Some people disappear on their own accord. There would be no foul play, no force. They would want to start somewhere new with a new name, with no baggage following them from their past life. Grady's wife disappeared too. Hers didn't appear to be a planned one though. She got out of her car leaving her husband on the other end of the line to help out a woman on the side of the road. And she never came back.

Grady lost himself after this. NY Times bestseller status couldn't even save him. He couldn't write or think anymore, but his publisher was not going to break his pen yet. She sent him on an isolated Scottish island where a popular author was residing before he passed away as a residency. Grady was meant to pull himself together and start writing there. Only problem was that he saw a woman that was dead ringer of his missing wife.

Twists in this book were little too unbelievable that I actually lost interest in it towards the end. I was supposed to be excited to learn who was who and what happened to the wife, but I was like "nahhhh this is too much". I liked Feeney's stories but this one did not work out for me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. This book was addictive!! With sooo many twists and suspense. It got a bit weird and unrealistic at some parts but wow the ending was worth it!

I loved the cover on this one and haven't read an Alice Feeney book in a while, so wanted to give it a try. It ended up being mildly enjoyable, but overall wasn't a hit for me.

If I'm reading thrillers with a twist or an aha! moment (which most of them have), I want my reaction to be like "omg!!!" But with this one my reaction was, "Oh, OK... I guess?" I had already figured out part of the ending and the rest just didn't feel super feasible to me or just seemed like the author had an idea for a book and needed to figure out a good twist ending to fit. To be fair, I believe it's REALLY hard to write a good mind-blowing thriller these days.

In Beautiful Ugly we get an unreliable male narrator, Grady, whose wife goes missing in the first pages of the book. A New York Times best-selling author, Grady can't seem to write a thing after his wife goes missing. So, his agent sends him to a small island where he can stay in the house of a now deceased well-known author. But, of course, lots of strange stuff starts happening on the island.

I did love some of the little details like "I hope you die in your sleep" and did enjoy listening to parts of this book. I'm sure some of Feeney's fans will love it, but I don't think it will help her gain much of a new fanbase.

This wasn’t quite what I was hoping for but it was mostly entertaining for the duration of the book. I’m glad Alice Feeney returned to her more classic married domestic thriller/drama. There was a lot of tension and the intrigue carried most of the way through the first two acts of the book. The narrator (Grady not Richard Armitage) was quite obnoxious but I’m not against an unlikeable first person narrator. I caught on to a lot of what was going on before he did and it was interesting to see some of my theories come to fruition. However the major twists in this book were so extreme it was laughable. I don’t necessarily need story to be completely realistic but I do want it to make a little more sense in the context of the greater story and this just kind of seemed like a big gotcha moment more than an well executed plot twist.

The audio production was interesting. I liked the addition of sound effects and Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton were standouts.

Overall I enjoyed listening to this book but it wasn’t quite as I’d hoped. I’m sure lots of people will enjoy it, however!

⭐️3.25
Grady is lost and broken. His wife has disappeared and he can’t bring himself to do his job, which is a bestselling author. His agent offers up a secluded cabin on an island in Scotland, so a relieved Grady takes off with his loyal dog Columbo in tow.

I finished the book a bit confused as to what happened, but maybe it was just me. The narrators and sound effects were fantastic and contributed to the overall creepy vibe. I appreciated the slow burn of the book, but it got a little irritating towards the end. I was still on the edge of my seat due to the great narrators.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/211004123
Pub date: January 14, 2025
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I love this novel. It kept me guessing until the end. I was shocked about how this novel played out, and not dissappointed in the twist. This was defintely one I would reccommend.

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for an ALC of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney!

The queen of the twisty twist is always the most anticipated publication of the year, so I was thrilled to get my hands on this audiobook before pub day to share and generate excitement for.

The main character is author Grady Green, calling his wife with exciting book news as she is driving home. Abby slams on the breaks and then seemingly disappears into thin air. Her car is still there, by the cliff, her phone is there, but she is not.

A year lady, Grady is still struggling. He can't sleep or write, so he goes to a remote Scottish island when he gets a once in a lifetime opportunity, to see if it can help him recharge his batteries and write. He certainly gets a whole lot more than be bargained for, though, because he sees a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

This one was creepy, atmospheric, and the narrators did SUCH a great job. I felt like I was on the island with Grady (Like it or not). No, the dog does not get hurt in this story (Most important part). I will say this wasn't my favorite of Feeney's, though. I found it to be a bit of a slow burn and I anticipated one of the twists, the other was a bit out there. 3.5 stars for the story, but 4 for the audiobook as the narration and background effects are fantastic!

Wow! Feeney has done it again with a tense and wonderful thriller! I love her writing and her characters. I was lucky to listen to this an ARC and the audio version is so good!!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed the way this book started and where it was going. The "locked-room" feel of the island was perfect but the twist was so ridiculous and I found myself literally rolling my eyes at it. Overall, I was entertained but wished the twist was more cohesive.

Alice Feeney did it again!
This was SO atmospheric, creepy, well done and the audio?! BRAVO! I need more audio books to include background atmospheric qualities like this one did with the ocean waves.

SO WELL DONE!

Holy buckets of twisty! Alice Feeney does it again - this book was fabulous. I binge listened to this in under a day - I could not stop.

When an author's wife goes missing, his writing is stunted. In an effort to help, his agent sends him to a secluded location to focus on his writing. While he feels like things might be a bit off, there's no way that he or any of us could imagine what was coming. This book had me absolutely rapt from beginning to end and the twist at the end still has me reeling.

This is definitely one of the best books I've listened to all year and I highly recommend putting it on your 2025 TBR list. You will regret nothing!

Wow lol this was something... I had no idea what was going on for a surprisingly long time - I probably should have, and if I'd been reading the book versus listening to the audio, I may well have. But I got so lost in Richard Armitage's narration that I just sat back and enjoyed the exceptionally wild ride on the surface and didn't try to work anything out. I really love him as a narrator - his recent version of Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell is INCREDIBLE - and he definitely kept me in this one.

I confess I am not a huge Alice Feeney fan, frankly. I find her books to be more over-the-top than I prefer, even in domestic thrillers, and the piling on of twists gets irritating to me rather than drives my attention. I saw the Big Reveal coming before it was announced, but not by all that much - and I found it to be fine, not surprising. What I didn't much expect was her SECOND Big Reveal, which I found a fun addition to the story and regained my attention for a while. I liked the ending and enjoyed the listen on the whole.

There's a LOT of suspension of disbelief required here, but there's also a lot of fun and the wild "what is going on?!" elements were perfectly captured by the excellent dual narration.

This was eerie, and had me on the edge of my seat (truthfully, bc I was driving most of the time I was listening) constantly! I did feel some bias while reading it which I didn't particularly enjoy, but the author did, I think, a reasonably well job of explaining why the members of the island felt a certain way towards this one (very large) group of people.

Narrators were phenomenal. I didn't even realize Richard Armitage was the narrator when I requested this. He knocked it out of the park--hire him again!

This book was amazing! The narrators were wonderful, it is my first 5 star in some time. It was shocking and thought provoking. Just do yourself a favor and buy this book. Go into it blindly, you will not regret it.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for an ALC
5 star

You had me at "Alice Feeney." Then you REALLY had me at the cool title. But then you throw in "audiobook narrated by Richard Armitage?" Now, that's just gilding the lily.

But seriously, as we all know, Feeney is the queen of heart-stopping twists and jaw-dropping suspense, and this book is no exception. Add Richard Armitage's gorgeous voice and great acting and you've got a riveting listen from the first chapter. I was captivated by this one immediately and couldn't wait to get to the end of the work day so I could continue listening, which is my favorite kind of audiobook. Though some have compared this to "Gone Girl," it's not like that at all, and is very different and totally original. I thought I had the twist figured out a few times but nope, I sure never did. A great setting of an unpopulated island (with no birds) in Scotland, fascinating characters, wild and wooly twists, and a finite number of suspects adds up to one of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a long time. I was sad for it to end!

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney offers an intriguing setup and plenty of suspense, but ultimately falls short due to its underwhelming twist. Feeney’s writing is engaging, and she creates a tense atmosphere, but the twist, which is meant to be the story’s highlight, feels predictable and lacks the shock factor typical of her previous novels. The buildup is strong, but the payoff doesn’t quite deliver, leaving the resolution feeling flat. While it’s still an enjoyable read, it may disappoint those looking for a more surprising conclusion.

“I hope you die in your sleep.” This is my new favorite from Alice Feeney. What a dark, atmospheric, slow burn with delicious tension and a satisfying ending. I was hooked from the very beginning and had to know what happened to Abby - Grady thought it’d be a night of celebration, instead it turned into the night that his wife disappeared. I liked how she used the writer goes to remote island to write a book trope to create something that I’ve never read before. I liked the slow burn suspense here - the pacing was spot on for me. I was surprised by a lot, and she wrapped this novel up in the best way. The audio has added sound effects and I loved Richard Armitage’s performance.
Macmillan Audio ALC

Wow, I was excited for this book. I loved Rock Paper Scissors, and I am always suggesting people read it.

Now this book. I was stunned at the vulgar topics and spicy scenes. This was a messed up book. I believe that the author is very good at twisting your thoughts around like a tornado. I was not expecting the twists, turns or the ending. Crazy.

A wife disappears and a writer has problems writing again. He travels to a remote island without wifi, cell service or many of the luxuries of life. However he has time to try to write is new novel. He finds someone else's novel and tries to write it as it is his. Then he starts realizing this island is a a little strange. A well written mystery with some awesome story lines that keep you guessing until the end. Great characters and the narrator was awesome. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was such an incredible experience! Every part of it felt so vivid—the settings, the characters, the emotions—it was all brought to life so beautifully. While Scotland and Scotland Island stood out as particularly atmospheric, the entire book had this immersive quality that kept me completely hooked.

What really amazed me was the way the story unfolded. My buddy readers and I had so many ideas about where things were going, but there was one major twist that none of us saw coming. It completely changed how I looked at everything and made the experience even more memorable.

The ending wasn’t what I was hoping for, but honestly, it didn’t take away from how much I loved the journey. This book was bold, different, and full of surprises, leaving me with so much to think about. I’m really glad I had the chance to read it—it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.