4 Stars – Absolutely Thrilling!

This book had me hooked in no time! The audio production was phenomenal—a solid 5 stars. I’m usually not a fan of extra sound effects, but this one nailed it. The added details made the experience so immersive and thrilling.

As for the story, it’s a strong 4 stars. The beginning dragged a bit for me, and I hit a point where I thought, “Please, no more twists!”—but wow, those twists kept coming, and they had my jaw on the floor every single time. I couldn’t stop listening and finished it in just 24 hours. I was completely sucked in and believed every twist and turn, hook, line, and sinker!

I can’t believe this was my first Alice Feeney book. Safe to say, I’m officially a fan and can’t wait to dive into more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Flatiron Books, and Alice Feeney for the chance to listen to this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wow. One thing I love about Alice Feeney's books is that I never expect the ending. Beautiful Ugly is a psychological thriller about marriage and revenge.

Grady Green is a New York Times bestselling author whose life has shattered when his wife, Abby, goes missing. He loses his home and his ability to write. Grady's agent offers him an opportunity to stay in a cabin on a remote island in Scotland. With nothing left to lose, he agrees. When he arrives on the island, he sees a woman who looks identical to his wife. Either Grady is experiencing insomnia induced psychosis or Abby has a lot of explaining to do.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The beginning was a bit slow, but once I hit the halfway mark, I was invested in this story. It was easy to see that the island residents were odd. I couldn't decide whether it was them or Grady, though. Grady was obviously struggling with his wife's disappearance, and he was very upfront about his lack of sleep and the possibility that he was losing his mind. I kept thinking to myself, "Is Grady in danger, or is Grady the danger?" I was not prepared for the truth regarding his wife's disappearance. The ending was so satisfying!

Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton were absolutely perfect narrators for this book!

If you've read Rock, Paper, Scissors or are a fan of psychological thrillers, you will enjoy Beautiful Ugly.

dual pov • psychological thriller • mystery thriller • suspense

I didn’t love this book, and it took me longer than usual to finish because I couldn’t get into it until the last hour and a half. The narrator did a good job! 2 ⭐️ because I did not predict the twist.

Good stuff

When an author is struggling with writer's block a year after his wife went missing, he takes his agent's offer of going to a small island to hopefully find inspiration. There are some things that didn't necessarily gel for me, but I enjoyed the story of him seeing what looked like his wife on the island. You don't know how reliable he is. Is he going crazy? Is he being set up? I didn't really like a part about him finding an unpublished masterpiece and trying to claim it as his own as I have read that many times, but all in all I really liked this book.

Thank youuu to my besties at Macmillan Audio for the copy to read and review!

I wanted to love this, I mean that COVER is gorgeous, and the blurb is so intriguing! I'd give this a solid 3 stars, it inched towards 3.5 for a while but the ending wasn't for me. One of my least favorite mystery tropes is used and this one made me angry by the time we reach that twist.

The setting was great and beautifully described (beautiful yet creepy too). The cast of characters are each quite unique, but all similarly creepy (there's that word again, are we sensing a theme?)

Overall, it was okay-good, but not great (for me, personally). LOTS of readers are LOVING this one so try it for yourself!

LOVE! The best book I have read by Alice Feeney! She does an amazing job, building tension between the well-drawn characters. You never knew who to trust and I even started guessing my own sanity. 10/10.

I hated Grady throughout this whole book! I thought this was quite entertaining but it was not my favorite Alice Feeney novel. I do really like her writing, I am reading her backlog now. Thank you for the chance to listen to the ALC.

"I hope you die in your sleep" - how the MCs say 'I love you' ?

I first found Alice Feeney's books when I read Rock Paper Scissors. It was one of those books that left me with my jaw on the floor because the twists were so good. (I highly recommend checking it out as well!) Ever since, I wait eagerly every year for a new Alice Feeney book. They have been good, but to me not as good as Rock Paper Scissors... until now.

5 STARS!

I finished reading this book and immediately started reading it over again from the first chapter because it left me feeling surprised and confused, but in the best way!

Summary:
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life. Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.
A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible – a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.
Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.

What I liked about this book:
-The setting! It was dark and dreary and felt so eerie the entire time I was reading it.
-The audio book had fantastic narration and the sound effects were a phenomenal touch!
-The plot was interesting, I have no clue how these authors even begin to think up some of these storylines, but I just loved it.

What I didn't like:
-That this book isn't published yet so I can't make all my friends read it... YET.


Overall, this book is a fantastic locked room mystery with lots of twists and turns! Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy. This book hits shelves on January 14th, 2025, so pre-order your copy now because I anticipate this one being popular next year!

This is only the second book I’ve read by Feeney, but as a big fan of Daisy Darker (5star read), I knew I wanted to read this one as soon as I came across it. It sounds exactly like my kind of story. I really like Alice Feeney; she is such a good writer and storyteller.

The book summary introduces the primary storyline of a grieving Grady, who has been mentally and emotionally incapacitated by the disappearance of his wife, Abby, a year earlier. As if it wasn’t bad enough that Grady was a needy, insecure, man-child before Abby’s disappearance, he has now become a full-on morose recluse incapable of taking care of himself, although he seems to still be able to still take care of Columbo, his devoted black Lab.

Anyway, what the book summary doesn’t mention is that his agent sends him to Amberly for the sole purpose of writing something before he is completely broke and bankrupt. Amberley is a really tiny Scottish island that is extremely remote. So remote that there is no wifi or internet service and no working land lines either. Furthermore, visitors aren’t allowed to bring cars onto the island and the ferry service is strictly for mail and supplies to the island. All of which make for the perfect setting to a really creepy story.

Another thing that the book summary doesn’t mention is that the cabin that Grady is staying in was owned by a famous writer, who was a well-known recluse, that died many years ago. Upon arriving at the cabin, Grady finds the final draft of the author’s last book that was rumored to have been lost or hidden, which it was in the floorboards of the cabin. Anyway, Grady finds it and decides to pass it off as his own. This trope has never gone well for characters in other stories who have tried to do this. None of this is a spoiler since it happens in the first 15-20% of the story.

The story flips back and forth between present day Grady on the island and pre-disappearance Abby. We get a pretty clear picture of how downtrodden and grief-stricken Grady is. The book summary also doesn’t mention another secret Abby was keeping and that was all the money she was funneling out of their joint account prior to disappearing, which is how Grady became so broke. This was also revealed from the start of the story.

Anyway, Feeney sets up some clear directions on where she wants our suspicions to go. In typical Feeney style, all is not what you think it is – it is so much darker and creepier. That crazy, shocking end was so far off from where I had gone it’s absolutely laughable. Alice Feeney is the Queen of crazy twists and turns. Moral of the story: be careful of what you ask for…..

The character development for Grady, Abby and Kitty was well done and even some of the supporting characters on Amberly were ok. The pacing was steady and the storyline very interesting that kept me engaged throughout. The writing was Feeney finest and will have me adding more of her work to my to-read list. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.5 that I am rounding down to a 5star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #MacmillanAudio #BeautifulUgly

4 ⭐ 0 🌶️ 3 🎧

*light spoilers ahead*
This was a twisty and thrilling ride and I enjoyed it immensely. It was one of those with a wild ending you couldn't see coming, in part because it was practically impossible and insane, but it was so much fun you hardly cared. It screamed feminine rage and in this current political climate it had me fist pumping in the air.

Part of my docking a star is because I listened to the last chapter three times and still don't know how this one ended ended. Like what happened to Grady? What was his message? I want to knowwwww.

The audio was good. I was disappointed that neither Richard Armitage or Tuppence Middleton changed their voices much for certain characters, even those of the opposite sex... But overall it was enjoyable and I'd re-listen if I decide to read this one again.

Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary e-audiobook of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney.

Abby is heading home and talking with her husband Grady on the phone, and this is where the suspense begins. Abby slams on the breaks and Grady is waiting, but nothing. He hears nothing on the other end and his wife never makes it home and poof she has vanished.

This title kept me guessing throughout and I really enjoyed the suspense this title offered.

The storyline is intricately plotted and more complex than I expected from this author. She weaved the story together really well, and the characters were few, but played critical roles throughout the novel.

I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys thrillers and suspense novels.

The audiobook was so good! Everything about it was exceptionally well done. Both narrators, Tuppence Middleton and Richard Armitage, were perfect for the dual narratives. The addition of sound effects, such as walkie-talkie static and ocean waves, made the experience even more enjoyable and immersive. The story itself was a wild ride. I loved the eerie setting of the Scottish island and the locked-room aspect of the plot. The paranoia element was also well-executed, as everyone in the town knew each other, and Grady, who came to this small town to write, ended up feeling delusional and paranoid. The repeated line "I hope you die in your sleep" effectively advanced the plot, focusing on Grady's deteriorating state after arriving on the island. The twists came very unexpectedly and I really enjoyed the ending.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Macmillan Audio for giving me a copy

I listened to the audio version of this book Narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. The narration was average.
The book was wonderful. It had you thinking one way and then spun you in another direction. The ending was superb. Definitely a psychological thriller!
I hope you die in your sleep.

This was just the twisty atmospheric thriller mystery I needed! Set on a creepy secluded island with a cast of odd characters. I had so many theories but all the twists and turns took me in an entirely new direction.

I loved the connection to literature and strong gfemsle characters. What a cool concept. I loved Alice’s writing - it put me right there feeling with the characters immersed in the richly described community and setting. Loved it! Highly recommend esp on audio. Thank you for the audio arc! A solid 4.25 stars for me.

Alice Feeney’s Beautiful Ugly is one of the top five audiobooks I’ve ever listened to, not just because the narrator was phenomenal but because of the atmospheric sounds that they used….
Waves crashing. Dial tone buzzing. Walkie talkie crackling. This added to the suspense and was the perfect touch to push this up to a five star read.

Grady is a struggling writer whose wife Abby disappears one stormy night as she’s driving home. He can’t recover from the loss so when his agent offers to send him to a remote island to write and start to heal, he gladly accepts the opportunity. There are only twenty five residents on the island and Grady is convinced that he sees Abby at every turn. Is his mind playing tricks on him or has his beloved wife truly escaped to this secluded place where everyone seems to be hiding secrets from their own pasts?

This is Alice Feeney’s best thriller yet, and I’m ready to listen to it for a second time to pick up on all of the clues that I missed the first time!

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was addictive and thrilling and I just had to know what would happen next. I really enjoyed the setting and it definitely gave me the spooks. My husband snuck up on me multiple times while I was listening to this and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

The ending however left a lot to be desired for me. Certain things didn’t add up neatly enough for me and some explanations felt a bit stretched. The big twist was more of a huge unexpected crash that just made no logical sense. I would have given it 5 stars otherwise. I even went back and re listened to ch 1 and was still left feeling confused and unsatisfied.

She for sure knows how to write a nail biter though!

The audio was a bit rough. There were sections that sounded like it was recorded farther away or on a different day or something. (Not the walkie talkie/phone stuff, regular talking was an inconsistent level). I also wasn’t a fan of the extra sounds at the beginning of new chapters but that’s just a personal preference.

Although I loved the premise of this book, I found the dialogue a bit predictable. Good narrator.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful Hungry by Alice Feeney
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a fantastic and exciting thriller story! I was completely engaged from start to finish. Grady’s wife Anna strangely disappears and Grady has to try to put the pieces of his life back together. Grady, an author is offered a cabin on a small Scottish island to work on a new book. Once there, many strange things start to happen to him and he thinks he keeps seeing his missing wife.
There are so many twists and turns throughout this book and I was on the edge of my seat! There’s mystery, suspense and intensity! It’s a fantastic and entertaining thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio copy of this excellent book! The narrators did a great job too!
*This book comes out January 14th and it’s a must read!!*

Beautiful Ugly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Psychological Thriller)
A big thank you to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this audiobook by Alice Feeney. A self-absorbed author, Grady Green, has been waiting for the call to find out if his latest novel has made The NY Times bestseller list. Simultaneously, he is awaiting his wife Abby to return home so he can receive the news with her. But suddenly Abby is gone, vanished, leaving Grady completely beside himself.

Fast forward to a year later, Grady’s publisher recommends he go to a remote Scottish island to regroup and reignite his writing. While this island appears beautiful and breathtaking, it hides much more sinister things. Grady keeps seeing Abby everywhere. Is he going mad? What happened to Abby? Will he make it off this island?

This book was truly a mind f*ck! It was a little slow, at times, but I personally enjoy a slow burn. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a true psychological thriller.

Grady Green is a writer who feels completely lost after his wife disappears. He can’t find any inspiration to write and cannot concentrate. Grady’s agent sends him to the remote island of Amberley in Scotland. There, Grady stays in a cabin that another author once owned. Grady’s agent hopes that the change of scenery will give him inspiration for a new book. When Grady arrives on the island, he sees a woman that looks exactly like his wife. Who is this mysterious woman? Will the change of scenery help Grady write another book?

I am a huge fan of Alice Feeney and this latest book definitely did not disappoint. I liked the way the story unfolded and how the twists were revealed in the book. The descriptions of the island made me feel like I was there with Grady. The narrators chosen for this were perfect. I highly recommend this one to anyone that enjoys thrillers! I give it 4.5/5 stars.