Alice Feeney once again delivers a captivating and twisty thriller with 'Beautiful Ugly.' This psychological suspense masterfully weaves a narrative that constantly shifts between reality and illusion, leaving the listener constantly guessing.

The audiobook experience is elevated by the exceptional performances of narrators Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. Their nuanced voices bring the characters to life, while the minimal sound effects enhance the atmosphere without being intrusive. I particularly appreciated the chapter titles, many of which are oxymorons, mirroring the book's title, 'Beautiful Ugly,' and subtly hinting at the themes of duality and contradiction within the story.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #BeautifulUgly #Macmillanaudio

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney was such an amazing book!
An atmospheric and creepy read that was is a non-stop page turner with an ending that delivers.
Feeney is the master of psychological thrillers.
Richard and Tuppence did an outstanding job narrating this one.

3.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Audiobook

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this audiobook.

This was another novel with an author as the lead character… and an overdone storyline, but maybe I’m just cranky!
It’s a slow burn where things progress at a mediocre pace which left me feeling bored at times.
Overall I found this read to be “meh” it did have some fun twists towards the end that added to the overall enjoyment, but other parts were predictable.
I really wanted to enjoy this book as I’ve enjoy other titles by Alice Feeney but I just wasn’t feeling it.

This book was one of those thrillers that is a little unbelievable. The beginning is set in a ridiculous way where you start to get annoyed at how far fetched everything is. But! The end really wraps it all up in a way that delighted me. I was surprised with how satisfied I was with the last bit. Performances were great.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is an interesting thriller told from two perspectives: (1) Husband Grady is a writer who lost his wife over a year ago and he is still grieving her loss; so much so that he can’t write anymore. (2) Wife Amy disappeared under mysterious circumstances and get a glimpse into why and how in flashbacks over her life - both before she met Grady and afterwards as their relationship turned into a mundane existence. The rest of the story is about Grady using an old writer’s cabin on a remote Scottish island with only two dozen residents. Mysterious things start to happen while he is there and he tries to figure out why and how. I really enjoyed the beginning of the story and felt really sorry for the distraught Grady. And the “big reveal” and ending really caught me by surprise.

Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton provided the voices in the audio version of this story and they were perfect! They had my attention the entire time and really brought the characters to life. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy of this audiobook. I leave this review freely and in my own words.

It’s a solid mystery with lots of twists and turns. I loved all of the oxymorons in every chapter. And I was hooked after the first chapter. Missing woman? I’m in. Unfortunately, the main character was meh for me. I think that was the point, since there were some solid feminism vibes so I appreciated the male MC being less desirable in the end, but it was frustrating to see the cycle of indecision and inaction again and again and keep chugging along. I pushed on and loved the mystery of the woman in the red coat finally resolved.

𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗨𝗟 𝗨𝗚𝗟𝗬 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘆 is a dark, gripping psychological thriller that had me hooked from the start. Grady Green, an author drowning in grief after his wife Abby’s mysterious disappearance, travels to a remote Scottish island to find solace and inspiration. But instead of peace, he’s met with eerie islanders, unsettling events, and the impossible sight of a woman who looks just like Abby. The island's haunting atmosphere—complete with towering redwoods, misty cliffs, and ominous forests—added to the tension and unease that dripped from every page. This story’s twists are as shocking as they are clever, delivering a jaw-dropping reveal I never saw coming. Feeney’s vivid storytelling never ceases to amaze me. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with eerie small-town vibes, this is a must-read.

Read Completed 11/17/24 | 4.25 stars
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this audiobook review copy!

Alice Feeney is always an auto-read author and I think BEAUTIFUL UGLY is one of her better novels! I loved the moody setting of a remote Scottish island and there's plenty of suspicion to go around. This book was readable from start to finish and immediately hooked me at a time where not a lot was grabbing my attention.

The book is about author Grady Green, who takes a temporary leave/writing retreat to a remote Scottish island in a cabin lent to him by his agent in the hopes that he can get out of his writing slump. It's been a year since his wife disappeared while he was on the phone with her, and he has to assume at this point that she's presumed dead but starts seeing reminders of her when heading to Amberly Island. More and more odd things start happening on the island as its history makes itself known and Grady starts to find out that there's much more than meets the eye...

I love a locked room mystery and despite having an entire island to roam, this is exactly what this book was. A tiny island with no tourists or visitors allowed, no phone or internet service, and even no cars makes things terribly exciting and suspenseful. With only 25 residents, when anything odd happens, you know it's someone on the island and just wonder what their motives are. Alice Feeney did a great job at bringing this island and all of its residents to life. At times, I forgot I was reading and could really picture everything that was going on, and I could definitely see this as a Netflix limited series like so many Harlan Coben novels.

The pacing really picked up towards the end, and that's probably my only decent hesitation about loving this book. The beginning had its mysteries as we get to see (or don't see) Abby's disappearance on the page. The book skips to one year later as Grady's agent is arranging for him to head to the cabin on Amberly Island and things were still interesting, but do take a little while to set up. There are some suspenseful flashes here and there, and there are chapters where we see a past version of Abby before she disappeared, so there is still a lot going on to set up this thriller. I just wasn't as invested as I could have been to really amp up this rating, but it's all still solid!

The ending was definitely more fast-paced, with things being revealed left and right! Most of the things I kind of saw coming by the time we got there, but there were a few missing pieces to tie everything together that really brought it full circle. Some of it was a little fast and furious and I wish that we had maybe spent more time on them earlier on so it wasn't such an onslaught of information all at once, but it definitely captured everything and tied up all of the loose ends -- including some things I had forgotten about! Some of it was maybe a little bit of a stretch, but hey, that's why it's an entertaining thriller novel. We don't always want to read about everything being a given because that's not exciting.

Like some of my favorite thrillers, just when you think it's over, it's not! There was plenty of excitement to go around at the end, and it adds one more touch of darkness before it's lights out for this book.

I'm so happy to have enjoyed this book and I think this is one of Alice Feeney's better novels for me! Definitely a solid thriller read.

This book had a lot of potential. It did move at a slow pace, but in the end, it was plot twist after plot twist, and I think that might have been what made it not that great. The slow burn was okay, but there were too many little details that weren't really needed. Once towards the end, though, with all the plot twists, it just made the story so unbelievable.

3.5 stars

TLDR; eerie and mysterious thriller that feels very Gone Girl x Shutter Island.

I quite enjoyed Beautiful Ugly. I was lucky enough to get an ALC so I actually listened to this one and I think the audio really lent itself to the story. As someone who often guesses big reveals having listened vs read really helped to keep me into the story without getting ahead of the story. The atmosphere and narration constantly gave me the chill down my spine vibe.

That being said, even without trying to guess the twist or big reveals, I feel like it was still a bit predictable. Grady Green is an unreliable narrator and you see that very early on with how he acts. Not that I think he's meant to be all that likable but man was he unlikable. There was a decent amount of the book that was felt like nothing was actually happening. Overall, Beautiful Ugly was a like, not a love, good not great. There wasn't anything that really stood out for me. Would definitely recommend the audiobook!

<b>Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for the ALC!</b>

Happy Pub Week to Alice Feeney and Beautiful Ugly. The title’s unusual, and so is the story - slow burn suspense with a strong sense of place. PSA: Columbo the dog is not harmed.

A struggling male author retreats to a remote Scottish island with no phone or internet service. Strange things seem to happen to him. Are they real ... or not?

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for advance access to the audiobook expertly narrated by Richard Armitage with Tuppence Middleton and atmospheric sound effects. I was surprised to get another point of view beginning at the 20 percent mark. As I listened, I was never quite sure whether or not Grady was a reliable narrator until the end. I didn’t anticipate the reveals in the final chapters, and I’m still not completely sure how I feel about them.

This is my third Feeney novel, but not my favorite. If you haven’t read this author, I recommend starting with His & Hers or Daisy Darker.

A year after the mysterious disappearance of his journalist wife, novelist Grady Green travels to a small Scottish island to write his next book. It is a really strange place with very few residents and no visitors most of the year. What's strangest of all is that Grady keeps seeing his wife, but she vanishes every time he tries to approach her. And try as he might, he's having a hard time leaving the island or making contact with the outside world.

This was the twistiest of twisty thrillers, a real slow burn of a mystery. All through the book, Grady wonders if he's losing his mind. And I kind of felt the same way as I listened to the story because I had no idea what to believe. There were a lot of tangents that were hard to follow and all of them tied into the plot, but it was hard to keep up most of the time. Super creepy vibes throughout.

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. The narrators are very talented, and there are sound effects, which I've never encountered in an audiobook before. The sounds of vehicles, ocean waves, walkie-talkies, bells, phone lines, and a metronome all added to the spooky atmosphere and made me feel like I was on the island with Grady and his faithful dog.

3.5 stars.

What did I just read? A sick twisted story that does not have a single decent sane human in it. It is bizarre, wild, you think you have a clue, only to realize you only have an inkling, but nope, it was a brick wall and you need to rethink things. So so dark, filled with revenge and good luck figuring out who is the good, well meaning and who is, well just full on crazy. The narration added to the creep factor.

This book has the lovely prose we’ve come to expect from this author. While I didn’t see the ending coming, I think it could have had a much more exciting climax with a bit more build up. All the big reveals just…happened.

It’s still well-written, I had just hoped for a bit more from the climax.

In typical Alice Feeney style, she has be guessing from the start with a huge plot twist at the end. I love her writing, and the narrator for this one was spot on! Really enjoyed it!

In Beautiful Ugly we follow author Grady Green, who’s wife has gone missing. It’s been a year since she’s gone, and he can’t seem to accept that she’s probably dead. He can’t write either, the only thing that ever made him happy. He’s also running out of money. So when his publisher offers him a free stay at a home she’s inherited on a quaint little island, he takes her up on the offer. He believes he can get some peace and quiet there and he may finally be able to write his next book. This getaway, though, seems to be a bit more than he bargained for, when he starts seeing his missing wife.

So this was my first Alice Feeney book. I was very intrigued with this book throughout most of it. The imagery of the Island of Amberly is beautiful, and I can imagine it so well the way that Feeney describes. I wanted to keep reading because I was so interested in what the answers could possibly be. Is his wife dead? Missing? Well, you do find out. Honestly, the lead up is great and a slow burn, and I really couldn't tell exactly where this book was going, what direction off the clues it would take, which I liked. However, when I did finally learn the twist, I wasn't very impressed. It just seemed so out of left field to me, without many clues that actually led to it. I did still like the book overall though, and I think others would enjoy it also.

My review will be on Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram January 22, 2025.

SO GOOD!!!!!! Did not see the MULTIPLE twists at the end! Absolutely love this book and the story! It is a fast and easy read as well as good at keeping you wanting more!

Beautiful Ugly, Alice Feeney's dark story is about spouses who are both writers and celebrities of a sort. It reveals mysterious and consequencial secrets buried in their past. Both writers are struggling with their contrasting careers and the things they have not shared from their families and personal lives . They have long played their individual roles to create the life balance they crave (in public and private) as a happily married couple, denying to each other that their marriage feels like a betrayal. Then she is gone, and a spine tingling adventure of twists and turns begins. Like Gone Girl there are episodes where you favor one spouse or mistrust the other. Then you may feel that eventually it will all work out, as it is seeming to. But, remember Feeney is the Queen of gaslighting and unreliable narrators! And then the ending rings true to answering much of what you have been questioning. If you think Stephen King's writer Paul Sheldon had it bad in Misery, - well let's just say celebrity writers may start looking over their shoulders for their SPOUSES, NOT their FANS after reading THIS best seller ! Spoiler: These women who hate men find an author worthy of being their victim, marry him, boost his career to be publishable, kidnap him and force him to support them, then gaslight him into committing suicide as his. only way out that is also revenge by leaving the island without support, and the ladies laugh all the way to the cemetery as they dream of their next victim. When you read the book you may see it a different way. I loved it!
I listened to this McMillan audiobook, which I highly recommend. It is impeccably narrated by Richard Armitage ( The Hobbit film trilogy), and actress Tuppence Middleton, (Downton Abbey). Sound elements of howling winds and breaking waves added another chilling layer to the haunting Brit theatre of their voices.. Perfect for the isolated offshore island setting.

When I first encountered the island in this book - with it's precious Redwoods, I was immediately skeptical. These Redwoods were stated to be introduced to the island, meaning they're an invasive non-native species, why are they being "protected", why is a biologist there just to study and "take care" of them? AND these trees drove out all of the birds???

As I read more of the story (audio), I found myself struggling with the unreliable narrators - yes both of them. By the middle to end of the book, my patience was wearing thin, and I had to speed up the pace out of frustration. Then I hit the Abby/Abby chapter that required multiple re-reads, and even then, I struggled to grasp what was unearthed due to the forgettable nature of the island characters names.

If a book is going to feature numerous twists and intricate plot developments, they need to be plausible and engaging enough to allow for understanding and reader investment - Beautiful Ugly was not.

And finally, the constant anxiety over the fate of the dog added an extra layer of stress throughout the reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney in exchange for my true thoughts.

I received this as an ARC and was so excited to read this highly anticipated book. As I was reading it I felt like I was in a fog and trying to wade through it to figure out what was going on. At the end it all became clear but just seemed so unrealistic. I couldn’t fall in love with this book like I had hoped and was so excited to do.

It focuses on Abby who goes missing at the beginning of the book and her husband who has difficulty going on without her and, as an author, can’t find the inner strength and creativity to write. When his agent suggests that he go to a remote island for a while to focus on his writing, he encounters strange situations, women, and hallucinations that make him believe he sees his missing wife…but is it really her? Is she still alive? And what is going on at this island that makes him feel this way?

I think if it had been wrapped up a bit sooner than the very end and if the conclusion were a little more realistic, I may have liked it more. Thanks for the ARC, but I wouldn’t recommend this as highly as I’d hoped.