I was really intrigued by this one at the start. I found myself completely absorbed, desperate to unravel the mystery of what had happened to Grady’s wife and why the island was so peculiar. The pacing was strong, and the sense of foreboding built wonderfully. It was refreshing to have a male protagonist questioning his own sanity for a change, rather than the usual trope of it being a woman. That shift in perspective felt fresh and kept me invested.
The setting, a remote Scottish island, wasn’t entirely original—I’ve read quite a few books with similar backdrops—but the quirky nature of this particular island gave it a distinct flavour. It almost felt alive, adding an eerie charm to the story.
But then the ending. Oh, the ending. I can’t lie—it completely threw me, and not in a satisfying way. The twist itself was clever, I’ll give it that, but everything that followed felt muddled and unconvincing. It was as though the narrative unravelled instead of tying up loose ends. By the time I turned the final page, I wished I hadn’t bothered at all.
I suppose I’m left with mixed feelings. There was so much potential, and parts of it were genuinely gripping. But would I recommend it? Honestly, no. For me, the ending just didn’t deliver, and that’s a shame because it had started so well.
3 stars—mostly for the intriguing premise and unique protagonist.

Author Grady Green is waiting to hear if he has some fantastic news about a book to share with his wife, Abby! However, on a call with his wife, Abby disappears. Fast forward a year, Grady is at an appointment with his agent, Kitty Goldman, when he offered a chance of a lifetime to write in a cabin in Scotland to help his writing career. The descriptions of the scenery were so vivid that I could picture this tiny place and the inhabitants were a wonderful, eclectic bunch of people!! Grady is surprised to someone who looks remarkably like his wife that he is intent on finding out why she disappeared. The story was menacing, mysterious, suspenseful, and full of nail biting moments. It kept me turning the page to end with a dramatic conclusion.

Beautiful Ugly is one hell of a wild ride. Mysterious, spooky, always riveting, it kept me guessing even as I loved the razor-sharp writing and the author’s immaculate storytelling prowess. I have read and loved Alice Feeney’s previous books, and this psychological thriller is a real bobby dazzler.

Alice Feeney does relationships extremely well. With her, nothing is ever quite what it appears to be and she understands so well what we can do in telling our stories when we want to be seen in a favourable light. The unreliable narrator is putty in her hands, and in Beautiful Ugly, we will often wonder who we can trust.

I was excited to read about Grady Green’s struggles as an author, now on the brink of a truly exciting breakthrough. Everything is poised for the wonderful news to come through, though as he waits, Grady wishes his wife, journalist Abby, was beside him, instead of driving home, hoping to celebrate with him over the fish and chips she’s bringing.

When the good news comes through Grady can’t wait to share his news with Abby. But as she picks up, he hears her brakes screeching. Abby tells him she has seen a woman lying in the road and gets out of the car to help. After she exits the car, her phone goes silent. As time passes and there is no sign or word from Abby, Grady goes out searching for her and eventually he finds her car by the cliff edge. The driver’s door is still open and Abby’s phone is there, but of Abby herself there is no sign.

Whatever happened, Abby is never seen or heard from again, though her coat was found by a dog walker, walking on the beach below the cliffs. Grady goes to pieces, he can’t sleep, he can’t write, he amasses huge debts and loses his house. He can barely look after himself. He owes his publisher for an advance on a book he can’t begin to write and he is generally a wreck.

His agent, Kitty Goldman, tells him bluntly that he needs to get his life back on track. She has an offer for Grady. Kitty has inherited a cottage on the remote isle of Amberly in the Scottish Highlands from one of her clients. She proposes to Grady that he take it for six months and write his new book there. Grady has always worked best in quiet, isolation and this might be the change of scene he needs to really get back to work. Grady has no other options and so he agrees.

The Isle of Amberly is accessed by a small ferry boat run by a woman who is also the island’s Sheriff. She seems to know exactly who he is. The island only has a population of 25, so Grady knows that he and his faithful black labrador, Columbo, will be secluded enough to not be bothered. Alice Feeney’s descriptions of Amberly are intense and evocative, but it is the sheer eeriness of the island that gets to him almost from the beginning. In the heart of the woods all is silent and Grady realises there are no birds – not a single one. Then he sees a woman in a red coat flitting through the woods and she reminds him immediately of Abby. There’s sometimes creepy mouth organ music in the woods surrounding his cottage. All this eeriness sends him to drink and sleeplessness and soon he begins to think he is hallucinating.

There’s something strange too, about the island’s inhabitants, who are mostly women. It feels like they are keeping something from him, though outwardly they are friendly enough. Every time he suggests taking a trip off the island, there’s always a reason why that’s not possible. There’s a map at the beginning of the book with all of Amberly’s strange place names and that is enhanced by Feeney’s descriptions that that create a vibrant picture of a strange island holding its secrets close.

Grady makes two discoveries; one a grisly find and one that might just be the best present he’s ever received. Despite all his concerns, he knows he can now write the book he needs to get himself back in the best seller lists. It might just be his best work.

There are multiple points of view here amid a dual timeline and Feeney’s misdirection is very cleverly and beautifully done. Is there anyone we can trust?

The wildness of this island, the claustrophobia it exudes and the strangeness of its inhabitants keep us on tenterhooks as Grady increasingly struggles to tell what he is imagining and what is real. His attempts to do so confuse him and his conversations with the island’s residents only add to that sense of discomfiture.

As Grady struggles to comprehend this reality, he puts a secret message into his new manuscript, but will there be anyone to read it?

Verdict: This is such a clever, twisty and manipulative novel, with an eerie and intensely evocative atmosphere. I loved the chapter headings, each one combining two contradictory terms, reminding us that there are two sides to every story. Alice Feeney has created a multi-layered and intricately plotted mystery which oozes dread.
Well-paced, completely gripping and ultimately drawing together every single thread into a stunning conclusion, I found myself both happy with the resolution and deeply impressed with the writer’s depth and skill. Beautiful Ugly is a psychological thriller that captivates and thrills.

I really enjoy Alice Feeney books usually but for some reason I really couldn’t get into this book and it took me three weeks to finish - a week is super long for me usually!

I’m not sure why I feel it wasn’t as well written or gripping as her other novels but it could be as I didn’t really like the main character and I need to like the main character to enjoy a story! Then to make things worse I didn’t particularly care for any of the side characters so i should have known it was game over from there! It’s a shame as the ending was good and had me confused for a minute which is a positive sign for me, but unfortunately everything leading up to the end I didn’t like!

A strange, unusual, original and engrossing read.
When his wife disappears Grady is lost and loses everything, including his ability to write, the most important thing in his life.
When he is thrown a lifeline to move to a small island with just 25 other inhabitants, a writers paradise, his greatest wish to be able to write again could become his greatest undoing.
A brilliantly twisty tale, the reader, like Grady, is led on a terrifying journey where you can’t decide if it’s Grady’s imagination and paranoia or if the happenings on the Island are real. Finally when all is unveiled, with a twist I never saw coming, the true consequences of his move to this writers paradise become clear.

This was a bit of a slow burn mystery however Alice always comes through with twists that will always have you shocked! I throughly enjoyed this and would definitely recommend to my friends!

Grady Green is a pre-occupied self-absorbed author who seeks acclaim via the New York times. As he waits to hear if his latest novel has made the prestigious list, he calls his wife, Abby, who is on the way home but in the middle of the call, she disappears. One year on and there are no developments on her disappearance. His agent presses him to deliver his next novel and suggests he travel to an isolated Scottish island. Grady travels with hope of being able to write but as soon as he arrives, he keeps catching glimpses of his wife. Could she be here? A clever plot and one where you will keep guessing to the end. Enjoyable and original.

Beautiful Uglyby Alice Feeney
I give this book 4.5 stars

Author Grady Green calls his wife as she’s driving home.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 driver door is open, her phone is still there . . . but his wife has disappeared.
A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief 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.

I loved the map included and the authors bleak atmospheric description so I could better visualise the remote Scottish island of Amberley, I wouldn’t personally want to visit as it’s few residents are all rather strange..l spent virtually the whole novel guessing and changing my mind as the narrative twists in this foreboding and sinister read. It was a slower paced but for me that allowed the tension to build,and the chapters were short so I didn’t want to put it down either. The epilogue made it for me so suspend belief and enjoy!
With thanks to Netgalley, Alice Feeney and Pan MacMillan for my chance to read and review this book.

This trippy, atmospheric thriller will keep you guessing. New York Times Best Seller Grady Green escapes to the idyllic island of Amberly following his wife’s disappearance. The author believes that secluding himself in nature to write will help him come to terms with her death. The friendly but strange inhabitants help Grady settle in but it isn’t long before he feels wife Abby’s presence around him. Grady soon realises that Amberly isn’t what he thought it was and is somehow linked to what happened to Abby.

I felt gripped from the first page and was always suspicious of both Grady and Abby’s characters as unreliable narrators. I enjoyed the cast of characters that made up Amberly’s creepy inhabitants and thought Alice Feeney did a great job of building the tension. This is the twistiest book I’ve read in a long time. So much so, it was almost too much where I found myself getting a bit dizzy towards the end.

I would recommend for fans of Feeney’s previous work and for readers who love a twisty thriller.

I ADORED this excellent pageturner. I was absolutely gripped from beginning to end.

Grady is an author whose wife (Abby) disappears on the evening he awaits her return from work to share some amazing news. This loss causes him to spiral, until his beloved publisher throws him a lifeline, an opportunity to live rent free on a remote island and write again.

The plotline is unique and enthralling and I found this to be a genuinely thrilling, exciting and nerve racking read. Even when it slows in pace, the undercurrent of menace is always there.

For anyone looking for a dramatic, compelling thriller….. look no further.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Pan Macmillon for the opportunity to preview this excellent 5* read and i wish this gifted author every success. Just don’t be tempted to accept any offers of island retreats!

Gradys wife has gone missing or died. He doesn't know which. A year later he has lost everything but his dog. His agent gives him a new adventure to visit a Scottish island to try and give him a clear head to write again. Sounds like a great opportunity right?

If you know Feeneys work you know that something will be amiss. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Culumbo, I love reading about dogs, there needs to be more!
This was a rollercoaster ride. I was very invested to start with, the middle lulled for me and then it picked up towards the end and it was a complete shock. There seemed to rationalisation but that soon goes to pot.

There were a few points that didn't really add up for me and I like the premise of the story but it boils down to lack of communication and I think in a loving relationship like the characters say they have, this story wouldn't have happened, which defies the purpose, I know. It just didn't quite hit the mark for me like Feeneys other reads have, but this is still a highly enjoyable read.

Still can’t wrap my head around all the twists in this book. It starts with such a bang. While Grady is waiting for news if he has become a New York Times bestseller he calls his wife Abby as she is late again! On the drive home she stops to help someone lying on the road but Abby seems to just disappear into thin air. The story gets a bit slow when Grady arrives to the isle of Amberly but you know something is just off about the island and the people.

I love a secluded island setting. You could really picture the stunning view of the sea and the quaint village. But even the most beautiful place can become ugly! I didn’t see the ending coming at all. I actually had to read the end twice just to fully understand what was happening! It’s so hard not to give away the entire plot but I will leave you with my favourite line “I hope you die in your sleep”

This book kept me gripped, the suspense builds early on and never lets go. Set on a beautiful, remote Scottish island, but a very dark story, culminating in a riveting ending. My feelings towards some of the main characters changed during the book, and I didn’t like some of the unexplained events, hence 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book!
One of my reasons for requesting it was that it mentioned that the main character travels to a tiny Scottish island- I mean, that sounds like the dream doesn’t it?! Add to that a bit of background mystery around his missing wife, and it sounds like the perfect story!
So, we have author Grady, not able to write after his wife goes missing, his publisher offers his use of a cabin on an island that she was left in a will from another of her author clients- and she suggests he uses it to try and get his creative juices flowing again. Off he goes, accompanied by his dog, to drive up to Scotland and catch a ferry to his ‘temporary home’. From the moment the ferry arrives for him, things are a bit different than he expected! Once on the island, the cabin (which has supposedly been empty for years) is clean, tidy and with a little vase of flower- someone is welcoming him, but who?! The island itself, while appearing on the surface as quite welcoming, seems to be hiding secrets of its own.
I did wonder at one point if this was going to be a predictable story - and I won’t give spoilers- but when he finds something hidden in the cabin, I thought this would go a particular way, and while it did to some extent, thankfully it didn’t quite pan out the way I thought!
One of my least favourite things in books is jumping backwards and forwards in time, and there’s a fair bit of that in this book- but it’s done well and is fairly easy to follow.
Overall, a solid 3 from me.

Alice Feeney is one of my favourite mystery authors, and I definitely had fun reading Beautiful Ugly, but I can easily see why it might not appeal to many readers.
The solution is, without a doubt, improbable and far-fetched. I personally figured out very early on what was happening and why, probably because I read a lot of mysteries, but there were a couple of things I missed. However, I can objectively see that, while everything is more or less explained, it doesn't make a lot of sense and the motivations behind the characters' actions are quite unbelievable. 

That being said, even if the solution wasn't especially clever or satisfying, I personally enjoyed the book. I found the storytelling very enjoyable, the story was never boring and I always wanted to keep reading to see how it would unfold. I also really liked the setting and the closed-knit community of the island, and I loved learning more about it. The main character also worked quite well as an unreliable narrator.

Not one of Feeney's best works, and I wouldn't recommend if you prefer more plausible mysteries, but for me quite enjoyable overall.

Beautiful Ugly is a 4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5⭐️
Grady Green is an author, he’s waiting to hear if he’s a top seller and for his wife to come home with celebratory fish and chips. He rings Abby to see where she is, she’s not far but she slams the brakes on as there is a woman on the floor in the middle of the road. Grady tells her not to get out and he’ll come and get her but Abby gets out and Grady hears nothing or sees her again. One year later and Grady is not in a good place, he can’t write, he can’t sleep, has no money and he misses his wife and wonders what happened to her. His agent has a cottage on a secluded Scottish island that only has 25 residents. Does he want to live there and get his book finished in 3 months? He snaps it up, peace and quiet but can he write a best seller in three months….he doubts it. When he arrives on the island by a small boat/ferry he starts to think he’s losing his mind, he keeps seeing his wife everywhere from afar but can never find her. The island has no phone or signal but why does he think he can hear the phone ring in the village? Why can he never get an answer to when the ferry leaves to take him off the island?
I raced through this book, I loved the eeriness of the forest that Grady went to live in, the suspense of what happened to his wife. There were questions everywhere that did get answered at the end much to my relief!! The concept of the storyline was like nothing I’ve read before, yes it does start off as if you have read similar before but I haven’t and I didn’t guess the ending!! Alice Feeney never disappoints me and this book is another winner.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
From page one, I was hooked. Abby's disappearance sucked you right in. I felt a bit complex about Grady, I like him and I loathed him at the same time. Which made the story really interesting. The Island of Amberly created such a unique environment, it really added an extra layer to the suspense/thrill. I did feel there could have been added something extra to it, but overall I really enjoyed it. And I loved the ending, it was really what bumped it up from 3 to 4 stars for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Quick read
Short chapters
Secluded environment
Multiple timelines
Multiple POVs
Strong female leads

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘈𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴, 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 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.

Alice Feeney's Beautiful Ugly is an exciting psychological thriller with all the twists and turns for a wonderful thriller. I have read mostly all of her books, and none of them disappoints us. Beautiful ugly is fast; it grips you from the start till the end. All the characters have an interesting role to play. Further, the story has some great creepy vibes. The only thing off was that I felt the author got confused between giving it a paranormal or a thrilling touch. Still, the story hooks you up till the end. I was expecting a more thrilling conclusion. The story takes you from a husband-and-wife relationship to a creepy island. Alice has done a fabulous job in defining the island to create an aura around the readers. And the most important thing is that this is not that kind of book where you can predict the plot. With every page, there are unexpected turns that were unbelievable. Definitely, the book deserves 4 stars.

I’ve been desperately waiting for this book to come out and I LOVED it! Alice Feeney sets the scene so well and I felt like I was on the island too. The characters are constructed brilliantly and I could see this being a great for TV. Kept me guessing right til the end!

From the premise of this book, I was completely intrigued. Billed as a deliciously dark thriller about marriage and revenge, it does mainly live up to this with the odd drop of pace in the middle. Having said that, the twists at the end certainly redeem this book. I would rate it 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Pan MacMillan and the author for the chance to review.