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atrinh's review
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Drug use, Trafficking, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
mandareads222's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Child death, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, and Child abuse
Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Body shaming, Medical content, Bullying, Abandonment, and Rape
Minor: Sexual content
ch3r's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Author: Sally Hepworth
Genre: Domestic Suspense
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies from St. Martin's Press and Macmillan audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Bingeable • Unsettling • Heartbreaking
📖 S Y N O P S I S
From the outside, Alicia, Jessica and Norah might seem like ordinary women you'd meet on the street any day of the week. Sure, Jessica has a little OCD and Norah has some anger issues. And Alicia has low self-esteem that manifests itself in surprising ways. But these three have a bond that no one can fully understand. It's a bond that takes them back decades, to when they were girls, and they lived on a farm with a foster mother named Miss Fairchild.
Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed.
In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild, and they thought they were free. But the reach of someone with such power is long, and even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds.
When bones are discovered buried under the farmhouse of their childhood, they are called in by the police to tell what they know. Against their will, they are brought back to the past, and to Miss Fairchild herself.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Darling Girls was an easy add to my TBR when it was announced. I can always count on Sally Hepworth to bring the drama and keep me turning the pages. Marketed as a thriller, in my opinion, her books landed more on the domestic and/or psychological mystery/suspense side of the coin. No matter how you choose to classify them, they tend to be the type of 'thriller' that works for me.
Told from the POVs of three sisters - Jessica, Norah and Alicia, and with mysterious physiatrist sessions interspersed throughout, the plot in this one was deeply haunting. The push and pull of the past and present day timelines came across more as if information was being withheld rather than the slow reveal of the necessary pieces.
Each of the girls had their own distinctive personality, yet their relationship with one another was solid. They bonded over their awful circumstances and it really showed how, even years later, their relationship is strong with a need to stick together. As for Mrs. Fairchild, she was an absolute monster! Sally has done a phenomenal job with her character arc because she definitely had the ick factor. Her lies and gaslighting were so cruel and manipulative, and narcissistic actions churned my stomach, culminating in one final revelation in the last chapter which was absolutely revolting.
While the setting has played a huge role in some of Sally's previous works, I didn't find that to be the case here. There was some much atmospheric potential to make Wild Meadows its own character and I think it would have added a whole other layer to the story if she'd chosen to go that route.
The audiobook read by Jessica Clarke was fine. It added a layer of tension, yet there was also room for improvement. Given the story is told from multiple POVs, and especially with the mystery character therapy sessions interspersed throughout, having multiple narrators or at the very least a clear distinction between each would have elevated the audiobook experience.
While I know some people are going to love this book because of the final chapter, unfortunately, it has the opposite effect for me. In all honesty, it felt like it was added simply for shock value and to leave the leader with their mouth hanging open. To me, the book would have been stronger without it and it lowered my rating.
Darling Girls is certainly not my favourite Sally Hepworth book, yet I enjoyed it significantly more than her 2023 release The Soulmate. It opens up the conversation surrounding a foster care system that doesn't always protect the children involved. Yet it's important to keep in mind, that for every horror story like this one there are many stories filled with love. Sally continues to be an auto-read author for me and I will be curious to see where she goes next.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• strong sister bonds
• found family
• mysterious bodies
⚠️ CW: child abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, sexual violence, pedophilia, neglect, abandonment, toxic relationship, gaslighting, bullying, confinement, kidnapping, torture, body shaming, violence, injury/injury detail, adoption, death, murder, child death, death of parent, mental illness, drug use, prescription drug abuse, addiction, attempted suicide, overdose, PTSD, panic attacks/disorders, pregnancy, vomit, alcohol, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Love and security were the most basic of rights. Forcing these kids to believe they were lucky to have that was even more damaging than what some of them experienced in care."
Graphic: Torture, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Confinement, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Bullying
Moderate: Sexual violence, Child death, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Mental illness, Body shaming, Rape, Death, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault
Minor: Cursing, Vomit, and Alcohol
neglect, adoption, prescription drug abuse, overdose, PTSDlmm0's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is the 3rd Sally Hepworth book I’ve read, after The Soulmate (4/5 stars) and The Younger Wife (3/5). It was an entertaining read, and the last 1% made my jaw drop - but that’s about it. I thought it was pretty slow, there could’ve been quite a bit taken out. I will say that the insight into the foster care system made it evident that the author did her homework on the subject, which I can appreciate. At the end of the day, it was an OK read - probably not something that will stick with me months down the line. Definitely read the trigger warnings before diving in, as there were some uncomfortable and tough parts to read.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Death, Drug use, and Child death
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Vomit
soobooksalot's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Murder, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual violence
kimveach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Cursing, and Death
lauradanby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I felt that Hepworth does a great job at creating complex characters with clear motives.
I really enjoyed the plot twist in the final chapter.
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Addiction, Sexual assault, Rape, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Grief
acarolinabelle's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Child death, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse
booksinkandpaper2's review against another edition
- 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
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