Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟 Audiobook: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Spice: N/A

By Freida McFadden

Ward D is a taught, unreliable narrator, locked-room thriller that, in many ways, kept me on the edge of my seat and was wildly entertaining. At the same time, it also has some significant plot/storytelling problems. Elements of this book were a 4/5 star, and elements were a 2, which ultimately landed me a 3 rating. The audiobook, which l listened to on Scribd, was very well performed and intensified the fear Amy feels throughout the novel. 

Amy is a medical student about to start an overnight 12-hour rotation in the locked psych ward. She’s anxious about being locked in the ward because she’s been there before – and not as a doctor.

As the hours tick down on her rotation, Amy begins to suspect that something is very wrong on Ward D. As her fear intensifies, she becomes unclear about what is fact and what is fiction. 

The chapters keep you counting the hours until the end of the shift, and the general concept is interesting. Conversely, the portrayal of mental health throughout the novel feels problematic, and once readers discover what is happening and why, it feels wildly convoluted and unbelievable. Had the rationale for the events of the book been less outlandish, I think I would have enjoyed it more, but, ultimately, the end of the book let me down.