Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward is an amazing psychological thriller. I could not put it down!!

Throughout the whole book there are so many unanswered questions that make you want to keep reading. The ending was twisted and unexpected also!

I read this book in two days and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers!

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the chance to read this ARC.

This is a fabulous read and one I just couldn’t put this down it was so compulsive and the way it was written with differing timelines and points of view it made just reading another chapter addictive to say the least. It starts with a call to the police followed with a death/ killing but we don’t know who and so the story gathers pace in setting the scene for exactly what has happened and this is where the intrigue begins as to who and why thus making it a definite psychological thriller of the best kind. The writing was excellent and the characters well described and felt very real and what a twisted ending, a real must read book and highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book had 2 separate ratings for me, one part of me wanted to give it a 3, another part a 5. So here we are with a 4.

From the opening page of the book you are gripped. The book starts with a 911 call which immediately alerts you to a sense of danger. Straight away you begin to think of what could have happened and who could have done it. I really enjoyed the sense of knowing something terrible happened but at the same time trying to figure out what actually happened. That is the great thing with this book, it keeps you guessing. As it switches back between the POV of Maddie and Ian we can see the story start to unravel. You begin to think you know where it's going, but do you?

The middle section of the book continues to alternate between the same POVs to build a background for "The Day of the Killing." At times I found this section a little drawn out and unnecessary which caused me to skim read a page here or there in the middle.

However as we pick up towards the ending again, you're gripped to the edge of your seat. Even the ending itself leaves you sitting there wondering. A great 4 star book that could definitely be a 5 star with some slight editing.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest and fair review.

In a sea of identikit 'psychological thrillers' this one stands out - primarily for its complex, multi-dimensional characters. The strapline ('beautiful home, beautiful family') is rather misleading and inaccurate as for most of the book Maddie is living in the Balkans with neither stable home nor steady boyfriend - I almost passed this one by since I thought it was going to be another one of those 'how well do you know your husband'-type tales, but it isn't, and it would have been a shame to have missed this one.

While it does conform to many of the genre conventions (someone's dead at the start but we don't know who, toxic friendships, troubled marriage, a woman in therapy, fractured timelines, switching PoV), it all comes together here beautifully. The characters are what made it for me: Maddie, Joanna and Ian are more than cardboard cut-outs and I was wrong-footed a couple of times - rare but oh so delicious when it happens!

It's only in the final 10% or so that things take a slightly silly turn... all the same, one of the best 'domestic thrillers' I've read.

This book shocked me! It lets you create a theory in your mind of what’s happening, runs with it for a few chapters and then something happens that completely ruins that theory! I just couldn’t work out what was happening. The only thing I didn’t like is that it would have been good to have a few more chapters in the point of view of the police officer, Diane. I am really hoping that there’s going to be a book two because I would love to know what happens next. There’s so much more that could happen! The characters in this book all have such strong personalities and I really enjoyed reading about them all. Charlie is adorable! I was intrigued right from the start of this book. Before being approved a proof of this book by NetGalley I had seen a lot of people posting about this book saying how good it was or how they couldn’t wait to read it. I always get a bit nervous when there’s a hype about a book because I sometimes feel a bit disappointed by them. However this book did not disappoint! I’m definitely glad that I read this one and would love to read more from Annie Ward in the future.

Loved it! Easy to read manageable storyline. Kept my interest throughout. Will definitely be looking out for this author.

This book is a psychological thriller that outlines a troubling marriage. It switches back and forth between the perspective of husband and wife. I liked the first 3/4 of the book. It was easy to read and engaging. The ending was disappointing for me, which brought down my rating of the book.

Well written and very twisted in it's thought process. Annie Ward has taken a lifestyle that is more common then most think and shown the other side to it all and where this can end up.

Not sure if I’m in the minority with my thoughts on this. I’m noticing average to fantastic.

I put it somewhere in between for several personal reasons.

I struggled at times with the back and forth in time. It took me a while to get it all in my head, especially from the beginnings 911 frantic call the opens the book. It slowed down its pace and although I’m aware the information had to be narrated I sometimes got to a place in my mind where I wandered. That’s not saying it was useless information, not at all. I just wish it was just too many pages of facts at one time.

Thinking about Ian and Maddie and how they became attracted to each other at the beginning was written really well.

The chapter headings were brilliant as the lead up to THE DAY OF THE KILLING chapters came to the forefront.
That gripped me.

This author can really spin a tale when she’s writing the action scenes.

This is a book written in reverse and written well. It worked.

So to sum up.....
I think the books pages could have been shorter and skimmed down and still have impact on a reader.

The narration although needed was just too many pages of information that I tended to wander off in my head.

But.....
The actual psychological story was good, the ending brilliant.

Publishers, please please stop comparing books to others. Let it stand in its own right.

I’ve given this 4 stars as the ending redeemed itself.

This is my review and you may have different thoughts, nonetheless I think it’s a book well worth reading. Just don’t expect fast pace all the way through.

Firstly this book is brought to the reader in 3 time lines- Past, Present and the Now. It is a psychological thriller. It is slow to get going but I think that it adds to the atmosphere created by Annie Ward.
It is based on a couple and Maddie has an accident that leaves her with a servre brain injury. She has no memory of what happened to her.
Yes you do feel like you are time traveling but it is needed for the flow of the story.
It has a strong plot and characters
Thank you to both NetGalley and Quercus Books for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward is a psychological thriller that was slow to start but soon had me hooked.
Maddie a journalist and Ian a soldier fall in love and eventually get married. They have problems from the start. Maddie has an accident while they are on a camping holiday and is left with a brain injury and no memory of the incident.
I enjoyed this book except for the timeline going back and forward but eventually I saw the reason for this and it made sense.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Quercus Books my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic to read!

The story is gripping and full of tense moments. Twists and turns await every page! I really enjoyed reading this a lot and can highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book via netgalley. This book tells the story of a troubled woman in three parts 1) current day, which is a crime scene at what we later discover is the woman’s home 2) the past when the woman met her husband 3) more recent events prior to current day where the woman questions her relationship.
This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I struggled through the first half and even after when the action finally sped up, it still didn’t draw me in. I can’t really put my finger on why as the author writes well. I did not care for the jumping between the three timelines but I am sure it would appeal to some readers. I think it may just be that I didn’t like the protagonist and couldn’t identify with her at all. This is probably just a personal quirk. I’m grateful for the opportunity to read the book but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

This book unfortunately was disappointing in parts, it is a shame it was the main theme where this was most apparent.

It is clear that the author has done a lot of research, not only into the different places the main characters visit or live but also the traumatic effects of being in volatile locations continually.

It is well written but there was nothing new in the storyline of the 'day of the killing' which given the detail in the flashback scenes was a real shame.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this novel thanks to Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review and wish I could recommend it more highly.

A great read, edge of the seat psychological thriller, what an ending! Read in one setting. Highly recommended.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Wow what a great read and a great beginning with the 911 call. I would highly recommend this book to all other thriller readers.

Some spoilers hinted at ....Enjoyable novel ,good read .Like others I enjoyed the exploration of other city’s ,I cd picture the travelling bk and forth to see one another and was invested in their friendship ,the two women’s .
Ian is complex and as u wd expect in some ways of man who’s been at war ,short fused frustrated and obsessed with the threat of danger.
I am not going to say much more but I did think ooh is there more to this and then felt deflated in the middle an nearing the end as seemed to be a straightforward domestic piece but was pleased there was indeed more to it ,most may guess the ending and the title I sense gives it away ,so I dont really need to say spoiler alert .
Though I was pleased somehow it felt flat and I wd have liked a bit more ahhhh moments as in the chronology of when our character decided wat they do and wat triggered that ,though I suspect it was freedom and resentment of not having wat was promised though I wd have if I was her seen the signs and thought nope I go to therapy first mate ,but when we are in love we’ll hey we can be blind me included
I would look at this writer again and she did take us on a journey that not only was for the characters but also a geographical sense too .
Thanks a lot netgalley and publishers ! 😀

Absolutely loved this book could not put this down one of the best books I’ve read this year absolutely loved it. What an ending! Would highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.
This was a fascinating read. The story unfolds through three timelines: the Day of the Killing when the police investigation begins, the individual ten weeks prior to that day as Maddie tries to overcome anxiety attacks through writing therapy, and 2001 when Maddie, who is working in Bulgaria, makes several visits to her best friend Jo who is an aid worker in Macedonia.
Through Jo, Maddie meets Ian, a soldier at the time but working as a body guard. The writing really captivates the atmosphere of the Balkans at that time, the inherent risks to travellers, the refugee crises and warring factions as well as the beauty of the towns and countryside. Add-in Ian's PTSD and his bi-polar ex-girlfriend/stalker and Jo's secrets she keeps from Maddie, you have a clever, complex plot developing when, nine years later Ian and Maddie meet again in the U.S. A couple of years later, Ian is working abroad and best-friend Jo is visiting...........so who got killed??? Read the book, it's worth it, because it doesn't finish there!

I thought I had this one sussed out in terms of what would happen!! In reality I was so far from that, it was unbelievable!!

Great read that keeps you guessing. Covers complex friendships, relationships and how ptsd effects relationships and behaviour. Will be looking for more books by Annie Ward. Very impressed. Thank you.