Beautiful Ugly: A Novel

Meeting at Crystal Cafe. Missing Steph

Added at Sharon's for Dec read 2025

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney feels like a perfect blend of emotional depth and visual storytelling, making it easy to imagine as a film. The novel follows a woman’s struggle with self-image, trapped between her inner beauty and outer imperfections. Feeney’s writing is poignant and evocative, capturing the raw complexities of identity and self-worth. The atmosphere of the book—set against the backdrop of emotional turmoil—reminds me of the smell of rain on a summer camp day. There's something about that mix of nostalgia, tension, and reflection that ties the story together. Feeney uses this ambiance to bring the protagonist’s journey to life, creating moments of quiet introspection, much like a summer shower that clears the air and forces change. With its blend of psychological suspense and emotional drama, Beautiful Ugly would translate perfectly to the screen—imagine soft, rainy landscapes paired with introspective moments that hit hard. If you're drawn to books that explore the human condition and leave you thinking long after, this one’s definitely worth a read—and maybe even a watch one day.

My immediate thought upon finishing this book was “What the actual hell did I just read?!” and I think it sums things up pretty well. This was my first Alice Feeney read and I learned afterwards she is coined as the Queen of Twists and I completely understand why. I feel I’m pretty good at predicting outcomes but this one got me. I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t and I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. This was so twisty and it’s a good thing I finished it in two days because I was actually anxious reading this. That being said, I wasn’t the biggest fan of any of the characters. None of them stood out and frankly I liked and disliked each of them equally. There are a lot of specific details put into the portrayal of the setting that added to all the mystery for me and supported a lot of my feelings while reading. This might be one of my favorite thrillers and highly recommend you pick it up, asap!

A great read…kept me engaged!