Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth, 4 Stars

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?

My Review:

While I’m sure there are many loving and supportive foster families IRL (or at least one has to hope), what makes them interesting in fiction is when they are the worst people imagineable. And Miss Fairchild definitely fits the bill. But rather than just being a terrible person, she is one of those that wants the rest of the world to think she’s the most amazing person in the world.

As adults, Jessica, Norah and Alicia are “sisters.” And that’s how it has always been since the days they lived with Miss Fairchild. They are the only ones who truly knew what happened there. When it comes time to figure out who the body is under the house, they have to examine their relationships to eachother and the other fosters Miss Fairchild took in. Like one big happy family!

Darling Girls was a quick read and a great story. Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out April 23!