Alice Feeney
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.
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.
Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.
My Review:
Alice Feeney has done it again! Beautiful Ugly is an absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller that blew my mind from start to finish. From the riveting first chapter to the unforgettable conclusion, this book had me hooked, questioning everything I thought I knew. Having loved Daisy Darker for its brilliance, I couldn’t wait to dive into Alice Feeney’s latest novel – and it exceeded every one of my high expectations!
The story opens with Grady Green, a writer waiting to hear if his latest novel has made the New York Times Bestseller list. His life should be perfect – it’s anything but. When his wife Abby mysteriously vanishes after stopping to help a woman on the road home, Grady’s world is turned upside down. A year later, grief-stricken, broken, and unable to write, he’s offered a lifeline: a chance to work on the remote Scottish island of Amberley. But nothing on this isolated island is as it seems.
The atmospheric writing is exceptional. Feeney’s descriptions of Amberley make it feel like a character in its own right – moody, enigmatic, and eerily alive. I could almost hear the crash of the waves, feel the mist creeping in from the cliffs, and sense the crackle of the walkie-talkies as Grady delves deeper into the island’s mysteries. The isolation and silence are used so masterfully, with moments of calm shattered by tension-filled twists that left me breathless.
The island’s oddball residents are brilliantly crafted – unpredictable and unforgettable. Their strange behavior only adds to the sinister, off-kilter vibe that permeates the story. Is someone playing mind games with Grady? Or is it his grief, insomnia, and alcohol-clouded mind distorting reality? The line between what’s real and imagined is razor-thin, and I loved every second of trying to figure it out.
The stormy, windswept island of Amberley is the perfect backdrop for this unsettling, twisty tale. Every shadow, every crackle of static on a walkie-talkie, and every silence had me on edge as the lines between reality and illusion blurred for Grady, and for me as a reader.
Feeney’s trademark twists are jaw-dropping, and Beautiful Ugly delivers them in spades. The tension builds relentlessly, and the conclusion is nothing short of perfection—deliciously satisfying and thought-provoking.
This is more than just a thriller; it’s a masterclass in atmosphere and storytelling. If you love richly descriptive settings, unreliable narrators, and unpredictable twists, this book is for you. Feeney has once again proven why she’s the queen of unforgettable domestic thrillers.
Highly, highly recommend—don’t walk, RUN to grab your copy of Beautiful Ugly!
The Author:
Alice Feeney is a New York Times million-copy bestselling author. Her books have been translated into over thirty-five languages, and have been optioned for major screen adaptations. Including His & Hers which is being made into major TV series by Netflix. Alice was a BBC journalist for fifteen years, and now lives in Devon with her family. Beautiful Ugly is her seventh novel.
You can follow Alice on Facebook and Instagram
The Book:
Title: Beautiful Ugly
Publication Date: 30 January 2025
Number of pages: 320
Purchase Link: alicefeeney.com
The Review:
After enjoying Alice Feeney’s brilliant writing in the gripping Daisy Darker, I was eager to read her latest thriller and was overjoyed when my request on NetGalley was approved. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for providing me with a digital ARC ahead of its publication next month!
All views expressed are my own. This review, or parts thereof, may also be published on my social medial channels – find me everywhere as momobookdiary – and book websites, such as Amazon, Goodreads, LoveReading, StoryGraph, and Waterstones. All links are correct at the time of publication.
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