Audiobook Review: Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

Alice Feeney delivers a wickedly twisted tale in Beautiful Ugly, a psychological thriller that’s anything but ordinary. The story stands out with its unique premise and a steady, deliberate pace that keeps listeners hooked without feeling rushed. Feeney masterfully weaves suspense and intrigue, gradually unraveling the layers of her characters and plot until the explosive conclusion.

The audiobook’s narrator deserves special praise for their performance. Their ability to embody the tension, emotion, and complexity of the story adds an extra layer of depth, making the listening experience even more immersive. The pacing of the narration perfectly matches the tone of the book..

If you’re looking for a thriller that breaks away from the conventional and keeps you guessing until the very end, Beautiful Ugly is an excellent choice. It’s dark, unpredictable, and will linger in your mind long after the final chapter.

Reading in Between the Wines book review #124/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷 (2 ½ rounded up to 3)
Book: Beautiful Ugly
Author: Alice Feeney
RELEASES on January 14, 2025!!!

Sipping thoughts: I love Alice Feeney, but this one fell short for me. I was all in and could not wait to find out what was happening. Early on, I made a guess as to what was happening on the island, and unfortunately, I was correct. It was an interesting plot but was just too out there. There were many parts I liked, but some that drug on too long. I am still happy I read it as I will read anything by Feeney. I read the audio version and loved the sound effects. If you want to read a book where you have to suspend all reality, this is the one for you.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @MacmillanAudio for an advanced copy of @BeautifulUgly.

#BeautifulUgly #AliceFeeney #MacmillanAudio #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Holy WTF!?! I know that anytime I pick up one of Alice Feeney’s books I should not trust anyone or anything, so you think I would be prepared for what was to come as the story progressed...ya think...but nope...I still not see the main twist coming!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:

Suspense
Tension
Mystery
Missing Person
Atmosphere
Locked Room/ Remote Island
Twists

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

The production and sound effects added into this tension filled story upped the creep factor, tension and enhanced the overall atmosphere! Not to mention how Tuppence Middleton and Richard Armitage brought all the characters and their personalities to life. Truly a stellar performance!

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?

Steady with slow burn development

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

If you are looking for an immersive story that has you questioning everyone and everything...and I mean EVERYTHING, then you have got to grab Feeney's lates psychological thriller now!

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this gifted audiobook.

Audiobook sooooo wonderful and all-encompassing (hello added sound effects) I had to get a hard copy and read along🩵

Like all of @alicewriterland ‘s novels, this was full of shady characters, beautiful vivid settings, and mysteries galore.

4.5⭐️

⭐️BEAUTIFUL UGLY, out JANUARY 14th⭐️

✨Thanks as always to @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2024 for the complimentary audiobook✨

#beautifulugly #alicefeeney #macmillanaudio #flatironbooks

3.5 ⭐️

In Alice Feeney’s latest novel BEAUTIFUL UGLY, the reader meets Grady, an author who has lost his writing mojo since his wife Abby’s disappearance a year ago. When his agent offers him the use of her inherited cabin on a remote Scottish island (population: under 30), Grady jumps at it. Once there, he sees what looks like his missing wife and also finds a completed manuscript of a recently deceased writer. If you enjoyed THE PLOT, THE SEQUEL, or YELLOWFACE, you’ll see echoes of those plots in this one. In my opinion, those novels were a tad stronger than this one though.

I really enjoyed the novel up until Grady got to the island. The island life got a little frustrating for me as a reader, as Grady seemed to lose almost all agency and IQ points. It was entertaining enough, and, while my early guess about the plot wasn’t completely correct, it was close enough.

There are two audiobook narrators for this novel (one male, one female). The male author gets more air time, as Grady’s perspective is most of the book. There are some sound effects added which do make the audio feel more atmospheric. Those effects tend to be at the beginning of chapters and aren’t distracting. Due to the good production value, I think this one would be better to take in on audio than paper.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

BEAUTIFUL UGLY publishes January 14, 2025.

Wow this book had me guessing until the very end! Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton were simply brilliant in this audio book, I could not stop listening. I also loved the added touches this audio book had of the sound of the ocean at certain parts and the suspenseful music. This audio book is one of my favorites of the year. Feeneyś description of the island were perfect I could picture all the places perfectly. The book begins as the case of a missing wife who has simply vanished in the night to a suspenseful thriller where I never figured out the who until the very end. This book was not predictable a true mystery I cant wait to read more from Alice Feeney!

Alice Feeney gives readers more crazy twists in her new book - Beautiful Ugly.

"Author Grady Green has been unable to write since his wife disappeared. His agent offers a cabin on a remote Scottish island. Things are odd on the island. He hears children's voices. Things are moved around in the cabin. Then he sees the impossible - a woman that looks like his wife."

Feeney likes an isolated location in her books and it's hard to get more isolated than an island with no internet, no phone service, a sketchy ferry schedule. Everyone seems to know who Grady is and what he's doing. There seems to be an island community mission to mess with his head. There is a wild cast of characters on the island and plenty of island legends. Grady is not very likable. There are several things he does that are self-centered.
Feeney keeps you guessing. The twists are a big surprise - did not expect any of them.

Richard Armitage is perfect as the voice of Grady capturing his paranoia and self-centeredness. Terrence Middleton is great as the voice of Abby.

Another wild story from Feeney.

Beautiful ugly

Alice Feeney does it again! Love her books! Next to Daisy Darker, this is my favorite !!

Grady is a new NYT best selling author, and as he delivers this great news to his wife, his wife is distracted by something in the road and their conversation fades out as his wife disappears. When Grady goes to the scene, he finds a white box with a doll in it.

We skip forward to one year later as Grady is dealing with the grief of unanswered questions regarding his missing wife. He lost more than his wife that day, his writing career, will to live, and live a healthy life. He travels to a remote Scottish island, at the suggestion by a close family friend, to try to put the past behind him but swears he sees his wife on this trip.

He’s staying at a cabin during his trip of another famed author who used the space to get away and write. This story was fast paced and his first night in the cabin, he finds bones outlined in the shape of a hand. He also finds the author’s 10th back that no one knew about and was never released. Unreliable narrator vibes due to his grief and lack of sleep, what is real and what is just in his head? Definitely some specious behavior from the small (25) population or people on the island.

The story gives perspectives from present from the husband POV and then before the disappearance from the wife POV. It kept me guessing and scratching my head. So beautiful!! Beautifully ugly!’

Loved the audiobook and added features like over the phone audio different than general narration. Interludes between perspectives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Out on 1/14/25!

Beautiful Ugly
Alice Feeney
Publication date: January 14, 2025

This is my first review of an upcoming 2025 book, and having never read Alice Feeney, and this novel being in some of the Anticipated Books of 2025 lists, I am grateful to MacMillan Audio for the audio ARC.

A mystery thriller about a writer’s vanished wife mysteriously reappearing on a remote Scottish island sounds extremely promising. The delivery, however, was quite disappointing…

“I pick up a smooth dark gray stone and splash it across the surface of the sea. It bounces three times before disappearing, and the dog runs into the shallow water. He is chasing something he will never find, but we’re all guilty of that.” Cheesy.

“The seagulls squawk and scream, flapping their dirty white wings as if protesting and circling above the ferry as it breaks from the jetty… They descend and dive so that I have to duck out of the way and the ugly noise they make sounds almost like a warning – go back, go back, go back.” Cringe.

Just when I am done shaking my head, Grady Green, remembering his missing wife, sneaks in an out-of-context, gratuitous sex scene – “Would you prefer to take me from port or starboard, Captain?” Doesn’t even make sense. Could Feeney have meant “fore or aft” or maybe “bow or stern?”

Perhaps part of it is that my reading this just coming from a Cormac McCarthy novel, but the writing is just insufferable and cringe-worthy. I am sure this will sell a gazillion copies, but if you are looking to elevate your reading beyond grocery checkout aisle pulp (and there is nothing wrong with that, per se), this is a hard pass.

Hopefully, this is not a harbinger of what is to come in 2025.

4.5/5
So twisting and fast paced. I had to finish it.
The narration was wonderful. I loved the sounds at the beginning of the chapters to differentiate between the different characters/perspectives

This is the first book by this author that I've read, and what an introduction - this definitely won't be my last. In my opinion, this was a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling. The novel is as unsettling as it is captivating, filled with moments of creeping dread, unexpected twists, and a finale that left me utterly speechless. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the final page. (Seriously - I'm still thinking about it.)
 
The story opens with author Grady Green on what should be one of the best days of his life. He’s received exciting news regarding his latest book and is eager to share it with his wife, Abby. But their phone call takes a harrowing turn when Grady hears the sound of screeching brakes and Abby stepping out of her car. Then, silence. When Grady rushes to the scene, he finds her car perched at the edge of a cliff. The headlights are still on, her phone is still there—but Abby is gone, and the red jacket she was wearing is at the bottom of the cliff.
 
A year later, Grady is a shell of his former self. Unable to write another book since Abby's disappearance, Grady is desperate for answers and consumed by grief. He struggles financially, has lost his home, and lives with his dog in a motel. Thanks to his literary agent, who is just as desperate for him to write another book, Grady retreats to a remote Scottish island in the hopes of writing his next bestseller while piecing his life back together.
 
It’s on this island that Grady’s already fragile reality begins to unravel. He keeps seeing a woman who looks exactly like Abby. Is it really her? Could she have survived? Or is Grady’s grief and desperation warping his perception of reality? These questions drive the story forward, pulling the reader into a psychological labyrinth where nothing is quite as it seems.
 
Feeney excels at crafting flawed, deeply human characters, and Grady is no exception. His grief is palpable, his desperation relatable, and his actions, though at times frustrating, feel authentic. The characters on the island - especially Sandy (the sheriff and ferry driver) are all expertly drawn, and each one plays a distinct role in bringing the story to life. Not one of them is wasted. The island, with its moody landscapes and ever-present sense of isolation, becomes a character in its own right. Feeney’s descriptions of the setting are richly atmospheric, perfectly complementing the novel’s tone. You can almost feel the chill of the wind and hear the crash of the waves as you read. I was just as intrigued by the island as I was by the rest of the cast.
 
One of the most impressive aspects of the novel is how Feeney keeps the reader guessing. From the outset, I had my suspicions about certain elements of the story, but Feeney deftly misdirects and subverts expectations. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, the rug is pulled out from under you. The final chapter, in particular, is a jaw-dropper. My gobs were officially smacked! It ties together the narrative threads in a way that felt both surprising and inevitable. Of course, it had to end that way!
 
I went for a fully immersive read with this one. I had the hardcover thanks to an early release through Book of the Month, but I also had an ALC thanks to the publisher, so I both listened and read, and what a treat that was! The production value of the audio version is top-notch. The sound effects added to the creepy atmosphere while Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton (the voice actors) knocked it out of the park with their portrayals of the characters. Seriously amazing!

I've struggled with thrillers lately, but this one delivers on its promise of unexpected twists and turns. The story is creepy, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant and had me hooked until the very shocking end. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers that delve into the darker corners of the human mind, this is a must-read. I can’t wait to dive into more of Alice Feeney's work.

Oh my goddddddd this is definitely one of my top favorites from Alice Feeney!! Like THIS is a thriller that kept me wondering what was going to happen next and where the twists were going to come from.

NetGalley graciously gave me the audiobook arc and it was such a good audio experience I’m lowkey blown away. I really don’t want to say to much about anything that even happens in the books because I think it’d be best to go in blind.

Overall this did not disappoint at all and was a great reminder as to why I love Alice Feeney’s books. Thanks again NetGalley for the ARC!

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is a gripping psychological thriller that pulls you in with its eerie atmosphere and unrelenting twists. Set on a remote Scottish island, the book thrives on its unsettling vibe, keeping you guessing right to the end.

The story primarily follows Grady Green, an author who begins the worst day of his life with news of his latest bestseller, only to have it unravel when his wife, Abby, mysteriously disappears. A year later, grief-stricken and unable to write, Grady retreats to a secluded cabin on a storm-lashed Scottish island. There, his reality starts to bend as he encounters a woman who looks exactly like Abby. Is it his sleep deprivation, the alcohol he relies on, or is Abby truly there?

Told from Grady’s perspective with occasional insights from Abby, the narrative shifts between the present and the days leading up to her disappearance. This gradual revelation of their marriage’s fractures was one of the story’s most compelling aspects. The contrast between their perceptions of their relationship added depth, making the story as much about human connections as it was about suspense.

The Narration:

The audiobook, narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton, was a standout experience. Armitage’s ability to differentiate characters’ voices, even across genders and accents, was masterful, while Middleton’s performance added an extra layer of unease. Their combined efforts made the chilling twists even more impactful.

Final Thoughts:

If you’re in the mood for a dark, atmospheric thriller with plenty of surprises, Beautiful Ugly is well worth your time. And for audiobook fans, this version is a must-listen.

I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

I wanted to love this story but I could not get passed the narrator. I tried multiple times and was not relating to the voice. I will have to wait till I can read this one.

When Grady sends a finish book to his agent he celebrates with wine and fish n chips with his wife Anna. Recently Anna has been preoccupied. On the car phone he calls asking for her arrival time. While on the phone she sees a body in the road and disappears. The entire time Grady was on the phone with her. He’s distraught over her disappearance.
…
A writers world is very isolating, but Grady thrives off of silence when writing. Inspiration hits when he can lock himself away for hours and days. Grady sometimes forgets he’s a married man often neglecting his wife Abby.
…
Overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby, Grady travels to a small Scottish island for writing inspiration and silence.
…
The island is the perfect remote location for Alice Feeney’s recent novel Beautiful Ugly. Scottish Highlands are only accessible by ferry boat and controlled by the tides. Phone access is limited and food sources are limited. For Grady all that’s important is the silence to clear his mind. Alice Feeney writes about Grady’s experience on this island. It’s a slow burning thriller that has readers questioning Grady’s state of mind.
…
The sounds effects of the phone and sea gave this an immersive experience. Richard Armitage narrates Beautiful Ugly. He’s an English actor and author himself offering listeners a voice rich with a brilliant Scottish voice. He’s known for his baritone voice. Richard enhanced my listening experience placing me in the Scottish Highlands.

Dark, twisted and unhinged while also a thought-provoking thriller. This fast-paced story keeps you on your toes trying to figure out who is genuine and who is not. The Audiobook narrators both did an excellent job with their voicing and roles helping to bring the book to life for the listener.

Begins with Grady Green an author who experienced the best and worst days in his life all at once. He is on the phone with his investigative journalist wife, Abby, to share with her some news he is very excited about but instead, he is horrified when she stops her car and gets out … jumping forward one year later Grady is wallowing in grief and cannot write, sleep or function. His agent sends him to Amberley, an island off the coast of Scotland to get away from things and to write, staying at the home of a best-selling reclusive author who has passed away, and it seems he is being haunted.

This was a book filled with twists and turns and unhinged moments in this psychological thriller. I was invested in the plot and didn’t see some of the twists coming and the ending — yikes! The narrators gave an eerie and uneasy atmosphere and some of the twists I didn’t see coming. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC. This is my honest review.

I was contacted by McMillan to get an audio ARC for this one since I've loved Alice Feeney in the past. This one was everything I expected - a ton of character development, interwoven timelines, great pacing, and Richard Armitage. I sincerely hope he reads every one of her books until they both retire. This one has a quaint island in the Scottish Hhighlands with no reliable way on/off, a group of islanders who may know more than they seem, and a potential respite for Grady to write his next novel after the disappearance of his wife the year prior.

The Netgalley app has improved leaps and bounds from a few years ago when everything above 1x was distorted. This one was perfect at 1.25x, 1.5x, and 1.75x. There are some interspersed sounds of the sea, which don't generally like but worked in this context. The variety of accents by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton were so enjoyable that I recommend reading with your ears

I've read everything Alice Feeney has written to date, and Beautiful Ugly comes second only to Daisy Darker. To me, this book seemed like a departure from Feeney's standard blueprint. I found it to be more exciting and the ending more satisfying than previous books. It has a folk horror setting that I love. The narrator is great. As usually, a great book by a great writer.

After New York Times best selling author, Grady Green’s wife goes missing, he finds him self unable to write and very down on his luck. When his agent offers his a cabin on a remote island, Grady jumps a the chance to get away and hopefully revive his writing problem. However once he is on the island, he finds out not all is as it seems.

Being an Alice Feeney book I knew this book would be full of twists. This book is also full of mystery, well written characters, a creepy atmosphere.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this audio ARC.
#netgalley #beautifulugly

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook of Beautiful Ugly. The audio production was well done and both the male and female narrators did a great job. The story, however, was not for me. I found the beginning intriguing but around the 33% mark, the plot took a ridiculous turn and nearly everything that happened was so over the top and unbelievable, I lost interest in the novel altogether. Sadly, I will not recommend this to my followers but I think the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this book early.