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.

3.5 stars. I felt like this was going for more of an atmospheric vibe than action (and I think I would have preferred the latter). There were multiple POVs, multiple timelines, plus journal entries. Usually I like short chapters, but this had me pinging around too much. I was hoping for a tighter whodunnit. Sadly for me, the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my review.

I was so, so excited to be granted early access to this book. I am a major fan of Lucy Foley, and this latest book does not disappoint at all. This book read just as fast as all of her others, and I was left guessing until the end. Few authors out there can achieve telling multiple view points of a story, keep the reader on their toes, and weave such intricate storylines while keeping it all cohesive. This time around, readers get to delight in some folktale incorporated into the storyline - a lot of fun for me, personally! Also, as a side note, I really loved the cover on this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a trip— a little kooky, a little spooky, magical, with creepy birds and folklore thrown in.

First off, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy, and to the author— I enjoyed every page.

I’m an avid mystery thriller reader and love to jump right into the heart of the plot. This one was a slow build. We get introduced to four main characters through alternating POVs from past and present; we learn about their connection to this new luxury resort and to one another. Secrets, mysteries— all of it.

The complex relationships and blast from the past narrative kept me hooked. Each chapter divulges a bit more, and what I thought I knew the pages before quickly flew out the window. Instead of “Ah ha! I’ve figured it out,” it was more like an “Ah ha! and the plot(s) thicken” moment. Which I loved!

I enjoyed getting to know the main characters, especially Francesca, who is a “turning over a new leaf” wealthy wellness guru type. For some reason, I imagined her as a brunette Gwyneth Paltrow about a decade younger. As much as I despised getting to know the younger version of Francesca, she was the most interesting and complex of the bunch. She had the wittiest one-liners. Ha!

Most of the characters have a secret, and I found it helpful to jot down some annotations to keep it all in check.

Overall, it was a really good binge-able read from Lucy Foley. Add this to your list right now! 🤓

Thank you for the ARC! This was my first Lucy Foley book, and I’m not really sure if it was for me. The writing was so chaotic and sporadic. The multiple POVs did nothing for the plot of the book at all. I think the “birds” theme should’ve been left out because it wasn’t fully fleshed out in the story, it just took away from the main plot. Other than that, the story was okay, it wasn’t shocking to me at all. Even at the end, I just didn’t feel like it made a big impression on me at all.

This was my first Lucy Foley book! Thank you NetGalley for granting me an early release! For I awhile I wasn't sure where the story was going, but about halfway though it started to somewhat come together. I enjoyed the journal entries looking back that helped to explain the situation. Although it was still a bit confusing about who was who and why things were happening. The ending did help to explain and brought things together! I would read another Lucy Foley book!

If you are a fan of Lucy Foley’s previous books — you will 100% enjoy this one as well!

While I personally found the storyline very interesting and thought it was a fun quick read, I also felt it was a little predictable.

What I liked:
- gothy Manor vibes in a secluded wooded area
- the cult-y aspect of the birds
- multiple character POVs and timelines
- the closure & karma at the end

What I didn’t like:
- the teenage journal entries (so cringy)
- how none of the characters recognized each other from 10-15 years earlier??
- the twist at the end - I expected a bit more

Overall I did enjoy this one (as I have Foleys previous books) but was hoping for a bit more in the end.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying I really loved The Guest List and several other books by LUcy Foley, but by the same token she has books I don’t care for. I appreciate the nods to a lot of classic mysteries (I notice a lot of Agatha Christie nods), but she definitely makes her own twists!

The plot of this was kind of slow for me. I really struggled to continue reading the first half. The three different timelines is the only thing that kept me going because I was invested in one of the timelines only. As the plot picked up, I read easily and enjoyed this much more. The twists were pretty fantastic, I didn’t put together much of the final reveal. The ending does have a nice resolution.

In the earlier stages, I think I was turned off by the Birds. As the story progressed, I appreciated that plot element more.

The characters were… something. All of these characters witnessed horrible things and obviously have trauma from past events. I did like some of the characters, but most of them were not lovable and definitely sinister. She did a decent job of fleshing out the characters, which was pretty necessary because of the multiple timelines.

The writing is excellent, she does a fantastic job coming up with a different, fitting voice for each character. I know that can’t be an easy thing to do, and she nails it.

All in all, I did enjoy this by the ending. To be fair, the weather is just now getting nice where I am, so perhaps my reluctance to read has something to do with that. It took me considerably longer to read this than any of her other books, and that’s because it didn’t hook me quickly. I pushed through (I am an epic fantasy lover, I can always push through) and I’d give this a 3.25⭐️

This was a twisty turny ride. I enjoyed it but did struggle to keep everything straight at times. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The midnight feast by Lucy Foley

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow!
This book was an absolute trip down crazy lane, Lucy foley has a way of sharing just enough information to keep you in your toes and begging for more!

Francesca has opened up a 5 star resort tailored to suit your spiritual needs. Requesting background information on each guest to make your stay as accommodating and personal as possible.
Her husband is an aspiring architect who is whooed by his wife’s spiritual facade.

Bella is a person from the past… a piece to the puzzle that has 15 years of unresolved issue with Francesca… she pops into the story under a different guise.

The the story doesn’t only unfold there… there’s more to the mix as foley unfolds a mysterious tale with magical creatures that will haunt your dreams!
Foley is a master at popping in unreliable narratives from multiple POV’s and creating a story that is unforgettable. I really enjoyed this book!

Thanks to netgalley for the arc!

hovering somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars

This is my fourth Lucy Foley book I've read and something I'm noticing is that shes great at curating a sense of dread- and thats no exception here. Even nearing the end I was still struck with anticipation for what was to come. I think the alternating of past & current povs alongside the diary entries really helped with that looming sense of dread.

I was also really happy with the way such a large cast of pov characters was handled, I could see it easily becoming bloated and confusing but I didn't get any of that while reading.

If you like messy, twisty thrillers with folklore, faux-spiritualism, and some truly frightening wealthy teenagers I'd recommend giving this a read!