Wow! Wow! Wow!! A fantastic suspenseful thrill ride of a story!! I loved the characters in this book so much! With a twisty ending you didn't suspect, just sweetens this book even more!! I absolutely love this book and Author!! I think this book could definitely be made into a movie!!

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen was such a fun thriller. Pekkanen is known for her intense and twisty thrillers and I knew The Locked Ward would be no different!! 🔐 🤪

It’s the Crime of the Decade when the wealthy, adopted, successful Georgia Cartwright is accused of murdering her sister and is sent to a psych ward to await her fate. Georgia gets ahold of her estranged twin sister, Amanda, and tells her she needs to get her out of there, she didn’t do it. The POV alternates between Mandy and Georgia and is the best when you just don’t know who to trust && are awaiting the full story! 🙊

The twists!!! They. Just. Kept. Twisting! In the best way. Thrillers are hard to review because I don’t want to spoil any of the twists or shocks, so just trust me on this and thank me later!!! 😘

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! 💚

So this was an amazing story. Such a gripping story that i read it in one sitting. Such an easy read and i loved the twists..

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley

All thoughts and opinions are my own and isnt influenced by anyone else

Was definitely not expecting the ending at all. Kept me wondering what was going on and who was lying. Was Georgia really innocent? What was her play?

This was a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller you can fly through to see what happens! It also made me want to scream in frustration because every time something was going to help the main character, the other side were one step ahead and didn’t happen for her. This was a unique story of long lost sisters trying to help each other while old southern money, rooted in deception and lies tried to stop them. I really enjoyed the ending and how it wrapped everything up. I didn’t suspect how and what happened.

Absolutely fantastic! Loved every second!! The amount of times I physically gasped was too many to count. (My husband kept laughing at me lol) I truly couldn't put this one down! And the audiobook was so great!! A full 5 stars from start to finish!!

*Thank you partners @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

I love stories about twins (and especially ones who have been separated at birth). It’s one of those weird niche topics that always pulls me in, for no reason other than twins are fascinating to me! 😂

I don’t have a twin, but I do have a brother who was given up for adoption and the connections we have had all our lives are remarkable! So, yeah, this stuff interests me.

So, of course I loved this psychological suspense story about twins separated close to birth!

What I truly loved about this story was that Pekkanen recognized that the twins may get confusing for a reader if they were written similarly. To avoid this, she wrote Georgia in the 2nd person perspective and she wrote Mandy in the 1st person perspective. This truly made the story unique, in my opinion.

I loved the psychological, paranoia-induced, power, and domestic aspects of this story. I did NOT expect what happened (this doesn’t happen often).

That said, I really didn’t think the epilogue was necessary. I didn’t like it at all. It didn’t change the story, necessarily, but it didn’t do anything to enhance it, either.

I really enjoyed this book! The story was fast-paced, twisty and had the right amount of suspense. Loved the short chapters and dual POVs. It’s a great summer read if you’re looking for a thriller 😊

I flew through this book! It’s so twisty and fast-paced, and you can’t trust anyone but desperately want to know what really happened.

🗝️Dual POV (Georgia and Mandy)
🗝️Short chapters
🗝️Psychological thriller
🗝️Whodunit mystery
🗝️Family drama
🗝️Sisterhood bonds

I thought the overall plot was interesting and fresh. The rich really are twisted and powerful, and it created tension and apprehension throughout the book. I loved the bond between Georgia and Mandy, despite the fact that they hadn’t met each other until now. The character building was well done (especially for a thriller), and I found myself feeling all sorts of emotions for Georgia.

My only note is that some of the twists fell a bit flat for me, and I wasn’t super shocked by the final twist on the last page. THAT SAID, I still really enjoyed the book overall and would recommend!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for the ARC copy!

I really enjoy a good fast-paced, bingeable thriller and this one definitely grabbed my attention from start to finish.

This thriller focuses on estranged twins, Georgia and Amanda, who find out they were separated at birth. When Georgia is accused of killing Annabelle, the daughter of the high-profile, wealthy family who adopted her, she’s placed in a psychiatric ward as the murder investigation begins. She only speaks to Amanda, telling her that she didn’t do it and that her life is in jeopardy.

Amanda must retrace Georgia’s footsteps and enter into her socialite life, in order to figure out if Georgia can even be trusted. But in doing so, she realizes that her life is also now at risk….

This was such a quick and entertaining thriller! The narrative alternates between Georgia and Amanda, and I enjoyed both points of view. I also loved that it’s about twins who are connecting with each other in adulthood after spending their lives apart. The twin intuition is a real thing…I’ve seen it with our twins, and I loved that aspect of the novel. There are some definite twists and turns along the way, and I enjoyed them all! I definitely recommend this if you need a thriller to distract you over a weekend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this #gifted eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Okay WOW…this book completely hooked me!!! I could not stop reading.

Georgia Cartwright has it all… until she wakes up in a locked psychiatric ward, accused of murdering her younger sister, everything starts to unravel.
Meanwhile, Mandy gets a phone call from Georgia’s lawyer that she wants to see her. Mandy’s never met this woman before but she finds out she’s her twin sister. Though she is skeptical, once she meets Georgia they have an unmistakable bond. And she must get to the bottom of this and prove her sisters innocence.

I loved the dual POVs of each sister. It’s fast paced, bingeable and twisty!

I raced through The Locked Ward. The dynamic between Georgia and Amanda, the politics and behind-the-scenes corruption, I couldn't wait to find out what happened!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

sarah is one of my favorite thriller authors and i was SO excited for the ARC of this book. this one was a little more predictable than some of her others, and i didn’t feel a total bond with the main characters, but it was still a compelling and twisty read that i devoured!

Georgia Cartwright, arrested for murdering her sister Annabelle, has been temporarily committed to a psychiatric ward. This was Georgia’s strategic move; she believed an asylum was a better option than jail. By playing her cards right, she has managed to secure her temporary commitment. Meanwhile, the murder has made headlines, and prominent figures are entangled in this case of murder.

Georgia insists on seeing her other sister, Amanda. This revelation is shocking to Amanda, who had no idea she had a sister, let alone the reason behind Georgia’s situation.

In short order, Amanda obtains proof that Georgia is indeed her sister. When she meets with Georgia, the only thing Georgia says is, “I didn’t do it. You have to get me out of here.” Now, Amanda must uncover the truth behind the murder, despite the overwhelming evidence pointing to Georgia.

As Amanda struggles to find a way to help Georgia, Georgia faces her own challenges within the hospital walls. Her initial belief that the hospital was a safer environment than jail is quickly shattered. She realizes that the danger she would have faced in jail might have been easier to endure than the hardships she is currently coping with.

The narrative shifts to various perspectives, gradually revealing Georgia’s past. It also becomes clear why Amanda had no knowledge of her existence. Finally, the motive behind Annabelle’s murderis explored.

This captivating story unfolds on multiple levels, with the twin connections being the most intriguing aspect for me. The suspense is taut, keeping me engaged throughout the book. As a fan of Sarah Pekkanen’s writing, I eagerly anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve also enjoyed several audiobooks narrated by January LaVoy, and her expert narration made this story even more intriguing.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

‘Bitter, all consuming jealousy? Pathological sibling rivalry? Pure Insanity….

3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This is a solid twisty thriller centered around a psych ward. It starts out slow but has an interesting plot where the storyline bobbed and weaved into an interesting ending.

It was quick and entertaining. It’s got secrets, scandal, and toxicity. This one left you with those gears turning on figuring out who did what and why.

Other books of this authors I’ve read
📖 The Golden Couple 4.5 ⭐️
📖 Gone Tonight 3.25⭐️

**Thank you to author Sarah Pekkanen and her publisher St Martins Press. I received an Advanced Reader Copy for the 2025 release in exchange for my honest review.

I have been a huge fan of Sarah Pekkanen forever. Whenever I crack open a book, I know I am in for a ride full of suspense and twists. This was no exception. It captivated me from start to finish. I will absolutely recommend this to anyone I know who adore a good twisty thriller as much as I do!

This suspenseful thriller hooked me right from the start and kept me turning the pages late into the night. The alternating POVs between the twin sisters added depth, though one was written in second person, which I personally didn’t enjoy as much. While the buildup was excellent, the final reveal fell a bit flat compared to the tension that led up to it. Still, it was an engrossing and entertaining read overall.

This book had an intriguing premise. At first I thought it would give similar vibe to The Silent Patient, but the execution in this book fell flat. It lacked suspense due to the predictable twists. The tension wasn't enough to hold my interest. One twin's POV was written in first person and the other in second person. This seemed unnecessary and I had a hard time connecting with the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

3.5 rounded up.

If you like thrillers, you’ll like this one. It’s definitely a page turner and super twisty.

One of the biggest critiques I have is the shift in voice between Mandy and Georgia’s characters. While Mandy speaks in the first person, Georgia speaks in the second person, and I found it distracting.

My other ding just has to do with the twin theme. The twin theme is cool, but the magic of it is drilled home a lot. It becomes a bit redundant and less believable as they stumble upon more and more coincidences.

Overall, a fun read! And as always, please consult the trigger warnings before diving in.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen hit shelves today! Snag yours!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Georgia Cartwright is accused of killing her sister Annabelle. Georgia was adopted and is only a few months older than Annabelle who is her adopted parents’ biological daughter. It was well known that there was no love lost between the two sisters. Now, Georgia is locked in an asylum in an attempt to plea insanity for a murder she insists she did not commit. Now, Georgia’s only hope is Amanda (Mandy) the twin sister she only recently found out about. At first Amanda is shocked when contacted by Georgia’s lawyer, but curiosity leads her to visit, and soon a DNA test confirms the match.

Now Georgia begs for Amanda’s help in proving her innocence because she is scared for her life. As Amanda digs into Georgia’s life, she learns about the powerful Cartwright family and the dangerous secrets they are hiding. Is Georgia really innocent or is she playing mind games with her twin? Will Amanda discover the truth before danger reaches her as well?

As always, I enjoy this author’s books for the fun ride. There were some parts that were super predictable and others that surprised me. I expect that with most thrillers and just enjoy them for the entertainment they provide.

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio for the #gifted digital advanced copy and early audio version of this novel