I have been a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen for years, starting with her co-written books with Greer Hendricks. THE LOCKED WARD was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it left me wanting more.

I loved the SUPER short chapters and dual POVs. In theory, this should've been a 5 star read for me, but it just never gripped me. While I finished this book fairly quickly, I wasn't shocked by some of the twists and unfortunately found myself bored at times. I know that this book will be a homerun for a lot of readers, so I will still be recommending it to people!

I found it pretty annoying in the beginning - being an expert on disassociation because of a college paper she wrote, all the twin stuff. 🙄 But I actually liked it more toward the end. Can't say more without spoilers but I was sad the friendship between the two people didn't get to be explored more.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
Pub Date: 8/5/25
Format: audio/ebook
Rating: 4 Stars!

Whew - this book was fascinating and fun! I have been really struggling with seemingly a full year of thriller let downs and I am so happy to report that Sarah Pekkanen delivered with The Locked Ward! Is it far fetched? Yes. Did I read most of it in a day? Also yes. Bonus points for the fact that the audiobook is narrated by January LaVoy who literally never disappoints!

I loved the dual POV from twins Georgia and Mandy because as their shared behaviors continued to become more eerie and recognizable, it was almost confusing (in a good way) to remember whose chapter you were on at times. Their entire backstory was so intriguing to me and the current day mystery unfolding kept me on the edge of my seat!

I'm going to be totally honest, I did not see the twist coming at the end either. I was just so pleasantly surprised with this twisty, fast-paced thriller. If you are looking for a psychological thriller that you cannot put down, I highly recommend checking this new release out!

Big thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copies of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5⭐️! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This is a fast, mysterious read focused on separated twins: I flew through this one, and loved the way it ended up overall. My only issues with the book was primarily the main character, Georgia. I was hoping for more depth to come about in her character, and it just didn’t quite get there/ Overall would recommend!

While Georgia sits in a Psychiatric Hospital waiting to be evaluated, she is in overwhelming shock and a semi-catatonic state since she had been arrested for the bludgeoning murder of her younger sister Annabelle.


Her only hope is for her sister to help find the truth. Georgia’s twin sister Mandy, who she recently learned of her existence. A woman that Georgia has not met yet.

Mandy does not have any knowledge of her twin sister’s existence. She was adopted and grew up in a middle class home, and her parents had since passed away. Mandy on the other hand, grew up in a wealthy home and wanted for nothing.

When Mandy decides to visit Georgia, the story seems so far fetched that Mandy takes it upon herself to do a bit of investigating and slowly uncovers some long time buried secrets.

I did enjoy the short chapters that kept me hooked. I have read other books by this author, and this one was not my favorite, but I did like it. I will be reading this author’s next book, as I love her writing style.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. Additionally, I applaud Sarah Pekkaneen for crafting an excellent story.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
Thriller, mystery.
Georgia Cartwright is being held in a psychiatric institution while the police investigate the crime scene. Her sister Annabelle is dead. She was found over the body. She’s terrified to let down her guard. Or at least that’s what we hear as she waits on her arraignment.
Amanda gets a call that her biological sister is in a psychiatric ward of the hospital and is asking that she visit. Her sister seems lethargic but whispers for help when they are out of sight of others. Georgia says she didn’t kill Annabelle and is being set up. Amanda decides to do a little investigation into the southern family and Georgia’s life. What she finds is surprising. So many secrets.

🎧 I was able to alternate between an ebook and audiobook which is narrated by January LaVoy. The performance is marvelous with distinct voices and emotional emoting that vary by sister. Georgia in particular is either terrified, or manipulative and we aren’t sure which is true. Amanda is intrigued, envious and taking advantage of her sister’s wealth or diligently looking for answers with skepticism. Yes, their thoughts are coming from print, but they are also very clear in listening to the performance. These women don’t know each other but they are related and that’s pulling at them both.
I did listen at 1.5 or slightly higher so I could read along with the ebook. Both formats will draw you in. I would suggest trying the audiobook for the bit of suspense that will keep you listening find out what’s true or not.

Gripping and intriguing. Do you know the sisters by their thoughts? Watch out for the last minute twist.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

4.5 stars! You can always count on @sarahpekkanen to deliver a really solid thriller, and The Locked Ward was no exception!

This book has so many twists and turns and red herrings, I could barely keep up. I was kept guessing until the end and was surprised throughout. That, combined with the short, alternating chapters, made this a quick, bingeable read.

The family dynamics in this book were absolutely wild, and the descriptions of the psychiatric ward were nothing short of terrifying.

I definitely recommend it to all thriller lovers!!

Woah I loved this book. The storyline was so good and executed so well. Very well written and kept me turning the pages all night!

This book started off promising. I was intrigued from the first chapter. The chapters are short. The thrill is there. But I could not get myself to fully enjoy it the further I read. The writing annoyed me. It was very simple for my taste and at times very repetitive. The premise and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the story were A+, this book had so much potential, however the execution was not good.

2.5/5 stars
⭐️⭐️💫

This was a fun and twisty psychological thriller that had me at the edge of my seat wondering whodunit.

The short chapters and alternating POV's between twin sisters Georgia and Amanda kept the pace fast and addicting. I loved diving into both of their minds and trying to piece together who was telling the truth - if anyone was at all.

Sarah Pekkanen, whether writing solo or with her usual partner Greer Hendricks, always bring a high level of psycho to the page - and I mean that in the best way. This one had just enough creepy, just enough suspense, and some wild turns I didn't see coming. The setting inside the eerie psychiatric facility added to the unsettling vibes, and themes of family secrets, betrayal, and sisterhood made it even more layered.

Imagine that you know you were adopted, but you had no idea you had a twin sister until she reaches out from the psych ward after killing her family's biological daughter. Amanda doesn't know whether to believe her twin, Georgia, when she claims she is innocent, especially given that everyone knows how much Georgia hated her now dead sister. But Amanda feels a connection to Georgia and is compelled to do what she can, even though it may put Amanda herself in harm's way. Alternating between Amanda and Georgia's perspectives, past and present, puts the reader into their minds, but Pekkanen doesn't lay all her cards on the table at once. I thought she did a good job of building tension, the twists were surprising but believable, and everything was nicely wrapped up at the end.

Whew boy! This book was intense and I couldn’t read it fast enough. I was very intrigued and Georgia’s story was complex. I knew she was playing the game, but also, did she do it? Families are interesting and Georgia’s most definitely was! This book was twisty and held my attention. If you enjoy a thriller, then don’t miss this one!

This one is tense, captivating, and loaded with secrets. A quick read full of drama, manipulation, and chaos. The ward scenes stole the show for me. Raw, intense, and deeply unsettling. If you love twisty thrillers with messy characters and serious tension, this needs to be on your TBR.

Hard to review without giving away the plot. It's a truly great story - well plotted and well-paced. Both Georgia and Mandy are interesting characters. Even with a phenomenal double twist at the end it's not rushed and ties things up satisfactorily. I highly recommend this book
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of The Locked Ward.
#NetGalley#SarahPekkanen#TheLockedWard#St.Martin'sPress

I'm so sorry, but this didn't work for me at all. I'm starting to wonder if Sarah Pekkanen is just not an author for me. I did not like the depictions of mental illness/mental health institutions, and the odd writing style between povs was jarring.. I also felt like the initial setup was just preposterous and I couldn't take it seriously.

This is an intriguing thriller with some shocking plot twists. Almost nothing is what it seems in this exciting book. Family secrets, powerful families trying to control the narrative, and the bonds of sisterhood are just a few of the juicier aspects of the plot. Although one of the major plot twists is strongly hinted at and can probably be at least partially guessed before it is actually revealed towards the end of the book, it does not directly relate to the main mystery, and therefore doesn't spoil the book.

I thought this book drew you in from the beginning. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat with all the twists and turns. Did Georgia really kill her sister Annabelle or was it just a setup.

This was a fun, fast-paced thriller!

I really enjoyed the short chapters that alternated between the two sisters. It made it easy to read and kept you wanting 'one more chapter.'
The story was engaging and fun, though I found it to feel fairly far fetched at times. It did keep me guessing though and I really enjoyed the ending.
While not a standout favorite, this book makes for a fantastic beach/vacation read.

Thank you for the ARC and happy pub day, Sarah!

“If you don’t get me out of here, they’re going to kill me.”

This thriller has every single thing that I love:

✔️ Multiple POV
✔️ Short chapters
✔️ Twists
✔️ Twists on the twists
✔️ Whodunit

The audiobook, narrated by the ultimate OG narrator January LaVoy, is just as fantastic as you’d imagine it would be. She is perfection and the voices she does to differentiate the characters makes this a truly immersive experience.

Overall this is a very fast paced, twisty, wild ride that enjoyed every (spoken) word of!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Locked Ward- ⭐️⭐️⭐️- Thank you @netgalley and @stamartinspress ! this was a totally fine thriller about twins separated at birth and reunited after one is accused of murdering a family member. This one hooked me from the start but went on too long and just kind of fizzled out. I ultimately felt like the main character was just too gullible and kept setting herself up for failure. All in all, a fine thriller but it was not my favorite of hers. I’ve read better twisty thrillers this summer!
*