Surprisingly, this was my first Sally Hepworth read and it did absolutely not disappoint! This was recommended to me by a fellow read and I loved every second of it. I can be really picky about my thrillers--but I liked that this one was a lot different than the usual domestic (husband, wife, mistress) thriller. I did feel that the writing was slightlyyy repetitive in some of the terminology and the pieces about their days in foster care. While I personally loved his book, I would be mindful of trigger warnings if/when recommending to others! That being said, I will definitely be reading more from Sally Hepworth! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this early ◡̈

Wow! This was such a fast-paced, un-put-down-able, and creepy read! I was honestly peeking out from the covers the whole time I read this! I will say though, it was a bit hard to read at some points as it does revolve around children. All in all this was a crazy read and I highly recommend to my thriller reads who don’t get spooked too easily! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for this advanced reader copy!

I love love this author .I was so excited to see this book being released .She is my auto buy author .This was so fast pages and such a page turner .There were some triggers involving child abuse .At points in the book it was hard to read .This book had multiple pov which can be good for ones that like that .I will always recommend her books .

When a body has been uncovered at their childhood home, foster girls Jessica, Norah and Alicia have to revisit their trauma to get answers on who the dead body is. Their foster mom Miss Fairchild also shows up and with multiple POVs and timelines, this thriller unfolds.

I thought this was a good thriller. The twists were equally shocking and also predictable if that makes any sense. I enjoyed the journey. It does have some trigger warnings on foster care and domestic abuse and family trauma and my heart broke at separate times for all the characters. It was a slow burn but I liked the pacing and I thought this was an entertaining read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

A great thriller with plenty of suspense, I could not put it down. Meet Alicia, Jessica and Norah - foster sisters who share a deep bond from their very traumitizing time under the care of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Decades have passed, these sisters have moved on (sort of) - but get pulled back in for a possible homicide case. Whose bones did they find in that old foster home and who did it? Overall, a great book with plenty of twists and turns, a 5 star experience for me. Thank you to the publishers, the author and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of Darling Girls.

I really liked Darling Girls and thought it was one of Sally Hepworth's better books, despite the disturbing nature of child abuse this book is centered on. I couldn't stop listening to this book and I loved the Australian narrator.

Told by 3 women who consider themselves sisters since they all grew up in the same foster home of Miss Fairchild. When a body is found under the house, they find themselves witnesses/suspects and they come together to share the truth about their childhood.

This is a slow-ish burn and you get the viewpoints of each woman both thinking back to their childhood and in the present and I liked that. I also liked the 4th narrator speaking to their therapist...

The end was twisty and I loved it!

The audiobook is just over 9 hours and I highly recommend listening to this one!

4.25 ⭐️

What a wild and absolutely heart wrenching ride. Just when I thought I had guessed the biggest twist — I was wrong 🙃 I flew through this; fast pace + short chapters = perfection! I absolutely loved the setting and the dual time line, but more than that, I love that the author chose such a hard topic AND that she used the acknowledgments to bring awareness to the very heartbreaking reality of some foster kids.

Sally Hepworth is a strong read alike author to Liane Moriarty, and Darling Girls is no exception. Good narrator for the audio edition. This is centered around 3 foster sisters, with the story being told both in the present and past. Good page turner and a nice vacation read choice.

Review of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Ms. Hepworth is one of my absolute favorite authors and an auto buy for me always. Thankfully, this book did not change that. I really enjoyed it. I think my favorite part of this book were the characters. I really liked all of them, and I thought they were extremely well written. I was firmly invested in their story and rooting for them always. As always the right elements of mystery were perfect in this one.

Synopsis:

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life. 

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

3.5 stars
Set in Australia where three girls are thrown together in the same foster home due to varying circumstances in their young lives, this book tells the story of the girls and what happens when the body of a child is found buried under the foster home they escaped many years before.

I enjoyed this story even though it was not always pulling me back to read it. The sisters were my favorite part. The bond they formed over time as they were put through horrible circumstances and dealt with their childhood trauma was really the most interesting part to me. The mystery was decent, and kept me guessing until the reveal, which I appreciate. The twist at the end was not so surprising for me as it seems like it was for others. Overall, Hepworth hits it out of the park again even if it wasn't my favorite of her books.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

DARLING GIRLS by Sally Hepworth

Publishing date: April 24 2024
Publiisher: St. Martin Press


Jessica, Norah,and Alicia are foster sisters living together in a foster home run by a woman named Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild had very strict rules with dire consequences if you crossed her or the rules. The three girls eventually left there but the shadow of Miss Fairchild was always following them along with a memory they wanted to forget.

Ten years later the police contact them with questions that bring them back together and stir up memories.
Will they be able to help or hinder the police?

I personally loved this book. There never was a dull moment in it. The story had a fantastic story line with another smaller story along side that was very good. There was a great ending and was surprised.


I want to thank Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review..

What a disturbing story that I couldn’t help but turn the pages in anticipation! Sally Hepworth has written an exceptional fictional account of the foster care system (in Australia). Three foster “sisters” endure rough times during their childhood and grow to become adults still building each other up. There is a dual timeline which makes the events more exciting for the reader. I’ve come to put Ms. Hepworth’s books on my must read lists. I highly recommend this twisty entertaining book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia grew up in the care of Miss Fairchild—holding onto secrets and traumas well into adulthood. The discovery of a body brings them back together at this childhood town to face new fears.

Entertaining and fast paced. Multiple character POV and duel timeline keeps it moving forward and has you piecing everything together; linking the past to the future. Decent character development and twist.

Another amazing story by Sally Hepworth! I've had this book on my TBR for months and could not way to jump in.

Darling Girls is a story about 3 young girls who go to live with a foster parent, Miss Fairchild. They've been told they are lucky, but they know better. And when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, they are brought back to the home they thought they escaped.

Sally Hepworth does an amazing job of building up her characters and giving just enough information to keep the reader on the edge of do we love them or do we hate them. I loved the multi-pov's and how the timeline jumped from the past to the present and we kept adding layers to each character. And the ending!!! It made me audibly gasp. I could not put this one down!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This book had me so emotionally invested I couldn’t stop reading. I felt like I was experiencing first hand what Jessica, Norah & Alicia went through. Every character felt compelling to me as to why they were struggling present day.
This book is on the darker side in my opinion, so if you struggle reading about abuse (especially involving children) this might not be the book for you. While I have a daughter of my own, some parts of the book hurt my mama heart to read but I still enjoyed the book overall. I think this book had a very good story with compelling characters.

Sally Hepworth has done it again. She has quickly become one of my auto buy/read authors. This psychological thriller is one not to miss. Sisters Jessica, Alicia & Norah with an h are not biologically related but are bonded through their life experience growing up in the same house in the foster care system. They are at the mercy of Holly Fairchild who has some pretty intense mental issues. She has a strong desire to find someone that will love her and only her. She punishes the girls and treats them poorly which only strengthens their bonds with each other. A body us found under the foster house they grew up in which forces them to go back in time to deal with their ghosts. Five stars as Sally keeps you on a journey until the very last page. Just when you think you have it all figured out you are wrong! Thank you netgalley for this arc

This was quite the page turner. This is a story about three foster girls who become like sisters and what happens to them under the care of the foster mom. Sally keeps you guessing with twists right up until the very end.

This was a page turner! I loved how it gave insight into the experience of foster children. The sisters were super tight knit characters that I grew to love and i was rooting for them the whole time. I think this book is perfect for classic thriller fans.

Wait, what?! 😳😳😳

This is my kind of book; suspenseful and fucked up! It reminded me of Lisa Jewell’s writing because it is full of family secrets and drama. There are no dull chapters. You keep getting more info changing your perspective at every turn. Great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did not like the ending. WHY??? It ruined the book for me. I liked it through out. I was curious who the bones belonged to. But the store is too out there and a little unbelievable.