Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, is accused of killing the biological daughter, Annabelle, of her wealthy family. Georgia is locked in a psychiatric institution while she awaits trial. She asks her lawyer to see her twin sister Amanda who didn’t know she had a fraternal twin sister. Amanda (aka Mandy) runs her family’s bar after inheriting the place after the parents deaths.

The story was told from the first POV of Georgia and second POV of Mandy. The story involved twin connections, the inside of a mental institution, wealthy families, powerful people, secrets, lies, family drama.

This book took me longer than usual and should have DNF but I try to finish all books. I found this story boring, no suspense or thrills, no real surprising twists. The reveal in the epilogue was not a good ending and found it inconsistent with the storyline. I was disappointed with the book especially the ending.

This book definitely sucked me in from the start. The back and forth wondering what really was happening kept me interested. Never seen the twist coming and the ending 🤯👏🏻

Breaking News: The Crime of the Decade! A woman from a wealthy and socially prominent family is accused of bludgeoning her younger sister death. Mandy wouldn’t give such news a second thought if it weren’t for the phone call she receives from the public defender who is defending the accused, Georgia Cartwright. He tells her that his client is requesting a meeting since she is Mandy’s sister, her twin sister in fact. Georgia doesn’t want to just meet her sister, she wants her help getting out from the psych ward where she is being held. Mandy has no idea just how deadly of a situation she is getting pulled in to. This was a good mystery that held my attention until the end. I thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Georgia is counting the seconds inside a psychiatric hospital (literally), accused of killing her sister Annabelle — the town’s golden girl and their parents’ favorite. Georgia insists she’s innocent, but no one believes her, until she uncovers a secret weapon… her twin sister Mandy, who never even knew Georgia existed. Thrown into an unknown world, Mandy sets out to clear Georgia’s name, while questioning whether she's being manipulated or walking into danger.

Normally, the secret-twin trope isn’t my thing, but I appreciated how unapologetically it was within this novel. The twins’ borderline creepy (but sweet?) connection & the alternating POVs with flashback narratives kept me hooked, though I wish the tenses were more consistent. While it leans more mystery than thriller, I was drawn in. I wish the ending hit harder!

Thank you to author Sarah Pekkanen, NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Publication Date: August 5, 2025

The Locked Ward is another fantastic thriller from Sarah Pekkanen. This one had me hooked from the first chapter—a psychological maze filled with secrets, sisterhood, and shocking twists.

The story centers on Georgia, who’s locked in a psychiatric ward and accused of murdering her adoptive sister. She insists she’s innocent and reaches out to Amanda, a twin she never knew existed, for help. The alternating perspectives—one from within the ward and one from the outside—create nonstop suspense as Amanda races to uncover the truth.

Pekkanen masterfully blurs the line between truth and manipulation. Just when you think you have it figured out, another twist hits. It’s eerie, emotional, and totally gripping.

Highly recommend if you love psychological thrillers with strong characters and smart, layered storytelling.

I went into this book with the smallest bit of information and I think that was a perfect way to read the book. This book's concept is so amazing that that's really all you need to know about it.

The writing style had me hooked. The writing style along with the short chapters made for such a quick and interesting read. Every time I would reach the end of a chapter I would have to read just one more because I just had to know what was happening next.

I also think the use of second person point of view was so perfect. It's like we are Georgia who is actively trying to keep herself sane inside of the locked ward; she is telling herself "you do this, you did that, etc..."

I will say the ending lost me a slight bit. It felt quite rushed at the end. Things wrapped up very quickly and it was more like we were being told the big reveals rather than watching them unfold in real time.

4/5 stars

I loved this novel! Sarah Pekkanen has done it again. This novel is jam packed with suspense, a thriller of the highest caliber. I thought I had it all figured out, but the novel kept taking unexpected turns. If you love a good suspense novel, this is for you.

Sarah Pekkanen’s The Locked Ward is a gripping psychological thriller that delivers tension, emotional complexity, and some seriously clever plot twists. From the very first chapter, the book builds a thick atmosphere of suspicion and dread, set against the chilling backdrop of a high-security psychiatric hospital where secrets fester behind locked doors, and the outside world.

The story centers on Georgia Cartwright, a woman accused of a sensational and brutal crime: the murder of her adoptive family’s biological daughter. The twist? Georgia herself was adopted by the family as a newborn and the victim was her twin sister. Locked away in a psychiatric ward reserved for the most dangerous offenders, Georgia’s only contact with the outside world is Amanda, the estranged twin she barely knows. Georgia’s plea is simple but loaded with implications: “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.”

What follows is a tautly written unraveling of truth and illusion. Amanda’s journey to discover what really happened is both thrilling and unnerving. Pekkanen skillfully plays with the our perception, just when you think you’ve got the mystery figured out, a new layer emerges. What makes The Locked Ward truly shine is its combination of psychological depth and page-turning momentum. The exploration of family trauma, identity, and manipulation is as compelling as the central mystery itself.

This is a novel that’s fun to read, I highly recommend it.

A dual POV fast paced thriller about a woman accused of murdering her younger sister and a re-connection with a twin sister she never knew she had.

Georgia is sent to a psych ward for allegedly murdering her sister Annabelle. Georgia contacts one person while in the ward and it's her twin sister Amanda, who at the time, is completely unaware of Georgia's existence. Georgia maintains her innocence and thinks Amanda is the only person who can help her bring the truth to light.

I've read some of Sarah Pekkanen's other books that I have enjoyed more but I thought this a solid thriller. There were a couple side plot lines that seemed a little rushed/ awkwardly ended. Would have liked the reveal to be a bigger bang but still didn't predict the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin Press for the early copy!

4.5 ⭐️

A big thing for me when reading is the writing style, and I loved the descriptive, sophisticated style that this author uses. The story was told from 2 points of view- Mandy (1st person POV) and Georgia (2nd person POV). At first, the use of 2nd person POV was strange to me as I have not read many books employing this. However, it really adds to the mental disconnect that the character feels due to their surroundings in the locked ward. Absolutely brilliant! I found this story to be a bit slow at times, but the plot kept me interested and engaged. I also really loved the sisterhood aspect of this book.

Much thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the opportunity to read this ARC! This was the first book by this author that I have read but will certainly not be my last.

4⭐️

Thank you, @NetGalley, for this ARC! Sarah Pekkanen is an auto-buy author for me, so I was so excited to get the dance to read this early.

This book begins with Georgia being confined in a psychiatric ward, insisting that she didn’t murder her sister. We are then immediately thrown for a loop when the other POV turns out to be her twin sister, Mandy, who never knew of Georgia’s existence, yet seems to be the key in proving her innocence.

I was hooked instantly, caught up in the dynamics of sibling rivalry, jealousy, and dark family secrets where status and appearance are valued more than blood. I made guesses that were proven wrong, and then saw how well misdirection had been executed throughout the pages.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I’ll keep buying Sarah Pekkanen books blindly.

4.5 - I LOVED this book. Sarah Pekannen can do no wrong by in my eyes. I always love a book that has anything to do with psych wards. I find them so fascinating and spooky in their own way. I really liked the twin storyline in this book. It made for such an intriguing read. Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for it to come out into the world! Highly recommend!

I am always a little weary when a main character is a total loner. How do I root for someone that has no friends?! This eccentric family kept me turning the page though and I loved the grown up style of revenge.

Sarah Pekkanen knows how to write psychological thrillers. And this is certainly a fine one. The characters of the two protagonists, Georgia and Mandy, are well developed and each has a different voice giving them different perspectives as the story unfolds. The story is told from their alternating POVs. The book starts slowly but by the end you can’t put the book down because you need to know what really happened. And then, there is the ending with its twist. I received this ARC for a free and fair review. I thank the publishers for this opportunity.

I enjoy Sarah Pekkanen’s books and this one was no exception.

Georgia was adopted into a wealthy family as an infant, but her childhood was full of harsh moments and feeling like an outcast. In their thirties, Georgia is convicted of murdering her sister, Annabelle. She’s placed into a psychiatric ward to confirm her competence to stand trial for her sister’s murder.

No one can help her. No one wants to. Except her estranged biological twin that she didn’t know existed until a month prior. The sisters try to work together to tear the case apart and figure out the truth behind Annabelle’s murder.

The short chapters in this are a blessing, but the shifting POV’s are slightly distracting. The story is dual-POV of the twins, but one sister’s POV is in first person and the other is in second. You get used to it, but I’m not sure the reason for the switch up, unless it’s to keep the reader knowing which twin they are reading about.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Family secrets and power dynamics and political BS (go figure!!!)
The favorite daughter murdered.
TWINS?!
Layers of twists.
Sibling rivalry? Jealousy?
The age old question: who is lying and what's the truth?

I really enjoyed the little twists and unveilings peppered throughout the story. It kept things interesting and made it hard to put the book down.

There were so many moments in this book when I felt anxiety in every inch of my body. The whole 'locked room' and ticking-clock vibe was driving me nuts and I could not not not not stop reading this. Is Georgia a psychopath? Is anything Mandy knows about her own life true?

If my seat had an edge then I would've been falling off of it while reading this.

***for some book inspired drawings, please check out my blog! :)***

2.5 stars, rounded to 3.

Georgia Cartwright who was adopted as a newborn (uh-oh) seemed to have it all (bet she doesn’t) - wealthy family, great job, beautiful…so why is she locked in a psych ward, accused of murdering her sister, Annabelle (there it is)?

And not only was Georgia adopted, she was a twin, separated at birth (yep!) Now her only hope is her twin sister, Amanda, whom she has never met. Can Georgia and Amanda trust each other and can Amanda save Georgia?

This was a pretty ho-hum standard thriller and to be honest I’m not sure why I chose to read it. It’s set in Charlotte and it’s pretty clear that Pekkanen maybe read the first two paragraphs of the Wikipedia entry for the city as she doesn’t appear to know much about it.

Plus, I am perfectly willing to admit that perhaps I am not the good person that my two sweet dogs think that I am. But. Please tell me why Amanda, who is just living her life, is willing to risk it for a rich woman she doesn’t know whom she also suspects she can’t trust? Oh, and, naturally both women are beautiful and can get men to do stuff for them, well, just because. So, it was not bad, but, honestly, I would have rather been reading something better. And then I’ll see all kinds of four and five star ratings and I’ll be very aware that my tastes do not necessary match others. Georgia better hope that one of those women are her long lost twin next time.

The Locked Ward was such a bingeable and quick read! Written with short chapters and told from the perspectives of two estranged twin sisters, Georgia and Amanda, I was drawn into the story and trying to figure out what was happening and who could be trusted. The chapters that were set in the locked ward were pretty creepy and atmospheric which helped keep my attention as I was reading. I think I maybe wanted a bit more out of the ending, such as more of a shock factor which I love in a thriller, but I still really enjoyed the ride this book took me on.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and rated it 4 stars! If you are looking for a quick and bingeable thriller, written in dual POV with a ton of family drama and secrets, check out The Locked Ward (out August 5!).

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

🔪 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘥 🔪

Reading 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘥 felt like being pulled into a maze where nothing is quite what it seems. From the first few pages, I was completely ᴀʙꜱᴏʀʙᴇᴅ. The plot is fast-moving, and the vibes are curious and unsettled. This is my first book by 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘗𝘦𝘬𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯, and she did a brilliant job of creating a tense atmosphere that I often felt just as disoriented and anxious as the characters themselves.

Thank you, @NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the ARC.
Expected publication August 5, 2025

I was so excited to receive an arc of The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen! I dived right in and wasn’t disappointed. The story follows Mandy, an adopted woman whose adoptive parents have passed away and left a bar for her to run. She soon finds out that not only does she have a secret twin sister, but that sister, Georgia, has been accused of killing her adopted sister Annabelle. Georgia has been placed in a locked ward in a psychiatric unit and has requested to see Mandy. The story unfolds from there and weaves a tale of secrets and lies that Mandy must investigate to learn if Georgia is guilty or not. I loved this story! The alternating chapters switch between Mandy’s and Georgia’s points of view and keep the pages turning. The constant twists and turns kept me interested and intrigued throughout the book. Would highly recommend!