I was excited when I had the chance to read the next book by talented thriller author Sarah Pekkanen so many months early, so I dove right in.

The book starts extremely strong, telling the alternating stories of two women who discover they are twins separated at birth thanks to a disturbing back story between their parents and biological mother. I flew threw the first half, trying to figure out how the twins would navigate the main plot point: Georgia is accused of murdering her adopted sister and needs her newly discovered twin sister, Amanda, to get her out of the Locked Ward where she is being kept for her mental health.

The story gets a bit convoluted as the book goes on, as more and more odd twists of who slept with who get thrown in, and I never got used to (or understood the purpose of) the second person perspective for Georgia. However, it ends with a solid twist and left me satisfied.

I will definitely be reading Sarah Pekkanen's books in the future and recommend anyone who loves a good thrilled to pick this one up when it's published this summer.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Expected publication August 5, 2025

A thrilling book that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Full of twists and turns and shocks. Brilliant! I highly recommend reading this book! 📖

I absolutely LOVED this one. I knew after House of Glass that Sarah Pekkanen was going to be a new favorite author for me and this read just proved that. I definitely will be reading more of her backlog this year.

The concept of this story was just so interesting. I found the one twin's chapters being in 2nd POV as she was locked in a psych ward to be so unique, and it really made the story enjoyable.

I will be recommending and screaming about this one for a long time.

Georgia is in a locked psychiatric ward being accused of brutally murdering her sister out of jealousy. Mandy doesn’t know, but she has ties to Georgia and is the only person Georgia will allow to visit while she’s in the ward.

This was a fast-paced read. It was so much fun. It gave me the same vibe as reading a McFadden book. Where it’s not a literary masterpiece, but you’re in for a good time and some twisty turns. The drama is juicy in this book. The chapters are short which compels you to read just one more and before you know it you’re halfway through the book. I highly recommend this if you’re in the mood for a quick “popcorn thriller”. I have enjoyed reading other books by Pekkanen but this is my favorite. The vibes seem quite different than “House of Glass” which I also enjoyed.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This was such a fast paced thriller that actually surprised me in the end with some of the twists. Now is it the greatest book ever written no but for a domestic thriller it did a great job weaving past and present and making me care for the characters. Sarah is so good at telling a story and making you race through the pages to find out how the story will play out. Definitely would recommend if you like Frieda Macfaden or Jeneva rose. So thanks to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this arc! Super happy i did!

Deliciously twisty and suspenseful, I devoured The Locked Ward in two sittings. Pekkanen’s books have proven to be solid books I’ll never hesitate to recommend. I love going into her stories blind, because not knowing much of the storyline makes them much more fun to read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.!

*ARC Review**

I loved loved this story. The back and forth between Georgia and Mandy feels like two different worlds while also still be connected. Short chapters are my favorite as well and this was just that. Perfect to fit into breaks at work without leaving you hanging. I’m excited to look into what else Sarah has written.

Working in mental health and healthcare, this book intrigued me. I was excited to get the ARC. It started off the first chapter by pulling me right in. I just wanted to keep reading to see what happened to Georgia in the psych ward. I wanted to keep reading even though my eyes were getting heavy from sleep. I loved the short chapters. I look forward to reading more by this author.

There's nothing like a popcorn thriller to get you out of reading slump, and I hereby crown Sarah Pekkanen the Queen. Her easy prose keeps the pages turning, and the reader guessing. I have read enough of her novels to know that nothing is as it seems, and people may not be as bad as they appear. They may be worse.

When socialite Georgia Cartwright is accused of murdering her sister = the biological miracle baby of her adoptive parents - she knows only one person might save her - her twin. The problem? Her twin doesn't know she exists.

And so begins the cat-and-mouse race to the truth - well, someone's truth, anyway.

As usual, there are many twists and turns in a Great Expectations fashion, some that make more sense than others. This one might have slightly less bite than some of Pekkanen's other works, but it still snapped me back into my reading habit and for that, 4 stars.

3.5 rounded up. A fast paced thriller, short chapters with quick reveals to keep you turning pages, and distinct dual points of view. Mandy’s POV is plot driven as we see her learn she has a biological sister and then as she works to unravel what really happened. Georgia’s POV is from the psychiatric ward where she was remanded after murdering her adoptive sister. But did she do it? I really enjoyed the detached way Georgia’s POVs were written and her fear of both other patients and what her future holds.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

While this wasn’t my favorite, I still found myself wanting to figure out what was happening. I had a hunch the whole time, but little details kept me questioning and was right in the end. Looking forward to Sarah’s next book though, as she’s definitely an auto buy for me!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I love Sarah Pekkanen's books so when the opportunity to read her newest book came about I jumped on it. Georgia Cartwright has been accused of killing her sister and is being held in a locked psychiatric institution. Amanda is shocked when she receives a call from Georgia's lawyer telling her that Georgia is asking to see her and by the way, she's her twin sister.

I thought this was a good story but not as good as some of Pekkanen's other books. The mystery throughout the book was just interesting enough but never really hooked me. I thought overall the story was a little bit predictable and even the twists weren't that shocking. Still, it was a solid read for me.

Trigger warning: Description of rape

I was surprised at how much I didn't really like this newest offering from Sarah Pekkanen. I think that the dual POVs was the reason why it didn't work. And the ending was just kind of not finished in my opinion. But this one was a hard one to get into and I just didn't really find some parts of it realistic.

"The Locked Ward" follows Georgia Cartwright, daughter of a very wealthy family, she's currently in a psychiatric facility on a hold. Georgia is accused of murdering her half sister, but her attorney is claiming she is not fit to stand trial. Georgia though has a plan, and part of that plan is a sister she has never met, named Amanda, coming to her rescue. The book jumps back and forth between Georgia and Amanda as Amanda is pulled into Georgia's life and those around her who may mean her harm.

Trying to not spoil anything outside of what it out there for the book jacket, but I think a lot of things that got revealed were very soap operaish. I just didn't buy them. I really liked Pekkanen's last book so this one felt very unrealistic at times. 

I didn't really care for Amanda's character at all. I know why she was written the way she was, in contrast to Georgia, but after a while I was just like um okay, not touching that.

The flow was not really good in this one. You jump around a lot within POVs to things that occurred in the past so I had a lot of issues here and there tracking things. I get why Pekkanen did it that way to do more reveals/twists. But it just didn't work for me. And it's not because I guessed at things (which I did) but it just slowed the story down so much and I would go wait whose POV am I reading right now? 

The ending as I said, didn't really work for me. Probably because it mimicked how Frieda McFadden would end one of her books. And if you have followed me for a bit, you know that much of McFadden's endings don't work for me.

Okay, so this one totally pulled me in right away. A girl locked in a psych ward for murder? Her long-lost twin showing up out of nowhere? Family secrets that are, like, next-level shady? Yeah, I was hooked. The whole vibe was eerie and twisty in the best way, and I kept flipping pages like my life depended on it.

That said, some parts felt a little predictable, and I kinda wanted a more jaw-dropping ending. Still, the sister dynamic was chef’s kiss, and the whole "who’s really telling the truth" thing had me questioning everything. Definitely a solid read if you're into psychological thrillers with messy family drama.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was such an addictive psychological thriller, the short chapters had me flying through this one. I enjoyed how it all played out and didnt see most of it coming.

A 3.5 for this one. It kept me entertained but it wasn't my favorite by this author. I felt like some parts were rushed and not fleshed out enough.

This is another one of those books that I wish I could give it more than five stars. A young woman finds out she has a twin who is locked in a psychiatric ward while being held for observation after it’s believed she killed her (other) sister. She now depends on her twin to find the answers to what happened. A crazy, twisty plot that goes through layers of family history with plenty of surprises. Really good!

A very readable thriller!

Mandy lives a simple life in a small suburb, running the bar that her parents left her when they passed away. She is absolutely stunned when she gets a call from an attorney representing a wealth Charlotte socialite who has just been accused of murdering her younger sister. Georgia claims that Mandy is her twin sister, and she wants to meet face to face for the very first time.

Georgia knows she has to play the part to be kept in a psychiatric ward -- if she is sent to jail instead, she won't make it. She can't let her catatonic facade drop, but she also needs to convince her twin that she did not commit this crime, and powerful people would have her killed before the truth could be revealed. It is up to Mandy to put the clues together to exonerate Georgia -- but she will have to put her own life at risk to do so.

Told in back to back POVs, this was an interesting ride! Parts could have been paced better but by the last 25% I was absolutely hooked. I think Sarah Pekkanen is an auto-read author for me now!

I have been a fan of Sarah Pekkanen for years and was so excited for this book ...and it did not disappoint! The Locked Ward has it all - politics, scandal, buried secrets and murder! Ending with a few untied ends, there is sure to be a sequel in the making! If you're looking for a book you can't put down - this is it! Thank you so much for the advance copy - it's very appreciated and I will be recommending to my book club!

I could not put Locked up down! The story alternate's between two twin sisters who were separated at birth. Georgia is a woman who is being held in a mental facility being accused or murdering her sister's life. She is up against her wealthy and powerful family who despises her. She reaches out to her sister, Mandy who did not know she existed. Mandy is determined to avenge Georgia.