Thank you to NetGallery for an advance audio arc in exchange for my HONEST review. Where to start with this book. Freida McFadden is a fan favorite and this is my first book I’ve read by this author. Where to start with how bad this book was for me. Maybe for those who don’t have a psychology background it wouldn’t be as hard to get through as it was for me. If I never hear peach ice tea again I would be ok with that. Here is just some of my issues. Medical student doing a rotation on psych ward calling patients crazy, phrases such as raving lunatic, looks normal, raving crazy man, he’s crazy, sharing confidential patient information with another patient, talking to patients about other patients, his brain crapped out on him, telling a patient that’s crazy right, I’d have to be crazy to do something like that, using patients chart and the information inside in a fight with another patient, befriending and sitting on a patients bed, sleeping while on a overnight shift. These phrases and scenes used in the book infuriated me. The plot was very easy to figure out and the big plot twist predictable. I did not enjoy this book but would be willing to give the author other works a try. I just had a hard time getting past the harmful language in a book about a psych ward.

For anyone just starting into the thriller/mystery genre, this book (and this author!) is for you. Full of twists, it takes you on a wild ride through one single night in a mental hospital ward. One night, for an entire book! Great details in the narrative, and several times I thought I figured out what was going on then it twisted to big question marks. In the end, some suspicions weren't wrong. Well written, another success for Freida McFadden!

***Full disclosure here- Freida is my all-time favorite, auto-buy, never-read-anything-of-hers-I-didn’t- absolutely-LOVE, author.

Amy Brenner is a medical student that has been assigned an overnight rotation on (you guessed it) Ward D, a locked psychiatric unit. The only way in or out of the unit is through locked doors with a keypad code. To make matters even worse, cell reception is sparse at best. As the night counts down hour by hour strange occurrences start happening which have Amy questioning everyone- including herself. As people start disappearing and Amy’s anxiety starts building she begins to question her own sanity and whether or not she will make it out alive. Twist after twist unfolds and then you’re blindsided with that killer epilogue in true Freida fashion!!!

Now for the narration…. Truth be told, I am not generally an audiobook fan. I listened to this one on 1.5 speed because the pace felt really slow. Also something about the narrator's voice just didn’t vibe with the mental image I had conjured of Amy, that along with the lackluster attempted Spanish accent, made me feel that I will enjoy this much more once I can get my hands on a digital copy.

Also worth mentioning, I feel that trigger warnings should definitely be provided on this one regarding mental health and psychiatric disorders, as I could see how the main character's tone could be perceived as insensitive in the beginning since we are yet to discover the full context of the story.

Overall- Freida McFadden still holds the crown as Queen of Thrillers!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and "the Queen Freida McFadden" for this ALC!

#WardD #NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia

Goodreads Review posted: 5/5/23 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5532751669
IG story will be posted: 5/7/23 https://www.instagram.com/the_books_we_love_/
IG full review and story will be posted: 5/8/23 https://www.instagram.com/the_books_we_love_/

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Ward D by Frieda McFadden. She is one of my autorequest authors and can be counted on to give a good thriller. I like that they are different and often a bit implausible. The narration in this book was great. My only criticism is the overuse of "crazy" to describe mental illness and the insinuation that mental illness = dangerous. I did like the unreliable narrator and that she was unlikable. Mcfadden set up a story where you don't know what the truth is and who you can trust.

Amy is a medical student who has been assigned to the psychiatric ward for her rotation. She is nervous because of her past experiences with a friend who was there and her own mental illness. She discovers that not only is she working with an old flame, but her childhood friend is also on the ward. She realizes she is not safe and doesn't know who she can trust. Can they make it through the night alive?

Thank you so much Freida and Netgalley for the ARC! I loved this book and wasn't able to put it down. Very twisty. As usual, I really enjoyed the medical part of the plot. I also love that it didn't have multiple POVs. That gets old and this book was super easy to follow. I don't want to say more and give anything away but I definately recommend it!
The narrator wasn't great but wasn't horrible either.

As I have read several of McFadden's books and loved them all, I was very excited to get a copy of this one in audio.

Amy, a medical student along with her ex-boyfriend, Cam are scheduled to work overnight in Ward D. Also know as the psychiatric wing. Amy is very nervous about the rotation and is not thrilled to see her ex will be there as well.

Ward D gives new meaning to a locked door mystery. They are literally locked in and can only go outside in the case of emergency. As she learns more about the current patients in the ward her anxiety does not improve. It gets worse.

Some of the characters were quite unlikable, as they were supposed to be, and portrayed well. Some made you wonder if you should like them or not. That is part of the books charm.

I enjoyed the narrator for most of the book. Her voice at the beginning of the book set the tone for a creepy read to come. I did feel that toward the end her expression was a little too much to sound authentic.

Another great one from McFadden with the usual twists and turns.

Thanks to netgalley and Dreamscape Media, Hollywood Upstairs Press for the arc.

Now I understand the hype around Freida McFadden. She has written a decidedly creepy, atmospheric story about one long night on a psychiatric ward for medical student Amy, who just wants to make it out alive come morning.
A single night shift on Ward D for her medical rotation, that's all Amy has to do. But with the doors locked, power outages, no cell reception and her own imagination whispering in her ear, the night feels like it will never end. I was definitely freaked out from page one. This made my skin crawl. Add in that the patients were allowed to wander the halls freely and I would've been out of there immediately. The writing was great and this is the first time I felt the narrator's voice actually matched the story.

However, there really wasn't much happening for the first half of the book. It was a lot of chapters where Amy thought she saw or heard something and stupidly went to check on it. As if she hasn't seen every horror movie ever. I wanted to scream at her to just stay put. You're going to be a doctor, how could you be so dumb?! But the tension never let up and I had goosebumps the whole time.

I thought for sure I knew what was going to happen next but I was shocked by the ending. In hindsight it was obvious, but I was so fixated on my assumption of the outcome I didn't see the signs. The epilogue tied everything up nicely. This won't be my last Freida McFadden.

**Huge thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for my arc.

Amy, a medical student, winds up having the worst night of her life while doing a rotation in the Psych Ward.
While trying to conceal a secret from her past much is revealed during the nightmare she faces on Ward D. What should have been a quiet night of learning winds up turning into a crime scene right out of a thriller novel.

From the moment she entered the Ward I found myself constantly trying to piece the story together and anticipate the "what-ifs". I don't know who to trust! But as per all of McFadden's novels, I was left in the dark until it eventually unfolded on its own.

McFadden does Not disappoint, yet again, with this twisty mystery. McFan For Life!

I didn't find Ward D the least bit suspenseful or thrilling, even with the narrator's over-the-top gasps and exclamations. There are no likeable characters. I found it completely implausible that Amy was smart or competent enough to be in medical school.

While I don't know from personal experience, I strongly suspect that the book's representation of mental health issues is grossly inaccurate and dangerous. At the very least, it's insensitive.

I see from glancing at other readers' ratings that my opinion is not the popular one, though I am not alone in my rating either. It seems that the author—a practicing physician specializing in brain injury—is consistently highly rated. She just may not be for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected May 9.

I loved this book! Freida’s twists are the best! I really didn’t see the ending coming but I never do with her books. This book is about Amy and her rotation night on Ward D. Why doesn’t she want to do her rotation there? Does she have something to hide. Is that blood or jam seeping under the door? Is Amy going crazy? You’ll just have to read the book to find out. Thank you Freida for another great book!

Super creepy! The synopsis looked interesting and I’m a fan of this author so I knew I would enjoy this one. It was even better than expected and I think that was due to the narrator! Highly recommend!

My thanks to Net Galley, Dreamscape Media and Hollywood Upstairs Press for allowing me to review this audio.

Working in health care and Psych in.the past drew me to.this but I think it missed the mark.a little. I was expecting something different. I think I was listening to something different. Amy Brenner was a medical.student working a 13 hour overnight shift. I thought patients would be disappearing. No. Story was a non linear timeline where Amy finds one of her best friends as a patient and there is a back and forth with timelines I found a bit confusing. Good narrator, but just ok. Redeemable twist at end.

Amazing just brilliant if you like supernatural books this is for you. I read this book and another by the same author over 2 days this weekend. Never have I found books so difficult to put down! I have a third I am saving for next weekend. Great if you love a thriller. I thought I had this book all figured out only to be knocked sideways by a late plot twist! Then, in the final couple of pages, another twist that left me questioning everything! The sign of a great writer. Really glad I found these books.

"Amy’s worst nightmare was spending the night on Ward D. And now she might never escape."
Medical student Amy Brenner must complete a rotation on Ward D, a locked psychiatric ward. Amy has her reasons for not wanting to spend her evening in the inpatient mental health unit, and she can't let anyone find out. As the evening goes on, she becomes increasingly convinced something terrible is going to happen. As patients and staff start to disappear, it becomes clear something dangerous is occurring. Will Amy escape this nightmare she's locked herself into?
As soon as I found out Ward D was releasing, I marked my calendar! I'm so thankful I was granted an Advanced Listening Copy. When I started this story, I was immediately pulled in. I flew through this in less than a day, not wanting to put it down! I never would've guessed the jaw-dropping twist and shocking ending. The narrator, Leslie Howard, did a phenomenal job bringing this story to life! I'm always excited to see her listed as the narrator for an audiobook. If you're a thriller fan, this is a must-read!
I received a free copy of this audiobook via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The queen of thrillers does it again! The twists and turns of Ward D come as only Freida can write.

This isn't my first book by McFadden - heck, it isn't even my 5th, but she still brings psychological thrillers like no other! I will say, maybe it's my addition to crime dramas and psych thrillers, but I had a hunch about midway through, and discovered that I was correct. However, the epilogue is ALWAYS worth the read in Freida's books, and this one didn't disappoint! Bravo, queen!! You've still got it!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the free ALC in exchange for honest review. What an INCREDIBLE thriller which had my head spinning and one of the BEST audiobooks i have ever listened to wow. I will be talking about this ine for a long long time....

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Amy Brenner is a third year medical student tasked with spending the night on a locked inpatient mental health unit. Amy has some prior issues with the unit that she doesn’t want her supervisor to know. People start going missing or are tricks being played on Amy?

Narration was well done. Book went quickly but didn’t care for Amy.

Freida McFadden does it again! She is truly the queen of thrillers. Once you think you have something figured out, think again! I loved the psychiatric ward setting and character development in this book. The narrator was fabulous as well! Highly recommend! 5 stars for me!

Ward D🌀
Freida McFadden🔪

Review🤫

This is my 2nd book by the author and I was thrilled to see it was just as good as the first! This book makes me feel like I’m going crazy! One twist after the other! I couldn’t figure out who was telling the truth! The entire book I was in shock. It’s an absolutely insane thriller/suspense novel. The FMC is a medical student on rotation in a psych ward and is locked in the building for 24 hours. Each patient keeps telling her they are all going to die & she is counting down the hours left until she can leave. This would make an amazing movie. So good!

Creepy🫣
Thriller❗️
Two timelines⏰
Plot Twists👀
Turns🌪️

5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Taking place over the course of less than 24 hours, this is a fast paced thrill ride set against the backdrop of a psych ward.

Amy is a medical student who is tasked to work a psych ward shift for a night in Ward D. Locked in amongst the patients for one whole night, at least Amy has an emergency code to get out… let’s just hope she doesn’t have to use it.

When the patients start going missing and other various occurrences happen, Amy learns she needs to watch her back. Without truly knowing who to trust, Amy has to try and deduce how to make it through the night alive… without losing her mind.

This was a FUN read and my very first from this author. I can’t wait to read more because I am HOOKED! Leslie Howard does a PHENOMENAL job narrating this. She nailed the unease and unsuredness Amy feels and exudes.