After killing her sister, Georgia is locked in a psych ward while awaiting trial. Adopted as a baby, Georgia makes contact with her twin sister, who she has never met before. Her twin, Amanda, intrigued by the invite, visits Georgia in the psych ward. Georgia begs for Amanda's help to get her out. Amanda is not sure whether to believe Georgia, but feels obligated to help. After all, Georgia is her twin sister. As Amanda starts investigating, she realizes that Georgia's adopted family is not only super powerful, but kinda crazy. Do they have something to do with the murder? Or is Amanda's twin sister really a murderer?

I was SO excited to read this one. Sarah Pekkanen's House of Glass was one of my favourite reads of 2024. While I preferred House of Glass, I still really enjoyed the Locked Ward. Sarah is a very talented and creative writer, skilled at drawing her readers in and creating dynamic twists and turns. I really enjoyed the psych hospital setting as it gave a creepy overtone to the entire story. The twin element was also fun. Looking for a quick and creepy thriller? Then give this one a go! Be warned: once you start, good luck putting it down. I finished it in a single day.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, a huge shout out to NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen, and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Locked Ward in exchange for my honest review. You guys are the best! 🙌💖

Now, let’s dive into this riveting read!

Was it… Bitter, all-consuming jealousy? 🤔
Pathological sibling rivalry? 👭
Pure insanity? 😱

Whatever the cause—and trust me, everyone has a theory—it’s the Crime of the Decade when glamorous Georgia Cartwright is accused of killing the biological daughter of her wealthy Southern family.

Locked away in a psychiatric institution for the most violent offenders, Georgia's only plea to her estranged twin sister, Amanda, is: "I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here." 😰 But the question on everyone’s mind is: can Amanda trust her sister?

The atmosphere of the institution is so eerie and menacing that it feels like stepping into another dimension. 🏥💔 As Amanda navigates the claustrophobic tension, readers are taken on a thrilling ride — questioning whether Georgia is truly a victim of her powerful family or simply a master manipulator weaving a web of lies.

This novel is a beautifully crafted "killer" story that is superbly written! 📖✨ I devoured it in just ONE DAY! The short chapters made it impossible to put down, and I found myself racing through the pages with warp speed! 🏎️💨

Sarah Pekkanen is undoubtedly a master storyteller, weaving in some of the most compelling and gripping plot lines that keep you guessing until the very end. 🕵️‍♀️🔍 I was completely pulled into this psychological thriller, and I cannot express how thrilled I am to have received early access to such a fantastic book!

Final Thoughts:
I wholeheartedly recommend The Locked Ward to anyone who loves a page-turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat! 🎢🔥 Mark your calendars for August 2025 because this one is sure to become a bestseller! Don’t miss out! 📅🛒

I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a day. We first meet Georgia locked in a psychiatric institution after being accused of murdering her younger sister. She calls on her estranged twin, Amanda to help prove her innocence. There are a lot of dark family secrets that some go through extreme measures to keep secret. Amanda starts to unravel them while discovering more about herself and her twin- and learning who she can and can’t trust. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Would you be able to survive your time in a locked ward if it meant the truth could be uncovered? The Locked Ward delicately unravels the circumstances surrounding the murder of Georgia’s sister, Anabelle, and the journey of discovering that she also has a twin sister—Amanda. Amanda, or Mandy, did not discover the existence of her twin sister until she received a call from the locked ward with a request from her sister to visit her. They live near opposite lives—Georgia the wealthy southern socialite and Mandy the practical, down to earth owner of her late parent’s bar and restaurant. After finally meeting her, Mandy isn’t sure if her sister’s silence is due to shock, or if she is waiting for Mandy to uncover the truth about who murdered Anabelle and why.

In typical Sarah Pekkanen fashion, the twists and uncovered information were abundant in this book and I was sucked in! I did find the second person narrator perspective for Georgia to be a little bit odd given that Georgia’s perspective was first person. The strange coincidences of the twins and their ability to potentially read each others thoughts and feelings—even from afar—was also intriguing and at times a little strange (but hey, they say it happens!). The storyline had me sucked in and eager to finish!

I wasn’t sure what to settle on when rating this book. It’s a 3-3.5 star is where I’’m landing. It had a lot of good things going on, but something didn’t completely work for me.

I loved the short chapters. It kept me super engaged and I spent a lot of time guessing where things were going and I did not see some of the twists coming. & while I found some of them unsettling, I think that a lot of Georgia’s chapters felt repetitive and even though they paid off towards the end, I don’t know if we needed them every other chapter? Some of them caused Amanda’s chapters to feel disjointed and I’m not sure if that was intentional?

I think I wanted an overall creepier thriller, based on the premise and I didn’t get that. That’s a personal expectation and preference though.

I do enjoy this authors writing style a lot and I would still recommend this to others and read more by her in the future. It just wasn’t a new favorite for me and I slightly preferred House of Glass, last year.

What a twisty, thrilling read 🤯 This was super fast paced with twists & turns that I never saw coming. It has a shocking ending that I would have never guessed! Such a good psychological thriller 👏🏼 This will be released in August 5th, 2025

Huge thanks to @netgalley for the ARC!

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#thelockedward #mystery #thriller #psychological #arc #netgalley #newrelease

The Locked Ward was a little slow in places for me but was a solid three star read. I was not a fan of Georgia’s chapter because of the POV. Overall, a solid, quick read!

Thank you NetGalley for opportunity to read and review The Locked Ward!

3.75 stars

This is my first solo Sarah Pekkanen book, I’ve read a number of her books with Greer Hendricks.

The Locked Ward is definitely a solid read and one I would recommend. I struggled at times with Georgia’s chapters being in second person point of view.

I do wish the ending was a little more shocking or gripping as it did leave me feeling a little incomplete. But of course not every book can have a mind blowing twist at the end.

Overall I did really enjoy this book and love that each chapter was quite short, it kept the story moving really well and never pulled you from one POV for too long. Felt much more fluid this way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Having loved House of Glass, I had high hopes for this one but it was disappointing. The characters didn't seem particularly well developed and the story dragged a bit in places. The part that kept pulling me away from the story was the "special twin bond" between Amanda and Georgia. I just couldn't believe that after 30 years apart, they meet once and suddenly they have twin telepathy? One quick meeting and you can feel your twin in danger from across town? But not a single magic twin twinge in 30 years? I just didn't buy it and it really detracted from the story for me.

I'll still read Sarah Pekkanen because I usually like her books but this one wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this eARC.

“The Locked Ward” by Sarah Pekkanen is a quick and entertaining thriller that will not disappoint. The story revolves around twin girls separated at birth, raised in two separate families and are totally unknown to each other. The book opens with one twin waking up in the locked ward of a mental institution accused of brutally murdering her younger sister. She is successful, wealthy, from a high profile family and therefore the salacious story is all over the news. When the second twin gets a call from an attorney telling her she has a biological twin sister who is asking for her help, her whole world is changed in an instant.
Both women are desperate for answers, wading through lies and years of deception while trying to find the killer and establish a connection as sisters. This premise kept me reading way into the wee hours of the night.
There were so many clues that I was sure I had it all figured out but I can honestly say I never saw the final twist coming! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve have the opportunity to read many of Sarah Pekkanen’s juicy thrillers in the past. The last one, House of Glass, giving me chills! Although, the short chapters had me quickly devouring the story, the plot itself seemed a bit juvenile for her typical writing caliber. There weren’t any points that were truly twisty or thrilling. I think I was really hoping for a bigger reveal rather than all the reiteration on twin telepathy and sisterhood.

What a tight, twisty thriller! I loved this book! Georgia is an upscale wedding planner who is accused of killing her sister. Georgia ends up in a locked psychiatric unit while awaiting her trial. She decides that it’s time to reach out to her twin sister. The issue? They were adopted and never grew up together. Needless to say, her twin Mandy is shocked. Many begins uncovering the layers of their adoption, Georgia’s family, the murder, and the dynamics of being a twin. Very well written book that had me staying up late to finish it. Highly recommend! Thank you to the publisher and net galley for an advanced copy of this book

ARC review • pub date 08.05.25

Georgia is now a “prisoner” in a locked ward as she is completely silent after being accused of murdering her younger sister. Meanwhile Mandy gets a phone call stating that Georgia, who she has never met before but has read an article about the murder, is her twin sister separated at birth.

Georgia has put all her cards on Mandy to help her get out at any cost.

The only thing I didn’t love about this story was Georgia’s pov was written in second person. It was a fast paced, easy read, and I genuinely enjoyed it. I had many possible scenarios and it kept me guessing and intrigued until the end.

Read if you love:
-psychology
-found family
-dual pov
-Lucinda Berry books

4⭐️

Thanks to St Martin’s Press/NetGalley for my gifted ARC

I went in to this book blind - I didn't know what the story was about at all. I knew I liked the author, however. The story had a unique premise and it was entertaining overall. I rated it down a star because I felt like there were some unnecessary parts and it made the story seem longer. Also, the last paragraph of the epilogue confused me a little, so I'm not sure if I comprehended it all correctly.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this book and read it over the course of a week or two. The pace of the story was perfect to keep my attention. By the time I got to the ending it was a little predictable, but still an enjoyable read.

I was so excited to start reading The Locked Ward, as House of Glass was a great read for me! The storyline of The Locked Ward intrigued me from the beginning.

Pekkanen delivered another compelling novel with The Locked Ward. I was instantly hooked, and had to know what was going on. She managed some twists that I did not see coming! *chefs kiss*

After House of Glass and The Locked Ward, Pekkanen is now an instant read from me.

I was able to read this book early thanks to NetGalley and a dear book loving friend who mentioned the book to me. Absolutely could not put down my Kindle until the last page!
No spoilers… you’ll have to read for yourselves. The chapters were quick, switching back and forth between the two sisters’ POV, and always seemed to leave off at the right time to keep me engaged. It delivered a couple twists I didn’t see coming, which I always love!

The Locked Ward pulled me in right from the start. A fabulous read with many twists and turns in the plot. Loved the story.

This book was not for me. I did not like the two different pov. Dnf
Still giving five stars because it has a great premise. I just didn’t like the way it switched back and forth between the twins.