I love isolation thrillers. This one in particular is very reminiscent of that Netflix movie with Britney Snow called Truth or Die or something like that. The setting was immersive and the plot was interesting enough. However, there are too many characters and they were not totally flushed out and some of the plot choices didn’t make sense to me.

This book started off quite slow for me and I had some problems getting into it. But it picks up the pace quickly, and by the end, I couldn't flip the pages fast enough!! Dark pasts come back to haunt several characters. With some vigilante small town justice thrown in
A very good book!!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

Finished this in less than 24 hours of getting approved for it...setting aside everything else I had to do.
Having read a few of the authos books before. I'm glad I didn't have many distractions. But even so, I did get a little lost in the beginning with the multiple POVs, timeline jumping and journal entries.
It didn't last. Everything starts to make more sense and come together as you continue on. Some thing I'd figured out, others I was surprised when the reveals happened.

I love the almost supernatural feel to the book with small, local beliefs and how they added to the atmosphere of the story.

This one for me was a win.

I really enjoyed this novel! It’s fast paced and told from multiple points of view. I liked the use of an old diary to narrate what happened in the past. Definitely a fun read for the summer.

This book had an interesting premise and took place in a beautiful setting overlooking the sea. However there were a few drawbacks for me, the biggest being the journal entries in between the action of the novel. In this particular book, combined with the plethora of characters to keep up with, it just made things extra confusing to me as a reader.

I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow via NetGalley.

From the outset, Francesca's retreat exudes an aura of mystery, with construction still underway and tensions simmering between the locals and the affluent guests. Yet, amidst the chaos, Francesca's past comes back to haunt her in the form of Bella, a guest harboring secrets that threaten to unravel everything Francesca has built.

The book unfolds through multiple perspectives, weaving together diary entries from 15 years prior with the present-day events. This multifaceted approach adds depth to the story, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they piece together the puzzle alongside the characters.

While the story is slow at first, once the diary entries come into play, the momentum builds, propelling readers into a gripping tale of suspense and intrigue. Foley's writing style captivates with its blend of suspenseful storytelling and cozy mystery elements, offering a compelling read that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Despite the abundance of characters and intertwining plotlines, Foley expertly navigates the narrative landscape, ensuring each thread contributes to the overarching mystery. While some twists may stretch believability, the overall narrative remains engaging and enthralling, delivering a satisfying blend of thrills and surprises.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Midnight Feast.

I so wanted to love this one! The Guest List is one of my favorite thrillers. I did not enjoy The Paris Apartment or this one either. With so many POV it’s hard to not only keep track of the story but to have real character development. The people in this story are so surface level that I didn’t care about any of them. The writing wasn’t different enough to distinguish each person either.

I did like the way Foley describes the setting and thought the fancy hotel/midnight feast was a clever idea. Not one I’d end up recommending.

I have been dying to read The Midnight Feast which is Lucy Foley’s latest thriller. Secrets, lies, murder - all of my favorite things in 1 book. This started out as a VERY SLOW burn for me and it is opening weekend at The Manor which is supposed to be a very luxury resort. The story was told in different POV’s and I found myself getting confused. This one was a bit of a let down for me but I will give it 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Took a minute to get "into" the story (felt a little disjointed at the beginning) but ended up really getting sucked in!

I liked the diary entries - thought that was a fun new spin on a thriller. The birds were a bit creepy (but end up getting tied in nicely!)

If you like thrillers, this is a good one to add to your list!

Lucy Fokey does it again! An unforgettable, un-put-downable thrilling book. Written from different perspectives, and timelines, it never gets confusing. Very sharp and enjoyable.

Fast-paced and gripping! I really enjoyed this overall. I loved the multiple POVs and multiple timelines. This was full of suspense and had me guessing until the very end. It's a classic whodunit; you know what happened, but not who it happened to, how, or when. I loved the non-linear plot and thought everything came together really well at the end. I felt like the ending was slightly anticlimactic; I just wanted a little more bang for all the buildup. I love Foley's writing. I've been looking forward to this, and it did not disappoint!

I've read Lucy Foley's other books and they've always been kinda "meh" for me, but I was hoping this one would be better. While she is the queen of multiple POV's, I think that's precisely my issue with her books. I've learned never to trust any of the characters in her books, so I just never really connect with the characters or care about them. This storyline didn't make a whole lot of sense to me either and I have more questions than answers. The journal entries were weird (no one writes journal entries by the hour) so that didn't work for me either. The Birds storyline was also just incredibly strange and I'm not sure why it was needed. While I got super interested in this book at around the 85% mark, it just didn't work for me at all because it was such a chore to get through. I know other readers are very loyal to Lucy Foley and may enjoy this book way more than I did, but it was a huge miss for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

It's opening weekend of The Manor, which is supposed to be a luxury resort. The resort is built where one of the characters grew up and everyone at the resort has an agenda. I loved the idea of the story and was expecting more. I found this one to be a bit of a slow start for me. Story was told from several POVs. I did like how she wove the journal entries from the past into the story. Read it if you like twists, folklore and some unforgettable characters. Thank you NetGalley & William Morrow for an ARC of this book.

This thrilling tale is a Hitchcockian twist on The Birds meets Midsommer spanning between the events of a solstice celebration in 2009, recreated in current day.
It’s 2009 and teenagers Frankie and her twin brothers are spending their summer at their grandfa’s estate, Tome Manor. Bored with their posh lifestyle, they invite locals from Tate’s rundown caravan park and the nearby cattle farm to take part in a midnight celebration when something goes very wrong.
Fast forward to 2025. Francesca Meadows is a wealthy young socialite who reinvents Tome Manor into an exclusive resort for London’s wealthy. Her handsome architect husband., Owen Dacre, is the mastermind behind the manor’s transformation. Opening weekend coincides with summer solstice 2025. Revenge, murder and reunions all culminate in an explosive ending when motives are finally revealed. I love a book like this with so many twists and an ending I would never imagine.
This is my first book by Lucy Foley, although she’s been on my radar for awhile. I will definitely read her other novels. 5⭐️
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins publishers for this arc due June 18..

Set in Dorset, South West England, The Midnight Feast does a couple of things Lucy Foley is known for really well–the multiple perspectives, the slow tension, and the shocking ways in which characters are connected–but the finale prevented this from being a four star book for me. However, I think it’s still worth picking up if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers, but only if you’re okay with a simmering build and being in the perspectives of some unlikable characters.

Foley’s latest book takes place in the present (once the body has been found and police are beginning their investigation), the night before, and the far past. I have to clap for Foley’s writing and the way she keeps track of multiple characters because she does it so well; I wasn’t confused who was speaking or who was connected to who so most of the reveals were great and the timeline worked.

The conflict between the wealthy who are intruding on the locals’ land was done well and I like that there were multiple perspectives from the side of the locals and a couple from the side of the wealthy. However, The Midnight Feast is never quite as creepy as I wanted it to be, considering the threat of The Birds lingering and I feel like there were some missed opportunities for truly eerie things to happen.

As much as I think the multiple perspectives worked, I do think the book has one of the problems I’ve had with other Foley books which is that there are just too many characters. Some of them end up functioning as red herrings in a very obvious manner, which was a bit annoying, and their roles could’ve been condensed.

Once the action really began, things happened much too fast. I wanted more descriptions of the chaos since we had such a slow buildup and I don’t think going back and forth so quickly with the perspectives was as successful during this finale since it took me out of the moment. Once things finally settled down, I was a bit disappointed.

All in all, The Midnight Feast has a lot of successful swings and a couple of misses. I really enjoyed the setting and the way Foley switched between past and present, but wanted so much more from the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This review will be published on my blog (clearsummers.wordpress.com) and Goodreads on June 4, 2024. A review will be published on Amazon on the pub date.

A Thriller that has everything!! Very Agatha Christie like! Lucy Foley never fails when it comes to lovely twists and tuns.

Omg… I can’t even begin to explain how blown away I am by this book. So much happens that I wasn’t expecting that just blew me away in every aspect and I honestly loved every minute of it. This book had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next to the point where I didn’t even want to put it down, I also loved that. It gave a lot of history and information to kind of build the story up even bigger than what it already is to give it more of that spark that it needed to really draw you in and capture your attention because I think without it it wouldn’t have made much sense, I also loved the journal entries and everything in between from the feathers to the little attention to details to the play on words to the fact that they used the song teddy bears picnic as a part of the storyline, but twisted it in a way that just was beautiful. Honestly hands-down fantastic read.

I think this is Lucy Foleys best book yet. This book has such a great atmosphere and draws you in.

We get multiple POVs from everyone connected to the story plus past POVs from what started it all. We had a great ending that wouldn’t except definitely from a Lucy Foley book.

The chapters are short and allow the storyline to go fast and keep you drawn in until the every end.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

Thank you William Morrow for providing a free copy for my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an ARC of this book to review.

With flavors of both Midsommar and The Menu, Foley's The Midnight Feast was a whirlwind read for me - finished in less than a day - and deliciously satisfying. With equal parts secret society/cult story, revenge plot, familial secrets, culture and class clash, murder, and a dash of youthful romance, you're in for a ride.

The story centers on the opening weekend of a posh hotel/retreat set in the English countryside. Francesca Meadows is the crystal-toting, natural-remedy-hawking. linen clad, entirely zen proprietress and she has a vision of relaxing perfection for her extremely wealthy guests. Think pagan chic paired with "forest bathing" - as she'd put it. She's turned the manor she inherited from her grandparents into a high-end resort. At a hefty price, her guests are treated to every luxury and she has something big in store for a midsummer solstice celebration. A return, in some way, to her youth's midnight feasts: times where she snuck out late at night and got up to what she'd thought of as some fun.
But the rural community surrounding the hotel remembers young Frankie and her family. And not fondly. They've upset The Birds, a mythical group of local lore and superstition, and these shadowy entities are out for vengeance.
There are secrets buried in the grounds of the hotel and Francesca hasn't entirely distanced herself from her inner Frankie, try as she might to put on a fresh face. Her past comes rushing to her and secrets long-buried are bound to be uncovered before the festivities end.

Narration alternates between a couple of characters as well as 15 year old journal entries. I found most characters to be fairly fleshed out (some more than others) and the revealed connections between them all to be really well done. Of the narrators, Francesca and Bella, in particular, have really clear voices - even if I rolled my eyes at Francesca and found her intensely unlikeable. Owen felt a bit lacking in comparison, as did DI Walker (though I think the latter was by necessity).
There's no rushing to solve any mysteries; Foley lays her revelations out carefully to keep you guessing and reading. I found myself anticipating certain plot twists as I read and being happy when my guesses were confirmed and intrigued when I was shown to be off the mark and led to guess again. The story's resolution was strong enough, and satisfying enough, that any points I may have seen as weakness in the storytelling or style were forgiven upon finishing. That, and The Birds made for a compelling thread throughout the story.

I look forward to reading more reader reactions upon its official release!

I started out being unsure of what I thought of this book. But as it picked up I got more and more into it. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded and the way it was told. I liked reading from different character points of views and I really loved the twists! I did not see them coming and those are my favorite kind.