Leanne Olson

by Sally Hepworth, narrated by Jessica Clarke

releasing April 23, 2024 from MacMillan Audio

I binged Darling Girls in one day.  I know a thriller is working for me when I clean the kitchen just so I can keep listening.

Sally Hepworth gives us three foster sisters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia.  They grew up together as very lucky girls in a foster home that looked perfect from the outside: a beautiful, loving mom, a perfectly tidy house, even a pool.

As adults, the sisters are called back to their hometown when human remains are found under their foster home. As the women are interrogated by local police, they have to reckon with their own pasts.

I’m glad I gave Hepworth a second chance — I read The Soulmate last year and while I liked certain aspects, it was a 3-star read for me.  Darling Girls grabbed me completely.

I loved the three women and their found family bond. Each was so different, but believable and flawed.  The book goes back and forth between their very troubled childhood and who they became as adults — while revealing bits and pieces of their history and keeping the reader guessing.

I’m not sure that the ending lived up to the first 85% of the novel, but it did resolve the main mysteries and I’m interested in reading more Hepworth in the future.

I listened to this one as an audiobook and loved Jessica Clarke’s narration.  She was engaging and gave each of the three sisters their own personality without overacting.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for my review copy of this book