Is Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney the Thriller of the Year? Here’s My Take

Before I had the chance to read Beautiful Ugly, it felt like I was seeing it everywhere. Even though I don’t spend much time on social media, I couldn’t escape the buzz surrounding Alice Feeney’s latest release. So, naturally, I sought it out to find out if it truly lived up to the hype.

As a fan of Alice Feeney’s work, I had high expectations going into this one. Her books are the perfect mix of dark suspense and easy-to-read storytelling, often making them feel like a cozy escape, even when the subject matter is intense. With this new novel, I hoped for the same: a page-turner full of twists, tension, and suspense. Did Beautiful Ugly deliver? Eh…maybe? Stay with me. I’ll try to explain.

One of the standout elements of the book is how much it revolves around the main character being “gaslighted.” While I appreciated the psychological tension, I found it somewhat difficult to keep track of what was real versus what wasn’t. Maybe this was intentional, but as a reader, it felt like a challenge to keep up with the blurred lines between reality and delusion. For a “slow-burn” thriller, this was a bit of a stumbling block. The pacing, combined with the confusion over what’s happening, made the story feel like it dragged in places.

Without giving too much away, Beautiful Ugly follows the story of a grieving widower who’s struggling with writer’s block and haunted by his late wife. As he tries to move on, he finds himself unable to separate fact from fiction, which leads to an unraveling of both his mind and his life. While the book is filled with plenty of twists and turns, at its core, it explores the theme of things not always being as they seem.

So, what did I think overall? Honestly, I found Beautiful Ugly to be a bit of a mess. While I understand what Alice Feeney was aiming for with the big twist, it didn’t land for me. I wanted to be shocked, but the slow pacing and confusion made it hard to enjoy the ride. After all the build-up, the twist didn’t feel as impactful as I had hoped, and I was left feeling underwhelmed.

Beautiful Ugly may be a hit for some, but for me, it didn’t live up to the excitement it generated. If you’re looking for a quick, dark thriller, it might work better for you than it did for me.

VERDICT