A year ago, Grady Green’s wife, Abby, disappeared from her car. Devastated, Grady, a bestselling author, lost his mojo, lost his everything. To throw him a lifeline, his agent, Kitty, gives him access to a cottage in a forest on the small, isolated, Scottish island of Amberley. The cottage had been left to her by a previous client, a globally famous, bur reclusive, author, who had written all his books there. Perhaps the change would similarly inspire Grady. The island is only reachable by ferry and the ferry is intermittent, in fact capricious since it depends on the whim of the pilot. There is no Wi-Fi; no phone signal; the weather is as capricious as the ferry; the twenty-five residents are all a bit weird, a bit secretive, a bit cliquish; the giant redwood trees are almost worshiped; strange messages keep appearing in the cabin; and he keeps seeing (or hallucinating) his missing wife.
All of that list suggests we are in a sort of “Wickerman” fantasy horror story, but are we? Nothing appears to be ‘normal’, but that is the author’s style: “keep the readers guessing”. And you will, right up to the end. The only problem is that this is all a bit too OTT, everything is misdirection. You can’t see the wood for the trees, but it is after all a mystery story. As to star ratings, I can see reasons for making it a 2, and reasons for making it a 5. That gives 3.5 as a mean, and so 4 with rounding.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is a dark and atmospheric thriller that kept me hooked with its mysterious twists. The story follows Grady Green, a bestselling author whose wife, Abby, vanishes under strange circumstances while he's on the phone with her. A year later, Grady, struggling with grief and writer's block, moves to a remote Scottish island to focus on his next book. But the island holds unsettling secrets, and Grady begins to question his reality when he sees a woman who looks exactly like Abby.
The setting is wonderfully eerie, with a cast of quirky, suspicious characters that add to the tension. While the pacing starts slow, it mirrors Grady's unraveling mind and builds to a shocking conclusion. The final twists had me rethinking the entire story, and I was tempted to reread for hidden clues. If you enjoy slow-burn psychological thrillers with a haunting vibe, this is a great pick!

Wow!! If you like dark thrillers, you must read this!!
Grady Green is an author. One night, his wife goes missing, and he loses everything! He is given a chance to get things back on track but has to move to a tiny Scottish island to try and write his next novel. So many strange things are happening on this island, including he thinks he keeps seeing he believed dead wife.
This book is anything but unpredictable, and once you start, you won't put it down until you have finished!
Love this part of the book:
"We live in a world filled with hate and hurt, these are dark times, but there is still love and light if you look for it. Everyone you know is capable of being both good and bad. And one man's right is another man's wrong. We have built a society that places far too much importance on a phony idea of beauty and perfection. The world is full of people behaving like clones, all trying to look, sound, and be the same. Too busy constantly comparing themselves to each other on tiny screens to see the bigger picture. I've accepted that I can't change the world, but I do believe that uniqueness is something to be celebrated, not feared or frowned upon. Life is beautiful and life is ugly and we have to learn to live with both sides of that same coin and see the light in the darkness. The world is Beautiful Ugly, relationships are Beautiful Ugly, people are Beau- tiful Ugly. Understanding that makes life easier to live with."
Read thanks to @NetGalley_UK #BeautifulUgly

It took me a while to get into this one, but once I was in…. Wow. The plot is unlike anything I’ve ever read before, the twists are insane and the final reveal had me literally gasping with shock so loudly that I scared my boyfriend! My first book by the author but definitely not my last

Beautiful Ugly is a wild ride so prepare yourself! Things kick off with devoted husband Grady Green waiting to hear if he's made the NY Times Bestseller list - without his wife being there, much to his irritation. Abby is on her way back from work, but celebrates with him on the phone. As they speak, she stops the car to help someone she can see lying in the road - but then disappears, leaving Grady to wonder what on earth happened to her.

Fast forward a year, and Grady's struggling to write his new novel, so his agent Kitty offers him a cabin on a remote Scottish island to write in. Off he goes - but it soon becomes clear that the island isn't quite what it seems to be...

This book does a great job of playing with Grady - and the reader-'s minds. You start to wonder whose minds we can trust - is Grady really seeing and hearing the odd things he purports to? As his mind seemingly unravels, the tension ramps up, and the story admittedly requires much more suspension of disbelief - but I loved every page! I loved reading about all the mysterious, unsettling characters on the island, and the mystery of what really happened to Abby which hangs over the book kept me intrigued.

I don't want to spoil anything about this novel so I'll just say that if you're a fan of Alice Feeney's other novels, you'll be pleased to know this is another corker! And if not, it's a great one to start with as it manages to be both tense and a slow burner at the same time. Island life is slow and relaxing but things definitely are not for Grady... Highly recommended!

What a unique story and told through the eyes of Grady Green a times best selling author. Grady loves his wife and she is the only person in his life apart from his dog until one day she goes missing. Fast forward 12 months and he is invited to go and stay on a remote Scottish island to try and kick start his writing again. The story and plot were something I didn’t even try and second guess and the book was definitely a page turner. My issue was I didn’t really like Grady and struggled to not want to shout down the book at him hence the 4 stars. Would I want to visit the island of Amberley too, probably not. But overall a fab book with a story I don’t think I will ever come close to reading something like it again. Well done Alice another fab book.

Alice Feeney is truly a master of plot twist; this book is no exception to that!

I was loss for words in the last 20% of the book; it was a big surprise to me and made me rethink everything I'd read from the beginning. Which one is the reality, which one is telling the truth, or is it all in this character mind the whole time ?

I knew from the start that our main character, Grady is not a 100% reliable narrator for this story due to his drinking habits and lack of sleep. I felt sympathetic towards him after losing his wife, whom he seemed to cherish and love so much.
HOWEVER, my mind started to wander with several theories about Grady after seeing his actions when he was living on this isolated island…

The author did a great job in crafting this creepy and remote setting with its unusual residents, which added to the tension and sense of isolation that can be felt throughout the book.

There’s only one thing that prevent me from fully enjoying this book—the pacing; some parts are slow and at times feel dragging.
Usually I prefer fast-paced thriller stories, so this felt a little too slow for me. Even though I admit the slow pace was needed to show the changes of Grady’s emotional and psychological state.

Overall, the ending really make up for all the slow build-up at the beginning.
The last chapter pique my interest, after knowing all the twists, I had this urge to reread the book again with a different perspective to look closer to the clues now that I know the truth and the secret message!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: emotional manipulation, psychological distress, violence, alcoholism, murder, sexual assault, child abuse, death, brief mention of Pedophilia and sexual content

Grady Green is a bestselling author who's wife goes missing while he's on the phone with her one night. He's tortured by her disappearance - and running out of money. So when his agent suggests he stays in an old cabin on a remote Scottish island to write his next book, he jumps at the chance - and then he starts seeing things...

Beautiful Ugly has an intriguing premise, but it's a very slow burn, which is frustrating when you start figuring out aspects of the plot chapters and chapters ahead of the main character. It might be different if he was a wonderful person to spend time with, but he's not really. I enjoyed finding out the truth about the island, but it wasn't the kind of plausible twist that makes you go 'oh that makes sense, I must tell my friends about it'. Perhaps I simply wasn't the right reader for this one.

I did enjoy this book and found the mystery intriguing but felt it just too far fetched. I’d have given it a 3.5 though.

THIS. WAS. SO. GOOD. I felt as though every time I walked away from this one I couldn't stop thinking about how Grady was getting on in his cabin in the woods - a strange mix of a horror like setting, with some unsetting psychological dilemmas - is Grady mad or is there something more at play? A missing wife, and a strange bunch of people on the island...What isn't to love?! I was left jaw dropped at the end and can't wait to read whatever Alice Feeney writes next!

I am a huge Alice Feeney fan, and this book is potentially my second favourite of all that she’s written. Brilliant characterisation of the island - wouldn’t mind taking a one way trip to Amberly myself one day!

Alice Feeney delivers yet another masterful thriller in Beautiful Ugly, a deliciously dark tale of love, marriage, and revenge set against the eerie backdrop of a remote Scottish island. Brilliantly twisty, this novel keeps you on the edge of your seat, questioning not only the characters’ realities but your own. Feeney’s storytelling is razor-sharp, her characters complex, and her pacing relentless. I devoured this book in just a few days, unable to put it down.

The story centers on Grady Green, a celebrated author whose life is shattered when his wife, Abby, vanishes. On what should have been the best day of his life, Grady calls Abby to share exciting news. Moments later, he hears her slam on the brakes, get out of her car, and then—silence. He finds her abandoned car by a cliff edge, headlights on, door ajar, phone left behind. Abby is gone without a trace. A year later, consumed by grief and desperate for answers, Grady retreats to a small Scottish island to reset. But then he encounters the unthinkable—a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

Feeney masterfully explores themes of identity, love, and the cracks in seemingly perfect marriages. The island’s brooding atmosphere mirrors the tension bubbling beneath the surface of Grady’s psyche. Each twist and revelation will leave you questioning who to trust and what is real, much like Grady himself.

This was my first encounter with Feeney’s work, but it certainly won’t be my last. Her ability to create a story that is as haunting as it is addictive is unparalleled. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers that leave you breathless, Beautiful Ugly is an absolute must-read. Nothing on this island—or in this story—is quite what it seems.

Grady is an author and Abby is an investigative journalist. They are happily married … or are they?

When Abby disappears one night, Grady is lost without her and hasn’t written a book since. His agent, Kitty, suggests he goes to stay on a Scottish island called
Amberly, she owns a cabin that was last owned by another author.

With his dog, Columbo, Grady heads off to Amberly to try and clear his head and write his next bestseller.

With strange goings-on from the moment he steps foot onto Amberly, will Grady settle on the island? Why does he think he keeps on seeing his wife?

The story is told over two different points of view - Grady’s and Abby’s. Just when I thought I was putting it all together, I was proven wrong.

The characters are intriguing and I loved Cora, who came across as quite eccentric. Interesting backgrounds to many of the residents of Amberly.

There are a lot of twists and red herrings in this story, which help to make this such a great and dark thriller.

My thanks to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dark, twisty and slightly spooky, this is totally enthralling. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen or if the narrator was hallucinating. Alice Feeney is a total queen of atmospheric thrillers.

Alice Feeney’s Beautiful Ugly is a dark and twisty tale that had me hooked from the first page. Feeney’s trademark blend of psychological suspense and raw emotion is on full display here, with a story that’s as haunting as it is beautifully written. The characters are flawed and deeply human, making their journey all the more compelling. If you’re looking for a thriller that’s equal parts chilling and thought-provoking, this one’s for you! Picking for our bookclub, 2,400 members!

This novel is full of the most incredible twists and turns. It was utterly gripping and kept me guessing - I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t work out what was going on. I absolutely loved around 90% of this book but the ending didn’t quite do it for me and just left me a little unsatisfied.

3.75⭐️

This book was crazy. It started out a bit slow, and the secluded setting quickly made me feel uneasy, especially the characters in it. Once I hit the 50% mark I read it one sitting, things were getting weirder and weirder. However I didn’t feel satisfied by the ending for some reason. But definitely a wild ride and would recommend if you want a fun fast paced thriller. I would love to see this as a movie!!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this arc.

This was good!!! I had a good time with it. It’s possibly one of my faves now by Alice Feeney. I will definitely be recommending this book!

A creepy setting where nothing is what it seems, and a sinister tale of revenge that knows no bounds, Beautiful Ugly kept me enthralled to the bitter unexpected end. A lot of the plot was very far fetched but Feeney is such a brilliant wordsmith that you just go along with it. Brilliant!

Grady Green has just become a NYT Bestseller, but as he's celebrating his wife disappears while still on the phone to him.

As Grady struggles with his grief his ability to write suffers so when one year on, his agent suggests a writing retreat he feels he has nothing to lose. Grady travels to the tiny remote Scottish island with his faithful pooch Columbo by his side and from even before he boards the ferry there's something unsettling about the island. He sees someone who looks exactly like his missing wife but that's impossible, it must be just the pure exhaustion right?


"Wives think their husbands will change, but they don't.

Husbands think their wives won't change, but they do."


This was my favourite quote from this book, like all Alice Feeney stories I was guessing the twist the whole way through. This was full of creepy island vibes where nothing is what it seems. I absolutely loved this book, it kept me second guessing the whole time! Dual POV, creepy island, and a story that keeps you on your toes. This is one I'll definitely read again!

Thank you to Netgalley and PanMacmillan for providing me with an ARC of this book. As always opinions provided are my own.