I did not expect that ending. I was thinking it was going to go a different route and it went to totally opposite direction. I enjoyed this a lot. A very stressful read. I loved the setting it the ward. The twist were crazy too. Like I said before I didn’t guess what would happen. This is a very fun and twisty thriller.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from NetGalley. I was excited to dive in as I love Sarah Pekkanen's books.

This one pulls the reader in from the very first page. The short chapters make it a quick page turner, going back and forth between the twin sister's point of view on the murder of their younger sister.

Who killed Annabelle? Lots of twists and turns make this an enjoyable read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the eARC.

Sarah Pekkanen does it again! I should probably preface this review with the fact that I LOVE Sarah Pekkanen's works, both her solo books and the ones she's co-written with Greer Hendricks so... do with that what you will and take my review with a grain of salt if you must.

Like many of Pekkanen's other works, this book is delightfully suspenseful. It is also not your average twins-separated-at-birth story.

Two things I really loved about this book:
1. The chapters are short and told from the alternating perspectives of each sister - Completely different viewpoints. Also, it's one thing to fly through a book thanks to short chapters; It's another to do so because the book is so unputdownable, which this certainly was.
2. LIKEABLE CHARACTERS!! A main character who grows up rich and glamorous but is not an insufferably vain and completely spoiled floozy? YES PLEASE.

Overall, RIVETING story. One or two predictable twists outweighed by more I didn't see coming.
This is me pledging my allegiance to Sarah Pekkanen - I will blindly purchase any book she henceforth releases.

I love Sarah Pekkanen's writing (and when she combines with Greer Hendricks, too), so I was really excited to get this eARC of The Locked Ward. I have to say that I definitely enjoyed it. Georgia Cartwright is a wealthy woman who stands accused of murdering her sister, Annabelle, and is locked in a psychiatric ward. With no where else to turn, she reaches out to her twin, who didn't even know she existed, where she is drawn in to the secrets of the Southern elite. She has a choice to uncover what happened and make the choice of getting involved or staying away to save her own life. This was a psychological thriller that focused on family dynamics, identity and sisterhood.

I have to say this was a solid light thriller for me. It wasn't heart pounding or super twisty, but it was an enjoyable puzzle piece kind of thriller. It was well written and engaging. I think it was easy to relate to the dual POV narrators and there were some interesting surprises and eggs that happened. It was a pretty quick read but it had some substance. I obviously relish the mental health theme in this one and thing it was an interesting perspective to take. The only thing that kind of threw me off was the dual narrators used different perspectives, but I think that added to the "differences" between them, which ultimately made sense.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sarah Pekkanen for the eARC of The Locked Ward in exchange for an honest review. Publication date for The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is set for 05 August 2025.

I wish I liked this book more as I’ve loved a lot of the authors work in the past. However, this was just too hokey and not at all thrilling. The writing was amateur and the story slogged along.

I was so pumped when I got this arc, because I have loved the books she does with Greer. And honestly, I enjoyed this one quite a bit!

It wasn’t ~quite~ as twisty and shocking as the others by them I’ve read, but was still super enjoyable! It was fun trying to put together the puzzle pieces and figure out what really happened.

The story was super well-written and had a lot of great themes, like family dynamics and sisterhood. I really felt for both main characters as they were trying to work through everything they discovered.

There were definitely some fun surprises, and I found the story very engaging. I ended up reading this one in less than 24 hours 😅

Two sisters—one locked away for murder, the other determined to prove her innocence. With time running out, can they uncover the truth before it’s too late? "The Locked Ward” by Sarah Pekkanen is a psychological thriller that delves into the dynamics of sisterhood, identity, and the dark secrets that can bind families.

The story centers on Georgia Cartwright, a glamorous woman adopted into a wealthy Southern family, who stands accused of murdering her younger sister, Annabelle. Confined to a psychiatric institution for violent offenders, Georgia reaches out to her estranged twin sister, Mandy (Amanda), whom she has never met. Mandy, initially unaware of Georgia’s existence, is drawn into a web of family secrets and deception as she seeks to uncover the truth behind the murder and her sister’s incarceration.

Pekkanen's use of the dual sister perspective keeps the reader on their toes. The chapters are concise and brisk-paced, keeping the suspense throughout the novel. Also, the reader gets an inside glimpse of each sister's thoughts and motivations, while recognizing the sisterly/emotional connection between Georgia and Mandy. The supporting cast, of the affluent Cartwright family, adds a layer of suspense and enriches the plot. The plot itself had some predictable and unpredictable twists, but highly enjoyable. All and all, this book offers a gripping and thought provoking experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for ARC!

Sarah Pekkanen novels don't languish on my Kindle. I read her books the instant a new release becomes available, and her stories never disappoint. The Locked Ward is a mystery that kept me guessing until the final chapters.

This reviewer is fairly jaded when it comes to stories, since I've read thousands of books and have seen countless movies. When I haven't unraveled a plot before a story has ended, I consider that a win. The Locked Ward deals with the universal themes of power, family, jealousy, hope, and trust inside a unique tale, told in two points of view. Mandy speaks to us in first person, and Georgia in second person, which sounded awkward until I got used to her voice. Once I settled into the story, the characters came alive. Pekkanen fans will root for Mandy and Georgia until the final pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press/Minotaur Books for providing an advance copy of the book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews.com at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

Told from the perspectives of two, estranged twin sisters, The Locked Ward is about a socialite who is accused of killing her sister. But did she do it?
I really enjoyed this book! I recently finished House of Glass, so I was excited to see Sarah Pekkanen’s newest novel on NetGalley. I also really enjoy books exploring sanity/insanity so I was excited to dive in to The Locked Ward. Overall, I recommend The Locked Ward to thriller fans. It’s brimming with dysfunctional family dynamics, political corruption, and wealth disparity

This is a fast-paced read. I read it, and I like it. Georgia has been accused of killing her sister. She is placed in a psychiatric facility. Georgia was adopted as a newborn. Her established twin sister Amanda visits her. Amanda didn't believe that Georgia has nothing to do with her sister’s murder. She later has to prove that Georgia is innocent. Throughout the book there's a bonding throughout sisterhood and other things.

Love when you can finish a book in less than 24 hours because it is *that good*

Sarah Pekkanen always has been guessing in her novels and The Locked Ward was no different. Love the alternating POV from Amanda and Georgia. And the twists kept coming.

Add to your #tbr pile if you love a good thriller!

This was good. I enjoyed the way everything came together at the end, but I really didn’t like the second person narration for Georgia’s chapters; it really took me out of the story.

🔐 The Locked Ward 🔐
By: Sarah Pekkanen
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Format: digital arc
Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔑PUBLISHES 8/5/25🔑

📖 Georgia is locked in a psychiatric institution where the most violent offenders are held while she awaits trial. The only words she whispers when her estranged twin sister Amanda visits are, “I didn't do it. You've got to get me out of here.”

🔐alternating POvs
🔐long lost twin sisters

💭Second person POV creates a sense that the person reading the book is actually a character. I didn’t hate this. It was something I don’t think I’ve ever experienced in a book before and so I was open to it. I think it helped keep the twin sister’s narratives separate and that’s a plus. I sometimes get confused with POV and if there is multiple characters I will DNF (I cannot audible a book with lots of characters to learn 😆 lol) but this one was smooth sailing. Sarah is a brilliant writer. ✍🏼 this is going to be the perfect thriller to cuddle up with this fall!


⚠️TWs: dissociation, suicidal ideation

This was a great thriller! Great pacing - kept me on the edge of my seat and I finished it in a day! The ending was somewhat predictable to me but the story was so good I didn’t mind. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs. Highly recommend!

I’ve read basically everything Sarah has written (or co-authored), so I was pretty sure this would be yet another great book. I was correct and blew through this in 8 hours! The 2nd person narration for Georgia’s parts did throw me off a bit at first, but after I got used to it that was fine. The twists and turns were definitely unexpected! The worst kind of thriller for me is when you’re halfway through and have already worked out what happened. NOT the case here! I was shocked up to the last few chapters.

This was my first read by Sarah Pekkanen, and she did not disappoint! Even at 75% through, I had zero clue where the story was headed or who committed the crime!!! I was completely invested in the characters—so much so that I actually wanted to dive deeper into their lives (which is not something I usually say). This one had me questioning everything right up until the final pages!

There were multiple moments where I had to pick my jaw up off the floor! The twists were solid, the writing kept me hooked, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

I’ll definitely be checking out more of Sarah’s books!

THE LOCKED WARD ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This book held my interest but I didn’t like it if that makes sense… Georgia has been arrested for murdering her sister. She is in the Locked Ward in a psychiatric hospital, awaiting to see if she is fit to sit trial. When her time ticking, the truth must be revealed. In 78 short chapters, I read the book in one day. It kept me wanting more, but the twists just felt insane at some point. I also felt a few loose ends that I wanted info on were left open. People will gobble this book up, but I found the authors last novel House of Glass so intriguing and edge of my seat, this one just fell short for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Dare I say this may be my new favorite from Sarah Pekkanen. The Locked Ward was a bingeable read that had me hooked from the start. I loved the dual POVs from Georgia and Amanda and that twist at the end that I never saw coming. I know this is a super early review and it’s only February but this will definitely be in my top rated books of this year. Can’t recommend enough.

I'll admit it — when I first saw this book had multiple narrators, my heart sank. Multiple POVs are such a struggle for me; at best, there's one great storyline that you keep leaving. At worst, all of the storylines could feel subpar.

I should never have doubted Sarah Pekkanen. From the first few chapters, both perspectives hooked me. This story is so fast-paced, interesting, and filled with twists. There's enough clues that the reader can suss out some things, while still leaving lots of surprises to uncover. My only complain is that now I've finished this book, I'll likely have to wait another year for her next one.

From the first page this book had me hooked! From the point of view of Georgia, locked in a psych ward, and Mandy her twin sister separated at birth, this book is suspenseful and thrilling the whole time. I loved the back and forth point of views and the way the story unfolds. This is definitely an author I will auto buy from now on! Loved it!