Wow! Sally Hepworth always delivers. This had some very dark topics so read with care.

I loved each sisters’ POV and was happy to see them get their happy endings. The twist at the end was great, though I did predict it!

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book! It was an interesting story. Not a must read or a favorite. But It was an interesting read and kept my attention.

✨𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖✨

𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐩𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡

WOW! This one was super good! Thanks to @stmartinspress for the ARC & audiobook copy. I both read & listened to this one because I had to find out how it ended! This is also a BOTM choice this month so I definitely recommend checking it out 👏🏼

👍🏼: I loved the alternate POV’s & timelines as three foster sisters are forced to return to their foster home where they experienced lots of trauma to help with an investigation. There were sooo many great twists & turns, especially in the last 20% of the story leading up to the last pages!! These are my favorite type of mystery books, where you are truly surprised up until the end!

👎🏼: I wish I would’ve paid more attention to the side characters, especially when listening on audio. I started to get slightly confused at times with new characters continuing to come in throughout the story.

Overall, such a wild ride! LOTS of TW’s though- so message me! But I was entertained & super surprised by how everything unraveled 👏🏼 I’ve been loving @sallyhepworth & can’t wait to read more by her!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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#darlinggirls #sallyhepworth #aprilbooks #stmartinspress #mysterybooks #mysterybookreview

This is such a hard book for me to rate and review. I think it is a book that many readers will find hard to put down. For me, I really should have read the synopsis before requesting an early copy. I’ve learned my lesson. The content of this book is just not something I enjoy reading about and I something I usually avoid. There is a lot of description in this book of various forms of child abuse. So if that is upsetting to you as a reader I would suggest you skip this book.

Now. On to the actual writing and storytelling. The writing was good. The story kept me guessing (although I was able to guess a few of the twists), and there was decent (but not great) character development. The ending, however, I did not love. It was somewhat cheesy and the final twist made me roll my eyes.

This won’t be my last Sally Hepworth book, but this book is not one that I can confidently recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book.

This book has dual timelines, alternating between the past and the present. It centers around Norah, Alicia, and Jessica: three girls who grew up together in the same foster home with their truly awful foster mother, Holly Fairchild. After enduring constant torment from Miss Fairchild, the girls finally escape. 25 years later they are forced to confront their past when a disturbing discovery turns up at Miss Fairchild's farmhouse.

I had to take many breaks when reading this one because anything involving mistreatment of children is incredibly hard for me to read. A couple things I really liked about this book: I liked reading the Dr. Warren chapters, and I also loved the relationship between the 3 girls. They were bonded through trauma, but always had each others' backs.

I'd definitely recommend this book to thriller lovers!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💃🏼 Vibes: Chosen family, hold the wholesome, add some creepy, and top with gaslighting.
📕 If you like ______, you’ll like this: Mommie Dearest if it was more mysterious.
📖/🎧 Read Type: E-book/ARC (thank you @netgalley, St. Martin’s Press New York, and @sallyhepworth)
🐶(s): Willow & Finley, darling puppies.

Darling Girls is a psychological mystery that tells the story of three foster turned chosen sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. The girls grew up with a seemingly benevolent foster mother named Holly Fairchild at her farmhouse called Wild Meadows. After a tumultuous removal, they are forced to return when a body is found at the estate some years later. The novel explores the complex relationships between the sisters and their foster mother, as well as the dark secrets that lurk beneath the surface of their seemingly idyllic upbringing at Wild Meadows.

Sally Hepworth novels are a masterclass on psychological thrillers. This was such a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. Hepworth did an incredible job of weaving between past and present, slowly unraveling the dark secrets of Wild Meadows. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the exploration of the foster care system adds an extra layer of depth to the story. While some readers may find the ending a bit predictable, it is still satisfying and leaves a lasting impression. Mark your calendars for its release on April 23!

Hepworth knows how to create a compelling plot, and the same can be said for her latest, Darling Girls. Three kindred spirits - Jessica, Norah and Alicia - find themselves at the mercy of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. 25 years later, following a police investigation at Miss Fairchild's Wild Meadows, the women find themselves once again facing their maniacal foster mother and the isolation and humiliation they were subjected to all those years ago.

There's something to say about a novel being quickly paced, and Hepworth achieves this by rotating both point-of-view and time: Jessica, Norah and Alicia, then and now; and a mysterious fourth woman, whose story we are told through her therapy sessions with (a creepy psychologist) Dr. Warren. The characters, though, felt flat and predictable. Considering the trauma both before and during their time as Miss Fairchild's foster children, the women's problems aren't surprising. Their unbreakable bond is obvious, although I appreciated them more as characters in the flashbacks than as adults.

As with any thriller, there must be some suspension of reality, although as the fourth unknown woman's story comes to fruition it was easy to put the pieces of what would be the twist together. Overall, I'm pleased with this fast-paced read and, if anything, the resonating power of love and sisterhood exemplified by our heroines.

slow burn mystery/suspense but a very entertaining story
loved the multiple POVs and timelines.

Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis in a sentence (or two):
Alicia, Jessica, and Norah bonded as foster care children under Miss Fairchild's care at the Wild Meadows Farm. When a demolition team uncovers bones at Wild Meadows thirty-five years later, the foster sisters must meet with detectives to disclose their past and possibly work to keep some of the deeper secrets buried forever.

Pacing/Storyline:
Sally Hepworth is my go-to author for family drama mystery novels that keep me reading well into the night. I was thrilled to be able to read her latest, Darling Girls, before release day, and even more excited that it did not disappoint.

Darling Girls is way darker than previous Sally Hepworth novels. Short chapters, various timelines, and multiple perspectives within Darling Girls kept the momentum going at a faster clip. It sounds like a lot is going on; however, Sally Hepworth is a genius for doing a lot of things at one time without making the plot chaotic. I’m afraid to say too much and give away any twists. I guess it’s important to note I wished I had buddy-read this so I could have chatted about the twists along the way. If you’re looking for a book with plenty of conversation angles to discuss during book club, this is the one.

Characters:
What I loved about the characters in this one was how Sally Hepworth revealed the variations in their personalities. All three women depicted in this novel went through foster care, “cared for” by a woman named Miss Fairchild. The story shows the evolution of their history from being foster-care strangers to foster-care sisters. The girls’ histories manifest in their personalities and how they relate. Their backstories are heartbreaking, so it’s worth reviewing the TWs before starting the story. Sally Hepworth doesn’t necessarily paint any of the girls in a positive light, leaving the reader in the dark as to whether the girls had a role in the apparent murder that took place at Wild Meadows Farms.

Narrator:
I went the immersive reading route with this one, thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio. The narrator excellently executed the emotion and suspense through her narration.

Read this if you love:
📚Twisted mysteries
📚 Foster family narratives
📚short chapters and multiple POVs

Rating: 5.0

Disclosure:
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Digital Review Copy of Darling Girls. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audio review copy of Darling Girls. All opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
🧡 Found family stories
🌪️ BIG plot twists
💭 Multiple POVs
⏰ Alternate timelines
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ representation

Alicia, Jessica, and Norah have stuck together through thick and thin. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves in the center of the investigation, being forced to dig up their past.

Ooooo this one is TWISTY!!! I could NOT put this one down- I read it in one day!
You’ll definitely think you have everything figured out and then WHAM- another twist. So refreshing after reading a lot of thrillers where I could guess the twist.

Thank you St. Martins Press for the gifted copy! 🧡
This one comes out 4/23 so be sure to keep your eye out!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was entertaining but does not hold a candle to The Good Sister (if you haven’t - please read!!). A story of 3 sisters present day who are forced to revisit their foster care days when a body is found buried on the property. I switched back and forth between the ebook and audio version and found the audio more palatable. A solid 4 stars. Pub date 4/23.

Thank you to the author (who I will meet later this month!!!!), St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very much enjoyed this drama/mystery. Loved the before & after timeline with additional puzzle pieces added along the way. I read the book as well as listened to the audio version. Narrator is fantastic. Highly recommend this cleverly crafted story. Thank to publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth really caught me off guard in the best way possible! It's a fresh twist on domestic suspense that still keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's my first Sally Hepworth book, and I'll definitely be reading more!
Twenty-five years ago, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia end up in the care of Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows, a farmhouse that looks like a dream but feels like a nightmare. Miss Fairchild, far from being the sweet caretaker she seems, makes life a living hell for these girls.
Now, fast forward to the present. The three women, still super close, return to Port Agatha when human remains are found at Wild Meadows. As they confront their pasts, they rely on each other to get through their present struggles.
I loved how Hepworth weaves the story between past and present, giving us different perspectives that make the characters feel so real. Despite the heavy themes, the characters are strong, relatable, and flawed in all the right ways.
Norah's spunky personality adds some much-needed humor, and while the pace may be slow at times, the twists at the end make it all worth it. Plus, the portrayal of female friendship is just heartwarming. Darling Girls is definitely a book you won't want to put down!

I felt this one started off strong and I was excited to see where this was going to go, it tracked at 4 stars for a nice while. Towards the middle, and definitely by the end, I found it falling apart and a bit forced. I enjoyed the characters of the sisters and their connection to one another but I don't feel they were ever really fully developed and things began to feel chaotic towards the end of the book. That being said, I am a bit picky when it comes to the thrillers I read. I have enjoyed this author's books in the past and I definitely plan on reading more of her works, this one just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

This story sucked me in from the beginning. Three foster women, who call themselves sisters, are heading back to their foster home where bones have been found. The story goes back and forth from when there were in the home and present time. The ending left me disappointed though. I did get the answers but still felt flat somehow.

I always love novels by Sally Hepworth, they are truly so addicting, she has not disappointed me yet! When I saw this new release pop up as an arc I just had to try to request it. Lucky me, I was approved for a free arc of both the book and the audio version, in exchange for my honest opinions.

The story follows three sisters who grew up in a foster home together. A true well-disguised house of horrors, these girls bonded over the abuse they endured over the years there. Yet now, as adults, they were contacted by police who need to talk. A body was found under the house they grew up in and the police are looking for answers. Panicked with anxiety about going back to that town, they agree to handle it together.... but are they considered witnesses, or suspects?

The story is told in two timelines past & present and in multiple points of view. We get a look at their childhood through stories told to a psychologist, and we get a look at their current lives. The characters were explained so well and I fell in love with them all. I was able to feel the anger towards their foster mother as well. It was very intense as their stories unfolded. We learn a lot about the individual characters that they don't even know about each other right away. I loved the way the information unfolded.

Hepworth is brilliant and crafts these edge of your seat thrillers again and again. The twists are placed to keep the story going until it really starts to pick up at the end. This author is an automatic buy for me every time.

Huge thanks to the publishers & Netgalley for the book!
I would also love to recommend the audio book, as it was told exquisitely. The narrator was phenomenal.

This was my first Sally Hepworth nov. it was really enjoyable. It’s very binge-able which I look for in a thriller. I liked the dual now and then timeline. The pacing and twists kept things interesting. I did guess the twist at the end but that didn’t take away from my reading experience. I was second guessing myself until the last chapter! I would definitely recommend!

Foster kids with a story no one believes. Now, a body found under a house brings them back to finally, maybe, get resolution for the abuse they lived through.

This books starts strong. The first chapter hooked me and I couldn't wait to read more. There are a few POV and I didn't love all of them. The girls are a bit prickly, really only finding safety in each other, because they spent a few years together in an abusive foster home, and they stuck together ever since. The mystery was solid and I loved trying to figure out what it all meant and what I thought happened. There were so many twists and reveals, it kept me flipping the pages and curious what the next reveal would be.

Even though I did appreciate all the conclusions at the end, I found the last chapter so disappointing.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Great book! I was hooked from the beginning. I loved the slow burn thriller and finding out how the stories and characters were connected. And that ending! I was shocked!

I love Sally Hepworth domestic thrillers. Her pacing and writing style always deliver a page turning, keep you guessing, good time. Darling Girls was an engaging read from start to finish- sisters, secrets, and suspense.