Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Darling Girls

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

292 reviews

turtlelullaby's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I liked the ending for most of the characters, it kept me engaged, and I greatly appreciated all the nods to how people deal with trauma (healthy and unhealthy) even if it was a bit on the nose.

The writing could have been better and I was not ready for all the detailed child abuse (I wrongly assumed most of it would be present day and less flashbacks), so I wouldn't recommend this to just anyone.

Overall, I would try another book by this author.

Content Warnings

bekkasbookclub's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“Unfortunately, every time she came up with a way to make their lives a little more manageable, Miss Fairchild came up with a new way to hurt them.” Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Wow and wow, did Sally Hepworth keep me on my toes with this one. While this was much darker than her usual family dramas, her exceptional storytelling is undeniable and the secrets and lies unfold one, after the other as the reader continues throughout the book. The book is told from the perspective of three different foster sisters, both past and present. In the beginning, as you getting to know the characters, it can be a little hard to keep up with who is who, but Hepworth does an amazing job giving each character a detailed background and who they grew up to be after leaving their foster care situation. I found that the chapters involving the past and the girls’ childhood more interesting and the present to be a little slower paced. This did help the reader come out from the darker points of the book. Of course, you can’t have a Hepworth book without the twisted ending, and this one left me with my jaw on the floor. This is more of a fiction novel with mysterious elements, so if you are looking to dip your toes in to more mysteries, this is a good one to start with.

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ssiemens4's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wow.. this one was veryyyy dark and disturbing. I enjoyed the sister’s bond and the way they looked out for each other - I don’t know much about the foster system but know how hard those kids have it, so the representation of their struggles and eventual healing was really hard to read about (but also empowering towards the end).

Content Warnings