Member Reviews

This was my first Lucy Foley book, and color me impressed. Where the characters likeable? For the most part, no. However, you were invested in their lives/story either way. Lucy did such a great job creating each characters aesthetic and how they changed from childhood. I loved all the hidden personalities, especially with one of the main female characters, Francesca. The connection between all the characters was excellently executed. Some of the twist I guessed before the end, but there were a couple things that were revealed towards the end of the book that were a surprise! I definitely recommend this one to thriller/mystery readers!

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I have read every single book by this author since first discovering her from Reese's book club and I have definitely liked some books better than others. This one was one of my favorites as I really really enjoyed the multiple POV's and something about things happening at midnight makes a perfect thriller. I enjoyed the pacing of this book and had a fun time guessing the next twist and turn and also who was going to die and why. I loved the pacing of the reveals and this will definitely be a book I want to listen to the audiobook for. I really hope it has multiple narrators.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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Thank you to William Morrow, NetGalley, and author Lucy Foley for the advanced copy.

My Grade: B ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Slow to start, but once the shenanigans start I found it impossible to put down.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ out of 5. Some kissing and sexual situations, but without any too graphic descriptions.

The Good:
-The multi character POV's are done really well. Also the journal flashbacks really helped build the anticipation of what was going to happen next.
-So many twists and turns!
-An ending that had me chuckling! **chef's kiss**
-Really creepy and dark folklore. I loved it!

The Meh:
-Too many "secret identities" that had me wondering if everyone just needed a really good pair of glasses.
-The really slow start.

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I had the honor reading an ARC of The Midnight Feast - an upcoming June 2024 release from @williammorrowbooks by author Lucy Folley.

This multi- POV atmospheric thriller hooked me from the very beginning. After a dark and foreboding prologue we are thrown into the action as we join a cast of characters on the opening night of a new luxury resort nestled along the outskirts of an ancient wood.
We experience a few timelines - including one set the day offer the opening in which we learn an unidentified body has been found. Whose body is it?..and what led to this deathly outcome is only one of the many mystery’s that this story surrounds.

The way Lucy builds the atmosphere created a very clear picture of the luxurious coastal setting with a dark past. Although the many points of view may seem daunting at first- each character has a unique voice and inner monologue which kept reading the story fresh and varietal.

The ending was a rollercoaster of twists and revelations and I was on the edge of my seat with goose-pumps until the very last second.

This was so much fun and I highly recommend to pick it up when it releases in June!

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Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.
This was a highly satisfying read for me, I loved it!
Suspenseful, creepy, with multiple points of view that were easy to follow and a highly surprising and satisfying ending. Set in a country estate in the middle of the woods is the newly opened posh hotel that's owned by one of the most disturbing and lethal female characters ... so dark and dangerous. It's a bit gothic and I really liked the multiple past and present experiences of the locals and the hated 'interlopers'. Great read that was difficult to put down.

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Classic Foley. An author I’ll read no matter what. It moved around a bit too much but I was still into the story. Thanks to NetGalleu for the ARC.

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I anticipated reading this because I had enjoyed The Guest List a few years ago. The premise was interesting enough, but the POVs jumped around a bit too much for me. It just got to be a bit confusing by the end there. But I do think it’ll make a good adaptation which I read is supposed to be happening.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

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As a fan of Lucy Foley’s books I was absolutely thrilled to receive the email letting me know I had been approved to read the ARC of her newest book, The Midnight Feast, which comes out on June 18th. I loved this twisty story of an exclusive new resort and all that unfolds over the opening weekend. The story is told through a few changing points of view that slowly reveal hints and twists to the story.

I loved the inclusion of the local folklore to the book and felt I really added to the eerie undertone of the story. The elements of rich and poor, or us and them, also really added to the overall feel. The use of the journal for flashbacks was also well done improved upon the more typical flashback chapter.

I felt each different character as I read their chapters, they each had a different tone which I thought worked really well. The twists were many and I didn’t see the majority of them coming, so was able to sit back and enjoy the ride.

The Midnight Feast is a fun, spooky and twisty read and I highly recommend.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the digital ARC to review.

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Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC.
This was a wild ride! A posh, new-age resort, built in a forest, has their grand opening over the summer solstice. Local residents are angry and want to interfere. While the overall premise isn’t a new theme, the rest of the story sure is! Events from 15 years ago threaten to resurface, no one is who they appear to be, and amongst all of the chaos are The Birds, who according to folklore, will appear when they feel that their natural habitat is threatened. The story is mainly told from the perspectives of Bella, a resort guest, Eddie, a worker at the resort, and Francesca, the owner. Just when you think the crazy is wrapped up, there’s more crazy!

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Thank you to both #NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me an advance copy of Lucy Foley’s latest #thriller, The Midnight Feast, in exchange for an honest review.

#TheMidnightFeast lands somewhere between better than #TheParisApartment, the author’s previous novel, but still nowhere near as engaging as the #TheGuestList. Foley maintains her signature format of short chapters that feature multicharacter perspectives and are interwoven with ones intended to set the scene of some grand event, such as a wedding, #NYE, and so forth.

In this instance, the reader is anticipating the novel’s namesake, which the scene-setting chapters refer to as the, “The Day After the Solstice.” These chapters, along with old journal entries written by one of the main characters, help capture the timeline of events leading up to and following the Solstice.

The story opens with an unsettling and mood-setting prologue, hinting at the mystery central to the plot in case it was not clear from the title. The notion of a cult is further reinforced by the first few chapters, which are reminiscent of Liane Moriarty’s, Nine Perfect Strangers.

As the reader continues the journey, however, the cult theory branches off into one of several potential premises. Whether it is the inner workings of a cult, dark magic, or hallucinogens remains unanswered until the conclusion.

The cast of characters include two protagonists (obvious spoiler: one is actually an antagonist), a few supporting characters, and many side characters, though the story is mostly told from the perspectives of the two mains and one supporting that could arguably be considered a tritagonist given their role and the number of chapters dedicated to them.

Bella, a single, 30-something-year-old, woman, is the first character introduced and is a guest at The Manor. Then there is Eddie, who is a nineteen-year-old farm boy, townie, and a dishwasher at The Manor. Finally, there are the married owners of The Manor, Francesca Meadows and Owen Dacre. Francesca is a wealthy, spiritual guru (think Gwyneth) who envisioned The Manor as a luxury weekend escape from the hectic pace of city life for the privileged. Owen Dacre is Francesca’s husband and a renowned architect who built The Manor and helped Francesca achieve her dream retreat.

Despite the varied characters, breezy chapters, and elements of mystery, both the plot and writing fell flat. The story seems disjointed, yet the multicharacter perspectives and past-present-future timelines are not to blame for the issue. The writing felt dull and uninspired, with the occasional snarky comment or two to reengage the reader. While I did not personally connect with any of the characters, they were mostly fine and even intriguing at certain points. The only question I have is whether this is a YA novel in disguise; especially, since Eddie is prominently featured.

It takes nearly three-fourths of the novel to reach exciting passages, which is essentially the climax. If you can slog through and don’t mind completely predictable plotlines, the author does manage to make the ending entertaining and ties together a few subplots nicely.

Overall, I sincerely hope the novel receives some polishing prior to its publication date. I look forward to reading Lucy Foley’s next release since my ratings for her thrillers are two for four currently, and thus will serve as my tiebreaker. In channeling Francesca’s guru mindset, here’s to manifesting that her future #mysterythriller returns to the caliber of #TheGuestList.

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Superstition, tradition, crime, evil. This entire town revolves around it. The vibes are eerie and unsettling. So much so, I wasn’t sure what direction this was going at first. It was giving lots of weird, gothic fantasy vibes.

But as the story goes on you can see what’s unfolding and it all starts to make sense.

It was a little long for me and I think I’d have enjoyed it a lot more if it was less wordy. There’s a lot of POVs which I really didn’t mind, and there’s journal entries from the past. Both wind together to tell the story of the past and what’s really going on at the manor that all the locals love to hate.

The last third reveals everything all at once and it’s a lot. It would have been more fun if it was spread out, I think, but it a huge secret, plot, drama spill. With all that going on I really didn’t have time to see the twists coming!

I’ve been wanting to read a Lucy book for a while and I’m glad I did. It wasn’t at all what I expected but in a different way!

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Although this was not my favorite novel by Lucy Foley, The Midnight Feast will keep you intrigued. When Francesca inherits The Manor, where she and her twin brothers spent many childhood summers, she decides to turn it into a high end luxury resort. The grand opening is to take place on the summer solstice with a midnight feast to top off the festivities. Things don’t go according to plan when past sins and present revenge comes calling.

This mystery/thriller is told from multiple points-of-views with dual time lines and several plots. All of this tends to make the beginning a little complicated and thus a slow start. But as the story lines develop and the relationships between all the characters start converging, the pace picks up. As the plot lines , characters, and time lines start to intertwine, the suspence builds you get pulled right in.

I’m not really of fan of the supernatural/ superstition themes, but Foley some how pulls it together and makes it work. As I said, not my favorite Lucy Foley novel but definitely worth the read.

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the description for this book was pretty short, so i wasn't quite sure what i was getting myself into, but i love lucy foley so i was intrigued. this was spooky and suspenseful! i thought i had some things figured out, but boy was i wrong! the twists did not stop coming and i know i'll be thinking about this one for a while!

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✨Lucy Foley is back with another 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵 caliber thriller, and I could not put it down!
✨I really enjoyed the dual timelines and the multiple points of view, including an old diary. The chapters were short, and the fast pace kept me turning the pages deep into the night.
✨And speaking of night, this one had a spooky edge with its atmospheric setting, dark mood and the folklore and local legends woven into the storyline.
✨No one is who they seem, the secrets are deep, the lies are treacherous, and someone knows where the bodies are buried. This one was tense!

🌿Read if you like:
✨Alfred Hitchcock’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴
✨𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳
✨Locked room murder mysteries
✨Local legends and folklore
✨Ancient, isolated settings

This will be the perfect read for a summer evening!

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The synopsis of this book intrigued me, I’m a sucker for a murder mystery and this book seemed similar to Clue (1985) which I love!

However, I wasn’t a big fan of the writing in this. The amount of point-of-views was also overwhelming so coupling that with writing I just wasn’t vibing with is why I eventually DNFed. I do think there’s definitely an audience that will love this book but, unfortunately, that’s not me.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sending me this ARC

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Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I have enjoyed any book from Lucy Foley, even with the well known musings that it is the same main plot for every story. Only downside I have to say. This book was so good otherwise! The POV of the past when the event happened and the current day story left me hooked! Although there were some hints along the way, the ending left me surprised! I hadn’t expected that. Several reveals in the end, but the last was the most surprising. This was fast paced and kept me interested the whole story! Loved it!

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This is my second Lucy Foley's book, and I don't think I'm going to continue with her books. If you're a plot driven reader and enjoy gossip/reality tv shows, this might work for you. Her plots always have a very gossipy vibe to it that doesn't really work for me. I still think she does what she does pretty well, it's just not for me.

I had the exact same feeling with The Guest List (the only other books of her I read). The start and ending are pretty OK, but the middle just drags. I have no problem with stories with dual timelines, but the "diary in the past" aspect of this book don't work for me at all. Yes, the chapters are short as always and it might get you out of a reading slump, but I also feel like the chapters were cut short in a meaningless way.

All in all, if you like her previous books, you will probably enjoy this one as well. It is definitely an easy and quick read!

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I found Lucy Foley’s new book, The Midnight Feast, riveting and satisfying. The story is told through multiple points of view, and it is great fun to see the characters emerge, including a sociopath. Most of the story alternates between two time periods only a few days apart, but there are also journal entries from 15 years prior that eventually reveal a cataclysmic event. I thought this was very effective, allowing for twists and turns in the plot.

We meet all the characters at an opening of a luxury hotel in Dorset. It reminded me a bit of Murder on the Orient Express as most of the characters, both staff and guests, have many secrets that go back 15 years. It is a thrill ride to see how they all interconnect at the end, and I found the ending most satisfying.

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For a slow burn thriller to be enjoyable, the payoff needs to be worth all that build up. Unfortunately, this book did not deliver. Other books by this author had similar setups and overall tone, but this plot was very chaotic and predictable. Not even the characters could save this book as they were so unlikeable.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for this arc.

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A great suspense book with many layers! The past and present intertwine with many anti-hero narrators. The combination of folklore blending with reality was masterfully done and I found myself wondering if the author was going to veer into a fantasy storyline. She, instead, weaves together the plot points with tidy but unpredictable closure. Each time a body is discovered, the reader has a list of plausible suspects. Very well written suspense novel, enjoyed this ARC from NetGalley.

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