I have always loved Sarah Pekkanen books. This one had such promise. It had a great pace, shorter chapters and it also had dual POV (which is a person fave). However, something just didn't click for me. It was good, just not great. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

I loved House of Glass, Gone Tonight and The Perfect Neighbors ... all by Sarah Pekkanen. I was very excited when I got approved from Netgalley and I couldn't wait to dive right in. First of all, I have to say I had a hard time connecting to the characters. I normally LOVE books set in a psych ward but there was something about this one that I just had a hard time getting into. Looking forward to more books by Sarah, I think I was just "off" in this one.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of this and I really enjoyed it! It gives us the dysfunctional family trope and rich people problems—two of my faves!

Georgia was adopted as a baby into a wealthy family. Now, as a young woman, she’s accused of murdering her sister, who was the biological child of her parents, and she’s being held in a locked ward of a hospital with other mentally ill people while she awaits trial.

Amanda owns a bar she inherited when her parents passed away. Her life is interrupted when she receives a notification that she’s actually Georgia’s twin sister, that they were separated at birth, and that she’s the only one who can help Georgia.

Did Georgia really kill her sister? Who can be trusted? What’s really going on in this family? Amanda gets drawn in and, of course, there are plenty of twists and turns along the way.

This one publishes on August 5, 2025. Pick it up and go on a wild ride with Amanda as she tries to figure out who the bad guy is!

Wow!!!!! What a roller coaster ride this one was. I went through every emotion there was throughout the whole book. One minute I was shocked, next minute I was sad and next I was like OMG. The characters are really what made this book great for me. Every character had so many big juicy dark secrets waiting to come out and it was so awesome when they all finally did. I swiped so fast to find out what they were all hiding and why. I really thought my finger was going to fall off from it. Next. Let’s talk plot. I felt like this was a very original idea and that I haven’t read too many books like it. The blurb really jumped out at me because of it and I couldn’t wait to find out more. I didn’t know what or who to believe. Each chapter made me have a different opinion on what was truly going on. Now that brings me to the end. What I thought I knew I really didn’t. I was totally surprised and speechless. There were so many twists and turns that I did not see coming. I have read this author before and loved her style so I just knew I would love this one too. I can’t say enough good things about this author and her books. I can’t wait to read more by her.

When I tell you I squealed when I got my ARC approval for this one, it wouldn't be an exaggeration. Sarah Pekkanen has been on my auto-buy list whenever I see her books in stores ever since I read the first one. This book comes with a very interesting blurb, which drew me in as well. Finding out you have a sister when you're in your thirties and she's been put in the locked ward due to possibly offing her other sister? Count me IN!

I admit this book was a little slow in the beginning for me because I wasn't connecting to Mandy - but I absolutely loved the thrill of Georgia's POV's. I very quickly got engulfed into both storylines and kept turning pages because I needed to know what happened next. I think I finished the last 50% of the book in one sitting! As someone who's read a lot of thrillers, I feel like sometimes it feels easy to predict what's coming next... but with this book, there were so many things that made me go "what if" and in the end I still didn't know it, even though I could have.

This book pulls you in with intrigue in so many ways. There's so much mystery combined with feeling like "what the heck" and "how" around every corner. I was invested and needed to know what was going to happen next!

<i>The Locked Ward publishes August 5th, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Pekkanen, and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own!</i>

Short chapters and dual pov make this a very quick read! A fun beach read thriller that is incredibly hard to put down.

This book revolves around three sisters: a set of twins that are adopted by different families but are unknown to each other, and a third person who is a biological offspring in one of the families. At the onset of the story, this last person is found dead and one of the twins is accused of the murder. The story is an interesting one as it switches back and forth between the two twins as they discover each other and learn more about their circumstances, including why they were raised separately after their birth. Being an adoptive parent myself I was fascinated with the plot points -- which treat the adoption process with some subtlety and respect -- and how the actual circumstances around the third sister's murder is resolved. For thriller fans this novel has a lot going for it, and the various plot twists are described in enough detail to keep your interest and attention. I would urge readers to pay attention near the end of the book to understand these twists and appreciate what the author is trying to tell you. Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved Sarah Pekkanen’s last book, House of Glass, and was so excited for this one. However, I truly think it fell short to what it could have been. The psych ward scenes did feel eerie and interesting, the overall story was somewhat compelling enough to keep me reading, but I just wasn’t interested in the twists like I had hoped to be and I was so annoyed that there were two different POVs but one was told in second person?? One I’d call a decent read overall!

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen falls right into line with her other books for me which is to say, a middle of the road but generally enjoyable thriller. Here we have twin sisters Georgia and Mandy who were seemingly separated at birth. Georgia grew up in a wealthy family with a sister just 4 months younger who was conceived after the adoption was planned. Mandy grew up with two very loving parents who died recently and left her the family bar to run. In the present timeline, Georgia is an inpatient in a locked psychiatric ward after being accused of killing her sister Annabelle. Her only hope left is Mandy, the twin sister she recently found out about, but has yet to meet. Told in the dual viewpoints of Georgia and Mandy, the sisters must do all they can to make sure Georgia doesn't go to prison or stay in the psych ward for life. One big peeve I had was Mandy’s chapters are written in first person and Georgia’s in second person- which didn't quite flow well, though the short chapters did make the book go quickly.

It’s a shock when socialite Georgia Cartwright is arrested for murdering her adopted sister. She’s now in a psychiatric institution for the most violent offenders. Her estranged birth twin has connected with her and it’s up to her to find the truth.

I loved all of this author’s books, but this one was not my favorite. I do not usually enjoy books in mental institutions but ironically those were my favorite parts of this story. Im not sure why I didn’t love this one, it has an interesting storyline. I just did not get a connection with the characters well enough. I still look forward to the next read!

“There is more than one type of death. It just happens more slowly in this place.”

The Locked Ward comes out 8/5.

This was so much fun to read! I enjoyed her previous book, House of Glass, and was so excited to get my hands on this one. There was something about going along with Mandy, one of the 2 POVs (and one of the twin sisters), uncovering the mystery and their fate with each other. If you simply want a fun thriller with some heartfelt moments, you've got it with this one.

Mind you, I've come to expect the type of thriller from her previous book and onto this one. And it was great to devour it all quite quickly. The chapters were short, which helped with my attention span bopping between the two sisters. The more things were revealed, the more I was itching to get to the next reveal. Some were predictable, but I didn't mind it because I knew the type of thriller I was signing up for. No complaints here, this was so amusing to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Three and a half stars rounded up. I enjoyed Sarah Pekkanen’s “House of Glass” so I was excited to read her latest, “The Locked Ward.” Unfortunately, this one slightly missed the mark for me.

Georgia Cartwright is accused of murdering her sister, Annabelle, and has been placed in a mental ward to determine her competency. Georgia was adopted as a newborn by the Cartwrights and four months later her sister was born to Georgia’s adoptive mother. Annabelle was a surprise pregnancy and there’s speculation that Georgia has always been jealous of her sister.

Georgia has asked her public defender to contact Amanda (Mandy) who lives 90 minutes away and runs her family’s bar. It turns out Mandy is the twin sister of Georgia and they were separated as newborns. Georgia wants Mandy to visit her in the mental ward. When she does, Georgia tells her she’s innocent and wants Mandy to help get her out.

This book alternates narrators between Georgia and Mandy. There are a few twists and turns, but it felt like something was missing. Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

DNF. I really liked this author‘s book from last summer, so I was really looking forward to this one. However, The Locked Ward was a little too unrealistic and outlandish for my tastes. I just couldn’t get into it.

Also, this is petty, but the second person point of view in the alternating chapters really kind of grated on me. It was super annoying..

The Locked Ward
By Sarah Pekkanen

Pub Date: 8/5/2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This story follows two women who discover they are twins separated at birth, in split second-person POV. Which was a little confusing.

If I’m being honest, this one was all over the place. Not necessarily in a bad way. Just in a chaotic-psychological thriller type of way. I was wondering when the twist would revel itself the entire time I was reading.

The story was leading me down a path I was sure would lead to the resolution, only to pull the rug out from under me, leaving the possibilities for resolution wide open.

I enjoyed it.

3.5 stars

I read The Wife Between Us a while ago & really enjoyed it so I came into this book with high expectations. It kept me turning the pages & I honestly didn’t see the plot twist coming but when looking back at the hints, it all made sense. I think the author did a really good job setting up this messed up family dynamic & I loved the relationship that formed between Mandy & Georgia.

I’ve read this author before and have thoroughly enjoyed her books, so I was totally excited to be approved for an ARC of this one.

The story follows Georgia, the adopted child of a very rich and prominent family, who has just been committed to a psych ward after being accused of killing her younger sister.

We’re also following Mandy, the adopted child of a working class family, who turns out to be Georgia’s twin. Having recently found out about Mandy, and having no one else she can trust, Georgia reaches out to Mandy to help prove her innocence.

With her parents recently deceased and having no family left, Mandy becomes involved in more than she bargained for. Infidelity, political corruption, and complicated family dynamics coupled with powerful and influential people place Mandy in great danger.

While this book kept my interest, I didn’t love it like I was hoping I would. Parts of the story seemed so random (the college roommate in particular). Parts of the story just ended without conclusion (Collin, Scott). And the ending was… meh.

I did like the short chapters and the different writing perspective for each character.

⭐️ Bingeability - 1⭐️ This was a quick read, with short chapters that held your interest and kept the pages turning.

⭐️ Storyline - 1⭐️ While not a totally unique storyline, it had enough twists to stand apart from others.

⭐️ Writing Style - 1⭐️ I enjoyed the dual narrators.

⭐️ Ending - 1⭐️ All loose ends were tied up nicely, with one little surprise!

⭐️ Recommend? 1⭐️ Yes. I think most thriller readers will enjoy this.

Thank you, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press, for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Georgia Cartwright, who is a very affluent woman from a well-known family, is accused of murdering her sister and she has been put on a psychiatric hold. Her family thinks her guilty, so she tries to reach out to someone outside her circle for help, her estranged sister, Mandy. Family secrets are revealed during her investigation and things become dangerous and she fights the clock for her sister. This was engaging and fast-paced. I read it fairly quickly and the short chapters are always a fan fav. I would recommend for anyone who is a fan of the author or wants an easy psychological thriller or vacation read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have read by her Greer Hendricks and they are all fantastic. This is actually my first solo book by Sarah and it was pretty good.

I really liked the premise and her writing style. The characters were not very likable, but given the socioeconomic status of some of these characters, you're not meant to like them.

Honestly, I felt like the first 65% of the book. Nothing happened. It was a sister on a wild goose chase, somehow coming up with information that also had nothing to do with the murder. It seemed like 65% fluff did I expect the killer to be who it was, no, but it almost felt like a a cop out. There were so many options, I did however like the twists at the end when you find out more about the family tree. That was a good bit to add.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Sarah Pekkanen for this advanced reader copy. What a marvelous book! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I could not put it down. I cannot decide which character I liked best! Grab this for the perfect read at the beach or by the pool.