Lucy Foley just knows how to write.. She is an expert at delivering multiple point of views and this book was a great read from start to finish. An excellent book and it kept me up late into the night flipping pages to see what happened next. I cannot wait to read the next book she writes. Well done! 10/10!

Rating: 2.33 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 2.5/5
-Story: 1.75/5
-Writing: 4/5
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
-Mystery: 3.75/5
-Suspense: 1/5
-Thriller: 1/5
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Nah

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

I have only read one book by Lucy and liked it enough to give this one a try. To say I was bored is an understatement. I didn't really enjoy the characters, except for maybe one group. The story part just fell really flat. I didn't care enough about the mystery for me to even really enjoy the story.

The Midnight Feast is reminiscent of Lucy Foley’s The Guest List in the best way. There are unlikable characters, unreliable narrators, and an unraveling mystery between multiple timelines and multiple POVs.

The story is set at a newly opened country estate for those looking for a luxury getaway and spiritual awakening. We begin the book knowing something has gone amiss but spend the time turning pages to piece the mystery together!

Reasons to read:
-mystery without much scare factor
-you like to read from messy characters
-multiple timelines and POVs
-locked room mysteries set over a short period of time

There was a lot going on here. I understand why Foley had so many characters telling the story, but it felt a little overwhelming throughout most of the novel; really, right up until the climax. There were plenty of twists and turns, lots of intrigue and multiple mysteries to unravel. The ending was spot on for Foley, but the lead up was not.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Lucy Foley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Midnight Feast is a multi pov story taking place during the grand opening of The Manor, A retreat getaway that Francesca Meadows created out of the ruins of her family's old estate. Through alternating timelines, you find out more about the seemingly strangers and how their stories interconnect in that fabulous way that Foley weaves her stories. I loved the story of the town legend and the mix of wealthy hedonistic characters and locals who are taking justice into their hands.

My only issue with the book is that it took a long time to unravel some of the things that happened, and because of the minimal context at first, it took a while for me to root for or invest in the characters. The mystery aspect was really well done. I still enjoyed and recommend this, but I think The Paris Apartment is my favorite Foley book still.

Lucy Foley has done it again!
Another thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.
The cover is great and made me want to read this asap.
I will recommend to fans of fast paced thrillers.

Highly anticipated! Did not disappoint! Fast page turner! Highly recommended! Love Lucy Foley! Her books are always a must!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC read. I had heard so much about Lucy Foley and this was my first introduction to her writing. I can respect an author that can take so many point of views and adapt them to one storyline. Getting the full background of each character was very important to the build up of the book. I will say that this one was more of a slow burn. It took awhile for me to get into the book because it felt like a slower start. About halfway in, everything started connecting and made up for the beginning, in my opinion. I suppose I am used to books that catch me right in the first or second chapters, so definitely stick with this one until the end.

Lucy Foley never misses! There is a familiar quality to this novel where I felt like I have read a version of this story before but Foley always imbues her plot with specific details that highlights the location, or culture of the setting. The location is incredibly important in all of her novels, but in this one, especially. It felt like its own character. I loved that aspect of it. Lucy Foley's books are always fun and I think my reading slump is officially over!

The Midnight Feast, authored by Lucy Foley, is a chilling psychological thriller evoking the eerie essence of the Blair Witch Project and M. Night Shyamalan, with an added touch reminiscent of The Great Gatsby. The setting is a coastal village in England called Tome, where tension brews between the local farmers, pub workers, and fishermen, and the wealthy family residing in The Manor atop the rocky cliffs. The Manor is preparing for its grand opening as a luxurious wellness retreat. Guests will pay a premium to stay in contemporary treehouses or forest cabins, enjoying amenities like personalized crystals, tailor-made wardrobes, exquisite cuisine, and breathtaking seaside views. The highlight, a grand event called the Midnight Feast, is scheduled to coincide with the summer solstice in just a few days.

Mystery and local folklore lend a macabre air to the setting. The Manor is surrounded by an ancient forest. The locals believe that the forest is protected by the Birds: dark, hooded creatures with horrid beaks and black feathers that bring justice to those who would wrong their own. Foley’s vivid descriptions of the forest, its darkness, its ancient curses, and the Birds gave me the creeps (in the best way). It would make a fantastic film.

“You see them,” she says, “don’t you?”

I take a step back from her.

“You thought you were the worst thing in the woods,” she says. “Didn’t you?”
The narrative unfolds through various perspectives, including Francesca (the owner), Owen (her husband and the architect behind the renovations), Bella (a guest), Eddie (a dishwasher), and an investigator piecing together the events after the feast. The plot weaves through time, with hints about the feast night’s occurrences initially emerging from a 15-year-old journal. The multiple perspectives and the fast pace of the events that unfold to the final page made this story riveting. What a page-turner! Plus, the final lines of the story are worthy of applause.

The most captivating part of the book for me is the insight into Francesca’s perspective, the undeniable villain. She is the epitome of danger, a graceful heiress with a hidden streak of spite. Her selfishness and shrewdness make her the standout figure of The Manor. You do not want to cross Francesca.

Then she turns and, for a few seconds, meets my gaze. There’s a trembling of something in the air between us. Her smile remains in place and she continues surveying the room. I dip my face beneath my hair. But she saw me, I’m certain of it. A shiver passes through me. It’s the feeling they say you get when someone has walked over your grave.
I loved to hate Francesca in this story and being inside her head made that all the easier.

I won’t say more about the story because I don’t want to spoil anything for readers. This is book is a good one! If you love psychological thrillers, dark mysteries, murder, uncovering old secrets, and a chaotic take on what happens when self-absorbed affluence meets grassroots justice, then pick up a copy of The Midnight Feast.

I got 63% through and gave up. I really enjoyed The Hunting Party, but this one just isn't for me. First of all... the birds. Ugh. Second, there were too many trails to follow. I thought about getting a notebook and taking notes of who was up to what, but I don't want my reading for enjoyment to be that complicated. For a thriller, there was only one "thrilling" moment before I gave up on the book. I wouldn't call it a slow burn. I would call it a no burn. For me, a good slow burn has to include at least one character I care about. There was no one in this book to care about. And did I mention the stupid birds?

Thanks netgalley for my copy in exchange for my review.

I tried but I just couldn't love this one. It was just a chaotic mess and I was bored. It started off really strong and I loved the vibe but I just lost interest in this book.

Her best yet by far - Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

4.5 rounded up

Thanks for ARC Netgalley. This was the August pick for my IRL Book Club. I’m such a thriller fan, yet this was my first Foley somehow. I really loved this one and can’t wait to dive into her backlist - let me know what your fav Foley is in the comments for me to prioritize.

Francesca has planned every small detail of the Manor’s grand opening weekend. Everything is perfect, and she knows it will be cemented as a top destination resort in rural England due to her precision. Her younger husband Owen has helped her with the Manor, but she doesn’t know the secrets he’s keeping. Francesca also hasn’t foreseen Bella from her past checking in, determined to confront her for her hand in a terrible tragedy in their youth. Meanwhile, Eddie is poor local boy working at the Manor, caught between the class divide in town and the hidden secrets they all have.

This was atmospheric, filled with folklore, and with class tension between the local blue collar folks and the rich guests. I loved the multiple perspectives and the dual timelines. I really was surprised by quite a few twists! I started reading this but switched to audio for the last few hours to finish before our book club meeting. While I recommend both formats, the multiple actors for the audiobook were fantastic and really highlighted the class differences with their accents. This is a perfect summer thriller!

✨Content Warnings: Murder, Toxic Friendship, Animal Death, Classism, Sexual Assault, Suicide Attempt, Drug Use, Mental Illness, Death of a Parent, Infidelity, Sexual Content

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley was a book I was looking forward to this summer, but it was a little disappointing to me personally. I thought the middle of the book dragged a bit longer than it needed to. I didn't connect with any characters, except for maybe Eddie. The beginning was creepy and pulled me in and the ending was pretty satisfying, but the middle just dragged and I wasn't too interested in picking it up.

The Midnight Feast is told from a few different POVs. There were a lot of characters to keep straight and a few of them were hiding their true identities. The switch from past (2010 when some characters were teens) to present and the addition of a teen diary from the past made things a little tricky to keep track of. First we have Francesca, the owner of the Manor resort. We meet Owen, Francesca's husband who is the architect of the resort. Next we meet Bella, who is one of the guests at the Manor's opening weekend. We also meet Eddie, a local resident who is working as a dishwasher at the resort, but aspires to be a bartender and Detective Walker who is on the case when people uncover a dead body in the woods on the property.

The plot was pretty good overall, but there were some questions I had - why didn't the characters recognize each other if they spent so much time together when they were younger. Why didn't Foley include more about the black feathers/birds. That was more intriguing than annoying Francesca. Why did Sparrow continue to hang out with Frannie when she knew Frannie was manipulative and her family was no good.

I do feel like this was my least favorite Foley book to date, but I have enjoyed her books in the past and I will plan to pick up her next book for sure.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of this. It was slow and the plot made zero sense to me. It was hard to follow and I hated almost all the characters!

Lucy Foley has done it again!

The Midnight Feast is yet another nail-biting page-turner. The Midnight Feast is easily one of my most anticipated reads/releases of 2024. Lucy Foley has to be one of my go-to Mystery/Thriller authors. I absolutely love her classic style, sense of place, dramatic characters, and page-turning storylines.

When I first read the synopsis, I knew I needed to read this. Unlike The Guest List, The Midnight Feast has fewer POVs, which does not detract from the mystery. This story follows four different perspectives: Francesca, the founder; Owen, the husband; Bella, the mystery guest; and Eddie, the kitchen help. There is a fifth perspective as we get glimpses of the aftermath from Detective Inspector Walker.

I will say that when I first started reading this highly anticipated thriller, it took me a little time to get into the story. However, after a few chapters, I was hooked, especially with the inclusion of the diary entries. I don’t think I could turn the pages fast enough. I was absolutely shocked by the last portion of the book. I had a hunch but was still on the edge of my seat when things were revealed. The words seemed to possess me; I physically could not put this book down. The twists surprised me, and the puzzle-style climax made me jump in my seat.

I really enjoyed the incorporation of folklore, particularly with the legend of the Birds. Lucy did a perfect job of blending the folklore into the central mystery. I feel that having local justice against the posh and filthy rich made the storyline impactful. From the cynical portrayal of the ultra-rich, its sarcastic critique of class differences, combined with the locals' fight for what they deserve, and the mind games surrounding the identities of victims and perpetrators, The Midnight Feast offers a uniquely immersive reading experience.

This story centers around an ultra-luxury estate nestled in the Woodland Hutches. This oasis, called the Manor, was designed as a peaceful escape for its wealthy and privileged guests and owned by Francesca Woodland, who hides her very own dark secrets beneath the facade of her spiritual purity, and her younger husband Owen, an aspiring architect who has a dark past of his own. This novel starts at the Manor, which was set to host a memorable summer solstice feast. What happens when dark secrets are revealed that could threaten the shared future of the founder, the husband, and the guests of the Manor?

It is the opening night at “The Manor”-the new luxury resort built between the Dorset coastline and a dense bristle of ancient forest. Hundreds of lanterns have been lit, and the welcome drinks are flowing at the very edge of the trees. This was the dream of a lifetime for Francesca Woodland and her husband. However, everything goes up in flames (no pun intended) when the Manor is burned during the first retreat, a day after the solstice. Secrets follow everyone involved: who is Bella, and why has she returned to the Manor? Why does Franscesa swear she is seeing a ghost from her past? Who started the fire? So many questions await in this book. Between the myths and lore behind the Birds, the ominous music, and the unhappy locals.

I absolutely loved this book and the use of superstition. I loved that Lucy used traditional lore that says that you must ask permission from the Elder Mother- the spirit inside the tree-before you even trim a few branches and cut the whole tree down or else bad luck. I feel every lore element added to the mystery behind The Midnight Feast.


Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a digital review copy of this fantastic thriller.

Lots of moving pieces in this one, so it was a bit harder for me to get into. Once the twists started to twist and the story started to come together it was a quickly paced thriller. I won’t be in the woods any time soon. The language took away from the appeal for me.

Sadly, I don't think Lucy Foley is for me. I thought this would be the one but I couldn't finish it. I would recommend for those who enjoy her previous books but not for someone looking for something new to read. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review it early.

I'm on page 115 and I'm really struggling through this book. I normally try to look for the positive in books because I know the author worked hard on creating their masterpiece, but this is just not it. I try and read 2 pages and I immediately fall asleep. Francesca (the main character) is something else, and 'The Birds'? I really think this book could've done good, but the storyline is confusing with multiple POVs. All the characters are jealous of each other and it honestly seems thrown together. This was my first book by Lucy Foley and I appreciate the ARC, but in exchange for my honest opinion, I do not recommend this book.