First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

This book keeps you gripped from start to finish. The ups and downs of the story make it am excellent read. Enjoyed very much.

#TheWomanInWard9 #NetGalley
Naomi Williams delivers a chilling psychological thriller that grabs you from the opening page and refuses to let go. The Woman in Ward 9 is an unsettling dive into memory, identity, and the secrets we try to bury.
Laura Winters is found alone, soaked in blood that isn’t hers, with no memory of what happened. Admitted to a psychiatric ward, she refuses to speak to anyone—except one psychologist. But why him? With only six days to uncover the truth before Laura is moved, the clock is ticking. As pieces of her memory return, disturbing questions arise. What is Laura hiding? What really happened the night she was found? And why does she seem to know more about her therapist than she should?
Likes:
1 Gripping Premise: A mysterious woman, covered in blood, with memory gaps and a strange connection to her psychologist—an irresistible hook.
2 Fast-Paced Structure: The six-day countdown adds urgency, making each session with Laura feel crucial and charged with tension.
The Woman in Ward 9 is a taut, claustrophobic thriller packed with psychological mind games, dark secrets, and a race against time. Perfect for fans of The Silent Patient and Shutter Island, this one will keep you guessing until the very end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for giving me an advance copy.

When psychologist Laura is found by police she’s covered in enough blood to indicate that someone has died. In a stupor and unable to remember what happened that night she’s brought to Heaton Hospital. She requestes the help of Emma, a renowned psychologist on domestic violence. Emma has a week to prove whether Laura is a victim or a killer.

I felt very self congratulatory when I thought I’d worked out the premise of the book about 10% of the way in. Great twists towards the end. A fab easy read of a page turner. An easy 4 star for me. Thanks to Nrtgalley and the publishers for the arc.

The idea this story was written from was very clever and I was intrigued from the start. I loved the way the author made me uncomfortable with the lack of communication tools but I was overwhelmed by the number of psychologists almost to the point of laughter. However the tale had plent to hold my interest beyond this and the ending was a real shock.

I knew from chapter one that I was going to love this book. Straight in at the deep end Laura has found herself in Ward 9, a psychiatric unit after waking on her kitchen floor covered in blood that wasn’t hers. With no recollection of what happened or who the blood belongs to, she must undergo a strict six day therapy session with psychologist Emma to hopefully unlock her memory. Laura a psychologist herself has specifically requested Emma to undertake the sessions. As the lines begin to blur between reality and her patient, Emma becomes increasingly concerned about everything going on at Heaton Park institution.

This was a great read, although I figured out the ‘twist’ early on that didn’t take away from the story as a whole and was a fab psychological thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my gifted eARC.

A very accomplished debut novel which on the whole held my attention throughout.

That said I did work out the plot twists fairly well in advance so it is a credit to the author that I remained fully engaged. At times it is a disturbing novel, especially when highlighting the abuse happening in a supposedly safe environment. As a medical professional I'd like to shake my head and say that would never happen but, from the news we all know things can and do.

Some suspension of belief is required around some of the more procedural actions but I've no problem with this in novels. If everything were purely factual books would be both very long and often very boring.

I reccomend this as a well written psychological thriller ( there may be some emotional triggers for individuals due to the subject matter) and thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

I noticed sone reviews for this seemed to follow a pattern of ‘having to finish it in a day’, I have to add myself to that but got to say I almost, almost had it as a DNF, I couldn’t see where the book was going and then it went and once it had got to that point it really was ( anno its a cliche but… ) pretty impossible to put down, it’s only when it all makes sense you can look back and think ‘right, I get it now’

Am so glad carried on reading it and not going to say anything else except it is a mind game of a book and will lead you round to where you think you know, but you don’t……

The Woman in Ward 9 is the kind of psychological thriller that sneaks up on you, wraps around your brain, and doesn’t let go until the final page—and even then, it lingers. Naomi Williams delivers a deeply unsettling and utterly absorbing debut that had me questioning everyone, including the narrator.
The story kicks off with a bang: Laura is found drenched in someone else’s blood, completely disoriented, and with zero memory of what happened. That alone was enough to reel me in. She’s placed in a secure psychiatric facility, where Dr. Emma is assigned to unravel the truth hiding in Laura’s fractured mind. So far, so chilling—but it gets better.
As Laura begins to talk about her past, especially her charming and “perfect” boyfriend, something clicks in Emma’s mind… because the man Laura is describing? Sounds exactly like her own husband. Cue the goosebumps.
I loved how this story plays with perception—who’s telling the truth, who’s manipulating whom, and how easy it is to blur the lines between victim, witness, and perpetrator. The dual unravelling of both Laura’s and Emma’s realities was cleverly done, and I found myself constantly second-guessing what I thought I knew. The writing is sharp and immersive, and the pacing? Perfectly tense, with just enough time to breathe before diving deeper into the psychological shadows.
By the end, I was torn between awe and horror. Williams crafts a climax that is both satisfying and haunting—a twist that had me rethinking earlier chapters and mentally screaming, “How did I miss that?!”
If you enjoy twisty, dark, psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators and a touch of domestic suspense, The Woman in Ward 9 is a must-read. Just be warned: once you start, you will binge it.

The storyline of this reminded me of the plot of Shutter Island bur with extra twists. I found the start a little slow and it took me a while to get into it. Once there I was hooked and had to read the last 80% in one go. Loved the characters, who were very individual in their own ways. I really enjoyed it and was amazed at the psychological research to produce such a plausible storyline.

This was such a good thriller, it had me gripped right away and I knew I just had to find out the truth!

THE WOMAN IN WARD 9 BY NAOMI WILLIAMS.
For those who enjoy a slow paced book this one is for you.
There's plenty of twists and turns in this story that will keep you guessing.
This is the authors thriller debut and she did a cracking job.

This is a fast paced read that will keep you engaged and wanting to know more.
I must admit that I worked out one of the twists pretty early on in the book and as I continued to read you could tell all the clever ways the author was telling you, but not! I think I’m just really suspicious after reading lots of other books with similar twists. If you don’t pick this up while reading through, it will come as a surprise later on and have you questioning what you have read and how you interpreted it!

I must say the ending was a little disappointing, after another twist (which helps to explain a few more things!) it just didn’t give the character the justice I would have liked, I don’t want to give anything away so won’t say more than that.

It was well written and the scenes described well, I just didn’t find I connected with any of the characters, I didn’t find myself routing for anyone or really caring that greatly for them.

3.5 stars

A strong debut thriller, quite slow in parts but a good read, u enjoyed the psychology aspect of the story and didn’t see the twist coming at all!! Thank you for the opportunity to re read this prior to release

Emma is a psychologist who has been asked to work with Laura, a woman who has recently been admitted to a high security unit after she was found covered in blood but with no memory of how this came about. Emma begins to unravel the truth and soon draws chilling parallels to her own life and husband.

I was drawn into the synopsis of this one as it sounded like it would be an intriguing, dark mystery. After finishing I can say it definitely fitted that description and it ended up being an entertaining read. I did find a lot of the story quite slow and sometimes repetitive, however there was a very strong mystery at the centre of this which kept the story interesting. The twist at the end was very good and got me, making my rating higher. This was a clever, atmospheric and well written story overall. I would pick up more by this author. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

The woman in ward 9 sees Laura in a psychiatric facility after being bought in covered in blood with no memory as of how she got there. Psychologist Emma is bought in to help unlock her memories after Laura refuses to talk to anyone else.

This book is expertly crafted with a well woven plot. I really enjoyed the psychology used within this book.

Dark, clever and suspenseful this will definitely have you hooked!

Laura is taken to a high security psychiatric unit after being found covered in blood and no memory of what happened. With nobody to witness who the blood belonged to, Heaton Place brings in psychologist Emma, the only person that Laura will speak to, to try and work out what happened but, as she begins to unpick the story that is conveyed to her about Laura's wonderful life with her perfect boyfriend Daniel, some things seem all too familiar to Emma, in fact it would seem like Laura is talking about Emma's husband, Connor. Does Laura know more than she's letting on and can Emma work it all out in the five days she's been given?

The Woman in Ward 9 is a dual timeline thriller told in the present and past, intertwined with a backstory that I interpreted to be Laura's. It's a fast paced, multi layered read with short chapters (my favourite) and throughout the book those layers are gradually stripped back until we arrive at the truth of what really happened. This is a well wriitten, descriptive story with an intriguing plot that had me hooked from the start with some great twists and, just when I thought I had figured it out, Williams comes along with a sucker punch of an ending that completely floored me and left me wanting more for a certain character. This is a new to me author in my favourite genre and I can't wait to read more of her work!

I'd like to thank Headline and NetGalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

The Woman in Ward 9 is avertised as "A completely addictive psychological thriller with a heart-pounding twist" and you know what, it is exactly that... and more!

Wow, I don't say this often, but wow!

Absolutely recommend this one if you're up for a rollecoaster ride.

This is a book that grew on me. Set in a psychiatric hospital, it explores the personalities of patient and psychologist. I found it a book that grew increasingly menacing. A lost lanyard, and other small mysterious things that built the story into its climax. The twist in the story at the end was completely unexpected. Excellent storytelling.

The Woman In Ward 9 by Naomi Williams

AD/PR @headlinebooks

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️✨

Synopsis:

VICTIM. WITNESS. KILLER?

Laura is found covered in blood that is not her own. With no memory of what happened, she is admitted to a high security psychiatric facility. With no body and no other witnesses, it is down to psychologist Emma to gain Laura’s trust and understand her disturbed mind.

As she listens to Laura’s story, she begins to draw chilling parallels between her patient’s life and her own. The man Laura describes sounds uncannily similar to Emma’s own husband...

Is she entering the mind of a victim, a witness - or a killer?

Thoughts :

A strong thriller debut! Whilst I did find this one a little slow paced in places -(I did find myself skim reading some parts) - I did enjoy the descriptive writing, and I loved how addictive the book was! I also liked the mystery (even though it annoyed me slightly 😂) that you didn’t know whose POV it was in the ‘Past’ chapters. It certainly made the book more gripping, and I liked that it really picked up the pace towards the end😍

In terms of the twist, I honestly had no idea where this book was going. It was shocking and unexpected! You’ll think that it’s revealed everything, but it doesn’t stop there! I loved the satisfying ending and the last line of the book too, which left me feeling fulfilled ☺️🥲

Although I only gave this one a 3.5, I do still recommend this one. It was a gripping thriller with a shocker of a twist!

I’ll certainly be checking out more thrillers from this author if she decides to write any more under this pen name. 😍

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Out 15th April as e-book, and 17th July in paperback.