Title: Darling Girls
Author: Sally Hepworth
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are three sisters who become family when they are all placed under the care of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. The sisters all have different personalities and backgrounds but they form an unbreakable bond while under the manipulative and psychologically abusive care of Miss Fairchild.

Twenty five years after they break free from this life, bones are found under the foster home that they grew up in and the sisters are forced to revisit memories that they have tried so hard to put behind them. Unsure if they are witnesses or suspects, they cooperate with law enforcement to help solve the mystery of who was murdered and buried under their childhood home.

The story is told through the points of view of all three sisters and alternates between past and present. Through each of their perspectives, we learn about how their lives have been affected by their childhood. Can this trip home help heal some of the scars from their past? This book was a page-turner for me. I felt for each of the girls and found myself rooting for them to find the freedom they deserved. It was twisty, suspenseful and emotional. My feelings about Miss Fairchild were up and down and the twist at the end wrapped everything up perfectly!

I started this book before bed one night and couldn’t put it down… I finally had to stop reading when my eyelids refused to stay open, and then I finished it the next morning. This is such a good and creative psychological thriller that captivated me from the very beginning.

Told from different POVs through the book, the mystery centers on three women who grew up in a toxic and psychologically abusive foster home and are called back to the area when human remains are discovered under the property during an excavation project. These women are strong but deeply flawed and still suffering from the trauma of their childhoods, but one thing they have to show for their horrible upbringing is their unwavering commitment to one another - they consider themselves sisters in every sense of the word.

In addition to multiple POVs, the story is told in a few different timelines - the past, which was when the girls were kids, the present when they are dealing with the shocking discovery, and an unknown timeline/narrator during which an unnamed character is talking with her therapist. Believe it or not, this bouncing around didn’t feel frustrating one bit; in fact, I really liked being able to compare the timelines and characters in this way. I will say that I did not care for one of the sisters (Jessica) at all in the beginning of the book, but I totally came around to her and genuinely loved all three of our protagonists.

This book invokes some pretty heavy themes and imagery when it comes to children in the foster system, so definitely google the trigger warnings if that sounds like it might be a problem. But if you love psychological thrillers with some murder and secrets, this book will be right up your alley! I really enjoyed it and am thankful that I got to both read and listen to the ARC as both versions are awesome!

This is my second read by Sally Hepworth and was much darker than The Soulmate. It gave me the same grim unsettled feeling as 'The Push' by Ashley Audrain or 'Then She Was Gone' by Lisa Jewell.

The story is told through the POVs of three sisters (Jessica, Norah, and Alecia) who grew up at Wild Meadows foster home. A body was found under the house and the sisters are plunged back into facing their past as detectives interview them for clues. What happened at Wild Meadows? It's a heartbreaking story of survival.

Hepworth does an excellent job showing inside each characters headspace. I felt connected to all three sisters and it was a rollercoaster of emotion. There were a couple parts plugged in that made me LOL and I appreciated them so much for breaking up some of the tension. This is a heavy story dealing with topics ranging from child abuse, neglect, and addiction.

I received an advanced review e-copy St. Martins Press via NetGalley. I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia grew up in a foster home and consider themselves sisters into adulthood. When each woman gets a call from Detective Patel, they are asked to relive the trauma that they experienced as children to assist in solving the mystery of a body found under the foster home. As the book alternates between the current lives of the women and their traumatic past at the hands of their foster mother, secrets are revealed and the police begin to question whether they are victims or guilty.
I have really enjoyed this author in the past and found this thriller to be equally entertaining. All three of the women were flawed in different ways, presumably because of Miss Fairchild’s abuse. Miss Fairchild was wacky enough to make the story even more interesting and the twists were surprising but not over the top. It was interesting to hear her story by means of therapy sessions and I liked this creative touch as an addition to the main plot. Nicely wrapped up in the end.

This book was such a wild and disturbing ride. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so hooked on a book and so disturbed at the same time. I wasn’t even sure how to rate it. But the fact it disturbed me so much is why I rated it lower. The child abuse was a bit too much for my liking, and wasn’t necessary. There were so many twists and turns in this book that I didn’t see coming. It’s a super fast read! If you’re a fan of dark mysteries, you would most likely enjoy this one!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the thriller so much. Hepworth has a way of grabbing her readers and sucking them into her book. I loved the twists she threw in and I swear I had the entire plot figured out - well I didn't! Loved this book so much.

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.