Beautiful Ugly Review – Book Synopsis
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Title |
Beautiful Ugly |
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Author |
Alice Feeney |
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Genre |
Psychological Thriller, Mystery |
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Format |
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Pubished |
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ISBN |
9781250337788 (ISBN10: 125033778X) |
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ASIN |
125033778X |
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Language |
English |
Beautiful Ugly Review – Quick Summary
Beautiful Ugly Review – Trigger Warnings, Sensitive Topics and Age Rating
Before we go any further, I always like to include a quick note on sensitive content. Every reader is different, and some themes in this book might be difficult for certain people.
If you prefer to check content warnings before reading, just click below to reveal the list of trigger warnings, sensitive topics and age ratting.
My Thoughts
I know Beautiful Ugly got some mixed reactions online, some readers found parts of it far-fetched or said it felt a bit repetitive. But honestly? I really liked it. The setting, the tension, the way the story slowly unfolded, it all kept me fully engaged. I didn’t find it boring at all. I was invested from the start and kept guessing right up to the end. My all-time favourite from Alice is still Rock Paper Scissors, but in my humble opinion Beautiful Ugly is a really solid, slow-burn thriller.
What I Loved
One of my favourite things about Beautiful Ugly was discovering the island. The Isle of Amberly felt like its own little world, quiet, cut off, and full of strange little corners I wanted to explore. Bit by bit, we learn its secrets, and that mix of old stories and eerie folklore gave the whole book a slightly spooky, almost a magical feel.
What Surprised Me
Without giving anything away, Beautiful Ugly slowly reveals that there’s more going on than just one broken marriage or a missing person. As the story unfolds, it touches on deeper struggles and quiet truths that often go unspoken. The island, with all its beauty, strange details, and that unsettling cult vibe, starts to feel like more than just a setting. It becomes part of the message.
What Didn’t Work for Me
Now, let’s talk about what made me give only 3/5 stars to Beautiful Ugly.
Early in the book, you get a full sense of how the island works. I loved the setting: moody, strange, and full of tension. But some things just didn’t add up for me. The island felt a little too cut off to be believable. No phone signal, no internet, and a ferry that barely shows up? I kept wondering how people actually lived there. How do they get supplies? What happens in an emergency? It all worked really well to build the atmosphere, but a few of those details made me stop and think, “Wait… how is this even possible?
Another thing was the people on the island, they had a lot of potential. They seemed interesting and definitely added a good mix of tension and strangeness to the story, but unfortunately, most of them weren’t very well developed. I would’ve loved to learn more about who they really were.
This also happens with Abby, the wife. I never really felt connected to her, or to any other character in particular. Abby had so much potential, but her character wasn’t fully developed. I think if we’d gotten to know her better, the big reveal at the end would’ve landed with more impact. It still worked, but it didn’t hit as hard emotionally as it could have.
Vibe Check
Amberly doesn’t just set the scene, it is part of the story. Like I said before, the island feels cold, quiet, and stuck in time. It’s beautiful, but something always feels just a little off, like there’s a secret hiding beneath the surface. The people are strange and hard to read, and it’s never clear what they’re really thinking.
As the story goes on, there’s a tense, almost paranoid feeling that grows. Sometimes, the island even gives off a weird, cult-like vibe. It feels like both the island and its people are hiding something, from Grady, and from you.
About The Plot Twist
I had a theory in mind while I was reading, I thought I’d figured out where the story was going. I’m usually pretty good at predicting twists, but this one still managed to surprise me. Alice Feeney pulled it off in such a subtle way that when the reveal came, it genuinely caught me off guard. I loved that moment of “wait, what?!”, and it definitely made me want to flip back and spot all the little clues I missed.
Now I have to be honest, the main plot twist had me thinking, “Hmm… really?” It didn’t fully land for me, mostly because some of the details didn’t quite add up. But by then, I was already so into the story that I just went with it. Even if the twist didn’t make perfect sense, I was hooked and still really enjoyed the ride.
Maybe some of the revelations after the big plot twist were meant to be that way, but I’ll be honest, I felt a little lost when the big moment happened. I even flipped back a few pages to see if I’d missed something. Maybe that was Alice’s intention all along, or maybe I just didn’t catch it right away. I liked the idea behind it, but I think some readers might feel the same way, needing a moment to catch up.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed the island setting and the overall mood of Beautiful Ugly. The tension, the mystery, and the atmosphere pulled me in right away. But I do wish we’d spent more time with the other characters. Most of the focus is on Grady and his paranoia, and while that worked in some ways, it meant that Abby and the others stayed a bit in the background. There was so much potential there that just wasn’t fully explored.
Because the characters weren’t fully developed, it was hard to really care about some of the deeper themes that show up near the end. Without getting to know the others better, those moments didn’t hit as hard as they could have. And some of the biggest characters from the beginning just kind of disappear by the end, which left things feeling a bit unfinished.
Still, the book kept me hooked. I like Alice Feeney’s writing style, the short chapters, the tension, the way she always makes you want to read just one more page. Even when some parts felt a little stretched or certain characters could’ve used more depth, I couldn’t stop reading. It’s the kind of story that keeps you guessing, and I’m really glad I finally picked it up.
Favourite Quotes
“Sometimes things have to get really dark for us to see what we have. The world always looks more beautiful at night, when the darkness hides everything that is ugly.”
“Life is beautiful and life is ugly and we have to learn to live with both sides of that same coin and see the light in the darkness.”
“No man is an island, but a woman can be if she needs to be.”
Let’s Chat!
Have you read Beautiful Ugly yet? If so, I’d love to know what you thought , did the island get under your skin too? And if it’s still on your TBR, I say go for it! Come back and tell me what you think, I’m always up for chatting about a good twisty read!
