Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

28 reviews

riosvanessa22's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I loved Norah! This story was dark and it involves child abuse. But Sally always knows how to lighten up the story, in a way that makes you understand the characters feelings. Norah’s spunk definitely made the story enjoyable and of course the pets! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt

laheath's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

This was my first novel by this author, and I don't often read this genre, but I'll definitely be reading more of her books! I felt invested in the individual stories of each well-developed character. Three grown women struggle to build productive lives years after surviving their time with an abusive foster mother. When a murder investigation takes them back to her home, their reflections on the past serve to explain how they became the women they are today. There are plenty of twists that keep the reader guessing (and one of mine was right!), but the story of foster care gone wrong will linger.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Rape, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Sexual content

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

pipmulch's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Trafficking, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

rachelwierick's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Confinement, Death of parent, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Death, Suicide attempt, and Murder

smagzisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Rape, Drug abuse, and Sexual harassment

acarolinabelle's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

Multiple POV, multiple timelines, so the story comes out in pieces with a twist at the very end. The characters are former foster sisters, now adults, and the foster mother, a narcissistic abuser.

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Content Warnings

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

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