I really enjoyed this book. I literally just stayed up all night finishing it. Every chapter seemed to end knowing that something big was coming and I just couldn't find a place to stop - so I just kept going. I liked Georgia and wonder how hard it would have been for her to maintain her character in the ward. I really like this author and was so excited to read this book. I can't wait to see what she does next.

This one hooked me from the start. It’s a compelling psychological thriller that also explores the complexities of sisterhood. Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, is accused of killing the biological daughter of her wealthy, Southern family. She is locked in a psychiatric institution where the most violent offenders are held while she awaits trial.

I thought it was really powerful how Pekkanen illustrated the impact that power and wealth can have on the outcome of events. This was a good one that I definitely recommend checking out!!

The idea of this book was better than the reality. I was looking forward to reading this and it kind of fell flat. It was ok, but lacked enough character development, especially with the twin protagonists. Quick read but mostly just to finish i think.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC! Georgia is locked in a psychiatric ward acting semi catatonic awaiting trial for killing her sister, Annabelle. The other is to reach out to her twin sister Amanda, who she just learned existed.

Amanda also known as Mandy must unravel how she and her sister were separated at birth and whether Georgia is truly innocent of the crime she is accused of. Did she kill her other sister or was she framed?
Will Mandy figure out who killed Annabelle and save Georgia?

Overall I enjoyed the short chapters that switched POVs from Georgia to Mandy. I found this book hard to get through though. For some reason I wasn’t invested. I stuck it out til the very end and there were decent twists and turns it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Sarah Pekkanen is a great writer and knows how to tell a story. I really enjoyed the fast pacing and the action packed story. The chapter were short, and made it easier to get into. The setting was interesting and having multiple points of views. There wording and tone was tense and dark, and it kept it super interesting. I did think that some of the book got repetitive and was a little longer than it needed to be, but overall the twists at the end made the book super fun and entertaining.

Adopted at birth, Georgia Cartwright is being held in a psychiatric institution for the murder of her sister. Desperate for help to prove her innocence, she reaches out to her estranged twin sister, Mandy. Cautious of the person in front of her but desperate for a connection, Mandy agrees to help, unknowingly setting herself on a dangerous path of deceit.

As a person who loves weird facts and information, I loved that this explored the idea of the connection twins have with each other, whether they grew up as siblings or as strangers. While some of this story is a little out there, it is fiction after all, it made it more intriguing to me personally. It was a "just one more chapter" kind of read with its short chapters and dual perspectives. The scenes in the hospital were dread inducing, and the scenes outside the hospital were full of paranoia and suspicion. This was a quick read that still maintained complexity, not just with its two main characters but with the story itself, revealing layer after layer of the truth towards the end. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I have enjoyed every book I’ve read by Sarah Pekkanen, so I was excited for The Locked Ward. It started out strong, as we heard from the perspectives of Georgia and Mandy, twin sisters who just found out about each other’s existence. Georgia, currently in a locked ward in the hospital has been accused of killing her other sister Annabelle. She needs Mandy’s help to clear her name and get her out.

The story moved along really well and built a ton of suspense for me. I kept waiting for a big, shocking reveal but nothing ever came. I was majorly disappointed by the end of this book, it really felt like a let down. I think the author could’ve taken the story in a few different directions but it seems like the easiest route won.

One day you’re an only child and the next you get a call from a lawyer and find you have a twin sister who is locked in a psych ward for murdering her sister.

The book is a quick read since you want to see what Amanda is going to do next. Is she going to help her sister she just found out about or walk away. You will have to read this book and find out :)

This may not be my favorite from this author but still a very good book and I’m thankful to have been given the opportunity to read an early release.

Imagine finding out you have a twin sister. Imagine that sister has been charged with murder. Imagine that sister is now being held at a psychiatric hospital and the only person that can help her is you. Mandy now has to decide does she help the sister she's never met or walk away? Obviously, she is intrigued so the investigation begins!

Sarah Pekkanen Is always a must read for me and The Locked Ward was another twisty thriller that did not disappoint. The Locked Ward has quick chapters that draw you in, characters you become invested in and a solid plot. 3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Give me a Sarah Pekkanen book any day and I'm.in

This book is highlights difficult family dynamics and family trauma while keeping you guessing throughout each chapter. The main character must fight for her release from the locked ward and prove her innocence. However, she gets more information than she bargains for.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, as I have every book from this author. At first, I did not like the female main character of course, but she had good character development as the story went on. I began to feel more sorry for her and her situation. By the end of the book, I thought I had it figured out but there was yet another twist. The writing style makes it easy to sit down and read quickly and will end up on your favorites shelf when you finish.

Sometimes what you truly need, deep down, is a fun little thriller with asshole characters who you don't particularly care for and enough plot holes to make you stop caring. And this is what The Locked Ward was. Despite the aforementioned plot holes and annoying characters, I could not put this book down and I devoured it in 2 days. That says more than any of my nonsense.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the arc!

Nothing is what it seems! Easy to read, quick chapters that flip between two main characters, Georgia and Mandy. Great complexity, full of drama, which makes it like a soap opera. Good twists that are a little predictable, but ultimately, no one is innocent.

Well-written with a fantastic plot, I really enjoyed this book. The development of the characters and their different lives is well done and well served by the alternating POV chapters. The family dynamics and time in the ward have some dark parts, as expected, but overall the book maintains a fast pace and intriguing plot as we try to figure out what in the world is going on. I always appreciate twists that are truly surprising, and this book has a few.

Another awesome read from Sarah Pekkanen!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

This one was just okay for me. As a thriller, it had an intriguing setup, but a few elements didn’t land. I found the shifting points of view especially the mix of first and second person distracting and hard to connect with. What really didn’t work for me, though, were the stereotypical portrayals of the locked psych ward setting.

As a behavioral health professional, I tend to be more critical of how mental health facilities and patients are depicted, and this portrayal felt exaggerated and not very grounded in reality. While the story had potential, the execution and narrative style ultimately fell flat for me.

This was a solid thriller and I love Sarah's writing! It was so captivating and entertaining, and I would definitely recommend.

3.5-4 stars

What to expect in this book:

-Psychological thriller
-Dual POV
-Complicated family dynamics
-Sisterhood and secrets
-Entertaining

Thoughts

This author is one of my favorites for psychological thrillers and her newest is entertaining and packed with tension and intrigue. Adopted child to a wealthy Southern family, Georgia Cartwright is accused of murdering her younger sister, Annabelle, on the eve of her birthday. Georgia is now locked in a psychiatric ward where many violent patients are held as she awaits trial. While in the ward, she makes contact with her estranged twin sister, Mandy, and seeks to get out with her sister's help. Alternating between Georgia and Mandy's point of view, this book explores the impact of family secrets, lies, and what happens when people are pushed to their breaking points.

I have read and loved everything by this author and her co-author on other books, Greer Hendricks. House of Glass was one of my favorite thrillers of 2024. While I do feel like this book continued to grab me the whole time I read it, I do not feel that it is as strong as some of her previous works. This felt more like a Frieda McFadden book in the sense of being super compulsive and entertaining, but lacking in certain areas. Some people might call this a more "popcorn thriller." Which, I do love every now and then. This was a solid read until the end for me, but I just found the end to kind of take away from the whole story (which was maybe the point?). Basically what we learn in the last paragraph makes you question the whole book you read. I would love to know more of the author's thoughts on this.

Overall, I recommend to lovers of psychological thrillers, but I recommend her others more, namely House of Glass. Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance copy. This book publishes in August.

I really enjoyed reading this book and could not put it down! I finished it so quickly because I had to know what happened next. The book has complex characters with multiple points of view. The story line kept me engaged and guessing. I didn’t see the end twist coming at all and throughly enjoyed the book!

I didn’t realize that this author also wrote Throne of Glass which has been on my TBR for a while so I will be reading that one soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Sarah Pekkanen is one of my favorite authors, but I couldn’t wait to move on from this book. I won’t recap what you can read in the book description on Amazon. The very wealthy Georgia Chapman wakes up in the locked psychiatric unit of a general hospital. She is accused of murdering her sister Annabelle. She won’t talk to anyone and is only in the hospital instead of prison because some strings have been pulled. She claims she is innocent and there is only one person who can help her: her twin sister Amanda. What? She has a twin sister? Isn’t she dead? No, Annabelle isn’t her twin. Georgia and Amanda who goes by Mandy were adopted by different families at birth. Mandy has no idea she has a twin sister, but is intrigued enough to meet Georgia. Mandy had very loving parents. Georgia’s parents are wealthy and run in a circle of wealthy and influential people. Mandy is drawn in, but she is battling her own demons and Georgia is not always forthcoming even with her freedom at stake.

The book is a quick read. It is told in alternating Georgia/Mandy voice and fortunately they do not repeat the same story which moves the book along. Unfortunately, it is full of stereotypes, holes and leaps of faith. I also found the entire psychiatric unit description to be something out of the 1960’s and TV shows. Patients assaulting other patients repeatedly with no real action taken? Staff locked away with patients unable to reach them? Staff so evil they put patient’s lives at risk? Staff so inept they can’t properly diagnose patients? Even with special treatment Georgia would have been in the psych unit of a prison.

I was so disappointed in this book. The ending was a treat, but where did that come from?

I am a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen -author of ““The Wife Between Us”, “The Golden Couple”, “House of Glass” and more. So I was excited to be approved for the ARC of her newest book- ““The Locked Ward”.
This book is jumps between the perspectives of twins, Georgia and Mandy. Georgia is locked in a psychiatric ward for the murder of her sister. She has no one to help her prove her innocence and turns to her estranged twin Mandy. Mandy didn’t know Georgia existed until recently and isn’t sure if she even believes she is innocent. Twin
bonds are strong, but are they strong enough to help Georgia leave the locked door of the psych ward? Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this ARC. This book will be published in early August.

The Locked Ward has an intriguing setup and explores some compelling psychological themes, but overall it didn’t quite land for me. While the pacing is quick and the premise promising, certain plot points felt too implausible to stay immersed; like Mandy walking into someone’s house after a funeral with barely a second glance?? And the moment where she finds the same book on Georgia’s nightstand and jumps to either a psychic twin bond or an elaborate, staged conspiracy felt especially far-fetched. I just don’t feel like that would have been someone’s immediate thought process in the moment. The story had moments of tension and atmosphere, but the emotional impact didn’t always resonate, and many of the twists felt driven more by coincidence than by believable character choices.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.