What do readers think of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney? Write your own review.

The only way out is to write."

ha! I loved this deliciously dark read! It's tense and suspenseful. I listened to this one and I can't recommend the audiobook enough - it has sound effects like the waves of the ocean and bells from a church.

In this our POV is mainly Grady - who has recently lost his wife, the love of his life, and has gone away to a small island to write and try to come to terms with his wife's disappearance. But the island is odd and Grady is so tired and it's a struggle to understand what's going on.

And I highly recommend not knowing more than that! Go into this one blind, and just let the story confuse you until it all comes together. It was so good! I absolutely loved it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I have a hit or miss relationship with Alice Feeney. I’ve loved some, I’ve hated some. This one was getting so much buzz, I decided to give it a try.
Feeney is a master of creating tension and suspense.

Grady Green’s wife went missing a year ago. Ever since, he’s been unable to write, so his agent sends him to a cabin she’s just inherited on a small Scottish island. The island has just twenty five permanent residents. Yet, he keeps thinking he’s seeing his wife on the island. The reader is left to guess if Grady is losing his mind. Because let’s face it, grief, alcohol and lack of sleep will do that to you.

Feeney has created a great locale for this story. The title is truly apt. The place is gorgeous, but it’s also really eerie. The island lacks all communication with the mainland. And the residents all seem to be hiding something.

The story vaults between Grady’s POV and flashbacks to his wife, Abby’s. I was left not knowing whom to believe.

The strength of this book is Feeney’s ability to keep the reader off balance for the entire story. Grady is a great unreliable narrator. But then, as much as I was enjoying the story, it went off the rails at the end. It was OTT to the point of silliness. By the end, the only character I cared about was Columbo.

I listened to this and both Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton did great jobs.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.