Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney Published by Flatiron Books on January 14 2025
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Psychological thriller
Pages: 320
Format: Finished hardcover
Source: Purchased
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The nitty-gritty: A thoroughly entertaining—if not perfect—Alice Feeney thriller, full of her trademark twists and quirky characters.
Alice Feeney has written another twisty story with unreliable characters and a very cool set-up, and although it’s not my favorite of her books, it was a lot of fun.
We follow writer Grady Green, who, when the story opens, is waiting anxiously by the phone for a call from his agent to hear if his latest book has become a New York Times bestseller. Grady’s wife Abby is on her way home, and Grady is a little peeved that she isn’t standing by his side. He wants her to be there when the call about his book comes in. He calls Abby to find out where she is, only to hear her slam on the brakes while they’re talking. Abby says there’s a woman lying in the road and she’s going to stop to help.
But that’s the last that Grady hears from his wife, because after she gets out of the car, he never sees her again. What happened to Abby? A year later, Grady is still mourning her loss and asking questions.
Depressed and unable to write or sleep, Grady’s agent Kitty suggests he take a break and stay in a small cabin she owns in Scotland, located on a remote island called the Isle of Amberly. With no cell service and very limited access to the mainland, it might be just the thing he needs to jump start his next book.
But when he arrives, he notices things are a bit…strange. Only twenty-five people live on the island, and tourists are only allowed to visit a few months a year. There’s no cell service or even land lines, and all the locals carry walkie-talkies around with them. When Grady moves into the cabin, he has the feeling that someone is watching him, and he’s certain that someone has been inside the cabin and moved things around. The ferry that services the island is the only way on and off, and it’s schedule is spotty at best. And when he thinks he sees his missing wife Abby, he realizes that something odd is going on.
Feeney sets up some intriguing mysteries right off the bat. First, there’s the mystery of what happened to Abby. Did she leave Grady and stage a dramatic disappearance? Was she kidnapped or murdered? No one found a body, so her fate is unknown. Then there’s the mystery of the Isle of Amberly. Even though Kitty has paved the way for him, and even though the locals seem to be friendly, Grady does not really feel welcome. At first he enjoys the quiet and change of pace, but little by little Amberly takes on a sinister air. Is he just paranoid, or is something going on behind the scenes? Feeney does a great job of hooking the reader with lots of little events that all add up to a whole lot of weirdness, and I flew through the pages to find out what was really going on. There’s almost a Twilight Zone vibe to the scenes that take place on the island, which I loved.
While most of the story is told from Grady’s first person point of view, we also get chapters from Abby, which fill in some blanks and also give the story a “he said, she said” dynamic. Abby’s narrative turns everything Grady has told us on its head, and instead of explaining the mystery, it only makes things more confusing. I have to say that Abby comes across as much more sympathetic than Grady, who comes across as a whiny, entitled author who gets expects to get everything he wants.
Feeney is known for her epic twists, and she doesn’t disappoint here—although the twists this time were the reason the story didn’t completely work for me. Instead of blowing me away with their revelations, I was mostly confused. Of course I won’t go into details to avoid spoilers, but going back over the details of the story only created more questions for me. One twist in particular involving what happened to Abby make NO sense and left me puzzled rather than shocked.
Still, there’s a lot of entertainment value here, which is why I’m giving Beautiful Ugly four stars, despite some of the unsatisfying twists. This is one of those stories that makes you want to reread it to spot the clues you missed the first time.
Aside from the fact that it was more puzzling than surprising it seems like a pretty great book! I haven’t read anything by this author, yet, but I hope to do ot this year!!
Ooh start with Daisy Darker!
Oh, thank you!! Will do!
A fascinating review – Feeney must be an accomplished writer to be able to have still earnt such a high score despite the odd twists. Thank you for sharing, Tammy:).
I really love her style, and even if this had a few faults, the entertainment value was definitely 4 stars:-)
This sounds really good so it’s a shame that some of the twists left a confusing feeling. I love it when a twist is huge and really adds to the story but it’s a bit of a let down when you’re left unsatisfied or with questions. I definitely intend to read another book by this author but the only one I’ve read so far is Daisy Darker and that was so good I’m not sure what else will match it
It’s going to be hard to top Daisy Darker. I have heard that His & Hers is really good too.
I still have never read an Alice Feeney novel, though I have several of them on my TBR list. I need to rectify that this year. Of all the books by her that you’ve read, do you have a favorite?
I highly recommend Daisy Darker, it’s amazing! And has a really good twist:-)
Great review, Tammy! I also love that the scenes on the island gave a Twilight Zone vibe. What’s not to love about that? And even though the twists weren’t the best and left you a little confused it seems like a good read. Thanks for sharing!
It’s definitely worth reading!
I’ve had my eye on this one for ages! It reminds me a short story by Stephen King, The Rat. That’s about a writer in a cabin in a creepy isolated town. Great review!
I’m not sure I’ve read that King story, but now I want to!
I think it’s been a while since I’ve read this kind of thriller. Glad to hear you enjoyed it despite any flaws.
It was fun and a nice change of pace:-)
Oh wow- this sounds good. I still haven’t read feeney. The Abby POV that paints grady as perhaps unreliable, and the island mystery… I’m going to pick this one up!
You have to try her books!
This was on my anticipated release list and I’m so behind right now? Glad you liked it!
I hope you get the chance to read it:-)
Agree with you on the twist here. More confusing than anything. It’s like, did she write herself into a corner and then just say screw it, I’m not explaining any more? Lol
Ha ha it felt that way for sure!
I love the sound of the setting for this one, it seems like the perfect place for an atmospheric, eerie thriller. It’s just a shame that the ending was a bit of a letdown as they’re such a vital part of these kind of books. I still need to try something by the author and think I’ll probably go for Sometimes I Lie or Daisy Darker. I’m still keeping this on my TBR to try in the future though.
It was such a creepy setting, and you’re right, it was the perfect place to set the story.
Interesting. Now, I’m even more intrigued by this book! I’ve enjoyed the two books I’ve read by Feeney, so I’m definitely up for another by her and this one sounds really good. I’m glad you enjoyed it for the most part.
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I feel like I’m always going to try any new book she writes. I hope you get the chance to read it:-)
I’ve seen this one around alot and it sounds good although too many plot twists would confuse me also. Great review!
Probably not my type of read. I do like how the cover has the little tear in the middle of it though. Thanks for sharing!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2025/01/27/e-galley-review-if-the-ring-fits-funny-feelings-2-by-camilla-isley/
Not my absolute favourite but I still enjoyed reading it – and yes, I know what you mean about the twist.
Lynn