What an excellent book! I have enjoyed Alice Fenney books but this may be her best so far.! I was lucky to listen to it and the narrators, Richard Armitage , (known for his role in the Hobbit films), along with Tuppence Middleton, (known for her role in Downton Abbey), both did an amazing job. The audio is fairly short at 9 hours and 19 minutes which is good because I could not stop listening it was that intriguing. Of course there are the fabulous twists and turns that Fenney is known for but it was the ending that really blows the mind!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this book for an honest review.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is a psychological thriller with many twists that I didn’t see coming.
The story had me second guessing everything.
I listened to the Audiobook and the narrators, Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton, did an excellent job.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gotta say I did not like this book at all. DNF at 38%. I didn’t find it spooky, or atmospheric, or mysterious. Not sure what the author was going for. Maybe I needed to get farther into the novel where the “twists” were, but I just couldn’t force myself to do it.

The first 19% was sloooow. When Grady finally got to the island I was halfway interested, but I think that’s because there were additional side characters with accents (even though the characters were dull).

There were some instances where a character would mention something in conversation that I don’t recall anyone else ever relaying to them. Like when Grady is initially at dinner with the sheriff and her sister. In one chapter they’re eating, and then the next she’s talking about how she needs to inspect what Grady found at the cabin. Huh? Where did that come from? While it wasn’t a pivotal part of the story, it’s indicative of how the author made some leaps. Was it because it simplified the story, or they were just lazy? I don’t know.

I will say the narration itself was spot on, but the audio effects (waves, music, phone ringing, etc.) were absolutely unnecessary. It sounded like the dramatics of a daytime telenovela.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

WOW!

This book had so many twists and turns, at 90% my mind was blown. I enjoyed listening to this audio book- both the male and female voices were relaxing and soothing to listen to.

Beautiful Ugly

What did I just listen to? The audio was so well done. Great narrators and extra audio effects. I found myself wanting to jump in the car so I could finish this one. Super unbelievable plot and unreliable narrators. Who doesn’t love that! I can’t wait to talk to someone else who has read this!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC.

Well, I finished this in less than 24 hours so that should tell you what a propulsive read this was. I had the book in both formats- kindle and audio (Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an listening ARC in exchange for an honest review) and I was so happy that I didn't have to stop reading when it was time to do things like feed my children. The audio was great- noises of the sea, walkie talkie crackles, etc made the experience better than a typical audiobook. The reader is kept guessing what in the world is happened to Abby and what is happening to Grady and on the island of Amberly. There were many twists and turns, and I didn't guess too many of them. I think this is my favorite Alice Feeney novel yet- I think it's her best.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an listening ARC!

Alice Feeney's books have been hit or miss for me and this was definitely more of a miss. This was a thriller that had twists just to be twisty but with writing that made no sense. The change in POVs was meant to be confusing I guess so the reader wouldn't catch that the story didn't really make sense.

The premise is interesting. I liked the island setting and the eerie tone.

In general I'm finding I don't like popular thrillers like this one, especially from authors that publish multiple a year... they are all starting to blend together for me and the only thing that makes them original are weirder and nonsensical twists.

2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

All the twists! Love the intertwined and developed characters. Dark but still draws you in. Definitely recommend!

I really struggled to get in to Beautiful Ugly. I'm not sure if it was because I wasn't enjoying the narrator or because of the story.

I absolutely loved the narration and production of this audiobook. It had me hooked from the first moment, and I listened to the full book in one day.

The girl power vibes were great and I didn't anticipate the twist, but unfortunately I hated it. It was just too convenient and easy for what I have come to know about Feeney.

This is a really tough one. I have to give Alice an A for effort in tackling a complex and challenging story with parallel timelines and craziness to keep the reader guessing. One of the twists (this isn't a spoiler--Alice is the Queen of Twists so of course there are twists galore) caught me by surprise and lived up to the definition of a twist by making me rethink the entire book. But there is another twist so heavy-handed that it felt like a betrayal, and didn't really fit with other aspects of the story. I can think of at least one way it could have been done more effectively, still making it a twist but more consistent with the rest of the book and less like a slap in the reader's face. Similarly, the final chapter felt like it was tacked on to "wrap things up" without being consistent with conversations in the previous chapter. Now, some readers may be completely fine with how it is and this is entirely my opinion, but, again an A for taking a risk that readers will either love or hate but will definitely feel something. It's just the execution that falls a bit flat. After an intriguing prologue, the first few chapters when Grady first visits the island are bogged down in description of setting, to the point it drags and I only pushed on because this is a book by Alice Feeney, after all. It's worth it as the story soon becomes creepy and the reader becomes as puzzled as Grady as to what's really going on. But it's Grady's character that is somewhat lackluster also. Although the reader is supposed to sympathize with him, since he's our narrative leader for most of the book, he's just not very likable, even when we're supposed to like him. His inner thoughts don't match his actions, and there's never a good explanation for it. I will, say, though, Beautiful Ugly certainly is not a book you forget about when you finish reading it, and there is a very clever bonus for the reader as well.

Thank you to the author, Flatiron Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I wrote this review freely of my own accord.

I LOVED this book! The sound effects in the audio book were top notch. I have never listened to an audio book with sound effects and I loved it. The twists at the end I did not expect! I would say this is a good mix of creepy horror type and a good mystery.

One quote to describe this book: “I hope you die in your sleep” was our way of saying, “I love you.”

First and foremost, this audiobook was fantastic. Felt very immersive, narrators had accents, there were fun sound effects- overall very high quality listening experience.

Beautiful Ugly is a very slow burn mystery book. It felt a lot different than Alice Feeney’s other work, so I would definitely recommend this even if you have disliked her books previously. There were a lot more “reveals” than “plot twists” in this story. But, despite its slow pace, there was always something that kept me interested and eager to pick the book back up.

This is definitely one that you could reread again and again and still take something different away from it each time.

The only things I didn’t like:
1. The (seemingly stupid and oblivious) choices the main character kept making.
2. I couldn’t stand the amount of times it talked about Grady being tired, having sleeping issues, or being awake for prolonged periods of time
3. Some of the motivations were very questionable.
4. The very end felt a little abrupt and slightly lackluster.

Nevertheless, this was fun to read and the audiobook definitely enhanced my reading experience, making the story fly by.

I don't know. I thought that the chapters titled and full of oxymorons was clever. And I was interested at first. A woman disappears while talking to her husband on the phone. He falls a part. He goes to a secluded and cut off island to try to get his career back. And then it just dragged. There was a lot of stuff that was suppose to build suspense but failed for me. The ending was hard to believe. I won't say why because that will give it away.

If you want a dark, entertaining thriller dive in. Personally, I'm over the unreliable narrator thriller trope, and this book leaned heavily on that plot. It also got a bit confusing with the characters, and made you believe that two storylines happened to the same person. If you want a thriller wrapped up in vengeance this book is for you. Thank you Netgalley for the digital ARC and the audiobook. I read a combination of the two.

I did enjoy this one. It wasn’t a page turner for me. But I did enjoy it. I did enjoy the plot twist and thought that was very creative

I really love a dual narration and find it captivating! The story was not my favorite of Alice Feeney's, but it is very atmospheric and gives medium creeps.

Thank you to Netgalley & MacMillan audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! It's been a while since I read/listened to a story like this. There are so many surprises in this book. It takes place in England at first, when Abby and Grady first meet on an airplane. After they talked for a while, Grady has some fun with Abby (view spoiler). They eventually get married, then Abby disappears, and Grady falls into a depression for almost a year.

His agent tells him to go to a small Scottish island (Amberlee) and try to regroup and get a new book done. On the island, he sees a woman that looks just like Abby! He talks to the islanders and finally finds her (view spoiler). Then he finds out some really surprising facts!

If you like intriguing stories, surprise endings, and just plain good writing, pick up this book. The narration was also excellent. Abby was narrated by a woman and Grady was narrated by a man. It really made the book come to life.

I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of the audiobook, in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

Non-spoiler synopsis:
Man is writer. Man’s wife disappears. Man cannot write. Man gets sent away to remote island to finally write again. Mysterious things happen. “Is this my wife?” man says at least 10 or 20 times while on the island. Maybe!

Review:
Honestly, I’ll keep this one short – did not love it. I felt like I knew every twist and turn before it was about to happen. Maybe it would be shocking if you turned your brain off after the first chapter while you read the middle of the book up until the last 20%. Honestly, the thing that shocked me most was the random loud ass noises in the audiobook!

Please read Beautiful Ugly if you love women, hate men, and want to be gaslit, but read it with the expectation that the twist probably isn’t as big as you think it might be; it published on January 14, 2025 and is OUT NOW!! And if you do, I’m curious to hear what you think of it!
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TW: child sexual assault, missing person, toxic relationship, mental illness, suicide, murder, stalking, gaslighting, addiction (excessive alcohol use), grief, death of a child

Beautiful Ugly
by: Alice Feeney
narrators: Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton
Macmillan Audio

Beautiful Ugly, in audiobook format, is presented with stellar narration that immersed me completely into the atmospheric intrigue of Feeney's thriller. The dual narration by Armitage and Middleton kept me on the edge of my seat as I listened intently, pondering what was next for main characters, Grady and Abby. Feeney's plot was unpredictable, puzzling, and perplexing in a story of a marriage, a writer, and a missing wife.

A small Scottish island provided a setting that was gorgeous, mysterious, and downright creepy, with a cabin, fog, cliffs, and sea views, not to mention unusual inhabitants and happenings. Prepare to lose sleep and be wowed by every suspenseful word and visual image.

I received an advance listener's copy from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio. My review is my own.

#BeautifulUgly #MacmillanAudio #AliceFeeney #RichardArmitage #TuppenceMiddleton