Many times I read early copies of books right before (or even after) their publication dates, but I finished Darling Girls almost a month before its publication date! Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the recent ALC widget via NetGalley which motivated me to listen to this audiobook right away. I followed along and occasionally read from the ARC I received from St Martin’s Press, too. All opinions are my own.
Darling Girls is about sisters who spend time in the same foster placement. While not biologically related to each other, they form a tight bond in their time together. The book switches between a current storyline with flashbacks to what was happening in their foster home. A portion of each chapter in the present includes a scene where one character meets with a psychiatrist - who is talking to the psychiatrist? The plot has an underlying mystery, too: a body is found in the foster home - whose body is it? As you can imagine, past secrets start coming out, both in the psychiatry sessions and in the investigation of the crime scene.
I was immediately sucked into this read and had trouble stopping to go to sleep, which is always a good sign. Darling Girls will be available April 23rd, and I recommend both the book and the audiobook - the Australian narrator does a particularly good job. Surprisingly, no content warnings are listed in the book, but I’m happy to answer questions if you have any hesitations based on my review.

This title contains reference to death (including that of a child), mental illness, gaslighting, child abuse, and addiction.

I enjoyed Sally Hepworth's newest release, Darling Girls, as I have enjoyed all of the other works of hers that I've read. Darling Girls follows three foster sisters as they cope with the abuse they endured at the hands of their foster mother following a gruesome discovery at the house of horrors where they all lived decades earlier. Like Hepworth's other books, Darling Girls has lots of twists and turns, and I devoured the entire book in less than 24 hours. While the subject matter is obviously dark and disturbing, Hepworth manages to handle it gracefully. A perfect beach read for those whose reading tastes skew to the darker side of things!

this book was engaging from the start. Alternating between the past and the present and between the three POVs and the psychiatric sessions with Dr. Warren and an unknown patient, the story moves along at a fast clip. It didn’t take long to figure out the identity of the unknown patient and what was coming. The book ends with the kind of twist I expect from Hepworth. I found the character-driven narrative kept me engaged throughout the entire story. Also, this book showcased horrific child abuse and the sexual exploitation of children and this was
I would have preferred it if the author had focused on the "now" instead of the "then" lives of the three "sisters from different wombs" foster care program protagonists.

I was deeply touched by the Author's Note where she asserted that there were "heroes" in today's foster care system but many more are needed. Among the darker parts, this is full of some jaw-dropping twists, keeping the book moving along and thrilling.

This was a hard to put down domestic thriller with multi POVs and timelines.

I never knew exactly where this was going and that’s how I like thriller. I like to be shocked and caught off guard by the unexpected and I love unreliable narrators.

I also am huge on found family and loyalty so this book really hit a lot of big points for me.

I grew up in a home with my bio family but we also fostered. So I have been blessed with so many opportunities and experiences to bond with children from other families. So I found some of this hard to read for me personally. I went in blind so didn’t realize that it talked but child abuse and abuse in foster homes.

This was my first Sally Hepworth and won’t be my last that’s for sure.

Read if you enjoyed: None of This is True, Everyone Here is Lying or Everything I Never Told You

This book was easily a 5 star read! The ending, mind blown!!!!

This is my second Sally Hepworth book and my new favorite of hers.

This story was dark, twisty and extremely addicting. I loved the dynamic between the three sisters and how they stuck together no matter what. I could not wait to find out who's bones were found and what happened. There are definitely some trigger warnings in this book especially around child abuse. This book gets dark and I felt like I could not look away. This was a wild ride, intense psychological thriller.

I liked the back and forth between the past and present and I enjoyed the different POV between the sisters and Ms. Fairchild. The final twist at the end had my jaw on the floor. This book comes out April 23rd and I highly recommend grabbing a copy! You will not be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

You know that feeling you get when you're so hyped for something? The anticipation grows and grows and you can feel it in your fingertips? Then the moment arrives and it just can't quite live up to your overactive enthusiasm and unrealistic expectations? That was this book for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad book or even a bad reading experience, it just didn't live up to what I was anticipating. Based on the rest of the reviews, I feel like I'm in a minority here.

Sally Hepworth has always been a bit hit or miss for me. And after last years' hit, Soulmates, which was a 4 star read for me, I was hoping she hit a stride that I could ride.

The book is told through the third person narration of three foster sisters who spent a little over a year together in a foster home run by the misnamed Miss Fairchild. We also get sporadic chapters from the first person POV of an unnamed (at least until around 50%) patient of a therapist telling their own story of childhood. The sisters are called back to the small town they once called home because bones have been discovered under the house.

Lies, mistruths, distrust, and gaslighting ensue. The middle of the book really dragged for me. Each new reveal was a little more over the top. I know Hepworth said she researched the foster care system in Australia for the book, but this seemed like she took every single horror story and put it all together in one place. It was just a bit too dark and made it seem a bit too implausible in a book that is supposed to be grounded in reality.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
The ending was a bit unsatisfying for me. It was a bit too tidy after all the desolation and yuckiness as before. And I am OVER the new trend of the last chapter undoing all the things that came before. It's the new equivalent to "it was all a dream" from decades before. This is happening a lot and I think it is a bit of a cop out. It brings unreliable narrator to just plain old lying. Which is unfair to the reader. The reasons for the lies, in this book, were never really stated beyond "I felt unloved" which, given the depravity, seems a bit loose. I think we could've gotten to the "big reveal" at the end without the "Gotcha! I've been lying to you the entire time" plot device.

So, it was meh for me. I didn't honestly care deeply about any of the characters. The parts with them in their younger years were more interesting than the present day chapters, but still a bit slow, and full of half-truths that weren't revealed so much as dropped in when it was convenient for the author. If you like Sally Hepworth, you'll enjoy this read. I just don't think it was as good as Soulmates. And I don't think it is as good as other thrillers out there now.

I'm just going to come out and say it, this is the author's best work.
I've read several of the author's books, which are known for their strong character development. And this book is no different on that front. But added to that is a plot that was addictive.

The foster care system in the US is quite frankly, a disaster. It breaks my heart. From the sound of it, Australia has a similar problem, that leaves many children in the care of really bad people. In this book, that bad person is Holly Fairchild. Her foster care home, known as Wild Meadows, is under investigation after bones have been found underneath it. That case reunites the "darling girls" who lived there for a period of time.

Told in the past and present, the story focuses on three girls, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who spent their years surviving under Ms. Fairchild's care. That care seemed to vary based on Ms. Fairchild's moods, which varied depending on if she didn't get the love/attention she felt she deserved (should have been the other way around, but this woman was a piece of work). While the past centered on their years of coping with emotional and physical abuse, the present centers on reflecting - how their time in the home shaped who they are now, and also trying to determine whose bones may have been found. There is one additional POV, and it wasn't clear for a while who the POV was. However, once revealed, it provides some interesting insight to the story and whose bones were found.

The author did a great job of connecting me to each of the three girls, who have varying degrees of trauma from their past life. Equally, I grew to loathe Ms. Fairchild. Knowing what I know now, I hate her even more.

It should go without saying at this point, but I think this is a MUST READ for fans of thrillers/mysteries. Go check it out!

I read this in 2 days.
I always enjoy Sally Hepworth books and I think because of the subject matter it was harder to say I “enjoyed” it. Seeing kids struggle is tough. But I loved the sisterhood that the characters developed. It was a quick read and I was eager to see how it was going to all turn out. I loved the twists at the end. Thank you so much for the advanced copy.

Loved, loved, loved this book. Hepworth has become one of my favorite authors and I also enjoy following her on social media.

A dark and twisted thriller about three girls in foster care under the thumb of a narcissistic, abusive foster mother. The story alternates between the present, where the adult women are still incredibly close but are each struggling in different ways, and the past when they were living with Miss Fairchild. In the present day, a dead body is discovered under Miss Fairchild's house, and the women return to their childhood town to confront the truth of the past. The heart of this story is the affection and care between the women, and that's what kept me going through the darker parts of the story. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy.

Title: My Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Publication Date- 04/23/24
Publisher- Macmillan
Overall Rating- 4 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Audio review: The narration was great, engaging and well performed. If you do audio that’s a great way to intake this book.

Review: Finally a good book. I’ve been on a dry spell recently and My Darling Girls broke that. This is the story of the foster care system, sisterhood and bonding through difficult times. All you need to know going into this is that there are two timelines happening. There’s the present adults who have found out that their foster care home is being dug up and through that process bones are found. In the past you follow three girls who survive together through a terrible experience in the foster care system. Throughout the story you don’t know who has died and how they died, was it murder? If so, who did it and who could be the victim?

This was a very entertaining read with a good twist. I wouldn’t call the twist super shocking and for me it wasn’t the main point of the story. Some readers may feel that this is not thrilling enough for them, it does lean heavily into the characters and their relationships which really worked for me. For me, that was the main driver of the story and I wanted to know more about what happened to them and how they survived. Alongside that I was often wondering and thinking about who could have died and who would have been the murderer if it were a murder. So there is wonder happening and a thrill to pull you forward while you are going through a heavy story with these girls.

Sally Hepworths writing also really works for me. The way she tells stories, builds plot and characters is just easy reading for me. I didn’t give it a full 5 stars because I wasn’t obsessed or felt that I would read this again but I did really enjoy it and at no point didI I want to DNF it. I think most fans of Sally Hepworth will enjoy it.

All in all I would recommend this for people who like thrillers that have more character exploration. Everything is building up to one moment and one answer but it may feel slow for some getting there if you aren’t interested in hearing about the journey in the past.

I LOVE SALLY HEPWORTH, her thrillers just keep getting more and more interesting and more engaging (how is that even possible). These characters were all so twisty and fascinating. It really kept me guessing. I will never stop recommending her work because it just feels so real and twisted. They characters are always are always so real and grounded, I feel their humanity while going through the plot and it pulls me in. Brava.

Oh my gosh, you guys HAVE to read Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth! This book is so intense and twisty - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It alternates between timelines and characters' perspectives, which really adds to the suspense. The topics are definitely not for the faint of heart, but the writing is so gripping. I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and what was going to happen next. From the very first page, I was hooked. The emotions it evoked in me were just wow - I was shocked over and over again. If you love books that get your blood pumping and leave you guessing until the end, then this is absolutely the one for you. Seriously, do not look up anything about the plot - just dive right in. You will NOT be able to put it down once you start! Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress for being able to review this ARC

Another "can't put down" story from Sally Hepworth.

Darling Girls is told in both the present and the past, unveiling the story of just what happened inside the walls of a foster home. When human remains are found under the home, the girls who stayed there dredge up old memories buried deep and realize just how much it has impacted their life today.

Read this story in one day because I just had to hear what happened in the end. Just when you think you know the full story, a last minute twist with major shock value.

This book was quite enveloping. I was easily drawn in from the beginning. I enjoy when books jump around from different perspectives/timelines, but it can sometimes get confusing if not done well. This was easy to follow and kept me guessing throughout. I have never read a book by this Sally Hepworth before, but I will definitely have to read some more of her! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

4⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Setting ~ Australia
Publication date ~ April 23, 2024
Page Count ~ 368 (60 chapters)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 6 minutes
Narrators ~ Jessica Clarke
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ multiple timelines, child abuse

Foster sisters Jessica, Norah & Alicia lived their teenage years with Miss Fairchild, who was not a nice person at all.

Now years later bones have been found at their old foster home and they're heading back to a place they never wanted to visit again.

The alternating POV's give us a good sense of each of these women in the now and in the past. We, also, get a few chapters of psychiatrist visits that gave me mixed feelings at the end.

Overall, fast paced in now and slower in the past, but gripping nonetheless and will surely be a best seller. I love when the author has done research and she tells us about it in the author's note.

I was lucky enough to have both an ebook and the audio. Both ways worked perfectly fine.
Narration notes:
Jessica did a great job even though there wasn't too much of a variation between the characters voices.

I love Sally Hepworth books and I really enjoyed this book! It has well thought out characters, and easily jumps back and forth from character to character and past/present. I wish it did have more suspense/bigger twist but overall a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Anything from Sally Hepworth is an automatic must read for me - Darling Girls did not disappoint. I loved the story of shared bonds of sisterhood over the years. This was such a great thriller with a twist I didn't see coming but thoroughly enjoyed! I have read everything from this author and can't wait to see what else she writes in the future!

As an ARC reader, I had the privilege of diving into Sally Hepworth's captivating new novel, "Darling Girls," before its official release, and let me tell you, this book is an absolute gem of a thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

From the outset, it weaves a tale of intrigue and suspense, drawing you into the lives of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, three sisters bound together by secrets, love, and the haunting specter of their past. Raised by the enigmatic Miss Fairchild in the idyllic setting of a farming estate, their childhood was far from the fairy tale it seemed. She deftly explores the complexities of their relationship with Miss Fairchild, painting a nuanced portrait of a woman who wielded both love and control in equal measure.

As the story unfolds, and a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses in a chilling murder investigation. But as the lines between truth and deception blur, they must confront the dark secrets that have long haunted their past and reckon with the possibility that they may be more than just witnesses—they could be prime suspects.

What sets "Darling Girls" apart is Hepworth's masterful storytelling, which keeps readers on the edge of their seats with each twist and turn. Her characters are richly drawn and utterly compelling, their flaws and vulnerabilities adding depth to the narrative and keeping readers emotionally invested from start to finish. As you read, you feel yourself being drawn in as if you are a character in the book yourself. A captivating story, that grips you immediately.

As an ARC reader, I can confidently say that "Darling Girls" is a must-read for fans of the thriller genre. With its gripping plot, complex characters, and atmospheric setting, it's a book that will linger in your mind long after you've turned the final page. Sally Hepworth has once again proven herself to be a master of the genre, and "Darling Girls" is sure to captivate readers with its blend of mystery, suspense, and heart. A must read!

DNF so hard to rate it. I really like Sally Hepworth and the writing in this novel was good but I couldn't stomach the content. Reading about the abuse of children was too difficult.