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).

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the chance to read this ARC! I love Lucy Foley’s books, so I was overjoyed to read and give a review!
Like all of Lucy’s books, this novel presents itself very much like an Agatha Christie murder mystery. There is a whole cast of characters and all of them have a reason to make sure the Solstice celebration at the Manor doesn’t go down.
I very much enjoy how Lucy always keeps my attention with shorter chapters and lots of character variety. Adding the twist of everyone’s childhood and how it impacts the present day was also a fun layer to add. I think the theme of a wellness hotel was perfectly timed in today’s cultures, and I think we’ll all look at crows a bit longer before moving on.
Lucy, you did it again, never stop writing.

This story alternates between the opening events and operations at The Manor, a high end resort whose opening is controversial among local residents in the community, and past events at the property. Not everyone is who they initially seem to be, and the relationships and events of the past are slowly unraveled as the story unfolds. The book started off a little slow for me, but once it got going there were some great twists and I enjoyed it very much.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.

It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.
This was a great thriller. It took me until the very end to figure everything out. The author did an amazing job connecting everything! Definitely Reccomend.

This book kept me flipping the pages from start to finish. Set amidst the backdrop of The Manor, a luxurious retreat nestled in a forest rumored to be haunted by the enigmatic Night Birds, this book kept me guessing the whole time.

Foley is excellent at crafting multiple POVs (something I still recall from reading her debut novel years ago), and this is no exception. I was deeply immersed in the lives of the characters connected to The Manor, and was fascinated by each of their secrets and motivations. The descriptions are also vivid and atmospheric (again, classic Lucy Foley!) Just when you think you got the twists figured out, one more twist will come and pull you back in.

"Whispers in the Woods" firmly establishes Foley as an auto-buy author in mystery, thriller, and suspense. I'm looking forward to its release so I can talk about it with more people!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to experience this captivating journey!

I am a fan of Lucy Foley so I was excited to get an advanced copy of The Midnight Feast. I was hooked right away with the identity of the dead person being unknown. The short chapters had me saying "Just one more chapter" way into the night. Around 80% into the book I started to think that it was becoming way too predictable, but then there were so many twists that I did not see coming! I did get a little confused with some of the British sayings and items, but it did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying the book.

Oh wow, how does one write a spoiler free review of a Lucy Foley book? "I loved it," and leave it at that? The Midnight Feast is the story of The Manor- a luxury getaway, and everyone involved in making it what it is, both past and present. It is sent in the heart of a forest rumored to be home to the mythical Night Birds, who have taken offense to the presence of The Manor in their space.

This story rotates both points of view and between the past and present. This format could be confusing and unwieldy, but it is not. Pieces of the puzzle float into place seamlessly as you go, with the author creating and then challenging your assumptions throughout the book. I was surprised over and over, right to the end of the book. I would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller.

Thank you to Lucy Foley and William Morrow Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review of The Midnight Feast.

Thank you to NetGalley for The Midnight Feast ARC. I was very excited to read this book, especially since it was my first thriller. Lucy Foley did an excellent job of building suspense and creating sinister vibes as it related to the characters and the plot. However, there was aspects of the book that were lacking and made it difficult for me to give this book a higher rating.

Highlights:
- Premise of the story
- Characters showing their real personalities
- The tension

Issues with the book:
- There was too many POVs and the story would switch timelines too often making it difficult to truly stay in the moment of the story
- Many questions I had throughout the book went unanswered, especially as it related to the birds
- I had no strong connection to any of the characters

I still think that this book is worth reading if you enjoy a quick and easy read. Lucy Foley had a good premise for the story and I look forward to reading more books that she has written.