I enjoyed this but not as much as her other books I’ve read. It was not as fast-paced as I’d have liked. The characters were a bit flat and the ending was just okay.

Georgia is sent to the locked ward after she is found standing over her sisters dead body. She reaches out to her adopted twin Mandy (who didn’t know she existed) to help clear her name of murder but all the rumors about Georgia as a child make her question whether or not she should be trusted.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

While The Locked Ward was a fast read and keeps you wondering just enough about where it’s going and what’s going to happen next, I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as a thriller, as it didn’t have that sense of tension I’d typically associate with a thriller. The book centers around long lost sisters, a murder, and hardly a truly likable character.

Some of my issues were - There was a side storyline that popped up occasionally that just didn’t really add anything to the main story and felt very out of place and unnecessary. The way people interacted with each other felt forced, unnatural, and/or cringey through the entire book. And I found the descriptions of the phenomenon of being a twin excessive and overdone.

I’m a big fan of some of Pekkanen’s other books, but this one just didn’t hit for me, unfortunately. It is definitely worth a read though, for someone that wants an easy-read mystery.

A dark and twisty drama featuring a wealthy family, twins separated at birth, an unreliable narrator and written by Sarah Pekkanen? Hell yes. Sign me up!

This fast-paced thriller did not disappoint! There aren't many details I can divulge without turning this into a spoiler, but trust me- you won't be able to put this one down!

In addition to being a great mystery, it also reflects on what it really means to be family and to examine relationships with relatives with a sharper eye.

I'm so thankful that #netgalley approved my request for #thelockedward, and I got my hands on this one early! You won't want to miss it!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book!! What a ride! I absolutely loved every minute of reading this one. The story was suspenseful and a bit dark and the characters were fabulous. The multiple POV storyline kept me wanting more until the crazy end. The ending?? Grab a copy mad find out for yourself. Pekkanen has not let me down once and this book was top tier.
Highly recommend

I enjoy reading Sarah Pekkanen's books and this was no exception. The short chapters make this feel like a breeze to read. Fast paced and kept me guessing. The two POV's and locations held my attention! Loved it!

Riveting!!!! This book truly held my attention from the moment I opened it until I finished! Loved it!!!! Love the family connections and the interactions in the psych facility. There’s just nothing about this book that I didn’t love! Fans of mysteries will sure enjoy this one!!!

Fans of Sarah Pekkanen will enjoy this book and for those who haven’t read her yet, this is a great one to start with. I really enjoyed the story, the mystery, the writing, and the ending. I was pulled in from the start and couldn’t put it down. Everything I want in a psychological thriller. Sarah Pekkanen is consistently great and I look forward to her next book.

Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

While I usually love just about anything this author releases, The Locked Ward was not at the same caliber as her other books. While a fast read, the twists weren’t twisty enough and the twin story line felt rushed. I’m also not a fan of the second POV narration in novels. However this will be a fun beach read. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I usually love this author, but didn’t love this work. The psych ward isn’t believable and the twin narrative read like a trope. I did not guess the twists, and I wanted to figure out the ending so it kept me engaged.

📖 ARC Review

PUB Date : Aug 4th

My Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 Insane Stars

The Locked Ward with its dual POV and short chapters was a quick edge of your seat read .

“The most dangerous animal on earth isn’t the great white shark or a hungry crocodile or a momma bear . It’s the human being.”

Everyone has secrets and The Locked Ward is full of them .

Georgina is in a psych ward and is accused of murder .

Mandy is her twin and has only just learned of this .

Georgina is trying to prove her innocence and is relying on Mandy to set her free … 👀

If Mandy isn’t careful she could be the next victim, will her twin tuition telepathy help her or bring her to her death 💀

This story was fast paced and had so many twists , some were predictable and a few were not and was interesting how all the revelations came together.

I actually thought something completely different was going to transpire so I really enjoyed the twist at the end , I love the element of surprise and this one delivered!!

Thank you Netgalley , St.Martins Press and Sarah Pekkanen for this twisty ARC!

3.5 ⭐️

Sarah Pekkanen’s latest thriller, The Locked Ward, takes us on a deep dive of two twins in wildly different scenarios. One is quite literally locked away, unable to communicate for a myriad of reasons while the other tries to metaphorically unlock all the secrets she was never privy to.

The setup alone gives a tenuous push and pull throughout that has you on the rollercoaster from the first page to the very last page. Pekkanen sets herself up in a way where she doesn’t have to even do a lot of work but just lays it all out and the pacing was conveniently consistent.

One of my favourite parts about the entire switch was the way she wrote the perspectives of the sisters. Of course there is always a header so you know which sisters perspective it’s in but Mandy is always written with “I” while Georgia is always written with “you.” It creates a unique difference between them while also highlighting the disassociative state Georgia is forcing herself into. Psychologically, this was quite clever and it had me realizing that while Pekkanen’s plots aren’t the most out of the box, her writing has true technique and grit behind it.

I ate this story up in about two days of reading before bed and it was exactly what it wanted to be in the end, thrilling.

3.5🌟
What’s worse? A life in prison? Or a life locked up in a psychiatric hospital? I’d like to hold out for the third option, please!🙋🏻‍♀️

Georgia has just been arrested for the murder of her younger sister, Annabelle. Suffering from shock, or possibly a breakdown, she’s been held for evaluation in a psychiatric hospital.

Her only hope is for her sister to help find the truth. No, not Annabelle, she’s dead! Georgia needs her twin sister Mandy. A woman she has yet to meet!

Told from two POVs. Mandy, in first person and Georgia in second person. (Why, I don’t know😩) I have to say, it felt awkward and mildly distracting.

I did enjoy the short chapters as it helped move the storyline forward, finishing in only a few sittings. Will it stick with me in the long run? Likely not. I’ve been a huge fan of this author but unfortunately this wasn’t a favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press

This was such a suspenseful and intense book! I could not stop reading it and it had just the right amount of creepiness and intrigue! Highly recommended!

I am always, always ecstatic when I get an email from Sarah's publishing company inviting me to read her newest work. Sarah is by far one of my absolute favorite authors and when I get the opportunity to be introduced to a new, exciting thriller, I abandon with joy whatever I'm reading at the time and jump right in. As someone who reads hundreds of books each year, with a DNF list that is continuing to grow, I have to admit I am a fairly critical and discerning reviewer. I can honestly say that I have never, ever, been disappointed by one of Sarah Pekkanen's novels. The Locked Ward, her newest thriller, is no exception.

As we begin the novel, we are looking through Georgia's eyes, smelling what she smells, feeling the way her lips are sticking together. We soon find out that she is restrained to a bed in a sterile, bleach-scented, and stark room, a far cry from what Georgia remembers her life to be. We are thrown into the fear Georgia feels and learn that prior to waking up in this room, she was a high-powered and wealthy woman who had it all, but has been confined to "the locked ward."

Chapter two begins in Mandy's voice. Mandy is reading about a salacious crime that is all over the news. Mandy is a hard working bar owner who has never met, let alone interacted, with people from the tax bracket that she's reading about. So it's a complete shock when she gets a call that will change her life in a million big and small ways. The phone call is from an attorney that represents Georgia Cartwright, the very socialite that she was reading about in the paper. The floor drops out from under her when she is told that not only is Georgia requesting her presence at the psychiatric institution where she is currently confined, but that Mandy is Georgia's sister, her twin!

The thriller alternates between Georgia's and Mandy's perspectives and is both a story of the deep connection that twins often share, and the ways in which we find that things are not always how they seem. This novel is exceedingly well written, as expected. The plot is propulsive and well-driven, the characters are flawed, complex, and sometimes unreliable. The atmosphere provides the perfect backdrop for the grittiness of the locked ward, the deceptive grandeur of the elite, and the complexity that exists as Mandy tries to navigate both worlds while examining whether or not her entire life has been a lie.

I continue to absolutely devour Sarah's writing as soon as I can get my hands on her newest work. I believe I read this in one sitting, as I just couldn't put it down until I knew how it ended. I can't say enough about the characters, the settings, the detail, and the way that Sarah is able to tear back the curtain of people's motivations, deceptions, and fallibility. I want to thank Sarah, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for inviting me to dive headfirst into this new novel. I will be waiting with bated breath for Sarah's next one.

SYNOPSIS
- Georgia Cartwright has been accused of murdering her half-sister and is locked in a psychiatric hospital, awaiting trial.
- She reaches out to Amanda—her twin sister, whom she’s never met—to help prove her innocence.
- Mandy, raised in a loving but modest home, is drawn into Georgia’s world of wealth, dysfunction, and secrets.
- As Mandy investigates, she starts to question: Is Georgia truly a victim of a corrupt, powerful family? Or is she manipulating Mandy into a deadly trap?

MY THOUGHTS
- Anything by Sarah Pekkanen is an auto-read for me. This is the sixth book of hers I’ve read (Gone Tonight, House of Glass, The Wife Between Us, The Golden Couple, You Are Not Alone), and she always delivers.
- The cover is stunning. It immediately sets the eerie, suspenseful tone.
- Loved the dual POVs. The alternating chapters between Georgia and Mandy added depth and kept the tension high—especially in Georgia’s chapters.
- Short, punchy chapters = easy to binge. The pacing was great, making this a fast but choice read.
- Dysfunctional family drama + secrets = chef’s kiss. Wealth, power, manipulation, and twisted family ties drive the plot in the best way.
- The tension was just right. Some moments had me completely hooked, especially as the truth unraveled. I thought Georgia’s chapters were particularly tense.
- Well-plotted and well-written. Pekkanen knows how to craft compelling, layered characters and keep the reader engaged.
- The ending was satisfying. Not necessarily shocking, but it wrapped things up well.
- Did require some suspension of disbelief. A few plot points felt a bit far-fetched, but nothing that ruined the experience.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A fast-paced, gripping psychological thriller with dual POVs, short bingeable chapters, and plenty of family dysfunction. The tension was great, and while some parts required a little suspension of disbelief, the well-plotted story and satisfying ending made up for it.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on August 5, 2025.

I give Sarah Pekkanen’s The Locked Ward 4/5 stars. I felt as if the story line drew me in but it also had me wanting more, especially at the end. If you want a quick and captivating read, this book is for you!

A twisty thriller from one of my favorite writers. The story is fast paced and action packed. There are a lot of surprises and I found myself guessing until the very end of this book.

Sarah Pekkanen does it again! There’s nothing like an easy to read, fast passed thriller to cleanse your reading palate. This book was easy to dive into and get hooked from the beginning. Personally I was not shocked by the twist but that does not mean that it wasn’t an enjoyable read! There were some elements that were surprising but the main twist, for me, was not one of them. I love the unreliable narrator/gullible listener style of writing and this came through with that!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ah yes, the evil twin trope, coupled with "I'm innocent but incarcerated". The book started off very interesting, but became rather slow as the chapters went on. The psychological aspect of this novel adds intrigue and keeps you reading and potentially even wanting to research further--I would recommend for fans of Alex Michaelides.

This was a little slow to get into but once I hit around 40% I feel like the end of every chapter had some kind of revelation and I loved it!! I stayed up late finishing because I had to know how it ended.