“You couldn’t question it, or take it for granted. You had to be grateful. Because what had been given to you could just as easily be taken away.”
― Sally Hepworth, Darling Girls

Norah, Jessica, and Alicia may not be blood related, but they are sisters in every other sense of the word. The three women met when they were each placed separately with Miss Fairchild, their foster mother, at a gorgeous and idyllic farming estate called Wild Meadows. Each girl was rescued from a different family tragedy and told how lucky they were to be brought to Miss Fairchild. They hoped for a second chance at a happy family life, but Miss Fairchild had other plans.

Miss Fairchild may have greeted them with positive hopeful intentions, but their childhoods slowly morphed into something for which the three girls were unprepared. Their hopeful fairy tale shattered into pieces when Miss Fairchild revealed her not-so-nice side. Crossing Miss Fairchild by not following her rules or for any unpredictable reason could land the girls in major trouble.

The girls, desperate to escape, search for a way to save themselves. Once they are able to run away from Miss Fairchild, they are hopeful that they will never have to see her or visit Wild Meadows again. Their hopes are dashed when, as adults, they receive phone calls from detectives alerting them that a body had been found under the Wild Meadows house. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are called back, but be it as victims or suspects is still up for debate. Returning as adults isn’t easy for the sisters. Long-held secrets are drudged up as the three work through issues from their past and their present in an attempt to solve this new crime.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth had me hooked from the beginning. Set in Australia, Hepworth breaths life into her characters and surroundings with compelling narratives and well-written dialogue. Just when you think you have the story figured out, she throws in twists and turns that push you in a completely different direction. What really drew me in was the deep connection between Jessica, Norah, and Alicia and how that bond was unbreakable. Hepworth doesn’t hesitate to discuss how childhood traumas can affect adults, even taking time to discuss the nitty gritty of the traumas they suffered.

This title is also available in Playaway audiobook, large print, and CD audiobook.