Beautiful Bad is a nonstop thriller that will keep you guessing. Annie Ward includes a twist that is one of the best ones I have read since Agatha Christie (and that is not a compliment I include lightly). I feared that this type of novel was beginning to become too commonplace, however, I am so happy that I was wrong! This novel is worth your time! But don't worry about taking it up too much time because, frankly, you will not want to put it down.
Beautiful Bad is written in a nonlinear fashion, which makes the story even more fascinating. Backstory is filled in as the present is going on while foreshadowing is taking place. It is a complicated narrative, but Ward makes it easy on the reader.
This story does use PTSD as a vehicle in how the story moves forward, and Ward does not shy away from the darker sides of dealing with this condition. However, she also does not make it a catchall for everything that happens. It is just a catalyst in a twisted narrative that I could not get enough of!
The only thing I really have an issue with is the title and the catch line. Beautiful Bad does not do this justice. Not like the titles "Gone Girl," "The Wife Between Us," and "The Girl on the Train" did. There is no intrigue there. Plus, who came up with the line, "A Perfect Marriage Leads to the Perfect Crime?" Did they even read the book? The marriage is far from perfect. Ward even describes how bad the marriage is from the first page! The issues in the marriage are what gives the story depth and makes the fall of the characters all the more terrible. This story is being shortchanged by such a useless phrase.
Regardless, that is the only real issue I see with the book. This is a classic page turner that will have you on the edge of your seat and it will have you thinking about the story long after you have finished it.
Beautiful Bad is written in a nonlinear fashion, which makes the story even more fascinating. Backstory is filled in as the present is going on while foreshadowing is taking place. It is a complicated narrative, but Ward makes it easy on the reader.
This story does use PTSD as a vehicle in how the story moves forward, and Ward does not shy away from the darker sides of dealing with this condition. However, she also does not make it a catchall for everything that happens. It is just a catalyst in a twisted narrative that I could not get enough of!
The only thing I really have an issue with is the title and the catch line. Beautiful Bad does not do this justice. Not like the titles "Gone Girl," "The Wife Between Us," and "The Girl on the Train" did. There is no intrigue there. Plus, who came up with the line, "A Perfect Marriage Leads to the Perfect Crime?" Did they even read the book? The marriage is far from perfect. Ward even describes how bad the marriage is from the first page! The issues in the marriage are what gives the story depth and makes the fall of the characters all the more terrible. This story is being shortchanged by such a useless phrase.
Regardless, that is the only real issue I see with the book. This is a classic page turner that will have you on the edge of your seat and it will have you thinking about the story long after you have finished it.