Darling Girls

A Novel

By: Sally Hepworth

Narrated by: Jessica Clarke

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER... Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. 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 thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling work of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Sally Hepworth (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"This is the rare story that’s equally character and plot driven, with the “sisters” portrayed as distinct and lovable and the plot just packed with twists. Hating Miss Fairchild is the icing on the cake."—First Clue

"Sally Hepworth's Darling Girls is the kind of story that grabs you hard and doesn't let go. Easily one of the best books I've read all year. An absolute page-turner from first word to last... A superb and haunting mystery."—New York Times bestselling author Jane Harper

"As in The Soulmate, compelling themes of trust, betrayal, and brittle façades circle the sisters’ relationships, raising the stakes of the investigation painfully high. Hepworth's fans will be primed for her newest unnerving thriller."—Booklist

Character driven

3.5 STARS

Three foster sisters visit their former home when bones are found buried beneath the now demolished house.

Told from the points of view of each now adult woman and therapy sessions with a creepy doctor and their former foster mother Miss Fairchild (who wasn’t fair to any child) the story unfolds alternating timelines from past to present.

Each sister still carries childhood trauma from both their reasons for ending up in foster care and the abuses at the hands of Miss Fairchild.

The ending didn’t wow me, though the last few pages did. DARLING GIRLS is an above average, character driven psychological thriller.

Amazing!

Evoked every emotion, from anger, to tears, to laughter and pleasure! Great twist at the end. Narrated perfectly!

A Big Let-down!!!!

I was pretty disappointed with the whole story and found it to be based on dumb premises. Spoiler alert! This is the second time in recent weeks that I’ve heard about an added toe and a missing toe as a focus in the story… First, it gets mentioned here in Darling Girls, and also as a major focus in trying to solve a crime in a soap opera I still keep watching 30 years later. Both of these plots are absurd for many reasons, but I still had hopes for this particular book. Sadly, I just didn’t enjoy the writing, and the performances were average at best. Also, I found the chapters with the psychiatrist extremely confusing, and honestly could not make sense of who the patient was, but obviously, that was intentionally done to keep the listener in suspense. I don’t feel like S.H. Cleared everything up though, and so the listener is left working to figure it all out, but is that even doable? Skip over this book and find another with stronger characters, plots, and better narration.If you want a book that packs a real hard punch, definitely check out Calamity of Souls or The Women because both have fantastic storylines and amazing performers.😒🥱

Kept me guessing

Hard to put down - kept me wondering how it would end. Also, I really enjoyed the narrator!

Sad it’s over

I preordered this book the moment I heard sally Hepworth had a new book. When it landed in my audible library I devoured it in two days and am now sad that it’s over. I’m so happy I discovered this author! This book captivated me from the beginning. Also left me with a deep Feeling of compassions for children that get placed in foster care for life. Can’t wait for another one from this author!

Great story easy listen

Unique story with lots of twists. It was a nice change from serial killer/ kidnapping thrillers. Narrator was great. Loved the Australian accent.

Such a good story

This was such a great story, I was very enthralled by the characters and I always love all of Sally Hepworth's books. I do agree that they could have chosen multiple narrators to make it easier to know who was narrating.

The intersection of Narcissism and Adoption

Incredible. Plenty to bring to my therapist next week. Thank you for sharing a story that so eloquently captures the insidious and unproveable power of those profiting from the businesses of foster care and adoption. Narcissistic abuse is rampant and the children are the innocent victims, further harmed by those meant to protect them.

Plot twist!

Life can be hard. Life can be grand. Life can be unpredictable. So is this story.

W.O.W

I did NOT see that ending coming! Excellent story! Kept me interested the entire book!