Unfortunately I DNF this book at 30%. I tried, I really tried! There were multiple POVs and multiple timelines, and I felt myself consistently getting lost. I gathered that the premise is a fancy boutique resort opening on precious land that runs deep with history in the local community. I have a feeling that the various characters were going to collide at some point, presumptuously to create very needed conflict, but I could not make myself trudge through any more to get there. I felt the same way about The Midnight Feast. as I have some recent Ruth Ware books--too many characters and not enough suspense. Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback!

**Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Lucy Foley for an ARC of this book!**

"If you go down to the woods today
You better go in disguise
If you go down to the woods today
Beware of a big surprise..."

Imagine an estate so grand, so ominous, and so unique that rather than having a ostentatious name, it holds enough gravitas to simply be called The Manor. This sprawling property overlooks the water, with lakeside cabins and seaside views to boot, and should bring an aura of peace...at least, that's the goal. Lanterns light the night skies, and although the eerie woods are close by, the promise of tranquility hangs in the air. Owner Francesca has been working tirelessly to prepare the Manor for its opening night affair...and the time is FINALLY here. With crystals in each room and white linen outfits for the guests to wear, she and husband Owen have carefully worked to curate a VERY specific 'experience' for their guests.

But when Bella arrives at the Manor, she has more on her mind than a simple escape to the Dorset coast. Though she keeps her intentions close to the vest, Bella has an INTIMATE knowledge of this area...and the terrifying folklore that accompanies it. Many years ago, 'the Birds' were first spotted...but nobody knows exactly WHO these costumed menaces are or what they want...at least, nobody who is prepared to share that information with all of the guests at the resort. Francesca "Frankie" remembers her many years of Midnight Feasts and mischief in this very area fondly...but does someone ELSE remember them too? Is Eddie the busboy truly just an innocent member of the staff...or will a chance romantic encounter with guest Bella drag him into the middle of a dark mythology that is slowly coming to life? And when a body turns up in the water the day after the solstice...is this confirmation that the Birds have returned to take yet ANOTHER victim for their own?

Lucy Foley has settled comfortably in the multi-POV, locked room mystery space for some time now, and in many ways...it's the perfect space for her to occupy. All of her books have this structure that feels familiar and it's normally pretty easy to get into the groove. Usually by the time we have rotated through each POV a couple of times, I feel a sense of familiarity with the tone, the 'direction' of the plot, and have a pretty good sense of who exactly her (usually sort of unlikable) characters are, not to mention feel the eerie chill of her atmospheric writing envelope me, taking me to the gothic mansion/apartment building/estate of the day.

In this one, however? Foley's ambition and drive to include nods to SO many horror greats, from Hitchcock's the Birds, to Midsommar, to the Blair Witch Project, to the Wicker Man left me dizzier than a kid who just spent two or three hours riding nonstop on a Tilt-O-Whirl...and in a way, almost as nauseated.

For starters, you're going to have to have some patience from page one: Foley's set up in this one includes timeline jumps, random quotes, mention of the Solstice and of Opening Night before you understand what ANY of these things mean. There's also a couple of lines before the Prologue that I just went back to for reference, having read the entire book....and nope, they weren't needed and certainly don't feel any more important to the plot now than they did on first read. Although our five POVs get established quickly (Francesca, Bella, Eddie, Owen, and DI Walker, plus an unnamed journal writer), I felt like it took me a good 50-60% of the book at LEAST to know them on any sort of deep level. (And sorry DI Walker, I think your character could have participated in far less of this one without much impact...you have the unfortunate honor of being the least memorable voice by far). While an investigation was necessary, Foley could have cut down these sections significantly or moved them all to the second half of the book without missing a beat.

Without a solid character to 'root for', this book also felt like it was instead just ACHING for the plot to move...but move, it did not. UNTIL about 80% of the way through the story. Yep, that's right. To get to the meat and potatoes of this one...I wasn't kidding when I said you'd need to be patient. I'll be honest, I had just about assumed this book was going to go the way of the Paris Apartment and that all of the meandering, bird talk, back and forth between Francesca and Owen and Eddie and Bella, panicking from the locals, etc. was leading absolutely NOWHERE...until these moments arrived and the pieces started to slide into place. There are a couple of twists toward the end of the book that take this out of humdrum territory and made it feel worthwhile BUT by the same token, I still feel like Foley somehow just missed the boat a bit.

Any book that attempts an homage to some of the greats runs the risk of paling in comparison when held up against the source material...and let's just say I think Hitchcock's birds were far more terrifying than those 'soaring above' the Manor. Though I'm not too familiar with Midsommar or the Wicker Man, both of these properties served as direct inspiration for this story according to Foley...but aside from the outfits and the 'vibe' of the Manor...I'm not sure how. There isn't an ACTUAL cult or anything of the sort going on here, no fully-fledged Paganism, or to be honest, anything other than an almost kitschy attempt at Creepy Serenity by way of crystals and the like used by Francesca to lure her guests into booking a stay. These quibbles aside though, the last 20% of this one WAS compelling and interesting enough to get me to bump up my rating...but only just. Once again, Foley's atmospheric writing is her saving grace: if you can allow yourself to become immersed in the world she presents, any bumpiness of the plot, jerkiness between timelines past and present, and irritating qualities of her characters fade just enough for the horror to TRULY take over...or at least to get under your skin!

And although a Midnight Feast sounds FABULOUS in theory...I think there's a reason why most of us settle for a Midnight Snack.

4 stars, rounded up from 3.5

I’m kind of sad this book is over. It was fun.
🖤The Birds meets Midsommar hosted by Goop
🖤Small village on English coast
🖤Village folklore
🖤Ghosts of the past
🖤Multiple narrators, short chapters, fast-paced thriller.
I still have questions about who was the father!!

The second book I have read by this author and just like the first one I absolutely loved it! Make sure you are not distracted while reading this book as you do not want to miss anything! Little pieces of information are always being thrown out, but most of the time you don’t even know it is important. Some of the connections I made right away by the hints and side comments, but there were some I completely missed until it was out in the open. I can see how some readers might be deterred by the buildup in the beginning of this authors’ book, but please just keep with it I promise it will pay off. The little mysteries kept me so engaged I could not wait to find out what was going on.

This novel follows the opening of an exclusive holistic resort for the wealthy on land in the country side linked to “The Birds” and pagan folklore. If you like multiple POVs, the injustices between socioeconomic classes, and dual timelines you will love this one. Not a single person is exactly who they say they are. Will true justice ever be served?

Lucy Foley is one of the authors who got me back into reading several years ago when I read The Guest List. This one one not as good as other novels by her, but still a great read. The multiple POVs were a little much and became confusing early on. I was constantly going back to the beginning but of the chapter to see who was speaking. The beginning was a slow burn, but the pace picks up in the last third and it was hard to put down. The end makes up for some of the confusion early on in my opinion.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I saw on NetGalley that Lucy Foley was releasing a new book I jumped at the chance to read it!

In true Foley fashion The Midnight Feast is mysterious, fast paced and full of twists. I enjoyed the alternating POV and timelines, especially the use of the journal to tell the events of the past. The use of the journal made me keep reading and not wanting to put it down.

If you enjoyed The Guest List, you will enjoy this one! It’s kind of the same idea but instead of everyone meeting for a wedding, they are meeting to celebrate the grand opening of The Manor, a high end woodland resort, and it also happens to be Solstice. The locals are not happy about the opening of the new resort and start to work against it in every way they can think of.

I loved the pacing of this story and it kept me hooked with each new detail that was revealed. Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for my copy of this ARC which released on 6/18/24.

3.5 stars rounded up. *****Now Available ******

Rounding up due to the excellent creep/spooky atmosphere written well!! That is hard to do at times and this book does it well!!

The Manor—-well meant to be this exquisite luxury type resort that turns into a devastating scene of death and murder with some hallucinating cider mixed in.

LOTS of characters and did find it easy to follow for the most part. Hard to believe that some hadn’t seen each other in years and didn’t recognize each other much.

Eddie was my favorite, overall written as a good person with likeable qualities. Francesca is horrible throughout. Bella was likeable often, the journal added to the storyline for sure.

I didn’t see all the twists coming. Really enjoyed the creepy woods vibe and the folklore of the birds tale.

Would recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow books for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow books for providing me with an advance reader copy of The Midnight Feast in exchange for an honest review! The Midnight Feast follows multiple character’s stories as they come together at a posh resort lead by a seemingly spiritual woman. You start to find out early on that some may have ulterior motives for being in attendance on the opening weekend!

I really loved this book. The way that Lucy Foley describes a scene is so descriptive that I have no problem picturing it in my mind. It is just descriptive enough for you to have the mental image but not too much as to make it tedious.

The beginning of the book starts off peacefully enough, I wouldn’t say it’s slow, but there isn’t a lot of action right off the bat. I think it’s appropriate to set the scene and get to know the players. Lucy Foley can skillfully tell a story through multiple characters’ points of view and it is so well done that I can hear each character’s voice and sense their personality as I’m reading!

The way the story comes together in the end is masterful. I loved all the different twists and turns and reveals that this story leads you through! Very enjoyable!

I received this book as an ARC.
The Midnight Feast is a multi-POV thriller that spans two different time periods. Set in a coastal English town, the story follows a teenage girl, Bella, who befriends a wealthy girl, Francesca during a summer holiday. Francesca has the standard ‘mean girl’ energy, but Bella can’t help but want to spend time with her. This summer holiday results in lasting trauma for multiple people, however.
Years later, the people involved in this traumatic incident (as well as a few new faces) find themselves back in the coastal town for various reasons. All things center around the wellness hotel that Francesca opened on her grandparents’ property that she inherited. Some are finding themselves on a new journey, some want justice, others revenge.
Overall, I am a fan of this author’s work. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me compared to her other novels. I found it a bit tedious to get through at times, and a lot of descriptive imagery of the setting seemed to take over a good portion of the book versus actual plot. I did enjoy the ending, however. I would give it 3-3.5/5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Midnight Feast is Lucy Foley’s newest mystery. I enjoyed the multi point of view and timeline narration. This book gave enough to keep you guessing and eerily aware of what was to come while still managing to throw in a few curve balls. Some
of it was a little far fetched but I was interested enough to see how it would end.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced digital copy! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I always have high expectations for Lucy Foley books because I loved a couple of her other books so much. Unfortunately this one did not live up to my expectations. It took me a while to get into it and even then I was never really hooked or invested in the characters and plot. I will still read anything Lucy writes and just because this didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else. If you love locked room mysteries then definitely give this one a try.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Marrow Books for an ARC of this one!

Y’ALL. I’m ngl, I was skeptical going into this thriller as Lucy Foley can sometimes be a hit or miss. But this one had me HOOKED.

I will say, it started a bit slow with the character development and the setting of the story, so it took me a little bit of time to get into. But once I was in it I was IN it. Lucy does such a great job at setting creepy vibes in her books and this one was no exception. The rural countryside of England was so vivid to me, both in the beauty of the coast but also in the sinister woods that border it. Although the time jumps were confusing to me at first, there is a building tension and sense of foreboding throughout the book that makes it hard to put it down. The characters are engaging (love my sweet boy Eddie) and you really get to root for them or root for their downfall by the end. And the ending — man. It was so crazy and there were so many plot twists I didn’t see coming and I was so here for it. My jaw dropped on multiple occasions.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend for thriller fans. Perfect scary summer read!

This was such a fun thriller! I love that this story was told in multiple points of view and flips back and forth between the past and the present. It was interesting to get to know each character and their backgrounds throughout the story. There is also a creepy/eerie vibe to this book as you try to figure out where the story is taking you over the course of the opening weekend leading up to the Feast. This book is very well written and full of suspense!

This book had so much going on & so many characters that it took me a minute to keep everything straight, but it was a 3.5 read for me. I really liked the different POVs & the different kind of twists on the who did what in the story. Some of the twists concerning Bella, Frankie, Owen, Jake etc I didn’t see coming at all. That definitely made up for the ones I did see that was predictable, like the ones concerning The Birds. I think the plot was really interesting and kept me intrigued but there were a few plot holes that realistically didn’t make sense to me but I don’t want to give any spoilers. As far as the rest of the storytelling I did enjoy the whirlwind of trying to piece everything together to see where the story was going. There were a few heroes in this story but definitely more villains to keep it really messy which I liked. I received this complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this! I found the characters to be rather interesting, and I found the story easy to follow. The short chapters made it feel like a quick read. This makes for a fun summertime thriller. Between the author's writing and this gorgeous cover, I could easily imagine myself within the setting. 4 stars :)

Lucy Foley has done it again! After reading 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵, I immediately added this to my TBR once I saw that she had written a new novel.
This is very reminiscent of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵 in the way it is written, but that's where the similarities end.

This book has multiple POVs and multiple plot twists that you are going to want to read this one!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 takes place at The Manor, the newest resort to open in the small town of Tome. Everyone who is anyone wants to stay there, and it is booked well into the year.
It is opening weekend and the owner, Francesca, has plenty of events planned for her guests - including a midnight feast at the solstice. But little does Francesca know that old friends and enemies are among her resort guests.

So this book begins a bit slow for me but it definitely builds up in anticipation. Just like with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵, I couldn't put it down because the book opens with The Manor on fire and there's a body on the beach.
I wanted to know who it was, how they got there and why. Not only that, but there are so many secrets that are exposed that you want to just keep reading.
Some of the plot twists I saw coming (if you can read between the lines then you'll be able to guess them too) but there was one that I definitely did not see coming until the very VERY end.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book; but I suggest buddy reading it with someone because you'll want to throw out theories and it sucks when you have no one to talk about this with.

If you’re a Lucy Foley fan, you’ll likely appreciate the slow burn pacing of this novel. Though the timeline jumps were a bit confusing at times, I found the story more engaging than “The Paris Apartment.” The moody, creepy setting is perfect for a crisp fall day, making it a great candidate for a re-read in the autumn. This book captures the atmospheric tension and suspense that Foley fans crave, and its intriguing plot twists kept me hooked from start to finish. If you’re in the mood for a suspenseful read with a chilling ambiance, this is definitely worth picking up.

When I read the synopsis of The Midnight Feast I was immediately intrigued. This is a new-to-me author and I saw her books were really popular on Goodreads. Sadly this book fell a little flat for me. There were a lot of characters, names, POVs, and timelines that when I put the book down, I had a hard time picking it back up and remembering the details. The folklore kept me invested and some of the twists did provide enough entertainment that I kept reading, but I am otherwise clearly in the minority on this one.

In Midnight Feast, Bella is trying to get revenge and punish Francesca for something that happened when they were teenagers, but she's not the only one trying to break Francesca's castle (or Manor) down. This story is told from multiple POVs and with excerpts of a diary mixed in the story. I would highly recommend taking notes of characters until you get to the end because it's sooo hard to follow. The jumps through time don't really help and sometimes it's implied that 'the dead body' is one character only for you to find out it's someone else. This would be a great twist if it wasn't so hard to keep track of who is who in this book.

The most disappointing part is that this is supposed to be a thriller. I am used to reading thrillers that you can't close the book, and I kept waiting for that big turn moment in the book where you just want to know 'who did it' or 'who is dead' but it just didn't happen here.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy of this book.

As always, I loved this lucy foley book! Thank you for the opportunity to arc read it! I live the references to birds and I am always a fan of more isolated settings which I think is why I love her books so much!