Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward is one of those books that I had high hopes for. However my hopes were dashed within a few chapters. Initially, the story started off well, with a policewoman discovering a crime in a residence. After that, the book deteriorated. It literally fell apart. They was way too much backstory, in fact, that seemed to be the whole book, I could not relate to the characters who just seemed to try their damnedest to be cool, edgy, uncomfortable, smarter than everyone their, in a scary part of the world. Like it really didn't faze them at all. A bit of a stretch. Couldn't finish the book unfortunately, it did not hold my attention enough to give it any more of my time. Thanks to Netgalley.com for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #BeautifulBad #NetGalley

This book left me with a questioning feeling at the end. Some of the flashbacks in the story could have been left out for sure. I also felt a bit lost trying to figure out certain POV's throughout the book. The ending seemed a little far fetched.

3.5 stars. Many thanks to NetGalley for my early copy of Beautiful Bad in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an interesting read. There were a lot of parts that I really enjoyed and some that left me bored and confused. Overall, it was a fascinating tale of human behavior, the human psyche and the devastating effects of PTSD left untreated.

Beautiful Bad is about a murder. From page one, you know someone has died but you don't know who, why or how. The reader is taken on a ride all over the world, from past to present, before and after the murder, from different people and different perspectives. First, there's Maddie. When we first meet her, she's an English tutor living in war torn Bosnia who visits her best friend Joanna in Macedonia each weekend, gallivanting around one of the most dangerous city's in all of Europe - maybe even the world. Maddie and Jo are cultured, smart and unafraid. They are best friends living on the edge, working in countries that are filled with hate and war. Eventually, Maddie and Jo meet Ian; Ian is a British bodyguard who follows important people all over war ridden countries ensuring their safety. Ian has seen the more horrendous forms of evil that humanity has to offer, and it's changed him to the core. We see his pain, his struggles, his violence and his heartbreak. The book goes back and forth quite often, but eventually, we learn more about Maddie, Jo, Ian, and how all of their lives and relationships intertwine.

This book just has me torn. I loved reading about the Balkans where Maddie and Jo were stationed. The gritty, dirty, beautiful, hateful, foreign land that they called home. I loved that the book kept me guessing - there's so much more to learn once you find out more about the murder, and that was completely unexpected. Usually, when a murder is solved, the book is over. Not this one - just when you think the book is about to end, you're thrown through another loop. It was fun and I liked the ride.

One thing that was hard for me was that I didn't really like any of the characters in the book. Similar to Gone Girl, I thought all of the characters had major flaws and I had a hard time liking any of them. It can be tough to love a book if you simply hate all of the people you're reading about. I also thought the time the reader spent in the past was a little overbearing. We did need to see the past in order to understand the present, but I do think some of the parts were unnecessary and somewhat boring.

Overall, it was a fun read and I learned a lot about places and topics that I hadn't read much into before.

I was not a fan of Gone Girl, as this book has been compared to by some, but I am a fan of Beautiful Bad. My attention was held throughout this well written book. I read many other reviews and several readers wrote that the ending, albeit intriguing, was a bit unbelievable. I disagree. I am a realist.......read the newspapers, listen to the news, anything and all things are possible. Maddie is a complex, manipulative character, flawed and damaged, yet a survivor. Ian is a product of his horrible experiences in Iraq, Africa and other like countries where there is strife, dysfunction and where horrors abound in plenty. Jo, to me, an unlikeable and complicated woman. Their lives are intertwined forever and some of the reveals are eye openers and page turners. Some things were not entirely clear to me but I believe that was the intention of the author to have me ponder and come to my own conclusion. I would recommend this book. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Diane (policewoman) enters the back door of a 911 call. Calls/backup and she proceeds anyway - because she thought a child may be in danger. She sees a picture of 2 brunettes in front of a mosque, and then sees a "nightmarish slop of a human spill".

Going back 10 weeks, we see that Maddie has started "writing therapy" with Dr. Camilla Jones. She has a number of sessions with Maddie and has come to the conclusion that Maddie's distorted face and her actions may signal an awful inflicted wound - possibly with brain damage. Maddie says that she fell. Cami knows that Maddie's husband is responsible but does not get her to fully disclose the truth..

Back to 2001 - Maddie taught English in the Balkins - her best friend, Joanna, lived in Macedonia working as a relief aide. After Maddie's "tour of duty" is completed, she still wants to stay awhile. She is given a short reprieve to do some magazine work. Seems as if she visits Joanna (a 5 hour bus trip) often. Maddie and Joanna have been friends since High School. Maddie meets Ian (a British soldier) at a fundraiser on one of her excursions. She falls in love with him (despite his abrasive personality) but he never really shows how he feels. Joanna tells her that he has/had a girlfriend, Fiona. At some point, Ian comes between Maddie and Jo - but not permanently.

Eventually, Maddie returns to New York and works as a tutor. She lives in a small studio apartment in Manhattan and hangs out at a seedy bar for Balkan transplants. Later, Ian calls her and wants her to meet him in Croatia. His brother picks her up and says that Ian is already in Iraq. Oh, boy.

Many false promises, skypes, phone calls (and even letters!) later, Ian and Maddie marry and go on a lot of camping trips. Soon they have a baby, Charlie, who is currently almost 4 years old.


Ian has already convinced the reader that he is deranged. We find out just how much as we journey through the 3 moths prior to the Day of Killing. After (what we think) all is said and done, it looks like Ian was knifed by Madeline as he is choking the life out of Joanna. We see an open and shut case. However.....


Annie waits until the end to give us the shocker we all want! Great read!!! I was interested for the entire thrill of a ride!! Highly recommend!!!


Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for a brilliant suspense-filled read!!!

Though others seem to really have enjoyed this book based on some of the reviews I’ve read, I can’t say it was a great fit for me. I was intrigued and drawn in at the very first scene of a 911 call where clearly something dire has happened. But then the story flashes back in time to two periods in the past and we seem to leave the present far behind. The flashbacks to the oldest scenes were set throughout Eastern Europe and while the setting and political climate was interesting and unique, I did not care for the characters. Their behavior seemed convoluted, crass and unbelievable.
The more recent flashbacks where the main character was seeing a therapist and struggling to deal with her trauma and resultant mental instability were much more interesting to me. I’d rather have delved deeper into those sections and had a more condensed, focused, pertinent view of the past. While the story continued to build in intensity and drama, I found it more difficult to follow and less credible.
All-in-all, the writing felt somewhat stilted and didn’t flow well for me, it was a bit too crude and graphic for my taste, and felt rather far-fetched. I also think that since I didn’t feel for, or connect with any of the characters, I didn’t buy into the plot as deeply. I did enjoy the addition of emails as a form of narrative and the author did do a noteworthy job of building tension, I simply struggled with some other issues. I’m sure others will enjoy the psychological twists and turns of this suspense thriller, it just didn’t quite work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the advance read in exchange for this review.

This book begins with The Day of the Killing as a detective enters Maddie and Ian's home and sees blood. Most of the story is then told through flashbacks as we learn about Maddie and Ian's relationship.

This book is nothing new. You know there is going to be a twist. Someone is going to be the bad guy. Then you'll likely be surprised by something. I predicted the ending and the twist. It's not a bad book, it's just not anything new. The story is pretty good, which kept me reading. I didn't like the main characters. 2 1/2 stars.

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.