Another quick, twisty read from Freida McFadden! If I'm ranking her books though, this one is more of a mid-level read (where as I loved the Housemaid, Never Lie and The Coworker. While this one was equally twisty, I found the voice to be slightly annoying (though this could've just been the age of the protagonist.) But something about the story felt a bit more juvenile than her other ones I've read. Not sure if the mental illnesses that are presented are totally realistic, as I'm not an expert. Though, the presentation did feel nuanced among all the characters. Overall a quick and easy read, though maybe not quite up to the same bar as other books by Frieda McFadden. But if you're a fan and you like fast and wild, then this will definitely be a good read.

I believe that I have read every book McFadden has written, and this was not my favorite when I read it before because I definitely knew what was happening well before the end. The small changes here might make it a little better, but it's hard for me to tell since I read it before. What I don't like about this book is the main character ignoring some pretty strange things, but I guess that could be chalked up to her being a medical student, nervous about staying the night in a psych ward. What I do like about this book is the typical McFadden book characteristics: a fast, suspenseful read, lacking anything too obscene, in which you question yourself a hundred times about who the real 'bad guy' is. While this still isn't my favorite McFadden book, I would encourage her fans to read it.

Once again another fun, twisty thriller from Freida McFadden. I know when I pick up one of her books that I’m in for a great ride. There were lots of entertaining characters and you never really knew who was being truthful. Thanks for always keeping me guessing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy.

Review of Ward D by Frieda McFadden

From the moment I started Ward D, I couldn’t put it down. Frieda McFadden masterfully builds an eerie, unsettling atmosphere that kept me on edge the entire time. The story follows a medical student assigned to an overnight shift in a locked psychiatric ward—a seemingly straightforward task that quickly spirals into something far more sinister.

The pacing is relentless, and just when I thought I had things figured out, McFadden threw in a twist that completely shocked me. I only saw it coming moments before it happened, making the reveal even more satisfying. The tension, suspense, and psychological depth kept me hooked until the very last page.

If you love fast-paced thrillers with an immersive setting and jaw-dropping twists, Ward D is definitely worth the read.

Freida McFadden knows how to write thrillers. While this isn’t one of her best, you still want to keep reading to find out what happens. The plot twists are mostly predictable, but an interesting read none the less.

Ward D by Freida McFadden is a very highly recommended, outstanding, un-put-downable locked-room psychological thriller. This brilliantly written novel takes off at a gallop and never lets up the pace until the shocking ending.

Amy Brenner is a medical student who has to spend a 13 hour overnight shift in Ward D, the hospital's mental health unit, supervised by Dr. Richard Beck and nurse Ramona Dutton. Also joining her is her former boyfriend Cameron Berger. Amy is full of trepidation over even being on the unit, let alone spending the night there.

It is clear from the start that something terrible is going to happen when she learns Damon Sawyer, who’s confined in Seclusion One, has been threatening to kill everyone. Incidents begin to occur that the danger may be real. Increasing her anxiety is the fact that her childhood friend, Jade Carpenter, is a patient on the ward and is still angry at Amy.

Wow! All I can say is that once I started reading I was unable to stop. Sure, it can feel a like a melodramatic nightmare, and does have certain very unlikely elements, but this one is so well written and presented that I was an eager participant in trying to figure out who is trustworthy and what exactly is going on while second guessing myself. Nothing and no one is how they originally appear. I was totally shocked several times while reading.

The narrative is told through Amy's point-of-view and covers the present day and eight years ago, when she and Jade were friends in high school. Both story-lines, now and then, were equally compelling. The backstory from 8 years ago adds a depth and complexity to the current situation. The present day is the locked-room thriller that becomes a nightmare of paranoia and mistrust.

Set disbelief aside and relish this psychological thriller! Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review has been published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This book kept me up waaay past my bedtine. Holy. Freida McFadden always gets me into such a freaking chokehold. This was addicting. Heart racing, creepy, sweaty palmed goodness. I remember my first time rotating on the locked psych ward, it creeped me out BIG time. But this!! I am so glad I read this after and not before my rotation haha. I didn't see any of the twists coming. loved every minute of reading this.

Thank you netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review

Amy Brenner is a young medical student and she's got her first night shift. Spending the night in a locked psychiatric ward stresses her out for a very good reason, but nobody can ever find out...

I loved this book from the first to the last page. In good old McFadden manner, there are twists and turns and the end comes by suprise. Since I already read some of her books I overthinked every little detail to find out what's going on and the end still had me by suprise. This woman can write thrillers like no other and I will never stop reading her books.

Exactly what you’d expect from Freida McFadden… suspenseful, mysterious. I loved the twists, just when I thought I had it sussed another curveball was thrown. Loved it!

Fans of the author's work won't be disappointed in this tale of a medical student locked in a psychiatric ward overnight. However, I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to the author's books. Many of her other stories were significantly stronger. The characters in Ward D were unlikeable and the plot had several holes. The main character appeared undevoted to her chosen profession causing the reader to wonder why she was even in medical school. I'm not sure the use of flashbacks served the purpose intended and the question of how the MC ever made it into medical school will remain a mystery. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Amy just has to spend 12 hours in ward D and at some point she doesn’t know who to trust, not even if she can trust herself.. since it’s a Frieda McFadden book you know there’s a twist at the end and it does not disappoint

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this copy. Like other Freida McFadden books, Ward D was an entertaining and fast paced thriller. A lot of elements felt unrealistic but the unexpected twists kept me hooked. I wouldn't recommend this to a new McFadden reader as I don't think this is one of her best works, but still a good read.

Here’s another addictive Frieda McFadden book. With the way the store was panning out I kept trying to guess what was gonna happen next, and I’m so happy to say I was not correct! It had some greats twists with unpredictable reveals and an interesting plot! You can never go wrong with a Frieda McFadden book!

Freida McFadden does it again with her trademark twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end.

Honestly, I was right there with her. I started reading it before bed but then put it down so I could finish it during the day, haha. There were interesting characters and the plot moved quickly so it held my attention the entire time.

Freida McFadden is fast becoming a favourite author of mine and the library from my recommendations. I loved The Housemaid Series and The
Boyfriend. This was different, not written in the same manner. Characters were written well in respect of descriptions so you got to know them and what they were like. There was her normal twist in the end but it was more predictable, which was a little disappointing because she really writes a twist ending well. The whole book is written during this one night shift and flashes back to a previous times now and again so we get the story of what happened leading up to this night. I must admit it didn’t grip me from the start like some of her other books but I kept with it and did finish it because I needed to know! I did read this book in one sitting, as in one day of more or less complete reading. I will definitely read and recommend more of her books but I thought (and people I recommended this too, also thought), that this one wasn’t one of her best. Didn’t keep me on the edge of suspense, was an even keel read from the start to finish.

A snappy, popcorn thriller that would make a brilliant movie!

This was actually my first Freida McFadden and I found her writing style addictive. I read this in one sitting and I will definitely be picking up another.

The vibes were creepy and tense, the medical slang was actually correct which is always nice in a book like this and it keeps you guessing until the very end.

💉 Locked psych ward
💉 Who is telling the truth?
💉 Unreliable narrator
💉 Plot twists
💉 Tense and claustrophobic

I didn't see the bug twist coming! IYKYK

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book hits the ground running. An eerie setting, a hopeful student, and the chaos that ensues had me gripping the book with white knuckles. Freida McFadden knows how to keep the pages turning and get the heart racing.

Freida McFadden once again provides a thrilling tale with twists and turns and an ending that you didn’t see coming! Ward D is a literally psycho thriller from the psych ward. Recommend

First things first: this book maybe sorta kinda hates the mentally ill.

Secondly:...I really liked this book.

So like, yeah. People with mental illnesses aren't portrayed great. As a person who was once nearly institutionalized though, I can't really say that I cared too much. This book is like the rest of Freida's books: absolutely ridiculous and impossible to put down. Just be warned going in that the portrayal isn't great, and be sure to skip this one if it isn't something you are up for right now.

Summary:
Our main character is Amy. I can't remember her last name even though I just finished the book. Please don't judge me.

Amy is a medical student. Just...vaguely. She has yet to decide what sort of doctor she wants to be. The only specialty she has completely ruled out is psychiatry. But uh oh! She is currently on psychiatry rotation! And now she has been tasked with spending the night in the hospital's psychiatric ward, Ward D. Ward D has all sorts of funky folks to meet: we have superheroes, best friends, like three love interests, knitters, jelly enthusiasts, and a bright young reporter with a point of view. Naturally, murderous hijinks ensue.

My thoughts:
Amy is kinda the worst, lol. Like, this woman grinds my gears, I swear. But honestly, none of the characters are likeable; they aren't supposed to be. (Except Gabby. Stan Gabby.) Despite this, I really enjoyed learning more about these characters.

The pacing was good. We were always arriving at a new twist, but I never got confused or overwhelmed.

Speaking of twists: most were pretty great. I did guess a few, but that is probably just because I am way too deep in the genre. Most felt reasonable; some were a little out of nowhere. I hated the final twist. It just felt unnecessary and odd. Like, one last ooooh look at how scary all these crazy people are. And just when you felt safe rooting for that one because you thought they were normal! Like. A bit yikes, perhaps.

I thought the steel substitution was a plot hole at first, but they came back to it. Mostly. So good job on that.

Final Opinion:
This book was super fun, and I know I will continue to enjoy the rest of Frieda McFadden's work. I read the whole thing in a couple hours. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys over-the-top thrillers. The campy villain monologue at the end???? Wonderful. Just a great time overall.