What a way to start off the 2025 reading year! Alice Feeney has been a favorite author of mine for years and I am thrilled to say this book absolutely lives up to the hype! I read this as an audiobook, which featured background sound effects to create a truly immersive experience. I love to see more audiobooks coming out with these effects! Beautiful Ugly is told primarily from the perspective of the antihero MMC Grady Green, an author with writer’s block, still reeling from the disappearance of his wife the year prior, who retreats to a very remote island to attempt to write his next book. Grady is the quintessential unreliable narrator, one of my favorite themes for a psychological thriller or mystery.
Some of the final twists and reveals in the book were too far-fetched. One of them was so blindsiding and had no supporting evidence or clues that I couldn’t believe it at first. The more you dig into the facts, the more of the story begins to unravel. Another twist I initially enjoyed, trying to piece together what I thought I knew with what was later revealed, however after finishing and considering the work as a whole, it’s an upcycled version of the plot device in another popular Feeney book. I still loved the book, and I love to be surprised by a thriller or mystery, but I would have loved some original twists and fewer holes in the plot.
Beautiful Ugly gets a strong 4.5 stars from me, and Feeney remains at the top of the list of must-read, must-recommend authors! Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the ALC of Beautiful Ugly, which publishes January 14, 2025.

What a way to start my year… with a 5-star read by none other than Alice Feeney. In this atmospheric and eerie novel, Feeney grabs your attention right from the first chapter, when Grady is on the phone with his wife, Abby, who disappears while they are talking as she’s driving home. The rest of the novel takes place a year later, with Grady missing his wife, uncertain about what really happened that evening, and struggling to move on with his life. Grady is given the opportunity to continue writing his novels on a remote, small island where he can focus without distractions. What seems like a promising opportunity quickly spirals out of control as strange things begin happening, and Grady believes he has seen his missing wife. Was it really Abby? Is Grady just imagining things? You’ll have to dive in and find out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this slower-paced novel, with its heavy psychological and mysterious components. As I read, I developed many theories about what was really going on and enjoyed discovering whether I was right. The ending was what I expected, but it still managed to shock me.

If you enjoy slower-paced mystery thrillers with creepy, questionable characters, then you will really enjoy Beautiful Ugly. Stunningly crafted – I truly believe this is Alice Feeney’s finest work to date!

Seriously, SO GOOD. I didn’t really like Feeney’s last book, Good Bad Girl, because it felt like a departure from her usual twisty stories, but guys, my head is spinning from this one.

I don’t know if I can even form a coherent thought after finishing this banger, but I definitely did not see any of the ending coming—and I usually do a pretty good job of guessing twists. I had to go back and reread sentences multiple times because I was shook!

The eeriness of the island, the feelings of being trapped, confused, gaslighted, and alone were so visceral in this book. I paired it with the audio from Macmillan (which has special sound effects), and it took the experience up a ton of notches.

All I have to say is, if you love dual-narrated thrillers with flashbacks and current-day perspectives, locked-room thrillers but set on a beautiful island you can’t leave, are a book lover through and through, and enjoy plots with a little bit of female rage—this will be a winner for you too.

Thank you Macmillan audio for the gifted audiobook!

Another mysterious hit for Alice Feeney. Loved all the twists and turns. Wonderful cover art. First half was a bit slow but then it picked up.

Just when you think you figured out BOOM another twist! I can honestly say this book had me guessing right to the end, really the very end I did not see that last little twist!Alice Feeney does it again great book good characters whom she made you root for till you turn on them too.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This book had me on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding. What a thriller!

I received this an ARC from Netgalley. Grady is a struggling author grieving the loss of his wife. Abby went missing and is presumed dead. Grady's agent offers up to him a secluded cabin of a dead author on a remote island. No wifi, cellphone service, and no outsiders. As Grady spends more time on the island and gets to know it's inhabitants, he gets more and more weary of those surrounding him. No one is who they seem to be and the island is holding more than one secret. Alice Feeney will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to Alice Feeney and NetGalley for this audio-ARC.

This book felt unnecessarily repetitive. The beginning point of view from an unreliable narrator is a troupe that has been outdone in thrillers. Now this troupe has become campy and frankly long-term thriller readers are tired of it. I am a huge fan of Alice Feeney and this one book will not deter me from reading their other works. However, please don't go down this same road as multiple authors and start putting out books that are unrealistic, unoriginal, and boring just for the sake of pushing out books.

Wow!! This book follows Grady, an author whom was on the phone with his wife when she suddenly slams on her breaks due to a woman's body lying in the road. After she gets out to help the woman, she goes missing.
One year later, Grady is still missing her terribly, and hasn't been able to write anything since her disappearance. His publisher/agent, Kitty, sends him to the remote island of Amberly to stay in a well known author's cabin to hopefully spark his creativity and get his writing back on track. While on this island, Grady meets a interesting bunch of residents who permanently live there and one day out of the blue, he is sure he sees his missing wife. Slowly he is sent into a spiral making the reader wonder if he is decanting into madness or if he is actually experiencing the things he is sees, hears, and feels.
This book had a masterful ending and while this was a slow burn, I truly loved this book and the way Alice Feeney took you on another wild ride. She is one of my favorite authors for a reason and this book did not disappoint. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to this audiobook (I also read along physically) in exchange for my review!

I really enjoyed Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney! I listened to the audiobook and I just couldn’t stop listening! Both narrators for the dual POVs were great! The audio production was especially entertaining since it included sound effects like the walkie talkies and musical elements. I loved the dog’s name - Columbo! And I really enjoyed how the main character was so unreliable. He was dealing with the trauma of his missing wife, struggling in his writing career, and insomnia. The setting of the secluded Scottish island was great too that added another dimension to the mystery. It was a thrill ride to discover that ending!

This book was definitely not was I was expecting. A man’s wife disappeared. He’s a write and hasn’t written since she’s been gone. His editor sends him to her cabin, the island only has women on it. No cell service. He keeps thinking he’s seeing his wife on the island. What you don’t know is he is the reason she disappeared. This was an insane plot. Never could have guessed

This story was quite a rollercoster ride! I love reading original out of the box type of stories like this one! I did not see what was coming next. I’m so happy that I was able to experience this story in audio form. The narration was perfect in every way! I was sucked into the story and felt like my feet were planted right in the middle of it! I’m excited to share my recommendation of this must read with my fellow readers!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨ (3.75/5)

I really enjoy Alice Feeney books. This audiobook was well done and had sounds and music throughout which I thought was a cool touch. The production value with music, walkie talkie static, phone ringing, etc was top notch. All of this added to the overall atmospheric vibes of the book. I also thought the lore about why there were no birds on the island was pretty cool.

The beginning started off well, grabbed me right away. The middle was pretty slow going (not a fan of that - I prefer more fast paced books) but the pacing picked up towards the end which I liked and is what really saved the book for me.

So here’s the jist. A married couple, Grady and Abby seem a bit…disconnected but one day (the best and worst day) changes everything. Abby mysteriously disappears one day. Grady has a serious case of writers block ever since Abby went missing. He goes away to an island to see if he can get himself inspired again. Only things on the island are weird from the start. Grays seems like he’s interested in finding his wife but honestly it felt to me like he was more into the mystery of the thing than any sort of deep connection.

The entire book something just felt so clunky & awkward about their relationship. I just kept thinking, what’s the draw for Abby & Grady, like what really connects them!? Neither seems like a particularly happy person and there’s 0 chemistry. They don’t seem to bring anything positive to each other and seem to want to be known to the public for their successful careers yet they keep big secrets from each other.

There are HUGE secrets that come out and if I were in this marriage I would be livid.

Feminist themes…if ya can’t beat em’ (and you won’t), might as well join them…for a time anyway. The ending was cool and if you want a more immersive experience I suggest the audio.

This book was engaging right from the get go. I love a book that hooks me right away. The last Alice Feeney book I read I did not finish. It was “Rock Paper Scissors”, and it did not entertain me like this one. I did NOT see the twist coming!! That’s what I like in a book, one that actually stumps me. I truly enjoyed this book!! Especially the last sentence which will haunt my dreams tonight!!

A complex story of love, regret and lies

Grady’s wife goes missing one night. They are on the phone and she exits her vehicle, never to be seen again. A year later, his agent, her godmother, offers him a chance to go to a remote island where and older writer used to live to write another novel and he has struggled since his wife went missing. Things seem out of place, and his wife’s articles begin turning up around the cabin. He keeps seeing her everywhere, but he has to be mistaken.

Where is this island, and will Grady ever make it off?

Many twists and turns I did not seen coming kept me wanting more to find out the truth about Abby, and the truth about the island. And I was not prepared for what happened.

I don’t know how I feel about this one. Was it interesting? Yes. But I feel like I still have so many unanswered questions and am thrown off by the ending. I am not a fan of super far fetched mysteries, I can suspend some disbelief but only to a certain extent with mysteries. I prefer them to feel real. Still enjoyable enough, and if you’re a Freida McFadden fan, I’d recommend this one. But it was just okay for me.

I loved the narrators for the audio book. It always helps me stay engaged when there is a male and female narrator. They were both so talented at changing their voice. I had no trouble keeping track of who was talking.
The story line was exceptional. I didn’t see the twists coming. All the characters were engaging.
I received this galley from NetGalley

It took me a while to really get into the plot of this book because it was slow-paced. The most interesting parts were towards the end and I enjoyed that section. There were unexpected plot twists as well as some that I had anticipated. The setting on a remote Scottish island added a fun and mysterious atmosphere to the story. The community members were suspicious but friendly towards Grady, leaving me to wonder what they were truly up to. The multiple POV’s from Grady (both past and present) and his missing wife (in the past) helped fill in the gaps, and it was also nice to hear Abby’s side of things. Overall, it was a good book. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrators did a great job.

I think this book is going to be a hit, but sadly for me it was a little too slow and confusing In the end for me to be able to rate it higher. The book has a great atmospheric setting on a secluded island and a great plot, but I felt like it didn’t get interesting and substantial until about 60% in. The plot twists were definitely shocking, but they also left me a little confused, and with lingering questions that went unanswered. I did really enjoy the unreliable narrator, short chapters, and the eerie setting of the book.

Reading challenge category - 2024 Flourish and Blotts: Transfiguration - Switching Spell: Read a book in multiple formats (ebook and audiobook)

Grady Green is a bestselling author whose wife goes missing. 1 year after her disappearance, Grady is struggling to make ends meet. He can't sleep, he can't write, he can't function, and he's losing their home. His agent offers up her 'vacation home' (cabin) on a remote Scottlish isle. Once he arrives, he thinks he sees his missing wife, but then he starts to see other things. Everything is not as it appears to be.

Okay, so I get the mixed reviews for this book, BUT I am deciding to do a little suspending of reality and just rate this on enjoyability. And I definitely enjoyed a vast majority of the plot. Sure there are some unbelievable things and odd tie-ins just to try to make things make sense. BUT -- (to explain why I like it, I have to reveal some SPOILERS).

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I love the female-centric island that was created. These women were wronged and they did something about it. Now they live together on the island in a mostly peaceful way. All women. No major issues. Girl Power. I also liked the way the the news articles were left to describe the backstories of each character on the island who we meet.

Thanks to #Netgalley and Macmillan publishers for the ARC!