Minnie's Fiction Addiction

👀 First impressions:
When I picked up Beautiful Ugly, I expected Alice Feeney’s signature brand of twist-heavy psychological suspense, and in many ways, it delivered. The premise is instantly intriguing: Grady Green, a once-successful thriller author, is still haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his wife, Abby. A year later, plagued by grief and creative paralysis, he retreats to the remote Scottish isle of Amberly, home to just twenty-five residents. But then he sees her, or at least someone who looks exactly like her—walking through the island’s mist. From there, the story unfurls in alternating perspectives and creeping unease, promising secrets buried deep in both the land and its people.

✅ What I Liked:
The island setting is one of the novel’s strongest elements. Feeney captures the claustrophobia of isolation beautifully, making Amberly feel like a character in its own right. The wind-lashed cliffs, the shifting weather, the sense that everyone knows more than they let on, it all builds an atmospheric tension that’s hard to shake. The pacing is brisk, with just enough information drip-fed to keep me turning pages, and the multiple twists had me second-guessing what I thought I knew. Even when I wasn’t entirely convinced by where the story was going, I wanted to know how it would all play out.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
While I enjoy a good surprise, Beautiful Ugly sometimes tries to out-twist itself. There are moments where the reveals feel so numerous and so dramatic that they tip into implausibility, undercutting the emotional impact. The characters, particularly outside the main two perspectives, felt thinner than I’d hoped; I struggled to connect with them beyond their roles in the plot. By the time the final reveal arrived, it felt less like a gasp-worthy payoff and more like one twist too many.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
If you’re a fan of isolated-setting thrillers, especially those with a slightly gothic edge, this one delivers plenty of mood and misdirection. Readers who relish unpredictability will find no shortage of shocks here, and the atmospheric writing makes it an appealing autumn or winter read, preferably with the rain against the window and a blanket around your shoulders.

💭 Final Thoughts:
Beautiful Ugly is entertaining, compulsive, and vividly atmospheric, but its tendency to pile on twist after twist left me more exhausted than exhilarated by the end. Still, I can’t deny that Feeney kept me hooked until the final page. This is a book for those who don’t mind sacrificing a little plausibility for a lot of drama.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE

Final Rating ★★★ – A twisty island thriller that intrigues, but doesn’t entirely satisfy.”