Beautiful Ugly
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3.9 • 133 Ratings
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- £11.99
Publisher Description
Read by Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Missing You) and Tuppence Middleton (Sense8, Downton Abbey).
'I was consumed by this book, it's her best ever, a work of genius' – Lisa Jewell, author of None of This is True
‘Her best book yet’ – Harlan Coben, author of Fool Me Once
The million-copy bestselling author of His and Hers, Alice Feeney, returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage . . . and revenge.
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Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.
Grady calls his wife as she’s driving home to share some exciting news. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by a 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.
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Readers are gripped by Beautiful Ugly:
'Alice Feeney's best book to date'
'A deliciously dark tale of love, marriage and revenge'
'A beautifully written tale of an ugly situation'
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More love for Beautiful Ugly . . .
'Characters that jump off the page and twists to give you whiplash. I loved every word' – Claire Douglas, author of The Wrong Sister
‘Magnetic and jaw-dropping’ – Mary Kubica, bestselling author of Local Woman Missing
‘Unforgettable’ – Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of We Begin at the End
'A masterpiece, a riveting read, immaculately written' – Janice Hallett, author of The Twyford Code
Beautiful Ugly was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/c 27/01/2025
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Alice Feeney is known to her many fans as the "Queen of Twists”, thanks to her skill at crafting revelations nobody sees coming—and this riveting psychological thriller is no exception. A year after the mysterious disappearance of his wife Abby, author Grady Green is still overcome with grief. When he travels to a remote Scottish island for a change of scenery, he starts seeing a woman who looks exactly like his missing partner. Could it be her, or is his mind playing tricks? An increasingly uneasy atmosphere hangs over the narrative as we learn both Grady’s and Abby’s sides of the story, and we realise that neither are entirely reliable narrators. We loved the relatable exploration of how relationships can go wrong, wrapped in a propulsive mystery that kept us hooked until the final, jaw-dropping reveal.
Customer Reviews
What is going on???
All I could think of when listening to this was “what is going on??” In a good way of course. Every chapter ends with a great cliffhanger (bar one involving eyes). In the end I had to stay up late just to get to the end. It’s TERRIBLY GOOD.
*Solace*
This book immediately drew me in, and I highly recommend adding the audio version as it enhances the overall experience. The narrators, Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton, do an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life.
Grady Green is an author who finds solace in writing. He loves peace and quiet and writing means everything to him.
Grady’s wife, Abby, is an investigative journalist who has always been fascinated by writers. When she meets Grady, she sees a potential match made in heaven. However, the reality is far from ideal.
One day, Grady is eagerly waiting for the news that he has always dreamed of – whether or not his latest book has made it to the New York Times bestsellers list. As he waits, he yearns for Abby to be by his side. But Abby is on her way home and stumbles upon someone lying in the road. She decides to investigate and Grady urges her not to get out of the car, but she ignores his pleas. That is the last time he sees her.
A year later, Grady’s agent seeing how distraught he is sends him to a remote island in Scotland. There, he finds himself in a strange and unsettling situation. There is no phone, no internet, and the boat service depends on the weather. In a way, Grady is cut off from the outside world.
As Grady explores the island, strange things start to happen, he wonders why the island is home to only 25 residents who discourage tourists. The final reveal is unbelievable and completely strange, up until that point I was invested in the story. But, the more we learn it forces Grady to understand the true meaning of solace. Will he be left wondering if he should have been careful for what he wished for.
Amazing
Just a fantastic book. So clever and unusual. I really couldn’t turn it off!
I had no clue in which direction it would go but couldn’t have called. Very very good!