This is a great thriller. It opens with a 911 call that pulls you in right away. It's told through multiple viewpoints and timelines which can be a little distracting at first. However, I really enjoyed reading about best friends Maddie and Jo when they were living in Eastern Europe. I also enjoyed the story of Maddie and Ian meeting and falling in there. The complicated relationships, thrilling mystery, and interesting characters make this a really fun and exciting story. There's a couple of twists that are jaw dropping. I highly recommend this one.

Beautiful Bad
by Annie Ward
Published: March 5, 2019 by Harlequin - Trade Publishing
Dates Read: April 7 – 10, 2019
Genre/Category: Psychological Thriller/Suspense / Psychological Fiction
Read For: NetGalley Free Copy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 stars

Stop the presses! Psychological thrillers have a new contender!
Every author always strives to write the next best psychological thriller. We’ve been inundated with so many that the plots have become expected and outcomes predictable. As readers we almost certainly experience burnout, but we are dedicated and we keep on reading. Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward is absolutely not your typical psychological thriller, there is a different type of genius about this book that gives it a stunning brilliance.
This novel is about Maddie, a travel writer and her husband Ian, a former British soldier, now living in suburban Kansas with their son Charlie. Maddie has started attending writing therapy after a camping accident where she reveals her concerns about Ian’s PTSD, her concerns about the safety of their young son Charlie, and the couples stormy past with Maddie’s best friend Jo. The chapters alternate between past and present revolving mostly around “The Day of the Killing” when a frenzied 911 call brings the police to the site of a horrible crime at their home.
This novel was so different than what I expected, it was so brilliantly written with such a unique backstory. You usually go into these books expecting your typical relationship issues, something along the lines of a chic-lit novel except with murder and suspense. I was about a quarter of the way in and the story line was so intriguing, I really had no idea what was going to happen or where things were going but I was 100% absorbed and I wasn’t stopping.
As you continue through the book you get just enough from each timeline to keep you immersed. The writing regarding Maddie’s anxiety is depicted so well and the psychologist sessions (talking about what Maddie is anxious is about, the psychologists reactions) I found to be quite believable. There is a lot of information about Maddie, Jo and Ian’s travels and Ian’s military experience. There was an abundance of information here that had to take a lot of research on behalf of the author. I know nothing about these topics to say whether or not they were accurate, but the information was plausible and made the story line all the more captivating.
All of a sudden BAM. This novel turns into an old Batman & Robin action scene. You get hit so hard…. WHAM, SPLAT, POW, one after the other with all the Ian/Jo baggage that you actually need to pause for a second. So here we are, with 10% of the book left, and I think I have it all figured out. I got this, I really got this. (At this point I am also thrilled because I finally got the “Bunny Boiler” file connection). Then in swoops Batman with one final hit….ZONK….. and you end up with one of the most delicious endings I have ever read in a long time. And no, I did not have this at all, not one bit. This is one of those times where I am happy to admit defeat.
I am usually extremely stingy with 5 stars, but this book is truly deserving. It had all the characteristics that are important: well written, character development, excellent story line, and definitely left me with a lot of feelings and emotions after I finished. But it’s the uniqueness of the backstory and the infuriatingly magnificent ending that is what carried it over the finish line for me. I highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for the free copy of this book for a honest and non biased review.

This story kept my interest from beginning to the end and it is well written although I will suggest that you don't read the blurb for this book beforehand and instead go in blindly.

I was expecting a witty, fun, hip piece of Domestic Noir somewhat like Gone Girl or Lie to Me but this story has a grim, heavy setting/location (in a war torn area) for most of the novel.

There are plenty of twists and it was entertaining enough but I just cannot get past that blurb which promised so much to me yet failed to deliver.

This was the equivalent of expecting to watch The Walking Dead and finding yourself instead viewing This Is Us(or vice versa)...both are good but if you want to watch one...the other is not an acceptable substitute.

I simply couldn't get into this book AT ALL. I'm so tired of people touting all-new thrillers as the “new Gone Girl” to suck readers in, and then the writing is sub-par with twists that make no sense. Look, there was only ONE Gone Girl. Stop trying to write new Gone Girls and do something more original since all the books that came after Gone Girl wasn't in the same writing category at all.

There are three main characters, and the story of Beautiful Bad is told in alternating chapters using all three voices. The premise; starting on page one with a call to the police, and blood everywhere, should have set up the story well. The story jumps back and forth in time and setting. Each chapter is labeled with the timeframe, however I still found the storyline hard to follow. I was expecting a domestic thriller, and this story was more one of psychological suspense. If PTSD and personal issues related to war and trauma interest you, Beautiful Bad has that focus. The characters are interesting, I found them difficult to relate to, I think because of the narrative style. I just didnt feel that I ever got a full picture of any one character. I think Annie Ward's writing style just didnt fit me.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward

Brief Summary: This is a psychological thriller about a mysterious accident, estranged friendship, and a marriage on the brink.

Highlights: The book opens with a murder but you don’t know who is dead and what happened. The premise is unique and having the narrator in writing therapy is an interesting twist, though I had not heard of it described that way before. Ward really nails PTSD and not just how the symptoms manifested in Ian, but how it significantly impacted his sense of safety! She really brought this disorder to life; his fear of crowds, anger, drinking, and his plan to never leave the hotel room was all very real. We also get to hear Maddie’s fears about the implications for both her and their son Charlie.

What makes this book unique?: it’s definitely a sinister domestic drama

Explanation of Rating: 3/5: Unfortunately, there were too many POV, too confusing, too much meandering and unimportant info. It was hard to hold my attention.

Psychology Factors: Very realistic depiction of PTSD. I would have loved having Ian in treatment.

Thank you to Net Galley and Park Row Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy....

It was okay book but, almost end of the book keeps me edge of my seat oh my! It was enjoyable read so far..

For the most part I enjoyed this book. About half way in I got a little bored and then put it down. Once I picked it back up I finished it pretty quickly. Even though I understand the back story of Jo, Ian & Maddie we’re necessary some of the flashbacks were a bit long

I thought the Jo/Ian “real” story would have been a bit more than it actually was - I felt like the author built up to it a lot and it was kind of a let down. I also thought the main twist would have been a little bit better if Fiona was somehow involved.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and give it 3.5 out of 5! I would definitely read another book by Annie Ward!

Wow wow wow!! One of my favorite thrillers this year!! Annie's writing is so amazing - I can't find a word that truly defines it. I don't want to say too much -- but the ending was one of the best endings I have ever read!! She deserves 10 stars!!

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I ended up really enjoying it. The ending was a bit crazier than I expected (or, honestly enjoyed), but overall a good book. On the plus side, the ending did allow me to feel extreme sympathy for a character that I really wanted to like the whole way through the book, but he made it difficult to do so.

I struggled with this book big time. It starts out with a frantic 911 call with a person possibly hurt or dead and that was the highlight. A book about Maggie, a journalist and Ian who is a soldier and their relationship and their struggles. It was a great read but it just seemed like their was just to much unnecessary fillers in this book. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

I hate leaving negative reviews, and can almost always find at least one positive thing about the book to lessen the blow, but I hated this book. Had it not been a NetGalley commitment, I would have abandoned it, which I never do. I had to force myself to finish it. There was so much that could have been cut out and wouldn’t have made any diffyto the story. It also felt like it was just all over the place, and there didn’t really seem to be a real connection of any sort between any of the characters, which also made it impossible to connect to them as a reader. The relationship between Maddie and Ian seemed far-fetched- they had not really been “dating”, or fallen in love, yet he travelled across the world to come back to her almost a decade later?? Also, the title itself basically set the ending up to be fairly predictable, as you are aware that Maddie is an unreliable narrator, just based on “Beautiful Bad.” This is my preferred genre, but this book was a definite miss for me.

I’m very torn about this book. It is nothing like the unreliable female character thrillers that are so prevalent today. (Which is a good thing) While there’s a lot of domestic issues and lots trying to figure out who can be trusted, it stands apart from others. It goes back and forth from overseas durning 2001 and present day back in America. It felt very political without being political if that makes any sense, and I think that’s what started to lose me. I was able to predict the ending, but was still engrossed by it. All in all, it was a good read, just not my most favorite.

Beautiful Bad has an interesting premise, and it starts with a 911 call that certainly grabs the attention of the reader. Unfortunately, the story quickly spiraled downward from there, at least for me. Part of that lays in the many tools used here that have been done and done again. We have the unreliable narrator, and we're spoon fed the back stories of the characters as the timeline jumps from distant past to more recent past and back again with tidbits of the day the 911 call is placed. The story is quite wordy, much more so than necessary. For me, there were whole chunks of story in the middle that could easily have been left out without hurting the book as a whole. Those chunks made for a lot of lagtime that I could've done without. I also had some problems with the relationships between the characters in that I just didn't buy them. Nothing of real substance happens between Maddie and Ian in the beginning to warrant traveling halfway round the world after years have passed, and the friendship between Maddie and Jo seems pretty shallow for most of the book. I didn't see anything between these women to believe the amount of trust they have later in the story. There are some interesting twists in the end, but most are too predictable, and the one really good one at the very end just wasn't enough to save this for me. I once heard that no two people read the same book, and I realize that I'm in the minority on this book, so take it for what it's worth. For me, the story just didn't live up to its potential.

I would like to thank the publisher, Harlequin, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book starts out with a 911 call and this inmediately gets the reader hooked. The book is not fast paced as such as we are led through different timelines of events. All in all a great story but towards the end, I felt that the story line became too unrealistic and overly explained. It is ok to leave the reader guessing a bit.

Kept me reading but the ending’s first twist was not very original. The second reveal was a bit more shocking though. The ending also felt a bit abrupt after such in depth and detailed writing to that point. The ending was also somewhat predictable. A fairly interesting read but ending fell a little flat.

This book is ideal for lovers of suspense, drama, and twisted love triangles- it has it all, plus an underlying love story between some seriously damaged people. Written in a multi-perspective style that counts down to “The Day of the Killing”, readers end up jagging back and forth in time and in and out of locales foreign and domestic, including the Balkans, New York, England, and Kansas. And if the time travel and relocations don’t keep you on your toes, the messy love triangle and intense personal dramas will.
This is a good book. Almost none of its main characters are damage-free, so they’re entirely unreliable. There is no one to trust with this story, least of all the ones telling it! However, the story is only made better by all of its uncertainty.

Domestic but gripping psychological thriller. I’m going to give a brief summary of the book so as not to rob the readers of the desire to know the plot by itself. An intelligent american woman living overseas as a writer, hanging out with her best friend drinking doing drugs and traveling, falls in love with a hard working man, soldier and bodyguard later who because of his job and circumstances developed ptsd. A bad marriage that end up badly.
Well written well describe and a good choice of plot and characters. Theirs scenarios and well exposed and described places connects you with the plot very easy. I like that the characters are different from the usual, smart , independent and interesting women and troubled men because of the effects of the wars. Twists and turns are present from the beginning and the plot keeps you guessing until the end. I couldn’t predict the outcome until the last chapters. An intense roller coaster between the characters,their lives and complicated decisions and different desires. In summary in general I enjoyed it. For some reason I like but didn’t love it. It took me longer to read than usual and it is not a fast paced thriller like I prefer. About the author I can say that she is very creative, very ingenious and that she made a good effort to create this story. A good and on the point title, a good plot I see it as a good candidate for a Lifetime movie. I would definitely read another book by the author without problems.
My opinions are honest and entirely my own.

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward opens with a chilling 911 call from a private residence. There is blood. A lot of blood. This is a dark and compelling domestic drama, and I was immediately intrigued. It is the story of a relationship gone bad and from the ominous and tantalizing start, the plot becomes wholly gripping and addictive.

Maddie meets Ian in the Balkans, where Maddie is writing a travel book and Ian is on assignment on behalf of the British military. Through alternating timelines, the relationship between the two unfolds, eventually culminating in marriage, and the birth of a son, Charlie. But Ian is a complex and troubled individual, and Maddie begins to question whether she has chosen the best possible father for her son.

The novel is, ultimately, the dissecton of a relationship that moves from loving to turbulent, and lands on every part of the spectrum in between. The ending is shocking and will surprise even the most jaded of suspense lovers. This is the first novel that I have read by the author, but it will certainly not be the last.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for this ARC.

Maddie and Ian’s love story began with a chance encounter at a party overseas. Maddie was a travel writer visiting her best friend, Jo. Ian, a former member of the military, worked as a private security consultant, traveling around the world to provide his services. His work was dangerous and secretive, but after he started his own company with his brother, extremely lucrative.

Maddie and Ian's paths cross at various times as the years pass. Eventually, he comes to New York to visit her. His erratic behavior should have provided Maddie insight into his psyche. Did she choose to ignore the warning signs?

Now it is almost two decades later. Maddie and Ian have married and relocated to Maddie's Kansas hometown, along with their beautiful son, Charlie. By all appearances, they are enjoying a perfect suburban life until Maddie sustains a disfiguring injury during a camping trip. Was it an accident? Or did something sinister occur?

Unable to focus or concentrate, Maddie's parents help her care for Charlie, and she begins undergoign writing therapy. Through the writing assignments her therapist assigns her, she reveals her fears about Ian, concern for Charlie's safety, and their tumultuous past with Jo, from whom she has been estranged for years. However, she misses Jo and wants to reconcile with her.

As the story opens, there has been a killing. The police respond to a residence and discover blood, a knife, and a small, frightened child hiding upstairs. The narrative alternates time periods -- from the present-day as the police explore the residence to determine what has transpired to Maddie's revelation of the details of her relationship with Ian, as well as the dissolution of her friendship with Jo.

Author Annie Ward has devised a complex mystery, told from various viewpoints and time frames, that gradually reveals the volatile nature of Maddie and Ian's relationship, but does not prepare readers for the shocking conclusion to the story. The crime that the the police are called to investigate is shocking, but even as the identity of the victim is revealed, Ward has much more in store for her readers.

The story is fast-paced, intriguing, and full of surprising twists and turns. Ward cleverly compels the story forward with expertly-timed clues as to whether Maddie is a reliable narrator, as well as whether Ian is truly the man he appears to be based upon Maddie's explanation of their history. But the conclusion will leave readers stunned. Ward succeeds at delivering on the book's premise: "There are two sides to every story. . . . And every person."