The Book:
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Published April 23, 2024 by St. Martin’s Press
Date read: March 8, 2024
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The Characters:
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia
Their foster mother, Miss Fairchild
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
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 page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.
How did Darling Girls end?
The Reveal:
The person speaking with the therapist was Ms. Fairchild, and these scenes took place while she was in prison after the events of the story. She tells the therapist that John had raped her and gotten her pregnant as a teen. John and her mother locked her in the basement and forced her to have the child. She tried to run away, but John caught up to her and killed the baby in spite.
The baby under the house was that first child, whose name was Amy. The second Amy was procured by Scott, who stole kids from foster care and sold them. Zara, one of the girls who showed up in present day, was the second Amy.
The Ending:
In the epilogue, Alicia and Mira adopt Theo and Aaron. Jessica is pregnant and repairing her relationship with Phil (she also went to rehab). Norah is dating the bartender.
Then we get Ms. Fairchild’s perspective one more time, and find out that the first Amy wasn’t her baby but her sister. John and her mother loved the first Amy more than her, so she was jealous. When she was babysitting one night, she threw the first Amy against the wall and killed her. Her mother buried the baby in secret to protect Ms. Fairchild.
I hope these Darling Girls spoilers were helpful.
The Review:
Darling Girls was creepy, suspenseful, and everything I was looking for. Sally Hepworth has been hit or miss for me in the past, so I’m excited to say I really enjoyed this one. It’s much darker than her usual storyline, so please check trigger warnings before reading.
I enjoyed the “before and after” timeline: the reader is learning the story of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, both where they are now and what happened to them in the past. There’s also a mystery POV of someone speaking with a psychologist, but we don’t know who they are or how they tie into the plot.
This book is certainly a slow burn, but it’s well executed with the suspense continually building. I enjoyed the way it all came together!
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