Reviews tagging 'Death'

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

44 reviews

mtnest's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

As a fan of Sally Hepworth since I read The Mother-in-Law, it is always interesting to see what challenging topic she will tackle next. Darling Girls is a dual timeline story of three girls who formed strong bonds at the seemingly idyllic estate in Port Agatha, Wild Meadows. The estate houses foster children and is managed by Miss Fairchild. What should be a reprieve from unfortunate situations is revealed to be terrible and abusive. The wounds inflicted by Miss Fairchild has varying effects, particularly when she becomes displeased.  Early in the book, all three are called by the police after a body has been found buried at Wild Meadows. The foster sisters travel back to Port Agatha to provide information about their time in Miss Fairchild’s care and to uncover details about this possible crime. As the story unfolds, the reader learns the perils of abuse and the lingering effects of trauma. It is amazing how an elaborate story is crafted from such a small circle of characters. I was quickly invested in what would become of the “Darling Girls” while the mystery played a secondary role. The struggles and eventual outcome was both redemptive and disturbing. Make no mistake, this is a difficult and dark story. The multiple episodes of abuse were hard to read and it is a testament to the author’s skill that it did not lead to utter despair. Normally, I steer away from books featuring child harm, however, I trusted the author enough to continue. The ending may prove divisive for readers and I am still deciding how I feel about it. The narration by Jessica Clarke was beyond just a standard reading. There were several moments where her portrayal really added to this story. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Confinement, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia, Alcohol, Death of parent, Murder, Death, Body shaming, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

booksinkandpaper2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Death, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Drug use, and Confinement

elyssas_editions's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Rape, Abandonment, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Incest, Bullying, Drug use, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence

michellefre's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

You know those books that you stay up until the middle of the night reading? This is the one. I felt gaslit, on the edge of my seat, and outraged for 95% of this book. I couldn’t believe what was going on and couldn’t wait to find out what was happening. I don’t stay up until 3am reading books … ever. But with this one I did. I’m still thinking about it days later and am already planning a re-read. What an amazing book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Child abuse

Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Rape

kaylasbookgram's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What on Earth did I just read !?!? 🤯🤯🤯

I absolutely devoured this book! I will say please k is there are triggers for this book in my opinion and the biggest one being child abuse.

Right when I thought this book couldn’t get anymore dark the ending just jumped out and made my jaw drop to the ground! And that alone gave it five stars for me. However the entire book was so incredibly done. I love all the shocking events and turns of events. I loved trying to figure out what happened to Amy along with the three girls. Just bravo on this book 👏🏻 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Child death, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Violence, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Torture, Cursing, Drug use, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Infertility, Pregnancy, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders

nanirump's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Torture, Murder, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy

1intothewoods1's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Confinement

Moderate: Violence, Pedophilia, and Rape

hryannh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Confinement, and Addiction

Minor: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Alcohol

theoceanrose's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Death, Violence, Child abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault

traceyanderson's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Blood, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Vomit, Child death, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Murder, and Suicide attempt