This book had a good creepy feel from the get go, but at the same time it feels very surreal, a little weird, and discombobulating. I never felt comfortable during the book, constantly on tenterhooks. I felt knocked off my axis.
It’s very different to her other books, and as such might be a marmite book. It’s also highly original and different which I crave in a book, so I loved it. Top marks!

One year after the mysterious disappearance of his wife, an author retreats to a remote Scottish island with a population of just 25. Desperate to rediscover the inspiration he needs to save himself from both financial and psychological ruin, he soon begins to uncover mysterious items and finds himself questioning everyone and everything around him.
Alice Feeney’s Beautiful Ugly is an atmospheric, character-driven mystery that captivated me for most of the journey but ultimately it left me feeling let down by its far-fetched conclusion.
What I loved most about the book was its setting. The isolated island with its small, community is nicely described, and Feeney does a brilliant job of introducing the inhabitants one by one. Each character feels distinct and contributes to the eerie atmosphere that surrounds the story. The mysteries pile up nicely and kept me guessing - “What the hell is going on here?”  The suspense hooked me, and I found myself more and more engaged as the story progressed.
Unfortunately, the ending didn’t live up to the strong expectations the book had created. The explanations felt implausible and left me struggling to suspend my disbelief. What had the potential to be a stunning conclusion ended up feeling rushed and unsatisfying, undermining much of the tension and intrigue that had been built.
For most of the book, I was convinced it would be a 5-star read, but the ending brought my rating down to 3.5 stars.

Mind. Blown. THE TWISTS! OMG!

Best selling author Grady Green is a mess. After the mysterious disappearance of his beloved wife, Abby, he is bereft and unable to write, he loses everything. Abby’s godmother Kitty, also Grady’s agent, offers him a lifeline; she inherited a cabin on a remote Scottish island and suggests Grady takes some time to stay in the cabin, re-ground himself and, hopefully, find his writing mojo again.

When Grady sees Abby on the ferry, he is stunned! But when he looks again, she is gone. On the island, so many strange things start to happen; notes are left in the cabin, things disappear and Abby seems to be everywhere. Grady is convinced he is losing his mind.

This brilliant book had me hooked from the start and I found it hard to stop reading as I needed to know what happened to Abby. Flashbacks from Abby’s POV from before her disappearance added to the intrigue. When the truth comes out, I was blown away! What a read!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Alice Feeney and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Alice Feeney does it again! Beautiful Ugly is a chilling, atmospheric thriller set on a remote and stunning Scottish island. Known as the "Queen of Twists," Feeney lives up to her title—I was certain I had the ending figured out at 75%, but I was completely wrong. The story is packed with unreliable narrators, revenge, and blame, all wrapped in an eerie, feminist narrative. This is my third Feeney read, and it’s hands down my favorite so far. Impossible to predict and impossible to put down!

What a powerful, gripping, twisted book. This is an unusual story but it keeps you guessing and just as you think you have worked things out, it twists again. I really enjoyed this and in my opinion it is well worth a read.

Writer Grady Green has been struggling with writer's block since the mysterious disappearance of his wife a year ago. His agent suggests a retreat on a remote Scottish island to help him overcome his problems.

Alice Feeney writes wonderful psychological thrillers that have so many twists and turns that you are kept guessing until all is revealed. Beautiful Ugly follows in the same vein but this time there is an added level of creepiness to the storyline and a slightly surreal feeling.

The opening of the novel seems to offer a straightforward missing-person tale. We join writer Grady Green awaiting a call from his agent. Grady has a few published novels to his name, but his most recent is likely to be his most successful, the one that makes him a household name. We join Grady as he waits by the phone to hear if his new novel has made the New York Times bestsellers list. He had hoped his wife Abby would be by his side when he received the news, so he's a little upset that she's running late.

When the phone rings it isn't his agent but his wife. She's apologetic and lets him know that she's only a mile away from their isolated cottage. As they speak Abby has to slam on her brakes to avoid hitting a woman lying in the middle of the road. Grady begs Abby not to get out of her car but she defies him, and that is the last time anyone hears from her. Abby's car is found abandoned close to home with her bag and phone untouched. In the car, there is also a box containing a creepy antique doll with its mouth stitched shut.

Despite Grady achieving the success he craved he's struggled to come to terms with Abby's disappearance. Unable to write he's exhausted his savings, sold their house, and is living in a cheap hotel, one he can't afford anymore.

The only person who seems to understand what Grady is going through is his agent, Kitty. Wanting to help Grady rediscover his writing ability, along with helping him financially, she suggests he takes advantage of a cabin she was left in a will. The cabin is on the remote Scottish island of Amberly and once belonged to a highly successful, but reclusive, author.

Grady, along with his dog and a few possessions head to the island. As soon as Grady arrives things begin to take a surreal turn. All the red flags that readers are used to are there; there's no communication with the mainland and the residents act strangely, one minute they are warm and welcoming, and the next they ignore him. The most disturbing thing is that he's convinced he keeps glimpsing a familiar figure.

The longer Grady remains on the island the creepier things become, there were a couple of instances where I was close to putting the book aside as I wasn't sure about the turn the storyline was taking - I'm an absolute wimp! As the behaviour of the residents becomes more erratic and he learns more about the history of the island you understand Grady's reluctance to remain where he is. I was willing him to simply abandon everything and flee.

The build-up to the conclusion throws even more confusion and obfuscation into the plot; even if you're convinced you've figured out what is happening the author still has surprises in store for the reader.

I loved Daisy Darker by Alice last year, so I was very excited to be given an e-arc of Beautiful Ugly. I absolutely gobbled this book up in just over 24 hours, and in my opinion, it's her best yet.
I like to go into thrillers blind and I definitely recommend you do that with this one because those twists and turns just keep coming.
The way this is written with alternating povs is really clever as it makes the reader reconsider if Grady really is this good, grieving husband as first suspected or if there's actually something more sinister going on, but then I didn't quite trust Abby either!
Darkly delicious with themes of obsession, revenge, and marriage, I would say Beautiful Ugly gave me all the horror vibes, too, with the very strange creepy island and its even stranger inhabitants.
There are parts of this book where I had to suspend belief a little, especially the ending, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book at all, and I would definitely recommend this one.
Alice has quickly become one of my favourite thriller authors as her books always feel fresh and something a bit different. I like the feeling of actually being thrilled and Beautiful Ugly delivers on this perfectly.

A psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns. Whilst I did not like any of the characters with the exception of the lovely dog, the story held my interest til the end. The Scottish island landscape was menacing and beautifully described. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Really enjoyed this tense and well-written story. Well developed characters and a twisty plot kept me turning the pages. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

The scenery of the fictional Scottish island was beautifully described, capturing the stunning landscapes and enchanting surroundings. However, the two main characters, Grady and Abby, failed to resonate with me; I found it difficult to connect with either of them.. Unfortunately, the overall storyline felt disjointed and unbelievable. Not my type of book probably

Alice Feeney has written a fast paced psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes right to the very end. 'Beautiful Ugly' is a rollercoaster of twists and turns that may well make your jaw drop. It's addictive, compelling, dark and well worth reading. Thanks to netgalley, author and publisher for an early read.

I seem to be in the minority as I did not enjoy this novel Its saving grace was the beautiful descriptions of the scenery of the fictional Scottish Island. I didn't like either of the two main characters, Grady and Abby. In fact the only likable character was Sandy The whole storyline was disjointed and unbelievable

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

Finally a story with an unreliable MALE character. Usually you only read from a woman's point of view...*smh* So I think it's great that Alice Feeney chose a male character! I think we've all had enough of a "insane" female character...

Of course you notice a few things in the book that make you wonder how it all fits together and at the end everything is explained well. It's not really a page-turner for me and I would have preferred a bigger shocker at the end, but I still had a really good time reading the book and I kept thinking about it whenever I put the book down.

A really great and exciting story that unfortunately also shows a little bit of the reality of woman.

A cracker of a book. Pure entertainment with more than a dash of mystery and thrills. Surely this will be a TV Series - looking forward to viewing it! Shades of the "The Wicker Man", perhaps.

My initial feelings were to have doubts - mainly because the location of the Isle of Amberley didn't feel Scottish (to me) - especially the name. I was hooked regardless though.

The characters and relationships in the book were all very important and central to the very creative plot. I must say that I was intrigued by the beautiful relationship between Abby and her husband, Grady Green. The book started with huge sensation as Abby disappeared while on the phone to her husband and you could not help but feel sorry for the him. To grieve or not to grieve.

The plot developed cleverly as Grady tried to regain his ability to be a top-selling author. The island community was most helpful but unsettling at the same time. They all seemed very nice but the reader always had a feeling that all was not as it seemed.

The ending for me was totally unexpected. What a clever twist. The author must be commended for the huge drama as the plot unfolded.

I loved the book and have no hesitation in recommending this sensational book to others.

This is a brilliantly addictive psychological thriller. It is fast paced, with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing right to the very end. It is one of my favourites by this author who does dark domestic thrillers so well.

What an absolutely amazing story! I could not put it down and the twists just kept coming. I will most certainly recommend this book to anyone! Well done, Alice Feeney!

An absolute masterpiece with twists you just won’t see coming. You will be captivated from the first page to the last, a genuine page turner at its finest!

I devoured this within 24hours, it would have been less if I didn’t have to par take in real life!! You will want to give yourself a clear few hours as you literally will not be able to put it down.

I read this after it was recommended by a friend and didn’t even read the blurb on the book, this is the best way to go into this one, totally unexpecting of what might happen. I’m not going to give anything of the plot away here, just to say if you enjoy a rollercoaster of a ride, with surprise twists and turns, this is for you!

You will wonder about the characters, maybe begin to like them and feel sorry for them as the story develops, but just who can you trust? Is everything as it seems?

This is my first book from this author but I will be seeking out more now I have discovered her.

So my advice? Buy it, find yourself a quiet hidden corner and loose yourself in it, you will not be disappointed!

Alice Feeney’s The Beautiful Ugly explores the intricacies of a marriage unraveling due to miscommunication, assumptions, and unspoken truths. Unlike Feeney’s usual fast-paced thrillers, this novel adopts a slower, more introspective approach, focusing on the emotional distance between a husband and wife who struggle to bridge the growing chasm between them.

The story poignantly captures the subtle ways relationships erode when communication fails, making it relatable for readers who appreciate character-driven narratives.
Though the pace may be slower, Feeney delivers a satisfying twist that adds complexity and intrigue, rewarding patient readers with a clever payoff.
Feeney’s prose remains elegant and evocative, painting vivid emotional landscapes that highlight the beauty in the ugliness of human relationships.

For those accustomed to Feeney’s gripping suspense, The Beautiful Ugly may feel like a departure, with a pace that can feel dragging at times. While the twist at the end is compelling, the conclusion may leave some readers wishing for a more fulfilling resolution.

Despite its slower pace, The Beautiful Ugly is a thought-provoking exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of marriage. Readers who enjoy introspective stories with emotional twists will find much to appreciate, even if the ending doesn’t completely satisfy. Overall, it’s a unique addition to Feeney’s body of work, offering a different but memorable reading experience.

Wow Alice Fenney back to her best!!
Once I started I was gripped!
I always love readings Alice’s books but her last two just didn’t hit like work before so I was on the fence which way this book was going to go but my my it did not disappoint!
I will most definitely be purchasing a trophy copy for the shelves!
Definitely recommend

I'm a huge fan of Alice, so thanksm you so much for this ARC.

Beautiful ugly is a slow paced thriller that traps you since the beginning, and makes you fell the isolation of being in a small island without a way to communicate with the world. Besides, living with the islanders, who are sometimes a bit creepy and weird.

The story is good, the plot twists also are surprising but I guess some of them and that made a bit less interesting the discovery.

Also there's a hidden message, don't forget to look for it.!!