whitneydaniell

by: Alice Feeney
published: January 14, 2025
genre: Thriller, Mystery
306 Pages, E-Book
Goodreads | Amazon

Character Summary

Abby is an investigative journalist—always chasing a good story about terrible people. She’s completely consumed by her work but somehow still manages to enjoy life with her husband, Grady Green.

Grady, a writer (a mediocre one, at best) and Abby’s suffocating husband, is dead set on becoming a literary star. The only thing standing in his way? His wife. Grady is obsessed with fame and success, though most of it seems to be propped up by the tireless efforts of his agent, Kitty Goldman.

Synopsis

A year after Abby mysteriously disappears on her way home, Grady is left picking up the pieces. No new book, no house, no car, no money—just a hotel room and a black lab named Columbo.

With his career on life support, his agent Kitty offers him a lifeline: keys to a remote writing cottage on a small Scottish island. Grady has always claimed he writes best in solitude, and with his bank account circling the drain, free housing sounds better than getting kicked out of a hotel. So he packs up his few remaining belongings, drives ten hours, catches a ferry, and lands on the Isle of Amberly.

But from the moment he arrives, things start to feel… off. The people are strange. The island has secrets. And Grady—well, he’s not sure if it’s the island messing with his mind or his mind messing with itself. The only way out? Write.

My Final Thoughts

I kept waiting for the plot to get interesting. There are so many words. Long, drawn-out scenes. Endless dialogue. And yet… the whole story and its big reveal just didn’t land for me.

Parts of this book gave The Shining vibes—creepy setting, unraveling mind, eerie isolation. I wouldn’t be surprised if Feeney drew inspiration from King. But Beautiful Ugly felt unfinished, like whole chapters were cut, or maybe I missed something major. It’s possible.

Grady and Abby? Not likable. At all. I didn’t root for either of them. And the supporting characters? Barely developed enough to care. Kitty had potential—I kind of wanted her to be darker, more sinister. Maybe that’s just me, but I wanted more depravity from these people. More chaos. More bad behavior. Give me the twisted mess!

But I digress.

There’s a ton of descriptive writing about the island—its beauty, its trees, its history. There’s even a full-on monologue about why there are no birds. I still don’t know why that mattered or what it added to the plot, but it was long. And then there were the red herrings. Some I caught, others I didn’t. The biggest letdown, though? The confrontation and final reveal.

Remember how I said there are a lot of words? The big “twist” is just two separate characters giving long, drawn-out explanations. We get one monologue… then immediately jump into another. Back-to-back storytime. Someone hand me Dave Chappelle’s “Wrap It Up” box.

The ending felt flat—like it was typed on an iPhone at 7% battery while the boarding group was being called. It felt rushed. Sloppy, even. And that “I hope you die in your sleep” line? Absolutely not. I don’t care how cute the backstory is—there’s no world where I’d ever say that to someone I love. I knew y’all were sociopaths back in chapter four when that line first showed up. Gross.

We’re all just a bad roll of the dice away from being right back at the bottom of the ladder we spent our whole lives climbing.

On Another Note: I had a black lab named Zeus for 12 years. Truly the best dogs. While they aren’t exactly known for being guard dogs—because they’re giant, friendly goofballs—Zeus could still give off a deep, terrifying growl if someone sketchy got too close. I was always shocked, but secretly proud.

On Another, Nother Note: There is a hidden message in this book. Literally spelled out in the final chapter. Cue the eye roll.