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

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.

Dark book about foster care

This was a dark Audible book about foster care.. sad how these girls fell victim to the adult who should be loving them.. I finished the audible in 2 days..

characters so intriguing

I really loved this book. I have been a fan of Hepworth for a while now, but it's so obvious from this novel that her writing has developed to a whole new dimension. The characters were loveable and relatable. I loved Norah, Alicia, and Jessica each for different reasons. I also loved to hate Mrs. Fairchild. The book is fast paced and keeps you engaged by switching back and forth in perspectives and the evening is PERFECT. First, full 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 book I've read and enjoyed all year!

Amazing!

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

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.

Loved Darling Girls!

This was a heartwarming story of friendship and survival juxtaposed against narcissistic evil. I quickly became invested in the three main characters and was sad that the book had to end.

Loved it!

Absolutely love this story and all of Sally Hepworth’s work!

The narration was *very* confusing though. I really like this narrator but there was almost zero differentiation between characters and I regularly had to check to see whose chapter I was listening to, which really took me out of the story quite a bit.

Interesting To A Point

I listened non-stop until chapter 40ish. Then the story was all over the place. The dogs, drugs, temper tantrums interfered with a really good mystery.

A sister story

Really really good, worth the credit for sure. Brave, smart, female characters who don’t need to be saved by a man, along with multiple twists I didn’t see coming including an exceptionally great ending.

Hepworth does it again!

Sally Hepworth is such a talented author! I have yet to read(listen to) a book I didn’t gobble up by her. Never sleeps on the importance of narrators value, which is a big deal! This book was much safer than others she’s done, to me, but overall a solid book with a Hepworth twist.