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Jessica, Norah and Alicia aren’t related by blood, but they are sisters through and through. The three spent several years together at a lovely farmhouse as Foster children. The woman taking care of them, Miss Fairchild, seemed to be a loving and kind woman.

But the time they spent there was horrific, and they endured emotional abuse and lived in fear. One day, they spoke out and were freed from Miss Fairchild’s care. But years later, each still carries wounds.

When police notify the women that human remains were discovered buried beneath where the house used to stand, they are asked to return to that place of nightmares, both physically and metaphorically. The headlines “practically write themselves” since they’re former foster children. People are fascinated by them and the lurid news. The police, well, they’re gathering information, but who knows when the women may be arrested?

I automatically picked up this book as an ARC because I’ve enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s other thrillers. And they’ve all been rated moderate. I was disappointed because this one has more strong content. I probably should have paid closer attention to the summary of the story; I have found I don’t do well with stories of abuse. That said, though, I also didn’t find the ending to be at all a surprise. It made complete sense to me, so it wasn’t a shocking twist. Not sure if that’s what it was meant to be, but it felt like a bit of a letdown.

So, all in all, Darling Girls is my least favorite of Hepworth’s books. My favorites would probably be The Mother-in-Law and The Good Sister.

Rated: High. Profanity includes 21 uses of strong language, 15 instances of moderate profanity, about 7 uses of mild language, and 15 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes references to a teen having sex and a couple of somewhat detailed scenes of two women having sex. Violent content includes a woman detailing past experiences being raped repeatedly by an adult, being held captive in a basement, and being hit. The main theme of the book is how three foster girls were mistreated and primarily emotionally abused for years by their foster mother.

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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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