Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

11 reviews

amysalwaysreading's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Darling Girls begins with the discovery of a body buried beneath their childhood foster home brings three foster sisters back to the place they swore they'd never return. What unfolds will keep you guessing until the very last page.

I am a huge Sally Hepworth fan and couldn't wait to read her latest book. It's fantastic. While more character-driven than the previous novels I've read of her catalog, this was a very propulsive store that kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't flip the pages fast enough to unravel the twisty story of Darling Girls. This story is dark (please check content warnings!) but had some hilarious bits thrown in as well. The sisterhood bond displayed was also great. This would be a great book to toss in your beach bag, take on an upcoming, or sink into by the pool.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Death of parent, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Gaslighting, Confinement, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Self harm

foster care, adoption

kiwichill's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Character flaws caused by a chaotic upbringing in the foster care system.   The scenarios in this book may seem to be far-fetched but unfortunately they are not.  The whole system needs an overhaul because there are far too many kids with psychological damage from the foster care system 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Pregnancy, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Death of parent, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Cursing, Alcohol, and Body shaming

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

atrinh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

rachelwierick's review

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

lmm0's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• 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

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Death, Drug use, and Child death

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Vomit

acarolinabelle's review

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

morethanmylupus's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

OOH this was such a good one! I loved the found family relationship between the three girls, the way that the past and the future were connected for them, and the unsettling vibes of the house and foster mom. We get the story of the 3 women themselves, their past in the house and current day, as well as the story of the foster mom. I thought I saw some of the twists coming, but I was mostly all wrong and I loved it. I usually find slow-burn thrillers frustrating, but I really liked this one. There were sufficient twists and the story itself was compelling enough for me to keep reading to find out more. There's some heavier content here around child abuse, so please proceed with caution if this is a difficult topic for you. 
 

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, and Alcoholism

laceystairs's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

This book is probably going to best Thriller of the year. It's definitely going to be a hard one to beat! I loved all the main characters in the book this novel was told in flashbacks as well as present time and is told from the viewpoints of each of Three Sisters. All very different in personality, and motivation, this book dove into the tragic side of foster care, and the Deep connections that we can form with people that become our family. This book was both infuriating, as the antagonist was so easy to to hate and feel enraged about. And in contrast the three sisters were interesting, smart, and I just loved hearing from each of their viewpoints. Excellent read the narration was fantastic. I will be recommending this book.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Abandonment

hryannh's review

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