Where to Start with Alice Feeney
Alice Feeney has earned a reputation as the modern "Queen of Twists" for her fast-paced psychological thrillers, unreliable narrators, and mind-bending endings that force readers to rethink everything they just read. Because all of Feeney's novels are written as standalone stories set in their own distinct universes, there is no strict continuity or narrative thread linking them. You can read them in any order you choose.
However, if you are new to her work, most fans and critics recommend starting with her debut novel, Sometimes I Lie (2017). This book established her signature style of shifting timelines, dark secrets, and unreliable narration. Another excellent starting point is His & Hers (2020), which features a highly gripping dual-perspective mystery that showcases her background as a BBC journalist, or Rock Paper Scissors (2021), famous for a game-changing mid-book twist that remains a fan favorite.
Alice Feeney Books in Publication Order
Reading Alice Feeney's books in order of release is the best way to watch her narrative style and plot structures evolve over time. Below is the complete chronological publication list of her novels, including her most recent thrillers.
- Sometimes I Lie (2017) – Her breakout debut follows Amber Reynolds, a woman who is in a coma following a mysterious accident. She is paralyzed and unable to speak, but she can hear everything happening around her. The narrative shifts between her present comatose state, the week leading up to the accident, and diary entries from her childhood twenty years ago. The book is famous for its opening hook: "My name is Amber. I'm in a coma. My husband doesn't love me anymore. And sometimes I lie."
- I Know Who You Are (2019) – This dark thriller centers on Aimee Sinclair, a successful actress whose husband disappears after an argument. As the police begin to suspect Aimee of foul play, she struggles to keep a grip on her reality. The story alternates between her frantic search in the present day and a tragic, haunting childhood backstory that reveals how she became the woman she is today.
- His & Hers (2020) – Set in the gloomy, isolated village of Blackdown, this novel is told from two opposing perspectives: Anna Andrews, a BBC journalist reporting on a local murder, and DCI Jack Harper, the detective leading the investigation. As the body count rises, both narrators emerge as suspects, and they must face the secrets of their shared past.
- Rock Paper Scissors (2021) – Amelia and Adam Wright win a weekend getaway to a converted chapel in the remote Scottish Highlands in a last-ditch effort to save their crumbling marriage. Adam suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness), meaning he cannot recognize his wife's face. The story unfolds through their current perspectives alongside annual anniversary letters that Amelia has written to Adam over the years but never sent.
- Daisy Darker (2022) – A modern, gothic homage to Agatha Christie's classic mystery And Then There Were None. The Darker family gathers at Seaglass, a crumbling house situated on a tidal island, to celebrate Nana's 80th birthday. When the tide comes in and cuts them off from the mainland, Nana is found dead, and the family members are targeted one by one, accompanied by a series of chilling childhood nursery rhymes.
- Good Bad Girl (2023) – A multi-generational mystery that begins on Mother's Day with a crime in an art gallery. The story weaves together the perspectives of four different women: Edith, a clever resident of a nursing home; Marina, her estranged daughter; Rose, a young woman working at the home; and Connie, a mother searching for her baby stolen twenty years ago.
- Beautiful Ugly (2025) – Grady Green is a grieving, block-ridden novelist whose wife Abby disappeared a year ago during a phone call with him. To help him heal and write, his editor sends him to a remote Scottish island. However, his isolation is shattered when he spots a woman who looks identical to his missing wife, throwing him into a spiral of paranoia and obsession.
- My Husband's Wife (2026) – This thriller follows Eden Fox, an artist who returns to her home, "Spyglass," in Hope Falls, only to find her key no longer works. The woman who answers the door looks exactly like Eden, claims to be the real Eden, and Eden's husband insists the stranger is telling the truth. The mystery connects with a timeline from six months prior involving a reclusive woman named Birdy and a clinic that claims to predict death dates.
Key Elements and Reading Caveats
Before diving into Alice Feeney's bibliography, it is helpful to keep a few stylistic elements in mind. Feeney's novels rely heavily on the "unreliable narrator" trope. Characters frequently hide information from the reader, lie to themselves, or suffer from conditions that affect their perception of reality, such as Adam's face blindness in Rock Paper Scissors or Amber's coma in Sometimes I Lie. Readers should expect to pay close attention to timeline changes, as she regularly uses flashbacks, diaries, and letters to construct her mysteries.
Furthermore, because her thrillers are highly atmospheric, the settings function almost as active characters. From the tide-locked house in Daisy Darker to the remote Scottish cabin in Beautiful Ugly, these isolated backdrops amplify the characters' psychological claustrophobia.
While all of her works are officially standalones, avid fans have debated various theories and "Easter eggs" connecting the books. For instance, some readers speculate that the events of Rock Paper Scissors and Daisy Darker share thematic connections, or that characters from earlier books exist in the backgrounds of later ones. However, these are strictly fan-made interpretations, and you do not need to read the books in a specific order to understand the plots.
From Page to Screen: Adaptations
Alice Feeney's twisty plots have caught the attention of major television and film producers. A highly anticipated television series adaptation of His & Hers, starring Tessa Thompson, premiered on Netflix in January 2026. Additionally, her debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, has been optioned for a television adaptation with Sarah Michelle Gellar attached to star, and the film rights to Rock Paper Scissors have also been optioned for development.