Another domestic thriller from Sally Hepworth! Some good twists and turns in this one. I recommend for a quick read. It comes out in a few weeks so snag a copy soon! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Reading Between the Wines book review #27/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Darling Girls
Author: Sally Hepworth
RELEASES on April 23, 2024!!!

Sipping thoughts: I love Sally Hepworth. The Good Sister is my upmost favorite book of hers and the others are good. But this one just fell really flat to me. The premise seemed so cool, but nothing really happened. Yes, there was a body found. Yes, Miss Fairchild was a horrible foster parent. I was really invested in finding out what happened but the reveal was underwhelming. But there was no real mystery in my opinion. Yet, I am looking forward to Hepworth’s next release.

Cheers and thank you to @StMartinsPress and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @DarlingGirls.

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4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel. I am a big Sally Hepworth fan. I really enjoy her writing style and how she tells a story. This may be my new favorite Sally Hepworth novel. I was so invested in this story. I loved how it was told. Usually when there are a lot of POVs, I have one that I don't like as much as the others, but that wasn't true for this one. I enjoyed reading from all of the girls' points of view. I loved how little bits of the story were revealed to us. It was really fun to put it all together at the end. I thought Miss Fairchild was such a great "villain." All of this said, this book definitely needs some trigger warnings. There is a lot of child abuse throughout. I don't usually get too bothered by anything in books really, but there was one scene in particular in this one that was tough to read (even though it was very very brief). This book felt a little more like a traditional psychological thriller where I there her other novels feel a little more domestic thriller. I really enjoyed this book a lot.

I enjoy reading Sally Hepworth thrillers because she draws from a variety of cultural scenarios and relationship dynamics to create a unique mystery for each book. Darling Girls focuses on three women brought together by the foster care system and their shared childhood trauma. The narrative is told through multiple POVs, which some readers may find disruptive, but manages to maintain a sense of foreboding that keeps the reader engaged.

Sally Hepworth does it again! She has written another twisty, character-driven story that grips you from beginning to end. This one surrounds three orphans who grew up together in a foster home. Their childhood was not easy. They suffered physical and mental abuse (definitely heed content warnings here) as well as severe gaslighting. They have not returned to the area grew up but, years later, are asked to come for questioning as the police have found a body under the home where they stayed.

The strength in Hepworth's writing is her layered, flawed, real characters. They have fully formed personalities. I enjoyed slowly getting to know each sister, along with the challenges each faced as they dealt with consequences from both their life before the foster home as well as their life in the foster home. I loved the way that they bonded. Women supporting women is always a win for me. The story itself, while truly disturbing at times, is engaging and intriguing. I had several ideas on which way this one would go but was never really sure.

The narration is true to the locale in Australia and very well done. The narrator handles each character well and is able to portray the emotion throughout all the interactions and events of the book. I have been a longtime fan of Hepworth's writing and continue to love what she puts out. I look forward to each and every release.

This is powerful (and disturbing, check for trigger warnings!) on so many levels--getting into issues related to foster care, emotional abuse, addiction, the varied reactions to trauma, and also just a wonderful bond between three girls who grew up together in such a difficult situation. 
*
I loved seeing this story told through the multiple perspectives and alternating between present day and the girls' childhood - it was fast and engaging and completely sucks you in. Most of the twists were interesting but not particularly shocking, except for the last one, which I loved! 
*
I really enjoyed this one! It was really dark but such a compelling read!

Thank you so much to netgalley and St. Martins Press for the arc of this book! Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I couldn’t connect with the characters or this story. I feel like the child abuse was just way too much and way too descriptive for me to continue with this book.

I hope others love this one.

Sally Hepworth is a noted name in suspense and domestic thrillers, and she does not disappoint with this newest one.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are foster sisters who remained closer than biological sisters in their adulthood. They connected when staying with Miss Fairchild, grew to love and protect each other through the hidden abuse and lies, and banded together to hide the secrets. But now, the secrets are blowing open - human bones were found under the former foster home, and the investigation is bringing all three women back to the property and the inevitable confrontation with Miss Fairchild.

If you are already a Sally Hepworth fan, definitely add this to your TBR list, if you are not and like the thriller genre, this is a great new author for you!

Sally Hepworth is an empathetic writer, creating vivid characters that come alive distinctly on the page. Darling Girls gives insight into the foster care system and the complex relationships that result from it and at the same time is clear in showing twists and turns of the genre that will surprise the reader and illuminate the “bad apples”.
Though this is an early review of the novel, I found in terms of pace, plot, and characterization, it’s good to go.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good book! I loved following the journey of these “sisters” who went through foster care together. Their personalities were each unique and held my interest as they were interviewed trying to figure out who the bones belonged to that were found under their old foster home. The ending was great! I highly recommend this book!

Three young ladies with complexing and tragic filled childhoods were raised by Miss Fairchild. On the outside people see the girls lives being better off in their foster home. It’s all a facade and the girls want out. Later on a body is found under the home where they lived. Who is the responsible for this? Who holds the darkest secret? I loved this story. It’s another amazing story from this author. The plot is superb, the characters are sublime and it’s an exciting rollercoaster ride. The author keeps the reader engaged in the story until the very end.


Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this one (blew through it in 2 days!) but the ending was so disturbing that it kind of ruined the whole thing for me.

Sally Hepworth really nailed it this time. Darling Girls is the first thriller so far this year to have my jaw hit the floor after finishing it. Darling Girls follows the past of three girls who became sisters while being fostered at the same house with Miss Fairchild. Suffering abuse and lots of trauma, years later a child’s bones are found under the foster home. Hepworth takes you on a wild ride about their upbringing, and brings all twists. This book is living rent free in my head for awhile…

Woah - this one got me!

I flew through this in a day! The build up? Fantastic. The characters? Damaged. The multiple perspectives? Jarring.

Truly truly enjoyed this thriller!

Rescued as young girls, Alicia, Norah and Jessica are constantly told by their new foster mom, Miss Fairchild, just how lucky they are now to be living with her. Their lives before were terrible and now living together at a nice estate together is the second chance for them all. However, behind closed doors, it wasn’t actually as idyllic as it seemed. Miss Fairchild made the girls do everything around the house, including care for infants as they might come in for care. After years of the silent abuse, the 3 girls finally broke free and moved on with their lives. However, years later, the house they grew up in was demolished and bones were found. All 3 girls were brought back to the place they escaped and more questions then answers keep popping up. Who do the bones belong to? Are the girls witnesses or suspects? Everyone has secrets and it’s only just a matter of time before the house of cards comes crashing down.

Sally Hepworth does it again! I’ve not met a book of hers that I can’t put down. I enjoyed the multiple points of views and the back and forth timeline as the story unfolded. Each and every character brought something different to the story line and Hepworth did a perfect job of weaving them all together. This one only took about a day and half to binge as I was desperate to find out what happened. The best part for me is that it was only toward the end as the story was truly unfolding that I was even able to put two and two together guessing everything and I still didn’t have it all right. Hopefully Sally is back at the keyboard already whipping out her next winner soon!

Loved Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth; there were twists and turns while making the book realistic and relatable. Hepworth does not disappoint. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you for the arc. I am a big fan of sally hepworth and this did not disappoint. It was a quick read on a weekend morning. Very enjoyable.

4.5 stars

A marvelously executed thriller by one of my favorite suspense writers.

I loved that this wasn’t your typical setting or characters. Reading about foster children as main characters (their traumas, backgrounds, and character flaws) added to the unpredictability & unreliability.

The change from third person to first person at the end was brilliant. It felt like you were reading a story about people, then getting their commentary on the story.

Overall pacing was great but the beginning of this one was a little slower than Hepworth’s other reads. She remains on of my favorite thriller authors, & this book really highlights her talent.

Sally Hepworth's latest novel, Darling Girls is an exploration of the long shadow of a traumatic childhood. The story centers on three foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who grew up at Wild Meadows, an idyllic estate run by their seemingly benevolent foster mother, Miss Fairchild. However, beneath the surface lurks a darkness. Miss Fairchild's abusive and controlling behavior leaves deep scars on the girls.
Hepworth masterfully weaves the story through the past and present, revealing the manipulative tactics Miss Fairchild employed and the enduring impact they had on the sisters. As adults, each woman struggles with the emotional fallout of their childhoods. A shocking discovery - a body unearthed beneath the floorboards of Wild Meadows - throws their lives into further turmoil and forces them to confront the secrets they've long buried.
Darling Girls is a page-turner. The characters are complex, each carrying the burden of their shared trauma, and relatable. However, the true brilliance of Darling Girls lies in its ability to sow seeds of doubt in the reader's mind. Miss Fairchild's brand of control is insidious, twisting the girls' perceptions and making the reader question the reliability of their memories. Are they recounting events accurately, or have years of trauma clouded their judgment? This uncertainty adds an extra layer of intrigue, making it difficult to discern fact from fiction and keeping you guessing until the very end.
This novel is a perfect choice for fans of domestic thrillers with strong female characters. If you enjoyed Hepworth's previous works like The Good Sister or are looking for a twisty-turny read that delves into the complexities of family and the enduring power of sisterhood, it won't disappoint.

I never tire of Sally Hepworth! She has a way of just sucking me right in and keeping me guessing until the very end. Darling Girls is just the latest in a series of amazing books. Jump in. You will not be disappointed.