Tag: editors

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

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“Success is often the result of a series of failures. Try to remember that. You never learn anything from success, but failure can teach you everything about a person. Especially yourself.”
― Alice Feeney, Beautiful Ugly

Alice Feeney is one of my favorite thriller authors. She is a master of plot twists and mixing flawed characters together to create a messy story that requires atmosphere, secrets galore, and unreliable characters. Her 2025 release, Beautiful Ugly, is full of twists and turns that still have me wondering what exactly happened.

What should be the best day of Grady Green’s life ends up being his worst day. Expecting his wife home soon, Grady is anxiously awaiting news of whether or not his latest novel is a New York Times Bestseller. Calling to see where she is, Grady is stunned to hear Abby slam on the brakes, leave her car, and go completely silent. Concerned for her safety, Grady goes searching for Abby only to find her car on the cliff edge road with the headlights still on, the driver door open, and her phone sitting in the car. He combs the area looking, but Abby has disappeared.

Flash forward a year and Grady has hit rock bottom. He has lost his house, is unable to write, and struggles to sleep. His every waking moment is consumed with grief over what happened to Abby. When his agent suggests that he travel to a tiny Scottish island to focus on his writing, Grady takes her up on the offer. He is hopeful that he will be able to write while stranded on this picturesque island with no distractions. While on the ferry to the island, Grady is hit with his first inkling that something is wrong: he sees a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife. That’s impossible. Or is it? Could Abby be hiding out on this island? And if so, why hasn’t she contacted him? What is going on?

While I enjoyed Beautiful Ugly, I have to admit that this isn’t my favorite of Alice Feeney’s, but only because the ending isn’t as tidy as I would have liked. I will say that the ending completely fits with the themes of paranoia and misery that Feeney builds up throughout this novel. Readers are never quite sure who is telling the truth as the book progresses and the end will definitely leave you wondering what exactly has happened. Give this a read and then let me know what you think in the comments below!

This title is also available in large print, CD audiobook, and Playaway audiobook.

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

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Have you ever picked a title to read based purely on the cover? My latest read, The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston, was one I picked for that reason. Lucky for me, it ended up being right up my alley: ghostwriters, handsome editors, a family-run funeral home, literal ghosts, and a love story.

Florence Day no longer believes in love. This wouldn’t be a problem except that she is the ghostwriter for a very prolific romance author. Her job demands that Florence believe in love. She has her terrible ex-boyfriend to blame. He crushed her heart and left her standing in the rain after their breakup.

When Florence meets with her new editor, she’s distracted to find that he’s incredibly handsome. However, he won’t give her an extension for her book deadline and even mentions getting legal involved if she misses her current deadline! Florence is distraught, but all her work worries cease to matter when she receives a devastating phone call from home. She has to return home for the first time in a decade. Florence’s father has died.

Her tiny hometown has never understood her. Although she misses her eccentric family, their funeral parlor, and the sweet sounds of a warm Southern night, Florence was desperate to escape as soon as she could. Now that she’s back, it seems as if nothing has changed. Her feelings are thrown for a loop when she discovers a ghost standing on the porch of the funeral parlor, confused about why he’s there. Florence must help him pass on, but is unsure how. The ghost’s unfinished business, combined with her own grief, will have Florence confused about what she believed about herself. Does she really think romance is dead and that love stories are lost to her forever?

This title is also available in the following formats:

Genius

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genius2I’m a sucker for literary movies, movies that give me a glimpse into the lives of my favorite authors, the time period that they were writing, and their motivations for writing. Genius fell right into my lap one day and I knew I needed to watch it.

Genius tells the story of the relationship between Maxwell Perkins and Thomas Wolfe. Perkins was a book editor at Scribner, one who discovered F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, among others. Thomas Wolfe’s manuscript was put into Perkins’ hands by an associate who said that is was unique and that he should take a look at it. What follows is a deep dive into the psyche of Wolfe and Perkins’ relationship.

Wolfe is portrayed as a lovable American South writer who does not believe his novel will ever get published after he worked on it for four years. Perkins drops into his life right when he is at a crossroads. The two work together to carve down Wolfe’s massive manuscript into something the public will actually read. The scenes where Wolfe and Perkins are actively working on his manuscript are some of my favorite as both of their personalities shine as they rally for their favorite parts to be saved or for certain sections to be cut. Perkins’ relationship with his family as well as Wolfe’s relationship with his lady benefactor also play key roles in this movie.

Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald make frequent appearances in the movie, letting viewers see into their own personal lives and the struggles they were facing as writers. Seeing the characters’ relationships grow and change throughout the course of this movie really allows viewers to see how complex Wolfe and Perkins’ relationship was with each other and with the outside world.

This movie is based on the 1978 National Book Award-winner Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg. It’s important to remember that this is a dramatized version of a biography, so the director and writers strayed from the book a little bit. If you’re curious about what was left out or need a little more background, check out this New Yorker article entitled “The Odd Factual Gaps in Michael Grandage’s ‘Genius’ “and judge the movie’s authenticity and factuality for yourself.