Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook.

5 out of 5 stars! This was another great mystery/thriller novel from Sarah Pekkanen. The Locked Ward is a dual-narrated story of twin sisters separated at birth. Georgia, who was adopted by a wealthy Southern family has just been accused of killing her sister and is currently locked in a psychiatric institution. With no one else to turn to, she reaches out to her twin sister, Amanda, to help clear her name. Amanda on the other hand, has just been made aware of Georgia's existence and must decide whether or not to help her.

The dual narration added a lot to the story. Georgia' narration was told in first person while Amanda's was told in third-person, which helped differential the two points of view and avoided any confusion as there was only one narrator. That being said, I always enjoy audiobooks narrated by January LaVoy. She has a very calming, soothing tone of voice and I feel that this helps to elevate the story even further.

What I also like about this novel (similar to previous books written by Sarah Pekkanen) is that the plot did not drag at all. I was invested in the story from start to finished and I find that lately, I have been very drawn to novels that celebrate the sisterhood of women and how we help each other out, no matter what.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Sarah Pekkanen
with the audiobook narrated by January LaVoy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Georgia was adopted by a wealthy Southern family as a newborn. She's now in a locked psychiatric ward awaiting trial, accused of killing Annabelle, the biological daughter of that family. Georgia has her lawyer contact Mandy, her biological twin sister, though they have never met before. Georgia tells Mandy that she didn't kill Annabelle and she needs her help to get her out. Mandy doesn't know who or what to believe.

Told in short chapters from each sister's POV, this book drew me in right from the start. Neither narrator is completely reliable and you'll wonder just who or what you can believe. The twins seem to have a mysterious connection, and Mandy feels compelled to investigate Georgia's story. It's also interesting to see how differently the twins were raised - Georgia being raised by a wealthy family seemed to have gotten the better part of the bargain, but did she? The psychiatric ward was a creepy, scary place and I couldn't wait to see how all this was going to work out - and I wasn't disappointed. January LaVoy once again was fabulous, completely capturing both women's personalities perfectly. I couldn't stop listening!

This book was involving and kept me listening. I enjoyed the characters and the story. Both the sister dynamic and the who done it aspect made the listener want to keep going to find out what was going on. Wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of the main character! Well worth a listen.

Okay, this one? Creeped me out in the best way possible. From the moment the narration starts, the atmosphere wraps around you like a cold breath in a dark hallway. The pacing, the eeriness, the slow unraveling of what’s really happening in the locked psych ward—it’s addictive. You keep thinking you know what’s going on. You don’t.

Sarah Pekkanen crafts a chilling, intelligent psychological thriller that tiptoes right along the edge of madness, truth, and manipulation. The dual perspectives (and the flawless performances by all three narrators) really heighten the tension. Each voice adds depth and realism, making it feel like you're watching everything unfold from the inside. It’s unsettling in the best way.

And listen, if you’re into stories with twists that slap, unreliable narrators, and settings that feel claustrophobic and haunting—this one is 100% for you.

✨ ARC Review – Thank you to the publisher, author Sarah Pekkanen, and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy! ✨

Sarah Pekkanen is back with her always engrossing brand of twisty mystery that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of roundabouts and unexpected turns in her newest novel, The Locked Ward. Georgia Cartwright, the privileged adopted daughter of the famously wealthy Cartwrights, is accused of killing her sister, Annabelle, the biological Cartwright daughter. The motive? Jealousy. There were all of those times, after all, that Georgia showed her ugly, mean side and tried to hurt Annabelle. Or were there? Regardless, Georgia is the one in the locked hospital ward, believing herself to be safe from the very powerful man who now wants her dead. But Georgia isn’t safe at all. The locked ward has its own dangers with no escape.

But Georgia does have an ace up her sleeve in the form of Amanda–Mandy–Ravenel, her twin who’s just been discovered by a private investigator. Mandy, needless to say, is shocked to learn of her connection to Georgia. And then she’s intrigued and angry at her beloved parents who omitted information from her upbringing. Unfortunately, now they’re both dead and they can’t explain any of their motivations to her.

When I say The Locked Ward is a novel full of twists, I am not kidding. Just as you begin to accept something as being truthful, you discover that it isn’t or that elements are not quite as straightforward as you may have thought.

The characters are equally as intriguing with their own idiosyncrasies and twists. I admit that Pekkanen fooled me several times with unexpected revelations. Were the clues there? Yes, in retrospect. I do love that no one was as they seemed. This left the door open for for all of the twisty mystery–my favorite kind.

January LaVoy was an outstanding narrator, bringing vocal definition to both Georgia and Mandy as well as the entire range of characters. She brought drama to the reading at the right time. An excellent narration that provided an enjoyable, engrossing listen.

The Locked Ward will be published on August 5th, just in time to throw it in your bag for some last minute beach reading.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio. St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and enjoy this book.

I have read other books by Sarah Pekkanen and enjoyed them so when I saw this was available to read I grabbed it so quick and a psych unit to boot yes please. This started off as a murder mystery then turned a bit thriller ish. I enjoyed both of our main characters, I liked that they were so different yet so much the same and sometimes without knowing it. My issue was I was picturing them as identical and couldn’t figure out how no one could tell haha. The reason and the how the twins ended up separated was not was I had anticipated either. The story proves that even if you have all the money in the world you aren’t necessarily happy or living the perfect life.
I do feel bad for Georgina, even though I wasn’t sure she was telling by the truth. But to really never feel loved is a sad life. But good for her for trying to separate herself and make a for herself. Amanda had a great life and felt loved, she was just surprised with how she ended up with her parents. I enjoyed the narrators voice, it was easy to listen to.
I would recommend this read the mystery thriller readers.

Clear your schedule before picking this one up—you won’t be able to stop! The Locked Ward is a shocking psychological thriller packed with fast-paced chapters, jaw-dropping twists, and dual POVs that keep you questioning everything.

I was hooked from page one and read the entire book in a single day. That ending? Still thinking about it. Sarah Pekkanen always delivers, and this might be one of her most intense yet.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by @januarylavoy, and she was phenomenal. Her voice brought the suspense and tension to life, making the experience even more gripping.

If you love thrillers that keep you up way too late and leave you gasping at every turn—this one’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. It slowed done for a tiny bit in the middle, but I was hooked from start to finish. I did not see the ending coming. The premise of this book is unlike anything I have read before and the plot kept me guessing. There's something about a long lost twin that just doesn't ever set well from the start.

This was a really engaging and entertaining book! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I read the book. The multiple POV helped keep the book suspenseful but there were also some twists that I never saw coming! Georgia and Amanda’s experiences throughout the story were so vastly different from each other but they were both going through so many harrowing situations. I alternated between the book and audiobook and I’ve got to say, the audiobook was phenomenal. Narrator @saskiaaudio is one of my favorites so I was thrilled to hear her narrate all the characters!

WOW!!!
If you do NOT have this on your TBR list, please stop what you are doing and add it right now!
IT IS THAT GOOD!!!!!

*** IT HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED!! PLEASE LOOK 👀 FOR IT ON 8/5/25!! ***

We open the book with a picture of what life is like in the life of:

1. Georgia … from a VERY wealthy family and seems to have all that she needs, except maybe, love from her mother....
2. Annabelle … also from a very wealthy family, and with lots of love from her mother and father.
3. Mandy … from a regular, down to earth family… who works very hard and needs to fight to get the things she wants in life.
4. Honey... the matriarch of one family who has more money than she could ever use, but insists on torturing Georgia every second of every day...

So when one is accused of murdering the other, well, all hell breaks loose. Her only chance is that she is LOCKED UP in a ward at the hospital... until she is cleared to make an appearance and stand trial.

But, while she is there, she shares a SECRET that she has been harbouring.. one that just might be able to break the case... if she is able to get some outside help. 😫😮😮😫

This one had me hanging on from the very first line of the book.... right through till the end... and even then, I couldn't believe just what I was reading!! ?? !!

Psychological Thriller? ✔️
Family turbulence? ✔️
Bouts of love? ✔️
Friendships just when you think there's nothing left but despair? ✔️
High profile people BUYING their way out of problems? ✔️
HOLD on to anything you can in order to finish the ride and get your heartrate back down to compatible with life, range?? ✔️

ALL THE BIG, BRIGHT, BEAUTIFUL 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨✨✨✨ for me!
Because, this one brought out emotions I didn’t even know I had!!!!

#TheLockedWard by @SarahPekkanen and narrated beautifully by one of my all time favorites… by @JanuaryLaVoy.

*** THIS ONE HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET!!! ***. SO PLEASE LOOK FOR IT ON 8/5/25!! ***

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

This was a lot of fun. I LOVE this author because she knows how to completely hijack your emotions. I was immediately creeped out by the first chapter and her amazingly atmospheric writing made this book feel like complete emotional whiplash. I listened to this book the entire way through, because the sense of urgency really leapt off the page. I was drawn in by the mystery of these newly reconnected twins and kept by the family drama and also the uniqueness of the locked ward. I loved all the twists and how the ending left you with a lingering sense of unease.

Note: I listened to the audiobook and it raised the hair on my arms and kept me looking over my shoulder the whole time - it was perfect!

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a slow-burning psychological thriller that pulled me in with its dark atmosphere, layered characters, and haunting themes of family and identity.

I really liked the short chapters because they kept the story moving, and I was able to finish quickly. But will it stay with me over time? Probably not. The shock factor just didn’t hit me in this story, and I still have some questions and details that I feel need to be cleared up.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
This one had an interesting premise, but it fell flat for me.

The pacing was painfully slow, and the structure didn’t help. One POV was written in first person, the other in second. On top of that, the dual POVs were paired with dual timelines, and it all just felt unnecessarily messy.

The ending was also predictable, which made the whole build-up feel a bit pointless. I think I was just expecting something eerie or unsettling. But I was just bored. The audiobook narration was great though and I liked the narrator.

📖 Final Score: 2.75
🎧 Audio Score: 4
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo

📅 Pub Date: August 5, 2025
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the review copy of Locked Ward. I was excited to dive into this one, having really enjoyed this author’s previous books. While there were elements I appreciated—like the exploration of sibling rivalry, the experience of institutionalization, and the complicated ties between twins—this one just didn’t fully work for me.

One of the main things that pulled me out of the story was the alternating POV, especially the chapters written in second person. I found those sections disorienting and honestly frustrating, particularly in audio format. It made it harder for me to stay engaged with the characters and the plot. I also felt the story didn’t quite deliver the suspense and psychological tension I expected from the premise.

That said, January LaVoy’s narration was fantastic—as always, she brought depth and nuance to the story and characters.

I also want to mention that my reaction is shaped in part by personal perspective. As someone connected to adoption, I tend to approach certain plotlines with caution. The framing around adoption and the separation of twins didn’t sit well with me and felt a bit outdated, which impacted how I received the story overall. This one wasn't a hit for me, but I’ll definitely keep reading this author’s future work.

I just finished The Locked Ward and I have to say that Sarah Pekkanen knows exactly how to grab your brain, shake it like a snow globe, and then leave it spinning on a windowsill wondering what the heck just happened. In the best way. This book is a twisty, psychological thrill ride with family secrets, institutional paranoia, and enough “Wait, WHAT?” moments to make me double back and reread entire chapters just to make sure I wasn’t losing it. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t. Pekkanen just plays the long game with her reveals—and she plays it very well.

The story opens with Mandy, a nurse who finds out she has a long-lost twin sister, Georgia, locked away in a psychiatric hospital. And y’all, I was immediately suspicious. Pekkanen doesn't give us a naive protagonist. No, we get a heroine with a spine. Mandy isn’t just like, “Oh yay, a twin! Let’s braid each other’s hair and escape this building together!” No. She DNA tests the woman claiming to be her sister and asks all the right questions. That alone had me cheering.

From that point on, it’s one twist after another. Secrets buried under more secrets. Motives you think you’ve figured out, and then BAM: nope, you were wrong. I pride myself on guessing twists, but this book had me second-guessing everything.

There’s this growing tension, especially inside the locked ward scenes with Georgia, that made me feel like I was trapped right alongside her. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, eerie, and completely absorbing. There were moments I literally had to stop reading to breathe and remind myself I was not inside a padded cell.

The emotional depth. Sure, it’s a thriller, but Pekkanen doesn’t phone in the emotional stakes. This is a story about identity, trauma, and the terrifying question of: what if the people you trust most are the ones you should fear the most? The smart pacing. After a slightly slower start (more mood-setting than sluggish), the story takes off and doesn’t stop until the last page. The dueling POVs. Georgia’s sections are raw and unreliable, while Mandy’s are sharp and determined. It’s like watching two puzzles assemble themselves at the same time, only to discover they’re both part of a much bigger picture.

If you love a book that makes you feel like a detective but also doubt everything you think you know, The Locked Ward is for you.

I’d recommend it for:

Fans of The Silent Patient or Behind Closed Doors
Anyone who loves Southern Gothic vibes with a side of paranoia
Readers who enjoy emotionally intelligent thrillers with a dark edge
Five stars from me. And a bonus sixth one for making me question my trust in people who say “I just want to help.”

Atmospheric and creepy psych ward setting? Twin sisters separated at birth for dark, long hidden reasons? Messy, messy rich family dynamics leading to murder?? I'll take all of the above!

In case you can't tell, THE LOCKED WARD brings together a few thriller elements/tropes that I'm a big fan of separately into a single story. The hospital/psych ward setting was creepy and a little dangerous, full of impossible-to-trust characters, while the "messy rich family" element added in characters who were untrustworthy and dangerous for *entirely* different reasons. This combination kept me on my toes for a lot of the book.

While I read THE LOCKED WARD fairly quickly, I will say that I found the first half a little bit too much of a slow burn for me. I think I was expecting it to be faster paced from the get go. That said, I was in it, I was *in*, listening to it on audio constantly and then switching to e-book and abandoning my other reads when I wanted to sit down with a book.

The twists were unexpected, but fell a little flat to me. I'm not entirely sure why.. I guess I just didn't feel "wowed" at the end (this could be a symptom of reading too many thrillers lately!)

Sarah Pekkanen is known for writing psychological thrillers that feature suspense and shocking twists and this book is a prime example of her work. This particular story follows dual protagonists, Georgia and Amanda, who are twins separated at birth. I listened to the audiobook in just a few hours, eager to uncover whether Georgia was a killer or if she had been framed. Things aren’t always as they seem…
The narration was superb!
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to read/listen to this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up. Read in one day. Great audio. A few questions left unanswered in the end but wow!

I honestly COULD NOT put it down. I was hooked. I mean, did she do it?! Would she stay safe? Would either of them?! The plot was fascinating as were the characters. The pacing was perfect and the book had an energy all its own!

Advanced reader copy provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Thanks NetGalley for the audio version of this book. The narrator was decent and would listen to more read by her. I requested it thinking it was another thriller author who I really enjoy reading. I was shocked when I discovered I had never read anything by this author. It was a good thriller that kept my attention from the very first page. It was one of those books that everything else can wait while I see what is going on in this book. I was expecting a little more of a twist so therefore I can only give it 4.5 stars. BUT , I have found a new author and look forward to more by her!