♡ thank you to St. Martin's Press and Sarah Pekkanen for an ARC of this book via NetGalley ♡

3.5/5 rounded up⭐️

okay this book... you'll be on your toes the entire time. it literally pulls you every which way & you don't know what to believe THE WHOLE TIME. 10/10 suspense & tension!

📖 plot & pace: this is a dual POV story following Mandy and Georgia. Georgia is being accused of murdering her sister, Annabelle, but Georgia swears she's being framed. Georgia asked Mandy (who, by the way, is Georgias twin... except she JUST found this out) for help clearing her name. the story is super juicy with lots of rich people power & secrets!! the pacing was slow at first, i honestly found it hard to get into. it speeds up a bit and the slow burn of it all added to the thrill at the end.

👥 characters: there are so many players in this story.. the sisters, prominent political figures, rich families... and honestly most of them are terrible people HAHA. BUT that just had me rooting for Mandy even more (i came around to Georgia... eventually)

🤩 tropes: unreliable narrator, morally gray characters, secret affairs

this was overall a good read! i'd recommend this to all my thriller besties out there!!

Big fan of Sarah Pekkanen. This book did not disappoint. Excellent story line. Would highly recommend this book

I loved this story - I LOVE a good story with 2 "narrators" and short chapters, flew through this in 24 hours as I NEEDED to know what happened. REALLY enjoyed it!!

Twins separated at birth, reunited when one is accused of murdering her adopted sister, and the other trying to help prove her innocent, set in a sinister, creepy mental hospital - a great premise. Some of the twists and turns are predictable, but overall this is a gripping story well worth reading.

Intense, Thought-Provoking, and Emotionally Charged

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a gripping psychological drama that dives deep into the complexities of mental health, trauma, and trust. Set within the confined, unsettling world of a psychiatric unit, the story is both claustrophobic and compelling, with tension that simmers just beneath the surface.

Pekkanen does an excellent job crafting layered characters, particularly the protagonist, whose vulnerability and resilience drive the narrative forward. The plot is well-paced, with a steady unraveling of secrets that keeps you turning pages. While a few moments leaned into familiar tropes, the emotional depth and ethical questions raised throughout the story elevate it beyond a standard psychological thriller.

A compelling read that lingers in your mind long after the final page.

Amanda, or Mandy to most, was raised by modest parents who loved her and did all they could for her. When they passed away rather suddenly Mandy found herself the new owner of their bar. Georgia was raised by wealthy parents, but she never received much love from them; they were too focused on her sister Annabelle and her happiness. When Annabelle is found murdered at the family estate Georgia finds herself locked in an asylum, accused of the murder. Georgia believes that there is only one person she can trust to help her: her twin sister Amanda, a sister she didn’t even know existed until recently. Can they trust each other? Can they uncover who the real murderer is? Or are they leading each other down a dangerous, possibly deadly, path?

-The Locked Ward is made up of short chapters which alternate perspectives between Amanda and Georgia, which I greatly enjoyed. I liked that I could see things from the perspectives of both characters, allowing me to better understand them and their motives, and the short chapters made for a fast-paced story. The chapters also added to the suspense; many chapters ended in cliffhangers and questions, making the novel hard to put down
-There were some parts of the ending that surprised me, but nothing surprised me quite like the final revelation at the very end…WOW!!!!
-There were a couple of events that seemed to be glossed over or almost forgotten about as the novel progressed.
-I absolutely flew through The Locked Ward; I wanted to know what happened, what would happen, and who the murderer was. While it has a very low reread potential, it was a novel I enjoyed nonetheless.

The Locked Ward, available August 5th, is a fast-paced novel full of mystery and revelations. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for gifting to me an electronic copy of the The Locked Ward, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me an early digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Locked Ward is psychological and will have you evaluating each character's motives to see who is at the bottom of these actions. Filled with internal monologues fighting to stay sane, familial conflict, and real dangers, The Locked Ward is a great book for someone wanting a page turner with very short chapters.
It is a 4 star for me, just because I have read all her other books, and this one was not up to the caliber of her other ones I've enjoyed, such as House of Glass or her partner writes with Greer Hendricks.
That being said, I do recommend this book.

I will read anything Sarah Pekkanen publishes. I still have previous titles I haven't read by her that I need to get on my list. The Locked Ward was another fantastic, suspenseful book that truly had me turning page after page until the story was done. She is a master at suspense and twists. Also, I'm a sucker for anything that's set in a psych hospital or psychiatric ward. No idea why, but that particular setting always seems to make things that much more suspenseful.

Read this one. You won't be disappointed.
Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

With the intriguing cover and premise, I was looking forward to reading this.
Pros: Easy, fast read with incredibly short chapters that alternate between Mandy and Georgia. Always ending in a cliffhanger way that make you want to keep reading. It's somewhat twisty yet not very surprising.
Cons: Felt like yet another rich people are awful storyline. Very slow paced, even with the short chapters it felt boring at times. The story was farfetched and I had difficulty caring about any of the characters.
Middle of the road for my rating since I did want to know what happened.

This is a huge miss, and I would not have finished it if it had not been a NetGalley ARC. Zero engaging narrative and incredibly boring. Skip it.

Sarah Pekkanen is one of my go to writers so I was very happy to receive the ARC of her new upcoming book. Also I had also received an ARC of her other recent book, House of Glass. I thought this book was awesome. So if you read the blurb, Georgia is the adopted daughter of a very influential family with ties to Senator’s etc. But as soon as she is adopted her mother finds out she is pregnant so she really was not thrilled to have adopted her. In any event the biological sister is only a few months younger and their relationship is very difficult but on Annabelle’s 32nd birthday party Georgia is accused of killing Annabelle, hence the locked ward. Now we find out that Georgia has found out she has a twin sister named Amanda but likes to be called Mandy. Mandy receives a call from an attorney who notifies her about this and says Georgia needs to see her. Now Mandy has no clue that she has a twin sister but of course is aware of Georgia’s situation. It has been all over the news Her adoptive parents have passed away so she cannot ask them if she was a twin. But she goes and meets her at the psychiatric ward and it is revealed they are twins. From that point on the story alternates between Georgia and Mandy who Georgia needs Mandy desperately to help prove she did not murder Annabelle The chapters were quick and once I opened this book I could not put it down till the major twist at the end. I thought this book was awesome. I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and I want to thank them for this ARC. If you like psychological thrillers with twists and turns then when it becomes available you should read it or try and request an ARC from NetGalley. No spoilers here.

This book included all my favorite components: mental health and psychological twists, mystery, suspense. It had me wrapped in from the start and I read it in 3 evenings. I highly recommend this author and the book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. I felt like there were some unanswered questions at the end and maybe that was a setup for book 2? Anyhow, I give this book 5 stars.

Sarah Pekkanen knows how to deliver a thriller! Just like in “House of Glass,” her characters in “The Locked Ward” are interesting and complex, and the pacing keeps you engaged and on the edge of your seat. I was disappointed that a couple of plot points weren’t fully explained and the ending, although satisfying, felt rushed. Overall, though, I highly recommend this if you like suspenseful thrillers.

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

Wow!!! I just finished reading THE LOCKED WARD by Sarah Pekkanen, and all I want to do is google her other books so I can read them immediately. This book had everything I love in a great suspense thriller… just enough hints, a few red herrings, and fantastic writing. I loved it.

I liked how the narrator voice alternated chapters between Georgia and Amanda. It allowed the reader to really take a nice peek into the mind of both MCs. I did find it a tiny bit odd how Georgia’s chapters were in 2nd person pov (using “you” instead of “I”.”) I also wish there hadn’t been QUITE as many clues to what I think was supposed to be a big reveal in the last chapter regarding Amanda’s past.

But despite those small criticisms, I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in a day. If you like smart strong female MCs, and twisty plots… The Locked Ward definitely should be on your TBR list.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Release Date Aug 5, 2025

Thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book.

I normally don’t go for thrillers too often but the idea of a girl locked up in a psych ward for the murder of her sister and her long lost twin sister having to uncover the real killer was too good to pass up.

I really enjoyed this story and the secrets we unfolded throughout. The whole book had a slightly spooky feel like someone was always watching over your shoulder similar to what the characters were experiencing. I do think there could have been one or two more big family secrets or that the ending could have had a more drawn out explanation, but I did not predict the ending so I was happy with that. There was a few loose ends that could have been addressed and I would’ve liked a little more detail in the last 20% of the book. A bomb was dropped on us at the very end so I’m wondering if we’ll see more from Mandy and Georgia or if that was just to shock the readers. This was my first book by this author and I’ll definitely be picking up more of her books in the future.

I loved this book. It was a mysterious yet suspense filled story. I will be recommending this to all of my fellow readers. It's an awesome read! It would be terrific for book club!

Exceptionally good novel with suspense and surprises galore. Easy to read, impossible to put down. Move to the top of your TBR list.

⭐️: 4.5/5

Imagine you were adopted and always believed you were an only child. One day, while watching the news, you see a segment about a woman who has killed her own sister. Suddenly, there’s a knock on your door, and a lawyer informs you that his client, the “murderer,” wishes to speak with you. It turns out she is your twin sister, from whom you were separated at birth.

The Locked Ward is a gripping story featuring complex characters intricately woven into a web of family secrets. It is dark, emotional, and filled with unhinged family dynamics.

This was one of the twistiest books I’ve read in a while. Describing it as a psychological thriller would be an understatement. The short chapters made it nearly impossible to set down.

The ending was perfect; I never would have seen it coming. I was left with my mind blown and questioning my own sanity. 🤯


✨Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

It ended and I feel lost. Another brilliant book that meets my high expectations! I would give it more stars if I could. The story is a true page turning thriller.

What would happen if you were put into the Locked Ward? You know how they say the walls have ears? Well it is true here. Trust nobody and do not trust your own eyes. People tells stories and they change your actual memory.. The last 10% got me good. No spoilers but Patty was the one who bothered me big time
Bravo bravo

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. This is my first book from Sarah Pekkannen and I really enjoyed reading the story. I found the story very intriguing. I wanted to keep reading to found out who murderer was. I thought this story had good twisted and turns to it. I will say the actual writing was different (from the two main characters point of view), in that one twin spoke in first person, while the other twin spoke in second person.