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.

I listened to The Beautiful Ugly narrated by Richard Armitage. I would like to thank Netgalley and McMillan Audio for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for an honest review. This was the first Alice Feeney book that I have read. It tells the story of Grady, an author, and begins on the day his wife disappears. Grady proceeds to fall apart in every possible way after this event, and the reader is inundated with a barrage of laments and undying love of Abby by Grady, which quickly became old for me. In addition, the narrator's dramatic intonations soon began to get on my nerves. It's one year later, and Grady continues to go on and on and gradually loses his ability to function. His agent, Kitty, who is also Abby's godmother, suddenly offers him a cabin in a remote island hoping to get him back on track. For whatever reason, Grady never notices that he is the only man on this island, and that the goings on there are extremely strange. I guess, because he is drunk most of the time, the reader is expected to believe it. The twist comes at the very end of the book, and is so ridiculous, as well as unbelievable, that it was almost laughable. This book was not my cup of tea. Maybe die hard Alice Feeney fans will like it.

Ooooo what a great audiobook for a spooky thriller set on a remote Scottish island, where the lack of birds is not close to the most mysterious thing about this island. I loved the small touches of the crashing waves and the crackling of the radios throughout the book that brought you back in if you might have been drifting away. While at times it felt like there were too many loose ends to possibly bring together into a cohesive end product, somehow we get to a satisfying end. Feeney knows how to write distinctive characters that come alive off the page, especially with fantastic narrators giving these characters a literal voice.

Beautiful Ugly is a tale so twisted that you really will be hanging on for every unfolding event along the ride. From the disappearance of Abby, to the spiralling fallout of Grady in the aftermath, to the unfolding of events you couldn't see coming. This is my first book by Alice Feeney, and won't be my last!
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. They were easy to listen to as well as hearing a duel narrative that just added to my listening experience and kept me immersed in the story, and will look for more audiobooks narrated by both in the future! There were special sound effects that really added to the story, from waves crashing, a phone ringing. This audiobook really knocked it out of the park!!
*I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

“I hope you die in your sleep”

A gripping mystery that kept me hanging in.

So many twists and turns sometimes I wasn’t sure which way it was going but enjoyed the ride.

I was sent a widget for this book from the publisher but all opinions are my own.

Review of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

When I first picked up Beautiful Ugly, I had no idea it would consume me the way it did. Alice Feeney has this incredible ability to make you question everything—and I mean everything. This book is a tangled web of lies, secrets, and half-truths, and every time I thought I had figured it out, Feeney would pull the rug out from under me.

The characters are the real hook here. They are flawed, messy, and human, and yet, I couldn’t help but root for them, even when they made terrible choices. The protagonist, whose name I won’t mention because Feeney’s books always demand you read them blind, is both heartbreaking and infuriating. Her journey through trauma, betrayal, and self-discovery is one that sticks with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

The title, Beautiful Ugly, is a perfect encapsulation of the book’s themes. Feeney has a way of showing us that beauty often hides in the ugliest of places and that ugliness can lurk beneath what seems beautiful. It’s haunting, really, and the kind of thing that makes you look at people—and yourself—differently.

The twists? Classic Feeney. Just when you think the story can’t get darker or more complex, she layers in another reveal. I audibly gasped at least twice, and by the end, I was left staring at the final page, trying to process it all.

#netgalley

4.5⭐️
Such a solid twisty thriller!!!
Listened to the audio of this book, and loved it. Great dual narration with a sprinkling of audio effects added in which added to the already amazing atmosphere. The story unfolded like a fever dream and had the MMC and me questioning reality right up to the reveal, which I did not see coming at all!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio-ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book publishes 1/14/25.

A tale of a marriage and a special island. I listened to the audio book. The audiobook alternates between husband Grady and wife Abby. The narrorators brought this book to life.

The author has a way with words and has hidden gems throughout that really leave you pondering. The book weaved a interesting web of a couple both pursuing what they want. The twist and turns throughout this book keep you hooked until the end. What happens when you get what you want or your worst fear happens?

An eerie psychological mystery.
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Grady Green receives a call of a lifetime from his literary agent notifying him he finally achieved his dream of becoming a NY Times Best Selling Author. Grady cannot wait to celebrate with his loving wife, but his life is turned upside down when his wife goes missing. Devastated and haunted by grief, Grady is not himself and neither is his writing. After a year of mourning his wife, Grady is sent by his agent to a remote Scottish island with the hopes of completing another novel. Once there, Grady finds himself asking, "Am I paranoid?" because he begins to see his missing wife.

I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. As this is a dual point of view story, I really enjoyed having them both narrate the story to differentiate the character voices. The audiobook is fully immersive as well as we get sounds of the ocean, phone calls (with different tones and voices to indicate someone on the other line), bells, car doors, static, wind, and other daily noises. I thoroughly enjoyed the added elements incorporated into the audiobook which provided more to the drama of the story. This is one of the best audiobook productions I have listened to because of the immersive sound experience.

The general tone of the story is very eerie and dark--which is typical for an Alice Feeney novel--and exactly what I expect in a psychological mystery. I enjoyed the remote island setting and the spooky aspect that gave the story.

What fell flat for me were the plot twists and message. The plot twists were not the most shocking or believable, and there is a general theme of feminist female rage in this book which is not my favorite trope. The pacing is rather slow and didn't pick up until around 75%. The reason for 4/5 stars is due to the audiobook experience. For the storyline, plot twists, and writing style this falls more in line with a 3/5 stars.

I would recommend this book if you enjoy psychological mysteries featuring dysfunctional marriages, or if you also enjoyed the following:
• Misery by Stephen King
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio publishing for this audiobook ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After his wife goes missing, former NYT best-selling author Grady Green is offered a stay at a cabin on a remote island to hopefully be able to write his next bestseller. But Grady soon begins to realize there is something very sinister about the island.

I've never been disappointed by an Alice Feeney book! This one was very good. It took me a while to figure out what was going on and I certainly couldn't have picked out the twist. Was it far-fetched? Perhaps, but there were some clues along the way. I can't state what I loved most about the twist without spoilers but it was my favorite type of twist. The characters weren't particularly likeable but the main ones had good development. I liked the eerie feel of the island. The ending sort of felt like it came out of nowhere but I wasn't mad about it! I also thought the narrators did a phenomenal job. I'd recommend it!

4/5⭐

I WANTED TO LOVE THIS BOOK 😫

Alice Feeney has a way of drawing me in and keeping me guessing and entertained. Up until the last 20% of this book, I truly thought it was going to be a 5 star read.

HOWEVER, lately I have been let down by Feeney’s endings. Don’t get me wrong, I love a shocking ending, but lately, these endings seem so out of left field. Beautiful Ugly left me confused and let down. I took some time to process the entire book and even though the majority of the book was great, I just didn’t love it as a whole.

The audiobook was so well done with sounds, music and the narration was great! Definitely recommend the audio if you decide to read this!