Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book.

I really like Alice Feeney’s books. Rock Paper Scissors was the first book I read by her and this is reminiscent of that. We have unreliable narrators and while parts of it seem predictable, in the end you realize that was to throw you off. The twists were great and I didn’t see them coming. Which is a rare thing for me any more.

Both narrators did a wonderful job and I would highly recommend this book.

Do be aware of triggers though as this has some darker themes

While Grady is waiting for a call from his publisher announceing he has written a New York Times Best Seller, he learns that on her way home from work, his wife, Abby has disappeared after stopping to help a woman lying in the road. When he gets the opportunity to write on an island all expenses paid, he accepts. But despite its great beauty, something sinister is happening on the island. There is no phone or ferry service to the mainland, and Grady keeps seeing Abby everywhere. His it because of his insomnia? Because of the alcohol? Hallucinations? Or is she still alive?
This is a mystery thriller, and all along the read floats an air of disturbing strangeness. From the start you feel something is weird and wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on it. It takes a while to pick up (as I feel most Brittish books do, and it's totally a me thing, but they tend to be boring). I really got into it at about the 60% mark, and from then on, I couldn't put it down, impatient to find out what the heck was going on. I had a few theories, and some of them panned out. Alice Feeney's books are hits or misses for me. I loved Rock, Paper, Scissors and I Know Who You are, and I read every new book with the hopes that one will blow my mind as much as the latter did. This was not the one, and although the final twist was a bit surprising, it was mostly weird, not mindblowing. I did, however, enjoy most of the read!
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Alice Feeney does it again with another twisty, atmospheric, and gripping page-turner. Dare I say my new favorite of hers? I absolutely devoured this book, finishing the entire audiobook in one day. From the first chapter until the final, jaw-dropping twist, I was completely and totally engrossed in the story. I loved the eerie setting of the remote Scottish island, which made me feel almost claustrophobic. The dual POVs and timelines kept me guessing and created so much tension and suspense. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Feeney threw in another unexpected twist. I loved it and already want to read it again!

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. They were perfect for their roles and captured their characters' personalities well. I immediately recognized Armitage's voice from "Rock Paper Scissors" and knew I was in for a treat. The production of this audiobook was just incredible—kudos to Macmillan Audio. I loved the audio enhancements, like the sounds of the waves and the crackling of the walkie talkies. These extras, along with the excellent narration, made the story come to life, and I felt like I was right there on the island with the characters. If you read this book, I highly recommend the audio!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Let’s be serious, this is Alice Feeneys best book yet! “Beautiful Ugly” is definitely my favourite thing she’s written and I’m excited to see if the general reading public agree with me 😂

This book is definitely giving the perfect vibes for a moody fall, the majority of the book is located on a scenic, nature consumed isolated island that also harbours eerie vibes and residents who are a tad creepy and unsettling in the sense that they don’t seem to want you to ever leave the island…

The plot follows book author Grady, a year has past since his beloved wife Abby mysteriously disappeared after getting out her car to check on a woman who was laying in the road. Her whereabouts are unknown and the case has gone cold.

Grady is since suffering from insomnia and a case of writers block whilst grieving such a devastating loss. His publisher sends him on an individual writers retreat, he is offered the residence of a recently deceased author, a cabin style home located on a remote island which can provide him with the peace and tranquility he may need to write his next big hit.

Everything about the island is weird including its inhabitants. what starts off as subtle strangeness kicks up to total hallucinations and missing wife sightings.

I enjoyed the plot as a whole, this was a quick read and I listened to the audiobook in one sitting. I enjoyed the dual POV and narration perspectives from both the husband and wife. The twist at the end was definitely unusual and by the big reveal it was giving midsommar vibes in the sense that it was starting to feel like a fever dream or mass hysteria where everyone else is insane and yet gaslighting you that you’re the crazy one 😂. I fully enjoyed the twist and the ambiguous ending so I mean this as a compliment.

Compliments to both narrators they each did a great job at personifying their characters and bringing them to life.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Alice Feeney for the ALC!

Publish dates: January 21st 2025

I was not ready for that twist!

I really loved this one. It kept me engaged the entire time. I kept thinking man this reminds me a little of Rock, Paper, Scissors and it wasn't until the end that I realized it was the same author! I might be binging the rest of her books next.

I received the audio as an ARC read from NetGalley. The voices were very clear and easy to follow at an increased speed. I typically listen at 1.75x speed. It was very easy to follow. There are some added sound effects that honestly creeped me out a couple of times and really added to the experience.

Twisty, creepy, atmospheric, and claustrophobic! All descriptions that make a great book. I highly recommend this book and audiobook.

I listened to this within 24 hours, I couldn’t get enough. I needed to know what was going on and what happened to Abby. I was NOT expecting any of the twists.

The narrators were great and I enjoyed the sound effects. This is the way an audiobook should be done! I listened at 1.75x and it was perfect.

One of the best I’ve listened to this year!

“There’s no need to be afraid of the dead. It’s the living you have to watch out for.”

It took a little time to really settle in to the mystery of Beautiful Ugly. This novel felt a tad too descriptive and wordy for a thriller—for me personally—and it was quite the slow burn. That said, it didn’t bother me while reading: one because I felt enveloped by the mysterious and bleak atmosphere of the island and two because I, also, am moving at a slower pace lately. Still, the overall pace struggled; offering little revelation throughout and then having one character spill their guts at the end to connect all of the pieces isn’t my favorite approach. Many times, though, while reading I was reminded of an earlier work of Feeney’s, His & Hers, and also of Flynn’s Gone Girl.

Feeney is widely known as the queen of twists that will send readers in to a frenzy to discover the outcome of her novels and Beautiful Ugly stays true to that legacy. I was talking to myself the entire way through the audiobook, certain many times that I had different pieces of the puzzle figured out. If readers are looking for a fast-paced, nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat thriller, this wouldn’t be my recommendation. However if readers are looking for a small town island mystery with foreboding undertones and a visceral atmosphere to cozy up to, this is the book.

Incredible audio quality with a compelling narration by Richard Armitage & Tuppence Middleton. Different sound bites were added in—the crackle of the walkie talkie, the lapping of the waves—that enhanced the experience of the story and made me feel like I was on the island. If you’re going to read this book, I think audio is the way to go.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the early copy in exchange for an honest review! Available Jan 14 2025

This was almost too scary/spooky for me, which I guess is the sign of a good thriller. That island was so atmospheric. I switched back and forth between wanting to move there and wanting to stay very far away! This will be another big hit for Feeny.

The story follows Grady Green, whose wife Abby vanishes during a phone call on the biggest day of his career. A year later, paralyzed by grief, Grady retreats to a remote Scottish island to write—but instead finds himself unraveling as he begins seeing Abby everywhere. Is she alive, or is his mind betraying him? And what is with the island inhabitants, something just isn't quite sitting right.

Set against the eerie beauty of the island, Feeney masterfully blurs reality and illusion, dropping twists amid an atmosphere of isolation and unease. The suspense through the book totally paid off in my opinion, but I hesitate to say much as to not spoil anything.

Rich in emotion and full of surprises, Beautiful Ugly is a gripping exploration of grief, obsession, and trust—I'd highly recommend fans of atmospheric thrillers pick this one up and give it a go.

The audio was also excellent with a little extra ambiance.

Wow. Alice has done it again, which isn’t surprising. I devoured this book in 24 hours. Not only is the audio perfection with the narrator and the sound effects, but the story was one of my favorites this year. You are left guessing at every turn, with no way of figuring out what comes next. This is proof to never skip a book by Alice Feeney.

This one was not for me. The storyline didn’t flow well and I could not connect with the characters.
****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

OMG Alice Feeney does it again! Absolutely awesome cover and written well!

Alice Feeney never disappoints! This book is filled with twists turns and just is an awesome read! The audiobook was fantastic and i will be buying a copy for my shelves.

Amazing again!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Grady, a best-selling horror author, gets to live his own personal horror when his beloved wife, Abby, an investigative journalist, calls Grady from a cliff side highway to say there’s a body in the road, gets out of her car, and disappears….

One year later, Abby is still missing and presumed dead, Grady has lost almost everything, including maybe his mind, and Grady’s editor (also Abby’s godmother), Kitty, wants him to start writing again. As an inducement, Kitty has procured a cabin, previously owned by a deceased author, on a sparsely populated Scottish island for 3 months, thinking that the broken Grady might find the will to write again in the isolation. However, as soon as he arrives, he starts seeing fleeting hallucinations of his missing wife, and we start to wonder how reliable a narrator he is. Actor Richard Armitage is the empathetic voice of Grady and he brings a complicated character to a point where we sympathize with the confused widower.

A second POV is Abby’s, prior to her disappearance (voiced by a no-nonsense Tuppence Middleton). Once Abby’s narration is introduced, I definitely got “Gone Girl” vibes. I still felt a bit more sympathetic towards Grady, since he cares about his dog Colombo and the dog apparently trusts him. Trust the dogs.

The insular atmosphere of the isle, where everyone knows everyone, adds to Grady’s paranoid tendencies. There are twists and turns as he discovers more about the relationships between the locals, and “Beautiful Ugly” becomes a thriller to remember. The narration by Armitage and Middleton elevates author Feeney’s incredible novel. I’ve loved her previous works and she doesn’t disappoint. 5 stars for both plot and narration!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Oh man this book gripped me from the first chapter! This one had me devouring it and finished it in one day. Alice did such a good job with the pacing of this novel and it kept you wanting to uncover the secret of what happened to Grady’s wife. This one kept me guessing and trying to figure out what actually happened and let’s just say i definitely didn’t get it right hehehhehe. I loved the creepy elements this book had and it did a great job making you feel like you were on that small island experiencing it all as if you were there. If you want a fast paced twisty novel this is the book for you! Now to go back and read some of her old novels while I wait on her next one! Also that ending!!!! Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan for giving me an arc of this book :)

TW: SA

I thoroughly enjoyed Alice Feeney's most recent hit. This was one of my favorites from her! I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling something, but it was certainly a hit.

While I didn't exactly like the main character Grady, I was absolutely hooked and had to figure out what was going on with him. Was he really seeing Abby, or was the island playing tricks on him?

The setting couldn't be beat - I love a remote island, which gives a locked room feel without being a literal room. The other characters on the island only add to the eeriness.

I loved it, definitely add Beautiful Ugly to your TBR. The oxymoronic chapter titles all the way through were also a fun touch!

The audiobook production was so fun. I loved the sound effects--although a few times they startled me! I thought I was hearing things beyond my headphones while listening, which was creepy alone in my house at night. It certainly added to the atmosphere of the story.

*Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audio*

HOLY WOW. I'm still processing all of the twists and turns from this book. I don't want to compare it to any other media, lest I spoil something, but it is also somehow incomparable so that works out nicely. Also Columbo is the goodest boy and nothing bad happens to him. (Just FYI)

Grady Green is desperate to write again after the disappearance of his wife Abby. So when the opportunity presents itself to go to a remote Scottish isle on a writing retreat of sorts, he jumps at the chance. The isle of Amberley provides so much ambiance to the story with its mists and legends. Quickly I found myself questioning Grady's narration, as what he was seeing couldn't possibly be true... Right?

The narration switches on audio were seamless and I loved the walkie talkie effects. Alternating between Grady and Abby's PoVs made the story so interesting, especially as we crept closer to each twisty reveal. A standing ovation for Alice Feeney y'all.

Alice Feenet keeps getting better with each release and this book was pure magic. Twisty, spooky, toxic magic. The ending will haunt me for a looooong time.

The audiobook was so well done. It was narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. I had chills at some parts because of how well they this pulled off.

Book Review: This was a wild, unexpected ride. I feel like we have no idea whats happening through most of the book because the majority of our expense is through the the eyes of a potentially unreliable narrator and it really added to the suspense. Our main character had it all and then lost it. He was a happily married New York Time's Bestselling Author, but now everything has crumbled around him after his wife has gone missing. He's emotionally, financially, and psychologically a wreck and has not been able to write since that day. In an attempt to save her famous author from himself, his agent sends him to stay in a small writing cabin she inherited from a former client. It's a quiet little place tucked away in the woods on a remote Scottish island and might just be the thing he needs to write his next book and get his life back on track. But the longer he's on the island the more paranoid he gets. He's either completing loosing his mind or the island is not what it appears at all.

Audio Review: LOVE Richard Armitage's voice for narration and perfect as his character is really the main source of narration in this novel. I also like the sound effects at the beginning of chapters as we began to switch back in forth with time line and POV - it helped keep me oriented in the storyline.

Grady is on the phone with his wife, when she stops her car and gets out. By the time he gets to her location, she’s vanished into thin air. A writer by trade, Grady thrown into a spiral of speculation and despair. One year later with no sign of his wife, Grady heads to a deserted island to try to finish the novel he’s been working on. And that’s when things start to get very strange. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to read or listen to this book, because you aren’t going to want to stop once you start .

This was such a fun listen! I loved the narration and listened to in practically one sitting.

Alice Feeney writes such consumable thrillers. Like, you can’t help but devour them whole. Beautiful Ugly was no different. We are thrown directly into the story as author Grady Green experiences the best and worst day of his life, simultaneously. After some incredible news from his publisher, he calls his wife to share the joy. He then witnesses via the phone call as she stops abruptly and gets out of the car. When he finally gets to her car, he finds it empty. Her phone is still there, but she is nowhere to be found…

A year later, Grady is still reeling from her disappearance. He cannot get past it and his writing career is really suffering. Hoping a change of scenery and some silence is what he needs to write, he embarks to a tiny island where he has secured access to a place he can really get past this block. When he immediately starts seeing his missing wife everywhere on the island, things start to get crazy.

I could see where some of the plot was going, but not to the extent, and it was so entertaining. I went into this one COMPLETELY blind, so I am not giving anything in this review that isn’t in the synopsis. There is truly so so much more to the story though. It’s so worth the read/listen, but the audio was done so well, so I highly recommend.