Writer Grady goes through the trauma of his wife going missing. One minute she's alive on the road coming home to him, the next she's gone without a trace. A year of missing her and no signs finds him heading to a small island in the hope to regain his writing ability but he's in for a shock or two.

I really wanted to like this and the premise sounded great but sadly it failed to deliver. It was a long read and the pace never seemed to pick up. I read onto the end to see how it would finally all play out and there was a couple of interesting twists but it didnt make up for the rest of the book. I struggle with the unreliable narrator style stories as they can feel disjointed and you don't connect with the lead. I must admit by the end I wasn't too bothered about what happened to Grady and maybe that was the point. No-one is overly likeable in this except maybe Abby once we learn her story. That being said if you love an unreliable narrator and some dark twists this could be just the book for you.

Alice Feeney's books can be a hit or a miss for me. I always find the premise interesting and will definitely read her books but whether I love them or not is a different story.

I liked hearing about an author this time and his wife, an investigative journalist. But from the beginning, we kind of know what's going on. At least a part of it and the mystery is more why for me. Why are these things happening? And I just wasn't convinced with the ending.

The characters and writing fell flat and I only liked the dog throughout. The island sounded beautiful though.

Thanks to Netgalley & Pan Macmillan for the c-copy!

2.5/5

Rock Paper Scissors was one of my favourite book club reads last year, so I had high hopes going into Alice Feeney’s latest release, Beautiful Ugly. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by what could have been a really compelling story.

Beautiful Ugly starts promisingly enough, with the mysterious disappearance of Grady’s journalist wife, Abby, setting the tone well. A year on and Grady is struggling to write his next novel, with his wife’s disappearance still playing heavily on his mind. When he’s offered the opportunity to get away to a secluded island to work on his novel, it seems like the perfect solution. Except the island, along with its mysterious inhabitants, holds secrets that are bound to be unearthed…

So far so good. But as the story develops and the mystery deepens, things go downhill very quickly. For one, Feeney’s writing, which I initially thought was a step up from some of her earlier work (we have some lovely, atmospheric descriptions of the island in the first act) descends very much into telling over showing, particularly later in the book, where it feels like we are just told what is happening. As a result, significant plot reveals end up feeling underwhelming and more and more non-sensensical.

I also couldn’t ignore the startling amount of similarities between Beautiful Ugly and Rock Paper Scissors. Perhaps these similarities could have been overlooked had the latter novel not been so fresh in my memory, but there were so many, I ended up losing count. Needless to say, I do not need to read any more Alice Feeney thrillers involving dysfunctional marriages where both parties need to just grow up and get a divorce, self-absorbed writers who will commit the most heinous acts at the drop of a hat in exchange for success, or isolated residences formerly owned by a reclusive author in (or off the coast of) the Scottish Highlands.

What’s particularly frustrating is that this could have been a really good thriller with an important message, but this was ultimately lost due to being underdeveloped. Abby’s work as a journalist advocating for women who have been let down by a patriarchal society and justice system – coupled with the novel’s final revelations – could have made for a compelling read. Unfortunately, the novel lost all credibility for me by the end, resulting in an average-at-best popcorn thriller.

First of all, I would just like to thank BookBreak UK, Netgalley and Alice Feeney for a gorgeous hardback review copy, and a digital ARC of “Beautiful Ugly”. Thank you for having me on the read-along. I’ve loved every second of it.

This was insane!

Beautiful Ugly has quickly become my favourite Alice Feeney book, and also one of my favourite thrillers I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.

Fast-paced, unreliable narrators, unputdownable, strong female characters, unhinged plots twist, moments where you question your own sanity…what more could you want?

I was with Grady for half the book, every time he questioned if something was real or if he had lost his mind, I questioned the same thing about myself. I love books that make me question what I’ve already read, and make me go back and look- this book does just that and more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and was hooked from the prologue. It’s just one mystery after another- all coming to a satisfying and jaw-dropping conclusion at the end.

The prose, as is standard for an Alice Feeney book, was beautiful. With some thoughtful and ingenious quotes throughout.

I honestly can’t recommend this book enough! One of the easiest five stars I’ve ever given.

I enjoyed the setting and the intrigue behind the story of Grady Green’s missing wife, but I found Grady so difficult to connect to as a character, simply because he was so unlikeable! The ending was great. Thank you!

On if the BEST THRILLERS I have read for a long time - and I read a lot of thrillers!

This is the absolute definition of a page turner and I couldn’t tear myself away it.
It’s slow burn, but with just another hints to make you desperate to know more and the pace ramps up towards the end as everything begins to become clear.

Highly recommend to this all. Even if you’re not a thriller reader, this is a great book to start the genre with.

All the stars!

Alice Feeney never fails to write a beautiful and intriguing book I'm always instantly hooked into her books with an amazing array of characters and a story full of suspense. You won't want to put this down.

After reading Good Bad Girl and not enjoying it, I hoped this was better. And yes! Immediately I was hooked. Love an author character and an isolated setting. I had no idea where it was going and was shocked by the twists every time. Brilliant.

After reading and loving Good Bad Girl I had really high hopes for this one.
I liked the premise, and at first I was really intrigued as to where the plot was headed - but then by the end of the book I wasn't even sure what I felt about it! I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it - I was just like huh!

Alice Feeney is my new auto-buy author!

Best selling author, Grady, is given the opportunity to move into an isolated cabin located on the Scottish Isle of Amberly. And after the disappearance of his wife, Grady feels as though this is his chance to begin writing again and put his past behind him.

But the island holds many secrets, and how can he trust the other 25 inhabitants of the island when he can’t trust his own mind.

Beautiful Ugly is an addictive, atmospheric thriller filled with twists and turns, keeping the cogs turning in your brain the entire time. You will not want to put this book down!

Thank you to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is Alice Feeney’s seventh book, but the first I’ve read – and I’ve definitely been missing out!

Beautiful Ugly centres around writer Grady, whose wife disappeared a year ago under mysterious circumstances. Struggling with writer’s block, his agent offers him a lifeline: a free extended stay at a writer’s retreat cabin she inherited on the Isle of Amberley, off the Scottish Highlands.

The book features chapters from both Grady’s point of view and his wife Abby’s, before her disappearance. On the island, Grady is haunted by the image of Abby and the island setting adds an eerie atmosphere to the mystery.

This is a gripping thriller that kept me hooked throughout. The end in particular had a part that really made me smile! Genius.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the free eARC.

This is one of those books that you think you know and keeps flipping it on it’s head. Perfect for those who love a bit of mystery and intrigue in their life.

Grady Green is an author. A moderately successful author with a book that became a New York Times Bestseller, but shortly after getting the best news of his life, he has the worst news – he is on his phone to his wife, ready to give her the news, when she gets out of the car to check someone lying in the road and disappears. A year later, unable to write with his wife still missing, Grady is offered a house on a remote Island off Scotland to live and write a new book. The house used to be a writers’ retread for a best selling author and Grady hopes he will be able to write again there.

I won’t say any more as I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but just read it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7247405257

https://maddybooksblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/beautiful-ugly-by-alice-feeney-this-is.html

Beautiful Ugly is a curly-wurly twister of a thriller! In classic Alice Feeney fashion, this book kept me second-guessing everything with every turn of the page. Just when I thought I had figured it out, another twist would prove me wrong.

The story follows Grady Green, an author whose wife, Abby, an investigative journalist, mysteriously disappears while on a call with him. A year later, consumed by grief and unable to write, he follows his agent’s advice and retreats to the remote Scottish island of Amberly, hoping a change of scenery will help heal his heart and rekindle his creativity. But upon arrival, he spots a woman who looks exactly like Abby. But that's impossible....isn't it?

As strange occurrences mount and eerie coincidences pile up, Grady finds himself questioning not only those around him but his own sanity. Is his mind playing tricks on him, or is something far more sinister at play?

And that ending!!! 😮 If you love psychological thrillers packed with emotion and unexpected twists, Beautiful Ugly is a must-read.

Alice Feeney excels at creating eerie settings & unhinged characters. I was gripped from start to finish & finished this in less than a day. I loved the dual timelines/POVs. The twists’ & turns kept me questioning everything until the very end.

★★★★½ ROUNDED UP ⬆️⭐️

“I hope you die in your sleep.”

Feeney is back with another twisty mystery that will have you questioning everything, thinking you’ve got all the clues figured out and ultimately leave you in a state of shock and bewilderment (in the best possible way of course!)

I’ve read all of Feeney’s books and she has an innate ability to come up with some dark and twisted mysteries that get under your skin. In Beautiful Ugly we meet Grady who is having the worst day of his life. While on the phone with his wife who’s driving home with fish and chips to celebrate his book featuring on the New York Times bestsellers’ list, he hears her slam on the brakes and get out of the car never to be seen again. Still grieving a year later, Grady is desperate to find out what happened to Abby. He can’t eat, sleep or write and he’s invited by his agent to go stay on a remote Scottish island to help him get his writing mojo back. But there he sees a woman who looks identical to his wife, and his world comes crashing down around him.

Feeney excels at atmospheric thrillers and with the setting of the remote island where communication with the mainland is non-existent, the tension and suspense remains strong throughout the story. The characters are fleshed out, nothing is what it seems and the addition of the unreliable narrator with Grady struggling to determine if what he’s experiencing is real or an illusion adds so much to the story.

The pacing can be a bit slow at times but in the last third of the story, Feeney ramps up the speed and finishes on one of the most unexpected endings she’s ever written. The novel deep dives into some big issues such as marriage, family,grief and the extent to which a person will go to get their retribution for what has happened in their lives.

Another addictive read by the author, Beautiful Ugly is out today. Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the arc. 4.5⭐️

I love Alice Feeney's writing so much. You can tell she spends a lot of time with her characters and building up the setting - the Isle of Amberly in Beautiful Ugly feels tangible and real (and quite uncanny!)

Beautiful Ugly is her best yet - one of the best parts of her work is finishing a book and thinking back on all the breadcrumbs that you missed, but had been cleverly placed the whole time.

An eerie and atmospheric read, packed full of suspense and twists. Great characters and a gripping storyline. Another great book by Alice Feeney.

Well written with a claustrophobic and menacing atmosphere The examination of a marriage between an author and an investigative journalist is told from a dual point of view. There is trauma and obsession but the final twists are shocking in their unpredictably. Recommended.

"If there is a more beautiful place on this earth I haven't found it, and her so many ugly things have happened here."

A writer's search for his missing wife whilst trying to beat writer's block on an isolated Scottish island truns very weird. In typical Feeney style this is a terrifyingly, twisted dystopian and feminist tale of revenge.

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

I loved this book!
It’s such an original story and it well and truly had me hooked.
Grady is heartbroken after his wife Abby disappears and he struggles to cope with his life as a writer.
His agent suggests he goes to a remote Scottish island and stay in a cabin that she was left in a client’s Will, to help him focus.
The island is not what he expected and it takes him a while to realise he may not be able to get back to London.
I won’t spoil it for you, as you need to see how things develop for Grady on this strange, remote island but
this is a great mystery thriller that I’d highly recommend.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this book.