Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC!

Another twisty thriller from Lucy Foley that did not disappoint! Multiple POVs and timelines, a spooky element, and such a great setting!

I wasn't sure about this one when I first started with it but I'm glad I kept going with it. I wound up really liking the storyline and all the characters.

This book deals with may different POV's and different timeliness so if you're looking for a fast paced read this is not it. You have to really read slowly to keep up with the switching but it is definitely worth it.

The story is centered around the Manor, a peaceful resort for upscale clients and its owner Francesca Woodland. The Manor was designed by Francesca's younger architect husband Owen. They are preparing for the opening night hosting a grand summer solstice feast.

Filled with dark secrets both past and present, the reader must put together the pieces to solve the mystery.

This wound up being one of my top Lucy Foley books.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy of this book.

Lucy Foley's The Midnight Feast invites readers into the opulent yet sinister world of The Manor, a luxurious new retreat where indulgence and danger go hand in hand. It's the opening weekend, and no expense, small or large, has been spared.

Foley excels in setting a vivid scene. The lavish details of The Manor, from its infinity pool to the bespoke cocktails, are described with a sumptuousness that immerses the reader in this exclusive world. The contrast between the luxurious setting and the underlying tension is palpable, creating a foreboding atmosphere from the outset. The ancient forest surrounding the estate, with its bristling secrets, adds a layer of mystery and unease that keeps the reader guessing.

However, while the setting is richly drawn, the plot unfolds at a more leisurely pace than some readers might prefer. The buildup to the central mystery—culminating in a fire and the discovery of a body on Sunday morning—takes its time, with much of the narrative devoted to the intricate web of relationships among the guests. This deep dive into the characters' backstories provides valuable context but can also feel drawn out, delaying the arrival of the story's most thrilling elements.

One of the book's significant drawbacks is the lack of character development. Despite the detailed backstories, many characters remain one-dimensional, making it difficult for readers to connect with them on a deeper level. Their actions often seem driven by plot requirements rather than genuine, evolving motivations, which diminishes the story's emotional impact.

Additionally, the novel's structure—switching perspectives and timelines—can be confusing. While Foley attempts to create a complex, layered narrative, the frequent shifts can disrupt the flow and make it challenging to keep track of events and character motivations. This non-linear approach, rather than adding to the suspense, sometimes leads to frustration as readers struggle to piece together the timeline and understand the characters' arcs fully.

The central mystery, once it fully emerges, is gripping, with enough twists and turns to keep readers invested. Foley deftly unravels the connections between the guests, revealing how past events have led to the present catastrophe. Yet, the resolution, while satisfying on one level, feels somewhat conventional, lacking the explosive impact that the buildup promised.

In conclusion, The Midnight Feast is a solid read, offering a luxurious setting, an air of mystery, and a tangled web of relationships that will appeal to fans of Foley's previous work. However, its slow pacing, lack of character development, and confusing switching of perspectives and timelines prevent it from reaching the heights of her best novels. It's an enjoyable but not extraordinary addition to the genre, earning a respectable three stars.

This was just an okay read for me. Nothing to really rave about. This is my second book by this particular author and although her books are buzzy and popular, I don't know if her books are the right fit for me.

The story is told through multiple POVs which helped, because I did not care for Francesca's POV, which I know was intentional, but I found myself wanting to skim over her chapters, because she was so insufferable. I just didn't get that edge of your seat tension I look for in a thriller with this one.

If you've liked her previous books, you'll likely enjoy this one as well. However, I found it forgettable and oftentimes boring.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

In "The Midnight Feast," Foley attempts to captivate readers with a murder mystery set in The Manor, a resort with a questionable and troubled history. However, the storyline felt forced, It also was felt hard to follow with short chapters and back and forth between timelines too fast. While Foley's writing is compelling and attempts to bring these characters to life, they ultimately are left wanting more depth.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

I’m a fan of Lucy Foley and used to the multi-points of view and occasional time jumps so I was immediately hooked with this new novel that was back to the atmospheric The Hunting Party vibes.

I quickly devoured this book and while I expected twist after twist, I still found myself surprised with how the stories all weaved together.

I did a happy dance when I got approved to read an Advanced Copy of Midnight Feast. I love Lucy Foley's book. Guest List is my go-to gift for all my Secret Santa Book Friends. This will be the new book I give everyone. Lucy Foley hit a new level with Midnight Feast.

Of course, it's told from many different views (in pure Lucy Foley fashion), all weaving together in a suspenseful conclusion. Chef Kiss to this ending.

Midnight Feast is set in 2025. The first POV is Bella, at the Opening night of a beautiful luxury resort/spa. The Resort is the life dream of Francesca, an old “friend” of Bellas. Francesca and her Husband Owen are hosting this Special Event. An event that will culminate on The Solstice. If they make it there.

The Town Doesn't like the Resort or the Outsiders it is bringing with it. Some Locals have a few ideas of how to disrupt the festivities. Others may ask “The Birds” for help.

The Story is told from Bella, Francesca, Owen, Eddie, and Detective Inspector Walker's POV.

I'm so grateful to Netgalley, Lucy Foley, and William Morrow for allowing me to read this early.

The beginning of this book started off very slow and I found myself getting “bored”. However about 100 pages in this book picked up so quickly.

You follow the multiple POV’s of 5 main characters. You get to see their POV on opening night, before the solstice, during the solstice, as well as after. One of my favorite things about Lucy Foleys writing style is that all of the characters will be interconnected in some way, it just takes time to understand how.

You also get the summer journals that come into play, once I started reading these entries I could start putting all the pieces together. I couldn’t put the book down at this point. The amount of plot twists this book had just really made me want more.

This is hands down my favorite book by Lucy and I will continue to rave about it for the days to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced readers copy of this page turning thriller.

Thanks @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for the gifted copy!

I always enjoy Foley’s books and this was another fun mystery! It’s a slow burn for sure, it really doesn’t pick up until the very end when things go warp speed. Her books are often like that, so I expected it going in which I think helped me not mind the slow start. I would have liked to see the past storyline, told through journal entries, to be trimmed back a bit - it felt overly drawn out to me. I also could have done with less Francesca - her POV was repetitive buzzword bingo and not my fav to read. I loved the setting and feel like it was the perfect match to the story, with enough description to envision it without being too much.

There were a few things I predicted but many surprise reveals as well. I can’t say much more without revealing too much, so I’ll just say that I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it was told from multiple perspectives and not in chronological order. I was definitely shocked and once I started this book, I felt like I couldn't put it down.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my first ARC in exchange for my honest review! This was in my top 5 most anticipated books of the summer! I was so excited for this read to be my first Lucy Foley book! NY TIMES Best-selling Author of “The Paris Apartment” & “The Guest List”. In this new locked room murder mystery, set in June 2025. A manor in the British countryside during the summer solstice that feels eerie from the start, owned by Francesca not even the staff want to stay at the hotel. Right from the beginning I was hooked into this book! You could hear the owls coming out of the pages and the whistling blow of the leaves to the feeling of claustrophobia from the trees pulling you into the forest with Pagan chic vibes.

If you’re someone who loves books with different POV’s it’s an easy book to follow. There are; Bella, Owen, Francesca, Eddie (the staff) and DI Walker the detective (who specialises in cold cases) who gets called in after a fire arises at The Manor and a dead body is found (not a spoiler it happens in the beginning.) Some of the guests and staff feel something is not right, but some people aren’t who they say they are and would like to stay hidden. The book also switches from different timelines from the day after the solstice, opening night, the day before the solstice, the summer journal, the evening of the feast and after. So if you’re one who can follow it’s a whirlwind of a thrilling modern murder.

Did the fire start by the locals who didn’t want the manor to be built because it wasn’t their land to begin with? Or was it something even darker than the locals rage? Can the folklore tales really be true? Is everyone watching you?

Could it be the history of the local Pagen history? And why is there a need for every room to have their own sage stick and crystals? Why must the birds always be kept happy? 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ I did keep going back and forth on who could the culprit could be and I was wrong almost every time.

It does speed up with time and the past 15 year summer journals were a big giveaway to what was happening in the present that kept me interested through the entire book. I really only liked a couple of characters and disliked many of them and wished other side characters could have been more developed than others. I did however see the ending coming that is why I gave it 4 stars because it was a bit predictable when things felt they were coming in full circle. Also wished for a little more romance vibes between Bella and her love interest but it’s definitely a thriller/cold case. Definitely a fun summer time “midsommar” vibes book that would also be fun to read during spooky season. I will never step into the woods at night after reading this book thanks Lucy lol 🌳 👁️ 🐦‍⬛

Available June 18th 2024
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

With some of Foley's usual ideas (gorgeous, wealthy, isolated setting, weird crime, strong female characters) this took a darker, more gothic bent.

I enjoyed the twists (don't want to give out spoilers) but Foley dives into class, gentrification, family history, and the ties that bind us for the long term. With elements of the supernatural, and with lots of flashbacks, The Midnight Feast will be appreciated by fans of Gillian Flynn, and anyone who loves the tricks of an unreliable narrator.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley is an irresistible whodunit. This sharp, stylish, and stunning story is guaranteed to captivate readers long after they finish reading it.

Lucy Foley is back with her latest summer thriller that offers a dark ambiance for this somewhat "locked room" story. Fast chapters and multiple POVs are a great combination for a reader like me, who stays more on track with reading if I feel like I'm accomplishing a book with this stature in comparison to longer chapters where my mind tends to wander and get bored. I will say one of the twists that occurred I did not see coming and I was genuinely excited to see it tie up a few loose strings in the end. It certainly redeemed some of my not so favorite things about this book...

I felt like a lot of the character development was a bit too surface based, especially a certain character who somehow ends up playing a pivotal role in tying all of our narrators together. I was left with a few questions about a few of our minor characters even beyond the last chapter. A few points felt a bit unnecessary to the plot, like the mysterious group, The Birds. I understand it added to the mysterious lore of this small town, but the way they were included in the present day timeline was hyped up, but in the end what did they really do besides wear odd costumes? Which leads me back to: I still have questions.

Where does this new Lucy Foley stack up amongst her current thriller collection? Probably as such:
1) The Hunting Party
2) The Guest List
3) The Midnight Feast
4) The Paris Apartment

🎥: How will this fair as a limited series? I think fairly well if they cast the right people to play these roles. It has enough suspense and mysterious unraveling to work with... but hopefully there will be more emphasis on the backstory of the characters to make the viewer care about them.

For a thriller, I found this to be a very slow burn. There are 5 different POVs (+ a diary) and frequent flipping between timelines. It was hard to be pulled into the story and has quite a slow start. Not my favorite novel by Lucy Foley.

For a similar premise, much preferred Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I enjoy reading Lucy Foleys books, the ends usually are a bit too wrapped up & convenient for me. This one’s ending made the most sense, and it had a fun mysterious local myth mystery woven in. Overall, a worthwhile read & good for Lucy fans.

I was so excited to get approved for this ARC but unfortunately I really didn't care much for the book. It was shrouded in so much mystery that the reader didn't really know what was going on - but not in an intriguing way, more in an irritating way.

I didn't like the characters except for Eddie and I drew the line at about 55 percent mark with what they found in the woods.

I am so grateful that I was given an ARC of this book!!! Thank you William Morrow and @netgalley ! Lucy Foley is my absolute favorite author and so I was so excited to dive right in. I read this book in less than 24 hours. Lucy foley has a way of making you care about every single character’s past and what is coming for them. This story tells a tale of many individuals’ woven past and present. The setting of this book is so different and unique and the atmosphere is perfection. Just read it when it is released on June 18, 2024, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. Lucy Foley did not disappoint with this book. It is told in dual timelines and multiple points of view that bring it all together at the end. I enjoyed the character development throughout the book, especially bringing the young characters to the older characters in the book. The sinister plot was very intriguing, but took me a little while to understand what was going on. The book took a couple of unexpected twists, which I love!

This was fast-paced and a little dark, but not the most memorable thriller! It had a unique concept.