While sharing his exciting news about his new book on a phone call with his wife, Grady hears the brakes, the car door and then nothing else. When the car is found by the edge of a cliff, there is no sign of Grady's wife, Abby.

Struggling to come to terms with her disappearance, Grady decides to head to a Scottish island to get his writing back on track for his next book. But then he sees Abby there...

Alice Feeney has done it again! With so many twists, this fast paced storyline will have you not wanting to stop reading. I listened to this one on audiobook and the narration was exceptional. And that ending - wow! I didn't see it coming at all. Buckle up for a wild ride!

This book took me a while to get into but once I was hooked, I was IN IT! I loved the second half of this novel - fun twists and turns. Maybe a tad predictable, but it was still a fun read!

Thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC!

This was a great book and I really enjoyed the story but wish I had of read a paper copy as I did not enjoy the sounds that were in the audiobook.. I would be completely immersed in Alice Feeney wonderful story telling only to be interrupted with unnecessary noise.
It was super annoying.

Alice Feeny is one of those authors that I read most of what she puts out there and some of it I've absolutely loved and wish I could read for the first time again, and some titles I wasn't the biggest fan of. With that being said, I was still excited when I got approved to listen to her newest coming out, Beautiful Ugly. This title fell right in the middle for me. There were parts that I really enjoyed, and parts that fell a little flat or not fully laid out. Overall, I was engaged the entire time, which is very important to me when listening, or even reading, a book.

The narrators were consistent and the sound effects added another layer to the storyline. The characters were a little bit of a miss for me. Most were not relatable or even likeable, which I'm pretty sure was the intent, but it just didn't work fully for me.

The twist was also a little bit off for me. Overall, I liked the twist but wish it had been a little more fleshed out.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It just wasn't at the top of the list for the books I enjoyed the most. I would like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The audiobook for Beautiful Ugly was expertly crafted, combining both an engaging narrator who did an arrangement of accents and sound effects that matched certain scenes to provide an immersive experience. The book itself was not a favorite of mine and I found it to be extremely predictable and dull at moments. The ending was lackluster and the whole storyline felt extremely unreal with how certain characters interacted with one another and how specific scenes unfolded. The main character was barely surviving because it seemed as if he never slept and ignored all the red flags that were vigorously waved in front of him. The flashback scenes were interesting enough but it was a lot of trauma dumping and became very repetitive.

First off, I absolutely loved the narration in this audio. Engaging and made the story so incredible. I couldn't finish this book fast enough. In a good way! I wanted to know everything immediately and when I thought I did, boy was I wrong! The plot, twists and characters. just excellent!

I really loved the voices on this audiobook. The sound effects were also very immersive. I am always looking forward to Alice Feeney's releases as she always has an incredible twist at the end and Beautiful Ugly does not disappoint.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is a super twisty-turny thriller that had me hooked from the start. I only had the advance audio copy, but there were definitely moments I wished for a print version to go back and re-read certain parts—just to fully process what had just happened. There was so much going on (in the best way) that I couldn’t even attempt to solve the mystery during the slower moments, which I often try to do.

This is one of those books where, once you reach the ending, you feel like you need to reread it with fresh eyes to catch all the clues you missed. The audio production was excellent, with enhancements like ocean sounds and bells that really added to the atmosphere and immersion of the story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this audio ARC.

Full disclosure: I will listen to Richard Armitage read a phone book and love it but still.

Man, when Alice Finney is a hit, she is a hit! I was completely absorbed in this novel. After thinking her last book was just okay and hating Rock Paper Scissors, I went into this book with low expectations. I am leaving it though with a storyline that I will think about for a long long time and part of me just wants to reread it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this book.

This was FANTASTIC!! Mark your calendars, this was an absolutely wild ride that I devoured!!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDa3pIRxBa0/?igsh=MTlpaThiM3gxM28xeA==

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. This is my second book by Feeney, and once again, I was not disappointed. The story is twisty and kept me interested. Feeney's ability to craft unpredictable twists is on full display here, and the ending, while surprising, is incredibly satisfying. If you're a fan of suspenseful narratives that constantly keep you guessing, Beautiful Ugly is definitely worth the read.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

When Grady Green calls his wife to share news about the success of his latest novel, everything goes wrong. While on the phone, she tells him she sees a woman in the road. She stops. She checks it out. She disappears.

A year later, Grady is barely functioning. He’s lost everything - his wife, his house, his writing mojo. His agent makes him an offer: head to a remote island off the coast of Scotland, stay at a friend’s cabin, and try to write. It’s the only thing he has left, the only thing that could pull him out of his depression and financial ruin, his writing.

How can he refuse?

But when he arrives on the island, he quickly finds things aren’t as they seem. People are friendly, but it feels weird. He’s having trouble sleeping, but it feels weird. He thinks he sees his wife, but it feels…wait, what?

It’s wild, twisty ride with some absolutely unexpected turns. I did pick up on one oddity, but I had no idea how it would play out. It’s slow and wandering - mirroring Grady on the island - but that final twist? Wow.

The audio is fantastic and I liked the addition of the sounds of the sea and the music.

While this is not my normal genre, I do love thrillers when I read them! Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the ALC. this one comes out January 13, 2025.

Fans of thrillers will not be disappointed with this psychological thriller which follows a writer's attempt to deal with the disappearance of his wife one year ago. Readers are taken to a unique Scottish island where the writer learns "it's only once something is taken from you that you appreciate what you had".

As someone who normally struggles to stay focused on audiobooks, the narrator did a great job keeping me locked in, and the addition of some sound effects like the ocean sounds or crackle of the walkie talkie just added to the overall mood of the story.

I really didn't want to walk away from this book as there were twist after twist (which I thought I had figured out but hasn't!).

I am an avid reader of Alice Feeney and I read everything she puts out. I think this might be my favorite one yet. It was very dark and a little creepy, there were unreliable narrator(s), and the ending was *chefs kiss*.

I also got some Midsommar vibes with the secluded village and they were always talking about “community”. Everything is about the community.

Grady Green, our main character, played a good clueless, unreliable narrator. I don’t usually like men as protagonists, especially if I’m listening to the audiobook (male voice actors aren’t my favorite) but Richard Armitage has a very nice voice. Grady was also a little slow on the uptake, I was figuring things out before him. More than once, I was like “don’t you write books?! You can’t be this daft.”

I definitely recommend this one and thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

An eerie settings- mysterious remote Scottish island with no phone or internet service and no way back to the mainland. Beautiful Ugly hooked me from the start!
Grady, an author who's wife, Abby has disappeared.. After a year Grady ventures to the island to try to start writing again. Once he arrives strange things start to happen and he finds there is no communication with the outside world and seemingly no way to leave the island.
What happened to Abby? Is Grady loosing his mind due to grief and lack of sleep? What's going on with the island locals? Who are these people and why is this place so strange?
Alice Feeney is the queen of domestic thrillers! I really enjoyed the multiple twists, dual POVs and the suspicious community environment.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillion Audio.

I was intrigued enough to keep reading/listening but it didn’t hold the thrill I was expecting. Overall, not a bad book- it kept me entertained but it wasn’t the high thrill I was hoping for. This was another domestic drama by Alice Feeney.

One year after writer Grady Green’s wife vanishes, he is offered an opportunity to stay on the remote island of Amberly off the Scottish coast to try to write his next novel. soon after arriving Grady thinks he keeps seeing his wife around the island. But he might just be imagining things. He also isn’t sure he can totally trust the residents of Amberly either…

Alice Feeney is queen of twists you never see coming! And Beautiful Ugly holds up in that fashion. Feeney’s latest is set on an isolated island off the Scottish coast and it is eerie, atmospheric and ominous throughout the entire book. The detail that went into the location of the story made it feel as if you were really living on the island.

This is told in dual pov and alternating timelines. And one thing I love about Feeney is her ability to make you think one thing while reading and totally give you whiplash by the end. The way Feeney is able to intertwine both points of view by the end is *chefs kiss*

This book is told primarily through Grady’s perspective, which I thought was a nice change from the usual woman’s perspective of Feeney’s other books. This perspective really plays into the whole story, which I hadn’t realized until it was a point of the plot mentioned at the end.

Last, the characters in this one. Each character was so unique and suspicious and added their own element to the story. They were likable and unlikable at the same time for me.

The audio for this one was absolutely amazing with sounds effects that add to it. Highly recommend this version if you’re able to listen!

Thank you @netgalley & @macmillanaudio for the gifted ALC!

This was a decent mystery. I enjoyed it being told from a male’s POV, which seems a little rare these days. I also liked the setting – isolated, insular islands where everyone knows everything that happens makes for an intriguing read. While I did enjoy the twist towards the end and felt that it was utilized quite well, overall I felt like the second half was somewhat boring. There’s also a lot of repetition, especially surrounding how the narrator’s feel, which adds to the overall dullness of the read.

I listened to the audiobook version of this work. While I enjoyed the narrators, I disliked the sound effects that were included throughout. For example, pretty much anytime the narrator mentioned a walkie talkie it a short static noise would play. I didn’t find this immersive and didn’t prefer it, but it may not bother other readers.

While this was an okay mystery, it was quite slow and I wouldn’t call it thrilling. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work, which will be published 14 January 2025. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

✨ALC Review✨

Suuuch a good thriller. I was gripped from the get-go and having Richard Armitage give voice to it made it even better.

Grady Green is a successful writer with the life he’s always wanted: a job getting to do his favorite thing, a beautiful, intelligent wife, a faithful dog companion, and a quiet home by the sea.

On the best day of his life when he officially gets the news that he’s a NYT bestselling author, his wife goes missing. This begins his downward trajectory. He can’t write anymore.

His agent, Kitty Goldman, has inherited a cabin on a remote Scottish island from one of her former authors and offers it to Grady as a quiet place to write again.

Grady, with no other options, agrees and rounds up his dog, Columbo, and off they go.

Things are odd from the get-go. No one seems to want to “visitors” on the small island of 25 residents. And he keeps “seeing” his missing wife and the red coat she was wearing when she disappeared.

Is Grady just deep in the throes of grief and hallucinating? Does someone on the island know what happened to Abby? Can he write another bestseller?

So many questions. And you’ll get the answers to everything.

This is a real atmospheric thriller and I was enthralled. I only stopped listening to sleep and then when right back to it immediately.

I received the ALC via #netgalley and @Macmillan.Audio. All thoughts are mine alone.

#thrillers #thrillerbooks #mysterybooks #mystery #contemporaryfiction #contemporarymystery #audiobooks #narrators #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram

I found this book to be ok, it started off very interesting and then it fell off for me in the middle and then started to pick back up towards the end with revealing the plot twist.