I always love Sarah Pekkanen books, and this book was no exception. Twins, separated at birth, discover each other in the middle of a murder mystery. If this sounds a little out there, it is, but it is in the best possible way. Although this type of story probably wouldn't likely happen in real life, this story caught my interest and held it for the duration. I enjoyed the characters greatly, and the misconceptions that one character in particular had that really made the story a little more twisty and interesting. I enjoyed the story, and would definitely read more (and more and more!) by this author!

When Georgia is locked in a psychiatric ward after she is accused of killing her sister, she relies on the help of her twin, Amanda, to prove her innocence. Amanda doesn’t know if she can trust her, yet she sets off to investigate to see what really transpired.

This book took me a bit to get invested in but once I did, it was off to the races. A very quick read with lots of twists that you won’t see coming!

Sarah Pekkanen for a good, solid thriller and this one definitely fits the bill. I loved learning all of the secrets and truths that were slowly exposed and also found the ward parts super creepy. It was a nice, and fun and truly enjoyed it.
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

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen follows two POVs, Georgia & Mandy, who grew up on complete opposite sides of the spectrum. Georgia, raised in a wealthy, but cold home, and Mandy, who was raised by a hard working mom & dad and of lower socioeconomic status. Never having met before, Mandy receives a call to meet with Georgia- who is currently in a locked psych ward after being accused of murdering her sister. Georgia pleads her innocence and is putting all her trust and faith in Mandy to clear her name … but why?

This story was a great read, kept me fully engaged and needing more. The story was well written and paced, leaving the reader hanging on til the very end! I gave this book 4.5⭐️, only losing 1/2 star for the weirdness of Honey and the whole twist situation. Sarah Pekkanen delivers another great story that will be the talk of the Fall (releases 8/05/25).

I was so excited to get this ARC, Sarah Pekkanen has never had a miss and this is another great read. The book starts off with Georgia a young socialite standing over the body of her sister. From there she gets out into a locked psych ward where she pretends to be in a dissociative state. Her POV shows us how she’s fearful for her life now because someone set her up. The other POV we get is from Amanda who is surprised when she is contacted by a lawyer saying her twin sister wants to talk to her. Amanda was adopted and unaware of a twin.
Georgia gets Amanda’s help to unravel the mystery, throughout the book you’re guessing who is guilty, even questioning both sisters’ narrations of events.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

4.5 rounded up! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book! In general I love this author so I was super excited to hear about her new book. The book was completely captivating and I absolutely could have read it in one sitting if life didn't get in the way. The chapters are short and told from different perspectives so each one really sucks you in and leaves you wanting to know more. For some reason I feel like I wanted a little more from the ending...not sure exactly what but overall it was a fantastic read.

“The Locked Ward”
Sarah Pekkanen
Arc review, publication August 5th 2025

It’s always a feast when you see one of your favourite authors publishing a new novel and you get early access via NetGalley!

Georgia is accused of the murd3er of her younger adoptive sister. Sent to a psychiatric ward, she only had one ace left in her sleeve, her twin sister Amanda, who has no idea of her existence.

I am really torn about this one. If it wasn’t written by one of my autobuy authors, I’d dnf:ed this in a heartbeat. Why?
The cardinal sin of POV’s: second person POV! There’s honestly nothing I hate more than that. Half of the book is written in it and yeah I can’t say I enjoyed Georgia’s part for the most of it. I see no point in using this, it confuses me. Who is the you, you’re talking to? Yourself, someone else? Ugh. But I powered through.

The description of the ward is not very realistic, the word ward itself is outdated, unit is more commonly used. I think the whole setting was mostly for theatrical purposes, which she doesn’t need! But I can look beyond such things of the story is interesting enough. I can forgive many things for a good story.

This unfortunately was just your basic thriller. I read it in under 24 hours, it was easy to read and the story had its perks. I love a good twin trope.

This book has no business being so good!!! I absolutely loved last years release “the house of glass” so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it asap! And can we take a minute to appreciate the gorgeous book cover?! My favourite blue with such ominous imagery.

After reading this book I officially want to find out I have a long lost twin and feel the immediate connection zap into place like an electric shock and feel tethered to another human just like our main characters experienced here. How amazing would that be to have an instant connection with somebody, stranger or no?!

I spent the entire book believing she did it (iykyk) and I was fully prepared to back her up anyway. I really liked both of the main characters it was sooo interested to have their POV alternate between chapters, seeing how different events played out inside and outside of the psych ward all whilst getting an insight to the emotions and sensations that connected them.

I enjoyed Mandy’s investigative work and how each character connected to Annabelle seemed to have a reason to dislike her which could bring forth multiple motives making me doubt my initial beliefs.

This book was an absolute blast thank you to St Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for the EARC!

Definitely one to read, publish date: august 5th 2025

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Locked Ward. I can count on Sarah Pekkanen for a good, solid thriller and this one definitely fits the bill. Story full of secrets and truths slowly exposed.

Thank you so much NetGalley & St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this story in advance! (it was such a blast!!)
The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is going to be released on August 5th and this is the perfect thriller for your summer holidays or to get out of a reading slump!
When Georgia Cartwright, the glamorous adopted daughter of a wealthy Southern family, is accused of murdering their biological daughter, it becomes the Crime of the Decade. Locked in a psychiatric institution for violent offenders, Georgia pleads with her estranged twin sister Amanda to help prove her innocence. But as Amanda delves into the family’s dark secrets, she must decide if Georgia is a victim—or a master manipulator leading her into madness.
I loved it! I read it so fast thanks to the short chapters, dual POV, twists and revelations from the beginning. I can't recommend it enough!

This was a fast paced story and I really enjoyed the dual time line with short chapters! It was easy to get hooked. I didn’t particularly love any of the characters and the ending felt a bit rushed/flat.

Absolutely loved this book, I usually don't read something as fast as I have read this one. I could not put it down. I really did not see that ending coming about Anabelle. That took me by surprise. Threw me for another one when the other sister got put in the ward too. That's the kind of books I love though.

I sped through this book and could not put it down! So much family drama, secrets and twists. I will be recommending this book this year once it releases.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press for the copy of The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen. I loved the premise and was looking forward to figuring out what Amanda and Georgia were all about. This book didn’t draw me in like I had expected and I disliked Georgia’s chapters being written in the second person, because it was distracting. The story ended up being good, but there were no real surprises, except maybe the very end. Unfortunately, that reveal was lackluster and didn’

This was twisty!! If you're a fan of suspense and unpredictable storylines, you'll love this! I thought I'd guessed the ending but I was totally wrong- love when that happens!

3.5 stars. I had really high hopes for this after enjoying Sarah Pekkanen’s previous novels, and I enjoyed it but the ending just fell a little flat to me. I wouldn’t consider the twist to be jaw-dropping or even eyebrow-raising but I still enjoyed the story, found myself engaged throughout and thought everything wrapped up well in the end.

Thank you to: St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for this ARC ebook by Sarah Pekkanen

Release date is set for: August 5, 2025

This is the story of two woman, who are twins & who didnt know about each other growing up.
One has been sent away for murder & is in a psychiatric ward & the other is doing her own detective work to uncover what happened.

This is told from multiple POV's & goes from one to the other, seemlessly.

This book is a quick read with short chapters, which I appreciate.💕

This is my first book by this author & I am excited for more. I recommend this book if you like fast paced thrillers.

Once again, thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for this advance ebook copy.

#StMartinsPress #NetGalley #TheLockedWard

This was a quick read. Intriguing and mysterious…secrets and red herrings…this page turner was difficult to put down…thanks Netgalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 Star Read!!
Rarely do I give out five star reviews, but this book had me hooked from the start. I appreciated the intentional character development and the duel perspective kept me engaged and looking for more—I had a hard time putting the book down. The twists were calculated and really well done and I appreciate when they are realistic, yet surprising and The Locked Ward gave just that, and did it well. Georgia, Annabelle, and Amanda have a special place in my heart. Very grateful to have been given a ARC—Looking forward to release date to get my hands on a paper copy!

Wow. I was captivated by this book from the very first page. It was such a page turner. And I couldn't put it down until I got to the end. I had to know what happened and how it turned out. Five stars without hesitation!