Francesca has set a very exclusive, distinctive ambiance for the opening of The Manor. Her guest list is well procured as well. One of the attendees is vindictive, one is just plain evil, some aren’t who they say they are, most have secrets and money to burn. Francesca has a doting husband who’s making her dreams come true. There’s a staff jumping to follow her every command. There’s to be a feast held for the Solstice. Something or someone is sabotaging the event of the year with odd little warnings, notes, feathers, etc., left strategically. It’s eerie, creepy and all Francesca’s carefully laid plans are spiraling out of control.
This theme brought to mind the setting in Simon Toyne’s ‘The Clearing’. There is a dark forest with superstitions, local pagan history, folklore and mythical creatures. I read and loved ‘The Guest List’, however this story was a let down for me. I didn’t connect with anyone or much care what happened next. I anticipated what many of the twists would be. I would still read some of the author’s other novels and feel like others will enjoy this more than I did. It wasn’t a setting or plot in my area of interest.
An Advance Reader Copy of “The Midnight Feast” by Lucy Foley, HarperCollins Publishers, expected publication 06/18/2024, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

This wickedly dark and twisted thriller is one of my favorite books of the year so far! The grand estate in the English countryside, class/status themes, and the midsummer night’s dream party reminded me so much of Saltburn (in a good way)! I was immediately captivated by the setting, and the multiple povs gave the story so much dimension. The folklore about “The Birds” was wonderfully creepy! I just could not wait to see how it all unfolded. All the stars!!

First of all, I want to say thank you to Net Galley for this copy of the Midnight Feast!

As someone who loves Lucy Foley books, I was super excited to get into this murder mystery. I like when there are multiple POVs and I think for this book, there was some really strong character building. I was not expecting this book to be like this, but it was for sure an interesting read! I have to say that it was probably my least favorite Lucy Foley book (my favorite—my actual favorite book too—The Guest List). If you are into the whole small town and midsommar vibes, you’ll probably enjoy this read! But overall, I have some specific notes that took this book from a 5 to a 3.5 stars!

Taking place at The Manor, a spa-dream like hotel in a small town, you follow along with multiple characters. Francesca, the hotel owner who is a classic beauty guru who cares about detox and zen (with a dark history and demon within); Bella, a small town woman who had a troubling relationship with an old friend and witnessed the horrors lurking behind The Manor; Owen, the husband of Francesca and a talented architect with a poor upbringing; and Eddie, a young dish washer at the hotel who has grown up a local and wants to go beyond his family ties… each character is intertwined, their pasts going way beyond. But, with the unsettling presence of “the birds”, who will survive and make it past the Solstice? And who will be trapped within a haunted hotel that will burst into flames?

I went into this read not really anticipating anything—I didn’t know the plot. I knew it was Lucy Foley and therefore, I was ready!! To start, I think there was good background building—I could visualize the small town and the odd cast of locals who lived there. However, the Manor itself, I feel like, could’ve been visualized better and in depth. I want to know the layout and would’ve loved a map (I know this isn’t a fantasy book but who says there has to be a genre specific map?). I also think that some of the point of views were lacking. Along with this, I have serious questions about the birds and what the heck happened at the end of this book—I wish it came together in a pretty bow, but I felt unsatisfied. For these few reasons, I gave this book a 3.5.

Let’s begin with the characters. Francesca and Bella’s backstory is awesome—I can totally feel the tension and I can truly see such development. Throughout the book, you get glimpses into Bella’s old journal entries and I truly enjoyed those chapters the most. They felt so real and I felt very connected to her and the other characters. Otherwise, the characters felt distant and unlikeable. But with her journal entries, I was enticed! I honestly would’ve liked a longer book about that backstory and would’ve preferred that to this plot which felt confusing. Nonetheless, Francesca and Bella had serious character development that I was living for. They felt the most established. As for Owen and Eddie, I was not impressed. Owen was unnecessary to have as a point of view, but Eddie added an interesting dynamic. I wanted to see more of him and his journey (did he become a bartender?). I think he had such potential. DI Walker as a point of view at first didn’t make sense, but I wished we had more about him and his backstory—as the story progresses! All in all, I felt like there were too many characters that were unimportant. I got mixed up with names and felt extremely overwhelmed which was upsetting because I think there was potential for these four characters to all have such strong POVs.

The Birds. Huh? I can’t tell if they’re theoretical and this is all hallucinogenic. I also want to (spoiler) know how the past of the birds came to be. Like how did the Night Bird become the Night Bird? How did we get from one point to another? This felt severely underdeveloped and was extremely lacking in detail—a plot hole. I also feel as though I don’t know who the 12 birds are in the masks? Maybe I’m mistaken and didn’t read into it clearly, but also, this never gets explained and I want to know why black birds. Are they local or indigenous to the land? Is it like a sign of death similar to the angel of death but make it.. crow? I just feel like there was a lot left to be desired when it comes to the birds. It seemed unnecessary and we could’ve moved the plot along without it. I otherwise felt like it was giving supernatural and that’s just not what I was looking for. If it’s because of drugs or alcohol impairment, make it more clear!

Lastly, let’s talk about this ending and the death. One, we knew the main person who died. I feel like it’s always obvious (it’s the most disliked character usually for Lucy Foley’s books) and I almost want to know immediately. I also feel like the other two deaths weren’t really explained? They got trapped inside the wine cellar but how? Were they locked in? I can’t remember/don’t know if I skipped this. I also felt like this ending left a lot to be desired. The one really good character seemed to be sad and I hated how it felt like no one won? I know that makes no sense—you won if you survived—but it felt like there is no going up here. I also feel like there was some plot holes and I wanted the epilogue to explain more about how the town recovered beyond the pub scene at the end. I just feel like there could’ve also been some more practicality. Like I understand why the murderer murdered, but also I felt… incomplete? It’s a bummer because genuinely I enjoyed specific parts a lot. Like the conversations between characters were great, but also there was a lot happening and a lot of plots to follow. I need one of those boards with all the red string to keep track!!

It was a bit all over the place as a book, but I did also enjoy the read. It wasn’t a one sitter type of book, but I did think the redeeming parts were super high. It was well written and description wise, I felt immersed on this high luxury hotel excursion! But some parts felt lacking and I wanted more explanation. I also think it was kind of predictable unlike her other books!

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a review.
The Midnight Feast takes place at a brand new, posh hotel, called The Manor. The owner Francesca Meadows inherited the property following the death of her grandfather. The story follows the point of view of Bella, a guest for opening weekend; Owen, Francesca's husband and architect; Eddie, a local hired as a dishwasher; and Detective Inspector Walker.

Over the course of three days, The Manor opens and is destroyed. The characters must face an event that occurred fifteen years prior and directly relates to the current weekend. Who will still be alive at the end of the weekend?

Lucy Foley has written locked room/revenge stories before. While this wasn't anything new, it was still enjoyable to read.

I have never ready a Lucy Foley Book…..I actually have 2 on my bookshelf in my reading area…..after I read this book in 1 day I will definitely be cracking those other books open next! Very well written and I couldn’t put it down!

I loved The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley! I was invested from the very first page! It was very easy to follow with the multiple povs and I loved that aspect so much. So many twists and turns. Lucy Foley did not disappointment! Loved every minute of it! Definitely a page turner!! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book!

This seemed different from other Lucy Foley books, but not. Parts of it made me not want to continue reading but once I did, I enjoyed the story and the twists

I was so excited to receive this ARC; I am a huge fan of Lucy Foley's work! It wasn't my favorite of all her books because it was a bit slower to get into, but I thoroughly enjoyed the countryside estate setting and the multiple timelines. If you are a fan of mysteries, this one will not disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

E-arc provided by Netgalley

I've enjoyed Lucy Foleys other books and I love a myster/thriller that has multiple POVs. I liked this one as well the setting of a bungalow style hotel in the woods was great and while I enjoyed this for the most part I do wish the mystery was a bit more compelling to me. However I did like the spliced in journal entries from the past summer.

This book started out a little slow for me, but the characters were drawing me in, so I continued. The story is written from the current time and also from the past, allowing us to slowly see what was going on years ago and what was going on now. People were not all they appeared to be.

At heart is a village and the chasm between the rich, arrogant, privileged daughter and the lowly vacationer plucked out of her holiday stay in the caravan and "allowed" to be a part of her world, and how they came back together 15 years later. The town is not amused with the changes made and neither is the lowly, former friend.

I thought this story was great! It was creative and moving in parts. I keep thinking th0ugh, that something else needed to be told and was not. Will there be a follow up to these characters? That would be great.
The ending was a blast!

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for this early read.

I had high hopes for this book because this author usually knocks it out of the park. The book ended up being good, but parts of it were slow and strange. The last half was the best part of the book.

I'm such a huge Lucy Foley fan and there were moments where this book really had me going...until the big reveal. It's not that it was bad, it's just that it was more convoluted than it needed to be. And it unfortunately resembled the setup of both <i>The Guest List</i> and <i>The Hunting Party</i> too closely to really feel exciting. The monsters in the woods, however, were a stand-out take on folksy terror a la Tana French.

Out of the four Lucy Foley novels I've read, this was my least favorite, with <i>The Paris Apartment</i> being the best written and <i.The Hunting Party</i> being the most enjoyable. But I'll still come back for the next one!

Features of this story:
1) Teenage love lost
2) Have/have nots
3) Beachside resort
4) Gwenyth Paltrow/Goop mockery
5) Truly frightening monsters in the woods

Bonus points: Lucy Foley knows how to write a mean girl and you never feel bad when you see them get what they deserve in the wrap up ;)

3.75/5 stars.

Lucy Foley continues to be a master at multiple POV characters and The Midnight Feast did not disappoint.

This is a fast paced book set on the beautiful Dorset Coast at The Manor. Lots of twists and tuns and jumping back in time. If you like Lucy Foley you will love this book.

Beware of the Birds!

I would like to thank William Morrow and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve read the Paris Apartment, the Guest List and the Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. The Midnight Feast makes my fourth read of hers and I was pleasantly surprised. Like her other books, this is a multiple POV thriller that centers around a secret, harrowing incident from the past.

I thought the characters were more interesting and likeable than in her previous books, and I enjoyed the smaller cast. The story is full of twists and the short chapters made for a quick, easy read. Highly recommend!

Thank you William Morrow & Lucy Foley for the gifted eARC!

Admittedly it took me quite awhile to get into this one, but once I did I was hooked. The ending had so many twists I 100% did not see coming I could hardly keep up!

If, like me, you've loved Foley's previous novels because of the many different POV chapters, you will not be disappointed in the many characters present in this one. I commend her for writing in a way that I am never confused about who is who and I'm always easily able to distinguish between characters.

The Midnight Feast US pub date is June 18!

What a witchy, wild mystery! Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I was absolutely entrenched in this story from page one.

Foley drew me in with the rich descriptions of Tome’s folklore and the eerie shadow of The Birds lurking in every corner. Absolutely devoured the links between the past storyline and the present Manor and its guests. There were so many interesting twists!!! Highly recommend this rich locked room mystery from Lucy Foley.

I feel like the audiobook will change my mind on this story. I think Ms. Foley, needs to go back to the intrigue of the Paris Apartment. It was so different than 'The Guest List' and 'The Hunting Party.' In my opinion this isolated books and all of the characters—who at times have similar character traits makes it so hard for me to stay focus. It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared—that line hooked me, but it's every thing else that kept me comparing it to elements of her other books.

I will continue to read more from Lucy Foley because I feel she has it in her to move away from being a Agatha Christie duplicate. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this early copy of the book. I look forward to trying out the audiobook for this story.

Classic Lucy Foley. You'll be guessing from the first page to the last. i loved the themes of justice and revenge, all set at a trendy "wellness" resort, that is nothing like it seems.

The Midnight Feast was a fast whodunnit mystery with surprises around every corner. While the characters in this book didn't grab me and pull me in; the plot was so fun and fast to read. I loved the descriptive setting and the whole Manor just felt real. Lucy Foley is a genius with her descriptions of places. It really makes you "feel" like you're there. I'd definitely recommend this one for anyone looking for a fast whodunnit!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

I had previously read Lucy Foley and really enjoyed her suspense and character building. For some reason this one didn’t pull me in the same way. A lot of the characters felt forced and the ending left several things to be desired.

The motivations of many characters weren’t very complicated which made them feel more like caricatures than real people.

Overall I’m not sure if I’d pick up more from Foley (it’s like 50/50 right now). 3/5