Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I don’t think I’ve read anything else by this author, and having read this will do now.
It’s a very good book in terms of mystery and intrigue, easy reading at a good pace. I enjoy wondering what is happening, most of what I guessed was going on was wrong, which I like in a novel. I want to be surprised and it did keep me reading to find out. I was a little disappointed that one element of the plot was quickly obviously but not realised by the main character, surely a person wouldn’t really be that dense!? I did not see the ending coming at all, and it didn’t really gel for me, so for both those points it’s a 4* not a 5.

Beautiful Ugly Alice Feeney 4.5⭐️

Grady Green previous best selling author is struggling badly after his wife has been missing for the past year. He is on the verge of losing everything when his agent offers him a cabin on a remote Scottish island.

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. The jury is out about the ending for me.

Wow! Alice Feeney is back with another twisty book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I absolutely loved the story line in this book and it truly shocked me at parts. The dual timeline and unreliable narrator really added to the story.

There’s a lot to think and say about this book (won’t say all of it here!) It made for compulsive reading though I had to suspend my disbelief often as, particularly in a modern day setting, it was a little far fetched (I’d have preferred a slightly earlier point in time with the mobile phone scene altered accordingly). There were points where there was real tension and eeriness and I could vividly picture parts of the Isle of Amberley. I really enjoyed the ending (though not the resolution leading to it which frustrated me insofar as it tied things up too neatly). A gripping autumnal read but not a new favourite. Would love to discuss it with other readers.

I love Alice Feeney's writing and this book was no exception! This novel follows Grady after his wife Abby has gone missing and now he's struggling to write his next novel. He ends up on a small island with a very small population, and no obvious way of leaving very easily so he's forced to focus and write. What follows is him making strange discoveries and trying to piece together what is happening. He thinks he sees his wife multiple times but it's never her, and he's missing contact with the mainland. Nothing quite makes sense on this island and I had so many theories about what might be going wrong and I was mostly completely incorrect every time! There are also short sections about Abby interspersed throughout. This novel definitely requires suspension of disbelief, but I don't mind that at all - I love a dark and twisty novel that I just get swept up in and am along for the ride. This novel has twists and turns that are impossible to predict and I loved that. This was such a fun thriller novel and I definitely recommend it!

Awesome thriller that I couldn’t put down. I would never have guessed the ending.
Well worth reading. Alice is a master storyteller.

Great book


I really enjoyed this book from the off. I have read previous Alice Feeney books so I knew this book would be good. Having not read what the book was about I started the first chapter which ended quite abruptly and on a cliff hanger turning the story on its head to what I had expected so far and left me wanting more.


From there on, the story had me gripped with all the different twist and turns making me take note that they may be needed further into the book and the overall summary of the ending. I felt there was a lot to take in, in this book but that just added to the overall mystery and intrigue of the book. I won’t add any narrative to the book as I enjoyed it without any understanding of the book. I can’t rate this book enough!


Thanks to netgalley for an early copy of this book to read.

There is an undercurrent of menace throughout this book, starting from the very beginning. Feeney does an excellent job of making you feel uneasy throughout. Grady's wife is missing. She disappeared from a coastal road while on the phone to Grady. He is devastated. and in his grief he is unable to write so he agrees to go to the island retreat of his agent. An island retreat. Sounds idyllic doesn't it? But this one isn't what it seems. Once on the island Grady feels trapped but he is writing, captivated by the unpublished manuscript he finds under the floorboards and is intent on making it his own. Over the course of a few weeks he starts to see his wife, and believing her to be dead he wonders if he is losing his mind.

A highly satisfactory psychological thriller which isn't perfect but is a damn good read anyway. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

A fabulous read, full of twists and deep character exploration.

There is so much to unpick in this story, and with the depth the character studies go into. I really enjoyed getting to know the dynamics and relationships and how we perceive family etc. The setting was well written and we had a tense atmosphere from early on. I've heard people saying that they had the feeling of the 'calm before the storm' and that exactly sums up the beginning of this book. The island Grady goes to is so vivid in it's descriptions as well, so that really helped get into the story.

Overall a really fab psychological thriller. Well done Alice Feeney, as usual you've smashed it :)

I enjoyed this book a lot - although for reasons I couldn't put my finger on, I started off assuming Grady was in the USA rather than the UK. It might have been the name - Grady just didn't sound very British.

When Grady's wife disappears, his world falls apart. Large sums of money had been taken from their bank accounts and Abby had been receiving threats. Is she dead or alive? Was the money paying off the threats or preparing her for a new life? Grady just doesn't know, but very quickly he's lost the house they brought together and his position as a 'bestselling' author is in jeopardy. He loses his book contract and his agent suggests that he go and spend some time on a quite Scottish island with his dog, Colombo, and tries to get his career back on track.

The island is perfect for focusing his mind, but all is not as it seems. What happened to the man who previously lived and wrote in the lonely clifftop writer's cabin? Why is there no way to communicate with the outside world, and can he trust his own sanity?

Mostly, I thought this was a really good read. I didn't entirely buy into some of the ideas and there's a bit at the end relating to Abby's disappearance on a dark and lonely road that made very little sense to me. But on the whole, it's great. I didn't get the feeling that the author liked her protagonist very much.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy - and for not sending me to an island like this to write my review.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

This is the first book I've read by Alice Feeney and it most certainly won't be the last!

Beautiful Ugly is a fast paced, atmospheric twisty psychological thriller in which we met Grady move to an abandoned cabin on Amberley Island to revive his writing slump after the disappearance of his wife. Nothing is as it seems on the island and everyone has a secret to keep but just what are they all trying to hide.

I couldn't get enough of this book and read it at any given opportunity the day presented, the twist towards the end and the final big reveal were thoroughly enjoyable and right up street-5 stars from me!

I was very excited to receive this book. It is well written and the plot has the potential to keep me gripped. I am giving it, on the reading of the first few chapters five stars, because I feel once it is published and properly formatted it will deserve this. I will purchase a copy and read when published. Many thanks to the publisher for making this version available to me.

As my first encounter with Alice Feeney's writing, “Beautiful Ugly” not only met but exceeded my expectations. The seamless blend of clever plotting, fast-paced action, and thought-provoking themes resulted in a gripping narrative.

As I delved deeper into the story, I found myself racing through the pages, eager to uncover the secrets that lay within. The chilling moments interspersed throughout the narrative. As I reached the final chapters, I found it nearly impossible to put the book down. The suspense was palpable, drawing me in until the very last sentence.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a gripping tale.

Thank you to Alice Feeney, NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.

ALICE FEENEY GIRL, YOU NEVER DISAPPOINT. Psychological thriller is the best way to describe this for sure, my mind was constantly trying to work things out but Feeney played the game well and didn’t let me get it until she wanted me to. What a legend.

Not entirely sure about this book. I enjoyed it to a point. It started off really well, but seemed to ‘go off’ halfway through.. I ended getting really cross with Grady who seemed totally oblivious to the demographics around him.and the storyline line became contrived. Sadly not the book for me.

The Queen of Twists had me gripped from the start. Feeney has yet again written a thrilling mystery that contains twists beyond the wildest of imaginations.

A best-selling author whose wife goes tragically missing a year previously, is failing to continue his writing in order to make ends meet. Grady Green is offered the opportunity to isolate himself in a cabin on the Scottish island of Amberly by his agent to focus on creating his next book. What is meant to be a peaceful retreat becomes far from it as the beautiful and secluded island has very dark secrets.

“Have you ever known something terrible was about to happen before it did? Or felt an overwhelming, inexplicable fear that someone you loved was in danger?”

The twists and turns throughout this book gave me whiplash. Feeney’s writing had me not only page turning quicker than I could process, but it had me second guessing everything that I read. The only reason I haven’t given this book 5 stars is because the dual POV complicated things for me. It wasn’t until the end of the book that I recognised the relevance of the writing style and the necessity of the use of the dual POV.

Grady as the MMC is presented as a broken-hearted husband who has not only lost his wife without answers, but his passion for writing. How could he continue with his day-to-day life when his wife disappeared into the night without a trace?

But the real star of the show is Amberly. With only 25 residents, they pride themselves in their community. However, with no phones, no regular transport on or off the island and strange, unexplainable things happening at every turn, Grady begins to think the grief of losing his wife has finally sent him insane.

The truth, in typical Queen of Twists style, is a lot darker than even I had anticipated. What starts as a story about grief, slowly morphs into a deeply twisted tale of revenge.

The tension and brilliant writing throughout had me feeling a level of insanity right along with Grady. There wasn’t a single emotion that this book didn’t have me experiencing, through grief, hope, anger and confusion. A thought-provoking novel to say the least.

Read this book and then tell me if you still want to move to a quiet, idyllic island. Because I bet you won’t.

Highly recommend for the psychological thriller fans, and definitely if you want something that becomes physically impossible to put down!

Thank you NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A psychological thriller designed to keep you guessing. If you’re a fan of an unreliable narrator, this one’s worth checking out.
Grady is an author who’s lost his wife in mysterious circumstances and he’s also lost his writing mojo. His agent extends an olive branch which seems like the perfect solution but is, in fact, the opposite.
While this was a pacy and suspenseful read, there were occasions where it felt a little too contrived and for me, that affected the credibility of the story overall. Nonetheless I enjoyed the read.
With thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the chance to read an ARC.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

I really enjoy Alice Feeneys writing ever since first stumbling across Rock, Paper, Scissors years ago.

Sadly, this book wasn't my favourite. The writing was great, as always. The plot started out fantastic but as time went on I found myself in disbelief at what was happening.

Also, the ending was a bit meh for me.

It's an okay read and I'd recommend if you are a fan of Feeneys. It just didn't blow me away like other books from her.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.
A great thriller with lots of mystery and a great premise.
It was quite chilling in places and the plot twist really took me by surprise.
I think you have to suspend disbelief a little bit to really enjoy it but I was happy to do that and so I loved it!

Full of chills, thrills and surprises. What starts as the benign account of a grieving author going to a remote Scottish island to write turns into a nightmare of whispers, changing perceptions and terror. Had to read through the night to finish it.