I loved this book! Sarah Pekkanen is a great story teller and this book was no exception. In The Locked Ward, Georgia is institutionalized after being accused of killing her sister Annabelle. Georgia uses this moment to reach out to the twin sister she has only just learned about, in hopes that her sister will help her prove her innocence. This book is filled with a massive web of lies and secrets, and is truly engaging. I did see some aspects of the ending coming, but that comes with the territory of reading many thrillers. There were other aspects that surprised me. I loved the epilogue and felt like it was such a fitting end to this book.

This book is expected to publish on August 5, 2025. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC.

The Lock Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

This was a gripping and suspenseful read! The characters were complex, and the twists kept me hooked. A few parts felt a little slow but it was still a solid thriller. Definitely worth reading!

4/5 Stars

Loved the details of the locked ward…I felt a little jittery reading when the other characters were following her!

Very cool concept for a book, some details were hard to foresee happening in real life, but that’s the fun of reading, right?

I was shocked by the ending!!! I didn’t see it coming and couldn’t read fast enough to get to the end.

Psychological thriller with complex family dynamics that I easily devoured in a weekend! The storyline alternates between two estranged sisters, Georgia and Amanda. They have both lived their whole lives without the knowledge of each other's existence before Georgia reaches out to Amanda. The twist though? Georgia is currently being held in a psychiatric ward for the murder of her sister. She swears she didn't do it, but how can Amanda know for sure? She just learned of her existence, but Amanda feels as though there is more to this story.

An easily bingeable thriller, highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinion are my own

This thriller kept me on edge the entire time. I LOVE those kind of books. A locked ward, an accused killer and secret sibling come to the fore front.

Georgia Worthington was adopted to a wealthy family who had their own biological child and was jealous of her. While locked in the ward she enlists in the help of Mandy. Mandy has no idea who Georgia is and that she is her biological twin. Deception number 1, and the hits keep coming. I never miss a Pekkanen novel.

Based on the synopsis I was really excited to dive into The Locked Ward! Two twins who were separated at birth via adoption are reconnected when one of them murders the biological daughter of her adoptive parents and believes her sister is the only one who can save her. She claims she didn’t do it, but Mandy isn’t sure if she should trust what Georgia is saying, or if she is roping her into her web of lies to try to save herself.

*Spoiler Alert* had I known that a lot of the story would heavily involve potentially twisted and corrupt politicians, I definitely wouldn’t have picked this book up. There is enough to be concerned about in the real world with politics that I don’t enjoy reading about it fictionally, especially with murder involved 😂

The book had a bit of slow start for me, but is captivating and the ending definitely made me glad I picked it up! I definitely enjoy Sarah Pekkanens writing style and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

THE LOCKED WARD was a decent psychological/domestic thriller that was an easy, quick read. I’m all for short chapters 🙌🏻 I found the twist to be just alright. Nothing spectacular, but still a decent thriller if you’re in need of a slump buster.

Another fab release from Sarah! I was so excited for this one - locked ward is a twisty, edge of your seat type of book that you will love! Full review ahead of publication date

I really enjoyed this one! It was fast-paced with a twist I didn't see coming! I will definitely be reading more from this author

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: 🔪 Thriller
Recommend:✅

“The Locked Ward” was a good thriller although it was slightly formulaic, formulas for thrillers work for a reason and Sarah Pekkanen never disappoints. The setting and story were original though inside the normal beats so it did keep me interesting! I finished it very quickly and did find myself needing to know what happened. And thank God for the epilogue because I needed a few loose ends tied up!

Georgia is a wealthy wedding planner who finds herself in a psych ward after being an accused of murdering her sister. She had only one person to reach out too, someone she is connecting too but never met, Mandy. She had to convince Mandy to help her while also continuing to keep up the facade that she is disassociated so she’s not sent to jail.

Parts of this one were a little wild and far fetched. But, overall, I liked it and would recommend it for a quick thriller read!

You’ll love this book if you love:
✅Sister Stories
✅Fucked Up Familes
✅Unreliable Narrators

“I guess when everything shatters, you try to hold onto whatever fragments remain.”

It’s hard to find time to read these days with a toddler and a newborn, so I was very excited that @StMartinsPress and @NetGalley provided me an advance copy of The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen (thank you!).

The story was enough to keep me interested, but I wasn’t overly invested. I struggled with this book because I didn’t really connect with the main characters at all.

The Locked Ward will be out August 5th, 2025.

Mandy had always believed she was an only child. Raised by loving adoptive parents, Mandy knows nothing about the existence of a twin until Georgia contacts her out of the blue, looking for Mandy’s help to prove that she is innocent of murder. Georgia is being held on a locked mental health ward pending assessment to determine her sanity and fitness to stand trial in the murder of her sister Annabelle. But Georgia has powerful enemies that want to see her locked away, so Mandy had better act quickly.

This is a fast-paced thriller with short chapters that alternates between reflections on Mandy and Georgia’s past and current events. There are red herrings which occasionally lead Mandy off the right trail, but she persists, and in the process, becomes much closer to her newfound sibling. The conclusion ties things together in a satisfying way. This is a solid thriller, and fans of Ruth Ware or Louise Candlish will enjoy this one.

A fast-paced psychological thriller mixed with complex family dynamics, The Locked Ward was absolutely captivating—I couldn’t put it down! From the very first chapter, Sarah Pekkanen’s writing had me completely hooked.

Told through dual POVs from Mandy and Georgia, alternating between past and present, the narrative strikes the perfect balance—revealing just enough to keep the tension high without ever giving too much away. One unexpected twist after another kept me guessing right until the very last page.

Sarah Pekkanen has once again proven herself a master of the thriller genre. She’s firmly secured her spot on my list of must-read authors! If you love gripping psychological thrillers, make sure The Locked Ward is on your radar when it releases on August 5, 2025.

Many thanks to #NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sarah Pekkanen for the ARC. My opinions are my own and freely expressed.

#BookReview #PsychologicalThriller #SarahPekkanen #NetGalleyReads #StMartinsPress #ARCReview #TheLockedWard #MustReadThriller #BookstagramReviews

Sarah Pakkanen is a stand-out author in the thriller genre. I have found all the books I have read by her to be completely bingeable, engaging, and an overall fun time. The Locked Ward, her newest out on August 5th, hit just the same way.

Pick this one up if you like:

-Locked Psychiatric Ward setting
-Secret twins separated at birth
-Short, completely bingeable chapters
-Dual POV, one for each sister

I personally like to go into mystery and thrillers as blind as I can be, so I try to leave out as much about the story in my reviews as possible. But I will say, I really loved how we got to learn about each sister through their alternating POVs. I will say that that was the standout part of the story for me. We have one sister who is locked up for the suspected murder of her other sister and the other who she calls in to help unravel the story and prove her innocence. Honestly, the whole buildup in this story worked for me!

As an avid thriller reader, I can honestly say the buildup was great, but the ending and big reveal fell a little flat for me. While the story was tied up well, it just felt a little rushed and anticlimactic overall. I don’t want that to dissuade you from picking this one up, because I am still so glad I read it and continue to look forward to Sarah Pekkanen’s work.

I was looking forward to reading this book, as I have really enjoyed some of this author's past work. However, this one ended up not being a favorite of mine. Some of the things that I did enjoy was the setting of the "locked ward" and the element of twin sisters who didn't know one another. What I ended up not being fond of was how the story seemed to come just short of of being eerie and creepy by falling back on a political villain. So, while there were elements that I enjoyed, I found myself feeling disinterested by the ending after it seemed to fall a bit flat.

𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔.

One sister is locked in a psych ward, accused of murdering the other. Why did this case make headlines when jealous siblings spiral out of control every day? Georgia Worthington was adopted as a newborn by a wealthy, prominent couple, and the media spun the narrative that she was insane with jealousy over her younger sister, the couple's biological child. Accounts of Georgia's outbursts and violent attacks upon her sibling were everywhere, and a jury has found her not guilty by reason of insanity, hence her confinement to a psych ward.

Georgia wants to talk to just one person--her biological twin sister Mandy, who had no idea of Georgia's existence. Before you roll your eyes at the familiar trope, let me tell you that it absolutely worked for this plot! Is Mandy uncovering the true mastermind behind this murder, or is she playing a dangerous game with someone who is a master of deception?

The older I get, the longer my list of irrational fears becomes, and being wrongfully committed to a psych ward has made my list within the last few years. The research the author did was evident, and she does not rely on stereotypes of mental illness to further her plot. This was a meticulous, well-crafted thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the early copy. At the time this review was written, this title was expected to publish on August 5, 2025.

I have been a long time fan of Sarah’s writing and The Locked Ward was no exception. I love the dual POV between the two sisters: Georgia, who is accused of murder and Mandy, who tries to find out who’s responsible while also learning secrets from her past. With high society players involved and the stakes being even higher, can Mandy figure out what really happened or is Georgia spinning a twisty tale of deceit? I was hooked from the start and couldn’t stop myself from flying through the short chapters. The Locked Ward comes out on Aug 5 2025 - mark your calendars!!

Another twisty mystery from Sarah Pekkanen. I always enjoy her books, and I think any fan of this genre will agree. While not necessarily my favorite of hers, it was still entertaining with some shocking moments.

Thank you to Netgally and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy

3.5 stars.

This had me hooked from the very beginning. The second I read the synopsis I had to start reading right away. And while this is great, going between the twins and showing us each of their lives, - the mystery at the end fell a little flat and anti-climatic. Overall it was a good, fast paced, fun read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, SMP Early Readers, NetGalley and Sarah Pekkanen for access to this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was so interesting and it didn’t disappoint. This is not the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ve really become a fan! I loved the psychological aspect of this as someone who works in mental health and thought it was well written with lots of great twists and turns! Overall, another fantastic read from Sarah Pekkanen.