Darling Girls is the first book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth, and it definitely won’t be my last. It’s a dark glimpse into the lives of foster children and their foster parents, and what happens when fairytales go wrong.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are such compelling characters, and they immediately pulled me into their story. I enjoyed both timelines — their past and their present — and this narrative structure really allowed time to get to know each sister inside out. They’re individually very different, but because of their heartbreaking childhoods, they will always share an unforgettable bond that can’t be diminished. It’s fascinating to unravel these sisterly relationships, and I was continuously surprised by what their stories held.

The mystery at the heart of Darling Girls is sensitively handled, and it kept me absolutely hooked. All my guesses were wrong, as per usual, but I was satisfied with the big reveal and the ending. Sally Hepworth expertly tied many plot strands together, ultimately weaving a sad, shocking tale that left me thinking about it days after finishing the book.

I would recommend Darling Girls to anyone who likes a dark, consuming mystery with a heavy plot and memorable characters. It may not be an easy read for everyone, but it’s a rewarding one, if only for getting to meet three sisters who would do anything for each other. I’m so glad I read it!

Another brilliant Sally Hepworth novel! I loved all three of our protagonists who are very different but equally intriguing.

The book centres around foster sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia and takes place both in the present and past. I loved the exploration of foster children and how broken the system is. Kids who lose everything, who are already struggling placed into the system for it only to get worse. The author's acknowledgements are a must-read too.

The bond between the sisters and the small moments (some humorous) adds depth and makes the story come alive. I devoured the book and wished it lasted longer. I'd recommend it and will be eagerly waiting for her next release. |

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the e-copy!

4.5/5

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future

This was my first book by this author and it was so good! I liked that the story is told in multiple pov’s. The plot twist was unexpected and I really liked Alice, Norah and Jessica. The story itself was heart wrenching, so please make sure to read the trigger warnings.
Thank you Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for this arc.

Jessica, Norah and Alice were raised by foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on a picturesque farming estate and in a loving home. However, Miss Fairchild wasn’t as loving as everyone thought and when, years later, a body is found under the farmhouse, they are thrust into the spotlight.

This is my second book by this author and certainly not my last. The story is told in the voices of the three sisters, past and present, and are easy to differentiate between them all. The chapters are short and snappy and I found myself needing to read just one more. The story itself is dark, compelling and shocking. It is focused on a tough subject so can be emotional and disturbing at times.

Although this was a well written story I found that I struggled to connect with the characters. I also found the pacing to be slightly off. Although I had some small issues with this book, I still think it was a good, intriguing read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Wild Meadows, nestled in the small town of Port Agatha, used to be the foster home of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, where they lived under the care of their foster mother, Miss Holly Fairchild. Years after leaving Port Agatha, the girls receive a phone call from the police, informing them about the recent discovery of bones under Wild Meadows. Shocked by the news, they return to their hometown to assist in the investigation.

Darling Girls is a thriller with multiple POVs and a happy ending that had me flipping pages the fastest I have ever read. It's dark and thrilling. I loved the short chapters and the POVs of Norah, Jessica, Alicia, and an anonymous narrator. I loved the constant switching between the past and present timelines. My jaw was literally on the floor from all the little revelations and the last chapter.

I loved the set-up of the plot. It starts with a prologue narrated by the anonymous character talking to a therapist. The initial chapters give a glimpse of the present lives of the girls, and then there are the chapters set in the past that tell you about how their lives were at Wild Meadows. I loved the sisterhood between Jessica, Norah, and Alicia and how it came to be. They might not be sisters in blood, but they were sisters in all other ways. Do you know the best part? The ending: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia find their happily ever after.

This book deals with a lot of dark themes, like sexual and physical assault, depression, drug abuse, and mental trauma. I felt that they were well depicted. I loved the depiction of the struggles faced by foster children and the effects they have on their mental health. Not just the trauma but also the way the system is abused. That was heart-wrenching to read. Most thrillers don’t make me want to cry, but this one did. I loved it!

3.5.

What a compelling book! A real page turner!

I was fully sucked into the lives of Jessica, Norah and Alicia. They're such intriguing characters.

Sally Hepworth is an excellent story teller, taking us on a twisty turny journey of suspense and intrigue.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia have always been told how lucky they are to have been fostered by Miss Fairchild on the idyllic sounding Wild Meadows farm, but no one really knew what went on behind closed doors ….
I
The ‘sisters’ are as close as ever but their traumatic experiences during childhood are still affecting them in their adult lives, and when the remains of a body are discovered at Wild Meadows they are forced to return home to confront the past.

This was a well written mystery and I loved the relationship between the three very different women. However, as a recruiter of foster carers I was concerned about the portrayal of the fostering system and the implication that almost all carers either abuse or neglect the children in their care, but do appreciate the research the author did and her shining a light on the issues.

Hepworth is now an auto read author for me so would definitely recommend you giving this and her other books a try if you’ve not already

Probably the best book I’ve read this year. I could not put this down.

It follows 3 sisters as they uncover childhood trauma, switching between then and now timelines. I won’t go into any more detail as I think it’ll ruin the story but oh my god what a wild ride!!!

The twists kept coming and I was thinking I had it all figured out and then something else would happen. The last few pages had me floored.

It’s a kind of psychological thriller/mystery but also so much more than that with great commentary on what goes on in care/foster homes.

Just read this, you won’t be disappointed! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
I give this book 4.25 stars

Rescued from their own family tragedies, Jessica, Norah and Alicia were raised by a loving foster mother on an idyllic farming estate
But when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the three foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses.

A disturbing yet engrossing story that has you frantically turning the pages in suspense .Told from the 3 girls (foster sisters) POV and an unidentified 4th narrative to keep you guessing. The author does a great job of making each character different and distinct. There is a past and present storyline with short chapters to allow the backstory (time in foster care/biological family) to be explored,the plot twists to reveal themselves and the horrors of the current police investigation being dealt with. It was unsettling and sad to read in parts but there was also dark humour interspersed and a strong bond of sisterhood which l loved. I devoured it in 24 hours and wasn’t expecting the ending!
Please check the trigger warnings for this one.
With thanks to Netgalley, SallyHepworth and Pan MacMillan for my chance to read and review this book.

It is an interesting story that follows three women who grew up together for a time in a foster home where things were far from good. The story flows from a period of time in the past and the present as they work through everything that happened years ago and how it pertains to what was discovered under the house as it was being torn down. Mental and physical abuse, repressed memories, depression, feelings of no self-worth, anger, and rage grace the pages in all its forms and the story comes together in a way I just had to finish as soon as I could. A solid four star read!

BOOK REVIEW 📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#DarlingGirls by @sallyhepworth @panmacmillan

➡️synopsis

This book was blooming brilliant; so addictive, interesting and page turning. It kept me up long past my bed time telling myself just one more chapter and ok just one more. I honestly didn’t want to be a wife or mother till I had consumed every part of it! 😂 Completed in two days (with being a wife and mother in between 😉)

Nothing less than what I’ve come to expect from this author but this perhaps is my favourite so far 🤔

With thanks to author #sallyhepworth #panmacmillan and @netgalley for allowing us to read this one early!

RELEASING: April 25th

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have come from different families where they all had terrible experiences. They now live in a lovely home, with lovely grounds and a swimming pool, and to the casual observer Wild Meadows looks idyllic. Miss Fairchild has fostered the three girls and presents to the world as a loving, caring person, especially to the girl’s social care case workers. But what goes on behind closed doors is a very different story. She is a moody, unpredictable and volatile character who isn’t against mentally and physically abusing those in her care.

The three girls form a bond and become sisters, even if not by blood, with the common experience of their treatment at the hands of Miss Fairchild. This tie is still strong into their adulthood, long after they have escaped the clutches of their tormentor. The past is always there to haunt them, in their dreams and waking hours, despite all three endeavouring to move on with their lives. As adults, the three sisters are contacted by the police as a discovery of human bones has been made at their former home. Soon the past that they have been trying so hard to put a lid on, rears its head, along with some horrific discoveries.

Told between the past and present day, Darling Girls is a fantastically gripping book. Although some of the story makes for tough reading, it’s another fine example of what a great author Sally Hepworth is. This book gripped me from the beginning and I found that I really liked the three sisters’ characters whose personalities were very different and all showed signs of how the past still had a harrowing effect on them to the present day. There are some really great twists and the ending was breath-taking. A very easy 5 stars for this fab book.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are fostered by Miss Fairchild. The three girls form a tight bond after being subjected to child cruelty.
Now adults, they are contacted by the police after human bones are found under the house they were living in.
We hear from each of the sisters, from before and the now.
I found this a very compelling read. I could not put it down until I found out who the bones belonged to and how they got there.
The story itself is quite sad and shocking.
It's no wonder that underneath, they had some problems and needed counselling.
There is also a fourth narrator who isn't named, but halfway through, it becomes clear who it is.
There are some shocks and twists along the way. And that ending!
I love Sally's books, and I loved this one as well, even though at times it was difficult to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoy this author. Her books always have a mental health theme, often resulting from a previous trauma, and always sensitively done. But focused on child welfare and abuse this one was definitely not one of my favourites and a topic I would normally avoid. That said I loved the the main characters - all so different and each coping with the events of their past in such different ways but each equally strong and likeable. And, as always the author delivered a good twist at the end that I should've expected but really didn't forsee.

4.5 stars!!!

*thank you netgalley and pan macmillan and sally hepworth for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

OH, MY GOD!! Wow, wow, wow. This is the second book of Sally's I have read now, the first was the soulmate a few months ago, and now I NEED to read her backlist.

Darling Girls was the most unpredictable binge worthy thriller which truly shows there is no better bond than sisterhood. Jessica, Norah and Alicia are bound together when they all saw themselves ending up in the same foster home as one another. When things started to take a turn they truly bonded over protecting one another, which they took with them into adult life also.

When body remains were found under the foster home the three girls grew up in, they were forced to go back and face their past and try to figure out what really went on. At the hands of their abusive foster mother, could they really take the fall for the dead body that has been found?

Sally, sally, sally..when I tell you I really thought I knew which direction this was going in well, you may as well have laughed in my face. I was hooked on this book from start to finish, every time I had to put my kindle down I was thinking of these 3 girls, and I think they will stick with me for a long time after too. The way we got each POV was brilliant, I loved being in the mind of each sister. THE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR in the unknown chapters, brilliant.. I was hooked, I didn't work out who it was until about 50-60% the way through, and I wasn't mad that I figured it out because then I NEEDED to know the why's behind everything!!

THAT FINAL CHAPTER??? DAMN, when I tell you my jaw...hit the floor.

Seriously, pick this up if you haven't done so already!

I finished this book in one sitting, I just could not put it down .
Jessica, Norah and Alicia are all fostered by the evil Miss Fairchild and have an unbreakable bond. A phone call to say human remains have been found brings them back to their childhood home and their awful past.
The three sisters characters were all so different but I felt for them all and what they had experienced.
A heartbreaking book with an excellent twist and a definite 5 star read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I didn't expect this book to hit me as hard as it did.

I was recommended this title by a friend and I was not disappointed, I couldn't put it down. I loved the character development throughout the book and how we saw each of them grow and learn to take care of themselves in their pwn individual way.

It was a horrifying tale of child abuse within a foster home which unfortunately, isn't too far from the truth in some cases. The foreshadowing used in the opening chapters with Jessica's initial arrival at Miss Fairchild's home was clever and really set me on edge for what was to come. The insights into how fear is used as a form of punishment and how that impacted each child into their adulthood were done in a realistic way and made you truly feel for the girls in both the past and their current struggles.

The twist at the end absolutely destroyed me, and I spent a good 5 minutes just staring at the last page, processing what I'd just read. It's not often a book can truly shock me like that and so I commend Sally Hepworth for her wonderful writing skills.

An excellent psychological thriller. This is Sally Hepworth at her best. Jessica, Norah and Alicia (interesting characters with troubling backgrounds) are placed into foster care at Wild Meadows with a creepy foster mother Miss Fairchild. I found it so intriguing and absorbing, the suspense of what actually happened at Wild Meadows twenty five years ago. Absolutely brilliant, yet shocking and surprising.

This book went beyond my expectations and I finished it within 2 evenings. The relationship between the sisters is so wonderfully written and the twists and turns in the plot are very clever. I loved this and will be recommending it far and wide. Well done!