DARLING GIRLS might be my favorite Sally Hepworth book. It is definitely her darkest though - much more a psychological thriller than the her other books which I could characterize as more of a domestic thrillers.

This story follows a group of three girls who grew up together in an unstable foster home. As adults, the women get a call that a bones were found underneath the house. Whose are they? And what really happened in that house?

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time - both the flashback chapters and the modern day. I listened to this book over the course of two days which is so fast for me!!! The narration was top notch also.

And THAT ENDING... what?!?!?!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a masterful thriller which follows three foster sisters. The story is told in dual timelines, during their time in foster care and after. Each character’s story and development is well fleshed out and unique and you can tell the toll their past took on each woman. Aside from the individual character dynamics we continue to circle around a singular question, what happened at Wild Meadows and whose bones did they find? This story will take you on a ride and through the gambit of emotions as the twists unfold. My only wish is that Hepworth would have delved further into the girls’ backstories as I feel this would have been the story more impactful, Highly recommend this story.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
While I really liked the connection between the girls I had a hard time staying connected to the book and storyline itself. I would not however write this author off and would definitely try another book by this author.

WOW WOW WOW !! This has to be one of my favorite thrillers of this year thus far!! Right from the first chapter, you’re hooked… then you get introduced to the main 3 characters and after that the book flies fast paced… Sallly Hepworth you really outdid yourself with this one. I’ll be recommending to all my friends as soon as it’s released.

Was it a bit predictable towards the end? Yes it was but that didn’t take away from the plot line. Has to be one of the best thrillers of this summer.

Wow, Sally Hepworth knocked this one out of the park. Three foster sisters must relive their time at an idyllic farm estate where they were given a second chance after each suffering a family tragedy. However, Miss Fairchild was not the loving caretaker she pretended to be. She was cruel abusive and used the children to enhance her own self-worth. When the sisters were older and no longer loved dependent on her, she brought new babies into the home to foster. There were cruel punishments, Gaslighting, and abuse.

Flash forward 25 years later, and the sisters are called back together when a body is found in the basement of the house they were fostered at.

Parts of this book were heart wrenching to watch this twisted cruelty play out. But you couldn’t stop reading because you needed to know what happened next and the twists were so twisted. I couldn’t see them coming. This was definitely a five star book. The author did a tremendous job with a phenomenally twisted tale.
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this Book.

Wow! Definitely my favorite Hepworth book to date! They are never predictable and the characters are never quite what they seem. I become more and more a fan of her writing with each book!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wowza, I think this is Sally Hepworth's darkest story. I haven't read everything she has written but have read quite a few of hers The content of Darling Girls is definitely not for the faint of heart. Even with all of the trigger warnings, this story was very propulsive and that feeling started at the very beginning of the book. Hepworth writes suspense really well with characters you want to figure out. If you have read and loved her books in the past and can handle more toxicity in the storyline and characters, I think you will enjoy this one too.. If you're looking at Darling Girls being your first by the author, I urge you to tread lightly and explore her backlist!

Darling Girls is out April 23rd! Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley or my e-arc!

Content warnings: verbal, physical, sexual and emotional abuse; all the negatives of foster care; neglect; malnutrition; death of a child; and likely more I am forgetting at the moment!!

Darling Girls evoked emotions straight from the start with three women who became sisters when they were young in foster care. Loved the characters. The story involves a bit of mystery and crime. It was a slower story that unfolded one piece at a time with a huge surprising twist at the end. Well done.

Thank you @SallyHepworth @StMartinsPress and @NetGalley for a free e-ARC. The opinions are mine alone and not biased in any way.

This one was so dark and twisty and I loved it!!

The "darling girls" are three girls who grow up together in a foster home. Their foster mother is definitely out there and they all deal with issues as adults. Many years later, the house they lived in is torn down and bones - children's bones - are found under the house. Who do they belong to? And what happened? The investigation begins, the girls are questioned, and the story starts to unravel. And it's quite a tale!

And in true Sally Hepworth fashion, the ending will make your jaw drop!

I had both eARC and ALC and I found listening to it really upped the creep factor.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for an eARC and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Another great read from Sally. This is a very immersive, interesting read about the pitfalls and trauma that often happens in foster care. She of course adds mystery, intrigue, and of course, murder. I loved this take on sisterhood and navigating childhood trauma.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕤
𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗽𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵
Thriller
368 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
Darling Girls tells the story of several women who lived in the same foster home as girls, a house of secrets and abuse.

When a dead body is discovered under that home years later, all of these foster children are interviewed by the police.

The three women who lived there as teens have a lot of baggage from childhood, especially because the police didn’t believe there were issues when they reported them as children.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
This book is loaded with emotion and mystery, telling the story of foster children who were abused and the trauma it caused them as adults.

The connection between the women in this book is intense. Each has issues and triggers and helps each other through them. They consider themselves sisters.

The story alternates between the present and the past, displaying the damage the past caused while slowly showing the reader what happened to them as children.

I read this in a day, needing to know what happened to these girls. Though sad and sometimes cringeworthy, the story is told so well that I couldn’t put it down.

The ending throws out some surprises and wraps up all of the loose ends.

💕Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

This is my first time reading this author, although she is a familiar name with a proven track record for writing good thrillers. If this book is any indication, I will read her again.

Tweens Jessica, Norah, and Alicia form a sisterly bond over the abuse they suffer at the hands of Miss Fairchild in foster care. Afraid of being separated if they report psychological abuse, they cope as best they can instead of trying to fight a broken social services system. Would anyone believe them or do anything?

Flash forward to the present: bones have been found under the house where they were in care, and the trauma the three suffered and dealt with in different ways comes rushing back. Now, as adults, they have another chance to address the wrongs they were dealt in their childhoods. But will they be believed even now?

This fast-paced book, which travels back and forth in time and is told from multiple points of view, is gripping and poignant. I rooted for the three and was saddened by their helpless position. This is a psychological thriller with a couple of twists, but it is more of a look at the problems of children stuck in social services and how powerless they feel. I also found myself relating to their situation and remembering my dysfunctional childhood more than I would have liked. Overall, this is a satisfying read. 3.5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is April 23, 2024.

Thank you to @netgalley, @sallyhepworth and @stmartinspress for my #gifted copy!

Page-turning, fast read full of thrilling mysteries! LOVED so much!

Sisters by circumstance, 3 foster kids rally together in survival mode as they fend off their wicked, cold and abusive foster mother.

As adults, the still close sisters have come together when bones are discovered under their former home. Buried secrets come to light as the investigation ensues and the girls work together to get past their abuse.

4 stars.

This book was full of shocking twists and kept me on the edge of my seat. I think another thing that stood out was the relationship/bond that the girls had with each other and I enjoyed seeing how the developed over time.

DARLING GIRLS
Sally Hepworth

10 times out of 10 I like what Sally Hepworth writes so I may not be the best judge of her latest book, DARLING GIRLS. Even when the risks are lower as in DARLING GIRLS, I still have a great time.

In DARLING GIRLS, we are following three sisters not by blood but by promise. Wild Meadows is a foster home where all three girls lived at some point in their childhood. It was run by the enigmatic Miss Fairchild. Each of the sisters has their own story of growing up with their biological families and their eventual relationship with Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows.

Jessica is a successful Home Organizer. She represses all her unwanted feelings and is both fearful and inspired by learning and experiencing new things. Norah is tall and has brown hair and blue eyes. She is a Test Taker, and dog-lover, and is on the dating scene. Alicia is a Social Worker, she is empathetic and caring and thrives in stressful environments. She loves working with kids and is inspired by them daily.

It’s decades later and the sisters have grown up and left Wild Meadows and Miss Fairchild behind. One day a set of bones is found on the grounds at Wild Meadows. The sisters have questions to answer regarding their time in foster placement, about Miss Fairchild, and just who those bones belong to.

DARLING GIRLS reminded me of Hepworth’s earlier work. Where the risks are lower, and the twists are softer, and murder is merely implied. It is not my favorite of hers but a solid addition to her lineup of books.

The audiobook is narrated by Jessica Clarke. Although I wasn’t familiar with her narrating style, I thought she did a fantastic job with the material evoking the emotions of each character and making what could have been confusing simple and easy to follow.

I liked this one and can’t wait for the next one. Have you read Sally Hepworth before? Now is the perfect time to start.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies! It was a pleasure!!

DARLING GIRLS…⭐⭐⭐

4.5⭐️ super dark and disturbing at times. It definitely became a page turner and pretty unputdownable.

There were times where I felt like the pacing of the POVs could have been more impactful but I was still hooked.

I saw ~some~ of the twists coming but not all of them! I’ll keep reading SH books for sure!

This is my first Sally Hepworth book and definitely not my last. Mystery books are some of my favorite books to read when they are done well and keep me guessing. Sally delivered an excellent example of how a mystery book should be written.

The plot was surprisingly easy to follow despite the time hopping and multiple POVs. I enjoy that type of writing style in thrillers.

This book wasn't as gripping as her usual books for me, A lot of time is spent in the past with the characters as kids experiencing trauma in the foster home. I think I expected a bigger twist or more drama. It read more like sad fiction than I was expecting.

Nevertheless I can see how a lot of people will love this . The child abuse / manipulation was not just overwhelming but may be a trigger for some.

I mean. If Sally Hepworth writes a drama thriller. I’m in. And I’m gonna have a great time and be flummoxed by the end.

This was no different.

Norah, Jessica and Alicia are as close as sisters come. (Heyyy trauma bond…we’ll get to it) when they each get a call to come back to the place they were in foster care because a body has been unburied and the police have some questions for the women. Told in dual timeline with flashbacks to when the girls met and became foster sisters and their experience with Mrs Fairchild.

I loved the sister’s bond and that they did have each other throughout the abuse they suffered in the foster system and throughout their lives. I really just love the way Sally Hepworth writes a novel with feeling like you have it all figured out and then. You really don’t. I loved it. I can’t rank her novels don’t ask me to.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for an eARC.

Wow! What a wild ride this one was. It was impossible to put down. I stayed up late into the night reading it. I have read this author before, but I think this one may be my favorite! The characters were well done. She definitely did her research about foster homes and she made it clear with her characters that not all kids who end up in care are unwanted or troubled when they get there. The main characters were sisters of sorts and I enjoyed the relationship between them. The chapters were short and went back and forth in time, adding information at a good pace. There were several unknowns and so many possibilities! There were a few bombshells I never saw coming. I also thought the ending fit the book! An excellent read!!