📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐲

“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺."

Let me just start off by saying I read this book while home alone and I was so freaking creeped out! Every single reference to “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬” scared the crap out of me!

This is a multiple POV story that also has chapters that take place in the past. I had to create a note in my phone writing down each character and who they were in relation to others. I was so determined to solve this mystery. The description and imagery describing Tome, the woods and the Manor was so vivid.

This story is creepy and mysterious and by the end I was in an absolute chokehold. Just when you think you know everything there’s another huge revelation. This was my first book by 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐲 and I will now 1000% be going to read her backlist, because damn, she knows how to write a perfect thriller!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 releases on June 18. I highly recommend it to all mystery, thriller and suspense lovers! Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for my eARC so that I could share this honest review!

🪶Remember book pals, respect 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
👻 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺
🫣 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦
😱 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳
✨ 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘗𝘖𝘝

I'll start this by saying I am a BIG Lucy Foley fan. I read The Guest List, The Invitation, The Hunting Party, and The Paris Apartment in the span of a few weeks, and I loved them all. Foley's writing style is unique and captivating, and I was truly elated to start The Midnight Feast. Unfortunately, I felt the pacing of this book was so incredibly slow. The plot moved forward slower than a snail, and the "reveals" were neither surprising or interesting. For once, the feminist punch that Foley's books usually pack felt flat. I think this book was one that truly missed the mark, and it's so disappointing to say that because as I've said, Lucy Foley is such a talented and incredible writer. This book was one of the worst thrillers I've read, and I wouldn't recommend it even to a fan of Lucy Foley like myself. I thought the characters, the plot, and the entire shock value of the book was simply poorly planned and poorly executed. Is Foley the next victim to the TikTok phenomenon of churning out book after book without allowing adequate time for drafting, writing, editing, and revising? The Midnight Feast makes it seem like she rushed through this book and threw it on the presses without time for a single round of edits. This book was truly awful, an absolute spit in the face to the thriller genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I was so excited when I got approved for this one, having loved The Guest List and The Hunting Party. I didnt love The Paris Apartment as much but this one brought it back to what I loved about @lucyfoleyauthor from the beginning. She has a way with a “locked room” thriller, this one being a new luxury resort in a remote village. She also loves the use of multiple POV-which can sometimes be overwhelming, but this had 5 so that wasn’t too bad. This story legit made me GASP out loud several times! I honestly didn’t see many of the twists coming. They also didn’t feel forced for shock factor. I also loved the use of the Summer Diary to unfold the events of the past to bring everything full circle! My biggest regret is that o didn’t get tickets to meet her at @anunlikelystory and it sold out! This book comes out June 18th, make sure to check it out!

Midnight Feast is a tale as old as time. Locals of the small town are used as entertainment for the elite summer vacationers. When the locals mingle with the elites and are taken advantage of, folklore and revenge take its toll. Midnight Feast is a gripping who done it, with supernatural touches to keep you guessing,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Midnight Feast! I was super excited about this one because I loved The Paris Apartment and - though I had to DNF because the audiobook was confusing me - I made it through about half of The Guest List.

I'll say, this reminded me a LOT of The Guest List. There's a formula here that is working for Foley, but I can't complain because I liked reading it just fine anyway.

Many characters, short chapters, several different underlying stories that built up into the main plot. I don't think it's anything brilliant or new, but it was exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. It was fast-paced and kept me engaged from the beginning. I couldn't put it down because each chapter was just a few pages, sometimes just one. I also thought the unraveling of one of the main characters throughout the story was really well done.

I love a fast-paced, juicy drama thriller, and this delivered! 4/5

This was my first read by this author, I will give some of her other books a chance, but this one for me was hard to keep up with. I struggle with too many POV's and name changes, I tend to get everyone mixed up. I love the setting being at a Manor in England and the concept of this book, but was having trouble keeping my interest, simply because I was getting confused. Others who don't have issues with mixing up POV's and characters I think will highly enjoy this story. Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book.

I was a huge fan of The Guest List and Midnight Feast did not disappoint. Following Lucy Foley’s classic clue-esque whodunit plot this book begins with an unnamed body discovered by a group of fisherman on a beach while the previously shiny new hotel is still smoking. Jumping in time through multiple POV’s before and after the Solstice the story unfolds. This includes all of Foley’s classics: the getaway location meant for the filthy rich, revenge, concealed identities, disgruntled locals, and a few new ones as well. Just as the temperature increases until the sweltering heat hits its peak, so does the story. Overall it kept me on the edge of my seat and I had trouble putting it down. 5 stars.

Lucy Foley is the queen of macabre and among the four books of hers I have read, including this one, this is by far my favorite. The story only takes place across a couple of days but so much happens, all dark and sinister. It reminds me of Hitchcocks “Birds” meets the recent movie “The Menu”. Loved.

4.5/5 ✰ - This was the perfect beach-read and I’m so glad that I didn’t let my opinion of The Paris Apartment (not my fave) dissuade me from reading!

I loved many things about this book, but what comes to the forefront of my mind is the author’s use of folklore to enhance the “woo-woo” vibes of the story. I was suuuuper into the locals’ tale of The Birds and was ultimately satisfied with how the author reconciled the lore with real-life actions and consequences. This is also the kind of story where the setting (The Manor) becomes a character in itself, and had this particular story ended differently I would definitely want to read more books that take place there.

I’m typically not a huge fan of multiple POV story-telling, but it works really well here to maintain the intrigue and overall pace. (If I wasn’t on a romantic vacation with my husband I probably could have read this in one sitting 😅)

I couldn’t stop thinking that if this were to be adapted into a show, Francesca would definitely need to be played by Rosamund Pike or Nicole Kidman.

Thank you to Net-Galley for the ARC!

The Hunting Party is one of my favorite books, so I was really excited to read The Midnight Feast. The multiple timelines and POV were masterfully orchestrated and the twist on the last page. 😘 Chef’s kiss! Loved it!!

“Tome is freakishly quiet. Thatched houses made from local pale gray stone cluster along its streets, some held in the clutches of a climbing rose or honeysuckle. There’s no one in sight. Maybe everyone’s inside hiding from the heat. But I can’t help feeling there’s something watchful about the emptiness. Several times I’m sure I catch a shiver of movement beyond the windows that hunker like small, dark eyes.”

Another masterpiece by the reigning queen of psychological thrillers! I can barely share much without giving spoilers, but if you liked The Hunting Party, you’ll love The Midnight Feast!

10/10

This is a story about revenge. It’s about a girl named Bella who wants to overcome a single night that caused her loss of innocence. When a community comes together in hatred a lot of suspects emerge when one dark night a murder occurs. I really liked this story. It started off a slow burn but picked up speed as you begin to understand the characters and what their motives for revenge might be. The novel switches between the past and present which helps add to the suspense in the book.

Thank you, NetGalley for this e-galley! To say I was excited for Lucy Foley's newest book is an understatement! The Guest List remains one of my favorite mysteries/thrillers of all time. The plot of this one was immediately intriguing and I loved the multiple perspectives, short chapters, and different timelines. For me this book was definitely a slow burn but once I was into it I couldn't put it down. I thought the vibes of this book were very much Vigilante Sh*t by Taylor Swift which was super fun. I will definitely keep reading more by Lucy Foley :)

I really enjoyed this! It was my first Lucy foley book. There was definitely a lot to keep track of with the dual timelines (three in some parts) and a lot of POVs in play. But I loved how it all came together. I never knew what was going to happen next and although I figured out some of the resolution early, I was surprised by quite a bit.

I feel like there was one question not answered though but I'll save that until after release day to avoid spoilers.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

You should’ve known that locking locals out of the woods to provide a “Pagan Chic” experience for posh Londoners would end badly! Foley brings the creepy class war to a head in her usual style. Delicious.

Holy moly, this was good! You know when a book is so good you think about it as you fall asleep? That was totally me with this book😅 I loved that is was told in multiple POVs (and was never confusing), and as much as I enjoyed this book, I also couldn’t wait to finish because I NEEDED to know where this was going and not once did I have any idea where this was going. I totally recommend this one when it releases in June! A big thank you to netgalley for this ARC! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 from me!

A contemporary mystery set at a luxury hotel along the rural English coastline, with local lore, and told through multiple points of view? This should've been a hit for me, but while so many elements of this book appealed to me, I never found a real connection to any of the characters or the plot. The intercutting between multiple POVs set 'before the solstice', journal entries from the past, and other POVs set 'after the solstice' was occasionally disorienting, and I had very little interest in the storyline involving the detectives. I found the Francesca-Bella relationship compelling, and wish the story had kept more to the resort, its new age leanings, and the guests there (although I suppose then it would just be a blatant rip off of The Guest List). In the end, I just felt like the plot was a bit messy and forced.

A unique one of a kind twisted mystery thriller.
Quite a bit of confusion as to the bird thing but..
it just made it all the more wickedly twisted.
As perfect as the ending was, it left me wanting to know more.

I will venture a guess that fans of Foley will like this title. It was too, I don’t know exactly - out there? My favorite title of hers was The Hunting Party and they have gone downhill from there. As I said, those who have liked her recent titles will most likely be satisfied.

The Midnight Feast is a multiple-POV "whodunit" filled with creepy local legends and a seemingly infinite number of secrets. The story focuses on The Manor (a high-priced hotel that has just opened on the Dorset coast), its opening weekend, a gruesome death, and a mysterious event that happened in the same place 15 years ago.

This is my favorite book by Lucy Foley that I've read so far! I was tense and expectant for the majority of the story, and I didn't figure out some of the twists until near the end, which does not typically happen when I read thrillers (I feel like I usually can see the twist from a mile away).

The quick switches between POVs was a bit jarring, but I think it was altogether an effective way to tell the story. I enjoyed the addition of the Summer Journal entries to bring us back in time. The way that the characters were written was a strong point---if the name of the POV wasn't at the beginning of each chapter, I would still know whose POV it was.

The main issue I had was with some of the reveals toward the end of the story that I didn't think were totally necessary (personal preference). I also struggled with one of the POVs being in third person while the rest were in first person. I think I understand why it was done, but I didn't love it.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend The Midnight Feast to folks who want a twisty, fast-paced thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this one! It was a bit of a slow burn at first but then it really started picking up pace and I found myself needing to know how it all ends. There is multiple characters viewpoints as well as flashbacks to an earlier time, but I never really got confused at what was going on. The ending was so good!