⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5 stars
Creepy, emotional, and totally addictive
This book pulled me in right away—twins separated at birth, one thriving, the other locked in a psychiatric ward for allegedly killing the sister she was raised with? Yes, please.

Pekkanen does a great job balancing suspense with some real emotional depth. I found myself questioning everything and everyone, and just when I thought I had it figured out—plot twist. It’s dark, twisty, and totally bingeable, but also makes you think about identity, trauma, and what shapes who we become.

Docking a star only because a few character choices felt a little rushed, especially near the end. Still, I flew through this and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves smart thrillers with a psychological edge.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.


Georgia was adopted at birth, one day Georgia wakes up in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. She’s been accused of murdering Annabel, the birth daughter of the wealthy family that adopted her. There’s only one person who can help prove Georgia innocent, her estranged twin sister Amanda. Problem is, until this moment, Amanda didnt know Georgia existed. Amanda goes to visit Georgia and Georgia whispers to her “I didn’t do it, you’ve got to get me out of here”. Is Georgia innocent? Why were the girls separated?

This story switches back and forth between Georgia and Amanda’s POV. It kept me interested the entire time and I kept wanting to know more. The epilogue made my jaw drop. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good who dun it mystery. This book releases on August 5th.

I received a free copy of, The Locked Ward, by Sarah Pekkanen, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Georgia Cartwright has been accused of murder, did she do it? Georgia is in a psych ward, but is visited by her twin Amanda, though they are not close. This book was a little disturbing to read at times, these characters are really sick.

I had previously read House of Glass by this author and really enjoyed it for a thriller (not my usual type) so was excited to see this one come up on NetGalley!
What worked: I really enjoyed the short chapters and fast pacing. This book was the definition of "just one more chapter before I go to bed!". For real. I finished this book in one sitting in 3.5 hours without hardly blinking or breathing.
I also really liked the writing style. Switching between 1st and 2nd person for the two sister's POVs really helped me to differentiate between their stories and keep their back stories/details separate in my head.

What didn't work: The plot twists were very predictable and the red herrings could be spotted from a mile away (still loved them though!). There were several times in Georgias 2nd person POV that randomly went to 1st person and it pulled me from the story and confused me.
I enjoyed the increasingly more sinister background for Mandy, but wish the finale for her hadn't been so rushed.

ARC Book Review : “The Locked Ward” by Sarah Pekkanen.

Thank you to @netgalley and @sarahpekkanen for granting me access to this book prior to publishing date which is August 5th, 2025!

Rating: 4/5 stars

“The Locked Ward” by Sarah Pekkanen is an incredibly entertaining read! I’ve always loved a good “who’s telling the truth” storyline, and this one delivers that suspense beautifully. It kept me hooked from the start. While I was hoping for a jaw-dropping twist at the end—maybe because I’ve been on a Freida McFadden binge lately—it still wrapped up in a satisfying way. A gripping, well-paced thriller that I’d absolutely recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sarah Pekkanen for this ARC.

78 chapters, but they were short chapters. I enjoyed this book, but it didn't blow me away. It was an interesting story yet I felt like it was missing something. I think because even though Georgia and Mindy are twins and both kept saying they felt a connection, I didn't feel it. I kind of didn't like either characters. The ending was kind of interesting, but it didn't shock me either. I still enjoyed this book even though it doesn't seem like it with this review. I just expected much more.

Another awesome ARC from NetGalley! Amanda, a bar owner recovering from the loss of her beloved (adoptive) parents, is contacted by an attorney letting her know that her biological twin sister Georgia has been accused of the murder of her "sister," is in a psychiatric ward awaiting trial, and refuses to speak to anyone but Amanda. Amanda has to grapple with deciding whether she should trust Georgia, the odd twin-connection she's experiencing, and her own personal demons while Georgia is trying to survive being locked in a ward that is much more dangerous than it should be. While the book description focuses on Georgia, I really felt that Amanda's story dominated as she tried to immerse herself into Georgia's world in order to solve the mysteries of Georgia's life and her own. For some reason, the title of the book bothered me because I felt like Georgia's experience in the psych ward was not the primary focus of the book, but I really enjoyed the writing, pace, and mood of this book.

This was a fun, fast-paced thriller/mystery. It had a strong premise, but the suspense aspect & ending fell flat for me. The writing style also wasn’t my favorite (tho I did enjoy the short chapters and dual POV!) That being said, I did binge it in a day & enjoyed the read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

A solid and very entertaining thriller with enough twists and turns and scattered breadcrumbs to still have secrets to reveal at the end. Great novel for a weekend escape.

This book was fast paced and kept me engaged throughout. It was interesting to hear from both Mandy and Georgia and to find out about the dark secrets of their families.
I would have liked to hear more about Mandy's parents and how exactly the adoption came about. I also felt like Colby was a bit of a weird character, and I had so many questions about him.
Overall, I enjoyed this one.
Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Georgia has been accused of killing the biological daughter of her adopted family. Her lawyer reaches out to Mandy who had no idea she not only had a sister of her own, but a twin. She goes to visit Georgia in the psych ward she’s been placed into. You have to to get me out of here or they will kill me. Is Georgia a victim or is she manipulating Mandy?

I really enjoyed this one. Though I guessed the whodunnit very quickly, it was still an entertaining and twisty thriller.

I could not put down the The Locked Ward, by Sarah Peekkanen! It was a fast paced, engaging thriller about 2 sisters Georgia and Mandy, who were separated at birth. Georgia, the who grew up rich and privileged, finds herself accused of murdering her adoptive sister Anabelle. Did she do it? And if not can Mandy help her prove her innocence?

I enjoyed this book and would recommend to friend.

Thank you to St Martins Press for the ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Sarah Pekkenen book and I can honestly say that I cannot wait to read more of hers! The twists in this one kept coming, the different perspectives from Georgia and Mandy kept the story moving quickly and the final reveal was perfect!

I’ve always loved Sarah Pekkanen, and The Locked Ward was another awesome read. It’s a psychological thriller involving a mental institution (already had me interested), with twin sisters and a murder. Super suspenseful and just the right amount of creepy. Definitely kept me hooked the whole way through.

Easy to get into, highly readable and very enjoyable, but no wow factor here.

I liked what a breezy and engaging read this was but, it felt like typical dysfunctional family drama with all the usual tropes. The book also explores interesting dynamics and relationships, though it isn't as emotionally powerful as the author's previous works nor does it have the same depth.

The suspense kept me turning the pages, but as a thriller, this was just fine overall.

I really like this author and her other works. I give it 3.5 stars. I'm not sure The Locked Ward is the appropriate title for this book. I mean, sure it deals with Georgia who ends up on a psychiatric floor of a hospital after committing a crime but honestly that's kind of background noise to the real story. Overall the storyline was good, kept me intrigued, and wrapped up nicely. Sometimes the second person POV would throw me off as I'm not used to reading books written like that but I think that's just a “me issue”.

I loved this story. It had lots of twists and turns. It kept me guessing until the end. I love it when a book can do that.

Thank you, Net Galley, for the ARC. I took a chance on this book. Never having read the author and knowing little about her, the blurb sounded pretty good. I'm so glad I read this book. I could not put it down! If you like suspense with a twist, this is definitely one for you. I'll definitely be checking out Sarah Pekkanen's past and future books. Loved it!

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another ZINGER from Sarah Pekkanen! She is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited to get to read this one early. The Locked Ward is about twin sisters -- Georgia & Mandy -- who have just learned the other exists. This is good news for Georgia, because she is currently locked in a mental facility, accused of the murder of her younger sister Annabelle; although Georgia insists she is innocent. Georgia enlists Mandy's help to figure out what really happened and get her out. Georgia's experience in the locked ward go from bad to worse, and Mandy's investigation gets deeper and darker into a lot of family secrets and political scandal and it's a race against time for both girls.

I really enjoyed this book! It was twisty and action-packed, and the pace was fast, allowing me to binge-read the whole thing in a few days. I loved the character development and the bond between Georgia and Mandy. It is a well-crafted psychological thriller, and fans of the genre will love this new book! I highly recommend!

Family Drama, thriller, and psych wards oh my! The author does an amazing job of developing both the characters and storyline! I loved the dynamic explored between twin connections and the classic whodunit mystery twist the book read quite quickly with well a balanced chapters. I did wish some scenes were given more detail. I cannot wait to read more thrillers to come from this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece of work
Thank you Net Galley, Sarah Pekkanen and St. Martins Press for allowing me to review this advanced copy of The Locked Ward. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for this honest review.