5 stars

This was one of the only books where I didn’t even try to guess or predict the ending. I genuinely had no idea what was going on at any point. I absolutely LOVED it. There was so much to figure out that I didn’t even try lol

The way that things “turned” and started to unravel was so fun. Everything started to come together by the end and I absolutely just loved every bit of this. There was so many parts that had me saying what the heck is actually going on here.

This was my first Alice Feeny book and now I cannot wait to read her others.

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

A year after the tragic disappearance of his wife, Grady is struggling emotionally, financially, and is suffering from a case of insurmountable writer's block. Facing staggering debt and the threat of having to pay back his advance, Grady accepts an invitation to a reclusive cabin on a remote Scottish isle hoping the seclusion will spark his writing. When he arrives on the island he–unbelievably–sees a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

BEAUTIFUL UGLY was such a clever and atmospheric story that drew me in from the start. The chilling storyline leads up to a downright haunting ending. In Feeney’s signature style, the writing was edge-of-your-seat and the plot was cunning and clever.

I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t mention the *phenomenal* audiobook production that takes this book to the next level. With crashing waves, various sound effects and perfect narration by Richard Armitage, you’re going to want to take this story in with your ears.

Read this if you:
-enjoyed Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
-know there are two sides to every coin
-believe no man is an island

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: January 30, 2025

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review

Whoa. That was a twisty tale I just didn't expect. I listened to an ALC and really enjoyed the narrators. There are two povs of Grady and Abby. Once I started listening I could not stop. I needed to know what was going to happen and now that I'm finished I will definitely be thinking about it for quite some time.

Beautiful Ugly is a psychological thriller that immediately hooked me. The story follows Grady, a heartbroken author who is still reeling from the sudden disappearance of his wife, Abby. His search for answers leads him to a remote Scottish island, where he encounters a woman who looks eerily like Abby. What follows is a twisting tale filled with suspense, unreliable narration, and shocking revelations that will leave you questioning what’s real until the very end.

The atmosphere on the island is unsettling, creating a perfect backdrop for the mystery to unfold. Feeney is an auto-buy author for me and she once again masterfully builds tension. The plot's twists are great and one in particular literally made my jaw drop. The unreliable narrator trope is expertly executed, adding layers of complexity to the story. I loved the hidden message.

I listened to this one as an audiobook and I highly recommend it. Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton delivered stellar performances. The sound effects further enhance the immersive atmosphere, making this a truly captivating listening experience. Overall it is an enthralling read (or listen) that will keep you hooked, questioning every clue and character along the way.

Special thanks to @Netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the ALC of Beautiful Ugly. Rating 4+ stars!

Full disclosure: Alice Feeney is very hit or miss for me. This one seemed like the perfect vibes for a wintery mystery. But…
I hate to have to say that I didn’t like this book, but I REALLY didn’t like this book. I was intrigued by the atmosphere- this secluded Scottish island hosting a band of creepy locals with one male visitor attempting to finish a writing deadline and grappling with the disappearance of his wife. In ways, I vaguely predicted the “twists,” though I don’t think they were executed well enough for myself to feel proud of any predictions. Overall, the writing is really what turned me off with Beautiful Ugly- it’s SO melodramatic… SO dun!dun!dun! I could hear the suspenseful music at the last line of every chapter (though the audiobook is actually full of poorly volume-controlled background noise that usually shocked me instead of adding any tone to the listening experience). The male narrator’s voice was a very breathy and overly angsty to me. I had a hard time keeping track of any of the islanders names and there were so many red-herrings that were never properly addressed.
I guess if you’re a big Feeney Stan this one will prolly work for you. It’s definitely atmospheric. Definitely twisty. It just really didn’t work for my. Maybe in physical over audio I wouldn’t have felt taken out of the vibes by the performance. Who knows, but I won’t be raving about this one to anyone. I see it was chosen for December 2024 BOTM, so hopefully it works out for all those readers.

Very mixed thoughts on this one. Propulsive story line, with a lot of difficulty to determine what is actually going on. However, so many unlikeable characters and a little too much reality suspension for me.

This was mostly fine and somewhat entertaining. But overall it was just so far out there in believability that I never grabbed hold of it and honestly I was a bit bored for most of it. A few things to note - I have the audio ARC of this and I like to just listen to someone read me a book. This had some production to it with sound effects. Because I mostly listen when driving, the sudden unexpected noises often scarred the crap out of me, not good when driving. Not a fan at all. I will say though that I loved the chapter titles and how they were incorporated into the writing. Witty. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an early release audio copy in exchange for my opinion. Technically Beautiful Ugly doesn't release until 1/14/25 however I believe it was released early through Book of The Month, so you should be able to find it out and about now.

The audiobook was done well, with a sound track to accommodate the story! While I found the actual book was all over the place, it reminded me a lot of Daisy Darker. Not one of my favourites by this author, but definitely a great audiobook.

Well, this isn't my normal genre but I've heard so much about Alice Feeney that I just had to see what the hype was about so I tried this audiobook out. There were two things that stood out to me: 1) this story was INTERESTING and let me tell you, I definitely had no idea what was going on and I would say this was def a thriller+mystery because I was getting TENSE! and 2) this audiobook is one of the BEST I've ever listened to! Almost every time a sound was written about (i.e. a phone ringing, a walkie talkie crackling, ocean waves, etc.) they were inputted into the audiobook! It wasn't just narrators, there was an aspect of a dramatized audiobook and it was genuinely very entertaining and it really makes you feel like you've been transported to this kinda spooky, remote Scottish island where weird things keep happening!
I'm kind of intrigued and really enjoyed the opportunity to try something I normally wouldn't! This story was so deep and surprising! I might even look for other Alice Feeney audiobooks!
Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio for this audiobook to listen to before pub day!💖

While I was completely blindsided by the initial plot twists, I found them to be a little dull for the lead up to them. I did really love the VERY end and the audio performance was great! Another solid thriller from Alice Feeney! Thank you for the ALC!

I was excited to receive this as an ALC! Rock Paper Scissors is a book I cannot stop thinking about, and this book will be the same. Absolutely amazing!

Brief premise: a writers' wife goes missing. One year later, his agent allows him to stay at a remote writing cabin left to her by a former client in his will.

The audiobook was incredible. For example, if someone was talking through a phone call, the sound would mimic that slightly muffled tone. We would hear waves rolling throughout the chapters.

I could not stop listening because I had to know what was going on! I would never have guessed the twist (or the twist after that, or the next one...).

Alice Feeney is always good for a twist at the end I didn’t see coming. This book is no different. Here we have a self-absorbed husband/author named Grady, and a secretive journalist/wife named Abby. Abby goes missing on the way home one night. One year later Grady’s publicist sends him to a remote Scottish island to complete the last book in his contract, where he continues to be haunted by the memories of his wife. He thinks he sees her everywhere. If only he knew what happened, you her. They never found her body, only her red coat.

I spent the entire book trying to figure out what is going on. Is this like the Truman Show? Like Shutter Island?? Grady is an unreliable narrator. Is he insane or accidentally drugging himself? Though the story is a little farfetched, it is engaging, creepy, and a wild ride. Just wait for the conclusion, Feeney closed the story perfectly!

While I enjoyed this audiobook, I didn't feel it was Feeney at her best. I was all in until the end; and then she lost me. The characters were great, and I was fully invested in their story, but the resolution seemed weird and kind of like an afterthought. It didn't really make sense.
I loved the atmosphere of the story: the setting, the strange women - audio worked so well for this one. For this reason, I am giving 3.5 stars, rounded up.

I love this author and was very excited to be approved for this ARC. I listened to the audio version and wow 🤯 There are so many twists in this book you won’t have a clue what is coming next! My head was spinning! The audio was fantastic. Psychological Thriller.

The first 80% of this was really great. I was hooked from chapter one, and the book was surprisingly creepy. Each chapter ended on a cliffhanger making it easy to keep reading. However, I really didn’t like the end.

Grady is on the phone with his wife as she’s driving home. She slams on her brakes, gets out of the car, and disappears. One year later, Grady’s life has fallen apart. He decides to travel is a tiny Scottish island to get his life back on track and start writing again. While there, he sees a woman who looks exactly like his wife

This book had me hooked from the beginning, but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy where it went. There was one twist that shocked me, but honestly it didn’t make sense after thinking about it more in depth. There were so many plot holes, and there was one plot point in particular that I really didn’t like. Overall, I liked this book and was invested until the end when everything was revealed.

That being said, I really loved the audiobook. The narrators did an amazing job, and the audiobook had cool sound effects.

Beautiful Ugly takes place on a remote, small idyllic Isle of Amberly with a population of twenty-five people. The town is charming, the people seem friendly and welcoming and most of all it is quiet a place. It is here that author, Grady Green comes to reboot his writing career since her wife, Abby mysteriously disappeared. For the past year Grady has been wrestling with the loss of his wife, he has lost just about everything including motivation to write. The question as to what happened to Abby has never been solved. Is she dead or has she just vanished? So maybe coming to the isolated isle off the coast of Scotland will be just what he needs. Or will it? As Grady experiences strange happening, he begins to question what the townspeople ulterior motives. Is staying here safe? And who is this woman in the red coat? The more he tries to dig into the strangeness of this town the more his reality become distorted, the more he fears and the more anxious Grady becomes. Will he ever solve the mystery surrounding his wife’s disappearance? And will he ever find a way to escape this new hell he is in?

Just when you think you have figured out what the plot is Alice Feeney throws a wrench in, changing directions .. it is why she is known as the “Queen of Twist”. Feeney’s ability to paint this creepy, unnatural environment that is described as stunning is masterful – I was actually just waiting the other shoe to drop. The story is dark, thought provoking, suspenseful and at times creepy and I loved it.

Beautiful Ugly narration was superb - Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton captured the essence of the characters and setting right down to sound effects .. static phone lines and walkie-talkies, ocean and creepy music.

Between character development, all the unexpected twist, the amazing narration and that jaw-dropping ending, Beautiful Ugly easily earns a five-star rating.

Thank you, Alice Feeney, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did a little fist pump to myself when I was approved for this book because I’m a big fan of the author! This book did not disappoint. Every chapter kept me guessing and needed to keep listening. I really enjoyed the narrator for the audiobook. I’d recommend this book!

Whooo boy! That ending! Five stars for one of the best mystery/thrillers I’ve read this year.

Grady Green is an author with a problem: he is having difficulty writing. A year ago, he lost his wife Abby. This sets off a chain of events that leads Grady to travel to the Scottish Island of Amberly. That is when the real fun begins.

This is one of the twistiest thrillers I have ever read. It is well-plotted, and Alice Feeny truly knows how to hook her audience. There is definitely something to be said here for unreliable narrators. I had a very difficult time pulling out my ear buds. The narration is outstanding. Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton really get these characters. It is a true tour de force performance.

Okay - that ending. I will not give any spoilers away, but it’s safe to say that I never saw it coming. I was absolutely stunned. As someone who reads a lot of thrillers, it is difficult at times to blindside me. That was not the case here. Trust me, this ending sticks with you.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this one. If you enjoy audiobooks, this one should be at the top of your list. I highly recommend this one. It releases on January 14th. Preorder it now!

This book has stayed with me!!! I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect this! "Beautiful Ugly" is a domestic thriller that had me gripped throughout the entire listen. I was gifted the audio version through Netgalley, which alternated between two narrators with enhanced audio features which added to this phenomenal story. The two narrators had perfect voices for this genre (there were also British and Irish accents but were easily understandable).

As the for plot, this book started off with a hook and it kept on giving! The twist was not saved for the last few pages and I would NOT have ever guessed it! This book was so imaginative and in a league of it's own. I can't stop thinking about it. My favorite quotable moment is from chapter 34...5 stars!!!

*I received a complimentary audio ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

“Trees grow down as well as up and I think it’s the same with people. The more we grow up, the more we learn to feel down.”

“Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.”

Beautiful Ugly is easily my favorite Alice Feeney yet. It was divided into chapters with contradictory titles that I just kept eating up. It’s also no surprise that the thriller queen worked these chapter titles into each chapter. And even left a hidden message. 👀

This book felt like willingly stumbling down a steep hill. You start out in control, but quickly lose all semblance. Reading this felt like my legs couldn’t keep up with my body - but it was literally just my eyes moving as fast as they could so I could inhale this book faster than my brain could comprehend. I read this in two sittings, stayed up way past my bedtime, and let my kids destroy the house just so I could finish it.

It was freaking BRILLIANT.