Darling Girls is about girls who become sisters through circumstances. They all ended up at the home of Miss Fairchild, and continued as sisters into adulthood. They're all pulled back to their childhood home when a body is found on the property.
Sisterhood is a trope I always tend to enjoy in books, and I liked getting the perspective of the three women. I cared for the three women fairly equally and was never annoyed when in each of their perspectives. I was on the edge of my seat until the very end, and never guessed the plot twists. Sally Hepworth is a very entertaining author, and I will continue to read her novels.

This was a quick read. I finished in one day. I am a big fan of Sally Hepworth. I’ve read several of her books so I was excited to get into this one. However this was not one of my favorites. The beginning started off slow and I was a bit confused with all the switching of characters. It started to pick up but I wouldn’t call this a thriller.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

Small Hepworth never fails. Her writing is too good. I really enjoyed this one. It was a very unique read. This was a slow burn thriller with a little action spaced throughout. I was truly shocked along the way while reading this one. At times I thought the three main characters were delusional. But the ending was very vindicating! Highly, highly recommend this one!

This wasn’t my favorite sally hepworth book. I found it hard to follow at times and I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters.

Thank you so much @StMartinsPress for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 23 April 2024)

SYNOPSIS | Three adult sisters (Jessica, Alicia and Norah) are summoned to return to the foster home they grew up in for an active police investigation when human bones are discovered on the property.

WHAT I LIKED:
- not an easy read by any means (trigger: child abuse) but utterly bingeable
- alternating POVs and timelines (I did very much prefer the flashback chapters though)
- the unknown POV sprinkled in discussing their past with a psychologist
- pace really picks up at the 75% mark
- the final twist is a doozy!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- too many characters that didn't really feel fleshed out beyond their defining characteristics

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Holy creepy thriller. While I did enjoy aspects of this book, it was much darker than her others and there are TONS of trigger warnings to be mindful of. As much as I wanted to keep turning the pages, I had to put this one down occasionally because it was so dark and twisted!

Three girls are raised in foster care. They all share a deep bond from the traumas they experienced and hope to never have to relive them. Many years later, they re contacted by the police because a body has been found under their home they grew up in.
This was such a fast paced thriller that kept me wanting more. I really enjoyed the alternating POVs.
One of my favorite authors!

Sally Hepworth is always a go to for an edge of your seat thriller. Written in multiple POVs and jumping in the timeline, this novel will keep you guessing at every turn. This was a quick read.

The narrator did a great job of letting the listener tell the difference between each of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced reading and listening copies of this book.

Loved this! Hepworth knows how to deliver a twist and she always keeps me guessing. I wouldn’t call it a thriller, it was more of a psychological mystery. I liked the dual timeline but it was a little slow in the beginning. The last 70ish pages made up for it though.

I wanted to connect more with the characters than I did. The first half moved pretty slow for me, but then the second half picked up.

I have a love hate relationship with this book. On one hand it was probably my favorite book from Sally. On the other hand it was so out there. Would I recommend this book yes.

Sally Hepworth's Darling Girls is a captivating and suspenseful novel that explores the complexities of family, friendship, and forgiveness. Hepworth masterfully weaves together past and present, revealing the secrets and betrayals that have shaped the lives of these three women.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors - I devour these books in short time and always start it by wondering, will she get me this time? She did!

Jessica, Norah (with an H), and Alicia were placed in foster care via very different situations. However, when they ended up together with Mrs. Fairchild, they instantly bonded and thought of themselves as sisters. While their time with her was the complete opposite of fairytales, they stayed close when they left there.

One by one, they are receiving calls from a detective in the hometown of that facility, they are needed for questioning about something found at their old caretakers home. Even though they swore they would never return, they do to assist the officials and get to the bottom of whose bones were discovered under the home.

Once again, thank you for such an exciting read!!

I enjoyed this and love all of Sally Hepworth’s books! Her books keep you guessing until the end. Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

Blog:
I’ve read most of Sally Hepworth’s books and enjoyed them, so I was excited to receive a review copy of her newest release.

The story features three narrators, each alternating between the present and their childhood. While that could be confusing, it’s actually well-executed, with the shifts between timelines feeling seamless. The timing of these shifts works well, never feeling contrived for the sake of holding back secrets for a twist.

And those twists? They’re big, and one in particular made me gasp out loud. While they were surprising, they made perfect sense, leaving me thinking, “I should have seen that coming.” That said, I did feel a bit frustrated by the final twist. I’m starting to tire of a specific depiction of women that seems to be a recurring theme in psychological thrillers, and this book doesn’t escape that trope.

In terms of representation, there’s a lack of racial or ethnic diversity. However, the book does feature one bisexual sister pursuing a relationship with a woman, and one sister dealing with substance use issues, while another has anger management struggles. I found the portrayal of foster care and the foster system is both realistic and sensitive, and especially appreciated learning that Hepworth conducted research with adults raised in the foster system. As someone who works in addiction and recovery, I found the representation of substance use disorder to be authentic and tasteful.

Overall, this is a gripping psychological thriller set in Australia, with enough twists and intriguing characters to keep you turning the pages. While readers may not relate to all of the characters, the juicy plot is sure to keep them engaged. Recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.

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✨ Sally Hepworth: The Queen of Psychological Thrillers! 👑

If you haven’t picked up a book by this talented Aussie author yet, you’re seriously missing out. With 9 books and counting, Sally Hepworth has mastered the art of twisting the suspense and delving deep into complex family dynamics. I’ve devoured 6 of her books and am constantly left craving more!

My top 3 favorites (so far!) - The Mother-in-Law, The Soulmate, and The Younger Wife 📚💥

💬 Let’s chat! What’s your favorite Sally Hepworth book? Or, are you planning to read any? Drop your thoughts below! 👇

Tag a thriller lover who needs to read Sally Hepworth!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have always been told how lucky they are. Rescued from terrible family situations and brought into the loving care of Miss. Fairchild, those girls are lucky. At least that's what it looks like to outsiders. 

Inside the home, the girls feel anything but lucky, with Miss. Fairchild's unpredictable nature and strict rules. Eventually, the girls escape, and grow up. Now, a body's been discovered under Miss. Fairchild's escape and the women are called back to the home. Are they witnesses, or suspects? Just when you think you've got it figured out, Sally Hepworth throws in one of her signature twists and leaves you with your jaw on the floor. I love the multiple-viewpoint, multiple-time period telling of this story, as Hepworth weaves a fabulous story and draws you right in!

This book starts a bit clichê, then it goes into a more interesting vein as the flashbacks are interwoven with the present time.
Characters development was hit-and-miss. Some characters' motivation was all over the place while others were well-done. But I think that's usually the case when a writer chooses to write in so many different POVs in the same story. It's doable, but the characters need to be more fleshed out, so it doesn't get so messy sometimes.
Then we get to the end, Fairchild's resolution happens, and I was like, WTH? What a psycho! That's all I can say without giving away spoilers. You are warned!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth has a remarkable ability to captivate readers from the very first page and keeps them engaged until the last word. I appreciate a thriller that allows you to delve into the minds of the characters rather than relying solely on fast-paced action, which often leaves me feeling disconnected. Darling Girls is told from multiple points of view, allowing readers to understand the thoughts and emotions of the main characters, making it much easier to connect with them.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia share a strong sisterly bond after spending time in foster care under Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows, a house that looks beautiful from the outside. However, the inside of the house held many horrors that the girls endured over several years, including physical and mental abuse. Twenty-five years later, they are summoned back to Port Agatha to assist with a police investigation into bones that were discovered beneath the house when it was demolished. The story's dual timeline lets readers witness the traumas the girls faced and how they have coped with them over the past quarter-century.

I loved the ending of the story, especially discovering what happened to the girls after the investigation. I was completely taken by surprise at the very end with Miss Fairchild's revelation and now find myself wishing for more, even though the story wrapped up nicely. I can't wait to read more by Sally Hepworth in the future.

4.25 Stars

Sally Hepworth does it again. A great family drama mystery that keeps you invested until the very end.