THANK YOU, Netgalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed this book. Couldn’t put it down. The story kept me on my toes and I didn’t see the final twists coming.

“The Locked Ward” by Sarah Pekkanen is such a fun thriller.

Secret twins, murder, a psychiatric facility, and hidden pasts, come together to create the perfect storm of twists and turns.

I could not put this one down and enjoyed every minute.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me this ARC.

While I don't generally mind if books are embellished or exaggerated, I feel like this one was too much for me. Discovering you have a sibling, let alone a twin, after thinking you were an only child for 30 years. Suddenly Amanda goes from owning her parents bar to becoming Sherlock Holmes (with the help of Georgia) and discovers what really happened the night the murder happened. It was all just a bit out there and unbelievable for me to really enjoy. It was a quick read, but I wasn't wowed by it.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sarah Pekkanen for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for The Locked Ward is August 5, 2025.

This book hooked me from the start. I loved both Mandy and Georgia’s POVs. I thought it was such a wise choice for Pekkanen to write Mandy’s POV in first person and Georgia’s POV in second person. Such a unique way of storytelling that helped me differentiate between the two perspectives. I've only ever read Pekkanen's work that was co-written with Greer Hendricks, but now I am excited to read more of her solo backlist.

Book: The Locked Ward
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: August 5, 2025

I felt like this story was a little too unbelievable – too far-fetched to be believable. I lost interest quickly and started skimming it. The sisters didn’t know each other existed and after 30 years apart they meet and they have twin telepathy immediately. But you would have thought growing up they would have felt a piece of themselves were missing the whole time. The dialogue was cringe and robotic. I just didn’t make a connection to the characters nor did they make a connection either. I have found I enjoy this author more when she is co-authoring with Greer Hendricks.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is August 5, 2025.

Another winner by Sarah Pekkanen. I flew through this thriller in less than 48 hours! While I enjoyed the way the story wrapped up I didn't need the very last twist - It felt inorganic to the rest of the book. I held my breath through the scenes in the locked ward and was hoping that my narrators were reliable. I loved that the foreshadowing led in a different direction and will definitely suggest this book to all thriller lovers.

Twisty and good...but called the ending pretty quick into the story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a thriller and suspense novel fan I had high hopes for this novel. However, it was a mediocre read for me. It was very easy to put down for a few days….this is not a good element for a thriller book. As the reader I want to be engrossed in the mystery and need ALL the answers!

There were also some loose threads at the end of the novel, which wrapped up very conveniently and quickly, in my opinion. What happens to Colby? Does he now stalk Mandy? Who killed the PI? How could the senator be so blinded by Honey? How could a small Saint stature save Mandy’s life?

All of it was a bit far fetched for me. I would not recommend this book.

I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Sarah Pekkanen, and this one is no exception! I couldn’t put this book down! It’s a fast paced and twisty psychological thriller that is a must read for any fan of the genre!

Honestly I didn’t know what to expect as this is my first time reading anything by this author but I loved it!

I loved the two point of views and short chapters as things were constantly going and seeing things from both sides.

This story not only was a fast and easy read (as I always say one more chapter if it’s less than 5 minutes). But also it just had me on the edge of my seat that I didn’t want to stop reading it.

The Locked Ward was a great book that when you thought you knew what was happening something else comes up and what you thought isn’t it.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves some mysteries

The Locked Ward is a psychological thriller about the bond of sisters and the lengths they'll go to protect one another. Told with alternating points of view between Georgia and Mandy, Pekkanen contrasts vastly different lifestyles, demonstrating how one choice or one circumstance can have a life-long ripple effect.

The adopted Georgia Cartwright, a national celebrity, becomes an even more public figure when she is accused of killing her biological sister. While she waits for her trial date, Georgia becomes an inmate of a locked ward among swindlers and criminals alike. Enter Amanda (Mandy), a young woman who is in the shock of her life when she is contacted by Georgia to reveal they are biological twins and she needs her help proving her innocence. Despite Amanda's distrust and skepticism, she plays along with Georgia's pleas, inserting herself into her twin's lavish life and uncovering the truth behind Georgia's murderous accusations. What really happened on the night of Georgia's alleged murder? And who should you believe when it comes to family?

I loved "House of Glass" so I was highly anticipating the release of this book. It doesn't rank as high for me as her other novels, but Pekkanen keeps readers in a chokehold with a fast moving storyline and quick chapters. I enjoyed the different points of view because it allowed for both narratives to go fairly deep into their mindset and intentions. I didn't find the end to be "shocking" but I was definitely along for the ride and entertained the whole time.

I enjoyed this one. The author had me wanting to know more about each person that was introduced. I didn’t expect the twist at the end. It was a good read and I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good plot twist.

This was NOT for me.

I did NOT like this writing style AT ALL. Second-person is just so obnoxious to read from when it's done like this. And it was switching and it was so weird. I can sort of understand why it was done, but it was not done well and it was so off-putting.

This is another victim of great premise, not-so-great execution.

This has someone locked in psych ward for the worst of the worst criminals (claiming she didn't do it), an estranged twin, and it's all squandered by the heaviest exposition that you've ever seen (that isn't necessary) and a pacing that dragged so much I really should have DNFed it.

I really wanted to like this, the premise sounded so fun and kind of reminded me of Ward D from Freida McFadden (which I really enjoyed). But I was sadly disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

The Locked Ward was a quick, twisty thriller. I loved the short chapters but the two POVs did not work for me. I did not love the ending and did not find it very believable.

The Locked Ward" started and immediately pulled me in with its intense premise. However, as the story progressed, it didn’t offer the same level of suspense and intrigue I had come to expect from Pekkanen's previous books. While the pacing slowed down a bit, it still maintained a solid narrative. Overall, I would recommend it to fans of her work.
I appreciate the ARC

This author is an automatic read for me. Sarah Pekkanen did not dissappoint!
Things I loved:
I didnt need a chart to keep up with the characters
interesting plot,
I wasn't able to accurately guess the ending
The book wasn't wordy with unnecessary details-it flowed very smoothly
Things I did not like: the book ended. Haha

Sadly this book was a bit of a miss for me. I loved the alternating POVs, and I especially loved the short chapters, but the story fell flat. I found myself not caring about 75% in. It started feeling like a chore to finish this book.

Thank you to Net Galley for the Arc of this book. This is the first book by Sarah Pekkanen that I have read and it won’t be my last. I was drawn to this book because of the title. I love thriller books that tie in prison or mental hospitals so this was right up my alley.

The book is told by two different characters. The one character is talking in first person but the other perspective is told in second person. That really threw me off for a bit because I felt like I was reading fan fiction for a second. Anyone who has read fan fiction should understand what I mean. Eventually, I didn’t even realize it was second person because I adapted pretty quickly.

The characters were really well written. I enjoyed the plot and found myself wanting to get back to the book. I probably would have read it much faster had life not been so hectic this past week. The way it was written made me want to know what was going to happen and how things would end. I will say that I had an idea about one part of the twist somewhere in the middle of the book but there were other things I didn’t guess so that’s a win in my book.

The end had me a little confused. I’m pretty sure I understand what the last little bit was indicating but I had to think for a second. That could have been because it was late at night when I finished it or maybe I missed something.

I give the book a solid 3.5 only because the second person took some getting used to and I’m not 100% sure about the very end. Despite that, I would recommend this book. It was an entertaining, twisty thriller that kept me hooked.

This was a fast paced psychological thriller told from the perspective of two twins separated in infancy and just learning about each other, as one is in a locked ward accused of murder. The short chapters propel the reader forward and twists and turns kept me hooked. That said there were a few loose ends I would have liked to see tied up. Overall a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was readable and some people will enjoy it, but for me it was meh. Mandy has just found out that she has a twin sister she never knew about…and that her twin has been put into a mental facility for murdering her other sister. Twists and turns ensue, etc. The twists didn’t interest me, wasn’t my type of mystery.