Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

27 reviews

princessblueyes's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Bullying, Mental illness, Death, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Drug abuse, Child death, Addiction, and Alcohol

sariereads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Child death, and Confinement

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a gifted copy of this audiobook to review. 

 

The story follows the lives of three sisters, flashing through time as they reflect on their experiences in foster care and how it has impacted their lives today.  

 

If you’re thinking this will follow the structure of a thriller or classic murder mystery, put those expectations aside. This book really focuses on the inner psyches of the characters and describing the abuse they faced in their childhood. Overall, this was a tough read and it ended up taking me over a month to actually finish. I think the book was still worth reading though, and I appreciated the resolution. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Child death, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child abuse, Rape, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

srullo's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Child abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Confinement

0ldoini's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Bullying, Incest, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Drug use, Murder, Suicide, Addiction, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Torture, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Pedophilia

ashleyjean6's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

I had to knock a star off for content; it's so difficult to read. A lot of child abuse, gaslighting, emotional trauma. I wasn't aware how vivid that would all be. But as always, she's a really excellent writer and I flew through it. Audiobook is really excellent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Body shaming, Rape, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Murder, Addiction, Death, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Gaslighting, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Grief

wendystaton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

Sally Hepworth does it again with #DarlingGirls, a thrilling mystery about sisters, secrets, and murder. 

From the outside, Jessica, Norah (“with an -h,” please!), and Alicia are very lucky girls, despite the sadness of their early years. Foster children as a result of various family tragedies, they’ve each landed on the idyllic Wild Meadows estate under the doting care of Miss Holly Fairchild. 

But that’s just what it looks like from the outside.

From the inside, things look very different. Miss Fairchild’s “darling girls” are manipulated and mistreated in a myriad of ways, and they learn early on to tread carefully around the whims of their foster mother. 

The girls form a bond that is as strong as that of any biological sisters, and they rely on each other well into adulthood — especially after human remains are found on the estate where they spent their childhood! ☠️

Every Sally Hepworth novel I have read deals with emotional, real topics, and that is what I love about her books! This story is no exception, so be warned, it has plenty of triggers:  child abuse, mental illness, drug addiction, overdose, childhood trauma, death, and murder. 

🌪 But it also has love, loyalty, and that 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑯𝒆𝒑𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈!

This book hooked me from the beginning (glad I was on a long road trip so I could listen to the entire book in one day!). 

If you enjoy a good family drama with a twisty side of mystery, put this one on your summer reading list!

Thank you to @sallyhepworth @netgalley @macmillan.audio for the advance copy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Bullying, and Addiction

Moderate: Kidnapping, Cursing, and Grief

flambingo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Mental illness

Minor: Grief and Pregnancy

crazybooklady89's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.0

This is probably the worst written book I have ever read. I have NO IDEA how it made it through an editor! I would have given it 1 star except the overall concept of the book was excellent. The execution of this concept left a lot to be desired, though. Until it goes through another round (or more) of editing, it is not worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Bullying, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Grief, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

creadsfantasy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Child abuse, Addiction, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Trafficking, Mental illness, Rape, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, and Incest