This highly anticipated new release is the latest from Sally Hepworth, the bestselling author of nine novels who worked in both event management and human resources prior to becoming a writer.
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were rescued from tragic family situations when they were young girls and placed in a foster home run by their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. The home called “Wild Meadows” was on an idyllic farming estate outside of Melbourne, where the girls were meant to have an elusive second chance at a happy family life. But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had strict rules; her moods were constantly changing, and she became abusive when she was crossed.
When Miss Fairchild adopted a 2-year-old girl to live with the girls in the foster home, things didn’t go as she planned. The infant preferred the company of the girls over Miss Fairchild, causing Miss Fairchild to begin abusing her. Concerned for the safety of the child, the three girls reported Miss Fairchild to the police. When the police investigated, they found no trace of the child ever existing, and the girls were immediately removed from Wild Meadows and placed in a group home.
Twenty years later, the girls have become three very different women but remain very close. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters are summoned by the police for questioning and find themselves thrust into the spotlight as potential suspects. As they’re forced to return to the town and home they left behind many years ago, they’re also forced to confront Miss Fairchild, and all their demons from the past resurface to be dealt with once and for all!
This book is a definite page-turner, with a compelling storyline from start to finish. It should be noted that although this book is marketed as a thriller, in reality it’s more of a suspenseful family drama. So if you’re expecting spine-tingling thrills or a series of shocking twists, you’ll be quite disappointed. On the positive side, the storyline and characters are very interesting, and it’s very easy to become emotionally invested in the characters’ outcomes.
Miss Fairchild is a brilliant character, presented as a beautiful, cold-hearted narcissist, and as the story progresses, we learn more about how she became this way. The three sisters are all well developed and go through their own unique turmoils in the story while simultaneously facing a joint battle from their past. Each of them experiences significant growth and self-discovery over the course of the novel. The story navigates back and forth between present and future, alternating between the three girls’s stories, which makes for a very interesting read or listen.
Narrator Jessica Clarke delivers a strong performance throughout the audiobook, bringing out just the right amount of distinct emotion and personality for each of the characters. Her portrayal of Miss Fairchild is especially well done, with well-placed melodramatic flair and sarcasm during key scenes when Miss Fairchild is not getting her way.
This book garnered a lot of hype after its release, and for good reason: it’s a compelling story with a surprise twist ending, and the book is just the right length to be captivating without dragging on. If you’re looking for your next page-turner or have enjoyed Hepworth’s previous novels, then don’t hesitate to devour this one!