I am heartbroken that this one wasn't for me. It was really tough for me to get through. The flashback parts of the book really dragged, and while I saw what Lucy Foley was attempting to do with the birds and setting the atmosphere, it just didn't do anything for me. I've loved almost every Lucy Foley book I've read and I'm sure I'll read more in the future.

Intriguing but cringe worthy at the same time.
It's opening night at the Manor, a newly renovated mansion/resort in the middle of a local forest
and not everyone is thrilled with the idea.
Locals are employed as day workers and the lady of the manor is the granddaughter of the former
lord o the manor., having inherited it from him at his death.
Undercurrents are everywhere and not one single person appears to be who they are valiantly trying
to present themselves as..
Creepy crawly but really entertaining.
Has you rooting for the underdog but are they really the underdogs??
That's the fun part - trying to decide who are the good guys and who really is the bad guy.
Good character development with absolutely alluring possibilities surrounding every singe one of them.
And the plot just grabs you and does not let go.

Having been a huge fan of The Hunting Party, The Paris Apartment, and most of all, The Guest List; I was extremely excited when I found out I was approved to read The Midnight Feast. I loved the almost cult-like premise and was immediately drawn to the story.

At first I ft like there was a small disconnect with the plot and Lucy Foley’s previous novels. However, as the story went on, I did feel like it settled in to the Guest List style that I loved so much.

Only a small portion of the story was predictable for me. There was still plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. I did really enjoy this book and would absolutely recommend!

Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Lucy Foley is at it again with another multiple POV, large cast mystery. With the opening of The Manor, a high scale, nature based resort, multiple people with intersecting pasts reunite in an explosive conclusion.
With alternating time lines, we see the opening weekend of The Manor, along with the pasts of two characters present at the opening. Although we spend the majority of the book at The Manor in the present, I appreciated the way the past was told through journal entries. It felt much more impactful than if the past was related through a conversation or through the thoughts of the narrator. It added an extra layer and element to the story to give it some texture. As for each narrator’s POV, the different voices and motives were so distinct. It felt like I was listening to each person’s inner thoughts, without the styles overlapping. I was able to really get to know each character. However, I did have trouble with connecting with any of the characters. Even though you aren’t necessarily supposed to like any of them, I’m usually able to find one character to root for, even if they’re unlikeable. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and I didn’t especially care what happened to any of them. Another barrier I ran into reading this was the repetitive chapters that were consistent throughout the story until the final climax. Said climax was very rewarding and tied up everything nicely with some really surprising twists that paid off. However, up until then I was mildly bored after three or four of the narrator’s POVs. Finally, I felt as though the kind of supernatural aspect of the story was more or less rushed and wasn’t investigated or explained enough. It felt like those scenes were from a different book that somehow were stuck between the pages of The Midnight Feast.
All in all, this was a pretty average mystery/thriller with some solid surprises, but I found myself feeling pretty uninvested with what happened to the characters.

The Midnight Feast just didn’t hit the way The Guest List and The Paris Apartment did for me. It was confusing and frustrating, as well as, predictable.

Francesca Meadows inherits her childhood summer mansion and converts it into a posh resort. The locals despise it and many individuals are looking for ways to bring her down. During opening weekend, disaster strikes…arson, multiple dead bodies and a strange tale of bird-like monsters terrorizing people in the woods.

There were various points of view this story was being told from (5 and a diary) with many chapters only being as long as a paragraph or two. I felt whiplash at times. I kept wondering why the detective had a point of view at all, since his chapters were the most confusing and boring of all, but one of the big bombshells at the end needed him in it. I could see how the author tried to really draw the reader in with the last line of each chapter, but they almost all felt flat to me.

I have not been put off Lucy Foley by this and will continue to read and recommend her work, I just didn’t enjoy this particular book.

Thank you the NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. This was classic Lucy Foley with subtle supernatural elements, multiple POVs, and the dark creepy atmosphere she does so well. I like the way she told this story, the narrative style she used, and the flashbacks to the past and future that were eerie and foreboding I loved the setting of the cliff-side retreat surrounded by ominous haunted woods that caters to the rich, powerful and self-important. There is a very sharp social commentary hidden just below the surface as well which I appreciated. I like that she made some of the narrators completely unlikable, but you still end up feeling a little empathy for them -even when they're being horrible. My only personal complaint about this book is that I was able to guess all of the reveals before they happened. I kept questioning if they were red herrings and then was disappointed when I guessed every single one. It still didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book and I would recommend this one to people new to the thriller genre as the twists may be less evident to someone not expecting them, and the story, plot and setting are immersive and compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. I’ve also read The Paris Apartment and The guest list and I’d say this one is my favorite! Francesca inherits her grandparents manor and decides to turn it into a luxury getaway. The locals are none too happy about this but what do they matter anyway? Francesca plows on with her plans and handsome new husband but it seems everyone around her is hiding something and the town’s ancient folklore about “the birds” catches up with her. I enjoyed that many people in this book aren’t who you thought they were and it all tied together quite well in the end. I also enjoyed the multiple timelines tying the past to the present! Spooky and intriguing.

Despite being a fan of this author's work, this one was hard for me to get through. I didn't like the characters very much, particularly Francesca. It wrapped up well. Just not my favorite.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley starts slowly and moves at an evenly plodding rate until the pace picks up and the suspense and mystery builds. The format is unique with diary entries given main characters each with their own POV. This style of storytelling allows for keen insight in to the guests of The Manor and the owner, Francesca Woodland.
The story incorporates folklore around the legend of the Birds. The Manor is a luxury estate for rich guests in Woodland Hutches. The locals protest against the wealthy Zenith community. The timing of the story takes place during the solstice celebration.
Francesca Woodland has a multitude of secrets behind her serene facade. Bella is present to confront a past tragedy and Eddie is a 19 year old kitchen worker who gets wrapped up with the retaliation of the locals against the guests.
DI Walker, a cold case specialist, investigates the fire and must find the answers to many questions and solve many puzzles.
Lucy Foley keeps the suspense and mystery at a steady pace in this thriller. The climax has a twist with a great reveal.
NetGalley and William Morris gave me the opportunity to read and review a digital copy of The Midnight Feast. Thank you for providing me with a great read.

First, I would love to say the library did purchase a copy of this book after I read it. It was a wonderful story. The story is intriguing, and it is set into a High-end Hotel. The theme of economic differences within one city and the isolation the hotel is set up as is so fascinating. This author is always amazing at creating an environment and utilizing weather or location to highlight the emotions. For example, having the location have a pool that oversees the outdoors but secured and keeps the lower class out. There was a lot of wonderful aspects including a focus on nature and birds. I adored this book, and I am so glad I read it. Outside of themes the thriller aspects and depth of characters were so good. I did not put this book down and really enjoyed the surprises. It will be a reread and a recommendation to the book club and patrons.

I went into this book with high hopes. I LOVE Lucy Foley's books, and specifically The Guest List is one of my favorite thrillers of all time. I'm happy to report that his book measured up to my very high expectations.

In classic Lucy Foley fashion, we open up with a body being found by this high end luxury resort. Who's the body? How did they die? What happened? We find this out by bouncing between 5 very different POVs. All of these POVs were very distinct and had their own voices, and all equally contributed to the overall plot.

Also, in classic Lucy Foley fashion, absolutely nothing is as it seems and every single person has a secret. They're slowly revealed throughout the book at the perfect pace, gradually building up momentum to the final event: The Midnight Feast, where everything goes wrong. A lot of thrillers follow the "slow until the 80% mark" structure, but this book started to take off at the 50% mark and never stopped until the end. I was able to predict almost nothing correctly, and the end was wilder than I could've ever imagined it. It was really satisfying when everything finally came together and you could see the full picture, especially with all the extra surprises added in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!

The Midnight Feast - Lucy Foley

Opening weekend at an upscale hotel- what could go wrong? This is the first book by Lucy Foley that I have read and after this I will definitely read more! There are multiple POVs throughout and at first it was difficult to feel attached to the character, by the end I was rooting for some and very entertained by the rest. Good twists and turns, too! There was enough to keep me guessing but not so much that it felt forced. This book would be perfect for a summertime read.

The book is slow to take off, which is one thing I didn't love. Once I had reached about the 40% mark it was hard to put down and made all the groundwork that had to be laid down very worth it. Even with characters like Francesca, who I usually find hard to read, I was engaged and was dying to know what was going to happen. I think Francesca's parts ended up being some of my favorite because she is just so ridiculous with how she sees the world. I loved the final twist at the end with the "birds"- such a perfect note to end on.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley is a suspenseful story about the opening weekend The Manor, a luxurious resort with a dark past, where a locked room murder mystery unfolds over what is supposed to be a momentous opening weekend. As the story unfolds, readers learn about the current and past events via multiple points of views and multiple timelines. Readers learn about the area's mysterious folklore and how the secrets of the past aren't staying in the past like many thought they would.

This was a fun one! There are a lot of twists and turns and I found myself unable to predict any of them. The majority of the characters are not likeable and yet I felt invested in their story. Fans of Lucy Foley will likely enjoy this new book as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an advanced copy of the ebook in return for my honest review. The Midnight Feast is expected to be published on June 6, 2024.

The Birds.... are they real? Do they live in the woods? What happens if you disrupt their sanctuary? Francessca Meadows inherited her grandparent's estate and developed a luxury hotel on it spreading into the woods where it's been known that the birds reside. Building this resort means keeping the locals out from places they have gone forever which is causing big problems.

Francessca is successful, calm and admired far from the young Frankie she used to be. But has building this resort brought the past back to haunt her? She feels eyes everywhere and that cannot be Sparrow that she sees at breakfast in her resort! She thinks she can trust those closest to here; her resort manager and loving husband, but can she really?

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because Goodreads doesn’t have half star ratings. I was very excited to be approved for this ARC from NetGalley and my review is 100% voluntary.

I loved the idea of this story, the mystery linking an event from 15 years ago to current events, the journal entries, and I always love a good multi-pov. What dropped the rating for me was the difficulty in following because of the timeline jumps. It would be the day of, the day before, the day after, two days before, the day of, 15 year old journal entry, the day after, etc. With each timeline jump was a new POV. The story connects well and I had to keep going to see where each loose end was taking me, but I kept having to backtrack. “Wait, this is the day of and Eddie. The last chapter was Bella. Was it the day before? No, it was two days before.” I feel like I could have enjoyed the flow of the story better and been more edge-of-my-seat with the buildup if it didn’t jump so haphazardly.

As far as the characters, I enjoyed how their POV’s connected to their history in Tome and an event they had each tried to cover/run from. I found myself looking forward to the chapters from Bella and Eddie’s POV the most.

I honestly couldn’t figure out what was really happening, who was doing what, or who did what 15 years ago. That, I loved. When it was revealed, I was shocked. So maybe the haphazard timeline jumping is the secret to keeping me from solving the mystery, because I also hate it when I figure out the twist before it drops.

Lucy Foley writes INCREDIBLE thrillers, and this one is no exception! From the moment I started reading I was immersed in the story and was trying to piece everything together. The way that the story shifts POVs is really well done, and helps the reader follow along and feel like a detective.

The characters have a great dynamic & while usually I am not a fan of jumping back in time this is really well done. Using journal entries as a way to get insight into what happened in the past was one of my favorite ways I've seen this done. My only critique of this book would be that at times it did feel a bit slower, which caused my attention to waver. But those moments were rare and didn't cause a strong effect on my experience reading.

If you are a fan of thrillers, you absolutely need to check this one out!! Thank you to Netgalley & William Morrow for the opportunity to review this book!

The story is set in a beautiful destination vacation venue built on the grounds of the only “estate” in the village of Tome, which locals call Tomb and is told in shifting perspectives and timelines from the grand opening weekend and the day after. The story is also told from the perspective of a teen via journal from 15 years ago.

Add in the folklore surrounding the woods and The Birds, a secret buried and several people with things to hide and you have The Midnight Feast.

I thought this was very readable, with enough clues sprinkled in that the reader could start to draw conclusions. Most of which will be wrong. The property, the folklore and Francesca
vision make for a very atmospheric read.

There were several points that I felt stretched well beyond believability and only one really likeable character in a list of many. There were several purposefully unlikeable characters and some that never really got fully formed. I did enjoy the building of Francesca's character and how she seemed to believe her own line of BS.

Great ending with the follow up chapters days and months after the opening weekend that really help to round out the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for supplying the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

I loved this book! It was eerie and dark and atmospheric. The twists were amazing! Just when I thought I guessed, I didn’t! I really liked the setting and the multiple POVS and dual timeline! These definitely made the story more compelling!

I really enjoyed this one. It had layers and it tied together so perfectly in the end. There was a patina of sadness over this whole book though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC for an honest review-

This wasn’t my favorite Lucy Foley book. The book follows several characters in the present and goes back to the past through diary entries. There is a pagan folklore and spooky atmosphere. The book was relatively slow and had really low stakes. I honestly didn’t even know what the plot/mystery was supposed to be until over halfway through the book (to be fair I didn’t read the synopsis before starting so it may have been made obvious if I’d have read that).