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.

Fabulous. I pray that Lucky never stops writing. She entertains the world with her thrilling stories and characters

I wanted to enjoy this book because someone I am in a book club said she had a book hangover from how good this book was but I couldn’t get into it. I kept hoping the suspense would capture me and it fell flat for me. I’d say this writing is like Lucy’s other books. Each chapter is from a different perspective that comes together. It was very long and drawn out.

This was another great mystery from Lucy Foley. I am a fan of all her books and one of the thinks she does best is making u feel like u r there and I definitely felt that while reading this. I also like how she is able to make the separate character chapters work.

4.5 ✨ WOAH.

I was absolutely not expecting to love this one as much as I did. This was messy. This was crazy. This was heavy & dark. But, I had SO much fun with this one.

Think posh rich people who all have ties to a fancy hotel, The Manor, who also have LOADS of secrets. But…also sprinkle in a *hint* of cult. 😅
There are multiple POV’s in this one, but don’t fret, they all connect in the end. 🤭

Holy cow. 😅

There are quite a few trigger warnings in this one: (SA, animal death, addiction&drug use, etc.)
This book is NOT for everyone.
I repeat….this 👏🏻 book 👏🏻 is 👏🏻 not 👏🏻 for 👏🏻 everyone.👏🏻
I did end up deducting from my rating from the amount of foul language in here, it took me out of the story in some parts.

But, I did love the storyline, and personally, I loved the amount of POV’s and watching it tie together in the end.
The birds were SO creepy. 🦅

Lucy Foley just does eerie AND messy, rich people so well, and I really enjoyed her take on this concept.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for sending me an E-ARC of this book. 💚

The Midnight Feast was something that I was not expecting. I have read a couple of novels by Lucy Foley at this point, and I’ve come to realize that if you want a quick little story with a semi-interesting plot then you’re in for a treat. This book had me not knowing where the story was going to go, and part of me loved that and part of me wished it got to the point quicker.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have to admit that I was initially pretty skeptical, but soon found myself hooked. The first half is a bit slow, but once things heat up it is full of twists and turns. I love a book that surprises me and Foley kept the surprises coming until the very end. If you are a fan of a very well written thriller you will not want to miss this one!

This book took me a while to read because life kept getting in the way, lol. Like other books by the same author, it was a nice slow burn. I really enjoyed the buildup and how everything came together in the end. The only reason I’m not giving a 5 star is because I would have liked a little more character building. Don’t get me wrong, you do get to know the characters, there are just so many and they were just so interesting, I’d love to have had more. Highly recommended!

This book was a long read. I'd put it down and then pick it up and try to finish. I did finally succeed but it was tough.
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.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.
Between the owner, her husband, The kitchen help and the guests there are a lot of suspects.
The ancient forest surrounding the manor is also a major part of the book.

What a ride! Lucy Foley surprises me again, just when I thought I had it all figured out, she shocks me with a twist. The Midnight Feast was well done, and the ending satisfying tied everything up full circle between the past and the present.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/William Morrow for sharing an advance copy of THE MIDNIGHT FEAST.

I'm already a Lucy Foley fan - and I give this one five stars!

For other lovers of her thrillers, we get what we've come to expect: multiple POV's, a lush setting, and a lot of building tension. THE MIDNIGHT FEAST takes place in the Tome, a remote town in the English countryside, where an heiress turns her family's estate into an upscale, wellness centered hotel. On opening weekend, things don't go to plan in a big way.

I adored the hilarious, satirical take on wellness culture for the uber rich. There were some genuine laughs to be had. And plot-wise, by half-way through I couldn't stop reading. There's a heartfelt family story built in, too.

I'd recommend this for fans of Lucy's other books, and anyone who wants a fun, fast thriller read.