Table of Contents

Darling Girls DEALS

Darling Girls is a mystery-thriller novel written by Australian author Sally Hepworth. Published in 2023, this page-turner won the Ned Kelly Awards Best Crime Fiction 2024 while also being longlisted for the Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award 2024, as well as the Bookpeople Book of the Year Adult Fiction 2024 awards.

Additionally, it was also a nominee for Readers’ Favorite Mystery & Thriller (2024) for Goodreads Choice Awards.

Darling Girls Summary

Darling Girls

by Sally Hepworth

Darling Girls

Thrillers

by Sally Hepworth

Published 04/23/2024

Pages 359

Publisher St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 9781250284525

Details & Buy Options

Jessica came to be in the foster care of Miss Fairchild, who runs a farming estate called Wild Meadows, when her mother died. At first, Miss Fairchild was a doting mother to Jessica, but things began to change when Jessica began school and could have other people in her life besides Miss Fairchild. Jessica develops a strong need always to please Miss Fairchild.

Due to financial constraints, Miss Fairchild decides to foster another child. Norah had been to a few different foster homes, so she was tougher and more resilient than Jessica. Alicia is brought to Wild Meadows as a respite case. Her grandmother was in the hospital, and she had nowhere else to go.

Sadly, her grandmother passed away, and Alicia decided to remain at Wild Meadows since she had made friends with Jessica and Norah.

The three girls looked out for each other when Miss Fairchild was in a mood. She was very strict and punished the girls to teach them a lesson for every minor infraction. Due to money troubles, she took on temporary foster care for babies as well, but the girls ended up looking after the babies until they left.

Fast-forward to the present, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are all grown up with their own lives. Their bond with each other is stronger than ever. They are contacted by the police regarding something that happened at Wild Meadows. Human remains were found under the girls’ old foster home. Whose remains are they? Who is responsible for the body under the house?

Strengths

This novel is so well written. It blends two different timelines seamlessly to give the reader an insight into the characters’ current lives and their childhoods. The mystery-thriller element, as well as the pacing, is consistent throughout the novel which led me to finish reading this in a single day.

The shocking revelation at the end of the novel really tied it all together, resolving the mystery. It was easy to see why Sally’s novels are described as ‘darkly charming’. The writing style was simply amazing. I cannot wait to read my next Sally Hepworth novel.

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Weaknesses

I personally did not think that there were any weaknesses in this novel, but if I must, I’ll point out that there are potential triggers that some readers might find distressing. There are some descriptions of child abuse. If this is a trigger for you, then Darling Girls might not be a suitable read for you. I will say that there weren’t any particularly horrendous descriptions so it would suit most audiences.

You were supposed to provide security, consistency, and love! If you weren’t capable of that, you had no business having children in your care.

Key Themes And Takeaways

Darling Girls covers themes of child abuse, both in the family home setting as well as in foster care. It gives you an insight into the different types of circumstances children suffer to end up in foster care, as well as the types of trauma they can potentially go through in the system.

It shakes your humanity and makes your heart bleed just thinking of all the poor, unfortunate children in the world who go through unimaginable horrors in their daily lives.

On a positive note, there is a cute LGBTQ+ romance in this novel. It was nice to be able to root for the LGBTQ+ couple rather than just the other straight couples in the novel.

Verdict

If you’re looking for an excellent mystery-thriller, this is the book for you. It has excellent narration and a twisty story that will keep you turning the pages until the mystery is solved.

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