Alice Feeney consistently proves to be a favorite author of mine! "Beautiful Ugly" is a slow burn but the pace of the story keeps it moving well. There were part of the story, with certain elements switching back and forth, that I got a bit confused but overall it was an interesting story. Not my favorite from Alice Feeney but one of the best books I've read this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

I finished this book in one day. I could not stop listening. Soooo many surprises that I didn’t expect. Just wow. I loved the book. The narrators were good. The extra sound effects were the only thing I didn’t love.
Otherwise a phenomenal book!!!

This was my first book by this author and I will definitely read more. Her writing is beautiful and descriptive. This book didn’t really have me on the edge of my seat but I was interested in finding out what was happening. The island setting was my favorite part. It had a creepy vibe to it which I loved. The pacing was a bit slow for my liking but it wasn’t a huge issue. The audiobook was wonderful! The narrators brought this story to life and I enjoyed the added sound effects!

Great buildup to a surprising finish....I never saw it coming, even though I had imagined many scenarios in my head as to how it will play out. Alice Feeney you have done it again! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Great dark psychological thriller! So many unpredictable twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. Only critique is that I wish it had a TW for child SA. However I love what happens to the violator.

What to expect:
- Psychological Thriller
- Unreliable narrator
- A little steamy
- Dual POV
- Betrayal & Revenge
- Small town secrets

Thank you Macmillan Audio granting me an ALC! All opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced by the publisher.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Story
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Narration

Alice Feeney has done it again in this eerily atmospheric psychological thriller set on a remote island in the Scottish Highlands.

Told mostly in the POV of our MMC, we follow as he navigates life after the mysterious disappearance of his wife. Reeling after his wife goes missing, writer and NYT best selling author Grady, is on the verge of losing everything when his money is dwindling and he can no longer write. Hopeful to get him back on track, his publicist sends him on a writing retreat on a beautiful Scottish island. But, when he arrives, he swears he briefly sees his missing wife. Was he just imagining it? Is his lack of sleep catching up with him? As he settles into life on the island, strange occurrences arise, and he begins to suspect that this quaint little island is not as safe as he once thought.
Pepper throughout the story, we get flashbacks, detailing Abby’s life and events leading up to the disappearance.

I finished this book in less than 24 hrs, staying up late into the night to find out what happens.

In true Alice Feeney fashion, she gives us her noteworthy twists with immaculate execution.

I listened to the audiobook and it was incredible. I loved how easily the narrators bring you into the eerie landscape of the story. With the added sound effects this brought the story that much more to life.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like themes of
-Unreliable narrator
-Small town
-Stranded
-Mysterious disappearance
-Amazing twists
-Eerie atmosphere
-Secrets
-Dual timelines

There are some heavy subjects discussed so I highly advise you to ⚠️ check your trigger warnings ⚠️

For those, like me, who need to know if the dog in a story is okay. I will say that he is a very happy boy and nothing bad happens to him at all ❤️

My only complaint is that this did seem very similar to some of her other works.
Most notably Rock, Paper, Scissors and Daisy Darker.

Similar Titles
Gone Girl, Midnight Feast

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review

The audiobook is great! I loved all the sound effects and music. Grady Green is an unreliable character and shady. It was interesting to be in his head. I liked that that we got his wife's side and her articles. Very twisty! This was an amazing thriller and the audio was really well done.

Grady Green is an author who just found out he made the New York Times best sellers list. He calls his wife to share the news with her as she is on her way home. He hears Abby slam on the breaks and then the line goes silent. He races to the car only to find the drivers door open, phone there and no sign of his wife. I like that this starts off with a bang and just keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

Grady goes into a spiral of drinking, not being able to write and not sleeping. He is wrecked with grief about his wife.

A year later a friend suggests he goes to secluded cabin in Scottish island to get his life together. The island is beautiful but he keeps thinking he sees his wife. The fact that there are no phones, wifi and ferries rarely comes to the island give this a creepy atmosphere. Something is off about this island but he isn't sure exactly what. He discovers something that just could save his career.

I liked the unreliable narrator and that this book was totally unpredictable. Buckle up and enjoy the ride on this twisty, locked room thriller. This was amazing as an audiobook because of all the added effects ocean sounds, walkie talkie sounds, phone calls and voices which heightened the suspense.

A very engrossing mystery with a lot of twists I did not see coming. I enjoyed the dual perspectives of the same events and how wildly they differed. The audiobook narration was excellent. Highly recommended for mystery/thriller fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an audiobook arc of this title.

This one will be for you if you like a slow build, red herrings, an atmospheric, almost claustrophobic small island setting, unreliable narrators, and unlikable MCs. The audiobook production is great. I liked the voice actors for these characters and the use of sound effects made it very engaging.

I'm honestly not sure how to feel about it. I liked some aspects of it, but overall, it didn't turn out to be my kind of mystery/thriller. I just don't enjoy the kind of twists that require a character who has to explain everything to you because, otherwise, things wouldn't actually make sense due to the plot holes, inconsistencies, etc. I prefer it when the pieces that I've been given throughout the entire novel come together, it's more satisfying to me.

I enjoyed the setting and the premise and setup were very interesting, but we spend most of the book in this man's head and he's just awful, and kind of boring despite doubting his sanity, which always makes characters a bit more engaging. When we get to the twist and explanation, I was like "okay, cool" even though I didn't see some of the twists coming. That reaction is 100% because I don't like how the twists were set up and delivered. Also, I have to say I didn't get any thrills throughout the book, only in the end with those last few paragraphs, which I really liked. So I'd say this is more of a mystery.

Overall, I see a lot of people raving about this, but I think it was just okay. If you don't mind any of the things that didn't work for me, you will really enjoy this one.

I absolutely inhaled this book! I’m a longtime Alice Feeney fan and can always count on her to blow my mind with her wild stories. This book was no exception.

Beautiful Ugly is a domestic psychological thriller set on a hauntingly beautiful island in Scotland full of mysterious and quirky residents. Only 25 residents to be exact. It was eerie and dark and claustrophobic, and I loved it.

I really enjoyed listening to this on audio. I loved the music between chapters and sound effects throughout, it felt like listening to a radio play. The dual narrators were great. The Scottish accent of the male narrator was a little hard to understand at first since I’m not used to that accent but I got used to it. Overall felt like the audiobook really enhanced the story and made it even more haunting.

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

Alice Feeney, you brilliant, brilliant woman. This book delivered everything I could have hoped for, especially in the context of our current political climate. Feeney’s ability to capture tension, complexity, and the intricacies of human behavior is unparalleled. I was completely hooked from the first page and devoured the entire book in a single day—it was simply impossible to put down.

As much as I’d love to dive into a detailed review, I’m holding back because anything I say might spoil the twist, and trust me, it’s worth experiencing firsthand. The way Feeney pulls the rug out from under you is masterful, and the twist changes everything you thought you knew about the story. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking, fast-paced read with shocking revelations, this is the one.

Wow! What a book!
Two points of view - Grady and his missing wife

Grady is an author who just hits the bestseller list, when his wife, Abby goes missing. He sits in turmoil, refusing to write any more books and wasting away his remaining funds…

But then he gets an offer he can’t refuse and it all goes downhill from there.

I had no idea where this book was going nor any real guesses as to what was happening. I just sat back and let the audiobook take me on a roller coaster of a journey.

The ending was completely unexpected in several ways. I’ve definitely never listened to anything quite like this book, which is refreshing.

A huge thanks to the author, NetGalley, and MacMillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a great book to listen to on audio. The narration was done very well and was very atmospheric. This was a creepy mystery that just wasn’t to my personal liking however. I did not like any of the characters. None of the characters had much depth, and definitely found most aspects of the book to be incredibly unrealistic. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this opportunity to read this book. I was eagerly awaiting this read- it was just a miss for me.

Wow, what an intense, twisty and atmospheric story! I was absolutely riveted and listened to this one in a day. This book has everything I like in a mystery/thriller: unreliable narrators, a missing wife, a creepy, a secluded island, a recluse author, and quirky characters....Was it believable? No. But it sure was fun and kept me listening.

It’s hard to write this review. Let me start with the fact that Feeney is an automatic read for me. I love her twisty novels. This one requires a humongous suspension of disbelief. My first thought after finishing the book was that it was a little silly, but then, while I was reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I had to find out what happened next and I really had no idea what was going on. The main character, Grady, was flawed but I was still rooting for him. The island where he seeks refuge and inspiration to cure his writer’s block after the disappearance of his wife, was very well described and the residents made a fun, quirky and mysterious background. The narration by Richard Armitage was, as always, perfect. I know him from his films, but I was also familiar with his audiobook performances, and he doesn’t disappoint here, creating unique voices for the whole cast. Tuppence Middleton was also great with her portrayal of the female character, and it’s fun to compare how both leads see the island and its inhabitants. The production itself is very polished, though I’m not a fan of using sound effects so that distracted me a bit. Of course, this is my personal preference and any readers who love the background sound will be very pleased. The real star is the plot. The main twist was very unexpected and, honestly, brilliant, and the author kept me on my toes. All the clues are there, even if I didn’t see them.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Macmillan Audio.

Alice Feeney has done it again! Another twisty adventure that keeps you guessing until the very end! I could not stop listening and finished the audiobook within 24 hours. I absolutely loved Beautiful Ugly!

Love love love! Alice really got me back on her side after not loving Daisy Darker. This On my way! Had it all, suspense, unpredictable twists, fleshed out characters and a rich setting. Grab this one when it releases in 2025!

I think I'm over this type of extremely twisty thriller that relies on a completely outlandish reveal for maximum shock value. Most of the book follows Grady, an author and horrible person, who is struggling ever since the night his wife disappeared. Every once in a while we get his wife Abby's flashbacks to the marriage. Abby is not as horrible as Grady, but I didn't care for her much either, which meant I didn't really care what happened to her. Grady ends up on a very remote Scottish island with a handful of inhabitants where weird, creepy things keep happening, including sightings of Abby. Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton do a fantastic job with the audiobook narration, but that wasn't enough to get me invested in this plot or characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio review copy.

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook. This was absolutely incredible! Alice Feeney never disappoints. I had a hard time getting used to the narrators but once I did this book blew me away!
The queen of twists has done it again! Do yourself a favor and get a hold of the audio or written version of this book. I highly recommend!! Fabulous