This book was just not that good. Themes that have been done before. Not memorable. I find that these authors that churn out too many books just get repetitive and bleh. Sorry!

Such a good mystery. Each time I thought I had it figured out I was like ohhh wait maybe… Georgia is being accused of murder, but did she suffer from a psychotic break. Amanda doesn’t even know Georgia exists, but she may be the only one who can help her.
This is a great family type drama/mystery. The rich upper class seems to always be hiding something but it may not be what you think. Perfect story of betrayal, secrets, and lies.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for my ebook copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this E-ARC.

I am very quickly becoming the biggest fan of Sarah Pekkanen! I loved everything about this book. It was so suspenseful and kept me reading all night! It was so easy to read.

Mandy is adopted. She loved her parents and never had any interest in finding out who her real parents were. One morning she’s reading the news and sees that at woman killed her own sister. A few hours later she gets a call letting her know that the killer is her biological sister and she wants Mandy to come visit her at the psych ward.

Georgia has lived her whole life knowing that’s she’s not as wanted as her sister. The sister she’s accused of murdering. They’ve got it all wrong though. She loved her sister. And now she needs the help of her biological twin to make sure she’s not next on the list to go.

3.75⭐️ eerie southern mystery involving estranged twins, rich people doing crazy sht, and a slight conspiracy theory/they’re out to get us vibe??? yuhhhh🙂‍↕️

giving very much og ABC family vibes iykyk (PLL, The Lying Game, Switched at Birth, Twisted)

i loveddd the dark southern belle spin to everything too (and as someone who lived in charlotte NC, the details were a fun bonus)

only reason it’s not getting a higher rating from me is the lack of shocking twists (i called the ending from a mile away but i still had a great time!)

A fast paced thriller with soap opera worthy twists. Twin sisters adopted out to different families. Mandy is set to uncover the truth while Georgia is on a 72 hour hold for the brutal murder of her sister Annabelle. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy for a honest review

THE LOCKED WARD was really interestingly written, swapping POVs between the two main characters and slowly weaving the pieces together. There were times when the story was a bit unbelievable, especially as it neared the end. That said, it was still enjoyable and on par with this author’s other novels.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review THE LOCKED WARD.

Sarah Pekkanen always delivers when it comes to thrillers! I was immediately sucked in as we learn about twins separated at birth. When Georgia is accused of murdering her (other) sister, she can only rely on her unknown twin to save her. There was such a a deliberate web and no way out. I was guessing all the way to the end on how it would turn out! Highly recommend!!

This book kept me at the edge of my seat! I was sucked in from the first chapter. As much as I think I can see plot, twists coming, this one still shocked the heck out of me. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and reading late into the night. Definitely would recommend this!

3.5 ⭐ This dual narrative thriller follows Mandy reconnecting to the sister, Georgia, that she never knew she had. The catch? Georgia has just been locked away for the accused murder of her other sister, Annabelle, and she wants Mandy to prove she didn’t do it. Family, am I right?

I'll be honest- I greatly dislike when characters take it upon themselves to play detective when they have no clue what they are doing. Mandy, who's literally just met her potential spawn of Satan twin, immediately throws herself into uncovering the truth. Sure, she's a bit wary but that doesn't stop her from the breaking and entertaining and sleuthing of it all. Never mind when she starts stepping into affluent Georgia's former life- and shoes- and likes it a little too much.

Meanwhile Georgia's POV is told in short, repetitive, paranoid and barely coherent chapters from the psychiatric facility in which she is being held. She's concerned about her safety, about getting out, about being framed for murder, about Mandy helping her... she doesn't really do anything to further the story until halfway through the book.

Things did pick up in the second half, especially as the mystery of who framed Georgia gained traction, and I did enjoy delving more into Mandy and Georgia's personal lives and backstories. Unfortunately though, even the late game big twists weren't enough to redeem it for me. In the end, this one lands firmly in forgettable summer thriller territory.

This story was an interesting read and did keep me wanting to pick the book back up. I didn’t like how the story was written in second person for Georgia’s perspective. I get that she was trying to make you feel more creeped out or like it was happening to you but for me it took me out of the story and I didn’t like it. All in all there were some twists I didn’t see so I enjoyed that!

I’ve always loved Sarah Pekkanen’s effortless, easy-to-read style, and The Locked Ward delivers that in spades. It’s a twisty psychological thriller that pulls you with its suspense and quick, compulsively readable chapters. Sarah Pekkanen is an auto-pickup for me when I need a quick, dark, thriller that I know is going to be well-written and entertaining.

Thank you to Sarah Pekkanen, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have mixed feelings about this one. The premise hooked me right away. But I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Honestly, I found Mandy annoying. She took over Georgia's life. Wearing her clothes, sleeping in her apartment. And no one found this odd? Not even the police?

One question I have is, if she didn't talk or make eye contact with anyone, how did Georgia ask to make a phone call? Also, none of the nurses or aides heard her talking to Mandy?

A fun psychological thriller that leaves you guessing until the last page. Georgia was adopted into a wealthy family as an infant and was pitted against her sister since birth. When the sister is found murdered everyone blamed Georgia for the murder. As she is held in the 'Locked Ward" it is up to her to find out who the real killer was.... but who can she trust.
A must read, page turner for anyone who likes a wild ride!

Sarah Pekkanen is a great storyteller and has a way of pulling you in and keeping you hooked. Told from dual POV, The Locked Ward is the story of two women, strangers connected by the bond of sisterhood, coming together after one sister is accused of murder and detained in a psychiatric unit. This book explored the complexities of families and the secrets that either tie them together or tear them apart. I questioned and suspected so many of the characters and did not expect some of the twists at all! This was definitely a quick, easy, enjoyable read! Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

A tense and twisty story about a girl locked in a psychiatric ward, a secret twin, and dark family secrets. The bond between the sisters and the motive of the real culprit kept pages turning quickly , even if the final twist was a bit disappointing and not as shocking as I would have hoped.

I'm always drawn to storylines involving tense relationships and psychiatric institutions, and this book definitely delivers. The tension between multiple characters kept the internal conflict at the forefront as the plot unravelled, revealing the truth of what happened to Annabelle. The twin angle with the two main POV characters was also entertaining. Fans of psych thrillers will like this one.

There were so many mysteries to solve in this one! And with the short chapters, it read so quickly!

I loved that we got dual POVs from the twins. One of the twins was written in second person, which was actually quite interesting!

It was a crazy story to follow and even crazier as we got more information piece by piece. I had a good time!

Sarah Pekkanen is the master of the twist, and The Locked Ward is no exception.

The basic plot of this character-driven mystery is simple. The main characters are Georgia and Mandy, twin sisters who were adopted by two different families at birth. At the opening of the book, Georgia, (who was adopted into a wealthy, well-connected family), is in a mental hospital awaiting a competency evaluation. She has been accused of killing Annabelle, her adoptive parents’ daughter by birth, presumably out of jealousy. Georgia has tracked down Mandy, her twin, in order to work on the case from the outside.

The question is whether Georgia killed Annabelle? Georgia and Mandy don’t really know each other so Mandy cannot vouch for Georgia’s innocence. And, there is ample evidence that Georgia and Annabelle frequently fought, and that Georgia had done physically harmful things to her in the past. Is Georgia simply manipulating Mandy from the inside of the hospital by questioning the motives of other suspects? Or is Georgia innocent, and incarcerated against her will by powerful suspects who also had motives to do Annabelle in?

What makes this novel so unique is the fact that the reader has no real insight into either Georgia or Mandy — or even what really happened — until the very end, as both sisters are unreliable narrators and unreliable listeners as well. And, as the epigraph to the novel states, “[d]eep vengeance is the daughter of deep silence.” 4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended!

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book.

A smart, engaging thriller that, once it grabs hold, it won't let you go. From a murder accusation to the discovery of a twin, it only gets better. Fast paced, well developed characters, and just long enough to give this story the treatment it deserves. A lot of threads that seem unrelated suddenly make sense. My only issue, although it is minor, is that there are several characters that took me forever to see how they fit in. And there's a scene in the second half that involves another patient, for which I'm not sure we saw a resolution. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! Clever story, solid characters.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

The Locked Ward is a twisty read that grabbed my attention from the first chapter!

Georgia is accused of killing the biological daughter of her adoptive parents. She swears she didn't do it, and reaches out to her twin - WHO SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW and that doesn't know Georgia exists - to help her. Mandy is blown away by the news that she has not only a sister, but a twin, and decides to help Georgia clear her name. Oh - and Georgia is in a locked psychiatric ward until the courts decide what to do with her.

You do have to suspend reality quite a bit while reading this one. I was okay with that though, because I was invested in finding out what really happened to Annabelle. I liked the dual POV and especially liked Georgia's chapters.

This was a fun book to read while on a road trip, because it was a great distraction and made the time go by quickly!