Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney.

First of all, always props for adding sound effects to an audio book, especially the sound of waves. This was already such a cold, atmospheric read, the sounds heightened the experience.

I like Alice Feeney a lot, but this wasn't my favorite of hers. It sits on the other side of the line of believability into bizarre. It wasn't unenjoyable, just too outlandish for my taste.

What was supposed to one of the best days of Grady's life quickly turns into the worst. He has just found out that he is a NYT best selling author, but moments after telling his wife, she disappears. A year after she vanishes and Grady's life is hopeless. He hasn't written a thing, offers have been rescinded, and his life is on a quick downslide. So when he is offered a chance to write on a secluded Scottish island, he quickly takes it, the quiet will do him good.

It doesn't take long before Grady starts noticing odd things about the island, starting with the fact that there are ferries to the island, but never going out. And even stranger, but he can swear that he keeps seeing his wife, surely his eyes are playing games with him.

I was initially very intrigued with this misty and mysterious story, but it's out there. It kept my interest from beginning to end, but I don't think I'd rush to recommend this to anyone. I still love you Feeney!

The queen of twists is back! Alice Feeney is one of my favorites and her latest book did not disappoint! I absolutely loved this book and was lucky enough to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook. Everything about this audiobook was done impeccably well. I loved the sound effects throughout. Crackling radio sounds, crashing of waves and creepy as hell church bells enhanced Alice Feeneys classic atmospheric style. The setting, a remote island with no way to return to the mainland, no internet or phone, a strange group of residents that don’t love visitors and a haunting writing cabin, really adds to the thrill. I also really enjoyed the transitional music for each point of view. The narrators were excellent and really captured the building up of tension. I really loved all of the mystery behind this book. The story kept me guessing the entire time, quite literally.

Author Grady Green is on the phone with his wife when mid conversation he hears her slam on the brakes. She says there is a woman lying in the road. He begs her not to get out of the car and investigate but she does. He can hear her walk away, then nothing. When he finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the door is open, and all of her belongings are still there, including her phone..she has disappeared

One year later, the grief of not knowing what happened to her has consumed Grady. He can’t write, can’t sleep, his career is in tatters and he has lost his home. His agent suggests that he spends a few months in an old writing cabin on a remote Scottish island. It belonged to one of her other clients and is sitting empty. Homeless, broke, and out of options, he makes the journey to the Isle of Amberly, where he sees a woman who looks the spitting image of his missing wife..

If you’re an Alice Feeney fan yourself you’re not going to want to miss this one. If you’re an audiobook lover do yourself a favor and listen!

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @alicewriterland for the ALC #MacAudio2024

4.25⭐️

I feel like this will be one of the top thrillers in 2025!!

In this book we are following author Grady when he finds out he is on the best seller list he calls his wife and while they are in the phone he hears her slam her brakes and then he never hears from her again.

Grady has been having a hard time coming to terms that his wife is gone when his agent suggest that he goes to a small island to write and get away and things start to get weird.

I finished this book supper fast because I just had to know what was going on. I will say I found it a bit predictable but I had a great time reading it.

I received this arc in exchange for my honest review.

First off, thank you for allowing me to review. I do appreciate it greatly, and I am sorry that this title didn't work for me.

I didn’t hate it. It did keep me interested. Unfortunately, there were quite a few things that I did not enjoy about this novel. It was very repetitive, and long winded. It was also purposefully misleading to hide one of the main twists. Instead of allowing the reader to attempt to discover it. It made the twist annoying, honestly. It goes on to be too “Scooby Doo” at the end, thoroughly explaining everything. Then leaving me with islanders that made silly decisions, and had me rolling my eyes. Bummer, because I enjoyed the other books I’ve read of hers.

Book Title:
Beautiful Ugly

Author:
Alice Feeney

What’s it about?
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney explores themes of self-perception, identity, and the hidden darkness within. The story is meant to captivate readers with its psychological depth and twists, but unfortunately, it fell short in its execution. Despite an intriguing premise, the narrative struggled to maintain engagement, and the story's slow pace made it difficult to stay invested.

Favorite Part:
While I found the overall pacing sluggish, the plot twist at the end did show promise. Had the story progressed differently, I believe the ending could have been much more impactful. The twist was an interesting turn that left me contemplating how the story could have been executed with more engagement and excitement.

Thoughts on Characters:
Unfortunately, I did not find myself connecting with the characters. The slow development of the story made it difficult to fully invest in their journeys or care about their motivations. The lack of emotional depth and the drawn-out pacing contributed to my disinterest as I struggled to stay engaged throughout the book.

Would You Recommend It?
Beautiful Ugly may appeal to readers who are patient with slow-burn narratives and enjoy psychological thrillers, but it is not a book I would recommend to those who prefer a faster-paced, more gripping story. The book requires persistence, and even then, the payoff may not be worth the time invested for some readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.

US pub date: 1/14/25
Quick summary: The best day of Grady's life quickly turns to the worst when a call with his wife Abby leads him to overhear her sudden disappearance. A year later, he finds himself on an isolate Scottish island...where he sees a dead ringer for Abby, and that's not the only funny business going on.

Alice Feeney's books are a bit hit or miss for me, but I still find myself compelled to read them. In this case, I alternated my purchased BOTM copy with the audiobook. I loved the narration and the sound effects that kept me immersed in the story (wind blowing, music, etc.) There were plenty of twists and turns - exactly what I was looking for in a wintry, spooky thriller. I think you'll enjoy this one while snowed in, provided you can suspend your disbelief a bit! 3.5 stars rounded to 4; 4+ stars for the audio experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable! Per usual with Alice Feeney a lot of twists and turns one doesn’t expect!!

I liked the narrator too!

I love Alice Feeney and Daisy Darker is probably one of my all time favorite books. I was so excited to have the opportunity to listen to this audioarc. This was another twisty thriller from Alice Feeney.

The story follows Grady Green, an author, whose wife disappears the same night he achieves his greatest ambition. A year later Grady has lost everything - he cannot write, his wife is gone, his career has stalled and he's homeless. His agent, Kitty, comes to his rescue in the form of a cabin on a tiny island off the Scottish coast. The island is not what it seems, and neither are the inhabitants. And why does he keep seeing a woman who looks like his wife? While there were a few parts of this book that were a little too fantastical for me, they are few and far between and, on the whole, I enjoyed this twisty read. The characters are interesting and the atmosphere of the book feels oppressive throughout.

I would recommend this book to those who like the twisty thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the audio ARC to preview.

I accidentally signed up for this audible thinking I was signing up to read the book.
I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed this considering I don't listen to books on audible often. I prefer to read the book.

I really liked the narrators chosen for this audible and the story was a solid mystery/thriller.
This story contains an unreliable narrator and an ending that I didn't see coming even with a few min left!

Alice Feeney's "Beautiful Ugly" is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully weaves a tale of deceit and suspense. Set on a seemingly idyllic island community, the novel delves into the dark underbelly of human nature, where appearances can be deceiving and secrets have a way of surfacing with devastating consequences.

Loved the setting- a small island off the coast of Scotland, cut off from the outside world- sign me up!

The mystery kept my attention, but unfortunately I was pretty sure of who the culprit was in the wife's disappearance from the start. There was also a "reveal" at the end that I found very confusing, because I'm not sure how it took that long for the main character to notice the one thing all the people on the island have in common. He was all shocked about it- so he's either really stupid or so self centered he doesn't think critically about his surroundings (both, is the answer).

3 stars for the setting, the narrator, and the wild last chapter.

The explicit scene featuring a child really wasn’t needed for the story. I pretty much gave up after that.

Beautiful Ugly is a slow burn that draws you in and then twists and twists before eventually revealing everything. I’m not sure what I was expecting. It’s a little bit dark. Revenge / karma can be beautiful ugly. This is not my favourite by Alice Feeney, but it liked it.
I really enjoyed how the narration of the audiobook was done. The voice of the narrator, Richard Armitage is soothingly calm, well paced and very easily listened to. The voice portrayals are consistent.
(3.5 rounded down)
Thank You to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this ARC.

I had high expectations for this book as I am a huge fan of Alice Feeney. For some reason this one did not click with me like the others. I am not a big fan of an unreliable narrator and the middle got a little too slow for me that I started to lose interest. There was a big twist that was shocking but didn't work for me because it seemed a little outlandish with too many pieces of the puzzle that were molded to fit to make up the bigger picture which in the end felt a bit disjointed. The first half had me hooked and I was entertained towards the end, but it didn't leave me completely satisfied.

The perfect amount of twists and turns. I loved the underlying feminist theme. The audiobook narrator was good. The random "real life" elements kind of threw me (the ocean waves, the phone call sounds). An all around solid thriller!

THIS is everything an audiobook should be! The narrators did an amazing job and I loved all the little extra snippets that helped me to feel fully immersed in Beautiful, Ugly. I am a fan of Alice Feeney's writing and must say this is some of her best work yet!

4.5 stars

2.5 stars 🌟
It’s been a few days since I finished Beautiful Ugly, and I can barely remember the first three-quarters of the book.

The story follows a moderately successful author who's been grieving since his wife went missing. A year later, still unable to write, he jumps at the chance to work on his book in a remote cabin on a Scottish island.

The premise was intriguing, but unfortunately, that was the main draw for me. The book dragged. I listened to it on audiobook, and even at twice the speed, it still felt slow. I kept waiting for the climax—the big lead-up to the twist. And while the twist was surprising, it was only because it was so out there. Overall, I didn’t connect with Alice Feeney’s writing. The characters felt flat, and the plot lacked a solid build-up to the twist.

While there were some good twists and some tense moments, this fell quite flat for me. As a big Alice Feeney fan, this didn’t really feel like her and I can’t quite put my finger on why. I never really cared for any of the characters and it felt like there was a lot going on but also nothing of importance going on? I don’t know - I just never settled in. 😕

Grady is waiting for a call to find out if he made it on to the best sellers list when he gets a call from his wife. She suddenly stops the car to help someone and goes missing. A year later he is struggling to even start his next book. His editor offers for him to use a cabin on a remote island that another author used before he died. Weird things start to happen.

This one was hard to put down. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, something else happened.

The story is great, just as you'd expect from Alice Feeney. But the narration was just so-so. This is one of those cases where i think the book trumps the narration.