470 reviews for:

The Locked Ward

Sarah Pekkanen

3.75 AVERAGE

makknitsandreads's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for the free copy of this book. 

Mandy and Georgia are long lost twin sisters. When Georgia is accused of murdering her other sister, Annabel, she calls Mandy for help. Told with both perspectives, Mandy tries to uncover what really happened while Georgia is held in a locked ward. 

I liked this book, didn’t love it. Georgia’s perspective is written in second person which I absolutely hated. Overall the book kept my attention and had a good twist at the end. Not sure if I would recommend it to others. 

erinkcrossreads's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

slbeck94's review

3.25

mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

itorres_87's review against another edition

4.0

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This book truly gripped me from the very beginning until the very end. One thing I truly enjoy from a thriller is an unreliable narrator and this one definitely had that. This book opens with the murder of Annabelle Cartwright, a wealthy women in midst of celebrating her birthday with an extravagant party hosted by her parents and with her untimely murder. The accused her adopted older sister, Georgia, covered in her blood. This book is told in Georgia POV as she is sent to a mental hospital while they determine if she is fit to stand trial for the murder of her sister. The other POV is told in the perspective of her twin sister which adds a great and fascinating twist to the already tangled story. I really enjoyed that this book was told with alternating chapters which enticed me to not want to put this down. It is a fast paced thriller with short chapters and it has such great twists at the end. I love a good rich people drama storyline sprinkled with deceit and lies and betrayal. At times while reading this book I thought i knew exactly what was happening and at other times I was so lost. At the end I did predict one of the twist but overall had such a great time uncovering what truly happened and who really killed Annabelle. If you enjoy a great thriller with a fast paced and intriguing plot line I think you will enjoy this one. This is my first book by this author and it will definitely not be my last. I highly recommend this thriller it will not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

gmd316's review against another edition

2.75

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Really??

brosepal's review against another edition

4.0

mysterious tense medium-paced

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I honestly have not met a book of Sarah Pekkanen’s I haven’t liked. There’s something so satisfying about the way she writes that reminds me of ASMR or watching a car get detailed. I really liked this one a lot and the twin sister’s twist was great. My only complaint is the amount of cliffhangers at the end of every chapter felt a little forced. Almost like when someone’s telling you a story and adds ‘dun dun dunnn’ to the end of each sentence. We get it, it’s shocking, get to the deets, sister! Other than that, I’d definitely recommend to my fellow thriller readers!!

debs_shelves's review

3.75

dark tense

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 The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a chilling mix of family secrets, unreliable sisters, and a psychiatric ward that adds an extra layer of menace. I really enjoyed the tense, atmospheric narration, which heightened the eerie vibe and kept me hooked even when the pacing slowed. Twisty and unsettling, this one kept me second guessing everyone’s motives until the end. 

Thanks to MacMillan Audio for the ALC.

mvaughnrn's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious fast-paced

anitraralph's review

3.5

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

abbby_6's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes