I’ve really enjoyed Lucy Foley’s previous novels. Unfortunately, I was just never able to lose myself in this one. I think the premise (a retreat for the wealthy with a focus on new age healing and mystical ideas) just didn’t appeal to me and that made it difficult get into it.
The writing is still top notch and I look forward to her next one to drop in a year or two.

3.5


Francesca Meadows has inherited her grandparents manor and decides to turn it into an oasis of sorts. Bella is a guest staying at the manor who has come not for the spectacle but for Francesca to finally admit what she’s done 15 years ago when they were teenagers. Eddie is an employee, a dish washer, who is more connected to the story than we believe. Owen, the husband of Francesca has secrets about who he really is.

In traditional Lucy Foley fashion the multiple POVs, the shocking twists, and the connection that all the characters have with each other just creates the best story. The atmosphere is spooky and eerie with the legend of The Birds that the townspeople all fear. I love a past/present timeline and this delivered- journal entries from the past, time at The Manor, and then the aftermath of the Summer Solstice. My only complaint is that the beginning was slow and I wasn’t really invested until about 50% but I couldn’t stop reading once everything started to come out and the connections were being made.

The last few lines of this book!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, let's take a step back and explain the premise. It is the opening weekend of The Manor, a rural, expensive, bougie paradise brought to life by Francesca in the middle of old forest filled with a lot of local folklore. This book is told in multiple points of view- Francesca, her husband Owen, Bella- the only guest staying alone, and Eddie- a local somewhat secretly working at the Manor. The story is told in a few days span with Before the Solstice and After the Solstice, following the police who are investigating when local fisherman find a body. Who's body is it? What happened on the Solstice? And is there any truth to the mysterious folk tales told about the forest?

I loved this book! To help put my review in context- I did love Lucy Foley's The Guest List but didn't enjoy The Paris Apartment as much (but I did find it entertaining, just not a 5 star read for me). I loved delving into all of these characters and figuring out each of their mysteries and secrets. The strange folk tales were a great touch. I couldn't read this book fast enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

The suspense! The questions! It was so good. The setting was great. I liked the different perspectives. It was dark and twisty. Whew. I’m gonna go read a fluffy romance now!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for ARC.

Lucy Foley is back!! And this book is even better than her previous books! Like her previous books, the story moves slowly. But characters are brilliant in this work. Love her multiple timelines and different POVs.. the slow building suspenses are worth it when it gets to the ending. I think this is my most favorite book of hers!

I wasn't excited going into this book-it seems like all of Lucy Foley's books have the same plot (secluded location, someone dies, mystery ensues). I am happy to report that this book was different! It was a little on the darker side and there were a few twists along the way. It was entertaining and of all her books, I liked this one best!

Ohhhh I really liked this one! I have read The Paris Apartment so I was excited to get an eARC for this one. I loved the secrets and suspense of this book. Lots of POV changes which got a little confusing but overall well done!

(3.5) A twisty-turny thriller with (mostly) morally bankrupt characters and a conclusion that felt just a bit too neat. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to the earlier timeline in this book- all of the characters felt so true to the mix of vanity and insecurity that makes up a summer trip away with your family after you hit 12 (thankfully I had much nicer friends). There's always something alluring about the big old house on the hill, and I think Foley did a great job playing with the "Goopy" rich socialite façade to reveal what we always suspect is rotten underneath. Eddie and Ruby brought the horrors back down to Earth- we needed to know there were still real people around- and kept me going when I was unsure what had brought these characters back to that summer. I really dislike thrillers where the main character has a petty motivation that they've blown up in their memory, and this definitely was not that! The main twist here got me good, and I was thrilled. After that, the rapid-fire conclusion tying up all of the loose ends felt a little bit too perfect- I think we could have let some strings trail off, especially with the magic-tinged mystery of the birds. The last line of the book absolutely hit, and I think it did a lot of work to connect the Birds to stories we may be more familiar with.

The themes in The Midnight Feast are perhaps overly familiar--revenge triggered by youthful indiscretion, tension between the haves and have-nots--and could have resulted in a "I've read this before" feeling. However, Foley makes the reader pay attention by moving the plot forward with perspectives of multiple characters and nonlinear storytelling. The pieces eventually fall together into a complete picture of what happened both in the past and present and why. Only three stars though as some of the mystery solutions were too convenient (sloppy coverups, too many character interrelationships) or not explained to full satisfaction (what was up with the Birds?).

Wow. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Midnight Feast". Lucy Foley has a great way of telling stories from different perspectives and giving clues while not giving away the entire plot. This novel takes place at a very chic wellness resort that is opening right before the summer solstice. It's opening to mixed feelings...the privileged in London and faraway cites are very excited to see what it holds in store, while the locals are not pleased with the construction and new blockages of common land that have been enjoyed there for centuries.

No one is what they seem and everyone has secrets. I was genuinely surprised by some of the twists and really enjoyed the ending. This would make a great movie, too!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was WEIRD! I was fully prepared to give this book an iffy 3-star rating. The story unfolded very slowly, and I had trouble trying to understand some of the vocabulary and word usage at times. I've read several books based in England and never had a problem deciphering the lingo, but this book was very heavy on the dialect at times. Scenes that should have come across as creepy fell flat due to embellished descriptions that overshadowed any feeling of fear or intensity that I might have felt. I think if these scenes played out in real time instead of being conveyed by another character who had nothing to do with it, I may have experienced the creepiness more. If that makes sense. I also abhorred Francesca and all the hippie-dippy woo woo nonsense that made up her character. But then I reached the climax and thought, YES! This is the Lucy Foley that I love. Lots of craziness and surprise twists that I never saw coming. The ending itself was redeeming and made this book worth the read. I think that this novel will be a hit or miss for readers. I would still recommend it. It's slow and weird but overall, a good read.

Thank you to the author, William Morrow, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

The Midnight Feast is Lucy Foley’s most atmospheric novel yet! I loved the rural, yet gothic setting of the manor, and the small town folklore.

This book was definitely setting-driven, which is something you don’t see too often, but seems to be a hallmark of Foley’s. Yes, the characters have very real motives driving their actions, but it’s the lore and ambiance that really direct their paths. Not being British, the concept of midnight feasts was a new one for me. They sound really fun and mischievous, and I wish their purpose was played up more in the novel.

Unlike The Guest List, and even The Paris Apartment, where you’re feeling the suspense throughout the novel, this one was really all about the lead up to the end. Just when I was thinking this was more of a flop, the action took off with one twist after another. I loved the connections and reveals at the end! Plus, I’m a huge fan of multiple POVs and short chapters in thriller novels.

This one’s definitely a slow-burn, but your patience is rewarded. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.

Wuttttttt. That ending is insane 🤯

I knew the thriller aspect was going to be good in this one once it got there. I just wish I didn’t have to wade through so much language and innuendo to get to it (reflected in my star rating). A little too much for my tolerance level but I know others with a higher threshold will love this one!! If you don’t mind what I mentioned above, it is crazyyyy at the end!

6 points of view - 1 past, 4 present, and 1 future. All working toward the same big event through the course of a weekend opening at a new hotel.
The twists at the end are so good 👏🏼
Content Warning: moderate/severe language, explicit innuendo, death

I guess I’m not sure what’s going on with England most of the time. Not the UK as a whole either, just the England part. It’s fascinating that a piece of land the size of Iowa is this mass epicenter of cultural relevancy. Because the classism supersedes what is so geographically small yet internationally vaunted, there is a much bigger dividing line of “us vs. them”, no matter who you think “they” are.

What I’m really trying to say here is that I am so over reading glossy thrillers about heinous rich people who think they are virtuous. This same feeling of “Love Island, But Institutional Wealth” was so pervasive in the new Ruth Ware too, which I read in the same week. And I do love a paint by numbers author. An author with their own font is the flex. But I just can’t find myself caring about wellness influencers who are spiritually unwell.

I appreciated the ARC and the chance to come to this opinion.

Thank you for the ARC! I enjoy how the layout of this book is different from others in its genre. Many POVs and you must pay attention throughout the timelines as well. I found some of the switching around to be confusing. I did enjoy all the mystery and trying to figure the story out as I went.

A hotel is opening, but not all will go as planned. Not all will come out alive. I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the past connected to the present and how that was managed also. There were a lot of good twists and turns which were exciting. I thought the birds were very creepy and so I enjoyed that. If you're a fan of thrillers, especially Lucy Foley's other works than you will like

I really wanted to like this book. It wasn't bad but it felt a little dragged out. I liked that the chapters were the different characters. I felt hatred towards Frankie and her fake ways. The twins could have used a little more character background. I got a bit confused with how many people didn't recognize each other after 15 years.

I have read now four of Lucy Foley’s books and I would say this is a big improvement from her last book, The Paris Apartment

I did not enjoy the first 60% of this book because the characters are all detestable and I just wasn’t interested enough in the mystery.

However, in the last 40% or so of the book, all of the pieces began. fitting together in an impressive way. There were some really good twists and I loved how every single character was connected to one another in some way.

If you’re looking for a fast paced mystery thriller, this is the one!

Lucy Foley hits it out of the park again with her recent book The Midnight Feast. Told from alternating POV’s, you find these characters are intricately connected by one summer. Full of twists and turns culminating with a big reveal at the end, I was unable to put down this book.

The only issue I had with being from the US, many of the words used I was unfamiliar with and had to look up. I am not very knowledgeable or interested in paganism, but it had its place within the book. Loved the revelation at the end and wish there was a book 2 to answer all the questions I have about the characters and their lives after this event. I think it would have been helpful to have a map of the manor at the beginning of the book to track everyone’s whereabouts. Overall, great read!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I not only feasted on this book. I devoured the whole thing in one sitting and what a treat it was!

The Manor may hold a grave full of secrets. But here’s one I’ll let you in on. This perfect retreat is also surrounded by local legends. Legends that take place in The Manor’s own backyard, which also happens to be the woods.

Fate is also a word that seems to be used a lot in this book. So much fate woven into every aspect of the story, including the characters. But, what if it’s not fate? What if it’s something sinister instead?

Word of advice, if you do happen to pick up this book. Whatever you do, don’t upset the birds!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.