from such horrible circumstances - it made for a gripping story and I could not put this book down. Definitely recommend to all thriller fans who love 'on the edge of the seat' thrillers but thought provoking at the same time.

Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down But Wow! Didn’t see the twist coming at the end.. The story flowed well and I loved the relationship between the girls. All of Sally Hepworth’s new books are going to the top of my TBR pile. She’s also an author I will automatically buy. Can’t wait to read her othe books now.

I loved this book so much. The twist at the end was jaw dripping. I felt so bad for the girls feeling gaslit, but it added to the story. Great writing and great characters.

The multiple POVs and dual timelines in this story were great. There was lots of drama and I enjoyed the way the ending came together.

Something has happened at Wild Meadows and all 3 women (Jessica, Norah, and Alicia) have been called back concerning an investigation that is going on. What happened at Wild Meadows? Who's body did they find and why did it happen?

Back story: Miss Fairchild started fostering Jessica and the two of them had an amazing bond. Jessica even called Miss Fairchild "Mommy." Then, Norah came into the picture and Miss Fairchild turned on Jessica. Jessica was even told to stop calling her Mommy because it is Miss Fairchild. While Jessica and Norah didn't get along at first, they definitely stuck with each other when being bullied at school. They protected each other and they protected Alicia, once Alicia came into the picture.

I thought this was an interesting read. I feel like the backstory was a bit cold though. It didn't feel like the normal Sally Hepworth storytelling ways. I felt really disconnected and the violence that happened in that house wasn't great to read. The present time story was better though. I felt a bit more connected with the characters and enjoyed it. Overall, I did enjoy reading the book.

DARLING GIRLS takes a look at the dark side of family life, this time tackling the bond between sisters. From the outside, Alicia, Jessica, and Norah seem like most ordinary women—but these three, sisters whose bond was forged decades ago on a farm with foster mother Mrs. Fairchild, harbor deep secrets. Secrets they're now being forced to face. Because Mrs. Fairchild, while on the surface, was an ideal foster mother...underneath, she had rules...she was unpredictable...she was never to be crossed. Dragged back into contact with her, Alicia, Jessica, and Norah must now ask themselves—can the past ever truly be buried?

Years later the body of a child is found buried underneath the girls old foster home. They are drawn back to the house and the small town they grew up in to try to find out who the bones belong to. This was definitely more of a slow burn psychological suspense story. Overall, a pretty solid read that kept me reading til the end to find out all of the mysteries locked behind the doors of their old home. There were definitely a few surprises along the way and a good bit of tension. I wasn't expecting the plot twist at the end, but definitely felt it was plausible. While not quite my favorite of hers, it was still quite well done and I will continue to read anything Ms. Hepworth writes.

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.