📖 Book Review 📖 For a year and a half of my life, every weekday at 8am I clocked into work and used my keys to enter the psychiatric unit at a hospital. It was my favorite job and yes I have stories that I won’t share here…the hours flew by because there was never a lull in my day as a psychiatric social worker. Sarah Pekannen’s latest page turner envelops the reader into a world not many people see.

A phone call draws Mandy to a hospital where a young socialite named Georgia is being held for the violent murder of her younger sister. This one phone call changes Mandy’s entire life: she has a twin sister who was separated at birth. In an attempt to protect herself, Georgia feigns a dissociative state to the world while proclaiming her innocence to a stranger, who just so happens to be the person closest to her. Mandy sets out to discover the secrets of their past, and what really happened the night Georgia was arrested for murder.

Told in dual points of view, The Locked Ward is an immersive and impeccably crafted psychological thriller that draws the reader into this web of mystery and deceit. Sarah Pekannen masterfully weaves together a story that mirrors the dissonance of her beautifully complex characters, leaving even the readers to question who can be trusted and where the truth really lies.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: This was my first book by this author but it was one I knowingly took a risk with. Because of that, I am going to give this a 3 star rating to be fair. I also DNF'd this at 25 percent which is my rule for tracking and reviewing. I want to be upfront about that because if you are. fan of this author, I have a feeling you will like this. It fits squarely in the wheelhouse of a "popcorn thriller." Everything moves very fast, from page one. Although, I don't know how it ends, I would imagine it's explosive and filled with juicy plot twist. Just like most other popcorn thrillers, you really have to suspend a lot of disbelief. Typically I am able to do that, however, the tropes being used to move the plot forward I could not get behind. I despise when authors use characters to say things like, literally just like this but not a direct quote "I wrote a paper on this in psychology class in college so I'm not like other girls." It just personally really rubs me wrong and annoys me. I knew going into this that I likely would not like the tropes being used which is why I don't think it's the books fault. I just had some hope that I would enjoy the authors twisty writing anyway. I did not enjoy the writing and felt irritated by the characters which is a clear sign for me to DNF.

For those of you who really like popcorn thrillers, mental health plot twists, and outlandish (in a good way) plots then you really should pick this up. I think it does those well.

2.5 stars rounded to 3

This felt like a pretty run of the mill, formulaic thriller to me. I didn't find any of the revelations or twists particularly shocking. I also didn't have feelings one way or the other about most of the characters. It just all felt a little flat. It was very fast paced and a quick read, though.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

4⭐️

I was SO excited when I received the ARC for this book as I’ve enjoyed Sarah Pekkanen’s previous books! And it did NOT disappoint! The suspense sucked me in and didn’t let me go until I got to the very last page. The little turns throughout the story were surprising and exciting! I really enjoyed the premise and execution of this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was delighted to receive an ARC of Sarah Pekkanen's "The Locked Ward" from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. This one had been on my TBR list as soon as I heard about it.
Georgia wakes up in a mental ward, accused of murdering her younger sister, Annabelle. As the black sheep of the family, she knows it will be difficult to prove her innocence. Her only hope is her newfound sister Mandy. Will Mandy help her try to prove her innocence or will she become another victim?
This was a quick read. I found myself drawn in from the first page. I was initially not a fan of Georgia, but she grew on me. There were some nice twists with a satisfying ending.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for graciously providing an ARC for me to review!

𐙚 Long-Lost Siblings
𐙚 Memory Gaps
𐙚 Murder Mystery

Sarah Pekkanen’s The Locked Ward is a fast-paced, twisty thriller. The story follows Georgia, accused of murdering her sister and placed in a psychiatric ward, and Mandy, the twin she never knew existed, who must decide whether to help prove her innocence. This novel was packed with secrets, lies, and suspense. Pekkanen crafted an entertaining mystery with this one.

Rating: ✰✰✰/5

Thank you for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. ・❥・

Received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review. The Locked Ward has an interesting premise but is a bit predictable. The main characters are not very interesting so it is tough to engage and care about them. Overall this was a fine read, just not one of my favorites from this author.

The night Annabelle dies, everything changes, for her family, her friends, and even some strangers.

When Georgia is sent to a locked ward after being accused of Annabelle’s murder, there seems to be only one person who can help her: her twin sister, Mandy. The kicker? Mandy never knew Georgia existed … until now.

Georgia is desperate for Mandy to help prove her innocence. Mandy isn’t sure what to believe from the accused murderer in a psych facility.

Murder. Secrets. Lies. Infidelity. Plot twists. This book has it all folks. Pekkanen doesn’t AGAIN. I only put this book down because I fell asleep reading it. I ZOOMED through it and truly suggest anyone who likes a good thriller story to buy this as soon as it come out!

(3.5 rounded up) Sarah Pekkanen writes popcorn mystery/thrillers that I absolutely gobble up. When I read “House of Glass” last summer, it was exactly what I wanted it to be - a fast-paced, twisty mystery with a satisfying ending. “The Locked Ward” follows this same formula - it’s a quick, twisty read that follows a woman, Georgia, accused of murdering her sister she was raised with and placed in a psychiatric ward, and another woman, Mandy, who is Georgia’s biological sister, raised apart, trying to exonerate her. This isn’t reinventing the wheel and it doesn’t have to - the twists, some expected, some not - were fun, the writing kept me turning pages, and I had a good time. My issue with it is the depiction of a forensic psychiatric ward. I am not familiar with these wards, but I do have mental illness and I found the depiction of mentally ill incarcerated people to be…problematic at best. I realize that people placed in forensic psychiatric hospitals and institutes have been violent or shown violent tendencies, but the characters in this felt like extreme generalizations of people actually in these situations. Almost like caricatures. There are plot reasons for why the author sets this section of the story where she does as opposed to a prison and I could absolutely be oversensitive to this specific portrayal of mental illness, but I thought about it a lot while reading and it did end up influencing my rating. This would have been an easy four star for me, but the mental health rep brought it down a bit. Still - this is a fun thriller that was made to entertain and it does do that.

I liked this one. I liked the dual pov between the sisters. It was a good story, but nothing really took me completely by surprise including the twists.

Georgia Worthington is suspected of violently murdering her sister, Annabelle, at her lavish birthday party. Georgia has had a complicated relationship with Annabelle for her entire life, but they have been making strides at getting closer. Georgia was adopted into the prominent Worthington as a newborn, but Annabelle is their biological daughter and is highly favored by her mother especially. Georgia is now being held by reason of insanity at an institution for violent offenders and needs someone to help prove her innocence.

When Mandy receives a call saying that Georgia wants to speak to her, she is shocked and has no idea how Georgia could even know who she is. Mandy lives a quieter life running her deceased parent’s bar. She soon learns that her parents have been keeping big secrets and her life is changed forever when she learns that Georgia is her twin sister and they were separated at birth. Georgia insists she is innocent and begs for Mandy’s help. As Mandy digs into Georgia’s claims, she finds herself in a dangerous situation to help a sister she has only just met. Can both sisters make it out alive? And who is telling the truth?

This was a great read! I love an asylum setting and I thought both Georgia and Mandy were great characters. The story is told from alternating points-of-view and I enjoyed getting to know both of the sisters. There were definitely some twists and turns that I did not see coming! I will read anything that Sarah Pekkanen writes and I enjoyed this book just as I did her others! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next :)

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

Another solid mystery from SP. the story starts with a bang as we witness Georgia going into the locked ward when she’s accused of killing her sister. Then an another woman gets a phone call saying that her sister, Georgia, wants to see her. Amanda is shocked and curious because she’s an only child. We get pov’s from Georgia and Mandy as they traverse a much bigger story of their lives than they ever knew. Fast paced and secrets in abundance, the story and characters were interesting. I liked the ending, that was nice touch.

This was a very quick read for me. I enjoyed the storyline and was engaged throughout. The characters were relatable and I was surprised by the reveal at the end. This is a great book overall and I’d definitely recommend it to others!

This book had everything I want in a thriller—twisty, dark, and absolutely gripping! It was a quick read that kept me hooked from start to finish, delivering all the suspense and tension I crave. Sarah Pekkanen has never disappointed me, and The Locked Ward is no exception.

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this incredible ARC! This one hits shelves on August 5th, and trust me—you need to add it to your TBR. You won’t be disappointed!

When you have the chance to read an ARC copy from one of your auto-approved thriller authors, like Sarah Pekkanen, the only thing you can do—after dancing in your study to celebrate your luck—is dive straight into the book. Especially when it presents an intriguing concept like twin connections, psychological thriller vibes with claustrophobic asylum chapters, and a twisty whodunnit premise!

The story revolves around two twin sisters’ perspectives:

Georgia, who is locked in an asylum after being arrested for murdering her sister Annabelle. She pleads insanity and awaits her trial, holding onto the last hope that Mandy will believe in her innocence and help her get out before she’s killed by hidden enemies controlled by powerful figures.
Mandy (Amanda), who runs her family’s bar after inheriting the place following her parents’ deaths. She left her PR job behind, only to find herself at the center of a shocking revelation: the murderer making headlines—the one accused of vengefully killing her stepsister—is actually her twin sister, a sibling she never even knew existed.
One day, Georgia’s lawyer calls Mandy, urging her to visit the hospital and meet her sister. Though skeptical, Mandy is too intrigued to resist confronting the presumed cold-blooded killer. When they finally meet, the unexplainable physical bond between them is undeniable. Then, Georgia hands over strands of her own hair, encouraging Mandy to conduct a DNA test. But deep in her gut, Mandy already knows the truth—Georgia is her real sister, and someone deliberately separated them at birth.

However, the biggest revelation is yet to come: Georgia insists she’s innocent. She warns Mandy that if she doesn’t help get her out, someone will kill her. But is Georgia telling the truth? Or is Mandy just a pawn in her twin’s dangerous endgame?

Determined to uncover the truth—not just to help Georgia, but also to piece together her own fragmented identity—Mandy is drawn into the elite’s scandalous secret circles. She learns more about the Cartwrights, the powerful family that adopted Georgia. Was Georgia the black sheep of the family, envious enough to kill her own sister? Or was she a victim of neglect and mistreatment, driven to desperation?

As Mandy digs deeper, she realizes there are people who would rather see Georgia dead—and in doing so, she unknowingly puts herself in more danger than she ever imagined. But even at the cost of her own life, she is determined to push forward and bring justice.

Overall Thoughts:
The mystery surrounding Georgia’s innocence and the secrets of the Cartwright family are executed with a strong trajectory, featuring short, fast-paced, action-packed chapters. While some twists were a bit predictable, and I had hoped for a more earth-shattering conclusion, I still thoroughly enjoyed the character development and the magnetic—at times, eerie—bond between the sisters. That connection alone made me round my rating from 3.5 stars up to 4!

I highly recommend this well-crafted thriller to devoted fans like me and to any reader looking for a gripping, unputdownable read from the very first page.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of one of this year’s most anticipated thrillers in exchange for my honest feedback—I truly appreciate it!

Sarah Pekkanen's "The Locked Ward" is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that explores the dark side of mental health treatment. The story follows a psychiatrist who begins to question her sanity as she investigates a mysterious patient. Pekkanen expertly builds tension and keeps the reader guessing until the very end. It's a chilling and thought-provoking read that will stay with you long after you finish it.

The Locked Ward was one wild and exhilarating ride. Sarah Pekkanen has upped her game with this one. Always a must read author for me, I was truly blown away with this one. My favorite by Sarah so far!

Twin sisters separated at birth, unaware the other exists until recently is the premise for this twisty psychological drama. When one sister is accused of murder and sent to a psych ward to be evaluated, the other sister must step in to help save her.

This story alternates between the views of the two sisters. It is dark and twisty and full of surprises. The ending was a perfect way to tie up all the elements of the story. The chapters are short and easy to keep turning the pages. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves domestic psychological thrillers, but make sure you clear your schedule. You won't want to put this down.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy

With short chapters, it's a breeze to get through. Don't expect an epic twist, but this definitely gets you through a reading slump and I think I would have enjoyed it way more if I was new to the genre because the twist would have been more of a WOW moment.

Sarah Pekkanen has written another page turner. The Locked Ward had me reading until 2a, not willing to stop until the last page.

It's a clever plot, and I loved that it was unique. Alternating points of view is one of my favorite formats, and I enjoyed this one.

I highly recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #SarahPekkanen #TheLockedWard

The Locked Ward had me captivated from the very first chapter! I could not put this book down and would have read it in one sitting had life allowed. The short chapters, alternating between two POVs, and the fast pace had me racing through the pages. I had no idea where the plot was going for the longest time, and I was eager to find out! There are multiple twists and turns, and I didn't see almost any of it coming. Sarah Pekkanen is an excellent writer, and I already can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.