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!

I am not really sure what i think about this one. Did i finish it? Yes. Was i interested? ALso yes. However it was very mild and underwelming. Kind of men hating a bit but still it ckept me interested enough to finish. The twist is not my favorite and i would say it felt as it was pulled by the ears to make the story to be tight together. It wasnt very believable.

Wow!! Beautiful Ugly is a must read/ listen. If you enjoy a good mystery this is definitely the book for you. The twists keep getting better. Even when you think things aren’t exactly as they seem. You don’t quite understand how twisted the whole thing is. It definitely has a feminist element of it. Even tho the main character is a male and dominates the story. It does start out a bit on the slow side but picks up and keeps you wanting to read more

This was such a fabulous read!! I love an unreliable narrator and unhinged characters and this was filled with them.
The audio was outstanding. The production and sound effects were stellar. I felt fully immersed in the story.

4.5 ⭐

Thank you MacMillan audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this audio in exchange for my honest opinion .

First of all this was my first Alice Feeney book and I sure won't forget it . I am also fortunate to have gotten the audio as I felt it brought everything to life .

The narrators did such an incredible job and also the eerie sounds definitely helped enhance the book .

The twists and turns were wonderful . I kind of guessed initially a part of it but I sure as heck was thrown for a loop with that ending . I was speechless . Cannot wait to read more by Alice Feeney .

I was hesitant to pick up another thriller surrounding marriage by Feeney after reading “Rock Paper Scissors” and feeling very middle of the road about it. Unfortunately… this one left me feeling very similarly 🫠

The audiobook was FANTASTIC and truly brought this story to life!! The narrator’s accent mixed with the sound effects like walkie talkies and ocean waves made for the best production. If you do read this book, do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook.

The beginning started out super strong and I was captivated right away, but the further I got into the book the more I found myself not really caring anymore. I didn’t care about the characters or what happened to them. And the twist was just so unbelievable?? I don’t usually mind a twist that requires a little suspension of belief, but that was a little too out there. I feel like the twist left me with more questions than answers. There were also some scenes that made me SUPER uncomfortable reading that I just can’t look past.

This book was fantastic on audio. I really enjoyed the twists and turns, and I found it clever that each chapter title was an oxymoron, just like the book’s title!

This was a twisty thriller that kept me engaged throughout the entire book. I couldn’t even write this review immediately after reading because my emotions were all over the place. The audiobook was well done, and I would recommend listening to this book. I wasn’t sure how I felt once I finished reading, but I like that in a book. If you like psychological thrillers with an eerie edge, I recommend checking this book out.

Beautiful Ugly is delightfully unexpected. I picked this up, mistakenly thinking, “oh, I’ll just read a few chapters for now.” Next thing I know, I am reading the entire book in a single sitting because it’s one of those I-absolutely-have-to-know-what-happens-right-this-second books. I was completely enraptured from start to finish and had a blast with the unexpected twists and developments that arose from this very captivating storyline. Even if you think you have it all figured out, I can almost guarantee you will be wrong at various points.

The narration? Superb. Not only are the narrators distinctive and engaging, but the book contains sound effects that add so much to the already well done recording. The effects are subtle enough so as not to be distracting or feel kitschy, but pointed enough to add suspense and drama in a really impactful way.

Thank you to Alice Feeney, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I’m not sure how to even begin this review. My head is absolutely spinning after reading this book. I’m not sure if I’m rooting for characters or if I’m hoping they are found out. Wow! Talk about a whirlwind of a story! Definitely add this one to your TBR! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

“I hope you die in your sleep.”

Alice Feeney has done it again! She writes thrillers like no other. Her descriptions are so eery and the twists are unexpected and shocking! I always appreciate her clever nods to Alice in Wonderland, which always adds an intriguing layer.

I absolutely ate this up and highly recommend it. The beginning can be a little bit slow but the payoff is worth it.

I went back and forth between the physical copy and audiobook. I loved the physical book because it had a map and was easy to go back and re-read. The audiobook was very immersive with sound effects and great narration. Thank you to Macmillan audio for gifting me an arc from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.