First things first - Feeney has retained her crown of "Queen of Twists" with this one!

🔪 Coming to the plot - Grady Green's wife Abby, disappears on the day his book becomes a bestseller. With that he loses all he ever had his fame, his money, the talent to write & even his home - because he never got closure, she just disappeared & he doesn't know whether she's still alive.

🔪As luck has it, his agent gives him a chance for revival asking him to start writing again & to help him do that she sends him to the Scottish Island of Amberly.

🔪But once he's on the island creepy things begin to happen, including him hallucinating his wife.

🔪The story is told in 2 timelines before Abby's disappearance & after & two POVs - Grady & Abby.

🔪 Feeney's writing is exquisite & it's difficult not to highlight paras & paras.

🔪I wanted to get to know Abby more & that kept bothering me as the frequency of her POV was quite less. Her POV also bothered me with what she told about her husband.

🔪I am all in for details including how the MC makes their tea/coffee. But here, I felt the details of the Scottish Island of Amberly was a bit overdone. I first fell in love with it, but later it felt like I wanted more of the characters not the island.

🔪The twist definitely did turnout to be the saviour. The reason & backstory not much - communication committed suicide.

🔪I'm a big Feeney fan & have read all her books but this didn't top that list for me.

🔪You will love this book if you are new to this genre or if the psychological thriller genre appeals to you or if you are a Feeney fan.

I absolutely LOVE Alice Feeney’s books and have read every single one of them since she first published Sometimes I Lie in March 2017. Each and every one of her books including Rock Paper Scissors, I Know Who You Are, His and Hers, Good Bad Girl and my favourite Daisy Darker has left me reeling, confused, gob-smacked and thoroughly entertained. When I saw she has a new book out next year I was absolutely THRILLED and delighted to get an advanced copy to read and when the wonderful LISA JEWELL gave it her royal seal of approval I knew I had to put it to the top of my reading pile immediately.

If you have read any of Alice’s previous books then you know that you are in for a wild ride and that NOTHING is ever as it seems and NO-ONE is ever who they claim to be and Beautiful Ugly is no exception.

Grady Green is our main character. He’s a famous, best-selling author and devoted husband to Abby. Whilst waiting to hear if his latest book is a New York bestseller he is on the phone to Abby who is driving home to celebrate when she stops the car suddenly and then disappears.

Twelve months later Grady is still grieving the loss of his true love. He’s lost his home, is financially ruined and unable to write the book his publishers have been waiting for. When his agent offers him a life-line to spend a few months on a tiny Scottish island to try to write a book and get his life back on track he has no alternative but to take it.

However when he gets to this remote little island, his world is rocked when he thinks he sees Abby. Is he losing his mind? Are the residents of this small community strange? Is something weird going on? What secrets are they hiding and why?

This book is chilling, atmospheric, spooky, weird, messed up, clever, gripping, sinister, full of twists and kept me guessing throughout.

Cleverly plotted Beautiful Ugly tells the two sides of the story from both Grady and Abby and as we know from Alice’s previous books, there is always her side, his side and then the truth. Don’t believe what you read, question everything you think you know and enjoy this book which will completely mess with your head.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Found this one a bit tricky to get on with- the initial premise is great- a wife disappears whilst on the phone to her husband and a year later he is trying to scrape his life back together. However for me the island setting was just too far fetched, the almost coven like community with their hallucinogenic tea, their unwillingness to host visitors and their cult-like behaviour made me skip through some parts of the book to reach the crux of the mystery.

Although a bit bit of slow burner, it is well worth sticking with this book. Beautifully written and truly a masterpiece.

Alice Feeney has really come up trumps with this twisty joyride of a tail. Grady is a writer and has just had the best news of his career. He has topped the New York times bestseller list! But, just as he is telling his wife, she comes across a dead body in the road. His wife then disappears. A year later his agent calls him into his office as he really needs to start writing again. She has a plan to send him away to a secluded Island. Here is where the mystery deepens. This story really keeps you guessing until the end. I would highly recommend!

I think this is the most unhinged book by Alice Feeney. What a wild ride! Especially the very ending, so many twists. I was looking for my jaw somewhere on the floor after I finished the book.

Not my favourite by Alice Feeney, but definitely a mystery to devore in a couple of days!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy of the book for review.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

This is one of my favourite - if not my favourite - Alice Feeney books in her backlist!

I absolutely cannot get over her writing, both it's prose and thoughtfulness. Beautiful ugly is hauntingly beautiful with a very unreliable male narrator and some bad ass women. I took my time with this one to really absorb every word, and the cover????? GORGEOUS.

The island's isolation gives the story a creepy vibe, making the tension build with every page - this is definitely a winter thriller.

4.5: would recommend

Grady Green, a successful author, has just reached the pinnacle of his career—becoming a New York Times Best Seller. Excitedly, he calls his wife Abby to share the moment. But their conversation is abruptly interrupted when Abby slams on the brakes and tells Grady someone is lying in the road. She leaves the phone behind as she rushes to help, but never returns. When Grady arrives, her car is still running, the door wide open, her phone untouched—Abby has vanished.

A year later, Grady is trapped in a cycle of despair, unable to move forward. When the opportunity to retreat to a remote cabin on the Scottish island of Amberley arises, he seizes it, hoping to find solace and maybe even the inspiration for his next novel. But the tranquillity of the island hides something far more unsettling.

Amberley is portrayed with stunning detail, bringing the island's unpredictable weather and wild beauty to life. The isolation seeps into the story, creating a sense of foreboding that mirrors Grady’s unravelling mind. The locals, initially warm, begin to act strangely, adding to the building tension as Grady struggles to separate reality from his imagination. Is someone manipulating him, or is his own mind playing tricks?

The atmosphere grows more unsettling with every chapter, maintaining a gripping tension throughout. The narrative dives deep into Grady’s mental state, making it as much a psychological exploration as it is a thriller. Every twist and revelation will leave you questioning everything right up to the final, chilling conclusion.

This novel delivers an eerie, slow-burning suspense that builds to an unforgettable climax, leaving readers reflecting on its dark themes long after turning the final page. Highly recommended for fans of psychological suspense.

Grady Green is an author and this day his dreams comes true. He has become a New York Best selling author. To celebrate the news and to see if his determined Investigative Journalist wife Abby is on her way home, he gives her a call. Abby is driving in her car when she says that she has hit someone on the road. She gets out of her car even though Grady says not too and then the phone line goes dead. When he goes to the place that he last heard his wife. The car is left open, but his wife has vanished.
In the coming months he wonders where his wife is. The Police have searched but end up with nothing. With all the stress he is under he cannot write, so there is no money coming in. He loses he home. He gets a call from his agent. She gives him a choice to go and use an old writing cabin on the small island of Amberly. When he gets there, he senses that something is not right with the locals and with all the stress he is under and the lovely whiskey that he has been drinking. He thinks he sees glimpses of his wife. Is he hallucinating or is it really Abby?
Wow what can I say. Alice Feeney has done it again with another fabulous book ‘Beautiful ugly.
At first, I didn’t know what to expect because it is a bit different to the authors usual writing style. But I wasn’t disappointed. This has a tense, creepy storyline and lots going that kept me wanting to find out more about the locals and that famous authors twist especially at the end. I couldn’t get enough of this book I read it in a day. Well deserved 5 stars.

One thing you can always bank on when reading an Alice Feeney book is a story with so many twists and turns you are never really sure what is going on. Just when you think you have it figured out, you hit another hairpin bend.
When NYT bestselling writer Grady Green’s wife mysteriously goes missing, he is floundering and unable to concentrate to write, so his agent sends him and his dog to a tiny Scottish island to get away from it all. But from the outset things in the old writer’s cabin he is living in are not as they appear and he keeps seeing his wife everywhere.
With touches of Agatha Christie and Stephen King, this book will seriously have you on the edge of your seat desperate to get to the last page….

Alice Feeney is a favourite author of mine (Daisy Darker is one of my favourite books) and her quirky, odd twists and turns are just my cup of tea.

However, there were a few discrepancies with Beautiful Ugly. I'll start with the negatives (bad news first, always, in my book). There is something weird going on with Abby, I can't say too much as it's a major spoiler, but there were other, less shall we say dramatic ways to go about her life. But then I guess we wouldn't have heard about Amberley. Grady is SO whiny and brattish, he needs a good, swift kick up the jacksy (he gets it).

Now for the positives, and there are more of those. So many more. I'll start with Columbo. How great is he?!? Just fab, and for those who care, no harm whatsoever comes to him. He really is a great addition to the story (and this is one of the reasons why I love Alice Feeney - dogs!)

Now for my other favourite character, Amberley itself. Oh my giddy aunt. If I could pack up my goods and chattels and go there right now, I would be on the ferry before you can say Celtic Goddess. Hell. I'd even swim. And I'd never leave. The charm and magic of this book is down to this strange and wonderful place, it is spooky, chilling and mysterious. And wild, unspoilt and breathtakingly beautiful. I would absolutely beg, borrow or steal to have that cabin as my own. Sadly there is already a potter on the island, but she makes blue things so I'll forgive her.

They call Ms Feeney Queen of the Twist, which I guess in a way she is, but there are so many authors these days that excel at that (and some not so much). There is a major twist or three here, one I never expected at all. But I can be gullible in that way.

This is a quick and easy read, I finished it in one sitting in a few hours. It's not life-changing, but the possibility that somewhere out there an Amberley is waiting for me most certainly is.

Well I'm now definitely an Alice Feeney convert and will be off to add more books to my library...this was absolutely amazing!!

The writing just flowed brilliantly and the storytelling from Grady's voice was just the perfect tone. There were some really strong hitting, poignant sentences throughout which I'm always a big fan of....and then everything got turned on its head and really took off!

I loved everything about this..the two voices of Grady and Abby, the setting of the island of Amberly, the creepy vibes throughout, the final stretch... absolutely amazing!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the ARC...this is definitely a recommended read and a 5 star all round

Wow what a storyline that was! Life is both beautiful and ugly. This story follows Grady and Abby, a married couple. Abby goes missing and Grady finds himself lost and unable to cope. An offer is made to him and he finds himself with nothing to lose. I did not see the twists and turns coming with this one! I shouted at one of them much to my husband and cats surprise. This book really got me! Incredible writing with some great characters. The anxiety was high! A good message about women’s rights and how much they suffer towards a male centred world! Really resonated with me. Would recommend!

Firstly, thank you so much to Pan Macmillan, Netgalley & Alice Feeney for allowing me to read Beautiful Ugly in exchange for honest feedback.

I found myself drawn in to the story straight away! One minute, Abby is on the phone to her husband, Grady, the next she disappears without a trace after getting out of her car to check on someone lying in the middle of the road?! I love a thriller so I had high hopes! There were definitely creepy vibes, which I enjoyed - it gave me goosebumps a few times!

The only thing I struggled with was connecting to any of the characters. None of them really stood out to me & Grady wasn't overly likeable... Columbo was probably my favourite!

Pace-wise, the story dropped off slightly at times, but it kept me hooked enough to keep reading through to the end. I'm too nosey & need to know what's going on!

The ending confused me & it didn't make complete sense - the very last chapter felt a wee bit rushed & a bit out of the blue, but maybe it was just me!

Overall, I enjoyed Beautiful Ugly & loved the Scottish setting of the story!

Grady Green has finally achieved his dream of becoming a best-selling author, but on the very night he is set to celebrate with his wife Abby, she vanishes without a trace. A year later, Grady is invited to a secluded cabin on a remote Scottish island in hopes of rekindling his creativity. However, he soon learns that the island and its strange inhabitants are shrouded in mystery, and danger lurks where no one can be trusted.

While the premise is intriguing, the mystery itself felt somewhat predictable, and the plot’s complexity sometimes worked against it. The story takes a while to gain momentum, and I struggled to connect with the characters. At times, the pacing dragged, and certain repetitive elements bogged down the narrative.

The ending, while offering an unexpected twist, felt rushed and somewhat disconnected from the rest of the story. It left me with unanswered questions and a sense that it could have been more fully realized. However, despite its flaws, Beautiful Ugly did hold my attention and kept me engaged through to the final page.

Author Grady Green was on the phone with his wife when she got out of her car and disappeared completely. Since then his life has unravelled, and his only remaining option is to move to a remote Scottish island where nothing is what it seems...

This book is a wicked thriller than kept me firmly on the edge of my seat ... Until the end, where it just got a bit odd. However, despite being disappointed by the ending, I still enjoyed the book!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A superb story full of twists and turns and intrigue. Keeps you engrossed all the way through and totally absorbed! Well recommended.

s soon as Alice Feeney has finished a new book I have to get my hands on it!'
So I was happy to receive and advanced reading copy of Beautiful Ugly.
This is the story of Grady and Abby a supposedly happily married couple?! Grady is a quite sucessfull writer but after the vanishing of his wife he can't cope anymore. So his agent Kitty sends him off to a remote island to spark his inspiration again.
But there is something quite off with this island (which unfortunately is fiction and doesn't really exist) or is it Grady who is slowly starting to get crazy?
Things do get really weird and odd!!!
The book is mainly told from Grady's view although we also get a glimpse into Abby's life before her vanishing.
Just get on this crazy ride and enjoy it in Columbo's company!
Thank you #NetGalley #Macmillan for this ARC

An exciting thriller read with twists that keep you guessing till the end! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! I look forward to reading other books by this author. There were so many twists in this book I didn’t see coming. But then again I rarely can figure books out. I would definitely recommend this book!