I was very excited to receive this book. It is well written and the plot has the potential to keep me gripped. I am giving it, on the reading of the first few chapters five stars, because I feel once it is published and properly formatted it will deserve this. I will purchase a copy and read when published. Many thanks to the publisher for making this version available to me.

As my first encounter with Alice Feeney's writing, “Beautiful Ugly” not only met but exceeded my expectations. The seamless blend of clever plotting, fast-paced action, and thought-provoking themes resulted in a gripping narrative.

As I delved deeper into the story, I found myself racing through the pages, eager to uncover the secrets that lay within. The chilling moments interspersed throughout the narrative. As I reached the final chapters, I found it nearly impossible to put the book down. The suspense was palpable, drawing me in until the very last sentence.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a gripping tale.

Thank you to Alice Feeney, NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.

ALICE FEENEY GIRL, YOU NEVER DISAPPOINT. Psychological thriller is the best way to describe this for sure, my mind was constantly trying to work things out but Feeney played the game well and didn’t let me get it until she wanted me to. What a legend.

Not entirely sure about this book. I enjoyed it to a point. It started off really well, but seemed to ‘go off’ halfway through.. I ended getting really cross with Grady who seemed totally oblivious to the demographics around him.and the storyline line became contrived. Sadly not the book for me.

The Queen of Twists had me gripped from the start. Feeney has yet again written a thrilling mystery that contains twists beyond the wildest of imaginations.

A best-selling author whose wife goes tragically missing a year previously, is failing to continue his writing in order to make ends meet. Grady Green is offered the opportunity to isolate himself in a cabin on the Scottish island of Amberly by his agent to focus on creating his next book. What is meant to be a peaceful retreat becomes far from it as the beautiful and secluded island has very dark secrets.

“Have you ever known something terrible was about to happen before it did? Or felt an overwhelming, inexplicable fear that someone you loved was in danger?”

The twists and turns throughout this book gave me whiplash. Feeney’s writing had me not only page turning quicker than I could process, but it had me second guessing everything that I read. The only reason I haven’t given this book 5 stars is because the dual POV complicated things for me. It wasn’t until the end of the book that I recognised the relevance of the writing style and the necessity of the use of the dual POV.

Grady as the MMC is presented as a broken-hearted husband who has not only lost his wife without answers, but his passion for writing. How could he continue with his day-to-day life when his wife disappeared into the night without a trace?

But the real star of the show is Amberly. With only 25 residents, they pride themselves in their community. However, with no phones, no regular transport on or off the island and strange, unexplainable things happening at every turn, Grady begins to think the grief of losing his wife has finally sent him insane.

The truth, in typical Queen of Twists style, is a lot darker than even I had anticipated. What starts as a story about grief, slowly morphs into a deeply twisted tale of revenge.

The tension and brilliant writing throughout had me feeling a level of insanity right along with Grady. There wasn’t a single emotion that this book didn’t have me experiencing, through grief, hope, anger and confusion. A thought-provoking novel to say the least.

Read this book and then tell me if you still want to move to a quiet, idyllic island. Because I bet you won’t.

Highly recommend for the psychological thriller fans, and definitely if you want something that becomes physically impossible to put down!

Thank you NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A psychological thriller designed to keep you guessing. If you’re a fan of an unreliable narrator, this one’s worth checking out.
Grady is an author who’s lost his wife in mysterious circumstances and he’s also lost his writing mojo. His agent extends an olive branch which seems like the perfect solution but is, in fact, the opposite.
While this was a pacy and suspenseful read, there were occasions where it felt a little too contrived and for me, that affected the credibility of the story overall. Nonetheless I enjoyed the read.
With thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the chance to read an ARC.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

I really enjoy Alice Feeneys writing ever since first stumbling across Rock, Paper, Scissors years ago.

Sadly, this book wasn't my favourite. The writing was great, as always. The plot started out fantastic but as time went on I found myself in disbelief at what was happening.

Also, the ending was a bit meh for me.

It's an okay read and I'd recommend if you are a fan of Feeneys. It just didn't blow me away like other books from her.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.
A great thriller with lots of mystery and a great premise.
It was quite chilling in places and the plot twist really took me by surprise.
I think you have to suspend disbelief a little bit to really enjoy it but I was happy to do that and so I loved it!

Full of chills, thrills and surprises. What starts as the benign account of a grieving author going to a remote Scottish island to write turns into a nightmare of whispers, changing perceptions and terror. Had to read through the night to finish it.

4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
Was a little nervous going into this book as the most recent book I’ve read by Alice Feeney, I didn’t enjoy. However this book was good! Had a good time with it and really enjoyed the premise! I think this book is ideal if you’re hoping to get out of a reading slump as Alice Feeney writes great thrillers!

This is a first time author for me. I was hooked from the first page and finished the book in 2 days.

The plot has lots of red herrings with twists and turns. The writing style was entertaining, with spooky, beautiful and atmospheric descriptions. The characters were quirky and memorable with added creepiness to keep you entertained.

I enjoyed the setting of the novel, a remote Scottish island, where Grady, a writer, travels to live for three months to write his new novel. Things don't go to plan.

I would recommend this book and give a 4 star rating.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND PUBLISHERS MACMILLAN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING ARC OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN

This thriller kept me hooked so much I read the book in one go! Not an overwhelming number of characters, a good chronology, and a good twist at the end.

I was absolutely hooked on this book. There are SO many quotes I loved, I fear if i share them, that it gives away spoilers for the plot. The twist at the end had me unable to put the book down until I finished it.

"Grady Green is having the best worst day of this life" this alone has so many layers to. The topics touched on in this book are important but written into a great mystery. I think you could read this book multiple times, changing your perspective with the information you learn from the twists and enjoy the story with your opinions completely upside down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book, but found it disappointing. I was irritated by the unnecessary Americanisms ("check" for "cheque", and "Mom") and I felt the characters didn't really come alive. My main issue was that the story is just too far-fetched.

*Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review*

Spoilers

“Writers don’t have secrets, and if we do we hide them in our books”

Alice Feeney always writes unforgettable and unpredictable twists and this was yet another wonderful example of that. I couldn’t get enough of this book. It was so subtly creepy and mysterious.

The twist with Kitty? Finding out what happened to Abby? The Cult- or rather ‘community’. The message throughout?
*chef’s kiss*
This was such a wonderful story and I loved how you find yourself rooting for the bad guy without realising it. Grady was a terrible person and did something so awful but I was hoping for his escape up until I found out the truth.

I can’t wait for the next Feeney novel! Defo one of my fave thriller authors!

Beautiful Ugly is a fabulous psychological thriller ,set on a remote island off Scotland Grady has come to the Island to try to write a book as his wife disappeared a year ago and since then although a New York Times best seller Author he has been unable to write at all .With only 25 people living on the Island with no phone line and no ferry service it is all quite creepy and sinister .Loads of twists and turns and a shocking ending ,an excellent read .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

#BeautifulUgly #NetGalley
Outstanding.
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life. Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.
A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible – a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.
I won't talk much about it here but it's concept is terrifying. "Read it".
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me an advance copy.

Beautiful Ugly is the latest thriller from Alice Feeney. I have read and enjoyed several of her other books and although this one is not my favourite I still enjoyed reading it. The book is well written and does a really good job of immersing you into the creepy island setting with its range of quirky characters. It is an entertaining, quick read but for me the plot was just a little too farfetched and didn't land the satisfying twist as well as her other books have. Still a enjoyable read that I think fans of Feeney and thrillers will definitely enjoy!

Wow. I am a huge fan of Alice Feeney's work and she has captivated me again with another of her unique, dystopian thrillers.

Feeney's ideas are so original and unlike many authors on the market. I will pick up a book by Alice Feeney and know I will become totally immersed in the narrative she has crafted so meticulously and this was no exception.

This narrative was terrifying in the best way. I read this in about 24 hours and I genuinely didn't want to put it down at all. From the moment we were introduced to Grady, I knew there was going to be a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the novel. Alice Feeney's choice to include POV in this novel was a stroke of genius and it added such depth to what already was such a powerful story. I found Abby's character to be very engaging and I couldn't quite work out how I felt about her, similarly to my opinion on Grady. I just found everything to be spot on.

Alice Feeney will keep you hooked until the very end with this fast-paced twisty thriller. I ended the book wanting more. An easy five star rating from me, as always.

Thank you to the author and publishers for accepting me to read this arc. I absolutely adore Alice Feeney’s books and this is my favourite so far. When I say my jaw dropped at the twist and then the ending blew my mind. Grady is the mmc and basically everything goes downhill when his wife goes missing and his agent gives him a lifeline by sending him to a remote island to try and get him back on track and write a new bestseller.

The island is basically shut off from the mainland and the islanders whilst friendly seem a bit weird to Grady. He then starts to see his wife and he wonders if he is going crazy. When I say the twists were twisting in this book I mean it. Absolutely brilliant and a 5 star read.