I absolutely LOVE Alice Feeney and went into this super excited for her next twisty novel. And boy, was this twisty. I was left thinking, "what in the world did I just read??"

I suspected one of the twists earlier on, I just couldn't figure out how it made sense because it felt like grasping for straws (which it was).

This one wasn't my favorite of her books, but it was still an entertaining and twisty read. I'll read absolutely anything Alice Feeney writes and can't wait for her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh how I love author Alice Feeney’s twisty plots and effed up characters. Each chapter unravels more and more but by but and I love the pacing! Just when you think you’ve figured it out, she hits you with another layer of suspense.

I listened while reading and absolutely loved this immersive style of reading.

*many thanks to Flatiron, Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

While this wasn’t my favorite book of hers because of the ending, I did enjoy the story. Thank you for the gifted copy.

Omg Alice Feeney shines again in an unputdownable thriller that had me on the very edge of my seat the entire time! I was FLOORED!

Alice is one of the writers that I very much look forward to for her yearly release, however Beautiful Ugly fell as little short for me.
It started off SO STRONG and I could not put it down, however somewhere around half way I started to become disinterested in where the story was going. While I did not see the ending coming at all, I wasn't a fan of the twist.

Liked the narrator. I couldn't quite figure this out one, but def knew there were some weird elements to it. The wrap up provided clarity and I was okay with the plot overall. Listening to it while busy probably meant I missed key clues, but enjoyed it nevertheless

" I hope you die in your sleep"

This book and especially the audiobook version are phenomenal! I loved the male narrator when he narrated His and Hers and Loved him a million times more in this title.

There wasn't a single thing I didn't like about Beautiful Ugly. The setting was fantastic. I knew something was up and I had a lot of suspicions but I just couldn't quite put my finger on it. The build up to the big twist had me on edge and completely blew my mind!

This one is a must read and if you like audiobooks I definitely recommend that too!

I really like Alice Feeney’s books. But this was so ridiculous and disappointing! I hope this was just a one off for me. I went back and looked at other books I’ve read by this author and all have been 4 stars. This was only 2!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you like a book that keeps you addicted from start to finish and continuously guessing what might happen next, then this book is the perfect read for you. Plus, if you are an Alice Feeney and mystery fan I highly recommend this book.

I don’t know what it says about me that a creepy story like this is exactly what I’m looking for but Feeny hit all the notes to capture my attention hook, line and sinker. I binged this one hard.

It’s a tale of marriage and revenge, grief and trauma, and a search for answers that leads anywhere but where anyone could have expected.

Was it a little over the top? Yes.
Was the ending awfully creepy? Yes.
But was it haunting, twisting, atmospheric and fast paced enough to keep me on my toes? Also yes.

While Feeny is pretty hit or miss for me, this was definitely thriller gold.

As a bonus, the audio did everything it needed to support the atmospheric tension the story created. I felt like the narrator was almost a bit breathy...not in a creepy way but in a adreline is pumping because this story is taking on a life of it's own way and I loved it.

An eerie mystery that burns slowly but burn it does. Delving deep into broken people, broken marriages, and broken systems. An island community covered in secrets and an unrelenting mist and a writer that's grief is swallowing him alive while he is drowning his sorrows without coming up for air. The narrators performance is impeccable and the use of different characters pov adds to this seriously creepy mystery.

There are books that hold you under, leave you gasping, that you cry alongside the characters when they speak of their grievances....this is one of those books.

I have read several Alice Feeney books before but I did not like this one at all. I felt like the plot was just too far fetched and unbelievable and none of the characters were particularly likeable. The best part by far (and the reason for 1 of the 2 stars) was the narrator who did an amazing job and was the only thing I really liked about this book.

I thought I was really going to love this book, right up until I didn't. The atmosphere of the small island only accessible by ferry was **perfect**. The main character doubting his own sanity.. LOVED it. The mysterious notes and articles appearing.. excellent. I even loved the creepy background about the reason why no children were left on the island. Even the stolen book trope was good, if not overdone.

I just hated the way this ended. The fact that there was a perfectly reasonable, logical explanation for everything just didn't work for me.

As for the audio - The narrators were good. Good atmosphere building. However, I HATE sound effects on audiobooks. They aren't necessary and mostly distracting.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an early copy of the BEAUTIFUL UGLY audiobook written by Alice Feeney, narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppance Middleton.

--Performance Review--

I honestly have no notes for the performance. It was excellent and utterly engaging. When I saw Richard Armitage's name attached to this audiobook, it was INSTINCTUAL for me to request the ALC.

--Story Review--

My first experience with Alice Feeney's mysterious storytelling was with Daisy Darker. After reading that book, I was curious to check out others of Feeney's works. Similar to my experience with Daisy Darker, I was pulled into the story from the start. However, the latter half of the book started to lose me and I finished the story with mixed feelings about the resolution. I would still be interested in checking out more of Feeney's past and future novels because Feeney writes in such a way that pulls you in and keeps you turning the page.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

We read this book for our Literature and Lattes Book Club and it was a super enjoyable read. I didn’t see the twists coming (but I guess I never really do). I enjoyed reading from Grady’s POV but didn’t trust him from the start. It felt like I knew that everything would be connected but it was hazy and then throughout the story there were more connected webs between each of the characters. Once the radios/walkie talkies were discovered, then I was like “Okay… this is it… everyone is in on it.” One of the discussion points on this one was whether there was a freedom for the women since they lived on that island… where they actually trapped there due to their various situations or was there a freedom of being able to live there and not have their situations create the extra stress for them/limitations etc. Great pacing, entertaining and loved reading this one. I will recommend it and pick up more by this author in the future.

I love Alice Feeney's books! This was a great domestic thriller with a fun setting. I love the idea of a remote island and there were so many twists! The audio was great too, it really kept me on my toes!

This hurts my heart to say, because first and foremost I LOVE Alice Feeney. But I did not love this book. Dare I say.... I hated it? It was so slow, and very trippy in a way that was not super clever (to me). Honestly I hated the main character, but hated the way the book ended even more. There was very little redeeming about this book, and I honestly should've DNF'd, but I didn't just in case Alice wowed me with the end like she usually does. While it was definitely an unexpected ending.... it was not unexpected in a good way?

Don't get me wrong, I'm still a huge fan of this author and will continue reading any/all books she comes out with. This one was just not for me.

Title: Beautiful Ugly
Author: Alice Feeney
Narrated by: Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton
Publisher: MacMillian Audio
Length: Approximately 9 hours and 19 minutes
Source: Review Copy from NetGalley and checked out through Libby with the Kewaunee Public Library

Do you prefer reading books with single POV or multiple POV?

Grady Green has just found out that his latest book has made the best sellers list, but his joy is tempered as his wife Abby has not returned home to hear the news. He receives a mysterious phone call from her and then she disappears. A year later, Grady’s life has gone off the rails, but he has one last opportunity to get back on the right path. His publicist has been left a writer’s retreat on a remote Scottish island that another of her famous writers used to use to write his books. Grady can use it to crank out a book. Once on the island, he notices that things are odd. Is he seeing his missing wife? Why does everyone wear the same mysterious ring? Can he leave the island?

My thoughts on this book:
• This book had a great first chapter that pulls you in with Abby going missing.

• I loved Richard Armitage as the main narrator of the audiobook. There were also sound effects throughout the novel, especially with phone calls.

• The story was primarily told through Grady’s point of view, but there are some chapters set in the past told through Abby’s point of view.

• I loved the Scottish island setting of Amberly. Being cut off from the rest of the world gives the story an eerie feel.

• This novel had interesting characters. I felt like I was losing my mind with Grady on the Island. I must admit that my favorite character though was Grady’s dog.

• I enjoyed this thriller until the end. There was just one too many twists and it fell into the very unbelievable category for me. I was disappointed as I had really enjoyed the book until that point.

Favorite quote: “Sometimes I think we are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives.”

Overall, Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney had all the makings of a great thriller, but unfortunately the ending made this an overall disappointing read.

Loved this book so much! Loved hearing where the title “Beautiful Ugly” came from. This kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the whole time! What a page turner!

Beautiful Ugly is a cleverly crafted thriller that will have you debating the truth of reality from the beginning. Told in dual POV, this story is intricately woven to keep the twists coming.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It had so many possible outcomes built from many layers, and the shifting of reality. I would highly recommend this read to any thriller reader. It’ll leave you thinking about it long after the first page.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story which was incredibly well done by two narrators. There were sound effects that were fantastic as well. I listened at 1.5x speed (my normal audiobook speed is 1.75x).

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced listeners copy.