I really enjoy Sally Hepworth’s books and I especially enjoy this one. I loved the way she mixed up the traditional ‘dysfunctional family’ dynamic and found it enhanced this story so much.
Twenty-five years ago, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all found themselves living at Wild Meadows, a foster care home, until one event led them to be moved. Now, all three ‘sisters’ are being pulled back to Wild Meadows, with the discovery of a body under Wild Meadows. While all three try to battle their own personal demons, they must also come together to rediscovery their pasts while being at the center of the investigation.
Primarily told through the eyes of all three girls, both in present day and past, we also hear a story from an unknown person which added to the story’s intriguing plotline. I really enjoyed getting to know each of our main players and how they came to rely so heavily on each other. Their stories are entirely different which makes the characters seems so much more real to me. The contrast between Norah’s explosive personality, Jessica’s OCD, and Alicia’s detachment was equally displayed and made each girl’s story stand out all the more.
While the pacing was a bit slow at first, this was an excellently done thriller. With plenty of twists, it also touched on the foster system and while it can be triggering for some, none of the events we’re too heavily graphic. The overall friendship and sisterhood portrayed is what makes this story. I rotated between reading and listening to the audio version of Darling Girls, and you really can’t go wrong either way! Highly recommend.
Darling Girls comes out April 23, 2024! Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and MacMillan Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books or on Tiktok @speakingof.books
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