5★

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc of this book.

I have to say that I truly enjoyed this a lot. So much more than I actually expected. The whole time I was thinking of giving it around 4 stars but I really loved the ending. And I feel like everyone got what they deserved. So that bumped it up a lot for me.

I also enjoyed the writing a lot. It’s very well written, fast paced, easy to read and I can’t wait to pick up more books by this author. This was my first one but I’m definitely picking up more soon.

I don’t know what to say about the plot without giving too much away, but it was really intriguing to follow and I constantly wanted to know more!

The atmosphere was very eerie and I loved the whole island vibe as well. Very creepy, just how I like it.

Overall I’d recommend this book if you want some fast-paced fun thriller. Perfect for the colder months if you’re a mood reader too.

I've read a few Alice Feeney books and really enjoyed them, so was really keen to see the latest but Beautiful Ugly missed the mark a bit for me. Yes, if was still a good read and I was keen to find out what happened and as usual there are lots of twists along the way. - I think the problem was was the characters.

I really didn't feel the love for Grady Green, the main character for the book, and the more I read, the more I disliked him and found myself hoping he would come to an abrupt ending early on.. He spots someone who looks like his wife who disappeared a year ago, but could it be his insomnia playing up or too much drinking? the characters on the island were very odd to say the least and it was a bit too unrealistic.

However don't let this put you off and I'd always try anything that this author has written.

A big thanks to Pan Macmillan for the advance review copy. all opinions are my own

Beautiful Ugly, Alice Feeney

Synopsis: This story follows Grady, an author who lost his wife to a disappearance a year prior. He travels to a remote Scottish island to try get his writing mojo back, when he sees the impossible - someone that resembles his missing wife.

🌲🌳

I loved His and Hers by Alice Feeney so was super excited to receive the ARC of her new novel, especially when it is set in Scotland!

Firstly, the writing is fantastic. The descriptions of the scenery is so atmospheric. The amazing redwoods were alluring and I wished to have a peaceful cabin like that with views on the ocean.

However, I do think this book missed the mark slightly. The start of the book was very gripping, however it plateaus once the main character gets to the island.

I didn't find the twists to be groundbreaking and I wasn't a fan of the ending. It just felt too ridiculous and unbelievable for me.

Despite all this, I still read it within a couple of days as I wanted to know what happened. Not as good as His and Hers, but still a good book.

Rating: 3.5⭐️

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the copy in return for my honest review.

ARC review - 4,5 ⭐️

“Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t. Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.”

A year ago, Abby disappeared on the way home.
Now, her husband, author Grady Green, is still overcome with grief and cannot write anymore.
He travels to a small Scottish island to try and get his life back on track. But he starts seeing someone looking like his wife and and soon finds out that things are not as they seem.

I liked the book a lot and read it in two days.
We get the story through multiple perspectives and timelines. You get the information slowly until you see the whole puzzle picture at the end.

The island is beautiful, but the people are strange and Grady is isolated as there are no phones and there’s no ferry back. The weather helps set a dark atmosphere and his insomnia and grief make him paranoid.
There are many twists, unreliable narrators and a lot of suspense. I did not predict the ending.
Overall this is a great psychological thriller.

I received a digital copy of the book from Pan Macmillan and Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was originally hugely excited and attracted to this book, but it did end up being rather a disappointment. The beginning is gripping then it suddenly plateaus to nothing but mundanity. The last 30% is great with twists and turns until the inevitable predictable outcomes. I am left wondering what was that all about! And what was the book others read that they raved about?!
The story is about Abby who is an investigative journalist who uncovers the truth in controversial articles and often lives on the edge, taking threats in her stride. Abby has a husband Grady Green who has just become a best selling author, he wants to celebrate with his wife when she is delayed coming home and calls to find out how far away she is, there is an incident, then she disappears, he becomes grief stricken and finds his life a struggle until his agent suggests a writing retreat on a remote Scottish island. This maybe the break he is looking for, whilst still being haunted by his wife and her memories.
The book is told predominantly from Grady’s perspective and from the pre-incident view of Abbey.
Yes this is gripping in places, atmospheric and disturbing, but for me totally unbelievable and over thought out. This might be a savoury spread book, it’s either for you or not.
Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for the early read.

Beautiful Ugly is a haunting tale that seamlessly weaves grief, mystery and the complexities of relationships into a tightly knit psychological thriller. The premise is instantly gripping: a missing wife, a husband drowning in despair, and a tiny Scottish island shrouded in secrets. Feeney once again demonstrates her ability to craft stories that balance emotional depth with jaw-dropping suspense.
The book opens with an unsettling scene. Grady Green, an author, is on the brink of personal triumph when his wife, Abby, vanishes under mysterious circumstances. The imagery of her abandoned car by the cliff edge, headlights on and door open, sets a chilling tone that lingers throughout the narrative. A year later, Grady’s grief and guilt propel him to the desolate beauty of a Scottish island, where he encounters a woman who looks just like Abby. Is she a ghost, a figment of his imagination, or someone hiding the truth?
The story excels at exploring the frailty of human emotions. Grady is a compelling protagonist: a man unravelling, caught between longing for closure and an obsession with the past. His inner turmoil is intense, and the remote setting amplifies his isolation, creating an atmosphere both claustrophobic and eerie. The island itself plays a huge part in the story, its rugged landscape and weather mirroring Grady’s chaotic state of mind. (Can someone please tell me where this island is, I would love to visit!)
What makes Beautiful Ugly a great read is the author's sharp insights into marriage dynamics. The line, “Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t. Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do,” echoes throughout the story, challenging readers to consider how well we truly know our partners. This theme is intricately tied to the unfolding mystery, with Abby’s disappearance forcing Grady—and the reader—to question everything about their relationship.
The plot twists are classic Feeney: unexpected, clever, and deeply satisfying. While the pacing is deliberate, the layers of the story peel back expertly, revealing secrets that make you question every character’s motives. The writing blends moments of quiet introspection with sharp, suspenseful beats. If there’s one critique, it’s that the resolution may stretch believability for some readers. However, the emotional payoff and the depth of the characters more than compensate for any minor quibbles.
Beautiful Ugly is a dark, atmospheric thriller that explores the fragility of love and the destructive power of secrets. Alice Feeney delivers a story that is both heart-wrenching and edge-of-your-seat gripping. Fans of her previous works and lovers of psychological suspense won’t be disappointed. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster and a tale that will linger long after you turn the final page.

Despite Alice Feeney being a hit or miss author for me, every time she has a new release it is an event for me and I always want to read it. So when I saw she had Beautiful Ugly coming out and it was a domestic thriller with a Scottish Island setting I was very excited.
And I am so glad to say that I REALLY enjoyed this!
Right from the start it is packed full of atmosphere and I found the whole thing to be be quite unsettling (in a great way!)
I liked all of the characters and I was fully invested throughout in their story.
The cut off setting of a small Scottish Island did really add to the the plot and the claustrophobia of small island life really came across well for me.
All of the characters Grady comes across there seemed totally bizarre and creepy and I loved it!
However they did all feel like real people and I was fascinated by them.
This definitely felt more like a mystery/suspense than a thriller to me but that didn't put me off in the slightest.
One very slight issue I had was that by the halfway point there didn't seem to be much plot progression and not a lot was happening. I was feeling it was mainly vibes/atmosphere and not a lot of plot. But it soon picked up again and after that it didn't lose my attention.
As an added bonus some of the reveals surprised me and that is always a great thing!
After finishing this I have to say that Alice Feeney will continue to be an auto buy author for me.
This is one of my favourites by this author and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a creepy, atmospheric, suspenseful mystery.

I have been seeing a lot of buzz online about Beautiful Ugly, and with that beautiful cover with the split front and an intriguing blurb, I was excited to pick it up as one of my first reads for 2025.

When author Grady’s wife disappears without a trace, he is left bereft and unable to write. When his publishing agent offers him a trip away to a writing cabin on a very remote Scottish island with a population of 25 people, he jumps at the chance. But is everything on the island as it seems?

Beautiful Ugly is a book which keeps a lot of its cards close to its chest at all times. It works hard to keep the reader gripped but also off balance until right at the final moment. I only guessed part of the twist right before it was revealed, and I did not see the rest of it coming at all! I loved how the island was portrayed - the bad weather, the creepy cabin with the appearing notes, the odd inhabitants all came together to make for an atmospheric read.

Grady is an odd main character, you get a little feel of the unreliable narrator at times - because he is an alcoholic and has trouble sleeping, he often sees things which cannot be true. You do genuinely empathise with him though and you want him to find out what is going on. I also loved his faithful sidekick Columbo the dog, who is present throughout.

The ending is something that I think will truly divide people – it’s certainly a big twist and it makes an impact, but I think it does so at a cost of the narrative and plot development. I was left with a lot of unanswered questions, and it creates quite a lot of plot holes. The last chunk of the book also relied a little too heavily on ‘tell not show’ - where everything is explained via a one-person monologue which I personally don’t like as a narrative technique. This pulled the read down from 5 stars to 4 stars for me, sadly.

Overall, Beautiful Ugly is a gripping read but that ending will certainly divide readers – although it’s a brilliant twist, it sacrifices the plot in its attempt to be shocking. Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a superb read which kept me engrossed all the way through. There were many twists and turns which kept me trying to work out what was going to happen next and I kept being surprised . I felt sorry for Grady as life was certainly not going his way with his wife leaving him and him keep thinking that he is seeing her. Kitty, his publisher tries to help me to get back into the way of writing again by sending him t a very creepy weird island off the Scottih mainland. The story was very atmospheric throughout and the ending was nothing less than unthinkable , surprising and fantastic.
A real page turner of a book.

I like this author and so I was excited to read this and really expected to love it. Although it kept me hooked to the end, I did find it a little disappointing. The main character was so hard to like. The ending was confusing - I think a little explanation was needed. So all in all, a very original story, with twists and turns, but not quite what I was expecting.

I loved Rock, Paper, Scissors so I was really looking forward to reading this one - and it didn't disappoint. There was the same air of the supernatural about the plot as writer Grady Green struggles to come to terms with the disappearance of his wife over a year ago, and his subsequent failure to write anything at all. Then his agent Kitty sends him to rest and recuperate at a remote island with just 25 inhabitants - none of whom are quite what they seem.
There's such an air of mystery, danger and tension right from the start of this book that I just could not put it down. It's a proper page turner with surprises around every corner and a host of characters all catching your interest and attention.
My one small criticism is that through most of the book, there in no character I can really sympathise with, at least until all becomes clear.
But at least there is a gorgeous black labrador to love.
An excellent thriller noir which I'd recommend to all lovers of the genre.

Beautiful Ugly is up there as one of my favourite reads of the year.

It has all the claustrophobia of a locked room mystery, made all the more jarring due to the remote island setting. Grady’s discombobulation is contagious, and I found myself tenuously grasping at clues whilst doubting everything. The middle of the book has a slightly slower pace, but this only serves to build incredible tension before the truly satisfying conclusion.

Feeney delivers twist after twist in this unique, suspenseful and uncomfortable psychological thriller. A must read for 2025!

Thank you Pan MacMillan for an early copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Grady Green is waiting for his wife to come home from work to be with him as he waits for news about his novel - will it have reached the best seller list - but on the drive home, Abby stops to help someone lying in the road and is never seen again. Distraught and unable to write, Grady loses everything and is relieved when his agent hands him a lifeline - the opportunity to move to a remote Scottish island where he can have a cottage for free and space to find himself and his vocation again.
So far so good, but this is the first two thirds of the book, where very little happens, except we hear time and again how bad Grady feels about things and how sorry he is for himself.
Then in a plot twist, things are turned around and many things change and the last third of the book is heavy on action and reaction.
I'm afraid to say that I found the twist unbelievable and I wasn't fully immersed enough in the story to go with it. There were too many problems with the narrative, things I didn't feel could have ever happened, and I didn't care enough about Grady or even Abby to find them plausible. Even the setting on the island had too many weird places to be realistic.
From other reviews I've read I would appear to be in the minority about this book but I found the plot twist too implausible to be true. I like a good mystery but this just didn't tick the boxes for me.
With thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Beautiful ugly was my first ever Alice Feeney book, and I’ve heard great things about her! My first reaction was that I loved her writing style. The book started off as fastpaced, and it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. All the characters like Sandy, and Cora and their unusual behaviour made me wonder what was really going on, on the island. It was very thrilling but the end fell a little flat for me. Even though there were many plot twists that I did not see coming, the ending and the explanation just felt a little weird to me. With that said I did have a good time reading the book, and it was hard to put down. It was both thrilling and eerie, which makes a good thriller. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers!

This book was such an incredible experience! Every part of it felt so vivid—the settings, the characters, the emotions—it was all brought to life so beautifully. While Scotland and Scotland Island stood out as particularly atmospheric, the entire book had this immersive quality that kept me completely hooked.

What really amazed me was the way the story unfolded. My buddy readers and I had so many ideas about where things were going, but there was one major twist that none of us saw coming. It completely changed how I looked at everything and made the experience even more memorable.

The ending wasn’t what I was hoping for, but honestly, it didn’t take away from how much I loved the journey. This book was bold, different, and full of surprises, leaving me with so much to think about. I’m really glad I had the chance to read it—it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to PanMacmillin for my ARC Copy of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Fenney

In this captivating book, we join Grady and Abby on an unforgettable journey! After Grady relocates to a picturesque island, hoping to find peace and inspiration after losing Abby, he discovers a community that is both warm and intriguing. However, the island's charm soon takes on a darker tone, especially with Sandy’s mysterious tales about its history. Grady’s publishing agent gifts him this retreat, and let me tell you, I was on the edge of my seat guessing what would happen next! The ending took me completely by surprise—it was such an exhilarating twist! You won't want to miss this delightful and suspenseful read!

#BookLovers #MustRead #Thriller #AliceFeeney #BeautifulUgly #GrippingNovel #BookRecommendation #ARC #BookCommunity #LiteraryJourney

T

I was really excited to read this book as I’ve heard great reviews of Alice Feeney’s writing. I instantly enjoyed this story from the beginning and I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to pick it up again as soon as I’d put it down. Alice’s story telling is gripping and imaginative and I’d 100% recommend this if you love a fast paced thrilling read. I can’t wait to go and read more of her work!

🪵🌲🐕‍🦺🏞️⚓️🕵🏻‍♀️🌫️🐦‍⬛🪦

when I started this book I wasn’t necessarily in a thriller mood so I had some reservations about how I was going to feel about this. but when I read the first few chapters I was immediately hooked.

this was my first alice feeney book and the writing is truly beautiful and captivating. I was very curious to see how Grady’s fresh start on the island was going to go but ever since he set foot in that place things got weirder and weirder. I so badly wanted to know what happened to his wife and what was going on with this strange island and its people.
to be honest, if the island wasn’t so creepy it would have been so magical. the descriptions of the scenery and the amazing redwoods were alluring and I wished to have a peaceful cabin like that with views on the ocean.

the further the story progressed the more I started doubting everything. I wasn’t sure what, or who to believe and it was done quite well.
in the end, there wasn’t really a single character that I liked (including Grady), which is also not necessarily needed for a thriller but for me personally, that also makes me feel less connected to the story.

the ending and the big reveal(s) were a bit disappointing to me. I guess there are different types of thriller readers, but I personally like to be able to play detective and try to figure out what’s going on while being kept on the edge of my seat. this ending however, was completely unhinged 😂 and if people could guess this ending, I’d honestly be a little concerned. there was one twist that completely blindsided me and I just felt lied to 😭 like, it was all just a little far fetched for me after that 180 turn of events.

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife as she’s driving home to share some exciting news. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by a cliff edge, the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there . . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

Wives think their husbands will change, but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change, but they do.

I found myself not wanting to put this down. There was something unnerving at times about the island. Even before the reveals it was obvious these women couldn't be trusted.
While the ending left me a little disappointed I did really enjoy this book. Trying to figure out what was going on. If anything was going on.