Happy Wednesday, friends!
It’s BOOK CLUB #5!
So far this year, our book club has read and reviewed…
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey. If you’ve read the book and want to participate in that conversation, you can visit that post HERE to comment/review/be a part of that book.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. If you’ve read the book and want to participate in that conversation, you can visit that post HERE to comment/review/be a part of that book.
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. If you’ve read the book and want to participate in that conversation, you can visit that post HERE to comment/review/be a part of that book.
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin. If you’ve read the book and want to participate in that conversation, you can visit that post HERE to comment/review/be a part of that book.
Before we get to today’s book, let’s revisit the “rules” of Shay’s Book Club:
Here are the details:
1: On the 22nd of each month, I will share a BONUS blog post that is only about the book we read together that month. So, if it falls on a weekend, look for it that day, if it falls on a Tuesday, expect a food post, a normal lifestyle post AND third post just for the book review discussion.
2: I picked the 22nd because I want this post to come out BEFORE our normal monthly BOOK REVIEW POSTS. I will still share my normal monthly book reviews (where I average 4 to 6 books a month) at the end of each month. I will reference said “book of the month”, but I will not be reviewing it on that post, I will be linking back to the BOOK CLUB POST. Why? Because I want all of the content about the one specific book club book in one spot instead of spread out over multiple spots.
3: Each month at the end of the Book Club blog post, I will share what the book will be for the following month. This will give everyone one month to read this one particular book.
4: Let’s be real, I’m going to try to pick new/popular/relevant books every month, but I’m also going to pick books that speak to me. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them with me. I’m going to *try* and make the books different genres each month. I would love for us to read a variety of fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, chick lit, thrillers, etc this year. That’s the *goal*.
5: What are the rules of the book club? I know a lot of book clubs have rules and perhaps I’ll add some as we go, but basically, if you want to read along with us, we’d love to have you and on the 22nd we’ll dive a little deeper in the comment section here about that one particular book. Easy as that! That post is the one place where we’ll discuss the book so that all thoughts/opinions/questions/etc can be in one location.
6: In this blog post and in the comment section, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING SPOILERS. If you are interested in reading this book, you might not want to read below this line. In MAY’S BOOK REVIEW next week, I will give a quick recap and let you know if I recommend the book or not, so if you haven’t read it, you might want to wait until that official BOOK REVIEW because there will be no spoilers and based on that, you can decide whether or not to read the book. Anything below this though will include spoilers as everyone commenting here has already read the book.
Make sense?
Here we go! This month’s novel was written by one of my FAVORITE authors and dear friend.
It is…
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
I love me some Sally Hepworth 🙂 .
Now, of course, I read this book completely smitten and biased and unabashedly the unofficial president of the Sally Hepworth Fan Club, but I make no apologies for it.
This girl can W-R-I-T-E.
Here we go…
Where do I begin?!
Okay, if you are new to Sally Hepworth, let me explain something really quickly to you…as someone who has read every single one of her books in the order that they’ve been published, it has been SO FUN to see them go from (in my opinion) great women’s literature to more SUSPENSEFUL!! When I think back to her earlier novels, I loved them (hello, I love women’s lit!), but to see her writing morph into these meaty novels that keep me on the edge of my seat? Amazing. I don’t like “thrillers” that are scary/dark/unrealistic/mean/cruel…no thank you. I love a book though that keeps me guessing…one I can’t put down because I just need to know what’s going to happen, and Darling Girls checked that box!
Okay, my thoughts before our discussion below:
-Um, I was shocked when Miss Fairchild showed up at that bar. I did not see that coming. I wasn’t sure if I thought she was the discovered body or not (I thought it was a possibility), but I never expected her to walk into the story and become a part of the current investigation.
– I didn’t see the part about the “babies” coming either. I loved that Zara was just lumped in there, but we didn’t discover her actual role until she let them know she had six toes. I loved that entire scene at the end.
– I was SO HAPPY that Dirk was vindicated.
– I didn’t suspect that Miss Fairchild was the one in therapy until right before it was revealed. After I was finished with the book, I even went back to re-read a few of those passages with that new information.
– You know how much I adore an epilogue (I pretty much think every novel needs one!), so I very much loved that final chapter from Miss Fairchild’s perspective. Her manipulation was a delicious revelation for me as the reader.
– Okay, obviously as a mama with kids who came from orphanages, there were parts of this book that really hit close to home and made me super sad. If you are someone triggered by child abuse/trauma anything like that, I’m sure this book was at times incredibly hard for you to read. I was personally triggered from time to time thinking about the “what ifs” of my girls’ times being cared for by other people/what if I wouldn’t have become their mom/what happened to the other kids in their orphanages…the childhood trauma was hard for me to read. I know too that there are SO MANY amazing people who foster, adopt and care for kids that are not their own which is why I loved Sally’s Author’s Note at the end. This book was fictional but heavy at times, but I thought her toggling between present day and “back in the day” helped keep things lighter. I knew, as the reader, all three of these girls made it out (battered and bruised from their time with Miss Fairchild, but at least I knew while I was reading it that they still had each other).
I loved this one!! I’m so happy we got a Sally Hepworth book in this year for Book Club!
What’s next for our book club?
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
That’s it for Book Club #5! I can’t wait to discuss below! This book was FULL of things we can discuss. Head to the comment section to share your thoughts! xx
Kristen Thompson says
This book kept me on the edge of my seat for sure! I think I read it in 3 days and as a full time mama of young kids/toddlers that isn’t easy haha! I love Sally Hepworth and have also read all of her novels and this one felt a little different to me, but I still loved it! I think it would be a great movie or mini series! Those poor girls were definitely scarred by their time with Miss Fairchild. Boy was she creepy! That last chapter where it was revealed she was manipulating her court ordered psychiatrist gave me goose bumps! I’d give this book 4 stars!
Becky says
I devoured this book as well. Some parts with the abuse were difficult to read, but I still couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to the next book.
Julianna says
Really enjoyed this book as I do all Sally novels! I kept waiting for Dirk to have a bigger role. At first I was convinced he was Miss Fairchilds child. I too was so glad he was vindicated but I wish this character was developed further!
Katrina Goodman says
I read all of Sally’s books as well. I enjoyed it! I’m the same with you about Miss Fairchild & being in therapy. Once I figure it out, I thought who did I think the whole other time?! 😝
Kate says
For whatever reason I thought it was Jessica
Tiffany says
I thought it was Jessica at first, too. I kept thinking this makes no sense, she was with Miss Fairchild too young for this story! And then had a very ohhh moment when I realized it was Miss Fairchild!
Taylor Henson says
I called Sally Hepworth diabolical after finishing this one 😅 I love the twists she adds to her novels, they’re truly so unique! I did enjoy this and blew thru it. I gave it 3.5 stars. My jaw was on the floor at the last 2 pages!
Erin Rivers says
I’m in the middle of reading this one and am choosing to type this with only one eye open so I don’t see your spoilers. 😉 haha!! I was hoping to have it finished by now but, you know, end of school and all that that entails. I’m TIRED! LOL I’m loving what I’ve read so far, though, so I’ll be back to discuss and see everyone else’s thoughts when I’m finished!
Laura says
I gave it 4 stars as well! I thought it was good, but not great. I had trouble really caring about any of the characters in a way that made me want to grab the book each day. That said, I thought the fact that it was Miss Fairchild in therapy and the epilogue were great twists in the book that made the story much better and led me to give it 4 starts instead of 3. It was good, but not my favorite Sally book!
Peyton Cline says
I gave it four stars as well! I love Sally’s books and this one did not disappoint. I agree that the child abuse was hard to stomach. My main dislike for this book (and this is my Type A personality shining through) were all the typos in the print version – not a big deal at all, but I thought it was surprising!
Donna says
The typos bothered me, too! I thought I was the only one! I had a love hate relationship with this book. I couldn’t put it down, but I didn’t like the context of the story.
Cindi says
Another Type A here and the typos were in the Kindle version, too. But inspite of that distraction, I really liked this book and all its twists and turns! It would make a great Netflix series! And I kept picturing Miss Fairchild looking like Morgan Fairchild…guess the name did it!
Robin says
I was the exact same! Read it quickly but probably my least favorite book of hers. The child abuse the dead baby… but it definitely kept me guessing.
Heather D. Henderson says
Yes! Thank you for bringing up the typos. I was very surprised that the team for an author of this caliber would allow a book out in the world with so many mistakes. Some of the mistakes made the story confusing. The book felt rushed and left me not enjoying it like I have some of her other books.
Kathy says
I agree. I was sharing with my husband each time I noticed one, and finally I gave up because I lost count. There were way too many. I read a lot of thrillers and suspense so I did have an inkling quite early that the one in therapy was Miss Fairchild. The epilogue though-that was brilliant. I loved this book.
K.K. says
Okay, I’m skipping a lot in this post and not reading comments, because I’m not quite done! Why was May so busy?!?! Ha ha… Came here to say thanks for doing this, Shay! Next month’s book looks great too!
Laci says
I was waiting for this book to release and was SO happy that it was our book club pick! LOVED IT!
Amy Heinl says
I loved this book and never saw it coming that it was Miss Fairchild in the therapy session and that she was manipulating him as well so she wouldn’t be found guilty do to insanity. I also didn’t see it being her sister as the one being buried beneath the house. This was so well written and kept you on the seat of your pants till the very end. A great book club read…thanks Shay
Kay says
I was so excited this was our pick because I had tickets to Sally’s book reading for this book! I got to meet her and get a signed book-it was amazing. In her talk, Sally described her writing as “family dysfunction with a sprinkling of murder” and I absolutely loved that. I too have enjoyed how her novels have become even more twisty-turny! I loved this book too. Could not put it down! And I was also so surprised that the woman in therapy was Miss Fairchild. That was such a fun surprise. This was such a fun read!
Debbie Alsip says
I agree with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I enjoyed the book, but it was hard to read at times. So many adults could have helped the girls but couldn’t be bothered. It made me sad because it played into my fears about foster care and the problems people experience who age out of it. The twist with how Amy died and the following cover up was interesting.
Melody says
I loved the book, however the revelation at the end made it less believable! Just because your parents have another baby you turn into this awful person who kills the baby? I don’t think that alone could have turned her into an abuser! The story of ms Fairchild with the therapist would be more believable to showing how she ended up like that awful in my opinion.
Carole says
My take on that was that the abuse from John and her feeling like her mom chose him over her were real, so that’s what made her snap with the baby? Who knows for sure but yeah that was a super big twist either way!
Erin Gobin says
Totally agree
Lynn says
I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ which I don’t hand out often. This has been my year not to buy books but download them from the library. It’s so hard because each of these books this year I’ve had to wait for. I finally got this one a few days ago. Got up this morning early so I could finish it and read your blog it! I loved this book I thought it was good and twisty! I couldn’t figure out who was in therapy until the end. Very enjoyable.
Mary says
My favorite day of the month!
I loved this book. Some parts when the girls were left on their own to take care of the home really made me mad/sad that know one was looking out for them. I figured out Miss Fairchild was the one in therapy early on. But I really thought she was the one who was pregnant and had the baby. Very twisty turny!
Stacie Merchant says
First off, thank you for turning me on to Sally Hepworth, love her books.
I loved the twist of it being Miss Fairchild being the one that was visiting with the therapist. I kept trying to figure out how Jessica had been abused by her father! :o) Felt sorry for the girls, am happy that the all had a happy ending.
Kim says
This book is my second favorite behind The Frozen River. I was surprised by the twist at the end with Miss Fairchild. The abuse that the girls suffered at her hand made me uncomfortable and sad to see how that affected them as adults in their relationships with other people. I have several friends who have fostered children, and they’ve been such a positive light in their lives and it makes me sad to think of those who foster and then damage those children. Really good book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lorelei Boyett says
I gave this one 3 stars. I just couldn’t make a connection or really care about any of the people in it. It took me awhile to get through it, I just wasn’t excited to pick it up each day. I also thought the lesbian sex was totally gratuitous. Not necessary at all. I may just pass on anything else by this author.
Susan says
Agree!
Tova says
Agree on the lesbian sex. These days publishers might be forcing authors to add this degeneracy in.
Katie Tullis says
Loved this one, but there were some hard parts and parts that completely shocked me! I couldn’t put it down!
Carolyn says
I gave it 4 stars on GoodReads. I really liked it. Toward the end I thought it was Miss Fairchild in therapy but was totally shocked of her manipulation of the psychiatrist. The truth was nowhere near what she had told him all through the book.
Laura says
3.5 stars from me! Thanks to you I’ve read most of her books and really like her writing and how the books she writes are so different from one another. Thanks also for doing the book club. I thought I might have trouble getting the new titles because I get my books from the library but so far I’ve had the books already requested when you release the next title. I think I’m on your book wavelength 😉
Scarlett Spangler says
Alright, I actually felt really good about this novel until the epilogue! Ms Fairchild having that horrible experience in her past at least explained why she was trying to replace Amy, while still being such a horrible person due to her trauma. So, to find out she never really went through that trauma and she was just a straight up evil person made my jaw drop! It was upsetting and left me with more questions- for example, why was she trying to replace Amy if she was the baby sister she despised? All in all, I enjoyed this one, but I actually would’ve preferred it and thought more highly of it without the epilogue.
Kate says
Did she not go through any trauma? I’ve gone back and forth. Like was it ALL made up or just the parts about the baby? It was a bit confusing
Ashlie says
I gave this book 4 stars as well! I loved the back and forth between present day the past. I loved how the girls all stuck together as children and also as adults! The twists at the end really had me on the edge of my seat and I was shocked when it came out that she was lying to her psychiatrist too! I am excited to read the next book for book club…this has been so fun to read everyones thoughts about all of the books. Thanks for starting this club up Shay!
Jayci Alverson says
Soooooo many typos in the kindle version! It was like they didn’t proofread it at all! Hard to get past but it did keep me entertained despite the typos.
Lauren says
It looks like I’m in the minority here, but I did not care for this one. Somehow I missed what it was about before reading and it just broke my heart. I’ve read a lot of heartbreaking/sad books before, but this one just hit differently to me. It had a few twists but not enough where it made the book exciting to me. This is one I wish I had not read. I will say though, that rarely happens with your recommendations. You’ve given lots of great reads over the years!!
Alex says
This was a good one! I didn’t realize until midway through that it was Ms Fairchild in therapy and then the ending was a great twist to end on!
Debbie Mascorro says
Just finished this book yesterday. I thought the first half was a bit slow but was hooked with last half. The twists the storyline took at the end were wild!!
Erin Gobin says
I really enjoyed this one and read it in about 2 days! I did fogure out it was moss fairchild in therapy about halfway through, but didnt see the twist at the end coming. I agree i felt the “lie” was more believable as to how she wpuld have become this horrible person than the truth, that her mom just remarri d and had a baby. Still, couldnt put it down but it did just make me really sad reading anout so many abised children. Time for something light!
Ashley L says
Great book from one of my favorite authors. I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It was a perfect book to read poolside on vacation this week. The epilogue made the book as I didn’t see that coming. Great pick!
Jessica says
I absolutely love the way Sally writes! I read this book in a week, most of which was on an airplane. I was super confused at first by who was in therapy. I thought it was Jessica but knew that couldn’t be right. I always suspected that Miss Fairchild killed the child but didn’t expect it to end the way it did with Miss Fairchild manipulating the therapist. I thought that twist was perfect! My only question is why she named the illegally adopted child Amy if she was a) jealous of her sister Amy and b) she made up the sexual assault to her therapist years later. I wish that part of the story would have been more developed.
Jennifer Whitten says
I loved this book, but it did border on too dark for me because of the child abuse/emotional torture. Still thought it was so well written, and all the twists and turns kept me guessing till the very end! I did not expect the one in therapy to be Miss Fairchild. That revelation made me go back and re-read some sections!
Great book club selection!