3.75 stars

I love Sarah's writing and Glass House was one of my favorite reads last year. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the story between 2 sisters that find out they are separated at birth. One sister is on a psych ward pending trial for the murder of her other sister and her twin is trying to find out how to help her. This was beautifully written and had me from the very beginning. There were a few storylines that I wish we got closure on and for that reason it was rated 3.75 stars. Would definitely recommend this book.

Mandy is busy running the bar she inherited from her parents when she gets a call from a defense attorney - her twin sister has been accused of murder and is being held in a psychiatric institution. This is the first Mandy has heard of a twin, Georgia, but she's instantly curious about this woman and she crime she claims she didn't commit. Mandy is quickly sucked into a world of the rich and powerful where nothing is quite as it seems. The closer she gets to her twin's secrets, the more danger she is in. Meanwhile, Georgia is fighting to stay sane and safe inside the locked ward where no one is ever really safe.

The Locked Ward was intensely readable and both Mandy and Georgia were so interesting. Georgia's chapters are told in second person which made them a little jarring and was perfect during her time in the locked ward. There were just enough red herrings and side mysteries to keep me guessing without weighing down the plot and I had such a good time trying to untangle everything. This is going to be the perfect summer thriller!

Once again, Sarah Pekkanen does not disappoint.

Did the wrong person get locked up or is Mandy’s newly discovered twin playing her? Told from both Georgia and Mandy’s point of view, you uncover what happened the night of Annabelle’s murder.

This book held my attention the whole time and had me guessing whodunnit until the end.

"𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆. 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕? 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒓? 𝒀𝒆𝒔. 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔? 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒓, 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖? 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆. 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒓. 𝑰𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕, 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕. 𝑳𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓."

Special thanks you to @victoriahelenstone for the #gifted eARC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

FIVE FREAKING STARS!!!!
Cmon peeps, this book is phenomenal!

Could you imagine being thoroughly embarrassed by something someone made you do, and you're only 5? Then realize everyone hates you for recanting 2 years later so for the rest of your life you live in mumtiple lies so no one knows the real you?!
Well that's what Elizabeth May had to endure and it's sets the tone with her being fed misinformation during the Satanic Panic that now haunts her dreams.
But can she run far enough away? Or does someone know, and want to make her pay?

This is such a suspenseful read. Following the many personas of Elizabeth as she runs from someone trying to take her down.
I remember hearing about the Satanic Panic but I was pretty young when that went down. That setting makes for such a great story which evolves into a cat and mouse chase for the truth. Not too many suspects which makes this for an even eerily great read.

The end has me gasping, biting my nails, and hoping. The last 20% is a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down.
As soon as i finished i was like oh em gee this was so good but holy shit this is so real!

I was like wait, hold on , she what?! The endingggggg omg my jaw dropped when the door opened.

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
June 1, 2025

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ What's the last lie you told?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller #baldfacedliar #victoriahelenstone #lakeunionpublishing
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Pekkanen tells the story of Georgia, a young woman locked in a mental hospital. She is charged with the murder of her sister Annabelle. She enlists the help of her other sister, her twin, Mandy. Only problem is that Mandy doesn’t know Georgia exists.

The story is told in the POVs of Mandy and Georgia, with Georgia’s POV being second person. I’m not sure why because that didn’t really add anything for me. The chapters are short, which helps with pacing and attention span. There are some parts of the story that didn’t really add anything and left me wondering what the point was of adding them to the plot. I’ve enjoyed other books by the author, but this book wasn’t my favorite. The plot had potential, but fell short. In my opinion, the characters were flat and left me desiring more.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A fast-paced thriller filled with unreliable characters that will leave you wondering who to trust. The book flips between two POVs with have the book taking place in a psychiatric ward creating an eerie setting that will instantly grip you. I was hoping hoping for a little more from the final twists, but this was a very fun read that's incredibly hard to put down.

Just the title THE LOCKED WARD had me saying yes and then saw it was author Sarah Pekkanen and it was a hell yes!
Unreliable characters are my favorite and this book is full of them! Plus, seperated twins, murder, rich folks acting badly and a Locked Psych Ward, with it own cast of characters! What else do you need? Twisty, fast paced, a lot of moments of , "wait a minute..." did that just happen?
I read it in two sittings and the ending *chefs kiss" 💋
Excellent! 5 stars.

This is quite simply Sarah Pekkanen at her best! The fast pace, the family dynamics, and the jaw dropping ending made this book absolute perfection. Thank you Sarah Pekkanen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of The Locked Ward.

I was so excited to get my hands on this one! The story had my mind going from the beginning trying to figure out the family dynamics on both sides, the who dunnit, and Georgia and Mandy and how they fit in to everything. However I did not like Georgia's pov written in 2nd person. I found that to be really annoying and kept thinking there had to be a reason for it. I figured out the murder and everything with the family. And was somewhat disappointed with the ending. I was expecting more twists or something and didn't get that. Overall though, I still enjoyed the book and am thankful for the opportunity to read it.

I felt like this book started just a tad slow and then really picked up once you had all the info. You follow these two different girls from two different worlds as they collide and things begin to unravel. It’s a twisty tale with lots of details to consider. I liked the final twist. It wasn’t a too 10 mystery but it was still good. You get two completely different personalities and a timeline that switches from past to future and person to person. It’ll definitely keep your attention.

Wow!!!!! This book had twist and turn after twist and turn. The Locked Ward completely shattered my reading slump — I couldn’t put it down once I started! Sarah Pekkanen delivers a fast-paced, gripping thriller that hooks you from the very first chapter and never lets go.

The short chapters made it nearly impossible to stop; “just one more” quickly turned into flying through the pages deep into the night. The psychological tension, the eerie setting, and the mind-boggling reveals kept me guessing the entire time. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist hit me out of nowhere.

If you love thrillers that mess with your mind and keep you on the edge of your seat, this is a MUST READ. I’m still reeling from the ending — in the best way possible. Bravo, Sarah Pekkanen!

A twisty and fun story. I love when I don’t figure out the final twist and I didn’t here! It wasn’t my favorite by this author, but I enjoyed it.

There were a few problems I had with the plot. Some things just did not make sense. I think the idea was good, and I liked the twist, but I didn’t enjoy much until the last 20%. The whole “twin connection” thing being repeated so much felt frustrating. Some side characters or plot lines were unnecessary (such as Josh in the ward). Overall, wouldn’t recommend. There were also errors that hopefully get fixed before it publishes.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Did Georgia finally snap and murder her entitled and adored little sister? The evidence is quickly piling up against her, but Georgia knows how to survive intense sibling rivalry and has an ace up her sleeve that her adoptive mother doesn't know about. While being held in a psychiatric ward pending her evaluation for competency to stand trial, Georgia plays the mute traumatized daughter but knows that the only one who might be willing to help her is her long-lost twin sister. Split up at birth, Georgia and Amanda have lived very different lives, each one believing that they were a single at birth. It is only when Georgia is accused of murder that the P.I. she hires discovers the truth. Will Amanda (Mandy) be willing to lose everything to help a twin she's never known? Exactly how politically connected is Georgia's family and to what lengths will they go to protect their family secrets?
Told in alternating chapters between Georgia and Mandy, the author gives readers insight into how these two women developed into the people they are today. As the days to her competency hearing draw closer, Georgia's story becomes more intense. "Trust no one" is the advice she gives to Mandy, but fails to follow her own advice placing her surely on death row. Readers will struggle along with Mandy as she tries to figure out the relationship between the two families and why they were split at birth, realizing that although Georgia comes from a family of wealth and power, Mandy is not a helpless character who has her own resources.
Be sure to set aside some time to read this in one sitting....you won't want to put it down! Here's hoping that the twins story will continue as they have some unfinished business to attend to.....

I loved this authors last title, House of Glass, and was looking forward to this one!

Georgia is in a “locked ward” for the murder of her sister Annabelle. She requests a visit from her twin sister, Mandy, only Mandy didn’t know she had a twin.

Plenty of plot twists and suspense.. but also a lot of unnecessary characters who don’t further the plot in anyway. Alternating POVs make the plot hard to follow at times.

A decent read, but I didn’t find it as captivating as some of her other work.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC. While I normally love this author, this one didn’t resonate for me at all. It was an incredibly quick read that I basically read in one sitting but it was written as if it was one train of thought and I basically did not care what happened.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are likeable and the story is engaging and has a few twists !!!
Thank you to the author , Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just binged this one. I love how those author writes, it doesn't matter the theme it's always tense, captivating, page-turning, and with great twists. This one was a bit mean but also a great read for siblings who understand what it is to have a twin.
I loved that we had the different POVs of both twins. I was always fearing but also doubting my certainties.
I need to collect and read the previous books I haven't read.

Thank you so much publisher and netgalley for the early access.

This was a great read! Dual perspectives, short chapters, edge of your seat story. The ending was really abrupt, but I did not see the twist coming, so it was all that more enjoyable!

Amanda has no idea she has a twin—until her twin is arrested for the murder of her adopted sister. When Georgia reaches out to her from the psychological hospital where she has been incarcerated since the murder, Amanda cannot resist meeting the twin she didn’t know she had—but whose existence explains so much about herself.

Georgia has been pretending to be in a catatonic state since the murder, trying to buy time to figure out what really happened to Annabelle. She is convinced that Amanda—the sister she had tracked down through a private investigator—is the only person who could help. But would Amanda agree?

To get to the bottom of this tragic crime, Amanda has to immerse herself in Georgia’s upper class world—while maintaining the bar she inherited from her parents. She cannot believe her beloved parents never revealed that she was a twin. Why did they keep it a secret? Unfortunately she cannot ask them.

This is a both an absorbing mystery and a fascinating story about the bond of twins, and sisters in general. The story is told alternatively by Georgia and Amanda. The only thing that keeps this from being 5 stars for me is the use of the 2nd person in Georgia’s chapters.