Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Georgia was adopted as a baby by a rich couple in Charlotte, but then her parents had a biological daughter, Annabelle, shortly after. Annabelle was clearly the favorite and Georgia was the outcast. Annabelle is killed at her own birthday party and Georgia is the main suspect. She ends up in a psychiatric ward rather than prison. From the psych ward, she calls Amanda, who she informs at the first visit is her twin. Amanda, is shocked because she knew she was adopted into a great and loving family, but they never said anything about her having a twin. Now that her parents are dead, she can't ask any questions about her background, but she believes she and Georgia are twins and she agrees to help Georgia clear her name.

I knocked this book out pretty quickly on a long day of travel. I was engaged in the story and wanting to know what had really gone on both with Annabelle's murder and all those years ago to split up Georgia and Amanda. There wasn't that total shock moment in this one that you get in some of this author's other novels, but overall it was a good read and everything was explained and wrapped up nicely. I like this author and will definitely read more from her.

How would you feel if you found out you had a long-lost twin? How would you feel if you found she’s been charged with murdering her adoptive sister? And now she wants to meet…

Told in a duel POV from the twin sisters, Mandy tries to help Georgia prove her innocence before someone figures out how to kill Georgia.

I love to read thrillers. I have not read one of Pekkanen’s books before but I’ve heard good things. I enjoyed the characters in this book but I was not wowed by the ending and the suspense was lackluster. The short chapters and author’s writing did, however, keep me engaged enough until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for the ARC. All opinions and comments are my own.

This was an interesting book with lots of twists that kept me engaged. Neither of the characters were very likeable but the story was worth reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen was certainly an interesting read. While the plot itself did not blow me away, I found that I wanted to keep reading due to the short, fast-paced chapters. The chapters alternate between the perspective of the two sisters, each offering a unique point of view. One point of view was more focused in the present, trying to uncover the mystery while the other point of view was often telling the story from the past to help the reader understand why she was in the position she was in. The chapters were short and fast paced, often ending in unexpected cliffhangers making it impossible to put down. Although some of the twists were predictable, the quick pace and constant cliffhangers made the reading experience engaging enough for me to push through to the end. Definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys thrillers or fast-paced narratives with plenty of twists.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was an interesting read! You wake up one day in a psychiatric hold because your sister was murder. However, you will be next if you can’t prove your innocence.

this was an amazing book. i couldn’t put it down. all of Sarah’s books are suspenseful, but this was even more than usual. i loved the characters and the mysteries involved. i read the book in one day. the story was about family, sisters, and the hazards of having money and power. it was very dark for periods of time, as it largely takes places in a mental ward of a hospital. it was very interesting. i absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to everyone.

The Locked Ward flip flops between Georgia and Mandy, twins who were separated at birth. Mandy and Georgia were raised in very different homes but discover they have a lot in common when they meet in their thirties.
Georgia is being accused of murdering her sister, Annabelle, and reaches out to Georgia for help.
I will read any thriller Sarah
Pekkanen writes. Thank you to Sarah Pekkanen, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. The Locked Ward will be available
August 5!

I’m already a Sarah Pekkanen superfan and this book blew me away. This story of sisters was so fast paced that I had to put it down to catch my breathe. It was the only time I wanted to put it down. It’s an addictive tale of v rich and v powerful people acting v terrible.
I will never forget (especially in this time in our country) that the only path to the power of the Oval is scorched earth. Thank you so much NetGalley and the publication for this invite to read early in exchange for my review. PREORDER PLEASE!!!

Great psychological thriller that I read in one sitting. Any story about twins always gets me! It kept me intrigued and guessing the whole time. There are a lot of possible bad guys and I had no idea who did it- including the MC! There were twists all the way to the last page! I will definitely recommend this one! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a quick and entertaining read. Though not my favorite by her, but was still entertaining. When I am able to predict the outcome, sadly, the book will never get five stars from me, but that doesn't mean that it was not enjoyable. The atmosphere of the institution is so eerie and menacing that it feels like stepping into another dimension. The short chapters made it impossible to put down, and I found myself racing through the pages with warp speed! 

I rated this novel four stars. The mystery surrounding Georgia’s innocence and the secrets of the Cartwright family are executed with a strong trajectory, featuring short, fast-paced, action-packed chapters. While some twists were a bit predictable, and I had hoped for a more earth-shattering conclusion, I still thoroughly enjoyed the character development and the magnetic—at times, eerie—bond between the sisters. 

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press publishing for the advanced reader copy of this fast paced thriller.

This is a really good story, especially if you are a twin, the story is about twins that were separated at birth, adopted by two different families and finding each other many years later. Georgia was adopted by a very wealthy family, though it was not all roses and sunshine growing up, not long after she was adopted, the mother, after many years of trying, has become pregnant and gives birth to a daughter, Annabelle, of course since she is the biological daughter, she is favorably treated and Georgia is shunted to the side. Years later, at a family gathering, Annabelle lies dead and Georgia is locked in an asylum accused of killing her, she has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Amanda (Mandy) runs a bar she had inherited after her parents had passed, something that she hadn't set her sights on when she was younger, but decided to keep it going as a reminder of her parents. She receives a call from Georgia's lawyer asking her to visit Georgia at the asylum, and she does, not knowing this is her sister. Georgia passes along to her (very secretly since she's supposed to be non communicative) that she didn't do it and to help her get out of there. Mandy reluctantly starts to investigate, she first submits the folic of hair that Georgia had ripped out of her head, to test to see if they were related, they are. She then goes to Georgia's apartment, and finds out that Georgia is extremely wealthy. With little hints from Georgia, Mandy starts to put together information that may or may not help get Georgia out. The story is told from the POV of both woman, Georgia is targeted by a large male who is moved out of the ward after being caught trying to attack her in the shower, and is befriended by another patient. Overall a very good book and I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #St Martins Press for the ARC.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. There were so many unexpected elements that I did not see coming. A murdered sister. A surprise twin. And people not being as honest as they should. It's a lot to take in.

Amanda (also known as Mandy) is surprised when she's contacted by the twin sister she never knew she had. Georgia Cartwright currently sits in a locked psychiatric institution after murdering her sister Annabelle at her birthday party. Georgia was adopted by a rich southern family named the Cartwrights as a baby, and her adopted parents had Annabelle less than a year later so the two girls were very close in age.

While she's locked away, Georgia has her lawyer reach out to Mandy, who is the only person who can help her clear her name. But while Mandy is intoxicated by Georgia's lavish lifestyle, she isn't so sure that she'll be able to help. Her sister's story doesn't always make sense and she begins to question everything after things start going wrong.

Is Georgia telling the truth? Or is she mentally unwell, and trying to manipulate her?

I really had no idea whose side to be on as the chapters progressed. I didn't feel secure in trusting Mandy, because she seemed so taken by Georgia's lifestyle (like her fashion, and her apartment). And I didn't fully trust Georgia either. She seemed to have good intentions, and yet her aggression toward Annabelle seemed so one sided. I wanted to root for her but there was just so much of her past working against her.

In the end, I did enjoy the story. But it's not a five star read for me because I didn't really like any of the main characters. I was happy for both Mandy and Georgia to get their closure but was also kind of ready to be done with this book.

I also didn't really care for the Georgia POV chapters. They were confusingly written and I felt like if they were written in a different tense, they could have been more useful to the story. It also might have helped me have more sympathy for her character.

Will upload a review on social & goodreads soon — two sisters, twins, separated at birth and a whole lot to overcome the suspension of belief with the main premise, don’t be swayed away by the seemingly far fetched plot line, a few chapters in and it’ll be a distant eye roll, haha, seriously what a page turner! The style of MC narrative changing each chapter was enough to hook me off the hoo—the authors short chapters and differing perspectives of each sister was easy to follow and enjoyable swapping from first person to third person- it was a consuming read from the very beginning, a literal page turner keeping the reader interested by story and the MC narrative swap made it even more difficult to stop after just one chapter. I didn’t find myself trying to pick up any red herrings or possible twists, just went along for the ride and enjoyed the story ; making the final chapters all the more fantastic. I didn’t think I would be able to keep up and turns out I finished it in 2 days. My favourite pekkanen novel yet!

This is a solid psychological thriller that kept me hooked. The pacing is well done, and I enjoyed the alternating narratives between Mandy and Georgia, which added depth and intrigue to the story.

This is only my second book by the author, and I’ve noticed that she does a great job of building paranoia, making me constantly question the characters’ motives and what’s really going on.

The twist was clever, not overly predictable, and it kept me engaged without losing my interest. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with a good mix of suspense and mystery.

Sarah Pekkanen just hits. This book was full of twists and turns. The characters are really good and the twists I didn’t see coming. The sisters meeting each other first in a really awkward situation and then growing there dynamic was beatifully written. Will read her books over and over again.

This is the third (solo) book written by Sarah Pekkanen that I've read and, even though, this is now my least favourite, I still enjoyed it a lot and I can't wait to see what Pekkanen will do next!

I love books (regardless of the genre) about siblings or family drama. And this book has it all. Two POVs (one for each twin sister) - one is told in the first person, the other in the second person -, dark secrets, romance, a twin locked up in a psychiatric ward, political drama and short chapters, which makes it fast-pacing and very quick and exciting to read. There is also some conversation on how twin siblings can share some feelings and experiences that I, personally, never knew about.

The only reason why I didn't love this book as much as I did Gone Tonight and House of Glass, is because I don't particularly enjoy political drama or mystery. Not that this book has a 'political story' per say, but it involves politicians in a way, and I really don't like that. What's more, the conclusion was just OK for my taste. I mean, considering what I've read from this author before, I was expecting something more complex and interesting, and less 'soap opera' style.

I would still easily recommend this book to anyone who is into psychological thrillers and/or has read a book by this author before and enjoyed it.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was the seventh book by Sarah Pekkanen I've read. Every one of her books that I’ve read so far has been a five-star read, except for one that was a four-star read. Until this one, that is.

While The Locked Ward had an interesting overall storyline, it lacked tension and felt slow-paced despite the short chapters. Although it was a decent read, it didn’t meet my expectations, given how stellar her previous books have been.

I will definitely continue to read her future books, but this one didn’t resonate with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

All in all this was a solid bounce back from Pekkanen’s previous book. 4.25/4.5 stars rounded up because this kept you on your toes right up until the last page.

I loved “An Anonymous Woman” so I was eager to read more work by Pekkanen. Then “The Glass House” was brilliant right up until it wasn’t. So going into this I was guarded but excited by the premise. Pekkanen’s clearest skill is her premises and novel concepts. The ideas feel well situated within the thriller genre but unique enough to rise above the throng. The premise of this book itself carries a lot of weight and propels a reader forward. It is the shining star.

So let’s break the rest down:

What I liked:
The dual POV. This will be a polarizing factor among readers but I loved the immediacy of a 2nd person narrative style for Georgia and the proximate 3rd person for Mandy. For me, this worked well and helped me to really get into the fear of Georgia. I can see how this will repel another reader though.

Around the 100-130 page mark the tension really picked up for me (this is not to say the first 100 pages were boring, just more set-upesque) and I did actually start to gasp out loud. The shower scene…phew my heart; that’s the scene I (as a fairly normal person) started wishing for the brutal murder of one of the characters…

The overall all sensation that everyone is a bad guy is well done. I never trusted anyone and still a bunch caught me off guard. The characters were complicated in their motivations and everyone had a dark side lurking.

I actually thought the overall pacing of this was much better than The Glass House as well. I was a bit curious about why the post solving of the crime got long but…worth it.


What I didn’t like:
The twin telepathy did feel a bit forced and also a bit rushed at the start. They started clicking really quickly and it was kinda hitting readers over the head with it at the start to get us to buy in. I think I would have bought into this more had it been more subtle.

Small but the fridge clue felt like a lil unbelievable to me 😂 sorry that’s dumb I know.

The payoff with that character I mentioned above? Not good enough. Y’all who read it will know. Come on girlie, give us something more there.

I will read more from Pekkanen in the future.

The newest book from author Sarah Pekkanen was a delightful and engaging thriller. I loved the premise of story about twins separated at birth and how being raised completely different affects their outlook on life. Mandy isn't even aware she has a twin until a lawyer reached out to her to visit her twin locked up in an asylum for the murder of her sister.
Will Mandy be able to help Georgia before she herself is killed? Will Mandy's life be in danger?

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date August 5,2025