If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia PERFECT for the cozy fall mood. 🍂☕

🔍 The Big Twists & Identity Revelations - The Fate of Odette: The mid-book shift reveals that Odette was murdered, completely changing the trajectory of the novel. How did you react to her death? Did it make you view her earlier chapters differently, knowing she was a tragic narrator? - The Maggie and Angel Twist: Were you surprised to learn that Angel was actually Maggie, the biological daughter of Odette and Wyatt? Looking back, what subtle clues or foreshadowing did Heaberlin leave about their true relationship? - The Truth About Trumanell: We finally learn that Trumanell's father was her abuser and that her disappearance wasn't a standard kidnapping, but a desperate, tragic escape attempt gone wrong. How did this truth reframe the town's obsession with her "innocent beauty"? 👤 Character Motivations & Morality - Wyatt's True Burden: Wyatt spent a decade playing the town villain to protect a devastating family secret. Do you consider his silence heroic, or was it a toxic choice that ultimately destroyed his and Odette's lives? - Pastor Tucker's Complicity: As a pillar of the community, Pastor Tucker used religion and influence to mask a history of horrific abuse. What does his character say about how small, tight-knit towns weaponize faith to protect monsters and silence victims? - Maggie’s Transformation: Maggie goes from a mute, terrified girl found in a ditch to a sharp, determined young woman solving her mother's murder. How did you feel about her growth and her ultimate decision to stay in Texas? 🪵 Symbolism, Structure, and Resolution - The "Black Box" of Memory: Memory in this book is often described as fragmented, unreliable, or physically buried. How did the rural, dusty Texas landscape mirror the buried secrets of the characters? - The Legacy of the Prosthetic Leg: Odette’s prosthetic leg—specifically the beautiful, painted artwork on it—is a recurring symbol. What did it represent for Odette, and what did it mean when Maggie finally inherited it? - The Final Justice: Given that many of the true perpetrators died or escaped traditional legal justice, did you find the ending of the novel satisfying? Do you think Maggie and the remaining characters found actual peace?

It’s discussion time! I thoroughly enjoyed this book with the unexpected twists and turns. Tell us what you think below! 👇🏼 1-How does Feeney build a growing sense of unease? 2-Have you ever been to Scotland? Could you picture the Isle of Amberly? Do you imagine it as similar to anywhere you've ever traveled? 3-Did you enjoy all the twists and turns of the plot or did it feel convoluted to you? 4-Which twist was most jaw-dropping for you? 5-Oh boy that ending! Did you expect it? Did it make sense to you? Did you feel it did a good job of tying up loose ends from earlier in the novel? 6-Beautiful Ugly is told from both Grady's and Abby's perspective. What does the reader gain by experiencing both points of view? From the way that the novel also jumps back and forth in time? 7-Did you grow to care about Grady or Abby as characters? What about any of the many eccentric side characters on the island? Why or why not? 8-Spoiler alert: Beautiful Ugly features a very unreliable narrator. How do you feel about this authorial choice in novels, especially thrillers? 9-Did you read this or listen to the audio? If the latter, what did you think of the narration by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton? 10- Had you read any of Feeney's other thrillers? If yes, how did Beautiful Ugly compare? If not, will you be picking them up after reading this book?