The ending made up for some of the short-comings of the story.

I discovered Sally Hepworth's books a few months ago and read 3 or 4 of them within a week. While I normally love her character viewpoints and interesting dynamics contained in her books, this one fell a little flat for me. I felt like the characters were a little too stereotypical of their archetypes, and the storyline just felt a little too drawn out.
I will also admit that I have a personal bias against any book or movie that plays on the "poor, unfortunate orphan soul" storyline. I feel like it's overdone, and exploits the story of unfortunate children for the sake of profits.

PUTTING ALL THAT ASIDE....
This story kept me wanting more. I never had to force myself to pick it back up, and was genuinely invested in seeing how it played out.

The premise is that 3 adult women who met each other while living in the same foster home of an emotionally abusive Mrs. Fairchild, are forced to come face to face with their past when they are informed that human remains have been found under the old foster home, and are brought in for questioning.
The book alternates between past and present timelines and is told from the perspective all 3 sisters, along with a viewpoint from a mystery character's therapy sessions.
Who do the bones belong to? How did they get there? Who is responsible?
Can the women overcome the trauma they endured as children and teens and rise above the struggles they are facing in their adult life (addiction, violent tendencies, emotional fences) to become healthy, happy humans?

Trigger warnings: childhood abuse, narcissistic parents, child death

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Darling Girls was a wonderful book about found family. Three sisters who experienced trauma at a foster home grow up and we see how it is affecting their lives. Each girl handles the trauma differently and are struggling in various aspects of their lives. After a horrifying discovery at their former foster home, their lives get throw into disarray. The characters and stories are engaging and January LaVoy, the narrator does an amazing job reading.

Another good mystery from Hepworth. This one has 3 POVs with 2 timelines (past & present). It’s a story of 3 “sisters” who lived in a foster home, & after 25 years, bones have been discovered under the house. Child abuse, neglect, & trauma are discussed, but it wasn’t too much for me to handle. Loved the twists & mystery unraveling, especially the last chapter. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery/ thriller 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I hooked into this one right from the start!
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Dark and twisty thrillers
Unique plots
Unreliable narrator
Multiple POV
Forster children
Slow burn suspense
Narcissistic foster parent
Engaging reads

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Greyhound mix dog!
The narration was great it really helped keep me engaged

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Ending was a little too over the top for me

Sharp and captivating, I loved all three points of view past and present. The characters were well-developed, and my heart broke for the girls. I hated the foster mother as I felt the only reason she took in the kids was for the money. The story is filled with twists and turns that pulls the reader through and makes it hard to put down. I also never expected the surprise reveal at the end.
The narrator also does a great job and made me want to keep going.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is everything that you would think it could be, and more. Prepare to be shook by this gripping tale of sisterhood, love, and murder. Sally Hepworth delivered a page-turner that lingers long after the final chapter. 📚🔍🌟 The bond of the sister's is genuine. I will be thinking about the twisted ending for a long time to come!

I absolutely loved this book! Were there definitely times in this book where I had no idea what was going on? Ya for sure! But I figured it would all make sense in the end and it was so worth it! The twists and turns of this book along with the chosen family theme running throughout was absolutely amazing. And as crazy as it sounds, I loved the idea of this mystery/thriller book to have not one but several happily ever afters in the end. It was truly heartwarming. And the narrator was incredible!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for allowing me to audibly read and review Darling Girls on NetGalley.

Published: 04/23/24

Narrator: Jessica Clarke

Stars: 2.5

Meh.

Hepworth chose to utilize the Foster Care System as her setting with it being 100% corrupt. Girls go from one bad situation after another from their birth to multiple foster homes before landing at Fairchild's House. Their hope is short-lived for safety, meals and human decency. The story jumps from kids to woman when bones are found at the foster home.

The system in its entirety failed these kids: familial, teachers, social/case workers, law enforcement, clergy, and medical professionals. I am not naive. I know human decency is under fire in the foster care system. I find sensationalizing for book sales mind-boggling. I also find it hard to imagine not one person stepped up for these kids. This is not listed as fantasy, horror, or thriller. This is women's fiction and expected to be reasonable and relatable.

These kids never had a chance, nor did I as a reader have a chance. The abuse was not going to end and that lead to a convoluted mess while Hepworth tried to make the book feel complete. Since there wasn't going to be a satisfying ending, she went for shock and even that didn't work.

My appeal would be for the publisher to change the genre.

When a Sally Hepworth novel comes out its a auto read! I've been lucky enough to get arcs to read her asap!


Holly Fairchild
The foster mother to the outside she's fantastic. To her foster children shes....


Jessica, Norah, Alicia
Jessica was the 1st and things seem alright in the beginning and then you realize miss Fairchild is using the fact Jessica wants to be loved against her. Then when money gets tight she brings in another child a few years later enter Norah who's had a lot of bad run ins at other foster families. Then Alicia is supposed to be a short term foster why she waits for her grandmother to get out of the hospital. The 3 girls become a trio and look out for each other.

They stay together long after they got out of Miss Fairchild's care and are true sisters. They try to put the past behind them until they get called from the police about bones found under the house and they are pulled back into there past lives and have to relive there childhood.

Now they have to stick together to understand the past and what all went wrong.


I received an E-ARC/Audio Arc from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book, it is right on the edge of a 5-star listen for me. It was intriguing from the start with the premise of three young girls who end up in foster care at the same home with the same new mother, and develop a bond as close as sisters. Nevertheless, their foster mother isn't exactly what she presents herself to be to social workers and any outsiders.

This book developed into a twisty, mysterious novel built around the bond of these three women and their desire to get answers about their childhood home. I really enjoyed the alternating viewpoints of time in foster care vs. the current mystery they were facing.

Each child developed into a woman with her own set of challenges, all very obviously driven by their upbringing, which created unique and dynamic characters. I loved following the mystery along with them and watching them overcome their traumatic past to find closure and growth into the rest of their lives.

And of course, that ending! Fantastic way to keep the twists coming until the very end. I thought the book might be headed in that direction, the ending was such a great twist and final knockout punch.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Sally Hepworth's other works before this, Darling Girls is a new favorite for me.

As someone who frequently works with children in foster care, I found Darling Girls particularly chilling. We follow three women who had became sisters to each other in every sense of the word while in foster care with a particularly vengeful foster mother, from their respective perspectives in both the present and past timelines. Each still feels the effects of their past trauma on their present lives, but they must reopen old wounds when the police calls and tells them a body has been found under their old foster home. That discovery unearths long-buried secrets about what really happened at Wild Meadows.

Each of the three main characters is unique and easily distinguished, with some trait that both allowed them to survive their past ordeals and makes them interesting to follow, while Miss Fairchild is vile indeed. Hepworth throws in some wicked twists and loops that make this a fascinating and enjoyable read. Jessica Clarke does an amazing job narrating the story. Thank you to the author, Macmillan, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Darling Girls (out this Tuesday, 4/23/24!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Sally Hepworth is an auto-read for me since “The Mother-in-Law” and “The Good Sister” a few years back, and so I always look forward to her newest releases.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters in all but blood, growing up together in the foster care system under the care of Miss Fairchild. While all seemed perfect on the surface, Miss Fairchild was unpredictable (to say the least), and each girl had their own issues to overcome. When a body is found underneath their foster home decades later, the sisters are thrust back into the past. Are they the key witnesses or are they the suspects?

In true Hepworth style, readers get short multiple POV chapters that keep you wanting to turn the page, several unexpected twists, and a wild-til-the-last-page-ending. These are the reasons I’ll keep picking up her books each year!

The one piece of this book that I couldn’t quite get over though was how laissez-faire the ancillary adults in past chapters were; no spoilers here, but I found it hard to believe some of the behavior in the house was left unchecked for so long. I found this continued into present day with the police (why are all the suspects hanging out in a bar during the middle of an intense investigation?). These things left me scratching my head the entiiiire time I was reading.

Gripes aside, I really liked the stylistic element of a first-person unknown narrator talking to their therapist in between POVs. Trying to guess who this person was kept me on my toes, and per usual, I sped through this book. It is probably #4 on my list of her books after MIL, GS, & “The Soulmate”, but I do recommend this if you’ve been a fan of her in the past!! Thank you to @netgalley for the early copy to review 🩵

3.5⭐

I can see why early reviewers, in general, are rating Darling Girls highly. If consistently tense mysteries/psychological thrillers are your jam, I definitely can recommend this one for you. On the other hand, because the subject matter is especially sensitive (largely involving children), I advise special reader caution. Content warnings include abuses within the foster system, kidnapping, child abuse, sexual blackmail, drug abuse, murder, and gaslighting, at least.

Throughout the story, which is set in Australia, psychiatrist Dr. Warren seems to get his jollies from his patient's description of the abuse they endured. Besides being wildly unprofessional (not to mention unhelpful), it's a gross kink. The vague treatment of the timing of the psychiatric visits seems a bit underhanded. However, I take no exception at the location being kept secret—it's in service to the plot tension.

The foster sisters stick together and support each other throughout their lives, including after bones are discovered under their childhood home.

The combination of my early (and almost complete) anticipation of the twists—along with the repetition of certain descriptions and the prolonged trauma of so many characters—dampens my enthusiasm a bit. As you can see, though, I still rated the book above average. It kept me hooked—I had to see how it would all end.

This unbiased review is based on an audio ARC supplied by the publisher—Macmillan Audio. Publication is expected April 23.

Truthfully, the cover of this book had me thinking this was going to be some kind of beach-read thriller (is there such a thing?). I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’m almost always willing to give a thriller a try. I’m glad my first impression of the book was wrong!

First Jessica, then Norah, then Alicia. These three girls were taken in at different times by someone whom they were told was a loving and caring foster mother. This is especially true for Jessica who, for a time, was the apple of Miss Fairchild’s eye. Things begin to change when Miss Fairchild takes in two other girls, and later, some younger children. The three older girls forge a strong bond, knowing that getting through the day under Miss Fairchild’s roof relies on teamwork.

In the present-day timeline, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are grown and have lives of their own. It’s been years since they’ve seen Miss Fairchild. When a body is found under the house they grew up in, they must confront their pasts. Whether it’s as witnesses or suspects, none of them are certain.

I loved the foster sister relationships in this book. I love how much these girls/women looked out for one another. Though I was more invested in the past storyline, I was quite interested in the mystery in the modern setting as well. I found Miss Fairchild to be an intriguing antagonist right up to the end. Without getting into spoilers, I will admit that I was left a little perplexed by her motives aside from the obvious character traits she displays.

Were the characters particularly memorable and unique? No. Did I enjoy the vibes? Absolutely. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Jessica Clarke, does a fantastic job delivering the story.

A huge thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for inviting me to read a free audio ARC of the book!

Took me a little while to get into this book due to the past and present / different characters. I thought the narration was great. There were a lot of unexpected aspects of the book. Thought I had it figured out, but I was wrong! I would definitely recommend this book! I will probably listen to it again soon.

Really enjoyed Darling Girls!
Beware to check trigger warnings for child abuse.
Overall the pace was good, it didn't feel like it had many lulls. I liked all of the different POVs and the jumping timeline. That really helps get the book going. The twist at the end was good and I didn't see it coming!

I really liked this book! The story was great, and it was very fast paced. I really liked all of the characters, and it was easy to feel sympathy for them. I really liked the different perspectives, and I feel like the author did a great job of embodying the different personalities of the girls. This was a really easy read, and I never felt like it was dragging at all. It moved throughout the whole story. I will definitely be reading this author again!

Three girls raised in a foster home by mean Miss Fairchild develop a special bond and call one another sisters.
They are contacted years later by police because a child’s remains were found buried under the house that the girls once lived.
The girls go back to help with the investigation and the mystery unravels with shocking twists!
Thanks to @NetGalley and @St.Martin’sPress for the opportunities to listen to this audiobook.

Sally Hepworth does it again! This book is TWISTED but Sally still keeps it light by weaving in humor. I think this would make a great show! I loved the narrator.

Darling Girls is the story of three women who grew up in the same foster home. Jessica, is a pathological people-pleaser. Norah, who doesn't take shit from anyone. And Alisha, who questions her own self-worth.

When a body is found on the property of their former foster home, the women reluctantly return to the home they grew up in and are forced to face the demons of their past.

With chapters alternating between the three women (NOW and THEN) and an unnamed woman meeting with a therapist and talking about her childhood, we're given bits and pieces as the story unfolds. All the while, the women have to deal with their personal demons both from their traumatic childhood and their adult lives.

This book shows that a seemingly perfect home can still hold dangerous secrets. And seemingly wonderful people are less wonderful behind closed doors.

I listened to the audiobook version and, as an American, the Australian accent of the narrator was at first jarring, but I quickly adjusted and enjoyed her reading of the story.

I left Jessica, Norah, and Alicia feeling like I was saying goodbye to new friends. And that ending. Oof. I didn't expect that. Wow!