This was my first book by Sally Hepworth and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Diving deep into the psyche of foster children hit a whole new level for me. This was a great thriller to read that’s dark but not too dark. I appreciate the mental health aspect behind our characters.

That ending though eek. I predicted it for the most part buttttt still a shock to hear it and just soak it in.

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to review

I loved this! Easy to read and it kept me entertained the whole time! Switched between past and present. I didn’t want to put it down. Good twist at the end! 4 stars!

Thank you to St Martins Press & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

No one does thrillers better than Sally, and this was no exception!

Whenever I see Sally Hepworth has a new book I'm so excited to read it. Darling Girls tells the story of three foster sisters. There are three POV plus a view into appointments between someone and a psychologist. This book is full of twists and dark turns. The character development of the sisters is great with chapters from now and from 25 years in the past. It was interesting to see how the girls time with Miss Fairchild impacted their lives as adults.

While parts of this book were dark I could not stop reading and had to find out what happened 25 years ago. I did guess some of the twists but that ending... WOW!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth for an honest review.

This was my first Sally Hepworth novel and it definitely won't be my last! I loved how quickly I was able to read it and it definitely kept me interested! I did guess a big part of the twist but I didn't see the last twist at the very end so I really loved that. I also loved the way that the story really focused on the way each woman dealt with her trauma from her childhood and I loved the growth that they went through. I thought this was a unique story and I can't wait to read more!

I think this is my favorite Sally Hepworth novel. It revolves around three young girls: Jessica, Norah and Alicia. All three girls are put in to foster care at Wild Meadows. Their care taker is Holly Fairchild. She should not be a foster mom. The girls form a bond and literally think of themselves as sisters. Horrible things happen at Wild Meadows and may have been happening there for quite some time. The story is told in the POV's of the sisters. There are some chapters where a psychiatrist is talking to a patient. You sometimes think you know who he is talking to but you never find out definitively until the end. The emotional and physical abuse suffered from the hands of their "mom" makes you start to think of modern day foster care and hope that this doesn't happen. It is a great psychological thriller that keeps you wanting more. You are swept up into the drama of what is happening in the today time of the sisters and also the before time. The author did extensive research into the foster care system and you can tell by her writing. I highly recommend you put this on you TBR shelf and grab a copy on April 23rd, 2024.
Thanks to #netgalley, stmartinspress and @sallyhepworth for an ARC of this great read.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for my free digital copy for review.

The novel "Darling Girls" is a captivating page-turner that held my attention from the first page to the last. Ms. Hepworth skillfully kept the answers close to her chest, intriguing readers and adding to the suspense. The cleverly placed red herrings added to the shock factor of the reveal, making the ending delightfully twisted.

The author skillfully portrays the harrowing past of the three women, evoking empathy for the traumas that have haunted them into adulthood. The most compelling aspect of the book is the complex relationship between the three sisters, stemming from their troubled childhood and continuing into their adult lives, making them relatable and engaging characters.

The narrative delves into themes of childhood trauma, the challenges of the foster care system, and the displacement of children from one family to another, shedding light on the tireless efforts of social workers to find these children in their homes.

This book is a must-read for fans of unreliable narrators and intelligent psychopath tropes, offering a thought-provoking exploration of the human psyche and the enduring impact of childhood experiences.

Compelling story and protagonists to root for. The villain was completely inexplicable to me. Even the chilling coda at the end added confusion, not clarification. I love Sally Hepworth and I've read just about everything she's written. This one didn't quite come together for me the way I wanted it too. Still, she remains at the top of the list for domestic suspense.

OoOooOooh MY!
This is my 2nd Sally Hepworth read and I am HOOKED forever! I need all her backlog ASAP.

This is the first book in some time that I have been staving off my drooping, burning eyes at bedtime for "just one more chapter" over and over. I could NOT stop reading this because it was so addicting. It's a story of sisterhood, motherhood, growth, trauma, gaslighting, and a look at mental health (how we choose to please others, how we choose to punish others, etc) both in the middle of a bad situation as well as a reflection upon a terrible time and how we choose to deal (or not).

There's also a lot to be said for the foster system and social work in general. A lot of it really informative/enlightening, but then some of it just a reminder of how much more work we have for improvement in both areas. Heartbreaking at times.

Multiple (3? 4?) narrators over 2 time periods.... HAD ME CLUTCHING MY KINDLE!

Babies and children popping up all over, living and dead. Just twist after twist after twist. But the compassion of these three foster sisters is the heart of the book and story. It IS everything!

This is the third Sally Hepworth book I have read and I have to say that I did not find it as compelling as the first two I read. The ones I read were mystery/thrillers and dealt with domestic relationships and so perhaps I feel that her talent lies in that. This too was a mystery/thriller but it seemed that element of it took a back seat to the issue of foster care. In this novel, three girls that had been placed in foster care with a cruel woman and the body of a young child was found. I thought that this novel played into the tropes of bad foster homes and this took precedence over the mystery element. It felt to me like the author was trying to give me a message about foster care and I find this irritating in a book and it definitely detracts.
There was decent character development although I found myself not really liking them much, or being annoyed by them. The trope of bad foster care making these girls into dysfunctional women played into this.
Nonetheless, it was a fast read and the pacing was good.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with the opportunity to read and listen to this ARC.

If you’re in a reading slump and need a good page turner to get you out, I’ve found your next read! This was my favorite @sallyhepworth read so far! The characters are well developed and she delivers some gasp inducing twists, in classic Hepworth fashion. It was a great page turner with important themes and I applaud her for bringing light to them.

This was a fun, twisty thriller with some great surprises. I have read Hepworth before and always love her books. This felt very different from her usual work. Ina great way! Made from a great read! Will definitely be recommending!

Wow! Miss Fairchild is a massive psychopath and it made this book so great to read. She was the perfect nemesis to Jessica, Norah & Alicia. I thought I had this story figured out but in the end I was very wrong and Miss Fairchild became an even bigger villain to me. The relationship between the three sisters was lovely and vibrant, They really watched out for each other throughout their lives. I could tell they were great characters when they sacrificed themselves to help the babies, then Amy. It was heartbreaking to read this story of a woman who was foster parenting for all the wrong reasons, It was equally hesrtwarming to see Alicia and Mira fostering for all the right reasons. The plot tie ups for Jessica & Phil, Norah and Alicia were wonderful.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read this great book.

📚ARC Review 📚

Darling Girls ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was so good!!

This story follows Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. They are foster sisters that lived in a big farm house on an estate owned by Mrs. Fairchild. They were “lucky” to have such a nice house to stay in with a nice foster parent…or so they were told. 20 years have passed and a shocking discovery was found under the house at Wild Meadows while it was being demolished. Now the sisters are together again, under investigation, and have to relive all the trauma they went through while they lived there. But what really went on inside that house?

This book was so good! I was hooked within the first few chapters. I loved the multiple point of views of the sisters as well as a mystery person. Told in a past and present timeline, you get to see the story through each persons eyes and try to piece together what really happened. The epilogue was shocking!! Such a great story of foster sisters and how family isn’t always by blood. I will say this book does contain a trigger warning, so be sure to check that out before you start.

If you’re a fan of psychological/ domestic thrillers, then this one is for you! It comes out on April 23, 2024. Be sure to add it to your TBR list. And to my Book of the Month Box Girls- add this one to your box!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced readers copy. This is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review:

This book was a win for me! From the very beginning I was drawn into the story. Each chapter left me needing to read 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 and that left me staying up way past bed time. I really enjoyed how Hepworth not only wove together the past and present of the story but she also did it by using the POV of all three of the sisters. I was impressed at how she was able to do this without making the storyline get confusing. I loved getting to see the unique way each of the children dealt with the events that took place at Wild Meadows and how that shaped their adulthood.

I really enjoyed each of the characters development throughout the story and how the story ended with all my questions answered. I was able to guess one of the twists but other than that Hepworth kept me guessing throughout the story!

Mrs. Fairchild was the absolute worst but without her there would be no story! Her character is a great reminder that not everything is always as it seems and sometimes we need to look past the picture perfect facade to see what is hiding underneath.

This novel is not for everyone it does contain elements of child abuse, r*ape, domestic vi*olence and other distressing situations involving children. However as a pediatric nurse who has worked closely with social work and abused/neglected children I was impressed at how Hepworth took the time to interview and gain insights from people who have work or personally been in this broken system. She did an exceptional job putting their experiences and emotions into the writing of this story. The story felt as though all the atrocities at Wild Meadows Farm actually took place. This is definitely one to add to you TBR.

This just didn't work for me. I usually really enjoy this author's thrillers set against the Australian backdrop, but I had such a hard time connecting with this one.

Three sisters who were foster siblings living at a house of horrors called Wild Meadows. They reconvene 25 years later when the house is being bulldozed and a body is discovered under the house. The harsh realties of the situation come to light and slowly we discover what really happened behind the façade of Wild Meadows.

I didn't connect with any of the characters, I just found myself not caring about any of them. Hepworth threw a few too many threads into this one, that ended up feeling as though none of them were fully fleshed out. The only redeeming factor was the twist at the end, I didn't see coming, but should have known how completely evil one character truly was.

Darling Girls
By Sally Hepworth

I have difficulty diving all into Sally Hepworth novel because I want to savor it. I love and am driven crazy by the unknown mystery characters and context. This novel deserves to be savored or devoured whichever you prefer. The Darling Girls are the 3 former foster sisters now adults. Each has her own secrets and struggles which are put to the test when they are called back to their former foster town. Human bones have been discovered at Wild Meadows foster home in Port Agatha and an investigation is underway. Jessica, Norah and Alicia travel together to Port Agatha. They bonded in their misery at Wild Meadows and would never let each other face their past alone. To you the reader, all will be revealed. Told in present and flashback, will the women be heroines or tragic figures when the dust settles? Enjoy finding out.

Thank you to NetGalley,St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an advanced copy.

Wow, this book kept me guessing and these stories and characters will stay with me for a while. The book starts by introducing us to three women who all get a call about a body found near their former foster home. As the three women come together to go back to where it all began the story starts moving back and forth between the current mystery and their troubled upbringing. Their past starts catching up to them and each woman starts to unravel as their past and present collide. I was deeply invested in their struggles and how the past was torturing them and affecting them still 25 years later. This was a heart breaking tale about the experience some children can have in foster care, and how that childhood trauma stays with them. I enjoyed the book until the end. Not to give anything away, but I feel like the story would have been so much better without the last twist that was taken. Trigger warnings of abuse, rape, assault, and childhood trauma in this book. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

This book was amazing!! It was a solid 4 star read that kept me engaged up until the last chapter - and OH MAN that was just *chef's kiss*.

There are definitely a few hard to stomach scenes in this book. They are not necessarily gory, but if you are sensitive to some child abuse/trauma, I would tread carefully. In my opinion it wasn't too much, but it was memorable.

This is a suspenseful book that will break your heart, but also show you the love and closeness sisters share (even if they aren't biological sisters). This really makes you feel for children put in foster care, and I have such an appreciation for the those who are advocates for these children.

I think Sally Hepworth does an astounding job at writing some complex and not mentally stable characters - I really gained respect for that when reading The Soulmate (which I loved!), and that respect only increased reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was heartbreakingly beautiful!!! The subject matter is tough and at times hard to read, but Sally has a way of pulling you in. I struggled to put this book down because I just had to know how it was going to end. That ending was absolutely WILD!!

I definitely recommend this be added to your TBR!!