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.

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.