Wow. A book with so many twists that you won’t be able to put it down. A well written book. Certainly makes you think

Unreliable narrators that keep their secrets to themselves until the penultimate page are the guilty pleasures of mysteries, and this is one of the best since Gone Girl created the genre - or at least, rose it to the top of the most. Unforgettable characters in war-torn countries - the writer, the aid worker, the tough, sexy. ambitious Brit who turns close protection for diplomats and generals into a living with dying for. Ward keeps dialing up the tension with terrific pacing that drives this novel to a stunning conclusion.

BEAUTIFUL BAD By Annie Ward

I found this story line to be intoxicating. I enjoyed the characters and felt sorry for Maddie and what she was going through. All of her fears seemed to take control of her life. The only thing I can say that I disliked about this novel was the authors use of different characters as first persons in certain chapters. It was a little hard to follow along with and the fact that the police officer only had a couple chapters and then boom, she was gone. However, it truly has a great plot and the writer has a wonderful way of weaving a story so that you are encapsulated from page one until the last page. The outcome is great. Just what you would want to see from this type of psychological thriller.


Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


I give this 4.75 stars ⭐️ out of 5

Beautiful bad⭐️

We start with a killing and its intense and pulls you in immediately but then as most mystery novels do they go back a few months. The build up of how we got to this moment was slow but also evenly paced. It kept me intrigued and reading wanting to find out how the killing really came to be.
I really enjoyed the writing and the characters were relatable and interesting.

Thank you so much to Park Row via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward. This will be released on marh 19, 2019
All opinions are my own.

I have mixed feelings about Beautiful Bad written by Annie Ward. The main character, Maddie, narrates most of the story going back to different moments of time in her past. Ian, her husband, suffers from PTSD, he also narrates a few chapters from his perspective. In addition, Diane, a police officer who arrives at the scene of a crime after a scary 911 call gives her two cents for a few chapters. The all of sudden you don't hear from her anymore. The set up could be confusing at times in my opinion.. Maddie, Ian, and Maddie's best friend Joanna are all unlikable and other then feeling sorry for Maddie because she had an injury, I could not warm up to any of them. I don't quite understand what the author was going for in her characterizations--while well written I did not find this book very interesting. It was just all over the place. I wanted to find out what would happen so the story drew you in--it just had some strange twists that did not seem genuine to me. The ending was a bit jolting as well. It also did not ring true to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for a chance to read and give an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!!!!

Beautiful bad was amazing! I read this wonderful book in two days. Annie Ward perfectly captured Sarah who has terrible self esteem and is extremely critical of herself. Sarah is somebody we can all relate too. I was very bothered by Sarah putting up with Robert, but again - I think we can all relate to that. Somebody in our life has treated us poorly: maybe the gas station clerk? A loved one? Your boss? It was inspiring to see Sarah overcome her insecurity. I do wish the big twist came earlier in the book so the ending could be longer.

I was so lucky to receive a copy of Beautiful Bad in exchange for an honest review. Thanks NetGalley!!

Unsettling (in a good way), this book kept me on toes. With its unique settings and complex (and not entirely likable) characters, Beautiful Bad is not your typical domestic psychological thriller and certainly has a delicious (but sour) twist that you don't see coming.

It was, at times, hard to reconcile the present day with the past - they read almost like two ill-fated books that happen to converge in a chilling ending. The scenes in Eastern Europe are exciting, interesting, and full of adventure while the scenes in present day Kansas are troubling, complicated, and unnerving. Throughout the entire book, you are unsure who to trust, who to like, and who to root for. These questions will stay with you through to the end. A well-written book that sticks with you long after you've finished the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for an ARC of this title.

Beautiful Bad is a psychological thriller that will leave you wanting to forget anything you’ve ever heard about fate when it comes to meeting the love of your life. Maddie and Ian’s relationship began at a party in Skopje, Macedonia where Ian was serving in the British Army and Maddie was a traveling journalist visiting her best friend, Joanna. Upon their first gaze, it was love at first sight. The two shared an unexplainable connection and would continue having these feelings for each other for years to come while they each had their own lives in different places. When Ian reaches out to Maddie decades later, they reconnect and pick up right where they left off. They soon find themselves married with a child when Maddie experiences a terrible, grotesque fall while on a camping trip with her little family. Left with a scarred face resembling an unfinished puzzle, Maddie begins attending therapy to help uncover the truths behind her “fall” and to discover what truly happened vs. what Ian told her what happened because she couldn’t remember. It is also during these therapy sessions while Ian is oversees working that Maddie beings opening up about the true terrors behind her husband’s PTSD, how she is concerned for the safety of her and her child, and begins unraveling the truth about her, her best friend Jo, and her husband’s past.

There were a couple elements to this story that I particularly loved..

~ The different point of views ~ This entire book is broken up into three different POV’s from three different times. Beginning with chapters titled “x amount of Weeks Before” (meaning before the killing), to The Day of the Killing, to chapters spanning from the year 2001-2012 when Maddie and Ian first met/the history behind their pasts. I was a bit nervous about this approach and initially feared it would make things complicated and hard to keep up with, but man was I wrong. This was by far my favorite aspect of this book. As a reader, is was so cool to get information from the day of the killing, the days leading up to the killing and years before when Madde and Ian had just met each other for the first time. You are literally getting information from all angles and it was easy to keep up with and kept me engulfed in the pages as I was learning more and more information about everything going on. Cheers to this approach, Annie Ward.

~ The punches ~ And yes, there were many. So many twists. I applaud any mystery/thriller that punches me in the face because far more often than not, these types of stories are too predictable. Not this one. I was questioning my entire existence by the last chapter. Not really, but you know what I’m saying. Those twists where you’re stuck, mouth wide open, eyes the size of donuts asking yourself “How did I not see this coming?”, “How am I this dumb?” or “Oh my cmaowuasgdahzb what is going on right now?!” I live for these moments. The moments of realization that leave you going back and re-reading it 37 times because it was such a punch.

One of the better psychological thrillers I've read. A true page turner.

Maddie and Ian love each other. Their love has spanned almost two decades, beginning at their first meeting in Macedonia in 2001. Both Maddie and Ian have personal histories that complicate their respective lives. Their pasts, however, also contribute to the intense attraction that defines their relationship. The story begins in the present with a brutal murder that is phoned in to 911. Using a blend of events from the past and present, readers learn the details surrounding the lives of Maddie, Ian, their friends and families, and the murder. Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward is a chilling and complicated tale of love, deception, fear, and broken lives. The conclusion will haunt readers long after the last page is read.

This is such an interesting take on the domestic thriller concept - we typically see the same skeleton outline of a story and nothing more, but this is nuanced with so many layers. We meet Maddie, and become quickly intimate with her PTSD and anxieties - why is she so terrified of her husband hurting her or their son? Why is she petrified of her son crying or upsetting her husband? This journey moves forward and backwards in time, and we're rewarded with an interesting, if not wholly satisfying, ending.

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward was one of the best books I have read in months. I loved the three main characters and how they had their own reasons For all the little lies. But I felt for Maddie in the beginning, I related with her on the whole anxiety issue, the fear of not being able to protect your kids and the crazy world we live in. Learning about her life and what she went through I connected with her. Jo, the carefree best friend was to me snotty and self absorbed. She was not happy unless it was all about her. But in the end I felt bad for her. She truly was a good friend. Ian, man, so many ups and downs with him. I felt bad for him he was broken and just trying to do what he thought was right. He needed help PTSD is a thing and he needed to talk with someone. The huge twist at the end of the book still has me floored!! Jaw dropping..... floored!! I did not see that coming. The book was easy to navigate even with the year changes and people changes. Wonderfully written. 5 stars

Updated: I did finish and I was disappointed. I could not connect with any of the characters, and the end, well, I felt that it was headed that way, but it just felt all wrong.


It is very rare that I DNF a book but this was one of those times. It just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the characters, but I know that others will enjoy it. I may go back to it one day and give it a fresh try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley & Park Row for this AMAZING ARC! I am floored!! So floored I am using more than one exclamation mark!!! At first I thought this would be another self discovery read for me. I found that the main narrator, Maddie's, anxiety was extremely relatable, especially her lists of things that keep her awake at night. It was almost spooky how close her thoughts mirrored my own. Reading is my form of escape from this awful and heartless world we are currently living in, and I don't take well to books that remind me constantly of the state of the world - but this! It was teeming with current affairs and the anxiety associated with recent events was vividly real, that almost PTSD feeling after the 2016 election that people were experiencing...the fear of living in this world after experiencing 9/11, it was so heavy, so obvious that the writer took her own anxieties and placed them in these pages. So while I started out empathizing, sympathizing and wanting to weep with Maddie, in the end...I LOATHED her. I wanted to strangle her myself. I don't want to give anything away (that would be cruel), but oh my god, how EVIL humans can be! Overall, this was fantastic. I rarely look at reviews before I read, but I took a look at the other ARC reviews and everyone said the same: this was un-putdown-able. From beginning to end, you have to find out what happens next, chores and daily life be damned. I HIGHLY recommend this one.

First, I'd like to thank Netgalley, Harlequin and Annie Ward for this ARC of Beautiful Bad.

When I first started reading Beautiful Bad, I was sucked in. This devious and twisted thriller was quite suspenseful. A few times I caught myself holding my breath and had to stop reading to allow myself to breathe. The atmosphere where I live has been the perfect backdrop to my reading; dark and stormy! If you are a fan of Gone Girl, then this thriller will definitely be one for you to read!

The book goes back and forth between Maddie (weeks to days before the murder), the day of the murder and Maddie and Ian in the earlier 2000's. I felt bad for both Maddie and Ian at first. Maddie with her naive attitude and Ian with his terrible PTSD. Ian and Maddie almost seemed destined for each other at first...until the little pieces start to crumble. Much like the storm brewing outside, this book started out with small little trickles and, as it got gloomier, a torrential downpour of darkness. The raw and terrifying emotions of both Ian and Maddie made my heart skip a beat. Chapter after chapter, I was left reeling and trying to figure out who to feel more empathy towards, or if I should even feel empathy at all!

Maddie's character had a lot going for her and I almost felt envious of her traveling and worldliness. She seems like a worried mom and I felt that worry in my gut too. Being a mom, I think we all have crazy worries sometimes. I really felt Maddie's character was relatable, but then I felt this distance in her character as well. My feeling for her character was strong at first, until those little lingering bits and pieces of uneasiness started to form. I started to wonder what her story really was, as I read page after page. Then there's Joann, Maddie's best friend. Their falling out is epic and I was left wondering what was behind the harshness of it all. Was it really Jo looking out for Maddie, or something more sinister? Ian seems to have his own agenda, but never ceases to stop loving Maddie, but there is a darkness to Ian as well...something that seems to lurk beneath the surface, but just barely. Ian also has quite a temper on him. The characters all have a darkness to them, but it all comes to a head in one cataclysmic event...the murder.

This is a psychological thriller like no other! The Author tells a story of friends going to countries that are unsafe, full of terrorists, and mercenaries. Two people meet a girl from Kansas who lived an idyllic life until becoming a writer and traveling in dangerous places. He is a security guard for high attache individuals. He and his group of men make sure that they offer the best protection. Years later they find each other again and marry. Then the honeymoon phase is over and terror reigns. Who is running scared?
Great read. Fantastic storyline. Great character development. Strongly recommend.

Unfortunately, I just could not finish this book - it did not draw me in to the story. It was just not something I enjoyed or could connect with in terms of the materials. It is something others may enjoy, especially if they loved reading Gone Girl and other books in that genre and style of writing.

This one was interesting. I did not really see the ending coming, but it seemed very far fetched! As long as you’re okay with that then you will love it! 4.5 Stars!

I'm not sure how I felt about this book. The love story between Ian and Maddie didn't really make sense. Like you're not really sure why she fell in love with him. It was just, he was there all the time and that was that. There is no indication that these two should've fallen in love.
However there were a few surprises in this novel that I did enjoy. A twist which I kind of saw coming but not to the level it did. There were a few inconsistencies in the book that didn't flow, but that might be caught with editing. I have to say I didn't love the story but I didn't hate it. I'm really stuck in the middle on how I feel about this book.
The writing was good for the most part, I'm not one to read books about war and the things these men and women go thru. So I liked that aspect, but I'm unsure how stable Ian actually was based on Maddies point of view vs Ian's point of view. I think there would be a lot of readers that will enjoy this book. I think it's a book you need to read and see where you stand!

Review:BEAUTIFUL BAD by Annie Ward. Excellent book! Many twists and turns with a very unexpected ending. Will be interested to see what this author does next .⭐⭐⭐⭐Four stars