I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me engaged the entire time. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I would highly recommend to all my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!

I wasn’t into this book at all. Unfortunately I DNF’d it. It just wasn’t my type of book. I feel like the writing was off for me and not something that I could continue reading.

I had a hard time getting into this book. Normally I enjoy books that jump back and forth from present day and the past. But I don't know if it was just the kindle version, but I could not get a handle on it.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to review this book. Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward. No spoilers here. I thought it was a good read. I love a good thriller. It kept my interest. I would recommend it to my friends to read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and all parties involved in my arc of this novel. While I enjoy all sorts of books thrillers like this one have been my go to genre in the past year or two. The story centers around Maddie who has a lapse in memory, her husband and her long-time friend Jo.
Maddie has long periods of taking care of her son on her own while her husband, Ian, travels to dangerous places all over the world for his job. Maddie had a recent accident while camping that left her with severe scars and issues with her memory and anxiety attacks. She wants to regain control of her life and begins attending writing therapy close to her suburban Kansas home. During these sessions, a scary picture of dysfunctional relationships starts to unfold. Past events in Maddie and Ian’s lives seem to be building to a scene at the beginning of the book of a woman calling 9-1-1 and a young child screaming in the background.

Most of this book is told in the first person from Maddie’s point of view. It starts with the 9-1-1 call and then alternates between events in the recent past leading up to the phone call, glimpses of Maddie, Ian, and Maddie’s former best friend, Jo, from many years ago, and finally what happens after that call. The technique works well for this story. It sets up suspense that lasts through the whole book, worrying about the circumstances of the 9-1-1 call and what happens to the characters. Which made me as the reader want to read faster and keep turning pages.

Maddie, Ian, and Jo are all broken in their own way. Little by little, we see what has made Maddie and Ian the people they are today. Ian’s alternates between being moody and broody to charming and flirtatious. Maddie seems fearless and fragile at the same time. Under different circumstances, their romance could have been beautiful, but their past experiences continue to get in the way of their love. There are times I have liked and disliked Maddie and Ian. Jo, however, is hard to like throughout the book, even when she is at her most vulnerable. Jo plays an important role in the story, but I never could warm up to her.

I appreciate the suspense and the tension that build as the story progresses. Everyone and everything aren’t what they seem and I was very surprised when things are revealed at the end. “Beautiful Bad” is a well-written psychological thriller that I enjoyed. I am from Macedonia so reading little bits about Bulgaria was a very nice touch for me. I will be reading more books from Annie Ward in the future.

It took me a little while to really get into this book, but it ended up being an engaging and entertaining thriller! I didn't really connect with the characters, but that didn't take away much from the entertainment value of the book and I'll be curious to see what this author comes up with next!

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward starts in a small town in Kansas with a call to 911 by a woman with a desperate plea for help. When the police arrive they find a very bloody scene, one dead body and evidence that there is a child in the home. From there the story goes back and forth between the police at the crime scene, a few weeks previously, and many years previously. Through these timelines we come to know Maddie, her friendship with Joanna, and her relationship with Ian. We travel mostly between Kansas and Eastern Europe, though there are stops in Iraq and New York. This is a psychological thriller so I think it is best not to say much more than that.

I enjoyed the parts that took place in Bulgaria. Maybe not so much for the story as there was a lot of partying and drinking and behavior that felt like high school, I wanted the characters to act more like adults. I did though enjoy reading the descriptions of Bulgaria and what it was like there. The writing was such that I could easily picture Bulgaria.

Except for Bulgaria, Beautiful Bad felt like a story I have read before. It pretty much felt like lots of psychological thrillers that are out there and I didn’t feel like it brought anything new. Things are revealed in the end that I think were suppose to be a surprise but they weren’t. The story pretty much kept me engaged, it just wasn’t a shocking thriller.

This was a very engaging psychological thriller. I enjoyed the way it starts with the police arriving on the crime scene and then you flip back and forth in time to piece together what happened.

I loved the storyline but felt some of the main character's decisions could have been supported with a deeper storyline. It was hard to understand why Maddie would wait for Ian for so long. I just didn’t feel much of a connection between them.

Ian’s character was not well developed. As soon as I started liking him the author would have him do or say something to ruin that connection for me.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

This book was amazing! I loved how it kept me on the edge of my seat! Definitely a book I will read over and over again!

Maddie and Ian meet overseas while she is a journalist working on a travel guide. Maddie’s best friend, Joanna, works in Macedonia so Maddie gets to see both of them a lot.
Maddie and Ian were on and off for a few years, but then they try to reconnect. As their relationship gets more serious, Joanna gets angry with Maddie when she does not see eye to eye about Ian. Maddie and Ian get married and have a son named Charlie. They move to Kansas to raise Charlie but Ian still has to travel overseas for extended periods of time for work.
Maddie has a terrible accident that involves a brain injury while they are on a family camping trip. After the accident, Maddie starts seeing a therapist for anxiety. She becomes fearful for her and Charlies’ lives.

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward
Park Row, 2019
Crime Fiction/Thriller; 368 pgs

A 9-1-1 call brings the police to Maddie and Ian’s suburban home, in which clearly, danger is afoot. As the novel unfolds, we are given glimpses of the far and recent past, as well as what is occurring in real time. Tension is high as the first police officer on scene breaks protocol of waiting for back-up before entering the home. A child’s life may be at stake. A few weeks before that, Maddie began seeing a writing therapist, hoping to work through her anxiety about her son’s safety, her husband’s PTSD, and the camping accident that left her terribly scarred. Maddie and Ian recall their past: the day they met and their complicated relationship with each other, as well as their tumultuous friendship with Maddie’s best friend Joanna.

It is impossible to know who to trust as the novel starts out—and even most of the way through it. Being a reader of thrillers like this, my mind naturally starts sorting through the various scenarios an author might take the reader right from the start. I cannot turn off that part of my brain no matter how hard I try. Everyone or anyone could be guilty of anything—something. Exactly what, I may not know. In Beautiful Bad, it’s implied someone died. Who? Why? There are plenty of motives offered up and many directions the novel could have gone. I love that nearly every one of those was a strong contender. That says a lot about author Annie Ward’s ability to write a compelling thriller. But even for the reader who does figure out the who early on, there is still the question of how and what exactly happened that keeps us wanting to turn those pages.

I do not particularly have to like a character to enjoy a book like this, but there’s usually something about the characters that draws me to them, and it was no different in this case. I enjoyed the portions of the books narrated by Maddie, whose childhood in Kansas seemed rather ordinary, with the exception of her near death experience in the boat accident. It is clear not all is right in Maddie’s world, however, which we see as the story unfolds. Less is offered about her friend Joanna’s past, but I suppose that really isn’t significant to the story. However, what happens to her in Macedonia—it is. Ian brings with him his own baggage. An obsessive ex-girlfriend who doesn’t understand the word no. And all that he experienced in his career as a soldier and eventual mercenary. . . There is one scene in particular that still haunts me—and for anyone to have to actually go through that, I can’t even begin to imagine how that would torment them. Is it any wonder he is so broken and damaged?

As you can see, I enjoyed Beautiful Bad. I did find it slow going at times, especially during the first half of the book as we got to know more about the characters’ backstories. I liked the formatting of the book—the jumps back in time as the characters remembered different aspects of their past as well as the tense present day scene of Diane, the police officer, cautiously making her way through the house, not knowing what she would find around each corner. It made for a suspenseful read. I am anxious to see what Annie Ward comes up with next!

The characters kept me engaged and I found myself wanting to leave my own writing to sneak just another chapter, which of course didn't happen. I'd get engrossed and then have to work late. But it was worth it. Ward has a way of keeping me guessing. I love novels that are psychologically enthralling. Beautiful Bad is a perfect title for this book.

This was a well written psychological thriller that I sort of felt like I’d read before. The storyline was not original but the writing was good.

A page turner psychological thriller that will be enjoyed by many. I didn’t care too much for all the timeline jumps and the section with the police could have been developed more, I felt that part left me hanging. The relationship with the two friends seemed somewhat fake.

Beautiful Bad is a psychological thriller that got me excited and very interested at first, but about 40% of the way through I started to lose my fascination with the story.

It felt like something just wasn't there that it needed to give the extra oomph I was looking for. I also found the back and forth, scrambled up chapters / timeline difficult to follow. One chapter was 2007, the next 2013, and the next 2001 (I provided any dates not specific ones just to give an example).

I also felt like the friendship between the two main female characters wasn't as deep or strong as it was made out to be which sometimes made me feel like what I was reading was faked. Maybe that's what I felt was missing, not sure.

Yes, I will read another book by this author and because not every book is for every person, I'd recommend you try it for yourself instead of deciding from my review.

3.25 stars and thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC. My thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.

So many books recently have been trying to be "the next Gone Girl". This one comes close. A murder mystery told in 3 voices -- Ian -- the husband, Maddie- the wife, and the detective who responds to a 911 call that hints that something terrible is happening in a home and a child (and others) is in danger.

The story is revealed in a series of chapters alternating voices and time periods, so the narrative is sometimes a bit confusing, but the format is perfect in that it keeps the reader guessing about what is actually happening and who is actually telling the truth. I put some pieces together, but still was quite shocked by the actual outcome. I could not put this book down despite the fact that I didn't really like any of the main characters! A great psychological thriller that will keep you turning pages.

This dark and bizarre thriller tells the story of Maddie and Joanna, young friends living and working in the Balkans during the 90's. Joanna meets and befriends a British bodyguard, Ian, but the second he and Maddie lay eyes on each other, sparks fly. Joanna is violently opposed to Maddie having anything to do with Ian, but won't tell her why. What follows is years and years of this weird love/not love triangle causing problems for all three of them.

I have mixed feelings about this book. At first, I was captivated. The author and I must be about the same age, and her early descriptions of Maddie's adventures overseas reminded me of my own live-abroad experiences in my 20's. I think maybe my issue with this book is the editing. Certain sections just flew by, only to be followed by a string of chapters that dragged so much I almost quit several times. I am glad I plugged on, though. The conclusion really was a surprise on several different levels. The opening scene is great, and the ending (the hardest part of a book to get right!) is very well done. It's the middle part--Maddie and Ian's back and forth, that I felt could have used some oomph.

On a side note, the author does really have a lovely, and more literary writing style than what you typically find in this genre. I don't think this cover, or the title, really convey what's inside.

A terrible fall and a traumatic brain injury starts this story. But before we can find out how it ends, we have to go to the beginning, the very beginning. Maddie and Ian met in 2001 in a war-torn country. She’s a journalist and he’s a military man. Not a lot happens during their relationship (can we call it that?) but they fall in love. They part ways for 9 years (this part didn’t make a lot of sense) and then met up again and are glued to each other. Their relationship spends the next 7 years alternating between always together and him away doing private security things. I understand her resentment at being left in small town Kansas to be a single mom while he galivants (her view) around the world. Ian suffers from PTSD and has lost his marbles a little bit. He wants to take his wife and son away to a safe spot and hide from all the bad things in the world. Maddie just wants to experience everything life has to offer.
The story is told from different points of view, mostly Maddie’s but sometimes Ian’s. I did enjoy this but I found that the story moved a little too slow sometimes. I rushed through it to get to the why. We know the what going in but why did their story end that way. I’ll let you find out on your own.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward had great twists and the story was woven together nicely. Maddie, an American, and Ian, a Brit, bump into each other constantly overseas through a mutual friend. Their relationship grows and dwindles in the next 16 years, ultimately culminating in a horrific death.

I know this is very weird ( and a bit morbid ), but nothing grabs my attention faster than a 911 recording. Whether in a documentary, Podcast or book ; I am immediately hooked. The panic of the caller, the operator struggling to remain calm but urgently needing info from the caller in order to help; there are few better ways to start a story and capture the attention of an audience. For this reason I was enthralled with Beautiful Bad by page three. Intense and filled with anxiety, Beautiful Bad will stick with readers long after they have finished reading.

While visiting her best friend Jo in Macedonia, Maddie meets Ian. At the time Maddie is a teacher and Ian, a Soldier in the British Army working for the British Ambassador. There is an immediate attraction but also a few obstacles. A few years past before Maddie and Ian become an official couple and later marry. They settle in Kansas, Maddie’s home state, where she gives birth to a son, Charlie. Events which occurred while Maddie and Ian were apart have had a huge impact on Ian. He is not the same person she met years ago in Macedonia. Maddie notices the changes, but is convinced she can help him get back to the man she once knew. When she finally realizes just how damaged Ian has become, it is far too late to walk away.

Much of Beautiful Bad deals with the long terms effects of trauma. Both Maddie and Ian suffered near death experiences before they got married. These close calls have left them both extremely damaged. Dividing they're lives into before and after; leaving them both altered forever. I felt an extreme amount of sympathy for them both, more so with Ian. Ward portrays PTSD as a constant and daily struggle in which the person just wants to be who they were before the trauma. While I am aware of PTSD, the way Ward portrays the disorder is especially tragic. In Beautiful Bad we meet two people who have experienced a severe loss, a loss of their former selves. Being alive but not living and enjoying life ; I can think of nothing more frustrating and heart breaking. Readers will want to reach through the book to comfort Maddie and Ian.

Maddie’s and Ian’s relationship spans sixteen years and several countries. From Macedonia, Iraq, New York City, Balkans, and Kansas; readers experience the highs and lows of the world through Maddie’s eyes. In Macedonia in 2001 tensions were high between Muslims and Christians, the world wide effects of the 9/11 attacks, followed by the war on terror in Iraq. Remembering this turbulent time through Maddie was very engrossing: in some ways this time mirrors the world’s current state.

Beautiful Bad is told mostly through Maddie’s perspective. Switching between 2001-2010 and the twelve weeks before the 911 call. Maddie’s journal entries are featured as well. Although the story skips around frequently, I was able to follow easily. Each change in timeline provided clues to Maddie and Ian stories. Readers looking for an engaging, disquieting, suspenseful, yet heart-breaking read should add Beautiful Bad to their list of must reads.


Murder and Moore Rating:
4 1/2 out of 5 Stars