Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Ward D

Freida does it again! Another 5 star read for me. I just couldn't put this book down and had to continue reading to find out what happened next. I was unable to guess any of the plot twists in this one which really made this book that little bit more shocking for me!
This book centres around Amy, a medical student, who is doing a night shift on the psychiatric ward (Ward D). Except, Amy knows one of the patients that are on this ward... we meet an array of characters along the way, some of which just suddenly disappear without a trace, but why?
Amy is working with her ex-boyfriend, Cameron, which she is not at all happy about, especially after the way that he dumped her. We also meet Damon, who is believed to be in Seclusion One for being an extremely dangerous person, except not is all as it seems. We also meet Jade, which is the person that Amy knows, as this was her kindergarten best friend! Jade ends up going down a completely different path to Amy, hence why she ends up on the psychiatric ward...
We also meet Will, who is a reporter for a local newspaper and is pretending to be dealing with schizophrenia just so he can see what really goes on in the ward after hearing different people's reports of the things that go on there. Except, Jade makes Amy believe that Will is her boyfriend, is a compulsive liar and can't be trusted. But we soon find out the truth and Will is actually a very honest person and not the compulsive liar that he was made out to be.
We also get flashbacks to eight years prior to this day on the ward, where Amy reminisces about times when Jade has tried to make her do things she doesn't wish to do, to the point Amy has gone to the police about a crime that Jade has wanted to commit. Which plays a part in the reason why Jade is in the psychiatric ward.
This book is really the roller-coaster of emotions and I just couldn't put it down!!

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dark inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I rated this book a 9 out of 10. I loved this book. It'sfast-pacedd and keeps you on edge waiting for the next shoe to drop. Although I figured out the twist in the first half, the ride there was so much fun. Will definitely read it again!

Reasons I couldn't give a 10 out of 10 rating is mostly how I predicted the ending. There's only so many twists you can create in a locked psychiatric unit. Also, I feel the mental illnesses are very generalized. There's a lot of diversity in reality, but the depictions here were very Hollywood-esque.

This is my first book by Freida McFadden, but it definitely won't be my last. I have heard many good things about her other novels, so I am super excited to read them in the future as well.

I love how easy it is to throw off the reader. All the characters are in a psych ward, and the main character questions her own sanity from the get-go. Every single person's credibility is demolished since Chapter 1. With no reliable character, there is a wide open playing field for the story to travel. Because of this, the storyline has no clear path, and it's easier to mislead the reader. I love it!

Jade took me by surprise multiple times. Her character was all over the place (obviously).

I do like that there was no redemption arc for her, though. Sometimes, having a bad guy just stay a bad guy is so freaking satisfying.

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