TW: child abuse in foster care

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all grew up in foster care at a place called Wild Meadows. Run by Miss Fairchild, it seems idyllic to outsiders. But inside, things are much different and the way the girls were treated was horrific. In present day, the girls get a call from authorities in that town - while demolishing Wild Meadows, they found bones underneath the house and they need to answer some questions. Whose bones could they be, and what else happened in that house?

Hooooo boy, definitely mind the content warnings on this one. It was hard to read at times, but I liked the mystery aspect of this as well as the psychological reasoning behind it. I also thought it all wrapped up well in the end, considering.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Darling Girls brings you three foster sisters who went through a horrific childhood coming back together after police discover a body under the foster home they grew up in.

If you've like Sally's other books you'll like this one. Unfortunately this one and most of her others aren't for me but people seem to love them so i'm in the minority! It's really hard for me to read about child abuse so the trigger warnings are important in this one and made me realize this just isn't a story for me. If you can stomach it, you'll enjoy the ride.

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

Wow! This one will be going down as a new favorite thriller. Initially, I thought the premise sounded like other books I’ve read before, but I quickly found that I was completely wrong. This book was both heartbreaking and twisty, and I absolutely devoured it. I adored the relationship between the foster sisters, and how each of them had their own distinct personality without succumbing to stereotypes. I was completely hooked from the beginning, and found the story to be full of twists that I never would have guessed, but weren’t too off the wall to be believable. This one is easily a new favorite and a five star read!

The story of three foster sisters, and learning what happened in the past when a body is found at the foster home they grew up in. Def dark topics being brought up, but this was a page turner for me and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. Sally Hepworth is a repeat author for me, and she has yet to really disappoint me!

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are foster sisters. One day, they each receive a phone call from a detective investigating bones found at Wild Meadows, the foster home they lived in. The story is told from the points of view, both past and present, of Jessica, Norah and Alicia. The “past” points of view detail their experiences growing up with their foster mother, Ms. Fairchild.

Interspersed with these multiples POVs is an unknown person talking to a psychiatrist.

Sometimes it is hard to follow with multiple narrators but that’s not the case with this book. The author has deftly merged the storylines so there’s little to no confusion. There were a few twists along the way but the best one was at the end.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5)
TW: yes, DM me!

Read if You Like:
👀 Revenge stories
🗣️ Multiple POV
⏰ Alternating timelines
🔥 Slow burn thrillers
😨 Shocking endings

✨ Jessica, Norah, & Alicia grew up as foster sisters in a home called Wild Meadows, which they all gladly put behind them 25 years ago. Now, in present day, the women are contacted by a detective, stating that human remains were found under the house when it was demolished.

☁️ My Thoughts
This was another ONE DAY-er for me; so bingeworthy! I have read most of Sally’s novels & am a big fan (my favorite of hers isn’t a thriller, oddly enough, but this is now my second fave)- I will read anything she writes! I was overjoyed to receive this ARC in the mail, courtesy of @stmartinspress. 🫶🏼
This plot hooked me from the beginning & kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. I do have to say, though I enjoyed it entirely, I thought I was about to be disappointed by the ending/twist, thinking it was plainly obvious… until those LAST. THREE. PAGES. 🤌🏼 my rating was quickly bumped back up. I love a good jaw-dropping ending & this one definitely delivered.

The subject matter of this one is a bit darker than Hepworth’s previous thrillers, but I didn’t feel she went into too much detail on it- very well done. With the content being a bit heavier, I thought it was uniquely impactful & insightful on some of the traumas & hardships that, sadly, children in the system may face. Definitely a layered story, that was a great mix of action, and both character + plot development! This thriller is different in that it will definitely pull on your heartstrings as you’re trying to untangle this mystery.

This is for sure a book you will want to add to your spring TBR if you want a read that will keep you guessing until the very last page! 🙌🏼 highly recommend!

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.*

4.5⭐ rounded up.

I went into this one blind and I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a psychological thriller centered around a few foster kids and their foster mom and the abuse and neglect that they experienced. This was told through multiple POVs and multiple timelines.

I liked the point that the author was trying to make throughout the book. Foster children seem to consider themselves lucky when they experience the bare minimum of abuse or neglect because it could be so much worse, and the author made it a point that no, they are not lucky. They experienced horrors that no children deserves. Just because it was less than some does not make them lucky.

This book touches on some dark and hard subjects so it may be important to check the trigger warnings.

⚠ Child abuse
⚠ Child neglect
⚠ Mentions of SA
⚠ Drug addiction
⚠ Mental illnesses
⚠ Murder

This book kept me emotionally invested in the characters the entire time as well as hooked on the story. I couldn't put it down because I didn't want to leave the characters and I was hooked and needed to know what was going on.

Even with all the different POVs and the different timelines, I think this story flowed really well. The author crafted a beautiful and emotional story, with an important message, and managed to keep the suspense high the whole time.

Sally Hepworth is a masterful storyteller, and her latest novel Darling Girls is no exception. I was hooked from the very start until its WOW ending, which actually caught me off guard. The mystery revolves around three foster ‘sisters’ who are bonded from their traumatic time at Wild Meadows in the care of tyrannical Miss Fairchild, who inflicted countless abuse. Fast forward 25 years and the sisters, Norah, Jessica and Alicia are summoned back there due to the discovery of human remains. Not only are remains unearth but so are many secrets and lies.

Read this if you enjoy:
-well plotted story interspersed with fascinating and flawed characters
-slow burn stories that tug at your heartstrings and also invoke great anger at the injustice
-twists and turns that keep you guessing until the highly satisfying ending
-multiple POVs with dual timelines
-deep dive in the psychology of the characters

My rating 5 out of 5

Trigger warnings: Child abuse, drug addiction, sexual abuse

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC that will be published April 23 2024.

I honestly don’t have too much to say about this book. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. We follow three women, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who were raised by a foster mother, Miss Fairchild, when they were young. Now adults, they are called back to Wild Meadows when the body of an infant is found on the property. In my opinion, it seemed to take far too long to find out anything at all in the present timeline. I would say 70% of the book was a reflective look at the past and how horrifically Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were treated as children. I thought it would be a murderous thriller / whodunit with respect to the body that was found, but this didn’t seem to become the focus of the plot until the very end. I would definitely read another of Sally Hepworth’s releases; maybe my expectations just weren’t well suited to this read.

Did anyone else picture Miss Fairchild as Miss Trunchbull?

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a rare gem that seamlessly weaves together compelling characters and a gripping plot. The sisters are portrayed as unique and endearing, while the storyline is filled with unexpected twists. This novel is an absolute page-turner, keeping me engaged from the very first word to the final page. A superb and haunting mystery that will leave a lasting impression.

Hard to rate this one-some difficult topics, but the story line was great. I did NOT see the ending coming, in fact many of the twists were very surprising.

4.25 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for this E-ARC . It wouldnt be a Sally Hepworth book if you didnt finish the book and say What the F*$K because that is exactly what I say everytime I finish her books and let me tell you this is the 6th book I read by this author. Even when I was like ohhh I got it now I know whats gonna happen now because its obvious. Sally said nope not today let me do this other little twist over here.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia became sisters through their foster home with Mrs. Fairchild. Now, years later, human remains is found underneath the house they experienced so much trauma in. As they all come back to the house and town, a years old mystery starts to unravel,

Sally Hepworth really knows how to pull you into a story and she does this so well here. The three sister each have such unique personalities that really drive the story and mystery forward. The mystery itself was well-laid out and had me guessing for a while there. This isn't a fast paced mystery but a slow-burn psychological thriller where you really dig into the lives of the girls.


Overall, a good slow-burn thriller!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

A good read despite the hard to read aspect of it - child abuse, neglect, etc - I loved the relationship between the sisters.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

I am a Sally Hepworth fan, but this one in particular I did not enjoy and was a bit disturbed by. This book has foster children abuse in it and it was too much for me. It was written well, I could recognize the author in the writing style, but I will never pick it up to read again and cannot recommend anyone else read it either.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Sally Hepworth has become an auto-read and favorite author of mine and 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 did not disappoint. I started this audiobook on our roadtrip to my parent's house then switched to my kindle because I didn't want to wait for the trip back to finish it since I was already so invested. It's definitely more of a slow-burn so don't go in expecting an instant thrill. I love how her books are largely character driven but also have a solid plot. So it takes a while to get to know the characters and differentiate them (this one is multi-POV) but after you do, then the plot picks up and you won't be able to put it down.
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Norah, Jessica, and Alicia grew up as foster sisters living in a seemingly happy home with Miss Fairchild. Now grown, they each receive a phone call from police requesting they answer some questions because human remains have been found under their childhood home. What follows is a multi-POV and dual timeline story of what life was actually like for the girls living under Miss Fairchild's roof, and the future repercussions.

I absolutely adore this author and have read all her other books! I will say that this one was a bit darker than the others and the frequent mentions of child ab*** were a little difficult to get through.

I love Sally Hepworth. This title was no different. While a few chapters were a little slow, I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. That last chapter threw me. I loved it!

Darling Girls begins in Australia at Wild Meadows
foster home ran by the unstable Miss Fairchild. Jessica, Norah and Alicia all become residents and under the care of Fairchild.

Sally Hepworth is the queen on psychological thrillers! She executed this novel as well. The multiple timelines reveal the perfect ending. The plot was fascinating and I enjoyed it.

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5⭐️
DARLING GIRLS 🎧
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: thriller
📖 368 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🏊🏼‍♀️🏡😢💊🐎🍼🤫🚔
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 4/23/2024

🩵𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🩵

Thank you @netgalley @macmilliamaudio for the #gifted copy!

I loved it! This was my first Sally Hepworth & definitely won’t be my last!! Brace yourself for a riveting journey through the dark depths of secrets & sisterhood in @SallyHepworth gripping thriller. From the first page, I was captivated by the intricate bond between foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, & Alicia, as they navigate through unthinkable trials. The multiple POVs & timelines add layers of suspense, keeping you on edge until the jaw-dropping finale.

Hepworth masterfully weaves together a tale of secrets, betrayal, & resilience, leaving me eager to explore her entire backlist. A must read for thriller aficionados, I highly recommend!!

⚠️ child abuse, foster care, addiction

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ suspense & twists
◽️ dark thrillers
◽️ the powerful bond of sisterhood
◽️ second chances

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: Jessica, Norah, & Alicia grew up on a farming estate under the care of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, after being rescued from family tragedies. Despite appearances, their childhood wasn't as perfect as it seemed, with Miss Fairchild's strict rules & unpredictable nature. Breaking away from her control was a desperate move, but her influence lingered in their minds. When a body is found under their childhood home, the sisters become central figures in the investigation, raising questions about their innocence or guilt.