The Midnight Feast was nothing that I expected, and absolutely everything that I needed! The plot, the flashbacks, the character development?! Absolutely phenomenal and the best thriller of 2024.

Thank you for the opportunity of an eARC, and I am leaving this review willingly.

Author of “The Paris Apartment” and “The Guest List”
Lucy Foley is back with a new one, The Midnight Feast.

The owner, the husband, the bartender, the guest… and the detective…

Told from multiple point of views and alternating timelines, Foley gives us a storyline of suspense, folklore and drama. Bella is here to visit The Manor, a high end ‘resort’ in the woods. All the rich people gather and live their lucious lifestyles. Despite the setting they are in, they can’t help but ignore the local towns folklore of “The Night Birds.”
Francesca and her husband, Owen, opened The Manor and definitely don’t believe the locals crazy stories. That is until one night, The Midnight Feast, where those stories might just not be a crazy rumor anymore. The
multiple POV merge into each others lives on the night of the feast and the ending will have you surprised!!

Overall, I give this book a 3.5. The first half was a struggle to get into, however the last half was 🔥 Although overall the storyline ties together, there was some loose ends missing for me. Another thing is the story behind the folklore just seemed so far fetched for me. The scare factor really wasn’t there. That being said, I don’t normally love this writing style of multiple POV but this one was written well and the suspense delivered. I’m always a fan of reading diary/journal entries 🤪

Excited for this ARC to come out June 18th!
A huge shoutout to NetGalley & William Morrow Publishing for the ARC 💗

The Midnight Feast was a twisty who done it. This is told very various POVs and a non linear timeline. While I enjoyed the book I found it difficult to follow at times.

I’m I don’t enjoy this book as much as I have her previous books I’ve read. I thought there were too many characters and I was a bit confused at times what was going on. I read it through to see if I would enjoy it more, but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me .

Lucy Foley's books are hit or miss for me, but this was a pretty strong hit. Yes, I saw many of the twists coming, but not nearly all of them, and the overall message was great and viscerally satisfying. Bits of the end seemed a bit nonsensical, as is the case for most hyper-twisty contemporary thrillers, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment overall. It's a perfect summer thriller, and I love that it's set over the solstice too. It's got great summer and folk-horror vibes.

3.5 stars

i hated the ending to this - it felt rushed, a lot of the reveals were over-explained, and one in particular made me roll my eyes. BUT i LOVED the book up until then. i had so much fun reading it & it kept me guessing at every turn. i loved the wide cast of characters, it was a very successful suspense-building plot device. because of how strong i thought the first 75% was, i’m sticking to a strong 3.5.

Lucy Foley… what a book! I couldn’t stop reading. There are multiple points of view but it’s not to many that it’s overwhelming. It is such an amazing read and I am excited to recommend to everyone to buy when it is published!

Interesting premise and enjoyable read. I wasn’t an huge fan of the perspective shifts between characters and the diary, but it was ultimately effective.

4 stars! I enjoyed this! I've really enjoyed Lucy Foley's books with The Guest List being one of my go-to recommendations! The Midnight Feast is more like The Guest List than The Paris Apartment for those who've read both.

The Midnight Feast is multi-POV and follows characters through the opening weekend of a new wellness retreat, The Manor. We follow:
-Francesca, the rich, posh owner of The Manor on the coast of Dorset.
-Owen, Francesca's husband and business partner. He is the architect working on The Manor.
-Bella, someone who came to The Manor with mysterious intentions. We also get Bella's POV of a summer 15 years ago through her old journal entries.
-Eddie, a 19-year old dishwasher at the retreat and a local to the town
-DI Walker, who is investigating a body that was found the day after The Midnight Feast for summer solstice at The Manor

At the beginning of the book, we know that a body has been found and that The Manor is on fire, But, we don't know who the body is or what happened. I loved the suspense of trying to figure out who it was and what happened. All of the characters have secrets and it was fun to try to piece together how everything was connected and what led to the events on the night of the Solstice. There is also a significant influence of paganism and an old local legend of "The Birds". With the mysterious and nefarious sounding "Birds" and the dark, woods, this made for an unsettling setting and perfect backdrop for this suspenseful mystery!

Overall, I enjoyed this! It kept me interested and guessing until the end. There were some twists I wasn't expecting!!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this eARC!

Enjoyed this at first but by the end I was rolling my eyes. Way, way too many people turned out to be another character already introduced. Spoilers ahead: 50% of the way through the book I said to myself, if this detective turns out to be the long-lost brother I'm going to lose it. I lost it. An entertaining read but by no means my favorite.

3.5 stars, rounded up

The story is told around a Midnight Feast hosted at the opening of an exclusive resort. The resort is owned by Francesca who is a wellness guru (gag). One of the guests, Bella, spent time in the area when she was younger and is looking to find closure for something that happened in the past.

4 characters narrate the story right before and leading up to the Midnight Feast. Another narrator, a police office, investigates the aftermath of the Midnight Feast, which included a death. There also is a summer journal which was written 15 years ago which gives us insight into a tragedy that happened back then.

It's less confusing than it sounds - I was a little lost during the first few chapters that jumped around, but got into it fairly quickly. I knew the different characters would have reveals about them (since otherwise it would be a lame thriller) and I enjoyed getting to them. It felt very believable for how they all ended up together.

It was a bit of a slow pace but not awful. It drove me nuts how many of the chapters ended on a cliffhanger. That's something which can be done successfully (John Marrs is an expert at that) but it was irritating here and felt overdone in a way to falsely ratchet up the suspense.

The voices of the characters sounded similar so sometimes I was going back to the beginning of the chapter to see who's narrating. I would've preferred more differentiation. It also felt jarring that the non-police chapters were all 1st person but the police chapters were 3rd person. I understand "why" but it could have been done in a less jarring way.

I was left with some questions like: <spoiler> why were the twins locked in the wine cellar? Assuming Michelle did it, why? She didn't know the place was going to burn down. How did the empty journal end up back at the hotel? It was in the car so it should have stayed in the car. </spoiler>

The book kept me entertained and had a satisfying resolution. Overall, a decent thriller from Lucy Foley.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

Ok, so I loved The Guest List and then found The Paris Apartment to be kind of mediocre as a follow up; this is a throw back to The Guest List and I'm here for it! Loved the bouncing back and forth to past, super past and present, loved all the connections between everyone. Lots of little twists I didn't see coming. Definitely recommend!

This book reiterated the fact that you can hide behind pseudonyms and a facade of wellness and light, but true character and experiences do not disappear. Francesca or Frankie as she was known when younger tried so hard to make herself appear peaceful.and angelic as she floated around the manor. The midnight feast symbolized health and unity; however, with the audience she attracted and the amount of money paid, it quickly escalated into hedonism and pure excess at the detriment of health and well being. Bella came to the event in order to face the events that resulted in an untimely death as well as the family who utilized their wealth and power to demean her and Jake and make the "problem" go away. it was interesting to observe how the people in the town rebelled against the manor but due to the economy of Tome, had no choice but to work there such as Eddie and Michelle. They felt the Francesca and Owen didn't appreciate the land and the history of the Birds and their capability for revenge. This book is truly s page turner and necessitates another read due to the complexity and evolution of the characters. Great read.

I love her books and this one was good but was not my favorite of hers. I appreciate the ARC to read before this was released! :)

Lucy Foley at her best - seamless multiple POVs, well-rounded characters, and nothing is as it seems.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book, but I'll keep it short and sweet. This book has a good story but I feel like nothing happened until the last 20-25% when everything started to fall into place and happening. A lot of the beginning is learning about the various characters and their past. And things that seem important become important in the end. The ending is good, but it takes longer to get there than I thought it would.

UGH. I am on the struggle bus for this novel. There really wasn't adequate character development or even plot development. It's a shame because I really liked The Guest List. This was so slow and like several other reviewers mentioned that while it did pick up a bit when we got to the diary part it just wasn't enough. There was so much potential but it fell miserably short. I'm not giving up on you Lucy and will read The Paris Apartment next! :-)

Thank you to William Morrow and Net Galley for the opportunity to read The Midnight Feast before publication June 2024.

Craving a getaway to the sun-kissed shores of the Italian Riviera, I eagerly dove into Lucy Foley's "Midnight Feast," and boy, did it deliver! From the tantalizing descriptions to the simmering tensions, this book whisked me away to a world of indulgence and intrigue.

As I joined the eclectic group of characters at the luxurious villa, I could practically feel the warm Mediterranean breeze and smell the savory aromas wafting from the kitchen. Foley's vivid prose painted such a vivid picture that I was fully immersed in the sights, sounds, and flavors of Italy.

But beneath the surface of this idyllic setting, there lurked a tangled web of secrets and lies. With each page turn, I found myself drawn deeper into the drama, eagerly trying to piece together the puzzle before the final reveal. And let me tell you, the ending did not disappoint!

One of the highlights for me was Foley's ability to create such richly drawn characters. Each one felt like a fully fleshed-out individual, with their own quirks, flaws, and motivations. I found myself rooting for some and distrusting others, keeping me on my toes until the very end.

In "Midnight Feast," Lucy Foley serves up a literary feast that satisfies on every level. It's a delicious blend of mystery, romance, and suspense that kept me guessing until the final page. So if you're looking for an escape that's as satisfying as a gourmet meal, I highly recommend giving "Midnight Feast" a taste. You won't be disappointed!

Unfortunately, I really couldn't get into this book. The writing felt choppy, and maybe that is just how Lucy Foley's writing is. This was my first book of hers, and it felt very slow. Maybe at a different time in life, I can try again, but for now, this just wasn't for me.

This was a great twisty mystery that unfolded so well and just kept you guessing until the end. I wouldn’t say this was really a locked room mystery for me since the main characters weren’t isolated together. I loved all the layers that were uncovered slowly with the alternating POV as well as timelines and with the insertion of the journal entries which helps you figure out why all these people were brought together for the opening weekend of hotel. I love the way the local legend of the haunted forest and the birds plays a huge part in the mystery and the ending was just so satisfying.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.