One minute author Grady Green is on top of the world the next his world comes crashing down. He has not been able to write anything since that fateful day. However his agent is determined to get him writing a best seller again and suggests he hole up in a cottage she owns on an isolated Scottish island. Peace with no distractions could be just what he needs.

In Beautiful Ugly, as with most Alice Feeney books darkness descends more or less as soon as you start reading. Then following our protagonist a year later mystery continues to linger just like the mist I envisage surrounding the eerie Scottish island he is about to arrive at. For most of the book I had no idea what was going on...in a good way and I was happy to just go along for the ride and wait for Feeney to reveal more along the way. I was so immersed in the island's atmosphere and the local's quirks that I didn't even realise something that was staring me right in the face. I did suspect a small part of where the story was headed but couldn't quite fit it together with everything else. After revelling in the slow burn twistiness of Grady's time on the island I was slightly disappointed by the speed of the reveals at the end but then the final crescendo was highly satisfying. I love a book within a book and Feeney played this to perfection in that it added an extra something to the thrilling plot, I just hope she didn't write it from experience!

Thank you for letting me read a digital copy of this amazing book. Alice Feeney, all I can say is “wow”! What an incredible story you’ve written. It was fantastic. I didn’t expect the twists at the end but they were perfect. I look forward to the next book. Thank you.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeny is as craftily plotted and twisty as one has come to expect of the Queen-of-twists.

The night Grady Green’s latest thriller makes it to the New York Times bestsellers list is also the night his wife vanishes. The disappearance, with no clue as to whether she is dead or alive, wrecks Grady’s life, draining his creative juices and making him a pauper. After a year of despair, Grady accepts the lifeline thrown by his agent, also his wife’s godmother, which will let him occupy the cabin of a deceased writer on a remote island off the Scottish coast and attempt to write again. With a resident population of twenty-five – no visitors for much of the year – and a tenuous connection with the mainland, the remote but picturesque island seems ideal for someone like Grady. But his stay on the island is marked by occurrences that rapidly rob Grady of his sanity – from visions of his wife to ominous messages – and it seems that his leaving the island alive is impossible.

Beautiful Ugly features Feeny’s trademark unreliable narrators and a storytelling that leads the reader away from the truth. The characters are well-crafted, but none of them, barring Columbo, Grady's dog, are much likeable. While it begins well enough, with the wife’s disappearance and the husband’s deterioration followed by plans of redemption, the plot slackens once Grady starts living on the island and picks up towards the end. The twists and the revelations towards the end are unexpected, albeit stretching plausibility at times, and the finish is satisfactory if somewhat darker than expected. If I have to compare, Feeny's previous, Good Bad Girl, was far more enjoyable due to its excellent set of characters in addition to the other Feeny features. Nevertheless, I liked Beautiful Ugly for its unreliable narration, eerie setting, and the twists that Feeny invariably delivers and would rate it 3.5 out of 5.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan for the digital review copy of Beautiful Ugly through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was a twisty, atmospheric read full of eerie moments, curious character and just the right amount of mystery to keep you guessing. Grady Green makes for a compelling, flawed protagonist, and his unraveling journey adds depth to the spooky plot. The story starts with a chilling disappearance and only gets stranger from there. While there were times the pacing could’ve picked up, especially in the middle, the slow build did help to create a haunting, suspenseful tone. The island setting added an extra layer of creepiness. A solid pick for fans of psychological thrillers with a supernatural edge.

The beginning of the book gripped me as we meet Grady and find out his wife has disappeared without a trace and a year after his agent is sending him to an island to help him get back into writing another book and resuming his career. From here we see him spiralling and wandering what’s real and what isn’t real and then suddenly there are many twists and turns especially towards the end which make it a bit hard to follow along with all the new things being thrown at you.

In this novel, we meet author Grady Green as he is on the phone to his wife just as she disappears. We then cut to Grady a year later, struggling with the disappearance of his wife and with his career suffering as a result. When his agent offers him the use of her isolated cabin on a remote Scottish island, Grady grasps at the chance to relax and write. However, the island and its inhabitants are not what he expected.

As ever with this author, this book is a slow-burn suspense thriller, with plenty of twists, turns, and surprises along the way. The plot is engaging and the conclusion is satisfying.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

I found this to be good in parts but then towards the end it kind of lost me a bit and maybe for me personally there were one too many twists and turns

This was bonkers and so fun! Not my favorite Alice Feeney but a fun read nonetheless, especially if you like unrealistic thrillers where you just ride along.

Thank you for letting me read a digital copy of this amazing book. Alice Feeney, all I can say is “wow”! What an incredible story you’ve written. It was fantastic. I didn’t expect the twists at the end but they were perfect. I look forward to the next book. Thank you.

#NetGalley #BeautifulUgly

My first Feeny book!
So, a writer whose book has reached number one on the New York bestseller list… and that same night, his Wife disappears without a trace. As a faithful husband, he naturally grieves and tries to find his wife and understand what happened, but now it’s been a year and she’s still nowhere to be found. He’s just a shadow, he doesn’t sleep, he doesn’t write… so his agent sends him to a secluded Scottish island so he can write in peace.
But what his agent dosen't tell him is that once he’s on the island, it’s almost impossible for him to leave, that only women live on the island, and that the house he’s going to live in once belonged to a very famous writer.
It’s a strange house. It’s like being looked after by a fairy folk, because there’s always food waiting for him and there’s always a fire in the fireplace and everything he needs just appears as if by magic and then he finds…
What happens next and how/or if he gets off that island … that is in the hands of our brilliant author and you’re reading it.

A real pleasure to read!

I have previously read a couple of Alice Feeney’s novels and enjoyed them so was excited to read this one.
This book was really engaging and I couldn’t work out what was happening for quite a long time with twists and turns. It kept me reading late at night until I could work out what an earth was going on! Well recommended read

Only just got round to reading this but oh my word!! Always has me guessing the twists and turns. Yet again I was tricked!! I love love love Feeneys writing and devoured this in a day!

Another excellent read by Alice Feeney. I love the way that Alice keeps you guessing right until the very end. 5 stars

I’ve always enjoyed Alice Feeney’s books, and this one was no exception. It’s a gripping, atmospheric story packed with twists, red herrings and just the right amount of unease.

From the start, I felt completely drawn in as Grady tries to rebuild his life after Abby. The descriptions are beautifully vivid, especially the island setting, which Feeney brings to life so well that you can almost feel the isolation and tension creeping in.

There was a point where I thought I’d cracked it - only to be completely thrown off track. It’s one of those stories that keeps you second guessing right up until its chilling, brilliant ending.

Dark, intriguing and unsettling in all the best ways, this is another cleverly crafted thriller from Feeney!

This book kept me turning the pages as I wanted to find out what happened. I felt there was alot going on, on such a small island, There were twists and one in particular I did not quite understand.

Alice Feeney is one of my favourite authors and I know her books will always be a hit for me! Her writing style is so engaging and I love the way she describes each scene.

A thrilling story that held my attention from page one. Alice Feeney is simply brilliant and I love her books and writing style . Highly recommend. Easy 5 plus 🌟. This is a must read

Such a good thriller!! Alice Feeney has a way of writing that leaves you on edge and the setting >>> SO GOOD
I had such fun buddy reading in a book club with the publisher, it made the experience even better.

Alice Feeney is the queen of plot twists and she executes them so well! Just when you think you know bam there comes the plot twist!

I just love this book. It blew my mind. On the island nothing is what it seems to be. Odd and bizarre things happen on this island. There are so many crazy characters on the island too they are all unlikable.

A good read a bit of a slow start but once I got into it I thought it was ok. It is a thrillers where weak characters, loose plotting, everything is built around a wacky twist that of course you didn’t see coming because it’s so ludicrous.