This was a wild, unexpected ride. I feel like we have no idea whats happening through most of the book because the majority of our expense is through the the eyes of a potentially unreliable narrator and it really added to the suspense. Our main character had it all and then lost it. He was a happily married New York Time's Bestselling Author, but now everything has crumbled around him after his wife has gone missing. He's emotionally, financially, and psychologically a wreck and has not been able to write since that day. In an attempt to save her famous author from himself, his agent sends him to stay in a small writing cabin she inherited from a former client. It's a quiet little place tucked away in the woods on a remote Scottish island and might just be the thing he needs to write his next book and get his life back on track. But the longer he's on the island the more paranoid he gets. He's either completing loosing his mind or the island is not what it appears at all.

I have always enjoyed Alice Feeney's novels and this one was no exception. Beautiful Ugly definitely gave off creepy island vibes and reminded me a lot of Lute by Jennifer Thorne meets The Power by Naomi Alderman. While it is a slow burn when the pace builds it doesn't let up until the very last page.

This is Alice Feeney’s best book yet. She always writes great thrillers with exciting and original story lines, and this one does not disappoint. What this one has that the others so far have lacked is fluidity. I could actually follow this one from start to finish without feeling like I missed something or needed to reread it in order to understand what just happened at the end. This book lacked for nothing. The story line was interesting and there was no lack of excitement. I just couldn’t wait to see what happened next and kept wondering what was going on, and why wasn’t I able to figure it out. The ending was shocking and I never saw it coming, but it was all believable, and that’s what I look for in a 5 out of 5 star book, I’m even more excited now to read her next book, they just keep getting better and better!

Making the best sellers list is every author's dream, yet author Grady Green can't share that news with the person who matters most to him, his wife. While on the phone with his wife, he hears her slam on her brakes to avoid hitting someone and then hops out of her car to investigate. Minutes pass, and all he hears is silence. Rushing to the location, he finds his wife's car unoccupied with the headlights on and the driver's door open. Grady's wife has disappeared. Unable to find closure and facing crippling writer's block for the next year, Grady receives an invitation from his publisher to live and write in a cabin cut off from the rest of the world on a tiny Scottish island. Yet, everything on the island is not what it seems and there is a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife. Alice Feeny has created an atmospheric locked room mystery with red herrings that will keep the reader guessing until the end. Readers will finish the book and then want to read it again to see if they can unravel the intricate and twisted plot now knowing what happened.

Abby and Grady are a married couple on the edge. Their paths are about to diverge in ways neither could have ever imagined. One night, Abby disappears after stopping to help a woman in the road. A year on, and Grady escapes to an island to write, to survive. But there is a surfeit of oddness on the island. No birds. Businesses unstaffed. Notes left in Grady's cabin. This may appeal to fans of domestic suspense, though it unravels in the denouement..

Alice Feeney never disappoints! I really liked this book because I never knew if Grady was telling the truth or even if he knew what the truth was. I loved the intrigue around the ladies of the island and trying to figure out what really happened that night on the road. And, the ending of course…terrifying.

Beautiful Ugly is a dark, unsettling book with some wild twists. Just about every character in the book could be considered an “unreliable narrator.” I got really creeped out while reading this book, and I’m glad I wasn’t home alone while I read it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney will not disappoint her readers. Beautiful Ugly follows Abby, an investigative journalist and her husband Grady Green, who is an author. One year ago Abby went missing on her way home and hasn’t been found yet. Grady has lost everything since Abby’s disappearance. Now his editor and Abby’s godmother Kitty gives Grady an opportunity of a lifetime. To spend 3 months on a secluded island in Scotland. Kitty has a cabin that was given to her by a previous client. All Grady has to do is write a bestseller book. Once on the island Grady is finding that everyone is a bit strange while he knows nothing about them they all know about him. Now Grady is seeing Abby everywhere and thinks he is losing his mind due to not being able to sleep. With all of Alice Feeney’s books each thread in the web will connect by the end of the book and you will be in awe of how Beautiful Ugly plays out. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Flatiron Books for letting me read an advanced copy of this novel.

I was pretty set on giving this 4 stars because when I first started this book I wasn’t pulled in instantly like other five star books. I revisited this a month later and finished it in two days. I feel like I wouldn’t be giving the book justice with a 4/5.

The comment she makes at the end about the first word of the first fourteen chapters is genius.

Enjoyable read and an interesting twist. I with the alternate narrator (Kitty) wasn't also named Abby. I found it to be a stretch and also confusing - I wasn't going to go back and re-read the Abby chapters to try to guess which was which.

I've read a lot of mediocre 3 star thrillers lately and Beautiful Ugly finally broke the streak. Rated a solid 4, Beautiful Ugly had many unpredictable twists and turns that kept this read fresh and a true page-turner. Very much enjoyed the atmosphere, the main character, and ending.

Alice Feeney, the queen of twist does it again in another winner! This book really exceeded my expectations. I loved that I just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough while reading it! This story was packed with tension and unexpected twists that kept me up all night. Feeney does such a great job weaving suspense with character drama.

Just finished this fantastic book with so many twists, deceptions and oer laid stories, my head is spinning! I was mesmerized and could not wait to spend time on Amberly every day.
The story was gripping, the characters relatable and intriguing even if unlikable & secretive. I had several theories going as I tried to untangle the overlaid stories and twists. Even though I was on track, I did not see the ending coming. I love when I can't figure the puzzle out until the last piece clicks into place!
This is the second Alice Feeney book I have read and it did not disappoint! Four stars!

I was blown away by this book. I read it in a day. The twist had me falling out of my seat. I could not believe it. I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen. I have already starting telling people they need to read it. This will be a 2025 top seller!

This book surpassed all my expectations and I just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough while reading it! This story was packed with tension and unexpected twists that kept me up all night. Feeney does such a great job weaving suspense with character drama. The more I read, the more I questioned what was real and who I could trust. Each character brought their own secrets and complexities, making me second-guess everything. Even the quirky, nosy neighbors had me wondering what they were hiding.

And the setting! I could practically feel the mist and cold air of the Scottish island, and it added so much atmosphere to the story. Every twist felt sharper, every reveal hit harder—it’s the kind of book that makes you feel like you’re right there in the middle of it all.

If you’ve read any of Alice Feeney’s previous works, you know you’re in for a wild ride where nothing is as it seems, and nobody is who they claim to be. This book is no exception—trust nothing, question everything, and brace yourself for a story that will mess with your head!

An absolutely brilliant novel—one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year. If you’re looking for a thriller that will keep you up all night questioning everything, you need to read this. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beautiful Ugly truly lives up to its name. The writing is beautiful, as is the description of the Isle of Amberly and you will discover as you read just how ugly some people can be. Alice Feeney has really outdone herself with this one. You will love Grady, you will hate Grady, you will feel sorry for Grady, and you will genuinely believe he is losing his mind and then you will discover the truth!

A little disappointing, which pains me to say. Feeney has always had the ability to draw me into her novels, with breathtaking imagery and a plot that leaves you wanting more. But... while I was reading Beautiful Ugly, I found myself thinking of it as more of a chore to get through–just something to check off a list and say, "There, I read it. It's done." And this is to not fault of her own! The book itself is masterfully written, as any other Alice Feeney book is, it's just not to my personal taste this time. Perhaps the next one will draw me back in but for now I have to say this was my least favorite.

This book didn’t read much like a thriller to me. It was unremarkable and confusing in parts. A lot of the motivations didn’t make sense and I never felt an air of danger or suspense.

An excellent thriller with suspense, drama, emotion and twists set on a mysterious Scottish Island. Grady, a thriller author, had his world turned upside-down when his wife disappeared without a trace. Now a year later, and he is struggling to live his life without her. Thus, he travels a remote cottage in hopes of getting his life back on track and write his next book, but when he gets to the island it’s on, he feels as though his wife is there with him. Feeney has a way with words and this book may be one of my favorites by her. She kept me guessing till the very last page, and I love how all the different plot points came full circle. I highly recommend reading this one with buddy as there will be so many plot points you’ll want to discuss and easter eggs you wished you caught.

I love a good twist, and Alice Feeney is queen of the twist. For me this one fell flat.

Grady Green is a bestselling novelist whose wife went missing a year ago. He is lost without her - completely heartbroken, with his life falling apart around him. His agent offers him a stay on a remote island in Scotland, where he can hopefully write another book and pull himself out of his funk.

<spoiler> The book relies on an unreliable narrator for the twist, and for me at least so many of the earlier moments don't make sense once you learn what the big twist is.</spoiler> Rather than enjoying the ending, I more felt misled and confused. I was kept on the edge of my seat regardless, and fans of thrillers will be titilated as usual by Feeney's work. I just think she's done better, and I think a few changes in this could have made it a much stronger story.