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Sarah Pekkanen

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Sarah Pekkanen

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United States
November 29

Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
October 2008

URL


I'm a #1 New York Times bestselling author of 15 solo and coauthored books, including HOUSE OF GLASS, which is a Goodreads Choice award nominee and Amazon best book of the year and THE LOCKED WARD, which is hailed by Lee Child as "psychological suspense at its very best."

My upcoming novel is THE WOMEN IN WHITE.

I'm also the author or coauthor of these bestselling thrillers: GONE TONIGHT, THE GOLDEN COUPLE, THE WIFE BETWEEN US, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I've written eight novels that are contemporary fiction, not thrillers: THE EVER AFTER, THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS, THINGS YOU WON'T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS. My linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster ex
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Popular Answered Questions

Sarah Pekkanen I don't believe in writer's block! I've learned that if I feel stuck, it means there's something in my manuscript that isn't working and I need to go …moreI don't believe in writer's block! I've learned that if I feel stuck, it means there's something in my manuscript that isn't working and I need to go back and fix it. My subconscious is holding me back.

Of course, inspiration doesn't strike every day. To coax it to emerge, I go for long daily walks with my rescue lab, Bella, Something about physical activity helps jump-start the mental process. And I always remind myself that it's my job to write, and that I'm incredibly lucky to have this job. So there isn't any room for the luxury of writer's block! (less)
Sarah Pekkanen Thank you for this wonderful compliment! I'm so happy you loved GT. I had such a hard time letting go of Ruth and Catherine that I left the door crack…moreThank you for this wonderful compliment! I'm so happy you loved GT. I had such a hard time letting go of Ruth and Catherine that I left the door cracked for a possible sequel someday. Meanwhile, my next novel - House of Glass - is complete and will be out next summer! xo(less)
Average rating: 3.82 · 1,217,114 ratings · 114,453 reviews · 35 distinct worksSimilar authors
House of Glass

3.85 avg rating — 71,975 ratings — published 2024 — 24 editions
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Gone Tonight

3.82 avg rating — 38,423 ratings — published 2023 — 22 editions
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The Locked Ward

3.66 avg rating — 28,901 ratings — published 2025 — 8 editions
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The Opposite of Me

3.79 avg rating — 11,824 ratings — published 2010 — 34 editions
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The Perfect Neighbors

3.52 avg rating — 12,387 ratings — published 2016 — 13 editions
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Skipping a Beat

3.76 avg rating — 9,019 ratings — published 2011 — 14 editions
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The Best of Us

3.50 avg rating — 8,734 ratings — published 2013 — 12 editions
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These Girls

3.66 avg rating — 8,132 ratings — published 2012 — 9 editions
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The Women in White

3.82 avg rating — 7,711 ratings — published 2026 — 7 editions
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The Ever After

3.08 avg rating — 6,975 ratings — published 2018 — 11 editions
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More books by Sarah Pekkanen…

Dear Reader

Dear Reader,

Locked wards are fortresses, with countless rules, regulations and security measures. Outsiders generally are never permitted entry. But in order to write my new novel - to collect authentic details to populate its pages and understand what my characters were experiencing - I knew I had to somehow find a way to get inside one.

Finally, I found someone in a city hundreds of miles from my Read more of this blog post »
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Published on February 02, 2025 04:28

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Sarah Pekkanen Sarah Pekkanen said: " I'm halfway done. I'm going to cry like a baby, aren't I? I can tell. Already feel the tears coming on. Loving this book. ...more "

 
Gone Tonight
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Sarah’s Recent Updates

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The Night Nanny by Sarah Pekkanen
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Sarah Pekkanen and 133 other people liked Liana Gold's review of The Women in White:
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
"⭐️ 4.25 ⭐️ They were known as women in white. Betty Sadler was called girl four. But she wasn't a number, she was the most extraordinary woman and she mattered.

What an amazing blend of historical fiction and psych thriller/suspense! In a span of 302" Read more of this review »
Sarah Pekkanen is now following Sara Carrolli's reviews
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Sarah Pekkanen and 1 other person liked Carly's review of The Women in White:
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
"Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC on NetGalley!

omg what did i just read??? i read this book in less than 24 hours. i absolutely ate this story up. this plot was so different from other mystery/suspense novels i've read in the last co" Read more of this review »
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
"4.5/5 stars

Sarah Pekkanen is on a roll! This book was another great one!

This story bounces back and forth between timelines (1960's and currents) and also between narrators/characters. Four women brought together by a college professor/scientist, Dr." Read more of this review »
Sarah Pekkanen answered Laura Zarzyńska 's question: Sarah Pekkanen
Hi! If I ever had to revisit a character, it would be Stella. I miss her! Right now, I have no plans to write another book about her, but I definitely do not rule it out. My next book is The Women in White and following that will be The Night Nanny. See Full Answer
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The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
The Women in White
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The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
The Locked Ward
by Sarah Pekkanen (Goodreads Author)
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Uh oh. I accidentally clicked on 4 stars for this - MY OWN BOOK lol. Better than the time I clicked on 2 stars. I tried to clear it but who knows - perhaps I made it just one star. Someone keep me away from the internet, please!
The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
" Thank you!! It was so important for me to get the research right, and I'm really glad it reflected your experience. xx ...more "
More of Sarah's books…
Quotes by Sarah Pekkanen  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“You know the definition of a dysfunctional family, don't you? It's any family with more than one member in it.”
Sarah Pekkanen, The Opposite of Me

“How do you know if you can really trust someone?" I finally ask.

Noah raises his eyebrows and takes a sip of his drink.

Then he looks into my eyes and the expression in his is so earnest I feel like he's answering from a deeply personal place.

"If you need to ask that question, then you probably already know the answer," he says.”
Sarah Pekkanen, An Anonymous Girl

“Sometimes following the path that looked the safest was what led to the most hurt...”
Sarah Pekkanen, Skipping a Beat

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Cover to Cover Ch...: Darcy's 2011 Books 13 409 Jan 01, 2011 06:54PM  
“You know the definition of a dysfunctional family, don't you? It's any family with more than one member in it.”
Sarah Pekkanen, The Opposite of Me

“Sometimes following the path that looked the safest was what led to the most hurt...”
Sarah Pekkanen, Skipping a Beat

“How do you know if you can really trust someone?" I finally ask.

Noah raises his eyebrows and takes a sip of his drink.

Then he looks into my eyes and the expression in his is so earnest I feel like he's answering from a deeply personal place.

"If you need to ask that question, then you probably already know the answer," he says.”
Sarah Pekkanen, An Anonymous Girl

“She loved the way her city always sounded like it was celebrating.”
Sarah Pekkanen, These Girls

1065 Chick Lit Book Club — 3050 members — last activity 22 hours, 58 min ago
Our group is for people who like to read Chick Lit books for fun, relaxation, humor, and/or entertaining characters. We like to share the good books w ...more
9066 Book Trailers (tm) & Author Web Sites — 903 members — last activity Mar 10, 2023 07:21PM
This is the place to discuss the creation and promotion of your "book videos" and "author web sites." ...more
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For those who blog, love books and love to read them both! Let’s open up the world of blogging and have lots of fun doing it; please join our Group. E ...more
2996 Chicks On Lit — 5181 members — last activity Sep 06, 2026 08:06AM
(Est. Feb 14, 2008) More than a reading group of women but a place for honest, respectful, intelligent conversations led by adult women. Discussions a ...more
24399 Cafe Libri — 164 members — last activity Mar 27, 2017 10:31AM
Cafe Libri (Yahoo Reading Discussion Group) is the original Cafe Libri creation. It is a Yahoo Group for all types of people. It is an informal online ...more
30564 Chick Lit Writers — 92 members — last activity Nov 17, 2017 11:40AM
For any and all aspiring writers of Chick Lit especially, but not to discount any lovely chicks who just want help in the writing process as they work ...more
53087 Chick Lit Central — 313 members — last activity Dec 16, 2022 11:28PM
Goes along with our blog (http://chicklitcentral.com), our page on Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/chicklitcentral) and our Twitter feed (@chickli ...more
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Comments (showing 1-17)    post a comment »
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message 17: by John

John Hi
Thanks for the vote of friendship
You are a writer, and as such, we are thrilled to have you, Your work is what drives GR, If you write Erotica,, that’s what drives US.
I’m sending you a link to my group Sex, BDSM, and Romance
I came here six months ago hoping to raid the bookshelf (what are the kinky people reading?)
I found a ship adrift with no captain and what appeared to be corpses. The bookshelf I wanted to browse was locked and the mod was a scarecrow. He left GR in 2014.
I complained to GR admin.,.. (and I didn’t really learn from the Navy,,,,)
GR took this as me volunteering!!
I woke up the shiny new mod of Sex, BDSM, and Romance
Bear with us. We are learning. I sent you an invitation to the group and to the chat group
Look around… meet people and enjoy yourself
FRIEND ALL OF OUR MODS (so we can talk to you)
You will see the Discussion tab,, Hit that, and scroll down to the ‘introduce yourself tab’. (we want you to do that) As you scroll to the end,, look to see how others do it (never forget to BRAG, BRAG, BRAG) then when you get the microphone (the text box) tell us about your books, what you write and plans for the future.
(never forget,,, we love KINKY) LOL

Again, welcome aboard.
John moderator


message 16: by Jencey/

Jencey/ Sarah I finally am going to be able to read Opposite of Me. I pick it up at the library tomorrow.


message 15: by Sarah

Sarah Pekkanen Stephanie (StephTheBookworm) wrote: "Hi Sarah! Thanks for the friendship! I have The Opposite of Me sitting on my special bookshelf for my autographed books! I won the contest for signed books from Allison Winn Scotch this summer and ..."

Yay! So nice to "meet" you and hope you enjoy Opposite! Allison is wonderful. Love her books! xo


Stephanie Hi Sarah! Thanks for the friendship! I have The Opposite of Me sitting on my special bookshelf for my autographed books! I won the contest for signed books from Allison Winn Scotch this summer and I am so excited to read your book this year. :D


message 13: by Sarah

Sarah Pekkanen Jency - I'd love to! I've never done this before - do I just go to that link to respond to comments? Feel free to email me at sarah@sarahpekkanen.com to let me know what is best. I'd love to chat with you all and hear your thoughts.
xoxo
S


message 12: by Jencey/

Jencey/ Sarah a bookclub that I am a member of is reading your book in January. We would love to have you visit. The club meets on goodreads.com here is the link: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

I hope you have time to visit. Good luck on your next book. :)


message 11: by Sarah

Sarah Pekkanen Jencey wrote: "I entered the goodreads giveaway for your book. Wish me luck. :)

Jencey"
Good luck!


message 10: by Jencey/

Jencey/ I entered the goodreads giveaway for your book. Wish me luck. :)

Jencey


message 9: by Sarah

Sarah Pekkanen Colleen wrote: "Hi there! I just received confirmation from Amazon that your book is on its way to me...I can't wait! Any plans to bring your book tour to Florida? I didn't see any dates anywhere near me. Just..."

Colleen - so sorry this message somehow slipped through! No plans to go to Florida but I really hope to someday... would love to meet you then!


Colleen Turner Hi there! I just received confirmation from Amazon that your book is on its way to me...I can't wait! Any plans to bring your book tour to Florida? I didn't see any dates anywhere near me. Just curious as I would love to meet you and have you sign my book!


message 7: by Sarah

Sarah Pekkanen LINCOLN wrote: "Hi! Congrats on your new book -- I hope it becomes a bestseller!"

Thank you! I really appreciate the good wishes.


message 6: by Sarah

Sarah Pekkanen Kristen wrote: "Thank you for the add! :) Your book looks like it's going to be a definite favorite.. I am a HUGE fan of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin. I can't wait for it to be released!"

Thanks so much for the kind words, and really nice to meet you!
Sarah



Kristen Thank you for the add! :) Your book looks like it's going to be a definite favorite.. I am a HUGE fan of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin. I can't wait for it to be released!


message 4: by Sarah

Sarah Pekkanen Thanks, Amy - and right back at you!


message 3: by Amy

Amy Hatvany Love the bio, my friend! I'm so excited to read your book...seriously can't wait. You're going to be a hit, I can just FEEL it!


message 2: by Sarah

Sarah Pekkanen Thanks so much! I really appreciate it



Lincoln Hi! Congrats on your new book -- I hope it becomes a bestseller!


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