I definitely had a decent enough time with this. The twists were twisting and the vibes were vibing. I never became fully invested in our narrator or his missing wife, though, and that kept me from giving this a higher rating. If you’re looking for a fun thriller, this might be a good pick!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillen Audio for the ARC. I have to say this book really surprised me. By the time I was approaching the end I was kind of over Grady's woe is me cluelessness. But then all the secrets started pouring out and I realized what the red herring was, meant to throw me off the real trail. I swear my mouth literally dropped open as I put it all together and one of the big twists was revealed and I was like WHAT?!? Then everything else came out you just laugh at the cleverness of the whole thing! Definitely worth a read when it comes out for any thriller lover! My review will be shared on Goodreads.

Alice Feeney’s Beautiful Ugly is a psychological thriller around a missing person case. The story follows Grady, a struggling author whose wife vanishes mysteriously. As he deals with the trauma of her disappearance, he accepts an offer to retreat to a secluded writing cabin on a remote island.

The novel’s pacing is uneven, with a slow-burn start that picks up considerably in the final quarter. While the initial chapters are slow, the second half delivers a series of jaw-dropping twists that will keep you guessing. However, certain plot elements push the boundaries of believability, which may detract from the overall impact.

The audiobook narration is well-executed, with the narrators using voice modulation and accents to bring the various characters to life. The addition of sound effects further enhances the listening experience.

If you’re a fan of Feeney’s work, Beautiful Ugly is worth giving a try.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book. I voluntarily listened and gave an honest review.

The day that Grady learns he is on the New York Times best sellers list, his wife goes missing after finding a woman lying in the middle of the road. Grady heard her walk away from her car and never saw her again. One year later, Grady has reached rock bottom. He hasn't released a new book, has lost his home and is completely broke. His publisher offers him a chance to escape to a cabin on a small Scottish island. Once he reaches the island, he sees the impossible-his missing wife.

It's been a while since a mystery/thriller took me by surprise. There were several mysteries throughout this book that had me in complete suspense. Not only was there the mystery of Grady's missing wife and what truly happened to her, but there is also the mystery of the island and the permanent residents that live there. The ending had the perfect twist that I did not see coming and had me questioning everything I thought throughout this book.

This audiobook was beautifully done, and the narrators did a fantastic job with the characters. Although there was background music in between the different POVs, the graphic audio did not interfere with the story. It was one of the best audiobooks, I have listened to this month.

If you are a fan of high suspense mysteries with unreliable narrators, I would recommend adding Beautiful Ugly to your 2025 TBR.

Beautiful Ugly comes out January 14th.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review Beautiful Ugly. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Grady Green is struggling after his wife goes missing. He had just received the good news that he was a NYT Best Selling author, but while sharing this news with his wife everything changes and she never makes it back to their house. As Grady is barely surviving in the time following this tragedy, his publisher offers him a lifeline, a remote location to write in and get his life back on track. The destination is a Scottish isle with a population of about 25 and a writing cabin teetering on the edge of a cliff. Odd happenings ensue. Is Grady’s sleep deprivation catching up to him? Will he be able to resurrect his writing career or finally lose it all? Alice Feeney excels at setting. The Isle of Amberly was such a visual locale with an interesting history and townsfolk. The pacing and alternating POVs compelled me to keep reading. The articles sprinkled throughout the story were a nice touch as well. With a plot centered around marriage featuring two very different perspectives, the challenge became figuring out what was true and what these characters were really about- a common theme in much of her work. This is where I struggled a bit. The last 5-10% of the book pushed the boundaries of suspending disbelief for me personally and with so many questionable characters, it was not a satisfying conclusion in the traditional sense. It was thought-provoking and dark which are things I typically appreciate in my reading life. Ultimately, this was a tough story and would foster a great book club discussion. Narration by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton was superb. The additional sound effects really worked for me and added to my reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this audio arc! I thought I would love it more at the beginning, but it ended up making me kind of mad at the end lol. I spent the whole book feeling bad for Grady, until close to the end. It was really twisty, and I love a good twist. I enjoyed how all of the characters were tied together. It was something like I haven’t read wrote! It was definitely odd, but in a good way. It kept me on my toes and the narration was top tier.

The twist was good, but there was a lot of nothing leading up to it. I loved the narrators, but they were not enough to keep me interested. I only finished because I knew there was a big twist coming.

Alice Feeney has done it again - Beautiful Ugly is her best yet!

Grady Green’s life is shattered when his wife, Abby, mysteriously disappears. A year later, he encounters a woman who looks just like her on a secluded Scottish island, and the mystery deepens from there.

The audiobook is expertly produced, with a gripping atmosphere that makes the island of Amberly feel like a character itself. Feeney’s signature twists are timed perfectly, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

If you love psychological thrillers with unexpected twists, this is a must-listen. Go in blind—you won’t regret it! 10 out 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was given an advance reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I loved the premise of this book and is told in a very compelling way. However the big reveal was a bit of a letdown for me and found the underlying premise very off putting

This one wasn’t for me. I got bored and really struggled through it .

Some may like it but I didn’t

I feel incredibly lucky to have received an ARC audiobook of *Beautiful Ugly* by Alice Feeney! As a long-time fan of Feeney’s work, this book made me realize exactly why I’m so captivated by her storytelling: it’s not just her intricate plots, but the unforgettable experience of being completely engrossed in her world.

Feeney has an unmatched talent for keeping me utterly perplexed yet thoroughly hooked until the very end. Her signature style involves dropping tantalizing breadcrumbs about 75% of the way through the story—just enough to make me shout, “WHAT?!”—and then *BAM*! She delivers a twist that flips everything upside down and makes me question everything I thought I knew.

Not all her characters are designed to be relatable, and honestly, I love that. Feeney’s storytelling isn’t about catering to comfort—it’s about delivering a narrative that takes you from Point A to Point Z with wild, unexpected detours along the way. Every twist feels like a perfectly plotted surprise, making her books an exhilarating journey I never want to miss.

Notice how I’m not telling you a thing about the plot? That’s because you don’t need to know. Trust me—go in blind, buckle up, and enjoy the rollercoaster ride. *Beautiful Ugly* is another stellar hit, and I’m recommending it to everyone I know!

This story hooked me from the very first pages. We start with the mysterious disappearance of a journalist, and then follow her husband as he figures out how he's going to continue his writing career without his muse. So many unexpected details, ominous characters, and unreliable narration make this an excellent thriller and suspense novel

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This storyline was very unsuspecting and suspenseful. Wife gone missing but may actually be alive while on a secluded mystical island.

Thank you #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for granting me access to the ALC for my honest review!

Holy Moly Good Golly.....I have read all of Alice Feeney's book and I was waiting to see if she was going to write another....and she did! There is so much I want to say, but I don't want to spoil any of these words Feeney has written. The overall meaning is like a ray of sunshine coming through the clouds onto the sea. Enlightening, suspense, powerful and perfect is what I would say describes this book. Don't worry, there is Feeny's usual twist and turns.... but she doesn't is to elegantly!

My first book by Alice Feeney was Daisy Darker and I really enjoyed it, but Beautiful Ugly definitely tops it! This book is by far one of my favorites and I highly recommend it for the tension, eerie vibes, and just the twists it gives throughout as the story unfolds where everything is perfectly executed and leaves the ending a complete shocker!
If you like dark psychological thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat then this book is for you!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Alice Feeney, and NetGalley for my advanced copy. I really enjoyed this audio book and the narrators as they did a great job!

A suspenseful read that kept my attention the whole time. I wish it would have had a few more twists, but overall was really enjoyable!

this review will contain spoilers.

the narration was done very well. Especially when they added the additional sounds like a telephone ringing. I honestly thought that was happening around me and not in my headphones.

I didn't super love the unreliable narrator. this definitely had Gone Girl vibes. I also didn't love how sexist the island was. That men were only a problem. Yes, bad things happen and people do horrible things, but women are also capable of heinous actions.

overall this was interesting, but I wouldn't read it again.

I plan to share this title with my instagram page on Tuesday, January 14th.

www.instagram.com/robinashleyreads

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The book's premise is intriguing and unsettling, yet it failed to fully captivate me. This isn't entirely unexpected, as I've had mixed experiences with this author's previous works. It seems to be a matter of personal preference; her books haven't resonated with me as much as I'd hoped, and this one was no different. That being said, I believe this is my favorite of her books so far. I was engaged until the conclusion, which, unfortunately, lacked the same appeal. The cover, however, is stunning with its foil lettering, a detail I greatly appreciate.

Thank you @netgalley & @macmillan.audio for the early audio copy

4.5/5 stars!!
Grady is devastated by the mysterious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of his wife and eventually tries to keep doing what he loves by taking an opportunity to get good writing time in on a practically deserted small island in an isolated cabin in the woods. There are so many creepy scenes that play out in this book that was on the verge of giving me goosebumps. I can’t remember the last time a book truly creeped me out. I loved every second of it and couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next because it truly had me guessing.

The audio book was fantastic along with the narration and sound effects. Definitely recommend listening to this one to get the full experience! Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC!

Grady and Abby are married. Grady calls Abby to tell her something. The next thing he hears is Abby slam on the brakes of her car. He finds her car abandoned and that is that; Abby is gone. A few years pass and Grady is missing her. His agent books him a stay on a remote island, in order to reignite his writing career, and get him away from it all for a while.

While on this island, strange things begin to happen. Is Abby dead, missing, or right in front of his face? This isn’t a regular “vacation” island. There are some sinister things going on there.

All in all, I enjoyed the eeriness of the story. We get a little bit of haunting and spend time with some strange individuals. Also, an unreliable narrator is always fun. The narrators are Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. We mostly hear from Armitage though. His accents are spot on. Both truly make the story better. I am glad I listened to the audiobook.

I think the spookiness and thrilling events could have had a little more oomph! Nothing really made me look under the bed while reading or sent a chill down my spine. However, I do love Feeney’s writing and do think it’s worth a listen or read. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book.