This was my first Alice Feeney and I think I will give more of her books a try. This book was a miss from me. Too many plot holes and weird misses.

Devilishly Heavenly. Smartly Deranged. Euphoric Heartbreak. Sanely Unhinged. Graceful Revenge.

"Beautiful Ugly" is a tasty, twisty, tangled web of lies and deceit that will grab you from the jump.

A year after his wife goes missing, husband and Author Grady Green remains devastated leading him to a remote Scottish Island intended to create a spark for his next novel. Grady senses strange vibes before setting foot on the island as the ferry driver (and local sheriff) but persists with the journey anyway.

The isolated island with its dark and tragic history, sends Grady down a booze-filled spiral with visions of his wife everywhere, leaving him desperate to find her. He's there to write his next novel yet all he can think about (and see) is his missing wife. Through any means necessary, Grady has to finish writing his book while trying to grasp what's real and what is he imagining.

Fans of Alice Feeney and thriller lovers will devour Feeney's latest creation. A robust and rocky mystery that will leave you teetering on your seat...and your sanity.

No spoilers but the ending will leave you guffawing with satisfaction. I audibly evil giggled to myself as I finished it. A gratifying tale of revenge.

What do they say again? Happy wife happy life...

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, & Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. It was a pleasure.

Beautiful Ugly is a deeply rich, atmospheric, slow burn thriller that is completely mad. Feeney is the queen of thriller twists and I absolutely love her. Unfortunately, this one wasn't my favorite. I loved the whole setting, the constant feeling of doom, suspense, eeriness and just constant chills. It had a great build up, but the ending felt a little rushed and confusing in my opinion. With all too many reasonings and motivations that just left me feeling unsatisfied with unanswered questions. The twists were very unrealistic also, so you need to suspend disbelief for sure.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book, just a little slow for me and overly confusing where I didn't feel it needed to be. I love Alice and will continue reading her books, but this one just didn't feel like a true Alice thriller for me.

🎧 The narration by Richard Armitrage was really good and he truly is the one that kept me mostly hooked to the book. He kept me interested and he did the accents perfectly.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillanaudio & Alice Feeney for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Another twisty thriller from Alice Feeney.

The story follows Grady Green, an author, whose wife disappears the same night he achieves his greatest ambition. A year later Grady has lost everything - he cannot write, his wife is gone, his career has stalled and he's homeless. His agent, Kitty, comes to his rescue in the form of a cabin on a tiny island off the Scottish coast.

With the hope that with stability and peace will spur him on to write Grady jumps at the offer. But of course the island is not what it seems and neither are the inhabitants. And why does he keep seeing a woman who looks like his wife?

There were a few parts of this book that were a little too fantastical for me but they are few and far between and, on the whole, I enjoyed this twisty read. The characters are interesting and the atmosphere of the book feels oppressive throughout.

100% Recommended!

I was excited to read this one as it is highly spoken about, however, the execution fell short. The characters were not likable, the storyline was odd, and the twists were very unrealistic. The story was written in dual timelines and dual POV. The MC was unreliable, and the story of the island was weird. I was confused in part of the second half of the book. Some of the twists were very out there. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the dual narrators, and they were the only reason why I didn’t DNF the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the Audio ARC! This was a highly anticipated book for me and it honestly was just alright. I had higher hopes. Alice Feeney is already a very hit or miss author for me and this one was just average in my opinion. 3.5 stars! I'll round up to 4 on NG!

Alice does it again with her plot twists, the red jacket mention and guessing how this thriller will play out in the end. Loved the mystery almost ghost like setting of the plot. Character build up was fantastic as well. You got to know so many different personalities. Truly enjoyed this thriller.

This was my first Alice Feeney book and it did not disappoint! The whole atmosphere was so unsettling and eerie and I didn’t really have a clue where it was going the entire time. Even closer to the end when I THOUGHT I had an idea what direction the twist was heading, Miss Feeney really took it a couple steps further.

I LOVED this!!! It's so dark and twisty and extremely creepy.

Grady hasn't been able to write since his wife disappeared. When his agent suggests he travel to a tiny Scottish isle to write in a cabin, he's excited to find a finished, unpublished manuscript by a famous author that he decides to publish as his own. For the first time in a long time, life seems good... until a series of unsettling events unfold, Grady believes he is starting to see his wife. And the longer he stays, the less likely escape seems possible.

The audiobook was absolutely incredible! There are little sound effects throughout that make you really feel like you're in the story. It adds a factor of creepiness. Richard Armitage does a fantastic job narrating as Grady and adding in some Scottish accents.

I really enjoyed the twists and truly didn't see where this was going. You feel like you're being gaslit right alongside Grady, and it's a rollercoaster of emotions as the narrative weaves back and forth through time. The ending was eerily beautiful in a way, and I was hooked.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to this ARC!!

At first, I didn't think the voice actor fit, but I grew to like him as it progressed. He definitely fits the part by the end. I did not like the added music. Hmm, now about the rest...
I'm torn. On the one hand, I did finish it, and it kept my interest, but on the other, it was totally not what I was expecting and was a bit of a letdown. It was just okay. A mystery yes, but not a great one.

Beautiful ugly is a story told by an unreliable narrator who’s wife disappeared while he was on the phone with her telling her exciting news about his career. The story fast forwards a year where he is struggling to write and make ends meet. His publisher offers him a cottage in a remote tiny Scottish island to help him write again. While on the island, he has strange encounters and even seems a woman who strikes a very similar resemblance to his lost wife. Is this psychosis from his insomnia and alcohol use? Or do the people on this island know something he doesn’t?

The book starts off very slow and I’d say part of the buildup did not add much to the twist in the end as I’d hoped.
Overall, I didn’t love the book but didn’t hate it either. The story has potential, and Fleeny has a clear talent for building suspense, and having you question why and how, but it didn’t quite blow me away.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney, my first book by this author, and I can already tell it won’t be the last. The story is packed with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Feeney would drop another surprise, leaving me second-guessing my assumptions. At times, the complexity of the plot had me going back and rereading passages to make sure I fully understood what was happening—definitely a sign of a well-crafted thriller!

The characters are fascinating, flawed, and engaging, making it easy to get invested in their journeys. Feeney’s writing style is sharp and compelling, and I appreciated how she wove suspense and emotion together to create a gripping read.

Though a few moments left me a little confused, I think that's part of the fun with her books—they challenge you to pay close attention and keep you guessing until the very end. I’m already looking forward to diving into more of Alice Feeney’s work in the future. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers full of unexpected twists, this book is definitely worth a read!

I listened to the audiobook and while the narration was well done, this story was just too implausible with flat characters that I didn’t care about. Alice Feeney is known for twists but for me it needs to feel organic and like an aha moment and this was just ridiculous. A miss for me.

Grady is an author, excited to share his great news with his wife but she unfortunately never makes it home that night. Grady is unable to write, sleep, or really function after his wife goes missing.

After a year of struggling, Grady’s agent offers him the opportunity to stay in her cottage on the island of Amberley so that he can focus on his writing and healing. However, during his stay in Amberley, things just get weirder and more confusing for him as time goes on and he can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right on the island.

The plot was unique, the twists were unexpected, and the overall depth and feeling in the story were very well written. It was eerie, suspenseful, a bit eerie, fast-paced, and mysterious. I did get a tiny bit confused at one point but it all came together for me shortly thereafter so it’s fine.

The audio book was very well done. The narrators were awesome and the extra sound effects were a nice touch.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and will definitely be recommending it to others!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

It's been a year since writer Grady Green became a New York Times best selling author, and his wife went missing on the same day. He hasn't been doing well. He can't sleep, can't write and is out of money. Grady's agent suggests writing retreat on an island off of Scotland in a writing cabin that was used by one of her clients, and is now deceased. Grady arrives on the island, and strange things commence.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listener copy. The audiobook has amazing narrators Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. It also contains special effects that enhances the eeriness of the island. If you enjoy edge of your seat thrillers and crazy twists, this book is for you. I highly recommend it.

The audio was well done, loved the narrator. The book overall was okay. I felt there were parts that were just kind of there as filler. It was suspenseful and an interesting story to listen to. The twist was not expected, so that was fun

What!!! This was a wild ride. I could not stop listening this was that good. So many twists and turns it kept me on the edge of my seat. Thank you sooo much net galley!!

This book did not disappoint, and of course included tons of unexpected twists and turns that Feeney is known for. Because I'd read her books previously, I knew already not to trust anything I thought I knew, but even knowing that...I was still surprised repeatedly.

I listened to this one, and the narrators were SO good. I loved their accents and pacing (though to be fair, I always listen to books at 1.5x so they may have wished for me to slow down and savor more). Richard Armitage and Tuppance Middleton bring the book to life, in all its mystery and creepiness and confusion. The book itself is fascinating, but the narration (along with the creepy music) made it more epic, in my opinion. Definitely my favorite of the Alice Feeney books I've read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book! I was so looking forward to it and was thrilled to listen early. I always get such a thrill from reading advanced copies!

Entertaining and mindless but the vast majority of the story was plotless and pretty circular. The only novel parts were the beginning and the end. I was equally eager to see what was going to happen and ready for it to get wrapped up. You obviously knew there was going to be some twist at the end and it wasn’t what I was expecting so I did like that. Overall, good not great, entertaining not totally engrossing, and a little little spooky not scary/thriller. Thanks netgalley for audio ARC

Wow!!! Alice Feeney did it again! The twists and turns did not stop until the book was over!!! I had been looking forward to this one for a while and it most definitely did not disappoint!!! A wife who disappeared, an author husband, a strange and mysterious Scottish island..... I did not want to put this one down!