Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Beautiful Ugly

Some mixed feelings on this one. The beginning was fairly slow and contained so much pointless filler. The worst filler was weird, uncomfortable smut scenes that completely side tracked the story and didn't contribute anything to the plot. I almost dropped the book because of that. I'm happy I didn't because the second half of the book was so good. Lots of suspense and lots of small details being pulled together in a clever way. The use of oxymorons was also interesting. If the beginning was as good as the ending it would have been an easy 5 stars.

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sadiey's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Holy plot twist, Batman! Wow. When you think you have it figured out, another twist comes along. Very gaslighty and creepy. Loved the description of the island. Now I want to visit the Hebrides! Had to look up the details about the transplanted redwood trees which turned out to be based in fact. I will say I got a bit annoyed that Grady didn't get more assertive about his car and the ferry and so son. Was that just British politeness or a plot device? Or the confidence a man has that nothing bad will happen to him? Hmmm .. Other than that, loved it and tore through this audiobook in less than two days. TW: child molester.

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kmckinney0809's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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thatsssorachael's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book had so much going for it and none of it went anywhere interesting. A thriller should be thrilling but this was not. I normally enjoy Alice Feeney, and I trust her to thrill me with her writing and hairpin twists and turns. Beautiful Ugly lacked in the writing, I found it repetitive and the dialogue was so clunky. The twist was frankly unbelievable and so disappointing.

Way too much “it was all a dream” and plot holes, not enough suspense and explanation.

Do not recommend.

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liquidopal's review

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mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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gcastellanos's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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kristin_lee's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you like books with main characters you love to hate - this book is for you. It's a frustrating, slow, winding mystery. The last two chapters do make the slog worth it.

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disguisedposer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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