Grady Green, an author, anxiously awaits news about the sales of his latest book. He had hoped his wife, Abby, would be with him when the call came, but she was still on her way home. During a phone call with her, he hears the screech of brakes as Abby exclaims that there’s a woman in the road. Despite his desperate pleas for her to stay in the car, Abby gets out to check on the woman. Suddenly, the call cuts off.

When Grady drives to her location, he finds Abby’s car perched dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. The driver’s door is open—but Abby is gone.

A year later, Abby is still missing, and Grady is consumed by grief and insomnia. Struggling to move forward, his editor, Kitty, offers him a lifeline: a chance to escape to a remote Scottish island to work on his next book. Grady needs the money and the change of scenery to start rebuilding his life.

The island, isolated and sparsely populated, has strict rules—no visitors during the off-season and no cars for non-residents. It seems like the perfect place to write. But when Grady sees a woman who looks exactly like Abby, he begins to question his sanity. Is it a cruel trick of the mind, or something much more mysterious?

Alice Feeney never fails to write a fantastic thriller and this book was no exception. It is fast-paced, smart, and unexpected. Grady is an alcoholic which makes him an unreliable narrator; however, his character is more than just an alcoholic. I often dislike unreliable narrators but I loved this book.

Overall, Beautiful Ugly was a fun and gripping thriller. I do agree with other reviews I've seen, that this wasn't my favorite of Alice Feeney's many novels. There are quite a few twists and turns in this book, but the most compelling ones were easy to guess, and the most shocking were completely unearned. There were a lot of plot holes here that made this book feel more like a TikTok popcorn thriller than a well-p[otted novel.

The message of the book is so real - who needs men?

The audiobook experience for this book is so well done - the sounds of the sea, the static crackle of the walkie-talkies and even better … the narrators.

This made for an amazing listening experience.

Beautiful Ugly: Wow! This was a fantastic listen on audiobook. I was able to listen to the ARC thanks to Netgalley and I really enjoyed it. One of my favorite parts were the Antonyms throughout the plot. I thought I had everything figured out, but it ended completely different than I expected. Very good!

Wow, this book was incredible twisty I was on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out what was going on! The book felt like a great mixture of The Wicker Man and Secret Window.

I found the set up of the book to be very interesting and lent itself to a great thriller. Most of the book is from Grady's point of view as he struggles with the disappearance of his wife and trying to write another successful book. There was also sprinkles of Abby's point of view leading up to her disappearance. This style of book had me wondering what exactly was going on until the final reveal!

I listened to the audiobook and did enjoy that there were two narrators one for Grady and one for Abby.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, but Daisy Darker will forever by my favorite of hers. I really enjoyed the dual character and dual timeline POV, and thought it tied the book together really well. This was definitely one of those books that will constantly have you thinking, and in a way messes with your head just like the main character’s. It was another great novel written by this author and I can’t wait for everyone else to be able to read it! I ended up giving it 4.5 stars!

The story’s twist and turns kept me turning the pages at mega speed, making it hard to put down. True to Feeney’s style, the narrative is dark, complex, and emotionally gripping. However, unlike some previous books, the ending didn’t pack the shocking punch I have come to expect. That said, this book still offered a very satisfying resolution that fit the tone of the story leaving me with a sense of closure I appreciated. I would absolutely recommend Beautiful Ugly to fans of suspenseful, dark novels who appreciate layered and intense narrative. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Alice Feeney knocked it out of the park again! I enjoyed every word of this dark, gripping thriller. I was honestly a nervous wreck through a lot of it, in the best possible way!

Wow! This book was super spooky. I listened to the audio while reading along and the sound effects had me jumping. I predicted some things but didn’t see the twist. I was riding on 5 stars until the last 15% and I just didn’t vibe with some of the plot/twists but overall a great book and I would recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

Put this at the top of your TBR}

As a fan of Alice Feeney, I absolutely loved this audio book. The narration was wonderful to listen to as well, featuring well placed background sound effects and an easy to listen to narrator. Beautiful Ugly was full of mystery and suspense and a surprise twist that I never saw coming! A struggling author, a missing wife, a remote island with mysterious things going on., it was fun to find out how everything tied together. I was hooked from beginning to end. Highly recommend!

The audiobook version of this is fantastic and goes the extra mile! Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton are phenomenal narrators and the additional sound effects elevate the story.

Bestselling author Grady Green’s life changes forever the night his wife disappears while on the phone with him. A year later he’s plagued with insomnia and writer’s block unable to function without a sense of closure. He gets an offer to travel to a Scottish island with his Labrador and stay in a secluded cabin to focus on his writing. Grady is paranoid and the islanders are over the top weird.

There’s foreshadowing that feels like it should be accompanied by neon signage. Many elements are far fetched and convoluted to the point I went back and retraced events and was giving side eye. The audio was so well done though I kept with it. It was easy to envision the setting especially with the sounds of the waves lapping and the descriptions of the rocks and caves.

This one was a mixed bag for me, but certain moments delivered the hypnotic and creepy vibes.

I felt like this one was more about the journey than the destination.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an Advance Listening Copy for review. These are my unbiased opinions.

Very engaging story with plenty of spooky ambience and an awesome setting. The twist/ending sadly falls a bit flat - but the rest of the book makes up for it with fascinating characters and a location I now am curious to visit myself!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.

Alice Feeney delivers another dark and twisty psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of marriage, identity, and the fine line between reality and illusion.

Beautiful Ugly follows Grady Green, a successful author whose life unravels when his wife, Abby, mysteriously disappears. A year after her disappearance, Grady, unable to write and consumed by grief, retreats to a secluded Scottish island at his agent’s suggestion, hoping to find solace and inspiration.

Upon arriving at the island, Grady’s sense of unease deepens when he encounters a woman who resembles his missing wife. Told through alternating perspectives, the story unfolds revealing hidden truths and unexpected twists I didn’t see coming. I was never quite sure who to trust.

Beautiful Ugly blurs the lines between beauty and ugliness, love and revenge. The ending was shocking, yet satisfying and one I will continue to think about.

Thank you to the author, published and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

Beautiful Ugly is my least favorite of the three Alice Feeney books I've read so far. As with her others, I found it painfully repetitive. Feeney excels at creepiness, which is a plus for dark mystery fans. However, this book also includes whopping servings of gaslighting, unreliable narration, sexual assault, and sexual abuse (including of minors).

If you can get past the sexual violence, positives to the story include an intricately woven storyline across characters and timelines, powerful social/power/gender commentary, a dash of humor, and a loyal dog.

I am not generally a fan of sound effects in audiobooks—they tend to be jarring. The walkie-talkie sounds in this book might be manageable, and they add to the atmosphere productively. Narration is provided by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton, the latter of whom was especially talented at voicing multiple characters.

I rarely—if ever—mention a book's cover. I'm making an exception for this one, which is gorgeous and so utterly perfectly fits the book's feel.

3.5! I love an Alice Feeney thriller!
This book was filled with lots of jumpy moments and was honestly pretty spooky. I loved how atmospheric it was, set on a remote Scottish island. The audio was well done with lots of sound effects. This book had a slow build up with an exciting, twisty ending! Alice Feeney is so good at making the reader question what is true with unreliable narrators and I can always count on her for a fun, quick paced thriller.

Grady Green is a writer dealing with the disappearance and presumed death of his wife as well as severe writer’s block. In an attempt to get Grady’s writing back on track, his agent sends him to a cottage on a Scottish island. But while the island is beautiful and serene, everything is not what it seems. He thinks he spots his wife several times, and someone is leaving him clues that suggests he may be right.

If you read this book, I recommend the audiobook. It’s a fantastic audio production with multiple narrators and sound effects. The plot is decent, but the pacing is suuuuper slow. Not much happens in the first half of the book. Actually not much happens in the first 80% of the book, but the second half at least starts building towards the climax and kept me more engaged. The story isn’t terrible, but it doesn’t feel like a thriller. There are a lot of plot twists thrown in towards the end that felt rushed just for the sake of being a thriller. Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Alice Feeney for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's a rare occasion when I read a mystery/suspense book. (I can't even remember the last time I read one). So, to choose this audiobook from NetGalley was a big leap for me, but I wanted something different, and overall I'm glad I picked this one. The narrators were wonderful. Richard Armitage has a deep, sexy voice and Tuppence Middleton's British accent was very soothing. This was also the first time I listened to an audiobook with sound effects, and I really enjoyed it because it made the book feel even more creepy and mysterious. (Especially the bits with walkie-talkies. Not going to give away any spoilers, but if you know, you know). The story itself was okay, but there were some parts that were a little too far-fetched and at times it could be very confusing. I did enjoy the suspense though, and I caught myself gasping and talking out loud several times, trying to warn the characters like they could actually hear me. This genre might not be my cup of tea, but I would still recommend it.

I LOVE Alice Feeney books, and this was no exception. It immediately caught my interest, with a disappearance in the first few chapters of the book. After that, this book was a wild ride! Told from alternating perspectives of husband and wife, this book really was out there, but in the best possible way. I enjoyed reading it, and it was definitely a page turner for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book so much!!! Alice Feeney is the queen of an eerie setting and even eerier story. Loved the characters, the plot, all of it.

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!