Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.


This might be an author that is an auto read author now. There are multiple povs and timelines that come together nicely with twists and all.

Rating: 4/5

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia became self assigned sisters after enduring a grueling foster care experience together. Their caretaker, Miss Fairchild, was an erratic woman with a penchant for privately abusing the girls in a myriad of ways. Now adults, the three “sisters” bond is stronger than ever. Still, they’ve never been able to completely shake their tumultuous upbringing, its aftermath manifesting differently in each woman’s life.

So when bones are found underneath their old foster home, more than the bones themselves become unearthed. United as always, the women journey back to the town that made them who they are, for better or worse, to not only clear their names, but to get some answers.

Darling Girls was a riveting read from Aussie thriller master, @sallyhepworth. While this was a hard read in multiple spots, I did find it engaging and well written. Any horrors of foster experience aside, this fast paced novel also inadvertently serves as a testament to strong female bonds and the notion that family is who, and what you make it.

I have enjoyed Sally Hepworth books that I have read in the past, but I wished this book pushed the envelope a little further. I wanted more time when the ladies were younger—taking care of the babies, how they finally left, what their school life was like. But I also wanted more time with the ladies in the present time—maybe see how they transitioned into relatively normal lives after living in such a horrible home. It had a lot of potential, but I just wanted more.

Five stars

Sally Hepworth delivers another suspenseful domestic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat - especially when you get to the psychiatrist chapters and try to piece together who is telling that story. The story is told in both past and present from 4 POVs - Jessica, Norah, Alicia, and an unnamed narrator.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters - not by blood, but by choice. They were all foster children under the care of Miss. Fairchild. Miss. Fairchild uses both physical and psychological abuse to manipulate the girls. While they escaped the clutches of Miss. Fairchild in their early teens, all three are left with lasting scars that impact them during adulthood. They have to go back and face their childhood when the cops inform them that bones were found under the home they once lived in. Whose bones are they and who is the killer?

Hepworth expertly switches between the past and the present to craft the narrative. Each of the women were impacted differently by their childhood and it comes across in their personalities as adults.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the eARC of Darling Girls!

Darling Girls follows the story of three girls that grew up in foster care. From the outside, Wild Meadows looked perfect and Miss Fairchild seemed like the most wonderful caregiver. However, as we all know, things are not what they seem… Years later, the sisters are shocked when they receive a phone call that something has been found under Wild Meadows. The girls go back to Port Agatha to assist in the investigation, and the reveal is shocking.

If there’s one thing Sally Hepworth knows how to do, it’s deliver a SHOCKING ending. This book had me on the edge of my seat until the VERY last page!

I thought Darling Girls was a really good story. It was interesting to read about Jessica, Norah, and Alicia – to learn about their childhood and how they came to live with Miss Fairchild. And while I enjoyed learning about them and getting to know them, I felt this story was missing the mystery and the twists and turns that I’ve come to expect from a Sally Hepworth. I should have known better. The story definitely threw me for a loop in the end.

Somehow every book by this author is my new favorite! Wow this book was twisty and twisted! I couldn’t put it down. These characters were so well written and complicated.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth might be her best book yet.

"Jessica, Norah and Alicia grew up on a farm estate. Their foster mother, Mrs. Fairchild, had rules and punishment if her rules were broken. The girls managed to get away and never saw her again. Now a body has been found buried under the house. And the police have questions..."

This story is told through multiple POVs and dual timelines. Hepworth gets you invested in every sister and yelling at Mrs. Fairchild. As adults, each sister has something they struggle with - almost as if they're anti-heroes. There's also a separate POV that Hepworth doesn't reveal 'til near the end. I like to see characters grow and change.

There's are several surprises and twists at the end. And one big one at the very end (you won't guess it)

Great story from Hepworth.

Thank you to @stmartinspress @macmillianaudio & @netgalley for the ARC & ALC of Sally Hepworth’s latest!

I flew through this book on audio in TWO spurts! The emotion in how the narration was done, by Jessica Clarke, definitely kept me intrigued!

Told in alternating points of view & switching between the past and the present, Darling Girls focuses on themes of sisterhood, family dynamics, foster care & challenging upbringings. Situations occur that prompt the characters to have to revisit what they endured as children in foster care, under the care of Miss. Fairchild.

I enjoyed this book - as it kept a good pace, which is so important with thrillers! It also gave lots of detail and really set the ground work for the relationship between the main characters. The depth that Hepworth gives to her characters is profound & really helps readers to wrap their heads around the dynamics that come in their interactions & sisterhood.

With twists, turns & even twistier characters, Darling Girls is a combination of thriller and mystery, making it bingeable & entertaining to listen to!

4 ⭐️

Foster sisters, Alicia, Norah and Jessica, escaped their unstable and predictably unpredictable foster home only to be summoned back years later when a body is found under the house. Old memories resurface and the lasting impact of their trauma is evident in different ways for each sister. Can they heal old wounds while facing their past and trying to find answers?

I really liked this book! It gets dark at times and the first half was slow-moving - it took me a bit to get into, but I flew through the last half at nap time lol. The characters were all interesting and it tackled really sensitive topics (check the trigger warnings). I loved the alternating POVs, switching from past to present and the sisters’ relationships. Would definitely recommend!

It’s amazing how childhood shapes you; to become what you have known or to rebel against it with all you’ve got. Whether it’s with your family or in foster care, if love and security are missing, it makes for a messed up situation for sure.
In true Hepworth fashion, Darling Girls delves into the lives of the characters as the plot twists and turns, and although you may think you have it figured out, you truly don’t until the end. I’ve been waiting for a book I can’t put down for awhile or, and this one fit the bill perfectly.

When human remains are found at the site of a former foster home, three sisters are forced to return to the town and revisit their childhoods living with Miss Fairchild.

This was a fun ride as we learn about Jessica, Norah, and Alicia’s experiences with chapters that alternate between their perspectives and past and present. We see how awful Miss Fairchild treated them and how each processed their own traumas. The story keeps you guessing about what really went down at Wild Meadows all those years earlier, and questioning if the sisters are hiding something.

If you like complicated family dynamics, good character development, and some shocking twists, I’d recommend picking this up.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and author Sally Hepworth for the opportunity to review this book. This is the story of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia who as young girls were often told how fortunate they were to be placed in foster care with Miss Fairchild. However, people didn’t know what really happened behind closed doors and things were not as wonderful as everyone thought they were. It finally took the disappearance of a baby for the girls to finally be able to leave. Even though authorities felt the girls made the story up since no sign of the baby was found, they still were removed from Miss Fairchild’s care.
Fast forward to present day, new owners have bought the property the used to live on and in doing reinovations the bones of unidentified person is found. Police have everyone return to the area in order to interview them and try to discover if they might know who the victim might be. The answer is quite surprising to say the least. And I loved that at the end the author was fantastic about letting us, the reader, know how everyone is doing after the fact. I personally appreciate that because I had really enjoyed reading this book and gotten to care about these women. They are very well written and I think this is a great read.

You can never go wrong with a Sally Hepworth novel! I feel everytime I pick up one of her books, I can never predict where she is going to take me! Especially with this wild story, I loved the twists she continued to throw at me.

Ok, interesting book.

Pieces of memories, back and forth with sisters who grew up being abused as children and trying to solve the mystery of bones being found under the barn.

It was confusing. Starting out. Yet it was intriguing where it went. I semi predicted the ending but I have read thrillers for a long time.

It’s worth a fast read. The author is great at keeping it fast paced and it could be a one sit down and read kind of book.

The premise is strong but it can be very triggering story elements.

Thank you netgallery for letting me read this and thank you to the publisher for letting me read a copy and leave a review.

Darling girls is a wild ride with a plot twist I never saw coming! The story follows 3 girls who lived in a foster home and some chapters with an unnamed character talking to a psychiatrist. Each chapter takes place from a different point of view and a different timeline. The chapters are clearly marked so it isn’t confusing.
Darling girls is a mix of a murder mystery, broken families and trauma. There are some triggers for child abuse and addiction.
If you love multiple POVs and timelines with well developed characters who all have their own backstories this one is for you!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This one was just ok for me. I felt like a lot of the details were really forced so that the plot would make sense. And so many parts of it just didn't. Maybe the foster care system and adoption look different where I live but I found a lot of this to be pretty unrealistic. It felt like it was going in so many different directions and nothing was really fully developed.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is out April 23rd & definitely recommend checking this one out if you like dual timelines & multiple POVs.

This story revolves around 3 foster children, Jessica, Norah & Alicia, who become each other’s chosen sisters. They’ve always been told how lucky they are to have Miss Fairchild & live on a countryside estate. What people outside the house don’t know is all of the rules Miss Fairchild has for the girls and how quickly her mood can change.

They leave their hometown and only return together years later when bones are discovered under the house - they want to know who it is but in the meantime start to become suspects.

In true Hepworth style, there’s even more going on than is revealed to the reader and that leads to lots of twists towards the end.

This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me.

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the eARCs in exchange for an honest review.

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This one was very bingable and addicting. Definitely a dark subject matter, but I didn’t want to put it down. The characters fell a little flat (the descriptions were repetitive), but the deep relationship between the three sisters was evident despite how different they each were. I liked the different POVs and the jump from the past/present - the past really helps make it clear why each character is the way they are. The final twist was satisfying (up until the very last chapter I was worried I was going to be disappointed with how it ended). Highly recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

There were quite a few typos with my edition - nothing that completely distracted from the plot, but it needs another round of editing to catch the grammar/spelling mistakes.

Twisted dark binge worthy read! Absolutely worth the time to dive into this book with its secrets and unexpected twists. It takes the reader on a fun journey that they can’t guess where they’ll end up!