Many readers believe her to be the “queen of twisty novels,” but when the twists become just variations of her previous novels, it’s not enjoyable for me as the reader. This will be my last Feeney novel for a while. Disappointing. Fortunately, I very much enjoyed Richard Armitage’s voice for the audiobook! Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc!

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. I really enjoyed this book. There were some slower parts but the book always picked up. It kept me reading and wondering. I didn’t expect the ending. Several twists I didn’t see coming!

This was my first Alice Feeney book and it did not disappoint. I was completely in from the beginning. This eerie vibe of the story continues from start to finish. I did not expect how it ended!

The audiobook, narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton, was well done and a pleasure to listen to. Armitage did a wonderful job making different character's voices, even female voices which many male narrators are not good at. Their combined abilities made for a great listen.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this arc!

I absolutely loved this book! What a great psychological thriller! I really enjoyed the audiobook. It felt page-turning even while listening. I enjoyed the sound effects that were added in, it wasn’t an overkill but a great touch to help set the tone. I liked the dual pov and with the audio that there were two sets of voices. I enjoyed not knowing what was really going on throughout the whole book. I thought I had an idea and then I was way off! Perfect to get you out of a reading slump!

BEAUTIFUL UGLY review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿I was so excited to read the latest Feeney release! I love her thrillers and this one has gotten a lot of buzz already. 👀 I was intrigued by the cover alone and couldn’t wait to dive in!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Grady gets a phone call from his wife who is driving home and sees someone lying in the road. He begs her to stay in the car but she gets out to investigate anyways and is never seen again.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿I was hooked from the beginning!! This one was tense, creepy, and had me on the edge of my seat! I truly had no idea where this one was heading and the twists shocked me! I felt like the ending was kinda out there? But I still enjoyed it overall!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Thanks to @macmillian.audio for my advanced listening copy!

The best day of author Grady Green's life became the worst day of his life.
His wife Abby mysteriously disappears. A year later, still grief stricken and unable to write, Grady retreats to a secluded cabin on a remote Scottish island. On Amberly he quickly realizes things here aren't quite right. Strange things are happening in this eerie place, seeing Abby and then not able to find her and unrelenting twists and turns make him think he is losing his mind. Is he?
This novels well-paced unfolding of mystery, dread and truth is both creative and captivating.
Expertly narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. Their combined efforts and various sound effects made the story come alive.
Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank You NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

Alice Feeney is one of the best thriller writers ever. I always love her settings and characters. Even when I think I have it all figured out. This is a great book to listen to and I am excited read and listen to more of her work.

A very well produced and performed audiobook! Sound effects elevated the experience as a listener. Though some twists were predictable, the ultimate conclusion was not. I enjoyed this very much.

This was a fun one! The audio was really well done and I enjoyed the sound effects that were added in. This one kept me guessing and had a great twist. I also loved that there was a secret message hidden in the book. So fun!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for making this ARC available. I wanted to like this book, and in hopes that it would get better I read the entire thing. The idea was interesting, the execution did not happen, and the twists fell flat. Sadly I think this will be my last Alice Feeney title.

In this book we are following Grady, a struggling author, a year after he lost his wife. She mysteriously disappeared on a drive home one night and there have been no signs of her since that night. A year or so later, Grady is offered the opportunity to go to this small island off the coast of Scotland to focus on writing his next book. As he travels out to this island, he thinks he sees his missing wife and the continues to spiral for the rest of the book.

I was deeply invested in this book even though there is a large portion of the book where "nothing" really happens. I think the audiobook really increased my engagement as the narrators did a great job of making the vibes creepy and intense. I liked the small pieces of information we got throughout the book to help piece the puzzle together about the people on the island and what is really going on. I thought the twist at the end was good but not all that surprising in reflection/comparison to other Alice Feeney novels. That said, I still didn't see it coming and enjoyed the twists. The very end felt a little weird to me though after everything else in the book. Overall, highly recommend, especially the audiobook!!

This was my first Alice Feeney and I'm very happy I picked it up. Grady Green is a best-selling author but he can't seem to write anymore after the disappearance of his wife a year ago. His agent suggests he travel to a remote island to focus on his craft and but then peculiar things start to happen. I found myself very curious about his wife's mysterious disappearance and I was very invested to find out what happened to her. The strange island was a very eerie setting and the atmosphere really contributed to how unsettled I felt while reading. The story is more about untangling a past mystery than in current action and adventure. I was very invested in figuring out what happened a year ago and I definitely didn't see the ending coming. I enjoyed my time with this book and I will definitely be checking out other Alice Feeney books as well.

The audiobook is fantastic!! Richard Armitage is fabulous of course with the Scottish accents but the sound effects were what really took the audioboook to the next level. They created a truly immersive experience. The other narrator was new to me but she did a fantastic job as well. The audio is definitely the superior way to experience the story if you like to listen to your books.

I LOVE Alice, but holy heck, this one was not it. The premise was interesting, but the execution fell short. The twist was dumb, the characters were annoying, and nothing worked for me.


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. This was the first book I have read/listened to by this author and I am in awe with the way she sucked in my attention and didn’t let go until the end of the book. Not only did it give off creepy and intense vibes, but it sent my emotions on a rollercoaster ride. I pitied Grady, was mad at him, thought he deserved better, thought he lost his mind, was mad at him again, felt sorry for him, and then wasn’t completely sure how I felt! The end was definitely a shock that I wasn’t expecting. The narration of this book was perfect. I felt like I could really tell exactly what the characters were experiencing in the moment, with the pure exhaustion clear in their voices and the fear radiating from the character. I really liked the sound effects of the walkie talkie clicking, which seemed to intensify the moment. Overall, it was a great book and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Wow! What a book! This is my first Alice Feeney book. It’s not what I typically go for, but I enjoyed this thoroughly. I was unsure to start, not fully able to see where the book was going and then BAM! Yes! BAM!! I definitely recommend this book. It kept me interested and invested the entirety of the book! Check it out!

I enjoyed the writing style as a whole and the multiple narrators (and the music/waves transition when they switched narrators). The whole all female island colony was interesting. And there was the best character: Columbo the dog. However, the twist and ending were a bit confusing.

I recently read Beautiful Ugly and whoa. It is a very dark thriller of an struggling author who heads to a remote island to try and undo his writer’s block when crazy things start happening to him, including visions of his wife who disappeared a year prior. It is a story of revenge and despair. Dark and twisted and creepy and so gripping. An ending that I did NOT see coming . Whoa again.

Really enjoyed listening to this book. It had me guess til close to the end what was really happening. Recommended!

This was my first time reading Alice Feeny's work. The book maintains a sense of suspense, keeping the reader constantly guessing. While the pacing is slow (and frustrating at times), it allows for a strong story build-up and also creates an intriguing sense of unease. As the story unfolds, the reader is left grappling with a series of unsettling questions: What is truly happening on this isolated island? Why does everyone seem a little off? What happened to Abby?

Just when I thought I had pieced together the puzzle, Feeny delivered another unexpected twist, leaving me utterly bewildered. While I correctly anticipated some elements of the plot, the complete picture remained elusive until the end, and I found myself constantly questioning my assumptions.

The novel's intricate timeline and shifting perspectives can be somewhat challenging to follow, and I confess to still feeling a bit confused regarding the precise order of certain flashbacks/who they belonged to. Despite this minor quibble, 'Beautiful Ugly' is an entertaining and suspenseful read.

Beautiful Ugly is yet another fabulous twisty mystery by Alice Feeney. Author Grady Green has experienced both the best and the worst moments in his life within a span of minutes. After the mysterious disappearance of his wife, he finds himself stuck in a rut and no longer able to write. He's lost everything, and when his publisher offers him a last chance to move off grid to finish another book, he takes it. Unfortunately for him, his past creeps up on him and there's no escape.

This book starts off slowly, but for the reason of background building. So many events give clues to what's going on throughout the story, both for Grady and his wife Abby. The end was so unexpected and I was very pleasantly surprised at the dark end that came for Beautiful Ugly. Also be aware for some fourth wall breaking surprises - no spoilers here!