"Life is a fairytale that rarely hands out happy endings. Life is beautiful ugly, my wife taught me that"
Wow!
This book will have you gripping the edge of your seat until the end!
Grady is waiting for a phone call, but he wants his wife to be with him when he receives this phone call but unfortunately, she was running late. When he finally does receive the phone call from his Agent he is elated and having trouble believing he is a New York Times best-seller author! After the phone call, he calls his wife once again, she's almost home but stops on the side of the road because a woman is on the road. However, that was the last time he heard from her so the best day of his life quickly turned to the worst. Even after a year, they are still not any closer to finding out what happened to her. Grady can no longer write and struggles with everything even his housing situation.
Then Kitty his agent offers him a cottage in Scotland for three months to try and write a novel, and he agrees because he has no other choices.
Once he arrives at the cottage and the island he thinks it's beautiful. He then finds a manuscript and decides to read he loves it and had originally thought about turning that book into Kitty to publish but he doesn't and then strange things start to happen. He is convinced he is seeing his wife who disappeared a year ago and then he thinks someone is in the house moving things around and such. There is just something that is off and Grady can't quite put his finger on it! The twists and turns of this story keep you guessing until the very end! I listened to the audiobook and even while the MC is an unrelatable character the audiobook was amazing and I was on the edge of my seat I loved it! The narrator was amazing and his tone fit the story! Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the extraordinary opportunity to listen and review this one! It was an adventure!

This book was tough to stop listening to! The entire time I had no idea where the plot was going or what was happening (in the best way). All the twists and turns - so good. This audiobook is well-produced, and I loved the song effects of the ocean waves and background noises. It was done well. I highly recommend this to any thriller/suspense/mystery lover, especially those who enjoy reading about domestic drama, relationships, complicated pasts, and ominous settings - in Scotland!

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Marriage is made of a million beautiful and ugly moments, stitched together into a shared tapestry of memories. All of which are viewed and remembered slightly differently, like two people staring at the same painting at from opposite ends of a room.”

“Life is beautiful and life is ugly. And have to learn to live with both sides of that same coin. And see the light in the darkness.”

Grady Green has become a New York Times bestseller. But, he is all alone. He is immediately relieved when he talks to his wife Abby on the phone. She is on her way home. He can’t wait, so he tells her his news. During their phone call, he hears Abby slam on her brakes. Next thing, she jumps out of the car, ostensibly to help a fellow driver.

The story continues one year later. Grady will never forget the worst best day of his life. Still grieving Abby’s disappearance, Grady has been experiencing a writers’ block. Thanks to his agent, Grady is headed to a remote island in Scotland to write his next book. He is assured that everything he will be surrounded by will awaken his writing muse. However, eerily Grady keeps thinking that he sees Abby here and there. Is he losing his mind?

The story begins to shift between Grady and Abby’s POV, and this was before her disappearance. Apparently, Abby was unhappy. Each chapter title is revealing, increasing the intrigue as the pacing and the twists and turns gave me chills more than once.

I love it when a audiobook has more than one narrator giving voice to the characters. When you are reading an intriguing and sinister story and you have excellent narration, you can really be pulled into the addictive atmosphere of the book. That was exactly the case with Beautiful Ugly. This compelling read by Alice Feeney was truly an excellent read.

Many thanks to Flatiron Books/Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Yeah I hated this. The best part was the dog. As an audiobook, it had interesting sound design and I liked the voice actors, but the plot was painful. So dreadfully dull for the first 60% and then the twists/reveal were just so unbelievably unbelievable…

I thought the setting was interesting, and when combined with the characters it gave the creepy vibes AF was aiming for, but what a ~not great~ plot (if you love this book, I love that for you!).

TYSM to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc… sorry for the negative review 🫣

I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into based on the premise of this book, but this is definitely an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller...but with no horror vibes. Richard Armitage as a narrator gets my vote any day, and this one was no exception. He did an excellent job with different characters, genders and UK accents. I began to think it was going to be a fairly predictable domestic strife situation, but Feeney went completely against my expectations and wove an entirely different tale with an ethereal air. Leave your preconceived notions at the door and be prepared for an unusual story of what might happen when a marriage begins to grow tiresome.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

I could not put this book down! So twisty that I could not see where it was headed until I was hit on the head with the end. This author is an auto buy for me now!

I will preface this by saying I am a huge fan of Alice Feeney and love that I don’t know where her books are going every time I read one. This one wasn’t my favorite though. I love that you don’t always know who is “speaking” and the unreliable narration is very effective. The story itself was more unbelievable than others. I appreciate the social stance it was taking but found it a bit heavy handed in its messaging. Everyone you meet in this book is unknown to the reader until the last quarter of the book, which is something Alice does very well. This one fell flat for me.

I listened to the audio of this one and the narration was fantastic, with some music and sound effects, it made it more immersive. BUT…..in saying that - this book wasn’t for me.

This started out so strong. I was enthralled and curious to find out what is happening in this book.

The author has a way of making me question everything and feel like I’m losing my mind when I read her books. Usually there’s a huge mind blowing twist that comes with that but unfortunately that was not the case here.

The “twist” left me needing to sit with my thoughts about it all since I read it. I don’t want to spoil anything but I’m happy to discuss in DMs. She really lost me after that…I felt like I completely tapped out and the entire ending was just mediocre for me from then on.

I feel so disappointed with this one. I was loving it so much on audio that I added it to my BOTM because I was sure I’d want a copy for my shelves…now I wish I saved my money.

This was okay, not my fave of hers. Slower paced but the ending was great. I don't love a locked room type story, but if you do, I'd definitely check this one out. I'm also not crazy about when they use the "trope" (or plot device?) of "is the character crazy/hallucinating due to either insomnia/alcohol/drugs etc " and therefore can't be trusted? If you've liked her past work, give this a try. The audio was decent enough, but I'm not sure I'll be pushing this one into peoples' hands.

Everything from start to finish was so far-fetched. There are unreliable narrators, then there's this mf. Nothing made sense. I'm happy for the people who loved this but more than anything, I am so happy this is over.

The writing was good, and the audio version was great. The narrators and the effects made the book bearable. If I would have read this in print, I would have DNF'd.

Everything just kept getting more and more unbelievable as the book went on. Especially the ending.

I'm so sorry because I hate giving bad reviews but this was definitely not for me.

If one thing is true, it's that Alice Feeney does not disappoint when it comes to a thriller. This book was EXCELLENT. I've listened to so many thrillers that they rarely surprise me these days, but that's not the case with this one. I didn't see ANY of the twists coming. 4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to Beautiful Ugly.
I suggest going in knowing only that this is Alice Feeney's newest novel. Between knowing that and the short chapters I found it unputdownable. There are two POVs. I won't spoil the plot but will share that I didn't know who to trust. It's an entertaining story that was enhanced by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton's narration. I appreciate the added sound effects that announced a change in POV.

3.5 ⭐
I was so happy to receive an ARC of this book because I LOVED Rock, Paper, Scissors, and I love a good story with a main character who is an author.
I'm glad I received the audiobook version of this one because I think the narrators did an excellent job. Though this story wasn't my absolute favorite, I did enjoy it.
I love a good twist and while I did accurately predict some of them, there were still some that shocked me in the best way. Overall, I would recommend this book once it is released.

Beautiful Ugly is probably my favorite Alice Feeney book. I was lucky to receive an audiobook ARC and started listening right away. The narrators were great, really set up the setting perfectly. I would definitely recommend this audiobook for anyone who loves mystery/suspense books.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book hits the shelves on January 14, 2025.

I definitely had a decent enough time with this. The twists were twisting and the vibes were vibing. I never became fully invested in our narrator or his missing wife, though, and that kept me from giving this a higher rating. If you’re looking for a fun thriller, this might be a good pick!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillen Audio for the ARC. I have to say this book really surprised me. By the time I was approaching the end I was kind of over Grady's woe is me cluelessness. But then all the secrets started pouring out and I realized what the red herring was, meant to throw me off the real trail. I swear my mouth literally dropped open as I put it all together and one of the big twists was revealed and I was like WHAT?!? Then everything else came out you just laugh at the cleverness of the whole thing! Definitely worth a read when it comes out for any thriller lover! My review will be shared on Goodreads.

Alice Feeney’s Beautiful Ugly is a psychological thriller around a missing person case. The story follows Grady, a struggling author whose wife vanishes mysteriously. As he deals with the trauma of her disappearance, he accepts an offer to retreat to a secluded writing cabin on a remote island.

The novel’s pacing is uneven, with a slow-burn start that picks up considerably in the final quarter. While the initial chapters are slow, the second half delivers a series of jaw-dropping twists that will keep you guessing. However, certain plot elements push the boundaries of believability, which may detract from the overall impact.

The audiobook narration is well-executed, with the narrators using voice modulation and accents to bring the various characters to life. The addition of sound effects further enhances the listening experience.

If you’re a fan of Feeney’s work, Beautiful Ugly is worth giving a try.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book. I voluntarily listened and gave an honest review.

The day that Grady learns he is on the New York Times best sellers list, his wife goes missing after finding a woman lying in the middle of the road. Grady heard her walk away from her car and never saw her again. One year later, Grady has reached rock bottom. He hasn't released a new book, has lost his home and is completely broke. His publisher offers him a chance to escape to a cabin on a small Scottish island. Once he reaches the island, he sees the impossible-his missing wife.

It's been a while since a mystery/thriller took me by surprise. There were several mysteries throughout this book that had me in complete suspense. Not only was there the mystery of Grady's missing wife and what truly happened to her, but there is also the mystery of the island and the permanent residents that live there. The ending had the perfect twist that I did not see coming and had me questioning everything I thought throughout this book.

This audiobook was beautifully done, and the narrators did a fantastic job with the characters. Although there was background music in between the different POVs, the graphic audio did not interfere with the story. It was one of the best audiobooks, I have listened to this month.

If you are a fan of high suspense mysteries with unreliable narrators, I would recommend adding Beautiful Ugly to your 2025 TBR.

Beautiful Ugly comes out January 14th.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review Beautiful Ugly. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Grady Green is struggling after his wife goes missing. He had just received the good news that he was a NYT Best Selling author, but while sharing this news with his wife everything changes and she never makes it back to their house. As Grady is barely surviving in the time following this tragedy, his publisher offers him a lifeline, a remote location to write in and get his life back on track. The destination is a Scottish isle with a population of about 25 and a writing cabin teetering on the edge of a cliff. Odd happenings ensue. Is Grady’s sleep deprivation catching up to him? Will he be able to resurrect his writing career or finally lose it all? Alice Feeney excels at setting. The Isle of Amberly was such a visual locale with an interesting history and townsfolk. The pacing and alternating POVs compelled me to keep reading. The articles sprinkled throughout the story were a nice touch as well. With a plot centered around marriage featuring two very different perspectives, the challenge became figuring out what was true and what these characters were really about- a common theme in much of her work. This is where I struggled a bit. The last 5-10% of the book pushed the boundaries of suspending disbelief for me personally and with so many questionable characters, it was not a satisfying conclusion in the traditional sense. It was thought-provoking and dark which are things I typically appreciate in my reading life. Ultimately, this was a tough story and would foster a great book club discussion. Narration by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton was superb. The additional sound effects really worked for me and added to my reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this audio arc! I thought I would love it more at the beginning, but it ended up making me kind of mad at the end lol. I spent the whole book feeling bad for Grady, until close to the end. It was really twisty, and I love a good twist. I enjoyed how all of the characters were tied together. It was something like I haven’t read wrote! It was definitely odd, but in a good way. It kept me on my toes and the narration was top tier.