I've read Sally Hepworth's four most recent novels and this one was my overall favorite. I think I've got her formula down, and not only do I understand why she is such a popular author, but I plan on continuing to read her novels. As I have always listened to the audiobooks, it seemed odd not having Barrie Kreinik along for the ride, but I thought Jessica Clarke did a fine job. (She also helped narrate The Younger Wife.) If you like Sally Hepworth, you'll like Darling Girls.

As an aside, I would like to take a moment to bring attention to Darling Girls's very serious subject matter. Having never been to Australia, I am not at all qualified to judge its foster care system. Plenty of readers from the United States, like me, however, will read Darling Girls. Foster care is a complex system. There are children who both need and benefit from it. There are also children who do not. I would like to encourage all U.S. readers to take a moment to look up the story of Deanna Fogarty and her battle for justice against Orange County Social Services. Lest you think this was one isolated case, make your next Internet search for the work that attorney Shawn A. McMillan has done since the 2007 verdict. I would like to thank Sally Hepworth, in her own little way, intended or not, for bringing these injustices to the public consciousness.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

Sally Hepworth just never gets it wrong. Intelligent, funny, creepy, enthralling. This is purchases perfect from beginning to end.

Sadly, I decided not to finish this book. Child abuse isn’t something I enjoy reading about. I also didn’t like the sexual content. This book was just not for me.

There’s addictive, and then there’s a Sally Hepworth book. Good Lord I could not turn away.

Three sisters - Jessica, Norah and Alicia. All fostered by Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows until they find a way out.

Fast forward 25 years to bones being discovered under Wild Meadows and everyone comes back to where the tragedies first began. Each sister has to face their own trauma head on to discover whose body is really under that house.

I loved the mystery POV too.

4 stars for Darling Girls. Sally Hepworth kept me interested throughout this whole book. I think that the writing was great, the characters were strong and showed good growth and development. The twist at the end had me surprised.

Creepy page turner about three "sisters" that grew up together in foster care. They are slowly processing their shared past when remains are found at the site of their former foster house. They are forced to confront their past, and what it means for their present and future.

An intriguing plot with lots of dark details and twists; one of the biggest "reveals" is not too surprising, but I'm not sure if it's meant to be. The sisters are very endearing, and Miss Fairchild is very evil and easy to hate. I was invested in the story and read it pretty quickly, as I enjoyed hanging out with the sisters and wanted to see what exactly was going on. The last couple of chapters, that were mainly the wrap up, seemed like they went on too long, but overall I liked this book.

Creepy story that kept me reading. I love books that I want to continue to read to find out what's next. Will recommend.

Thanks, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press, for the early review copies of the e-book and audiobook via NetGalley. (Available 23 Apr 24)

This is my first from this author, and I was warned it wasn’t her best. Listening to it put me in a bad mood: nothing really happens except misery and mistreatment. I shifted to the e-book to be able to skim it faster to be done with it. The plot seemed slow, and most of the story focused on an abusive foster home situation. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, either.

I received a digital ARC copy of Sally's Hepworth's newest Darling Girls. This book had me from the very beginning. At first, I was concerned there would be too many perspectives to keep up with on audio, but the story flowed so well together and the pace on point that it did not take me more than a few chapters to be fully immersed in this thriller. Readers are taken on a roller coaster of intrigue as we go back and forth between the present and past of three girls in the foster care system who were raised by a woman that was not what she seemed on the outside. As the three girls grew up, they endured the abuse and hardships put on them by their foster mother. As adults, each one has dealt with it differently, and soon an investigation begins on something found at their old foster home that has the reader going between timelines, trying to solve whodunit - were the girls really enduring the horrible living conditions they claimed to be in? Was their foster mother really a bad person? Who is telling the lie, and who is the criminal?

The audio of this book was perfectly done. The narrator's voice was clear and offered good inflections to bring readers further into the story. I normally reserve my thrillers and mysteries for physical copies so I can keep myself on track with the story, but I couldn't resist trying Hepworth's latest and I am so glad I did! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me the opportunity to read and review this title!

{audiobook}

Darling Girls is a dark & emotional story of 3 women- brought together from a shared history at a foster home that has come back to haunt them.

• alternating POVs & timelines
• the three ‘sisters’ have very defined characteristics and personalities which are supported by their backstories
• short chapters = quick read
• twists I wasn’t expecting but weren’t too far fetched/further leading the plot and not distracting

⚠️ child abuse/neglect ⚠️

Thank you #NetGalley for the audio ARC of #DarlingGirls !

Sally Hepworth is an auto buy author for me. Her latest novel Darling Girls is another great read! A contemporary fiction that explores the themes of friendship, motherhood, and secrets. The narrative revolves around three kindred spirits who form an unbreakable bond under the roof of the same foster care home, united in their efforts to shield themselves from the clutches of their malevolent foster mother, Holly Fairchild. Holly employs cunning manipulations to subject the girls to a series of psychological games, leaving scars that linger long after they escape her clutches. This book explores the past and present timelines of Jessica, Norah and Alicia. Through short, succinct chapters, we see how each girl evolved during and after their shared trauma.

If you're interested in stories that delve into complex relationships and the intricacies of female friendship, you should check this one out! Available April 23rd.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book takes us on an absolutely wild ride following 3 foster sisters, who all share an insanely close bond. A story comes out about their childhood foster home. Something has happened and the cops want to figure out what happened, why did it happen and who did it?

This book has multiple points of view and fast chapters making listening to it so much fun.

A lot of twist and turns - many that left me speechless/didn't see coming.

The narrator did an awesome job keeping me engaged and wrapped into this story.

TW: Childhood abuse + trauma.

If you're a lover of twisty, turny thrillers, I feel like you'd really love this one!

A huge thank you to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for this early listen.
North American Publishing Date is April 23rd

Three sisters are forced back to their traumatic childhood when a body is found on the property of their foster home. They each have their own stressful situations going on but come together to support one another. While not biologically sisters, they remind us that family is what you make it.

The foster mom is a horrible person that manipulates the girls and the foster care system. Throughout the book we get individual POV for each sister as well as someone in a therapy session. The author did a great job of telling three timelines at once. With a less skilled writer that could have become very confusing. I had my suspicions of the twist as I was reading but I still enjoyed the journey!

Jessica Clarke does an amazing job portraying all the characters without being too distracting or disruptive to the story.

If you are looking for a slightly twisted thriller, I highly recommend Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity. I have written this review voluntarily.

I loved that we got a POV from multiple characters and I always enjoy a past/present timeline. This book read more like a family drama with a mystery than a thriller. It was a fast paced story that definitely kept my attention. I was afraid we weren’t going to get that shocking twist that I need out of a mystery/thriller, but the last 3 pages were worth the wait!

I did read the first half and then listened to the second half and the audio for this one is fantastic. The narrator really brought the story to life and I would highly recommend reading it this way!

As this story unfolds, you really feel for these young girls, children, orphans, who are sent to live with a foster mother. All is not as it seems to be, well, except for the psychological torturing these girls suffer at the hands of their foster mom. The three of them form an inseparable bond because of it. We meed Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as adults when the remains of a human are found under the home they grew up in. What exactly happened at their home, Wild Meadows, who belongs to the body that was found, are the girls involved? As the story evolves and the way these girls were punished comes to the surface, is it any wonder they turned out the way they did? This one is a slow burn and keeps you rivited to the end. The narration is well done.

I absolutely LOVED this book!!! The twists and turns kept me on my toes the entire time. And the ending?! I didn’t expect that at all!!! Such a great read. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Sally Hepworth has once again created an intriguing and suspenseful thriller. Three women who were fostered together as girls learn that a body has been found under the house they stayed in. An investigation and much chaos ensue as the women try to come to terms with their difficult pasts. This has multiple time periods and lots of layers, which all come together for an unpredictable conclusion. The characters are very raw and real and it’s interesting to see them develop through the book. Fans of Liane Moriarty and B.A. Paris will enjoy this.

LOVED Darling Girls! This was the psychological thriller I needed from my TBR. Just the right amount of slow burn without an overly complicated plot to follow.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters in every way that matters except blood. Bound together by trauma, each sister is grappling with current issues when they receive a phone call dredging up their past.

The remains of a young child have been found under their old foster care home. As the police bring the women in for questioning, each relive the abuse they experienced under the care of their foster mother Miss Fairchild. They also struggle with current relationships and missteps that are keeping them from moving beyond their past.

The plot builds slowly, but hold on it picks up quickly. The ending has a very Silent Patient vibe that I did foresee and yet it was incredibly well executed. The audio production was fantastic and I quite enjoyed the Aussie accents.

This is the second book I read by Sally Hepworth, so needless to say, I had very high expectations. The content is heavy and I had a hard time reading it. I’m giving it three stars out of five because I enjoy Hepworth’s writing, but it was hard to stomach certain things.