Hypnotic and atmospheric, Beautiful Ugly is a bit of a return to form—while I liked Daisy Darker and Good Bad Girl enough, neither of them quite captivated me the same way as Rock Paper Scissors, which remains my favorite of hers with its perfect ratio of gripping writing, mood, and outside-of-my-radar twists.

Beautiful Ugly hooks me in immediately with its cold opening, and one of its greatest strength throughout is the ominous setting of the Scottish island—even though the story unfolds relatively slowly, there are so many small, yet menacing detail/incident along the way, that really tickle readers' curiosity to keep reading/guessing the outcome. Speaking of the reveal, when the story finally laid all its cards on the table, while I did see aspects of its twist coming (I might have previously consumed the same media that inspired Alice Feeney), I was still delightfully surprised by the construct surrounding it. As much fun as I had, I can foresee this one not holding up in a re-read—not only is the protagonist comically unreliable (so he's an insomniac, alcoholic, AND emotionally distraught?), but quite a few character interaction/event will seem convoluted and unnatural knowing where the plot ultimately ends.

Beautiful Ugly is a polished entry that encapsulates everything I enjoy from Alice Feeney: an immersive, can't-put-it-down thrill ride. There's even a small literary Easter egg near the end that really takes an extra level of craftsmanship to accomplish (IYKYK). Also worth noting is its audiobook, which is very tastefully done with perfectly performed narration and sound effect—really enhances the overall foreboding hue. This is good one!

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**