This is a solid slow burn thriller about three girls in the foster care system who form a sisterhood. They survived an abusive placement and are tracked down as adults following the discovery of human skeletal remains at the site of their former childhood foster placement.

The characters were well developed and the mystery was intriguing enough to keep me reading until the end. I predicted some aspects but there were a couple twists that caught me by surprise, and that was fun.

The content is heavier as it deals with child abuse and I can't say the story was truly enjoyable, overall. If you're a mystery lover and okey with this type of storyline then I would say give it a go!

The audio was well done and compelling and I would recommend this route.

4.5⭐️

I found the most compelling part of the story to be the characters in the sisterly bond. The three sisters through the story were so interesting to follow, and the love between them was very evident.

The story told in multiple timelines and point of views. Primarily this story, follows three sisters and their experience in a foster home. with a foster care mother, that is not necessarily physically abusive, but obviously has emotional impacts on all of them. It's obvious upfront that the caretaker is a narcissist and each of the sisters fall into that role of children of narcissism.

The mystery element of the story is that everyone comes together, after skeletal remains are found in the basement of the previous home. And then the story goes from there.

I found the mystery, thriller element of the story to probably be the weakest part of the book but the characters really made up for it. It could be more classified as literary fiction.

I really enjoyed the narration of this book. The narrator did a great job distinguishing between characters and giving different inflection for each one.

I would recommend this to most readers, especially people, or fans of other works by Sally Hepworth. There may be some parts in the store that could be triggering for others, so just do your due diligence.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillon audio for this advance audio copy. My review is voluntarily my own..

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Powerful with a great message. Disturbing elements but delivered well. This was a good read that kept me wanting more. I love Salley Hepworth and she did not disappoint in this tragic yet inspiring story about resilent young girls.

Audiobook review... great narration by Jessica Clark. Pacing and voices were on point. The story had many twists and turns and the final minutes are a surprise. Flawed but lovable characters. A dark yet quick listen as the story takes you away.

Sally Hepworth is always popular with our library patrons. This one kept me turning the pages pretty quickly. I thought the topic of child abuse would be too difficult, but I got through it. It will be an issue for some readers though.

Woah!!! I loved this book. I enjoyed the suspenseful journey through the intertwined lives of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia—three foster sisters with a shared past filled with secrets, love, and tragedy.
Hepworth expertly weaves a tale of sisterhood and mystery, drawing readers in with the promise of uncovering long-buried truths. From the outset, the complex dynamics between the sisters and their enigmatic foster mother, Miss Fairchild, captivate the imagination, setting the stage for a gripping narrative that kept me guessing until the very end.
The author skillfully navigates the delicate balance between past and present, gradually unraveling the mysteries of the sisters' upbringing while simultaneously exploring the ramifications of their choices as adults. As the plot thickens and a body is discovered beneath the home where they grew up, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia find themselves entangled in a web of suspicion and intrigue, forced to confront the demons of their past in order to secure their future.
Hepworth's character development is impeccable, breathing life into each sister with distinct personalities and motivations that drive the narrative forward. From Jessica's steely determination to uncover the truth, to Norah's quiet strength in the face of adversity, and Alicia's desperate search for redemption, the sisters leap off the page with depth and authenticity.
At its core, "The Darling Girls" is a story about the enduring power of familial bonds and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It explores themes of love, loss, and betrayal, crafting a narrative that is as emotionally resonant as it is suspenseful.
Sally Hepworth delivers a captivating read that will linger in the minds of readers long after they've turned the final page. I was definitely not expecting all of the twists and turns. Now I want to read more books by Sally!

Sally Hepworth always delivers! Although I found this one to be more a family drama with some mystery thrown in than a suspenseful thriller, this slow-burn multi-layered story will grip you from the very beginning and never let go. It is a rather dark read and deals with some heartbreaking and troubling subject matter. I was lucky enough to receive both and ARC and an ALC for this book, and let me just say that the narration was excellent! Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copies of Darling Girls in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this thriller. The main characters had very compelling stories and you can easily relate to them, even with the crimes that occur.

Unfortunately, I was extremely let down by this book. It read more like a slow drama than anything and didn’t come across as a thriller at all.
I will say, her writing did come across as Karin slaughter, so if you enjoy Karin’s writing, you might enjoy Sally’s.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was such a great audiobook. Jessica Clarke did a phenomenal job. Her voice reminded me a lot of the narration in some of Liane Moriarty's books. Terrific job!

It has been a while since I really did not want a book to end. I found myself re-listening to chapters just to take it all in and make sure I did not miss a thing.

I will note that the book could be triggering for people who endured abusive childhoods.

The very last bit of the book. OH.MY.GOODNESS. NO!!!!!!!!

I enjoyed the story being told by multiple points of view, and each character was well-developed, The book flipped from past to present throughout.

Jessica, Norah (with an "H"), and Alicia were all foster children of Miss Fairchild. They all came from different backgrounds, but quickly became sisters, forming a bond deeper than biology. Together, they took care of Miss Fairchild's home and dealt with Miss Fairchild's volatile moods.

There are so many layers in this book. Jessica, the first foster child, formed an instant, special bond with Miss Fairchild. She was Miss Fairchild's only foster for many years and was treated like her own child. Jessica strived to please Miss Fairchild and sought her approval.

Norah had a troubled past with many foster homes over several years. Alicia was at Miss Fairchild's for the shortest period of time.

As adults, the women are very close. When they are contacted by detectives about a case related to their foster home, they all return to the scene of their troubled childhood. They are forced to talk about their past,

Gah. I am having a hard time writing this review because I do not want to give anything away.

There is a lot going on. Trust me. It's good. Grab a copy and peel back the layers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy of Darling Girls in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've tried a couple of this author's work before and I felt on the fence about them but this one I oddly really enjoyed! It's not a super fast paced book or crazy suspensive. It's more got a family type drama with a mystery element but I was hooked! I really liked the audio format because the narrator was able to have me invested and forgetting I was listening to a book. I like the different povs and time jumps! It was a good drama that had me invested in the outcome. The end wasn't as crazy as I was hoping but I still really enjoyed it. Definitely my favorite one by her that I've read so far.

I loved the way this story unfolded. The use of multiple POVs and past and present chapters really propelled the story. I struggled to connect to the three FMCs, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. The twists and turns really kept me guessing! I audibly gasped during the final
twist!

I will also say I appreciated how the author brought light to fostering and adoption and some of the issues that come along with that.

Fabulous narration! I really enjoyed the narrators voice and inflections! Definitely recommend grabbing the audiobook for this one!

If you enjoy family drama, lots of twists, and multiple POVs I highly recommend grabbing this book!

When a body is found underneath their previous foster home, Jessica, Alicia, and Norah receive a phone call from police to come in for questioning. Darling Girls follows these 3 girls that found themselves in the same foster home as children and trauma bonded through dealing with their abusive foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Whose body was found? How did they die? Did the sisters have anything to do with it?

Told in the point of view of the three sisters and in both the present and the past, this audiobook completely grabbed my attention! While it was pretty dark and covered some triggering and troubling subject matter- I found myself rushing to finish to find out what had happened. All the characters felt real and relatable to me. Definitely recommend this thrilling mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Add it to your to be read for April 22!

✨Review✨
I went back and forth doing the book as well as the audiobook and I loved the accent of the reader. Three girls who become “sisters” in this foster home that is an absolute nightmare and years later are brought back there because as it was demolished, bones were found underneath. Detectives are questioning each girl as well as the few other girls who were brought to this foster home for a short time. As each character is described, you sympathize with them for how they are from their circumstances they came from. Sally Hepworth keeps you on your toes, and trying to solve the mystery of who it was, and who did it. So many parts come out to play and it leaves you questioning the whole time. Each sister has such a story to tell as to why they were brought to this foster home on the farm with the sweet lady who loved these darling girls. I was completely thrown off with this ending- the final chapter! Wow! Not at all how I thought it’d end but it brought it full circle completely. With all of the characters, details, Sally did a great job keeping you on edge. I had moments of pausing to make sure I was putting each detail together correctly. I always love her thrillers and stories she creates.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Sally Hepworth for the advanced copy. #netgalley #stmartinspress #sallyhepworth #sallyhepworthauthor #sallyhepworthbooks #sallyhepworthdarlinggirls @netgalley @stmartinspress @sallyhepworth

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, author Sally Hepworth, and NetGalley for providing me the ALC in exchange for my honest review. This audiobook will be released on April 23, 2024.

The remains of a body are found under Wild Meadows Foster Home. The police knock on the doors of three women, former foster children who lived under the domineering care of Miss Fairchild at the scene of the crime. Are they suspects? What do they know? Some answers lie 25 years in their shared past.

The plot takes a while to get “thrilling.” We get a past timeline and a present timeline. In the past, we see increasing red flags from the abusive, unstable fostering of Miss Fairchild. In the present, we get the mundane but messy lives of the three women—Alicia, Jessica, and Nora—which gives us plodding character exploration. When I got to the 70% mark, I was finally all in. Reveals started rolling in, and then we get some plot twists.

I would recommend to people who are okay with slow-burn domestic thrillers. Also note that there are some pretty heavy content warnings: mentioned sexual abuse, flashbacks of verbal/emotional abuse, etc.

NARRATION: The female Australian narrator Jessica Clarke has a pleasant voice. Great!

This audiobook was fantastic! Excuse me?! That ending! Darling Girls is a psychological thriller that really focuses on the characters, their development, and how past traumas have stayed with them into adulthood. This book is dark. I actually want to say this felt darker than some of the other thrillers I've read, and I think it's because it's not crazy to think of this book in a realistic way.

Norah, Jessica, and Alicia are three girls who've bonded in foster care while dealing with the trauma of an abusive parent. Set between three separate timelines, the past, the present, and various meetings with a psychologist this book had me on the edge of my seat. I didn't want to put it down because I just had to know what happened. This is my first book by Sally Hepworth and I am a fan! I can't wait to read her other titles.

Holy smokes this was fantastic!!! It was a little slow to build up, but there were so many twists and surprises. Love it!! strong writing and character building.

While I absolutely love Sally Hepworth, "Darling Girls" is definitely not her best but not her worst. The narrator is intriguing and engaging.

Such a great read! Jessica, Norah and Alicia are foster sisters who are contacted by a detective about bones found at their old foster home, Wild Meadows. The three are questioned and all remember a past they’d rather forget.

I couldn’t put this one down! Great thriller. Thank you for the ALC for my honest review.

Whew. This book is twisted! Such a thriller without being overly scary. Detailing the story of three girls being fostered by an abusive caregiver, you’re immediately rooting for the girls to get out and stay together. As the abuse continues, miss Fairchild looks for love by fostering younger and younger girls. When she’s not given the love she’s so desperately searching for, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have to take over their care. Miss Fairchild eventually adopts a toddler and the girls witness her abusive tendencies start to show up again. In an attempt to save young Amy they get the police involved only to find there was no evidence of an Amy ever existing. Fast forward to the police discovering bones underneath their foster home, the girls are terrified it may be their beloved Amy. Full of twists and turns this is definitely a book you don’t want to miss!