A review by readingwithrylanne
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I've read (almost) all of Alice Feeney's books and go back and forth every few years on which is my favorite by her. For several years, it was Rock Paper Scissors, but by the fifty percent mark of Beautiful Ugly, I knew this book would surpass my current favorite. Something about Feeney's thrillers are so quotable, and I've started noticing that with her most recent two books. I tabbed and highlighted so many little sections of this book, making me fall in love with the prose before we even got too deep into the mystery, which had me hooked from early on. I loved the isolated setting of Amberly and all of the creepy things going on, which made me need to know how the book would end. I wasn't ever quite sure what or who to believe on the island, which made the plot twists feel absolutely shocking and threw me off. The final chapter was the only part that almost made me feel frustrated, as I wanted to know the shift behind what happened to Grady on the island, but overall, this book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and I didn't want to put it down. A new Alice Feeney favorite!

CW for disappearance, murder, plagiarism, alcoholism, sexual assault, abandonment, loss of loved one.
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