Amazing book! The audiobook is really good. I wasn’t sure what I was hearing about the book was going live up to my expectations. I did not see the twists coming. And the end left me gasping. I recommend thriller lovers read this one!

When Grady Green's wife disappears, his life falls apart. Once a best-selling author, he now struggles to write anything. When his agent suggests a remote Scottish cabin to ignite his passion for writing, he reluctantly accepts. But this remote island also has it's own secrets.

I received the audiobook version of #BeautifulUgly from #NetGalley, which was fantastic. The audiobook alternates with a male and female narrator who absolutely nail the accents required. I listened until my ear buds finally died and then actually bought the book on Kindle to continue the journey.

Highly recommend this book. I read her other book, Rock Paper Scissors, which was OK. But this book.... this one blew my mind. Fantastic plot, fast-paced, and a truly enjoyable read. If you have a busy day ahead, the audiobook is a 9 hour read and is also an amazing option.

This book absolutely gripped me and reminded me why I love Alice Feeney, she absolutely has a way of writing two POVs such that you have no idea which is truly accurate and manages to keep you guessing. Grady can't write since the disappearance of his wife Abby so he gets sent off to this tiny island in Scotland. The vibes here were absolutely on point, I love me a ''locked room'' style of mystery and this absolutely fits the bill. The entire time he is on the island, things are ominous, something is clearly wrong but putting the finger on WHAT, wasn't an easy task. My brain worked for this one. Grady isn't a likeable character and has questionable morals. That being said Feeney got me, I bought the picture she painted. If you like books with some good old feminine rage style revenge - pick this one up.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrators were excellent! There were also some sounds incorporated in the audio and I found that a fun touch!

A huge thank you to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of this audiobook. First off, the narration was excellent. It usually annoys me when men do women’s voice and vice versa and this was the exception. I also loved the added audio elements - the music, the sound of the sea, etc. It was very well produced.

The novel itself started a bit slow but the next thing I knew I was to the halfway point so it does move along. I was surprised by the twist which did answer a lot of the questions that popped up along the way. While I didn’t LOVE the ending, I did enjoy the book enough to give it four stars. This is my second book by this author and I liked it the most so far (other was Daisy Darker).

How do I admit that I did not like one of the most antcipated books of the year? I struggled with the believablity of this one. There were too many convenient coincidences and connections for me to really feel connected to this book.
The book started off as any pyschological thriller should. I was sucked right in. I needed to know what was happening. The husband is waiting for the wife to come home so that he can share really exciting news with her. They are on the phone as she is driving home and then just vanishes into thin air about a mile away. Grief takes over, but the job of a writer is never really done. He needs to get out of his writing slump and his agent has just the right plan. Then things just get a little weird. Grady becomes a little unreliable as a narrator. The reader is taken on some wild rides but not really in a good way. I'm still not even sure I understand how it ended and how we got there.
I listened to the audiobook and the production was really well done. There was sound effects in between chapters which was a really nice touch.

Beautiful Ugly falls into a type of thriller that just doesn’t work for me—one built entirely around an outlandish twist. While the premise is intriguing, and the eerie first half kept me reading, the characters felt flat, and the plot became increasingly implausible.

Grady, a struggling author, is haunted by his wife’s disappearance a year ago. She vanished after stopping to help someone by the roadside, and now, unable to write or move on, he takes a chance on a retreat in a remote island cabin once owned by a famous author.

Despite an interesting setup, I found it hard to care about Grady or Abby, and the story unravelled as the twists piled up. Some plot points were so bizarre they made me laugh, and by the time the island’s backstory was revealed, it felt like a needlessly convoluted mess. A good twist should surprise, but it also needs to feel earned—and this one just didn’t.

It's always an interesting set of circumstances that moves the reader from connecting with a character to despising him in the last chapter.  
    Grady is a despairing character: missing wife, writers block, no income, flashbacks of the night she disappeared. His agent throws him a life line in the form of a free cabin on a remote island where he can write undisturbed and hopefully be back on the best seller list again.
    This island is not without its quirks: no daily ferry service, no cell tower, postal delivery is random. It sounds like a dream location to work uninterrupted but unfortunately he is. He keeps seeing his missing wife, random lights are turned on, notes are left, objects moved, he was spooked.  
    The cabin, once the home of a famous writer, held a few secrets of its own.  Under the floorboards he discovers bones and an unpublished novel, a well written one, and with a few tweaks he makes it his own and sends it off to his agent.
   But there is something strange about this island which he discovers: there's a history that is disclosed in small increments that lure the reader into its horrific history.
    Grady discovers the  islanders are less friendly, he is constantly under surveillance, he wants off this island and the reader is feeling his anxiety..........until the real story unravels.
    An electrifying  chain of events that keeps the reader spooked and engaged until the final twist.

The middle of the book is a bit of a slow burn, but wow the ending really delivered! The audiobook was done well with multiple narrators and the addition of sound effects.

I loved this book. I finished it in 1 day. It's a short read that drags you in right from the start! Highly suggest to anyone who loves thrillers!

I absolutely loved this book! It was thrilling and exciting with excellent pacing. I've always been an Alice Feeney fan and this was one of her best books. The story was so unique and a real twist on the predictable thriller. The main character was struggling with long term grief which helped to make some of his twisted beliefs and self talk make sense. I enjoyed the connections between the characters, like the wife's godmother was Grady's agent.

I did not see the plot twist coming and I read a LOT of thrillers.

Feeney proves to be a masterful storyteller who fully embraces bold twists. The true standout of this tale is the hauntingly immersive and atmospheric island, steeped in an air of sinister mystery.

Although the story as a whole didn’t completely captivate me, the exceptional narration truly elevated what might have otherwise been a mediocre experience.

It plays out like a vivid, cinematic audiobook, weaving in sounds of the sea and haunting melodies to heighten the mood and bring the evocative setting to life, resulting in an incredibly immersive experience.

Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton deliver outstanding performances as delightfully wild and unreliable narrators, making this audiobook a must-listen!

Side note: This couple uses “𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱” as their version of a term of endearment. 😆 This book is pure toxicity, and honestly, I was living for it.

3.5 stars

I liked the story overall, and I really enjoyed the interludes between chapters, but the ending was underwhelming and a bit unclear. The full explanation of the island’s history, particularly in relation to Abby, is definitely interesting, but Grady’s experiences on the island are more frustrating and annoying — like a mosquito near your ear — than terrifying, or even suspenseful. Therefore, some portions felt drawn out and repetitive. I wasn’t expecting most of the twists — hardly any — so that bumped this up a little for me.

Because I had the audiobook, I must say that it is very well done! The music was awesome, the sound effects were amazing, and of course the narration was excellent. Overall, Beautiful Ugly is worth the read, especially via audiobook, and I will continue to read Feeney’s novels.

I was so excited for this read after enjoying other ones by the author. The story was engaging and kept me wanting to keep reading. I also love and unreliable narrator. I prefer audio over ebooks and this was a pleasant listen. I definitely recommend this one and found myself waiting in my car when I got home to listen to the last 20 mins bc I couldn't stop it.
ALC from Netgalley for an honest review.

What a wild ride! Grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this one early! The island ends up feeling beautiful and enticing, but then creepy and menacing. More than twist kept me wondering and saying, “what!” more than once: Excellent audio too!

First, the audiobook production was GOOD. It was suspenseful and spooky, and the Scottish Highlands sounded like the last place you’d want to be stranded. I am so glad I was able to listen to this one.

First, I am a huge Alice Feeney fan, but this didn't hold me on the edge in the way I wanted. I usually expect Feeney to pull the rug out from under me, but this time it felt more like she yanked the rug and handed me a bath mat instead. I audibly said, “huh? That plot twist came out of nowhere.” I heard the message behind the story, (YES, girl) but the plot itself didn’t deliver the punch I was hoping for. Overall, a decent thriller, but not my favorite. It’s more of a spooky stroll than a wild rollercoaster.

3. 5 rounded down.

I am still thinking about the ending of this book days later! I was very excited to read this for my local book club this January and the premise alone grabbed me: Grady, a successful author, is dealing with the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of his wife, Abby. As the story unfolds, we are taken on a journey of grief, confusion, and obsession as Grady searches for answers, but that ending was one I never saw coming.

My anxiety kept building with each page I read, and I was so sure I had figured it out and I did have some of it figured out. but I was so shocked by many of the things revealed at the end. I was led down one path, and just when I thought I knew exactly where it was going, Alice Feeney flipped everything on its head. It was one of those endings that completely took me by surprise, and in the best way.

I loved how the story explores how complicated relationships truly are, especially the tension between what we think we know about those closest to us and the secrets they keep. Grady’s journey to the Isle of Amberly adds such an eerie element that only heightened the mystery.

Overall, this was a fast-paced read with an ending that left me stunned. I docked half a star, for a 4.5 star rating, because I felt there were a few times where the pacing slowed down a bit, but it was definitely worth the read.

This really didn’t feel like an Alice Feeney book.. it was sooo boring for the first 95%, and then the last chapter it finally got interesting. But not enough to redeem itself in my opinion. Really hoped for more unfortunately

I did love the audio though, the walk-ie talkies and ocean sounds really added to the ambiance. I would highly recommend the audiobook!

Pretty disappointing! I love a good twist but I hate when authors add "twists" just for the sake of having a twist. Especially when it doesn't seem to make sense for the storyline and almost seems to mimic a twist from previous novels.

And with this, I've almost officially read all of Alice's books.

Wow. What a book! I was very confused at some parts, but this did a great job at keeping the vibe eerie and making the reader question everything. This book was pretty heavy on descriptions, so many hidden ways to trick the mind! It did such a good job at telling the story with not much dialog until it was needed.

And that ending? Boyyyyyy. Did not see it coming!

I listened to the audiobook and think the narrator added to the suspense. An island that you can't leave? A missing wife that you see everywhere? So many secrets that you only trust your dog? Grady, the main character, a famous author scrambling to write his next bestseller, finds himself backed into a corner in this thriller that will have you guessing who to trust and what may happen next. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an audiobook of this story.