I love the structure of this book. I love mysteries that start you off with a major event and, throughout the story, you get little pieces of the puzzle. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the character reveals and where they fit in the story, although I suspected some. Once the story really got going, I found it hard for me to put it down. I struggled a little with one of the points of the story, towards the end, but not enough that it changed my overall opinion of the book. I recommend this to anyone looking for a good mystery with a great setting.

** Thanks @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for sending me a copy of this book to review **

It is the opening weekend at a new woodland resort, The Manor. Every little detail has been meticulously curated to create the perfect atmosphere and to cater to the high end clientele. However, unbeknownst to the guests, the locals are not happy with this resort and there are whispers of an ancient folklore that will take matters into their own hands. After the opening weekend festivities, a dead body is found and the guests are acting odd. The police must piece together what happened at this exclusive resort - have the locals exacted revenge or are the folklores true?

I just finished the first season of The White Lotus so I was super excited to read this book since it seemed to have similar vibes. I loved the setting of this story and the creepy local lore really elevated the atmosphere. The overall story reminded me of "Nine Perfect Strangers" in the woods. The beginning of the story was a little slow but then it really picked up. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists. I'm usually not a fan of numerous POVs but they worked so well for this story. If you can get through the slower start, the ending was worth it.

The Midnight Feast has all the ingredients for a page-turner: elite hotel/resort opening, “spiritual” rich people behaving badly, alternating perspectives, old friends and enemies, party crashers, haunted forests, culty vibes, secrets.

While I didn’t love how the last 10% all tied together, I do love Lucy Foley’s writing. Foley knows how to write a book that transports you right into the scenes. I also enjoy how Foley creates succinct voices/perspectives for each character. But there are a lot of characters/identities to keep track of (literally needed to write them down). The Midnight Feast is my kind of thriller.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of #TheMidnightFeast.

Lucy Foley's best novel yet!!! imagine hereditary & midsommar pagan cult vibes meets seaside english countryside murder case among the environment of a Goop-esque gentrifying hotel led by a spiritual nutcase. TLDR; it’s the intersection of all my special interests in the thriller genre - I LOVED IT.

But my usual reading genre but I enjoyed this book. I’ve heard lots of good things about Lucy Foley books.
I really enjoyed the set up and story. It keep me turning the pages to see what was going to happen.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

I’m a big fan of Lucy’s books and I really enjoyed The Midnight Feast. This was a creepy slow burn thriller that had just the right amount of twists. Were some of the characters unbearable? Yes, but that’s the point.

Lucy set the scene so perfectly for The Manor and she fleshed out the characters enough so that the POVs were easy to follow.

Fans of Lucy’s other books, especially The Hunting Party, will enjoy this one!

Thoroughly enjoyed The Midnight Feast! Different POVs which I always love. Lots of twists and turns abs things at the end that even surprised me.

I loved the setting of a mystical, perhaps evil place set in the woods. You’re pulled in right to the story as soon as it starts. I had the pull of wanting to visit The Manor yet terrified of the thought of actually being there.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

THE ENDING!!! I typically don't enjoy thrillers where I don't know who's dead (to put it succinctly) but the vibes at the event, the dynamics of the locals vs. Francesca, and uncovering the past made this a compelling read. was it perfect? no. but I was intrigued by everyone's backstories and the slow reveals on various characters had me hooked. while I wouldn't say this is a new favorite, I wanted to keep reading and the last few lines SENT ME.

This book was the perfect mix of what the heck is happening and spooky vibes. I would totally recommend this for a great Halloween read! I think this might be my favorite Lucy Foley book yet!

The whole book my gears were twisting and turning trying to figure out who was who! Once again I love Lucy Foleys multiple POV within the book. It was so fun being in the heads of most of the characters. I also loved the ending and just *knew* that one particular character had more to her story than what we were given earlier on. So good, crazy…but good!

4.5 stars for me!

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine *

3.5

In 2021, I read The Guest List and fell in love with the story and characters. I was happy to discover that Lucy Foley was writing a new novel, and I requested a copy when I saw it on NetGalley. <b>The Midnight Feast</b> did not meet my expectations, and I struggled to connect with the story. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the story; I enjoyed a few aspects of it, and most plot twists caught me off guard. I enjoyed the atmosphere in the novel; it is the type of atmosphere that I like, and I pictured myself transforming there. I liked the mystery of the birds and black feathers. That was one of the most intriguing aspects of the book.

Aside from the Birds, The Summer Journal was an enjoyable read, and I saw how the characters were as teenagers. There were a few aspects in the book where I wondered what would happen next, and usually, I was wrong. It may be because the book was written from five distinct points of view, but I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters except Eddie, who was the only one I liked in the book. Most of the characters lacked character development, making connecting with them difficult. A few parts of the story dragged on and lacked an explanation or link, making it difficult to follow.

Despite this, I enjoyed the novel, particularly the mystery, and I enjoyed reading from Eddie's point of view, as he was the most developed character. If you enjoy mysteries, I recommend checking out this story. I'm pleased I got the chance to read this book.

The people of Tome always knew to respect the woods, but Francesca Meadows— a prior summer resident—ignored their advice and built a wellness resort, inviting the rich and powerful. Opening weekend aligned with the summer solstice, and many, many things go awry. I didn’t love this one as much as The Guest List— some of the story lines didn’t quite work for me. The shifting timelines were a bit confusing too. But I still found the story engrossing (and eerie) and read it in a couple of days, so there’s that! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

I enjoyed a previous book from Foley (The Guest List) and looked forward to this next outing.

This one started a little slow for me, picked up in the middle and had a surprising but satisfying ending. It's told in various character voices and back and forth between the past and present, but luckily, I didn't have any issues keeping up with it all.

It definitely had a spooky atmosphere, and the "trees/woods" almost took on a life of their own. There were some shocking twists that I didn't see coming, and the villain(s) here was/were manipulative and despicable, while the "good" characters finally came into their own.

A bit "witchy", "cultic", and with an eye-for-an-eye backdrop, this story kept me entertained and guessing throughout.

Another good outing for Foley.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and William Morrow for providing the free early arc of The Midnight Feast for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

It took me a very long time to make my way through this book. Some of the POVs felt unnecessary, there were also 3 timelines, and it sometimes felt hard to track them all. At one point, there was a chapter about something happening in one timeline, but the chapter was labeled for a different timeline. It just kind of felt a little muddled.

The plot itself was interesting, and I loved The Birds haunting the woods! It was sort of spooky, and every time someone entered the woods, it made me a little nervous. Honestly, if the timelines and POVs had been more limited, then I think the plot twists would've been a lot more impactful and a lot harder to predict! There was only 1 plot twist I didn't pick up on before it occurred.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book!

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=2.75 | 😘=4.75 | 🤬=5 | ⚔️=4 | 🍺/🚬=2.5 | 18+

summary: uhhhh there’s like this resort/hotel in the woods and there’s a mystery and murder and scary rich people and bird people in the forest??

thoughts: ehh?? I feel like during the last 10% or so, the author had several ideas for twists but no idea how to implement them throughout the rest of the book, so she ended up info-dumping at the worst possible place to info-dump: the very end, at which the information can have no further consequences because the book is basically over. so that’s… bad. also I still don’t understand the Night Birds thing, or the significance of the aforementioned Final Twist regarding them. and I feel like two specific characters didn’t get the closure they deserved or could have had. however, this was well-paced and, for the most part, had interesting characters, even if the overall theme (class: rich people with too much power = bad) was very basic.

My favorite Foley by far! I loved the setting, the lore of the town, the multiple POV and dual timelines..it all worked!!

DNF at 24%

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly this book was a dud and a drag to read, The language used in this book already made me not want to continue. The characters aren't that memorable either. Every time I tried to go and read this book, I would lose interest in what was happening in the plot. The concept of this book is interesting but from what I have read, the execution wasn't there.

This blew me away. So many secrets and a hidden body! Lucy Foley gets better and better. I did not want to put this down! A fire during the opening of the Manor, leads to a twisty, locked room mystery told from several points of view!

There was a LOT going on in this locked room style murder mystery set at the opening of a posh new boutique hotel. Told from multiple POVs with many storylines woven throughout and a creepy Hitchcock esque 'birds' theme. I confess I was a little lost listening to this one on audio at times but I thought the characters were all interesting and the owner deliciously creepy and mysterious. Not my fav by Lucy Foley but still would make an entertaining beach read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really wanted to love this one. I auto buy this author but have been let down with her last two. I think the premise was good but the characters were awful and the story was quite confusing.

back in fighting form. this was a fast paced murder mystery. with birds, intrigue and gothic splendor. it's like an a24 film in book form. *chefs kiss* the multiple narratives are all compelling. loved it. lucy foley won me back over. 5 stars.