I was so excited to get this ARC, Sarah Pekkanen has never had a miss and this is another great read. The book starts off with Georgia a young socialite standing over the body of her sister. From there she gets out into a locked psych ward where she pretends to be in a dissociative state. Her POV shows us how she’s fearful for her life now because someone set her up. The other POV we get is from Amanda who is surprised when she is contacted by a lawyer saying her twin sister wants to talk to her. Amanda was adopted and unaware of a twin.
Georgia gets Amanda’s help to unravel the mystery, throughout the book you’re guessing who is guilty, even questioning both sisters’ narrations of events.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

4.5 rounded up! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book! In general I love this author so I was super excited to hear about her new book. The book was completely captivating and I absolutely could have read it in one sitting if life didn't get in the way. The chapters are short and told from different perspectives so each one really sucks you in and leaves you wanting to know more. For some reason I feel like I wanted a little more from the ending...not sure exactly what but overall it was a fantastic read.

“The Locked Ward”
Sarah Pekkanen
Arc review, publication August 5th 2025

It’s always a feast when you see one of your favourite authors publishing a new novel and you get early access via NetGalley!

Georgia is accused of the murd3er of her younger adoptive sister. Sent to a psychiatric ward, she only had one ace left in her sleeve, her twin sister Amanda, who has no idea of her existence.

I am really torn about this one. If it wasn’t written by one of my autobuy authors, I’d dnf:ed this in a heartbeat. Why?
The cardinal sin of POV’s: second person POV! There’s honestly nothing I hate more than that. Half of the book is written in it and yeah I can’t say I enjoyed Georgia’s part for the most of it. I see no point in using this, it confuses me. Who is the you, you’re talking to? Yourself, someone else? Ugh. But I powered through.

The description of the ward is not very realistic, the word ward itself is outdated, unit is more commonly used. I think the whole setting was mostly for theatrical purposes, which she doesn’t need! But I can look beyond such things of the story is interesting enough. I can forgive many things for a good story.

This unfortunately was just your basic thriller. I read it in under 24 hours, it was easy to read and the story had its perks. I love a good twin trope.

This book has no business being so good!!! I absolutely loved last years release “the house of glass” so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it asap! And can we take a minute to appreciate the gorgeous book cover?! My favourite blue with such ominous imagery.

After reading this book I officially want to find out I have a long lost twin and feel the immediate connection zap into place like an electric shock and feel tethered to another human just like our main characters experienced here. How amazing would that be to have an instant connection with somebody, stranger or no?!

I spent the entire book believing she did it (iykyk) and I was fully prepared to back her up anyway. I really liked both of the main characters it was sooo interested to have their POV alternate between chapters, seeing how different events played out inside and outside of the psych ward all whilst getting an insight to the emotions and sensations that connected them.

I enjoyed Mandy’s investigative work and how each character connected to Annabelle seemed to have a reason to dislike her which could bring forth multiple motives making me doubt my initial beliefs.

This book was an absolute blast thank you to St Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for the EARC!

Definitely one to read, publish date: august 5th 2025

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Locked Ward. I can count on Sarah Pekkanen for a good, solid thriller and this one definitely fits the bill. Story full of secrets and truths slowly exposed.

Thank you so much NetGalley & St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this story in advance! (it was such a blast!!)
The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is going to be released on August 5th and this is the perfect thriller for your summer holidays or to get out of a reading slump!
When Georgia Cartwright, the glamorous adopted daughter of a wealthy Southern family, is accused of murdering their biological daughter, it becomes the Crime of the Decade. Locked in a psychiatric institution for violent offenders, Georgia pleads with her estranged twin sister Amanda to help prove her innocence. But as Amanda delves into the family’s dark secrets, she must decide if Georgia is a victim—or a master manipulator leading her into madness.
I loved it! I read it so fast thanks to the short chapters, dual POV, twists and revelations from the beginning. I can't recommend it enough!

This was a fast paced story and I really enjoyed the dual time line with short chapters! It was easy to get hooked. I didn’t particularly love any of the characters and the ending felt a bit rushed/flat.

Absolutely loved this book, I usually don't read something as fast as I have read this one. I could not put it down. I really did not see that ending coming about Anabelle. That took me by surprise. Threw me for another one when the other sister got put in the ward too. That's the kind of books I love though.

I sped through this book and could not put it down! So much family drama, secrets and twists. I will be recommending this book this year once it releases.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press for the copy of The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen. I loved the premise and was looking forward to figuring out what Amanda and Georgia were all about. This book didn’t draw me in like I had expected and I disliked Georgia’s chapters being written in the second person, because it was distracting. The story ended up being good, but there were no real surprises, except maybe the very end. Unfortunately, that reveal was lackluster and didn’

This was twisty!! If you're a fan of suspense and unpredictable storylines, you'll love this! I thought I'd guessed the ending but I was totally wrong- love when that happens!

3.5 stars. I had really high hopes for this after enjoying Sarah Pekkanen’s previous novels, and I enjoyed it but the ending just fell a little flat to me. I wouldn’t consider the twist to be jaw-dropping or even eyebrow-raising but I still enjoyed the story, found myself engaged throughout and thought everything wrapped up well in the end.

Thank you to: St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for this ARC ebook by Sarah Pekkanen

Release date is set for: August 5, 2025

This is the story of two woman, who are twins & who didnt know about each other growing up.
One has been sent away for murder & is in a psychiatric ward & the other is doing her own detective work to uncover what happened.

This is told from multiple POV's & goes from one to the other, seemlessly.

This book is a quick read with short chapters, which I appreciate.💕

This is my first book by this author & I am excited for more. I recommend this book if you like fast paced thrillers.

Once again, thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for this advance ebook copy.

#StMartinsPress #NetGalley #TheLockedWard

This was a quick read. Intriguing and mysterious…secrets and red herrings…this page turner was difficult to put down…thanks Netgalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 Star Read!!
Rarely do I give out five star reviews, but this book had me hooked from the start. I appreciated the intentional character development and the duel perspective kept me engaged and looking for more—I had a hard time putting the book down. The twists were calculated and really well done and I appreciate when they are realistic, yet surprising and The Locked Ward gave just that, and did it well. Georgia, Annabelle, and Amanda have a special place in my heart. Very grateful to have been given a ARC—Looking forward to release date to get my hands on a paper copy!

Wow. I was captivated by this book from the very first page. It was such a page turner. And I couldn't put it down until I got to the end. I had to know what happened and how it turned out. Five stars without hesitation!

Georgia Cartwright once lived a privileged lifestyle. The name Cartwright held clout. After being accused of murdering her sister Annabelle Georgia finds herself stuck in a psyche ward. Her only means of escaping the death penalty is to ask her sister Amanda for help.
…
Georgia recently found out she has a twin sister. Before she could meet her the murder of Annabelle happened. Now she resides in a high security psyche ward. Meeting Amanda for the first time wasn’t suppose to take place in a psyche ward, but she’s desperate to clear her name.
…
Mandy never knew she had a twin sister. Her adoptive parents never mentioned it. Mandy wants to learn everything she can about her sister Georgia.
…
Sarah Pekkanen writes an intriguing story about female fraternal twins who were not aware they were sisters for over thirty years. Pekkanen gives readers pieces of the truth serving them on a platter of stories that Mandy unfolds all the while Georgia knows the truth but is unable to tell her sister for the place she is in is heavily guarded. Told in dual points of view between Georgia and Mandy It’s tantalizing and thrilling discovering the truth about their separation. Fast-paced stories of this sort gives off an energy of mystery and wonder keeping the reader locked within the pages.

I am such a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen. Her books are always twisty and well thought out. The Locked Ward had secrets and betrayal and exciting surprising moments. Despite the murder and mayhem, the bond of sisterhood that was displayed was very special.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: August 05, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

I loved House of Glass and Gone Tonight and when I saw that Sarah had a new one coming up and I was given the opportunity to read it I knew I was going to be in for yet another fast paced ride!

If you love a fast paced thriller, a dark psychological thriller at that that has all the punches this is your book. We have multiple POV and different timelines which flowed smooth and flawless ( i never got lost in transition ). We have many secrets, lots of what’s happening moments and when you think you know, you get thrown through a twist and back into the ride.

This book will have you gripping and guess to the last page. I loved this 100% and can’t wait for more to come out from Sarah. Hurry and put this on your TBR for its August 5th release! Thank me later.

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well St. Martins Press

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Fast paced, Secrets, Twisty, Dark, Multiple POV, Multiple Timelines, Psychological Thriller

One sister accused of murder calls on her “long-lost” twin to help prove her innocence.

This was a fast-paced, easy read, but I never fully cared for any of the characters. Wasn’t surprised by the twists - it felt very formulaic and obvious. But it did keep me invested and wasn’t inherently ruined by the ending (which so often happens with thrillers). So this was just a middle of the road for me.

Thankful to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.