Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

20 reviews

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

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

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

mandareads222'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

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

kelly_e's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

Title: Darling Girls
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."

 

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Content Warnings

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, PTSD

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

kimveach's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

Dark, creepy, and I couldn't put it down.  

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Content Warnings

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

cj_mo_2222's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Three women grew up in foster care together and are still friends decades later. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are trying to live their lives, but none of them can completely put their pasts behind them. Even more bad memories come rushing back when they receive a call from a detective that human remains have been found underneath the foster home they had all lived in twenty-five years earlier. The detective must determine if the women are witnesses to a tragedy or suspects.

This book is fast-paced and tense from beginning to end. I enjoyed the theme of found family and getting to know Norah, Alicia, and Jessica. They don't always make the best decisions, but as the book progresses, you start to understand why. Even though the book is engaging, it's not an easy read. Despite outward appearances, life was not good for these girls when they were living at Wild Meadows in Port Agatha, Australia. Descriptions of the things they endured from their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, are very disturbing. When more information is discovered about the bones, everyone involved is shocked. Overall, I enjoyed the book and the way things turn out for most of the characters. This is a book that you can't say too much about without spoiling the story, but I will say keep reading to the very end to make sure you don't miss a single twist and turn. 

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, but my review is voluntary and unbiased. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Child abuse

Moderate: Body shaming and Addiction

laurenalippincott's review

challenging dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming

Moderate: Pregnancy, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Addiction, Vomit, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Excrement

Minor: Alcohol, Death, Child death, Grief, Terminal illness, and Death of parent