Georgia is placed in the "Locked Ward" awaiting trial for the murder of her sister Annabelle. Georgia's family has turned away from her, certain that she is guilty.

Desperate, Georgia reaches out to the biological sister/twin she recently discovered for help.

Mandy owns Sweetbay's, a bar that belonged to her deceased parents. She's no-nonsense and tough and thoroughly shocked to discover she has a twin sister.

Mandy has to figure out if Georgia is just playing her and is truly a murderer. As her own life is put in danger, Mandy has to uncover the secrets that unite her and Georgia and just may upend everything she knows to be true about her own life.

This was definitely a compelling premise and I loved the character of Mandy. However, I felt that I needed to know more about Georgia in order for her to be a character worthy of my sympathy. The leaps in logic with the outcome of this case also stretched believability, even for a fictional novel.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Pekkanen's other titles, but this one left me a little disappointed.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. I really had a hard time putting it down The twist and turns that this novel took was quite intriguing.

Amanda and Georgia were both very unique and intelligent characters. I felt for Georgia most of the novel. She was forced into a role as a child and expected to play it most of her life. The fact that these two were deceived for 30+ years was heartbreaking for both of them in some aspect. Amanda ended up with the better parents.

The ending was a surprise and sometimes you can't really know a person quite a well as you think you so. I highly recommend this book, It was a quick entertaining read that keep me up until late into the night.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this ebook. All opinion expressed are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Sarah Pekkanen
with the audiobook narrated by January LaVoy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Georgia was adopted by a wealthy Southern family as a newborn. She's now in a locked psychiatric ward awaiting trial, accused of killing Annabelle, the biological daughter of that family. Georgia has her lawyer contact Mandy, her biological twin sister, though they have never met before. Georgia tells Mandy that she didn't kill Annabelle and she needs her help to get her out. Mandy doesn't know who or what to believe.

Told in short chapters from each sister's POV, this book drew me in right from the start. Neither narrator is completely reliable and you'll wonder just who or what you can believe. The twins seem to have a mysterious connection, and Mandy feels compelled to investigate Georgia's story. It's also interesting to see how differently the twins were raised - Georgia being raised by a wealthy family seemed to have gotten the better part of the bargain, but did she? The psychiatric ward was a creepy, scary place and I couldn't wait to see how all this was going to work out - and I wasn't disappointed. January LaVoy once again was fabulous, completely capturing both women's personalities perfectly. I couldn't stop listening!

I received this as an ARC - thanks NetGalley!

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was fast paced, had multiple viewpoints (which I always enjoy), and kept you guessing till the end. The character development was good and the short chapters made this super binge-able. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed but overall a good read!

Short chapters, alternating points of view, good story line made for this to be a great read.

I love books where you lose track of time as you read and thanks to the short and interesting chapters it did just that for me.

I’ve never read a Sarah Pekkanen book so this was a first for me but after this she’s an auto read author.

This was an interesting mystery involving twins, basically separated at birth. It wasn't a super-enthralling thriller, but I would definitely label it as a popcorn thriller.

I'm still not sure why one of the sisters referred to herself as "you," but I enjoyed the different points-of-view.

I wish we could have gotten more background information on Mandy's past discretions as well as more about her parents.

THE LOCKED WARD will make a fun fall thriller for weekend readings.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of THE LOCKED WARD to review.

I rate THE LOCKED WARD four out of five stars.

Georgia Cartwright is a true Southern debutate, and everything most girls would give their lives to be. She's successful and beautiful and attends the best parties in the hotest fashions and comes from an excessively wealthy family. The only thing she ever wanted that she couldn't have was to be loved by her family.

Georgia returns to the family estate for a gala fit for a princess in honor of her sister, Annabell's birthday. It doesn't take long for tragedy to strike, and Anabelle is found dead, with Georgia standing over her with the alleged murder weapon. Annabelle was always the golden child, and Georgia was the evil one. It doesn't take long for Georgia to find herself accused of murder and locked in a psychiatric ward with some very dangerous and mentally unstable patients awaiting trial. How can she survive the locked ward?

Georgia has one secret that could change things for her. She always knew she was adopted but had recently discovered that she had a twin sister that she had been separated from birth from. Georgia asks to see Amanda, who knows nothing of her estranged twin. The only thing Georgia whispers to Amanda is, "I didn't do it. you have to get me out of here."

Amanda lived a fairly normal middle-class life, so she has no idea of the shit storm coming her way once she's helping her sister and shows herself on the radar of the powers that be. It is pretty impressive that she's able to stay one step ahead of these powerful people but also pretty unrealistic.

The synopsis drew me in, and I think the first half of the book was really good, but it did lose steam for me halfway in. There are multiple POVs in this book, and one of them is written in the second person. Coincidentally, I just read another newer thriller written that way. I'm not sure if this is going to be a thing, but I don't love it. I do feel like it was done better in this book, though. I enjoyed watching the twins begin their relationship and learning more about their separation and Georgia and Annabelle's relationship. Annabelle and Georgia's mother, Honey, was absolutely diabolical. I feel like this should be marketed more as a family drama versus a psychological thriller. There were a few sprinkles of thrill, but it just wasn't super exciting for me.

I've only read one book co-authored by Sarah Pekkanen. I loved that one, but this was just ok for me. I would still try another by this author, though. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Locked Ward, coming out August 5th.

"The Locked Ward" by Sarah Pekkanen is a good book for the beach. with its short chapters and easy-to-follow storyline. It's an entertaining psychological thriller filled with murder, mysterious adoptions resulting in the separation of twin sisters, rich people doing bad things, and the terrors of a locked psych ward. The author's writing was spot on, creating the claustrophobic atmosphere of the ward. There were enough twists to keep me engaged, but ,unfortunately, I could see most of them coming from a mile away. I did find writing style to be a bit odd; though told from two different points of view, one character's side was written in first person and the other character's side in second person. I would have preferred both characters to be written in first person. It didn't ring true that Mandy was telling parts of Georgia's story of which she was not a witness.

I usually love Sarah Pekkanen's books, especially those she co-authored with Greer Hendricks, but this one fell a bit flat for me. Still, it was a great way to pass the time on a hot summer's day and I look forward to reading more from this author. Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this sure-to-be summer bestseller.

This was my first thriller by Sarah Pekkanen but she’s been on my radar for a while. This one was so good I will definitely go back to read House of Glass!

You learn early on that Georgia and Mandy are sisters separated at birth, but not just sisters, twins. And as with many twins they have a twin connection. After being accused of her sister’s murder (another sister) Georgia asks her lawyer to find Mandy and reveals their connection, hoping that maybe Mandy is the key to proving her innocence.

This one has so many twists, I really had no idea where this was going. There were quite a few red herrings and the ultimate twist at the end, I didn’t see coming.

This one kept me reading, short easy chapters made this a perfect popcorn thriller. I was invested from page 1! And many chapters left off on a cliffhanger that forced you to read on for “one more chapter”. I also really enjoyed the attention to the “have and have nots” theme between the two sisters. One growing up with loving parents with a meager lifestyle. The other placed with a well to-do aristocratic family that has plenty of secrets that must be kept hidden in order to keep up appearances.

I would definitely recommend this one if you want a fast-paced, twisty thriller to palate cleanse!

4.5 stars
The Locked Ward was a fast-paced, twisty thriller that centered around twins, Georgia and Amanda, who were separated at birth. Georgia has been accused of killing her sister, Annabelle, and has been placed in a locked psychiatric ward until it can be determined if she is competent to stand trial. Amanda is living her own life until she receives a phone call that turns her entire life upside down. The woman who has been all over the news for killing her sister is actually Amanda's twin, and she wants to see her. During that first visit, Georgia only says one thing, It wasn't me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, just as I have every other Sarah Pekkanen book I've read. The characters were all completely unreliable, and some of the plot twists genuinely had me shocked! The writing style did take a bit to get used to because Amanda's POV is 1st person while Georgia's was 2nd person. Overall, though, it was a very enjoyable book that I highly recommend checking out.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC I received in exchange for an honest review. The Locked Ward releases August 5, 2025.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio. St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and enjoy this book.

I have read other books by Sarah Pekkanen and enjoyed them so when I saw this was available to read I grabbed it so quick and a psych unit to boot yes please. This started off as a murder mystery then turned a bit thriller ish. I enjoyed both of our main characters, I liked that they were so different yet so much the same and sometimes without knowing it. My issue was I was picturing them as identical and couldn’t figure out how no one could tell haha. The reason and the how the twins ended up separated was not was I had anticipated either. The story proves that even if you have all the money in the world you aren’t necessarily happy or living the perfect life.
I do feel bad for Georgina, even though I wasn’t sure she was telling by the truth. But to really never feel loved is a sad life. But good for her for trying to separate herself and make a for herself. Amanda had a great life and felt loved, she was just surprised with how she ended up with her parents. I enjoyed the narrators voice, it was easy to listen to.
I would recommend this read the mystery thriller readers.

Being accused of your sister's death is not what Georgia was expecting when attending the birthday party of said sister. Instead of going to jail, she is sent to the locked ward of the hospital, also known as the psych ward. While being there, she decides to stay silent and only reaches out to her long-lost twin.

This book had me questioning if I truly believed Georgia because there were a lot of things she says and does that make you wonder what the truth is. Everyone in this book has a secret, and each of these secrets is tied back to the crime, in some way.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I devoured it because I wanted to know the twist. I believed I had figured it out, but I was completely wrong. This book shows that sometimes those we call family can be our worst enemies.

My final rating on this one is lower than expected which is a bummer after such a fun start! Personally - I'm a fan of books that start later in the story. Rewinding time to show you small glimpses and all unspooling the threads of what's going on as you read. The major blow to 'The Locked Ward' was that the urgency didn't continue.

- Really enjoyed the psych ward commentary/setting because I've not read one of these style settings before, and it was fun, without being gory!

- - - - -

15% read - Really loving the tension and urgency. Being in a psych ward / losing freedom is one of my greatest fears so I feel like this is a fun one!

**Thank you to St.Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Sarah Pekkanen is an auto buy author for me. I will read anything she writes. But I have to say this one is my favorite. Georgia—who was adopted by a wealthy Southern family— is accused of murdering their biological daughter. She then asks her estranged twin, Amanda, for help.

I really enjoyed the alternative POVs between Georgia and Amanda. Georgia being in the second person and Amanda in third. It gave the story more of a creepy feel.

Gripping, suspenseful, fast paced thriller. And of course twists and turns. Short chapters so I always wanted to keep on reading. Original plot. Executed perfectly!

5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

An exciting dual POV story about Georgia, a woman accused of murdering her sister. I was hooked right from the beginning! I thought the scenes in the psychiatric hospital were well done and elevated the tension in the book. I really enjoyed the second person POV. I’ve only seen it done one other time and it’s such a clever writing tool. The short chapters allowed me to fly through this fast paced thriller. The twists were unexpected and the ending was action packed.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this ARC for my voluntary and honest review!

I liked this book but it didn’t WOW me. Certain parts were pretty far fetched and the end wasn’t entirely surprising. A fast read with suspenseful sections, but overall fell flat at the conclusion.

I loved this book! Plot was fantastic, characters were fantastic, I really enjoyed the story! It definitely gripped me! I highly recommend!

2nd person POV for one character and 1st person POV for another. Is just not my thing. I won't say the book is bad, I just didn't like it. This is my personal opinion.

I enjoyed this book a lot. There were a couple of moments where the reader had to take a leap of faith (it felt like it was best to just go along and not overthink the plausibility of a few plot points), but it was thoroughly enjoyable.

This was fine. It ticked off some boxes I like in a thriller - dual timelines that play off each other to build suspense; quick, propulsive chapters; and a cast of characters suspicious enough to keep the reader on their toes.

But it was kind of boring and felt formulaic. Despite not fully predicting what would happen, I wasn’t surprised by any of the twists. And (slight spoiler alert) it utilized a trope I’m beginning to despise in thrillers, where the final “reveal” ruins the story for me. That last chapter was dumb and unnecessary, and felt tacked on there just for shock value.

If you want a fast, bingeable read, go for it, but ultimately I think this is one I will forget.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC. The Locked Ward is out August 5th