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.

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.