Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC copy! This was my first ARC and I couldn't be more pleased with it.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I couldn't figure out the twists at first, but when I did, I certainly didn't see the next one coming. Definitely would recommend reading if you are a fan of Freida McFadden and her type of writing. This one did not disappoint.

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

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a fast-paced psychological thriller with emotional depth and a haunting premise. The story centers on Georgia, institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital and accused of her sister’s murder. She reaches out to Amanda—her identical twin, separated from her at birth—claiming she's innocent. As Amanda investigates, disturbing family secrets come to light.

The dual POVs work well, especially Georgia’s second-person narration, which creates a unique, immersive experience. The pacing is tight, and Pekkanen keeps the suspense high throughout. Some twists are a bit predictable, and a few characters could have been more fully developed, but overall, the book delivers both tension and heart.

If you enjoy psychological suspense with emotional layers and family drama, this one’s worth picking up.

This book begins with Georgia being locked up in a psych ward. Then we meet Mandy, Georgia’s twin sister, who is running the family bar. Mandy has no idea she has any siblings much less a twin. All she knew was she was loved by her parents even though she was adopted. Will Mandy help Georgia prove her innocence?

These were very short chapters, which I appreciated. I also liked the dual POVs. There were twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Locked Ward
by Sarah Pekkanen
Pub Date: August 5, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
Whatever the cause—and everyone has a theory—it's the Crime of the Decade when glamorous Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, is accused of killing the biological daughter of her wealthy, Southern family.
This was another book that I was eagerly anticipating. I loved the author’s previous book “House of Glass”, so I had high hopes for this book. While I did like this book, I didn’t love it unfortunately. I did love the short chapters, and the alternating POV’s between Georgia and Mandy. But the shock value just wasn’t there for me in this story, and I still feel like I have some questions/details that need to be addressed.

As a huge Sarah Pekkanen fan, I was thrilled to get my hands on an ARC of The Locked Ward. This emotional and suspenseful story centers around two sisters—one institutionalized for a crime, and the other left reeling as she tries to piece together what really happened to save her sister.

The premise had me hooked right away. One sister is locked away in a psychiatric ward, accused of something terrible... but why? What’s true, what’s been buried, and what secrets still haven’t come to light? It’s up to her sister to untangle everything, even as everything she thought she knew starts to crack apart. The tension builds with every chapter, and I loved the emotional depth behind the mystery. It’s not just about the crime—it’s about family, and loyalty. I enjoyed this one by Pekkanen’, her storytelling with strong female leads.

4 stars.
So this was eerie! The atmosphere - I felt goosebumps multiple times during the book.
Georgia and Mandy are twins. Georgia is locked away in a behavioral health institution allegedly for murder.
However, Georgia tells Mandy - she didn't do it and to help get her out of the facility.
We then go on a crazy investigative journey with Mandy.
So many twists and turns with secrets and family revelations!
This thriller is written so well. The plot is well structured and paced.
The characters ongoing development is well done.
This is a quick read (I read this in one sitting) and a quick thriller!
Definitely add this to your TBR!
Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Pekkanen for the opportunity to review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.

This was OK. I was moderately interested. The author can write write a good story and can create memorable characters. I guess I'm a little tired of the "twins separated at birth" scenario. I've read too many books using this trope, and when it arrived, I really fought it mentally.

I enjoyed the book; I just wanted to enjoy it more.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Twins separated at birth, sibling rivalry, and a really rich, privileged b*tch who you will love to hate are all part of the newest book from Sarah Pekkanen. The locked ward part of the book was particularly interesting, it definitely made you think about which would be worse locked in a mental institution or locked up in prison. I personally liked the dual story line told from each of the sister’s points of view, it seemed to make me want to keep reading to find out what the other sister was going to do next. Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read.

Love a book with short chapters! This was a fun read but nothing about the book took it to that next level. Would have been a great beach read

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s press for the ARC! I love a good thriller and Sarah Pekkanen is a *must* for this genre. I loved that the two POV’s were in different tenses, it built a very uneasy feeling. There was one reveal that I wish had gotten more page-time but I very much enjoyed this one!

Great read. I really enjoyed it. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Love the twist at the end.

This twisty thriller dives deep into the complexities of sisterhood and family secrets. Georgia Cartwright, adopted into a wealthy Southern family, is accused of murdering her sister and confined to a psychiatric institution. Her only hope? Amanda, the twin sister she never knew she had.

As Amanda steps into this eerie world, she must decide whether to trust Georgia’s claims of innocence or suspect her of manipulation. The story is a chilling dive into the secrets of a psychiatric hospital, where nothing is as it seems. Pekkanen masterfully blends psychological suspense with emotional depth, keeping readers on edge. It’s an intricately plotted thriller that explores trust, trauma, and the blurred line between sanity and madness.

The characters are richly developed, making the unraveling mystery feel both intimate and intense. This book is a page-turner that challenges perceptions and leaves you questioning every truth. If you’re into psychological thrillers with family drama and unexpected twists, this one’s for you!

First Thank you for the ARC of this book.

Unfortunately for me, I struggled to get into. Didn’t feel like it got overly interesting till about half way through. The last half was good.

This book had me seated from the very first chapter. Told in short chapters and alternating POV’s, I could not put it down. Georgia is accused of murdering her perfect, favourited little sister Annabelle and sent to a psychological floor in a hospital, otherwise known as the locked ward. The only person she wants to see and who can help her escape and prove her innocence, is the long lost twin sister she discovered. Amanda’s life is thrown upside down when she meets her estranged, secret twin in the locked ward. From there, Georgia sets Amanda on a rabbit hole mission of finding the truth and exposing her wealthy, diplomatic family and friends. I loved the secrets, reveals, twists and turns. Georgia’s chapters were the most riveting, getting those detailed descriptions of the claustrophobic, deranged locked ward and the sick, violent people who are sent there. Georgia plays an excellent game inside to buy herself as much time as she could and that tension built the story so well right until the end. Just when I thought I was right about something, there was a twist I didn’t see coming. 4,5 stars!

This book was just okay - I had trouble getting into it and found the character development and depth to be a bit shallow.

A new thriller by Sarah Pekkanen? Sign me up!
Pekkanen's latest book bounces back and forth between two women, one in a locked psychiatric ward, accused of a brutal crime, and one on the outside, trying to help her out. In Pekkanen's typical fashion, this book was a real page-turner, and I could barely put it down. I really enjoyed this story. While I did guess a few of the key plot twists that were revealed at the end, I didn't guess them all, and it was enough to keep me wondering. Overall 4/5 stars, a quick read for those who love thrillers.

A fast and fun thriller to read- I couldn't put it down! I look forward to reading more from this author.

An entertaining popcorn thriller. The premise was intriguing - twin sisters separated at birth are reunited only after one of them is accused of murder and placed in a psychiatric locked ward - and the author does a great job with pacing using dual POV. The scenes inside the psychiatric ward give all the creeps, and I enjoyed the storyline of the twins earning about each other in this intense atmosphere. Parts of the murder storyline felt a bit far fetched or unnecessary and a few characters / scenes a little cliche, but overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend.

This book truly gripped me from the very beginning until the very end. One thing I truly enjoy from a thriller is an unreliable narrator and this one definitely had that. This book opens with the murder of Annabelle Cartwright, a wealthy women in midst of celebrating her birthday with an extravagant party hosted by her parents and with her untimely murder. The accused her adopted older sister, Georgia, covered in her blood. This book is told in Georgia POV as she is sent to a mental hospital while they determine if she is fit to stand trial for the murder of her sister. The other POV is told in the perspective of her twin sister which adds a great and fascinating twist to the already tangled story. I really enjoyed that this book was told with alternating chapters which enticed me to not want to put this down. It is a fast paced thriller with short chapters and it has such great twists at the end. I love a good rich people drama storyline sprinkled with deceit and lies and betrayal. At times while reading this book I thought i knew exactly what was happening and at other times I was so lost. At the end I did predict one of the twist but overall had such a great time uncovering what truly happened and who really killed Annabelle. If you enjoy a great thriller with a fast paced and intriguing plot line I think you will enjoy this one. This is my first book by this author and it will definitely not be my last. I highly recommend this thriller it will not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

🧠🔒 The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen 🧠🔒
(Coming August 5th, 2025!)

First things first — a huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! 🥹📚

Okay, confession time: I'm someone who usually gets bored with thrillers/mysteries (don't hate me 😅), but "The Locked Ward" completely pulled me in! Was I lowkey waiting for a huge “WTF JUST HAPPENED?!” twist? Absolutely. Did it come in the way I expected? Nope. Was I still thoroughly entertained? HECK YES.

✨ Twins?
✨ Possible affair drama (👀 it’s messy, y’all)?
✨ Wealthy Southern family secrets??
✨ Creepy psychiatric ward vibes???
CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, and CHECK.

The tension between Georgia and Amanda had me on edge the whole time — I was seriously side-eyeing everyone like 🧐. (And let’s be real: if a shady side character even breathes weird, my paranoid self is already screaming “SUS!!!” from chapter three 😂.)

There were definitely moments where I got so irrationally mad at certain characters, I wanted to yeet my Kindle across the room. And when a certain bomb dropped? Let’s just say... I *kind of* saw it coming, but it still made my jaw clench because the audacity??? 😤

Was this a super twisty-turny thriller with jaw-dropping shocks every five minutes? No.
Was it addictive, atmospheric, messy in the best way, and begging to be turned into a Lifetime movie or a Netflix mini-series? 1000% YES.

If you love sibling drama, morally questionable rich people, and psychological mind games — or if you're just a thriller/mystery bestie looking for something that feels fresh but not over-the-top — "The Locked Ward" needs to be on your TBR. 🖤

Mark your calendars: August 5th! 🗓️