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Quick answer: If you liked Alice Feeney's Beautiful Ugly, try Rock Paper Scissors, His & Hers, Daisy Darker, The Last Thing He Told Me, Verity and The Silent Patient. They share unreliable narrators, marriages with secrets and twists that land in the last chapters.
Beautiful Ugly (2025) is Alice Feeney's thriller about a marriage, a disappearance and the question of who is telling the truth. Her fans enjoy the way she plays with perspective. If you want more of the same, these 15 books offer twisty domestic suspense and psychological thrillers that keep you guessing until the end. Some include violence and disturbing themes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Paper Scissors | Alice Feeney | Adult | more by the same author |
| His & Hers | Alice Feeney | Adult | readers who like duel narrators |
| Daisy Darker | Alice Feeney | Adult | readers who like closed circles |
| Sometimes I Lie | Alice Feeney | Adult | readers who like unusual narrators |
| The Last Thing He Told Me | Laura Dave | Adult | readers who like family secrets |
| Verity | Colleen Hoover | Adult | readers who like shocking suspense |
| The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | Adult | readers who like psychological twists |
| The Wife Between Us | Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen | Adult | readers who like shifting perspectives |
| The Maid | Nita Prose | Adult | readers who want a lighter mystery |
| The Guest List | Lucy Foley | Adult | readers who like gatherings |
| The Paris Apartment | Lucy Foley | Adult | readers who like closed buildings |
| Local Woman Missing | Mary Kubica | Adult | readers who like missing-person plots |
| Behind Her Eyes | Sarah Pinborough | Adult | readers who like big twists |
| The Housemaid | Freida McFadden | Adult | readers who like quick reads |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Adult | readers who want the classic |
1. Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
A married couple wins a weekend in a converted chapel in Scotland, and secrets come out. A strong Feeney thriller.
Best for: more by the same author.
2. His & Hers by Alice Feeney
Two narrators, a detective and a news anchor, are drawn into a murder in their small village. Twisty and fast.
Best for: readers who like duel narrators.
3. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
A family gathers at a tidal island home, and members begin to die. A locked-room thriller.
Best for: readers who like closed circles.
4. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
Amber wakes in a coma and cannot move, though she can hear and think. A debut that sets a tricky puzzle.
Best for: readers who like unusual narrators.
5. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Hannah searches for the truth after her husband vanishes and leaves a note. Fast and emotional.
Best for: readers who like family secrets.
6. Verity by Colleen Hoover
A struggling writer is hired to finish a famous author's series and finds a disturbing hidden manuscript. Dark and twisty.
Best for: readers who like shocking suspense.
7. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
A therapist investigates why a woman stopped speaking after killing her husband. A big twist.
Best for: readers who like psychological twists.
8. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
A divorced woman and her ex-husband's new fiancée have a story that shifts. A twisty domestic thriller.
Best for: readers who like shifting perspectives.
9. The Maid by Nita Prose
Molly, a hotel maid, finds a guest dead and becomes the suspect. Quirky, cozy and clever.
Best for: readers who want a lighter mystery.
10. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
A wedding on an island turns into a murder mystery. Told by several narrators.
Best for: readers who like gatherings.
11. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
A woman visits her half-brother in Paris and finds him gone, with neighbors who hide secrets. Fast and twisty.
Best for: readers who like closed buildings.
12. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
A woman disappears, and years later her daughter returns. Twisty and emotional.
Best for: readers who like missing-person plots.
13. Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
A single mother becomes entangled with her boss and his wife. A famous shocking ending.
Best for: readers who like big twists.
14. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Millie takes a job as a live-in maid for a wealthy family and notices odd details. Twisty and fast.
Best for: readers who like quick reads.
15. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Amy disappears and her husband is the main suspect. The model for many domestic thrillers.
Best for: readers who want the classic.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Beautiful Ugly: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
If you want more Feeney, start with Rock Paper Scissors or Daisy Darker. For domestic thrillers, read The Last Thing He Told Me or The Wife Between Us. For locked rooms, choose The Guest List or The Paris Apartment. For something lighter, pick The Maid. A simple plan is to read the ending of a thriller only after you finish, and avoid online spoilers. Many of these include violence and psychological abuse, so choose with care.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Beautiful Ugly about?
It is a psychological thriller about a married couple and a disappearance, with twists in Feeney's style.
Do I need to read Feeney's other books first?
No. Her thrillers are standalone stories.
Is Verity too dark?
It includes disturbing content and graphic scenes, so read with care.
Which book is the closest?
Rock Paper Scissors and His & Hers are the closest in structure.