Domestic thriller meets rural suspense
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On the same evening Grady Green hears that he’s a New York Times bestselling author, his beloved wife disappears. With no sign of her for a year, and his life in tatters, his agent offers him one last hope, a rural retreat to get his writing life back on track. Almost as soon as he lands on the idyllic island of Amberly, however, he thinks he sees his wife. Did she really disappear, or is she somehow haunting him from the beyond?

My first ever Feeney book, and I can take it or leave it. In a more thorough author, I think the plot, the twists and the coincidences might flow better, but instead things repeat and repeat like clockwork, and the twists when they come are too unexpected to be believable, even within the universe of the book. Screeds of exposition are used to turn the plot, particularly near the end, and the constant and repetitive revelation that the name of a character is no clue to their identity, over and over again, reduces the surprise to a feeble ‘meh.’

Two stars: competent but forgettable.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney in return for my honest review.
I usually like reading Alice Freeneys books but for some reason I really struggled with this one and ended up skim reading some of it. The story line itself is intriguing but I found the main characters very difficult to like, Im afraid this one was not for me.

Absolutely loved this book! From page one I was hooked and couldn’t wait to pick the book back up.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish
The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, making it impossible to predict what will happen next.
The writing is both engaging and suspenseful, with well-developed characters that add depth to the narrative.
The pacing of the novel is perfect, with just the right amount of tension to keep readers hooked without feeling overwhelmed.
The setting is vividly described, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall reading experience.
Highly recommended!

4.5⭐️

I'm not sure I can even begin to comprehend this book!! Such a wild story! Every chapter felt urgent, and the twists are so good —just when I thought I had it figured out, she completely surprised me.

I loved the range of different characters and perspectives!! And the small island setting was ideal.

While it did feel a little far fetched at point, I think this also added to the eerie, mysterious feel of the island.

A different style of book but kept my interest.
It kept me guessing as how it would work out in the end, but for once it surprised me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

This author delivers. Every time. Brilliant book. Makes you think - what if. Doesn’t disappoint the whole way through. Loved it.

Writer Grady Green thought he was about to have it all. But on the day he discovers hrs become a New York Times best seller his wife Abby goes missing. A year passes, and understandably, he's a bit of a mess. He's not writing and drinking too much. He barely sleeps. He's on the verge of losing everything.
His publisher suggests getting away to a remote Scottish island, Amberley. The island has a tiny population, just 25. He goes hoping that the quiet seclusion will help him write again away from all the reminders of Abby.
But then he sees her on the island.
Alice Feeney can always be relied on to write well crafted mysteries. What I love is how she tells the story implicitly. She reveals the perfect amount of mystery without ever being obvious. Nor does she drop something towards the end that infuriates the reader. You know type. The tea shop lady in chapter 2 suddenly reappears as criminal mastermind! That's not to say there aren't surprises. Alice Feeney delivers a perfect cocktail of twists with a strong dash of WTF.
Clever, atmospheric, and enthralling.

Alice Feeney does it again with a twisty thriller packed with unreliable narrators!

📖 Synopsis:
Writer Grady Green’s life shatters when his wife, Abby, vanishes without a trace. A year later, while seeking solace on a remote Scottish island, he’s stunned to see a woman who looks exactly like her…

💭 My Thoughts:
✨ Feeney kicks things off with a writer’s missing wife, and from that moment, I was hooked.
✨ The atmospheric, tight-knit Scottish island setting adds the perfect touch of isolation and mystery.
✨ A cast of suspicious, secretive characters kept the tension coming—everyone seemed to be hiding something!
✨ Mysterious messages and unsettling clues unravel a multi-layered plot that had me gripped.
✨ Dark, eerie, and full of surprises—the ending was unexpected, but I absolutely loved it!

📚 If you love a thriller that keeps you guessing, this one’s a must-read!

Author, Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life. He's just been told he's a New York Times Bestselling author, but also his wife, Abby, has disappeared. A year on, with Abby still MIA, he finds himself heading to a remote Scottish island with a population of 25, in an attempt to get his life back on track. But not everything is as it seems and while the residents of the island are friendly, there's definitely something a bit peculiar about them. Throw in a bunch of possible sightings of Abby, and no way of communicating with people beyond the island, getting his life back in order doesn't seem quite so easy after all...
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If you love dark, twisty and unreliable narrators, this book is for you and going in blind is absolutely worth it! I had a real sense of the place, both good and bad. I'm first to admit that I bloody love a good old thriller, and invariably, I don't get even a little bit scared - but this. THIS!!! Creeped me out big time!
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Only down side for me was I felt a little short-changed by the ending, especially in the context of how good everything leading up to it was. It just all seemed a little far fetched, I missed some of the jumps from one thing to another and I felt like a couple of significant parts/explanations of the plot were skimmed over, leaving you to draw your own conclusions. Also, the plane scene was VERY odd.
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Despite all of that, I really would recommend this book but be warned, you'll probably be left with a few questions.
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Final thought, loved the hidden message concept and how it played through - but I can't say anymore than that without dropping a clanger 😂
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Overall, great book, really do recommend. It's my first by this author and will absolutely not be my last!

I love anything by this author and her latest book is no exception. Full of twists and turns with a satisfying ending

This novel is that rare thing - a bona fide page turner that is written in beautiful language.

Grady Green is a writer driven mad by his wife’s going missing. He thinks he sees her everywhere, but it always turns out to be someone else wearing a similar red coat to hers - the only thing the police found when she disappeared after coming across a body stretched out on the cliff road home.

On his uppers financially, Grady accepts the offer of staying in his agent’s log cabin on the Scottish island of Amberley, where he starts to doubt his sanity and we begin to doubt his reliability as a narrator …

🙏 NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC of this brilliant thriller.

If you are looking for a whirlwind, mindblowing thriller that will keep you guessing, pick up an Alice Feeney book...and this one might be her best yet!

What gets me the most about her writing is that her characters all seem relatable on the surface, they suck you in then, before you know it, you’re squriming wondering, wait, what did they just do? Beautiful Ugly takes a sharp look at relationships, picks at the layers and spins a wild tale of desperation and deceit, on a remote Scottish island (what a perfect setting for the intensity of this book).

This one had me in its grip from the start and had me guessing until the end. I read this at the end of 2024 and I’m still chewing over it! I hear rumours of a film adaptation so I’m so excited for that!

A Gripping and Atmospheric Thriller

Beautiful Ugly is a tense and unsettling read that pulls you in from the very first page. The story follows writer Grady Green as he navigates the mystery of his missing wife, and with each chapter, the sense of unease deepens. The atmosphere is thick with tension, and the writing does a great job of keeping the reader hooked, making it hard to put down.

The twists along the way are well-executed, keeping the suspense alive until the very end. However, while the final reveals were surprising, I didn’t fully connect with how the book wrapped up. That said, the journey itself was gripping, and the dark, moody tone made for an immersive read.

A suspenseful, well-crafted thriller with an eerie atmosphere and plenty of twists. Even if the ending didn’t completely win me over, it was still a compelling and enjoyable read.

I have just spent about a week with Grady. He was once a successful writer, then his world came crashing down when his wife goes missing. No longer able to write, and in financial crisis, grieving, Gradys editor sends him to a remote Scottish island to rest his life...except the island is strange and mysterious, and seems to hold truths, and secrets...Read it!

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is one of the most imaginative crime thrillers I’ve read recently. We meet author, Grady Green, who is waiting to hear from his American publishers to find out if his book has made it onto the New York Times bestseller list. He is annoyed his wife, Abby, isn’t here with him right at this moment; she calls him and insists she is on her way, but whilst he is on the phone to her, she stops to help someone, who appears to have fallen over in the road. But this is the last time Grady hears from Abby, the line goes dead and Abby vanishes into the night. Fast forward a year later, Grady is still reeling from the disappearance of his wife. He’s hardly written since she went missing, and so his literary agent, who is also Abby’s godmother, offers him a cabin on a Scottish island, gifted to her by a client in his will, who died recently. Grady accepts the offer, but when he arrives on the island, he soon starts to realise that something is very wrong here.

This was so cleverly crafted. I thought Grady’s personality and particularly his literary agent’s really leapt off the page. I had mixed feelings about Grady in the opening pages of the book. He came across as slightly controlling, but when his wife disappears, it is clear to see how much he loves her and how much he is desperate to find her. The island setting is done really well and right from the moment Grady arrives it feels unsettling, especially when he is informed that tourists are banned from bringing cars onto the island. There is only a very small population, no more than twenty five people.

I loved the atmosphere Alice Feeney created on the island, which is what made this island feel so real, even though Alice Feeney has created it. There is a very spooky atmosphere here, particularly with the legends and myths Grady hears about the island from the locals, and as he comes to understand the history of the island. The tension picks up the longer Grady stayed there and it made me feel as though he was trapped and I wanted him to escape and get back to the mainland.

There is a brilliant twist to this book which completely floored me, but Alice Feeney cleverly built up to this moment. I thought it was very well done and it made for a very satisfactory ending. If you’re looking for a compelling thriller, with a unique setting then I highly recommend Beautiful Ugly. I think it’s Alice Feeney’s best book to date and now I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

Alice Feeney has been a real 'hit-or-miss' author for me over the years, so I always go in to her books with a slight apprehension. I didn't need to for this book however. I really enjoyed this one!
Such an intriguing premise, I was left happily confused and intrigued right from the off. I had no idea where this book was going - but in true Alice Feeney style, the ending was incredibly unbelievable - but that didn't hinder my enjoyment all all.

Feeney has writing style that is so vivid, and her books always play out in my mind like a film or TV show, so I wouldn't be surprised if this book is snapped up by Netflix for a series.

Beautiful Ugly is the new slow burn thriller by Alice Feeney. I'm a big fan of this author, her plot twists always get me and this one is no exception. I was gripped by the story to begin with. It starts with Grady calling his wife while she is driving. Grady has some great news about his new book to share with her. But when she suddenly slams in her brakes as there is a woman lying in the road, Grady warns her against getting out of the car. She ignores his warning and the last thing he hears are her footsteps as she gets out of the car and then she disappears, presumed dead. The set up is perfect for a cat and mouse, domestic thriller. But then this is Alice Feeney so expect the unexpected.

I loved the island setting where Grady goes to try and concentrate on his writing with his dog, Columbo (who in my opinion is the best character). Feeney's descriptions of Amberley are eerie and atmospheric. The fact that it's so cut off from the mainland and has a dark history gives it a whole ominous feel. It's the perfect setting for things to get really dark.

Unfortunately I found the pace dragged in the second half of the book. Grady is quite an unlikeable character and a little dull. His actions and thoughts became repetitive and a little annoying. I also found the twist to be a let down as for me it was just ludicrous and therefore unbelievable. It's a shame that this book didn't quite deliver for me but I will certainly be reading the next Alice Feeney thriller.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for granting my request for an ARC.

This is the second book I have read by Alice Feeney and I would highly recommend it.
I loved how the author takes us straight into the action with Abby slamming on her brakes whilst on the phone.
Grady is a a very interesting and wholly flawed character. Putting him on the isolated Scottish island only magnifies these flaws.
I loved how Feeney creates a sense of uneasiness in the island, you know something is off but you have to work out what.
The twist at the end was fantastic and I did not see it coming. This is a well paced and well plotted thriller.

Oh I loved this! I just loved it! This has everything I want in a thriller! Suspense, mystery, drama and THAT ENDING! GOOSEBUMPS!!

I was questioning everything and everyone from the first chapter. I love books that make me second guess every detail and constantly wonder where the plot is going because that means that it isn't predictable! And I love being genuinely shocked by a storyline!

What a journey. It was so immersive. I just couldn't put it down. I had to keep going, I had to know what happened!

It was a dark and claustrophobic novel that is an absolute must read for anyone who loves a thriller that is shocking, suspenseful and unforgettable!

There's also some really beautiful passages in the book that are very thought provoking and provide a little peace among the chaos ✨