this was a really good book/ audio book! I really liked the themes of this story, and loved the way the book flowed. I loved the way this author writes, and the narrator did a great job with reading this book. Overall it was great!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

‼️4 solely for my audio rating.

I’ve never read an Alice Feeney book before, but I’ve heard great things about her writing. I can confidently say this was one of my most anticipated reads. I chose it as my physical copy for my December @bookofthemonth. It sounded intriguing, promising, and I was excited for it to be my first book by Alice Feeney.

I was a little bummed because I wanted, so badly, to love it. It’s a slow burn with such eerie, weird vibes, and an island — loved that! The vibes basically have you waiting on the other shoe to drop. I was super engaged with the first half of the book, but I was losing interest in some of the second half. However, I feel the audio helped bridge some of this gap.
One of the plot twists just didn’t do it for me. It didn’t make sense, and I’m almost positive it would’ve been figured out prior because of the surrounding environment at that time. Another plot twist was…weird, but ugh I don’t know, it didn’t really hit the spot for me. I guess because I understood a few motives, but not all. It’s difficult to talk about either of these dislikes without revealing too much.

I struggled with my coffee cup rating because of my losing interest/audio bridge predicament. I finally decided to round my rating up to a 4 solely for my audio rating. The duet narration was well done! Without the audio consideration, I would definitely side with a 3. Now that I listen to audiobooks a little more regularly, some books are better listened to and, to me, this is one of them.

✍🏼 writer’s life
🌊 multiple viewpoints
✍🏼 nonlinear timeline
🌊 marriage issues

5 ⭐

First, let me say thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine only.

>>QUOTES<<
I am absolutely a quote collector so I will add in some of my favorite quotes from the book. I don't believe they give anything away but show how beautifully this story is written.

"Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do."

"People rarely know what they have until they lose it. They spend their lives searching for a better one, wanting more, needing more, blind to the fact that they already had it all. I think sometimes it’s only when something gets taken from a person that they appreciate what they had."

"My books have always been a place to hide myself inside myself when the real world gets too loud."

"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 from opposite ends of a room."

"Life is beautiful and life is ugly and we have to learn to live with both sides of the same coin and see the light in the darkness. The world is Beautiful ugly, relationships are Beautiful ugly, and life is Beautiful ugly."

>>REVIEW<<

I'm going to be honest -- I wasn't a fan of the audiobook... For some reason I just didn't connect with the male narrator, especially when he did Sandy's voice or the other female voices which meant I didn't finish it... His pacing was way too slow for my liking so I had to speed it up, but I did enjoy the small sound affects letting us know when a new chapter came and it definitely gave that eery feel of the island. But I've read Alice Feeney before and I knew I was going to love this story so the very day that it came out, I drove an hour away just to pick up the book and I am SO GLAD I DID!!

As someone who reads primarily in the thriller and horror genre -- I will say that the first part of the book (which I listened to on audio) does go slow but it's important! Once I got to the PLOT TWISTS I had to go back and reread chapters because I was SO SHOOK!!! And I don't even use that word as a 37 year old woman but it's literally how I felt! I 110% recommend giving this book a try but I want everyone to remember that this is a FICTIONAL BOOK - it's NOT a true story .. so if you go into thinking that anything is possible... You will absolutely enjoy it! The details and atmosphere around the Island of Amberly is so creepy and foreboding that you can't help but sit in dread wondering how everything is going to come together. There is a huge character development from one of the main characters and I was so here for it! I felt really connected to the wife and the amount of tabs I have in my book is insane... I think that is why I loved it so much because it felt so personal to me. I'm currently in the same situation she is after being in a relationship for 10 years and you start to feel invisible and ignored (this is NOT how a relationship, a good one anyways, should make you feel). I also rate on how the book made me FEEL. I don't get so technical as to worry about plot holes because again, it's fictional -- it's not true anyways! Just strap in and enjoy the ride and try not to think about everything that others say is wrong but focus on the way the story makes you feel! I think that plays a huge part in why I loved this so much, and I hope you do too!

Unfortunately, I can't recommend the audiobook but 110% can recommend the physical or ebook so you can pay better attention to little red herrings thrown throughout the story.

** I go into more detail on my goodreads on why I think people are rating lower and not enjoying the story and I think it's important because people are missing the point on a lot of different things (in MY opinion) so if you are someone who read the book and didn't understand some of the plot, I write out why I think that is.

Enjoyable thriller! Kept me guessing, didn't see the end coming (and the fact that I'm still thinking about whether or not the ending was justified house later means it will stick with me, even if it isn't how I would've ended it)!

This one was a bit slow for me and didn’t grab me as much as other Alice Feeney books do. Great narrator and great audiobook experience, just didn’t love the storyline or plot.

This was my first book by this author, believe it or not, and it was quite a roller coaster! I don't read nearly as many thrillers as I used to, so I'm usually still very bad at predicting twists and this was the case with this one! It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, even at the end!

The setting for this book is important because it's a bit remote and that adds to the creepy factor. It's also hard to know who to trust so there's that added layer to the story too. I was pretty impressed overall with how it all wrapped up despite being also super creeped out. I also felt that the main character's career path as an author was important to the story due to how he met his wife and the writers block he was feeling. It was decently well crafted for me even though I really had no idea where any of the story was headed.

The audio narration was excellent so I definitely recommend that.

This did not live up to my expectations at all. I’ve heard good things about this author and I feel like this one just fell flat for me.

I felt like I couldn’t connect with the characters. Like they were two dimensional and needed expanding a bit. I found myself listening because I wanted to get the story over with, not because I wanted to find out what happened next.

The only character I found myself invested in was Columbo, and I was very pleased to see he got a happy ending.

The audiobook narrators did a great job tho.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook arc!

Grady is waiting for the most important phone call of his life. He’s waiting for his wife who promised to be by his side. He’s waiting calls her, she’s on her way, but she stops to help someone hurt I. The road. On the phone, Grady begs her not to stop. But she does and he doesn’t. She disappears.hardy can’t go on. He thinks he sees her everywhere. Perhaps a change of scenery will help.

Many twists and turns. Jaw dropping ending. A must read.

Oh Alice, I love the stories your mind comes up with. I did not see the twists in this one coming and I love when that happens! Especially when they aren't extremely far-fetched. I had an inkling into one, but I was only correct in the slightest bit.

I felt like this story was just the right length, without the extra fluff that has become common in novels. It didn't lose my attention, and even sitting here afterwards, I can't think of parts I would take out or question being there.

I will say that I didn't ever feel attached or care about what happened with any of the characters, but I also don't think that was very necessary in this story. It's almost as if the story itself was what I became invested in, instead of the outcome of the characters (which is what I normally veer towards).

I wasn't dumbfounded at the end like I have been with some of her novels, but I definitely recommend it if you have been a fan of her writing in the past.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Loved the latest from this forever reliable thriller author. She delivered on this one! Remote Scottish island with so much intrigue and atmospheric suspense. I could feel the cold air and shivers run down my spine as I read through each page.

Alice Feeney's books aren't consistently good, in my opinion. I absolutely loved Rock, Paper, Scissors, which was the book that started my journey into her works. I was terribly disappointed by I Know Who You Are, but gave her another shot with Daisy Darker and was once again impressed.

This book will no doubt be loved by Freida McFadden fans: the plot was loose, the characters were underdeveloped, and the burn was slow up to an ending that in many ways defied logic. The premise is interesting and, honestly, the first half kept me engaged enough to want to find out the ending. But, as the book went on, I cared less and less about the ending, and even less about the main characters. Once the twist was revealed, I was underwhelmed. This may, finally, be my last Alice Feeney book.

Did I just read my favorite book of 2025?

**All signs point to yes**

I'm gagged, I'm gobsmacked, I'm elated. I had so much fun reading this. I highly recommend the audiobook, fabulously narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. It's like Feeney wrote this with me in mind. The very start of this novel gripped me so hard I could barely breath. That's how you start a story. I can't remember if it was a Prologue, or just the first chapter, but I was immediately hooked.

This story follows author, Grady Green, who we meet when he is on the cusp of receiving some excellent news for his career. His wife, Abby, is running late for dinner and he is anxious for her to return home, so they can hear the news together and celebrate. They end up on the phone on her drive home, and while speaking, she comes across a person laying in the road. He tells her to keep driving, but she insists on stopping. He hears her get out of the car, with him still on the line, but never hears anything from her again...

Picking up a year later, Grady is an absolute mess. He can't sleep, he can't concentrate, and he certainly can't write. There are so many unanswered questions. Abby's car was found, all of her belongings still there, but she was just gone without a trace. Worried about his state of mind, his agent, Kitty, who was Abby's Godmother, offers Grady an escape. The use of her cabin, a verifiable Writer's Retreat, on the remote Scottish island of Amberley.

By remote, we're talking only a handful of people live on this island year-round. Grady is willing to try anything, he needs to get his mind straight, so along with his lovable Labrador, Colombo, he sets off for Amberley. From the very start, things do not go as planned. Once there, even he is shocked by the remoteness. It's a bit like traveling back in time. The atmosphere, the solitude, the quiet, it ends up getting under his skin and into his mind. Complicating matters further, he keeps seeing a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife? How can this be? Is it just the island playing tricks with his mind, or is Abby alive and well on Amberley?

Beautiful Ugly has everything I love. I was beyond immersed. I barely remembered the synopsis by the time I picked it up and I loved the directions Feeney took this one. Not to mention, the ending left me with that exquisite little evil grin on my face that I love so much at the end of any Thriller story. It was brilliantly-executed.

I'm an Atmosphere Girlie, first-and-foremost and the atmosphere in this is off-the-charts. The island itself was so interesting. We get to meet quite a few of the regular residents and they had me scratching my head. It's an odd group of people. There were aspects that reminded me a bit of Thomas Olde Heuvelt's, Hex, just in regards to the overall mystery of this little community. In fact, this did feel like she was toeing the line into Horror territory on more than one occasion with the haunting descriptions of this location.

As an island resident myself, I feel like Feeney truly nailed the island vibes, from the troubles with getting a ferry to and from, to the isolation over the off-season months.

The mystery and suspense of the story also kept me guessing and kept me wanting more. I read this so quickly, because I needed to know the truth of what was going on. I know some Readers are not going to like the truth behind the mystery, but for me, I felt it was really fun and I'm happy with how it all turned out. I would absolutely recommend this story to any Mystery-Thriller Reader, particularly if you've enjoyed other works by Feeney. I feel like it's a must-read for 2025. I loved it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I consider Feeney to be an absolute Queen of Suspense, and she didn't disappoint here!

This book had an interesting premise, and the eerie atmosphere and sinister setting gave me the impression that I was really going to like this story. And for the first half, I was really invested. It reminded me of "Yellowface" and "The Plot", and I thought the story might go in that direction with the discovered manuscript. But that narrative seemed to die off, and instead left us with a far-fetched "twist" and bizarre island backstory by the end of the book. A few things annoyed me, like repeatedly commenting on how "strange" the people on the island were, (We get it! It doesn't have to be mentioned every-other page!) and the unreliable narrator who drinks too much and hasn't slept in months that's overused and unoriginal. The audiobook was excellent, however, with dual narrators and sound effects. Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

4.5⭐️

Based on these ratings, this book is way underrated. It kept me hooked from the first page, and felt like a roller coaster, the twists kept coming. It did leave me with some questions at the end, which will bring for a great discussion, but was the only reason that I knocked down a half star, not feeling a full resolution, but totally happy with the way it ended.

The audio was SO GOOD with the background sounds and acoustics especially. It created such a good vibe to go with the story.

Amazing narration! This story blew me away and had me in the edge of my seat! I loved the twisty parts and Feeney’s writing is amazing! This storyline was absolutely enthralling! A must read!!

I struggled a lot to get through this book. Grady’s struggles between hallucination and reality did not do it for me. The novel set in the eerie island of solitude just felt like a long, slow journey of fog. Yes, there’s a twist at the end, but I simply did not enjoy!

Alice Feeney always delivers, especially in audio format, as expertly read by the fantastic Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton. Beautiful Ugly is another page turning mystery pitting spouse against spouse that kept me questioning and guessing until the end. Would absolutely recommend to readers and fans of Feeny's previous work. Five stars!!!

What a weird story! Weird and good at the same time. I liked it. I liked how everything slowly unraveled to be as original as it can get.
It gave me "The Secret Window" movie vibe where we have a Depp as a lost writer. Here our main character in never ending self-pity tries to write something after his wife mysteriously disappears (that on it's own could have been some inspiration). Yet, he decides to move on to small island where his publicist tells him the biggest inspiration lies.
I liked the audiobook, it kept me entertained during long commute to work. With that being said, I still feel there could have been more and as much as surprising the ending is, it left me yearning for something more.
Audiobook production was as always perfect and I enjoyed it very much.

Now this one is a wild ride! Just when you think you know exactly what happened in this mystery, another curve ball comes your way! So well done, as always.

This is the first Alice Feeney book I have listened to/read. I did not love the narration - only because it reminded me of The Fury and I did not enjoy that book. That is truly a personal opinion but in case anyone else felt the same - it is worth mentioning.

Other than that, wow - I have been getting into more thrillers as a palate cleanser for my romance books. This was so good and the setting I just loved. The twists and turns were so unpredictable and I enjoyed the plot twists. I know she has a strong fan base and this one will no doubt land at the top of readers list.