Title: Beautiful Ugly
Author: Alice Feeney
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Category: Fiction; Mystery; Thriller; Suspense
A Scottish island, a brooding cast of characters, and enough hairpin twists to make your stomach drop. Alice Feeney delivers another gripping ride.
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is twistier than any mountain road I have ever driven, and with about the same amount of white-knuckling. Every time I thought I had reached the center of it all, Feeney tossed in another turn just to prove me wrong.
The Isle of Amberly is the real star here. Feeney paints it so vividly I could almost feel the sea spray and not hear the gulls (read to find out!). Picturesque, yes, but also the kind of place where your groceries might not show up because the boat decided not to. I would take a cabin there in a heartbeat, provided someone else manages the ferry schedule.
Most of the story belongs to Grady, with Abby popping in for a few chapters. I will admit, Grady and I had a rocky start. He sulked enough in the beginning that I wanted to hand him a mirror and say, “Do you hear yourself?” But I stuck with him, and he grew on me. The rest of the cast? Think Stepford Wives living on a Scottish island with a dash of Lord of the Flies. They are oddballs, but fascinating oddballs, and I enjoyed peeling back their layers.
The mystery itself is deliciously messy. It looks simple at first glance, but that illusion doesn’t last long. I managed to guess a few things, and I was wildly wrong about others. Some twists made me snort in disbelief, but honestly, that’s half the fun. The main plot holds steady even if a couple of side stories wobble out of reach.
Readers who enjoy mysteries will find plenty to dig into here, and those who like their fiction tilting toward thrillers or even horror may get a kick out of it too.
Nerd Rating: 🤓🤓🤓🤓 – A dark, twist-filled escape to a Scottish island where nothing, and no one, is what it seems.
Let’s discuss: What’s the most memorable fictional setting you’ve visited where the location felt like a character itself?
Find more about Beautiful Ugly on Flatiron Books.
Beautiful review. Considering it might have horror, I’ll give it a pass. But I have to say, your review does make the book very tempting
Thank you! I promise it leans more mystery than horror, but I understand passing if that’s not your thing. 🙂