I love books by Alice Feeney, each with their unique, quirky story. This one is a fascinating story, full of blind alleys, dark emotions and mysterious happenings for the reader to try to solve.

I felt personally involved in the story as Grady tries to move on with his life after Abby.

Alice Feeney writes beautiful descriptions, bringing settings to life vividly, particularly on the island of Amberly, clearly creating the emotional turmoil felt by the main character.

There was a moment when I felt that I had it worked out easily, how wrong was I!

This is a fascinating, twisty tale raising interesting thoughts - what would I do in that situation?
It is a strange dark, story full of intrigue and suspense with a brilliant, chilling ending.

Twisty turny goodness as always from this author.

Slow burn but I enjoyed the building of tension, it ended up so dramatic I loved it.

If you don’t like extra then this maybe isn’t for you but if you like an over the top thriller then give it a go.

Thrillers are so hit and miss for me now! Once you’ve read so many, they can start to feel formulaic and predictable. But Alice Feeney’s new release has finally broken my run of thrillers that didn’t quite hit the mark - it was pacey, jaw-dropping, and packed with twists!!

In Beautiful Ugly, we follow author Grady Green, whose wife, Abby, mysteriously disappears after a frantic phone call. Her car is found by a cliff edge, door open, phone inside, but there’s no trace of her. A year later, still grieving, Grady retreats to a remote Scottish island to rebuild his life… until he sees a woman who looks exactly like Abby.

Feeney is the queen of unreliable characters and keeping you on edge, never knowing who (or what) to believe. The eerie atmosphere and the way everything played out so vividly in my head made for such a fun and immersive reading experience!

I saw that Claire Mackintosh described this book as having “twists that give you whiplash,” and honestly, that’s spot on! I didn’t see things coming, and I loveddddd it. Were the twists outrageous and mostly packed in at the end? Yes… and I know some readers might not love that, but personally, I love thrillers where just when you think you’ve cracked it, you realise you haven’t, then everything finally seems to come together… until the final twist throws you off all over again. Honestly, it was so cleverly mapped out, and by the time I closed the book, I needed a lie-down; it was exhausting in the best way!!

It’s a human affliction to see what we want instead of what is really there”

Beautiful ugly by Alice Feeney

When an introverted author’s beloved wife goes missing, his whole world falls apart. To get his spark on writing he travels to a remote Scottish island that doesn’t have any connection with mainland without actually travelling out of the island. There he meets the residents who are all telling a different story, sees his presumed dead wife everywhere and unable to find a way to get back to mainland.

“Sometimes I think we are all the unreliable narrators of our own lives”

The story is dark and setting is creepy once the protagonist reaches the island. All the characters are questionable making readers guess everyone’s motive. It’s a slow burn and I had no idea how the story was gonna be! That’s a plus because all the fun goes out when we guess the storyline in a thriller 😀

Awesome read by a fantastic author, whose previous works have set a high standard, which Ithis adventure continues, a twist or 2 along the way, really enjoyable,

This could have been up there with some of Alice Feeney's other works but something was missing.

For most of the novel, it gives off strong gone girl vibes and some of the present day chapters are a bit of a drag.

With that being said, the ending has all the Feeney magic and has one of the best twists I've read in a mystery in a while.

The flashback/dual poV chapters are intriguing and exciting against the main narratives at times boring story. Nevertheless, the main narrative is full of dark atmospheric scenes that would have been astounding had just a little more happened.

The ending really is the strong point here and what claims most of the stars in this rating.

Well, well, well...you didn't do so well guessing this one, Micky. It's been a while since I've felt so needy for answers and so unsure what was really going on in a thriller. I enjoyed the ride immensely.

This thriller had two unreliable narrators and they're the only narrators we had (laughs maniacally). The story centred around a missing wife, presumed dead and the grieving author husband who is offered a quiet writing spot on a highland island. This island was creepy, cliquey with a very evasive and close-knit community. It felt immediately like once Grady (the husband) arrived, he would never be able to get off the island. No one would share the ferry timetable, the phones weren't working, no internet and no transport.

Columbo the dog was Grady's loyal companion and a bright spot of joy. Grady then spent time writing a book (there's a lot to that element that was intriguing) and once he finished his book, things got even more weird. I'll say no more to the plot but it was wild and gripping.

The occasional POV from the missing wife in a timeline before her disappearance added massively to the intrigue but the answers always felt behind a foggy window and just out of grasp. The ending was satisfying, I didn't see the later twists coming and it stayed ominous and somewhat creepy.

I have to mention a gripe I had about an inconsistency in this book (or lack of research) in relation to the geographical setting. It's a small thing but it really bugged me. This highland island was called Amberley. If you take the time to look at a map of the the west coast of Scotland, you will see not one island that has an Anglicised name. Not. One. Amberley sounds like something of the south coast of England or in the Channel Islands. Just rather irritating.

Overall, a hugely enjoyable thriller that I really recommend.

Thank you PanMacmillan and Bookbreak UK for the review copy.

Having read and adored the author's previous novels (especially Daisy Darker), I was really excited for this new novel, but, even though I still liked the story, I think this is my least favourite of her novels. It started great, a husband who is on the phone with his wife as she disappears in the night. A year later, there is still no trace of his wife as he goes on a remote island to write his next book. And it’s on this island that he starts to see her again. Despite the intriguing premises, I couldn’t quite connect with the story. I found that the pace was a bit too slow and the narrative repetitive. I didn’t really like the protagonist of the story and I wasn’t a big fan of the other characters either, and, while I loved all the twists and turns that kept coming, I found that the ending was a bit too far-fetched.

This didn’t work for me. Can’t even be bothered to write a decent review..read the o the one stars on here.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC..I guess

Alice Feeney does it again, but a little bit differently. I think this is her best novel yet, once again so tightly written that it immediately pulls you in and keeps you hooked. I read this in one sitting!
The location and atmosphere in this I think pushes it almost into the folk horror genre but still with classic Alice feeney twists, turns and rising tension.
Just sit back and get absorbed into the unnerving island and it's inhabitants.

Alice Feeney just has that special something that makes her books an experience. I always know I’m in for a wild ride when I pick one up and this was no different.

Grady was having the best day ever, finally making the Times Bestseller list and his wife was on the way home to celebrate — but she disappears, while on the phone to him. From the first chapter there’s an eerie, suffocating tension — the kind you’d expect from a supernatural horror but somehow even creepier when we put it in a real life setting.

Almost a year later, she’s nowhere to be found and Grady is living in limbo — the loneliness, desperation and grief was so palpable it hurt, a picture of a broken man. He heads off to a remote shed to try and write his second novel before his publisher demands their money back, and as he thinks about how his life fell apart so badly we learn that there’s a lot that doesn’t add up about Abby’s disappearance— something horrible is happening and he’s in the dark. It's atmospheric, isolating, eerie, with a very slow burn that might have been more a simmer at times, creating this weirdly quiet kinda of thriller that isn't for everyone but I can't say I didn't love the writing even if the twists and turns didn't quite hit the spot for me.

This is a rollercoaster of emotions and suspense! Grady's journey from despair to obsession is both heart-wrenching and thrilling, making it impossible to put this book down.

Feeney's writing is sharp and evocative, painting vivid scenes that transport you to the eerie Scottish island where secrets lurk around every corner. The characters are complex and relatable, with Grady's desperation and determination driving the plot forward at breakneck speed. And just when you think you've got it all figured out, Feeney throws in another twist that leaves you reeling

 Beautiful Ugly is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and anyone who loves a good mystery with a side of dark humor. Alice Feeney has crafted a story that is both chilling and captivating, making it the perfect book to curl up with on a dark night. So, grab a blanket, a cup of tea, and get ready to be swept away by this thrilling tale of love, loss, and revenge.

Great gripping twisty thriller typical of this author's work. I'm not sure if I found some of the twists understandable within the context of the storyline, however this author rarely presents the obvious. Also liked the creepy undertones within this book which makes you question if the main character is going mad or if the rest of the characters are!!! If you like this author I don't think you will be disappointed!

I was captivated by it from the very first page.
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It starts with the mysterious disappearance of Grady Green’s wife, Abby. A year later, struggling with insomnia and writer’s block, while trying to write his next book, Grady travels to a tiny remote Scottish island to isolate himself and try and get his life back on track. There he sees the impossible, his missing wife, Abby.
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This book gave me all the eerie and sinister vibes. The island inhabitants were all completely unique and bizarre. The story reminded me of “Don’t Look Now” (Abby’s red coat), “The Wicker Man” (were the islands inhabitants out to destroy Grady?) and “Hot Fuzz” (the walkie talkies). But this was a story all of its own.
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Filled with twists and turns and red herrings. There were so many times when I was reading the book and did not know what was going on. But I was hooked throughout.
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Grady is the perfect example of an unreliable narrator. He has insomnia and is an alcoholic. So you can’t trust anything he feels, says, sees or hears. This is a brilliant device as until the book reaches it’s dramatic conclusion you don’t feel you can believe anything you read.
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The ending was amazing. And left me dumbfounded and in shock. Just brilliant.
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I do like thrillers but they have to be absolutely amazing to impress me and this book certainly was that.

It might have taken me a while to finish this (not the book's fault), but my god, it might be my favorite Alice Feeney book ever. It was definitely a slow burn, with the last few chapters being absolutely phenomenal. I didn’t see any of the twists coming and the ending still leaves me unsure whether it actually happened or not. The cult-like, creepy vibes were everything.

In my opinion, this more than made up for how mediocre I found Good Bad Girl. So, if you were disappointed by that one, do yourself a favor and don't skip on this one!

"The world is beautiful ugly, relationships are beautiful ugly, love is beautiful ugly. Understanding that makes life easier to live with."

What should have been the best day of author Grady Green’s life turns into his worst day when his wife Abby disappears the same day he discovers he’s a New York Times bestseller. A year later, Grady travels to a remote Scottish Island with just 25 inhabitants, where he hopes he can write his next book and start to move on. But before he’s even got on the island he sees a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife. On the island things get even stranger: he keeps seeing the woman and even hears his missing wife’s voice on the telephone. And then there’s the odd behaviour of the island’s residents. What secrets are they keeping? And do they hold the key to uncovering the truth about Abby’s disappearance?

Dark, atmospheric, eerie and addictive, Beautiful Ugly is another first-class thriller from the pen of Alice Feeney. Opening with Abby’s disappearance, Feeney sets the sinister tone from the start. Skillfully written, cleverly plotted and heart-poundingly tense, Feeney knows how to hold the reader in her thrall; jaw-dropping twists keeping me on the edge of my seat and keeping me guessing until the very last page.

The Isle of Amberley is a beautiful, peaceful and idyllic place that has an undercurrent of danger. The residents are secretive and strange, and from the start there is an unwelcoming and unsettling atmosphere. Evocative imagery brings it to life in vivid detail and it felt like the island was a character in its own right, even mirroring the humans in this story who may have been ordinary on the surface, but sinister underneath and all of them seem to be unreliable narrators, including Grady and Abby. Every chapter had me questioning what I was being told and not knowing who I could trust. I had no idea how much of Grady’s story was real, how much might be lies, or how much was in his mind. All is revealed slowly, past and present merging together to unveil the shocking truth. And I didn't see it coming.

I highly recommend this unsettling and compelling thriller.

i really enjoy alice feeney books but unfortunately this wasn’t my favourite , i feel it fell flat in places. i did really enjoy some of the plot twist but not my favourite alice feeney book.

Alice Feeney has done a pretty good job as establishing herself as a well liked thriller author and while I haven't much read a lot of her work myself, I enjoyed Beautiful Ugly for giving me most of what I look for in my favourite genre.

The book begins with our main character, Grady Green, receiving the phone call of his life...but within moments his life is shattered. A year later, he's still struggling to pick up the pieces and is enticed with a gorgeous writing space in the form of a cabin on a small Scottish Island. With lots of open spaces and a tight knit efficient community, he's sure to get his writing underway. That is until, he thinks he spots his missing wife.

As the story progresses, we begin to learn more about his wife, Abby, and the book also becomes an exploration of the intensity of marriage, grief and vengeance. Feeney has done a really good job at combining elements of all these themes in order to get us deep into the dark mystery of this island.

I loved the setting and found the island perfect for creating that sense of claustrophobia that ran throughout the book. Once the book was nearing the big reveal, the plot twists kept me turning the pages as I tried to figure out what was going on. As usual, I wasn't even close but maybe you'll do a better job at that than me. Disclaimer: Grady Green is not a likeable character. Don't come at me if you feel strongly about unlikeable main characters. I did warn ya!

I’ve read and loved rock, paper scissors so was looking forward to this one. Sadly it just wasn’t for me. It was too much of a slow burn for me, I found it hard to keep reading. I then thought the twist at the end was too predictable (especially given rock, paper, scissors), On this occasion not one I’d recommend.

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.