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!

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.

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!

✨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!

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

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

I'm a huge fan of Lucy Foley's books, but I'm not quite sure what happened with The Midnight Feast. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and intriguing plot; however, the story itself is very chaotic. The multiple perspectives — particularly the descriptions of the animals and landscape surrounding the Manor — came off as flowery and distracting. I'm all for a cast of unlikeable characters, but many of them felt one-dimensional and satirical. All of that, combined with an underwhelming plot, made the book feel incredibly messy.

Like, I said, I'm a big fan of Lucy Foley, so I was not only disappointed, but confused. This is pretty far off from the strong writing I expect in her books. I'm crossing my fingers that her next one is a better fit for me.

This one was not for me. The storyline didn’t flow well and I could not connect with the characters.
****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Really enjoyed this ARC from NetGalley! Lucy Foley never disappoints and this one had all the elements I wanted. Multiple viewpoints, unreliable narrators, sympathetic characters, awful characters, jumping timelines, flashbacks, and the age old question, “is this paranormal or not?” I enjoyed the ride and while I called one twist, a couple others had me gasping out loud! Looking forward to buying this when it comes out!

Lucy Foley is back! The Midnight Feast is a great return to the suspenseful narrative that she does so well.

This novel’s backdrop is the opening of a new resort by a goop-esqe Francesca Meadows. What comes to pass is a true reckoning of past sins and vengeance.

Foley keeps you guessing throughout, and the twists are everything. The only drawback for me was the extended journal entries, but that was more a pacing issue as I realize their importance to the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

I love British mysteries.. so I was thrilled to get the chance to read this one. It was a disappointment. The plot was convoluted and ultimately the resolution and denouement were weak. The author seemed to be trying too hard to create a supernatural aspect to the narrative. It felt forced and hackneyed. The author’s attempt to connect the characters fifteen years after the initial mishap was thwarted by too much superfluous information and an over abundance of detail. The diary pages dividing the chapters did not develop the plot as intended. I felt they detracted. The book should have been written as one continuous time line….with a few digressions for explanation. The diary pages jumped back in time and were awkwardly constructed. Too many characters reappeared and were revealed as poseurs to be credible. The novel missed all my markers for a terrific read. Sorry.

Typical thriller with twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. It kept me hooked, and guessing, from the beginning. Definitely a solid read, I really liked it.

I want to love a Lucy book but they’re all the same story new people same character. I’d love something new from her!

Wow. It’s been awhile since I read a book where I truly did not find the will to care what happens or how any character ends up. What an unlikable group of people and an absurd uninteresting story. Foley has been hit or (mostly) miss for me but this was a major miss. Perhaps I need to skip her next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Midnight Feast was a deliciously atmospheric and twisty tale. Steeped in folklore and spooky forest vibes, it sets the tone for a unique thriller.

Francesca Meadows has rebuilt herself. And now it’s opening weekend on her new woodsy resort, built on her family’s old land. With her architect husband, Owen, by her side they strive to have the perfect atmosphere provided to their guests.

But something’s afoot in these woods. And the locals are less than happy about a posh hotel being erected in their forest. Secrets are overturned and new faces become old.

This book was a bit slow in some places but overall really enjoyed the setting and the twists were to die for! Solid 4 stars!

I am a fan of Lucy Foley's books "The Hunting Party" and "The Guest List" and her new one, "The Midnight Feast", is really, really good. There are a lot of stories about a group of people gathering at a swank, isolated resort (as happens in this book), but add in some local mythology that is quite scary as well as past grievances to be settled and you get this pretty creepy and terrific novel. It's told from multiple perspectives--Francesca and Owen (the owners of the resort), Bella (a guest) and Eddie (an employee) from multiple time periods, but it isn't confusing and it just works really well and I didn't want to put it down! There are quite a few twists but I have to say the little twist at the end put a huge smile on my face. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for this book.