Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced reader copy of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. I highly recommend listening to story, as there are many added extras to enhance the listening experience.

Author Grady Green is ecstatic to call his wife and let her know he’s finally made the bestseller list when he hears the disturbing disappearance of his wife at the end of the line. Still mourning a year later, he heads to the isolated island of Amberly to clear his head and write his follow up novel at the recommendation of his agent.

This book contains some major highs and lows with the high point being the fantastic island setting. It’s isolated, remote and unwelcoming, creating an immediate sense of tension. The lows unfortunately come in the form of the plot just doing too much. I knew to expect the unexpected but with so many twists, it was easy to get disoriented and ambivalent about the outcome.

Give this book a try if you don’t mind a bit of thriller whiplash, and skip it if you have a lower threshold for the unbelievable.

A satisfying new thriller from Alice Feeney! I was engaged in the plot the whole way through and thought the audio narration was exceptional. I thought I knew where it was going, but I was wrong. The plot twist took me by surprise, which always makes for a satisfying read.

What an incredible read! From the very first chapter I was completely sucked in. The time jump references made me question every prediction I had. The atmosphere of the island its characters were perfection!

Grady Green may have been having the best day of his life in the beginning, but so was I when I picked up this book! The twist just kept on coming and coming and I truly felt like I had to pick my jaw up off the floor! How amazing!

This was, by far and away, my favorite audiobook of the year. Beautiful Ugly transports us to a sparsely populated Scottish island, where the author, Grady Green, is hoping to finally be able to write again a year after the disappearance of his beloved wife.

It sounds like a cop-out to recommend jumping into this book without knowing much, but the slow unraveling of the plot is a big part of the magic here. Much of the story is told from Green's perspective over a period of time in which he may or may not be losing his mind. Even when I thought I had figured some things out, new entertaining twists and turns changed my whole understanding. It's all capped off with a truly wild ending.

Honestly, this was just a ton of fun and definitely my favorite Alice Feeney book to date. The audiobook production is fantastic and transports you to the secluded Scottish island with copious creepy sound effects that, I promise, never get overused or feel hokey. I highly, highly recommend this thriller and clearly think the audiobook is the best way to enjoy this wild ride.

Omg, what an ending!

I absolutely love Alice Feeney books and I was incredibly excited to be approved for an early audiobook! The narration was wonderful. The story was engrossing and strange and I spent the entire book wondering what happened before, what was actually happening now, and what would happen next.

I loved the book the whole time, but the ending was fantastic. I think I sat in my car in silent and just said “holy shit” out loud.

As with most Feeney novels, I don’t want to give too much away about the story because I love being along for the ride. It was an atmospheric story and I highly recommend it.

BRIEF PLOT EXPO:

Grady’s wife is missing and presumed dead. He has writer’s block and can’t seem to write a word for a new book.

Grady’s agent knows of a small island retreat, once home to another author, and she sends Grady there. He is running out of money and his agent, Kitty, is the only person he trusts. He goes along with the plan. Hopefully the quiet and isolation will help him write another bestseller.

However things don’t go as planned. Grady finds the island residents strange and he keeps thinking he sees his wife, wearing the red coat that she wore when she disappeared.

Grady’s insomnia along with his lack of proper food and consuming some strange teas make him wonder if he is losing his mind!!

PROS:
Unique premise and storyline

The setting on an island only accessible by ferry (when it operates!) The island is a character itself

Characters are well described, I could envision them talking and interacting. There was definitely an ominous, eerie tone throughout

Great narration and sound effects i.e. ocean waves crashing in the distance, music playing etc The narration by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton was spot on

CONS:
You have to suspend believability for this one

Repetitious in parts - going over the same events multiple times

The ending left me wanting more

A fun and entertaining audiobook with lots of Feeney’s twists and a plot that changes direction multiple times.

I received the audiobook from the publisher, Macmillan Audio, through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this novel.

I have to say this book was creepy! The entire atmosphere from the start of the book was creeptastic. Some authors are not able to maintain the creepy setting without it getting relative and boring. Alice Feeney did a fantastic job in this book if not only keeping you on edge but keeping you guessing.
A despondent writer goes to a remove (very remote) isomer write his new book. He’s had severe writers block since the disappearance is his wife. Things are about to get a whole lot worse for him.
Definitely a page turner with a very interesting twist. Maybe a bit of a reach with the plot but still a fun time and interesting read.

Author Grady Green is still devastated by the unexplained disappearance of his wife one year ago. Laden with grief and struck by writer's block, Grady decides to go to a remote Scottish island in hopes of finishing his next novel. But when he arrives at the island, he keeps seeing glimpses of his wife . Or at least, he thinks he does.
Is he going mad with grief? Or is his wife somehow still alive?

This is such a fantastic book! Feeney's best yet IMO. The twists and turns were so well done and completely unexpected. It was dripping with atmosphere. And I loved the nods to Don't Look Now and The Wicker Man.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This audiobook was truly amazing. I loved the sound effects, and all of the twists and turns. This dark thriller was so impressive!

The entire time I was reading (listening to) this, I was thinking “Where is this going..?” I knew twists and turns were coming, but when the BIG twist came…I was floored. I did not see it coming! The whole book has you questioning what is truly going on and I finished the whole thing in three days.

I listened as an audiobook and the majority of the book takes place on a small, secluded Scottish island so the accents were fun. Now I’m from the US so whether or not they were accurate, I don’t know. But every time the narrator did his Scottish woman voice I giggled a little to myself because he sounded like Mrs. Doubtfire.

If you like an atmospheric mystery with a surprising twist, I definitely recommend this one!

I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed the narration. I think they did a great job with the voices and sound effects in the audio. It really helped add to the atmosphere. The book itself was a good book, for the most part I did not predict the twist that happened through the book. I found myself engaged through the book and wanting to keep listening to it and to know what would happen. The reason I gave it 3 stars was because I maybe just didn't love the ending. Even though I felt that way I did still really enjoy he book and do recommend it!

★★★★★ 5/5 stars!
Pub date : Jan 14, 2025.

✦ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 :
-unreliable narrators
-dual pov
-isolated Scottish island setting
-eerie + ominous vibes
-author main character
-absolutely shocking twists
-Nina Simone
-short reads that pack a punch

✦ 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 :
The Queen of Twists has done it again 👏🏼
If you know me, you know Alice Feeney is one of my most favorite authors. I have read (and adored) every one of her books, and I’ve been eager to get my hands on this one for months. Let me tell you.. Beautiful Ugly is one of Feeney’s BEST. (I don’t know if anything will ever top Daisy Darker for me, but this is a close second!)

In contrast to her previous books, I thought it was interesting that this was mostly a male POV. I’ll admit I was a tiny bit disappointed that the audiobook wasn’t narrated by Stephenie Racine like her others, but I ended up really loving it! It was very well produced and so fun to listen to.

My favorite part just may be the unique setting. The secluded isle of Amberly really became a character itself. The strange residents of the island set an ominous, eerie tone that I just ate up. I was never sure of where the story was heading. The layers of this mystery were revealed in perfect timing, with her signature twists that have you second guessing everything!

My recommendation? Go in blind, listen along to the audiobook, & know you’re in for a super satisfying read!

Thanks so much to @macmillan.audio & @netgalley for my ALC! #MacAudio2024

Author, Grady Green is having the best and worst day of his life. His wife Abby disappears on the eve of his “big news”. Paralyzed by grief Grady’s life is shattered so he agrees to escape to a remote Scottish island in hopes of writing again and reigniting his career. The island’s residents total 25 and in a shocking twist, one is a woman who looks just like his missing wife.

Although Beautiful Ugly can be a bit slow-paced, the eerie setting, Grady’s insomnia, the cast of characters, and the mysterious tea keep you in consistent suspense. As the lines of reality become more blurred you become drawn into a continuous guessing game of what is going on. It builds up to a twist that you won’t see coming!

The narration by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton, was wonderful with music and sound effects to further enhance the listening experience.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley Shelf. As always, these are my honest thoughts!

This book was on its way to becoming a good mystery until we got to the end. Ugh, the plot twist and explanation were terrible. If you spend a few moments thinking this through you will be disappointed. After this grand reveal, Grady is given the position to be the writer for the island. This island is run by only women which mistrust men but a man is still the only way they can make any money or livelihood. So they couldn't find a woman to be a best-selling writer for this island? That seems so problematic. So disappointed.

This was a great audiobook! There are lots of twists and turns -- and lots of creepiness! The narration and sound effects were perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillon Audio for the audio arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had really high hopes for this book…

One of my all time favorites thrillers is Rock Paper Scissors- same author.

I felt this book to be boring, and I lacked any connection towards any of the main characters.

The different POVs and timelines, are the only thing I truly enjoyed about this story.

The twists at the end felt rushed and forced.

As an avid reader, I adore books about authors and this book was also a mystery so I was hooked from the start! Grady's wife is missing, presumed dead and because of this, he has writer's block. His agent knows he's also running out of money so she sends him to a tiny island where he can stay for free and hopefully begin writing his next best-seller. Grady takes a ferry to the island and in his grief, starts seeing his missing wife everywhere.
The islanders are distrustful of strangers and protective of their island and their 'own' but Grady must find answers. Why does he keep seeing his wife in her red coat, the same coat that was found near her abandoned car? I loved Beautiful Ugly, the setting of the island is beautiful and mysterious and the twists and turns kept me hooked till the end.

I love Alice Feeney so I was very excited for this one! The narration on this audio is fantastic, and the sound effects add to the creepy factor. I did not see the way the twist was going to go, though there were some things that had me thinking suspiciously. What I didn't enjoy was the "smash the patriarchy" that felt forced and awkward - I'm just not into that in a book. The ending was absolutely wild and had me wanting more.

I highly recommend listening to this book. The male/female narration is amazing and the sound effects add atmosphere. I normally listen while I drive for work but I found myself listening on my headphones throughout my whole day.
I don’t really even know how to explain how twisted this book gets. You think you know but honestly…..you have no clue. Nothing is what you think it is…..in the best possible way. A solid 4.5/5 stars for me!
I received an ALC of this title , all opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book!! I’ve been a fan of most of her books and was so excited to read this one!

The way this book sucked me in from the very beginning. The way I was just unselected the entire time the story was being told. I knew the plot twist was going to be a doozy! She did not disappoint! I definitely didn’t see that coming!

I’ve really been enjoying the books that are about authors lately. I felt like this one was done excellently. I was engaged the entire time and LOVED how this one ended. So crazy.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the MMC, I just felt like something was off with him. But Feeney also made me feel bad for the guy. He was given a crappy plate in life, and he wasn’t coping well.

I was fortunate enough to get the audio arc. The narrators did so well showing emotion and fear from the characters. There was also background sounds that really made the story come to life for me. I loved it!

I highly recommend putting this book on your TBR! It was a fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. There are two POVs and two different timelines to follow along. It was easy to differentiate and such an enjoyable story.

Thank you to Flatiron books and Netgally for the audio arc!