Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

45 reviews

holdenwunders_'s review

dark slow-paced

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

2.0

Man I did not enjoy this. I think it was honestly misrepresented in advertising and as what Hepworth usually writes. For me, this was definitely not a thriller/mystery and wasn’t in the genre at all. It slogged on and switched between three characters and their past perspectives weaving a story of abuse, foster care, and child endangerment. As a survivour, this came across as a weird glorified story of children that are abused, are messed up as adults, and then by the end it’s all good to go. I had a hard time finding any interest in this as it was all just abuse, abuse, this child was abused. It wasn’t even triggering, it just lacked any sort of depth. It read more like a fucked up memoir of being raised by an abusive foster parent than any sort of thriller or crime story. And then at the very end, PLOT TWIST, this person was lying THE. WHOLE. TIME. This really missed for me and I honestly don’t think I’d read another by this authour in the future. 

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Ableism, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Violence

pomoevareads's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Another Hepworth novel in the books! I am always up for anything Sally Hepworth writes and really loved this one.

A disturbing case of bones being found under an old foster home, a wicked foster mother, and three pre-teen foster girls who are now women when the bones are found. As close as sisters can be, but genetically unrelated, Norah, Alicia and Jessica return to Port Agatha to speak to police about the discovery. Having endured psychological abuse at the hands of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, each has trauma and operates differently than a well adjusted person might. One has OCD tendencies, another a dysfunctional idea of sexual relationships and the third has become a well respected social worker. Who the bones belong to is a part of the mystery, but also who may have harmed the person that came to be deceased. 

Darling Girls casts suspicions on a host of characters who are not always likeable and always unreliable. Hepworth chose to structure the novel into a now/then format which is my favourite style. I felt like each of the sisters were distinguishable in their chapters and had reasonable motivations. Moving with a consistent pacing kept me interested throughout. The addition of chapters between a psychiatrist and a patient slowly revealed the plot and who the patient was. I did guess the who early on here but it didn’t take away from the story whatsoever.

For fans of domestic suspense and psychological thrillers, Darling Girls will satisfy most readers thoroughly. I cannot wait for whatever Hepworth writes next but in the meantime, North American readers can look forward to this book publishing April 23, 2024. Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Confinement, Death of parent, Child death, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

e11en's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

pookiee's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Being loved had been the goal of her life. Loving someone in return…that was just showing off.

On the rare occasion when someone showed her kindness - letting her cut in front of them at the shop, a teacher commenting on work well done, someone paying her a compliment - it pushed her to the verge of tears. (…) Something about her cruelty fortified Alicia. The certainty and security of what she was getting became like a drug. A much more powerful drug than the agony caused by a desire for love and warmth.

She wanted to say, I love you. I want to be with you. I want to feel worthy of love, and unafraid to love someone in return. I want that with you.

Panic felt quite a lot like excitement, and if you told yourself you were excited you could trick your feelings.

'Every human being needs someone, don't they? One person that's in your corner. One person who's yours?'

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault

torturedreadersdept's review

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content