Normally I’m a big fan of this author and I was excited to get this early copy for review but it just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t get invested with the plot or characters. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy.

"The Midnight Feast" by Lucy Foley is my first dip into her world of storytelling. While I found the overall premise intriguing, the execution left me a bit underwhelmed. The plot centers around an elaborate dinner party hosted at a remote mansion, where a group of eclectic guests gather, each with their own hidden agendas and dark secrets. The atmosphere is tense as the night unfolds, leading to unexpected revelations and a sinister twist.

Foley’s writing style is engaging, and she does a great job of setting the scene and creating an atmospheric read. However, the pacing felt a bit off at times, and some of the character development fell flat for me. While a few characters stood out with their intriguing backstories, others felt one-dimensional, making it hard to fully invest in their fates.

There were moments when I was fully immersed, especially during the suspenseful build-up to the climax. However, the resolution felt rushed and left some loose ends, which was a bit disappointing given the promising start. The book had a lot of potential with its mysterious setting and suspenseful elements, but it never quite reached the level of intrigue I was hoping for.

Despite the mixed experience, I’m not giving up on Lucy Foley just yet. I’ve heard fantastic things about her other books, and I’m excited to explore more of her work. I have a feeling that "The Midnight Feast" might just be a stepping stone to discovering a new favorite author.

So, while this one didn’t hit all the right notes for me, I’m optimistic about what’s next. Here’s to hoping the next Foley book I pick up will be a five-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.

I loved this book! A fun thriller with a great mix of cult vibes and rich people problems. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell. There were a few twists that I truly didn’t see coming. Would be great for a book club looking for something gritty!

Oooh so good! This is by far my favorite Lucy Foley book to date!

*I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This was such a great read. I loved the mystery around the birds, which was handled in a way that didn't make it corny or cheesy, which it easily could have been. The idea that these characters all reinvented themselves and still crossed paths to right a wrong made for a great thriller.

I love Lucy Foley's books and The Midnight Feast was no exception. I appreciated the multiple narrators, dual timelines, and vibe of the setting. Aspects of the novel felt like a locked room thriller, but only in the best way. Each character was so layered and I liked how intertwined everyone and everything was. There were some definite surprises I didn't see coming and I enjoyed the horror elements in contrast to the opulence of the resort.

This was a quick read with bite sized chapters that kept me flipping the pages needing to know what happened next.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the copy. I definitely recommend!

I ate this one up! It has so many things I love in a thriller and Lucy wove them all together perfectly! Rich people behaving badly, dual timelines, culty vibes, local folklore, long-buried secrets, multiple POVs, and twists that’ll make your head spin. And that cover!

The short chapters made this one easy to fly through! If you’re looking for a quick, twisty, summer thriller this book needs to be on your list

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy of “ The Midnight Feast”. This book was described as having Blair Witch vibes and it was right up my alley! The story starts with the reader learning that a body has been found after a grand hotel opening and the reader has no clue who it is. The story is told with four narrators who are all at the hotel for different reasons and all hiding their actual intentions. I enjoyed this book and was honestly shocked by the ending…If you like surprises and folklore, this is the book for you!

You will never look at a murder of crows again after reading this book! This is my first Lucy Foley book and I loved it. Reminded me of 'Nine Perfect Strangers' in that it's set in a wellness resort where everything goes wrong. Bella is a single mom living in England, when she gets a strange invite to 'The Manor', a new high end wellness resort on the coastline. The thing is, she grew up there, and has been traumatized ever since about an event that she witnessed. She was best friends with 'Frankie' who lived there as well in a crumbling mansion on the hill. That mansion has now become 'The Manor' and Frankie is now Francesca, the new 'it' wellness guru. But how did she accomplish this? What secrets and bodies did she leave in her wake? Only Bella knows, and she's going to make sure everyone finds out.

Thus begins Bella's quest to infiltrate 'The Manor', and find out what's really going on. Rather than take you through the standard revenge thriller, the author throws in all kinds of obstacles into Bella's way. Supernatural elements=check; secret societies=check;greedy developers=check, creepy vindictive locals=check, and long lost boyfriends=check.

You're rooting for Bella as each layer of the onion is peeled back and she gets more information about who Francesca really is. There's lots of great character development here-Eddie the dishwasher; Maureen-Francesca's right hand woman; and Owen-Francesca's architect husband, many of whom have competing agendas. The story shifts back and forth between the present and past yet is very easy to follow.

There are some great twists at the end around relationships and family dynamics that were really touching. I look forward to seeing more from this author and highly recommend this one!

Francesca has had her family summer home, on the Dorset coastline, remodeled into an elite vacation getaway. Her husband Owen, an architect, has doneball the work. In fact this massive project is how the couple met. It is the opening week of The Manor, and it is fully booked.
Francesca has themed the resort with elements from the local pagan traditions and legends. The thing is, as the week progresses towards the grand event, scheduled to take place on the night of the summer solstice, things begin to fall apart for Francesca. All the key players in her life are holding secrets about the past and Francesca has a few of her own.
This is a very tense thriller, with twists and turns at every secret revealed.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the opportunity to enjoy this exciting e-ARC

I know a lot of people will really enjoy this as a beach read, but for me it was just ok and I didn't want to finish the last half much as the supernatural elements were giving me a creeped out feeling I didn't enjoy. I'm fine with unlikable characters and expected that in a Lucy Foley novel, but every single character was so intensely unlikable that combined with the supernatural storyline and the setting, it was just too dark for me personally.

The Midnight Feast is best described as "passed the time just fine", but it's certainly not a book I would write home about or be at the top of my recommended list. I also wouldn't recommend against it though. It's simply just fine. I usually love thriller mysteries but do not enjoy the unreliable narrator or the intentionally withheld story. This was a bit slow in the beginning, but then of course picks up as all the action takes place in the last 100 pages or so. I did love the book's final line and the play on words, and of course how it's the women saving the day. I think there is a large audience for Lucy Foley's books, but I am not a member of that audience.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good mystery and I wasn't certain where this one was going at first, since we didn't really have a murder or a mystery to solve except with the off chapters flashing forward. I do not want this review to give too many spoilers so I ill try not to fill in the blanks too much, but the flash forwards didn't give us (the reader) much direction or clues either.

Don't get me wrong, I was pretty intrigued by how the storied played out and several of the characters were very interesting but some where very much written to fit a trope type or be flat in terms of narrative dimension. I think my biggest issue is the summary of the book says "Secrets. Lies. Murder." But it's really more of a suspense and drama where we are dealing with various individuals who have history with each other and some are trying to bring the truth about the past into the present.

In general, I think I would have simply rewritten the tag-line. Is it really a locked room murder mystery? No. Can people leave if they want, or come and go as they seem to please? Yes. Is there a vibe of this being some sort of cult commune? Yes.

But, the past has a way of rearing it's head and making sure we do not forget the lessons we should have learned. The secrets won't stay buried, the embers of the fires will not die out, and there is a risk of flames revealing everything that has been worked to be covered. Only the birds truly know.

Lucy Foley has been a bit hit or miss for me but usually more hit than miss. I enjoyed this book but didn’t find myself dying to pick it up when I wasn’t reading it. The premise and characters were ok but I just didn’t feel super invested. I will still recommend to my thriller book lovers. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

Lucy Foley’s best yet! Atmospheric, with great characters and lots of twists, The Midnight Feast follows multiple points of view during the opening of The Manor, an exclusive hotel/retreat in the English seaside. Francesca Meadows is the mastermind behind the project, and the story weaves between past and present. A fun and fast-paced summer read.

There were a few different POVs, so that made it a little hard to get invested in the book. Once I got everyone straightened out, I was sucked into the mystery. This would be a great book to read by the beach. It is fast paced and entertaining. I enjoyed it.

Struggled to get into this one - definitely one you need to consistently read in order to stay invested.

OBSESSED. Lucy Foley never misses. She knows how to write true crime in a way that hooks a reader and keeps them hooked all the way through. Incredible read.

Yet another great book from Lucy Foley. There were parts that were a bit weird (those birds…), but Foley writes great thrillers. It took me a bit longer to get pulled into this book than some of her others, but after a few chapters I didn’t want to put it down. Foley continues to be a must read author for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, author and William Morrow Publications for the ARC copy.
The Manor is having grand opening , it's been carefully planned , meticulously executed by none other than the new owner Francesca , it's a no expenses spared , boasting of supreme quality and healing places in its Woodside cottages for its guests. Everyone's waiting for the grand final event, 'The Midnight Feast', everyone including those that are there with secret agenda , to discover hidden secrets that the Manor and the forests surrounding it harbors. And morning after the solstice things literally are in flames leaving behind bodies in its aftermath.
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This is slow burn mystery thriller narrated from multiple POV. We get to read the events that transpired before the fire , after the incident from the Inspectors POV, as they go through the crime scene making us curious who's dead and who's responsible.
Pretty much the first half of the book is for setting up the stage for the story including background of the characters, there are also chapters that are diary entries from a teenage girl that narrates about the Manor and a story that tells readers what transpired in the past , this was the most interesting portion for me, what seemed like innocent teenage summer fun quickly gives us an ominous feeling and builds up various horrible scenarios in our heard as we progress reading the entries.
The chapters are otherwise short which makes it easy to flip through pages making this quick read. Inserting a supernatural/mythical element is an interesting touch is my observation as it builds into mysterious element of the story.

Although the pacing of the story was slower the revelation towards the end made up for it , it had me gasping with surprise, never saw the connections.

If you've liked this author's previous books like The Guest List , The Paris Apartment , you'll like this one too.

It's a 4/5 🌟 read for me .