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Beautiful Ugly
By Alice Feeney
Flatiron Books, Jan 2025, 320pp.

*No Spoilers*

The Short of It:

Not at all what I expected, but in a good way.

The Rest of It:

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared. ~ the publisher

I was in bed, late one night trying to find something to read and happened upon Beautiful Ugly. It’s been on my list for awhile. I had no idea what it was about. I just knew that many have read it and it had pretty good reviews so I borrowed it from Libby and dove in.

I am not sure what I thought the story would be about but I didn’t expect suspense, or a whodunit. I was pleasantly surprised and yes, a tad confused. Grady’s life is upended when his wife goes missing on that fateful night. It was supposed to be a night to celebrate. He had just made the bestseller list and as a writer, there isn’t much that’s better than that.

But Abby, goes missing. The love of his life. On the phone one minute and then gone. Vanished. Some time passes. Grady is floundering. The success of his novel was satisfying but now he has to come up with a second novel and the ideas just aren’t there. His agent, a long time friend offers him a cabin on a small, Scottish island and encourages him to get away. A change of scenery will do wonders.

Grady isn’t so sure but his options are few. He’s down to his last few bucks and even his beloved black lab, Columbo looks at him questioningly. Like, dude, is this our life now? No, not if he can help it.

He heads to the island. It’s a whole production. There’s a ferry but it only heads in twice a week and the timetable seems to be made-up half the time and non-existent other times. He loads up his belongings and heads out. Then, he sees her. A woman in a red coat, just like Abby’s. Is it Abby? Could it be her after all this time?

When he arrives at the island. People are friendly enough but reserved and odd. Only 25 people on the entire island so he is definitely the main attraction as he forages for food and supplies. No internet. No phone lines. Remote. Isolated. Trapped.

Here, I tread carefully. The island is not what it seems but Grady can’t put his finger on why. He’s been drinking more and sleeping less. Imagination and truth become intermingled. As a writer, he can easily convince himself that something is amiss. I mean, he is a storyteller and looks for these kinds of clues all the time. Nothing makes sense. Who can he trust while on this island? Anyone?

I was successfully led by the hand through this story. It’s a page turner and will leave you scratching your head. What the heck is going on?? Is Grady losing his mind? Is he dreaming? I was surprised at the end. I didn’t see that coming. As the story unravels, it becomes a tad less believable but you won’t notice because you will be racing through it to figure it out.

Recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Writers & Lovers
By Lily King
Grove Press, February 2021, 336 pp.

The Short of It:

When it comes to love, do you go with the guy that feels right or the one that you can’t stop thinking about?

The Rest of It:

Blindsided by her mother’s sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey Peabody has arrived in Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 without a plan. Her mail consists of wedding invitations and final notices from debt collectors. A former child golf prodigy, she now waits tables in Harvard Square and rents a tiny, moldy room at the side of a garage where she works on the novel she’s been writing for six years. ~ the publisher

Lily King has a knack for writing characters who are quite messy, but also extremely likable. Casey is a mess. She’s a “creative” working on a novel. A novel that is going nowhere because every time she sits down to write, she’s overcome with doubt. She’s just not good enough. She will be living in her old, moldy apartment forever and will always be that server at the restaurant who does things in a half-assed way and kind of gets away with it. Kind of.

The one thing Casey has going for her is that people tend to want to help her. Whether it’s bringing meals to a table she’s neglected or introducing her to something she’s never really had of her own—a family. After the death of her mother, she just drifts from place to place until she falls in love with two men, at the same time.

One man, a widowed dad with two adorable boys. The other, a writer like her, good but needing the motivation to get out there and in turn, someone who understands her hesitation when it comes to her own work. One seems like a guarantee for a happy life, the other less so but more tempting.

What do you do? She grows close to the single dad and yes, his kids but she sees the writing on the wall and he’s very clear that he wants her there. All of her. How do you balance your desire for a normal family life over what you believe you were meant to be?

The other guy, is elusive. The chemistry is there but there’s a push-pull thing that confuses her. Sometimes he’s fully present and then he’s not. She goes along, making both relationships work for a little bit, but eventually she has to make a choice.

This book has everything. An endearing protagonist, inner-conflict, messy and wonderful bits about being in love, and the art of writing. It’s a perfect package.

I am becoming a huge Lily King fan. I adored her most recent book, Heart the Lover so as soon as I finished it, I found this one and I re-read passages over and over again, took screenshots and just lingered in the writing. If you want a book to make you feel things, I highly recommend King’s work.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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