Member Reviews
I saw some mixed reviews for this one on Instagram, but I thought this was a pretty entertaining summer read. At the grand opening of a cliffside retreat, events are set in motion that affect both the past and the present, coming to a head on the summer equinox. Told from multiple points of view and past/present timeline going back fifteen years, THE MIDNIGHT FEAST is great escapism and perfect to read at the beach or the pool.
I’m hit or miss with Lucy Foley books and this was more of a miss for me. The setting of The Manor was exciting, and Francesca seemed like a great main character. My issue came with all the coincidences and unexplained plot points. In a small town, the liklihood of all these huge events converging is nil. Overall, it was an interesting book, but I would’ve liked a bit more editing and conclusions for the main characters.
Lucy Foley's books are always quick reads with short chapters that change POV and often jump back and forth in time, as well. They're full of twists and turns and keep the reader guessing until the very end. Frankly, they have more twists and turns that necessary, in my opinion, so it feels like NOTHING is what you first think.
This book followed right along that same formula that I have come to expect from Lucy Foley, and I thought it was good but not great. There were some very unlikeable characters in this book, and the story was pretty creepy and very sad. I think if you love thrillers, you'll probably like this fine, but it won't be a stand out. And if they're not for you, I wouldn't try to convince you to read this.
3.8/5 Round up to 4 Stars! Thank you, NetGalley and Willam Morrow for this eARC of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley.
Already a huge fan of Lucy Foley's Invitation, Hunting Party, Guest List, and Paris Apartment. I was so excited that I got the eARC of her newest release of the Midnight Feast. The beginning of this was slightly dragging for me but I get it, you need to make sure that you understand the characters and the buildup of what is going on. Oh rich people...everyone has a history! And the skeletons in their closets are finally coming out. It had a few more characters than I would like but Lucy delivers it in the end. The plot twist was just perfect and I wouldn't have suggested it any differently.
This was an enjoyable read!
Another twisty thriller from Lucy Foley. The Midnight Feast brings together old frenemies, with a slow reveal of back stories told like Foley does best. The first half was a little slow for my taste, but the way she leaves that ninth inning reveal always keeps me reading to the very end.
A fancy pants resort is opened and is owned by power couple Francesca and Owen. The locals aren’t happy with the resort as they have closed part of the beach and don’t buy supplies locally. There is a big secret on the resort though and at the Midnight Feast, all secrets are revealed. Lucy Foley just never writes a bad thriller in my opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley for granting me an early release of The Midnight Feast written by Lucy Foley, an author whose books I've been reading and enjoying for the last few years. I was so ready to read this one. I liked it but at times found it had too many characters. I enjoyed the setting and the tension in the book. Pacing at times was slow. I wanted to like it more. Still worth reading.
Wow... Lucy Foley!!! I am starting to love POVs again because of you!
I even got my partner who doesn't read into this one! We were so enthralled in the mystery of The Manor, and the BIRDS?!
Not to mention my business has some witchy vibes, this book was a perfect read!
4.5🌟
IT'S PARTY TIME!🥳
Francesca and Owen cordially invite you to the grand opening of an exclusive resort touting a holistic- themed experience. Booked solid, everyone is thrilled to be part of the savvy festivities. Everyone that is except the locals who want no part of this venture.
And when the residents and resort owners clash not everyone walks away and lifelong secrets are about to be exposed.
Told from multiple POV, each with a clearly separate voice and fully developed characters that made it easy to follow along. Short chapter format kept the read at a rapid pace with the tension constantly ramping up with every page.
I debated waiting for the audio version, (and I do believe it will lend itself perfectly for a large cast ensemble.) But after recently finishing her previous book The Paris Apartment I was anxious to get my hands on this latest so I went with the digital format.
And I’m so glad I didn’t wait!
This may be my favorite Lucy Foley book to date! 🤩
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited to read this, since I enjoyed another Lucy Foley book I had previously read. However, it unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations.
The setting was beautiful and immersive, and I do usually love an interweaving of niche folklore. However, the plot failed to really grip or intrigue me. There wasn't a sense of building tension, and the twists and turns didn't really pack a punch. The book also needs another read through for typos and mild continuity errors.
3.5 rounding up to 4
Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Overall enjoyable read Full of double identities, secrets, lies and mystery. However there were also a lot of moments that felt disconnected and pulled me out of the story.
This was an okay and enjoyable read.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Another mystery/thriller from Lucy Foley that kept me on the edge of my seat. The opening night at The Manor is meant to be spectacular. The land has been transformed into an oppulent high end resort where no expense has been skipped to provide people with the highest quality vacation. But when the secrets of the past slowly start to unearth themselves, you find the guests and those working at The Manor are not all who they seem!
Foley has a way of taking multiple point of views and just making it work. I always worry I won't be able to keep everyone straight. Or that having more than one point of view in a mystery/thriller will take me out of the story. But, in reality, having all the points of view, plus journal entries, really helps the story take shape. And it lends to the author's ability to slowly reveal what is really going on and the truths the characters have to face. I also loved how each person in this story is not quite who they seem. They all have more than one identity or something they are hiding that effects the overall thrill and mystery of the story line.
The flashbacks with the journal entries really give great background to the characters in the story. It's easy to see how they have changed over the last 15 years and what the actions of their teens set in motion as they turned into adults.
I will say I did figure out a few of the mysteries along the way but this didn't detract from me enjoying the story line, I loved the inclusion of the local folklore. In all honesty, I felt like this book might actual take a turn into magical realism with how Foley presented the legend. But I know that's not really her style. And part of a mystery is to leave you wondering how such magical type things are happening when there's not real magic involved.
Foley has a knack for creating a tension that keeps you turning the page in a book. As each character develops you find yourself wanting to know just exactly how they fit into the story and what their background is. I also loved the shorter chapters. Short chapters are always something I appreciate. I feel like they really help push the story along and they kept my attention more so than longer chapters would have. And her ability to set the scene and vividly show you exactly what The Manor looks like is great. I could practically feel and smell the ocean air and the woodsy scent throughout reading the story.
Overall, I think this might be my favorite Foley book so far. I liked the idea of how things unfolded and there were definitely some things I was not 100% expecting. Lucy's fans will love this one as much as all her others.
I’m giving this to stars out of respect for Lucy Foley but this book was not it for me. I felt like it was so convoluted and the characters were horrible. Is it a cultural thing to call your grandfather “Grandfa” and your grandmother “grandmama”? It drove me up the wall.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Two and a half "what the heck was that" stars.
I was super excited to read a new one from Lucy Foley. The Guest List is a modern classic and I even enjoyed The Paris Apartment, which a lot of people weren't fans of. This, however, was not even close to either of them.
Issues I had with The Midnight Feast:
*Lets start with the fact that I honestly fell asleep about 8 times while trying to read through it, especially in the first half. The pacing is incredibly slow and nothing really happens for most of it. It was boring.
*The timelines. There is so much jumping around between time I was getting whiplash. It was a mess. I hope this is something that gets edited before final publish because it was TOO MUCH. You can't have separate parts of the novel labeled "Before" and "After" but then also continue to flash back and forth. It makes for a choppy reading experience.
*The journal entry portions were atrocious. I understand that we are reading from a teenager point of view but that doesn't mean that we need to remove all sentence formatting rules of the English language. Reading "cos" instead of because over and over drove me nuts.
*"The Birds". The amount of foreshadowing that was shoved down our throats the entire time almost suffocated me.
*The points of view. Francesca reminds me of a wannabe Nicole Kidman from "Nine Perfect Strangers". She tries way too hard to come off as eloquent that it comes off forced. No one says "beloved" this many times in real life.
*I didn't like any of the other characters, and I was not invested at all in what happened or why it happened to them. The ending was mediocre but you honestly could have had a banger ending and I probably still wouldn't have cared.
Overall, I had a bummer of a time. Foley has shown us that she can do multiple POV's well in thrillers and the premise of this had me so excited. It was a bland story with not enough substance.
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley is about The Manor, a new luxury place for the rich and wealthy to vacation, that is being opened by the uber wealthy herself, Francesca and her architect husband, Owen. But when Bella, an out of tower, comes and books a room, and Eddie, the boy down the street starts working there, and Michelle another employee starts to act very suspicious, it seems everyone’s secrets could unravel opening weekend.
The beginning of this one started off a little slow, but about 35% it REALLY started to pick up and I wasn’t able to turn the pages fast enough. I loved that this book was multiple POV, because it gave you a peek into every character’s perspective. I’m starting to think the unreliable narrator bit that every thriller author is doing lately is getting a little old.. however, in this book I thought it was really well done. Also, I didn’t see some of the twists at the end even coming! It truly had me on the tip of my toes until the very end.
I think that some of the things in the end were flushed out rather quickly, but for the most part this was a great thriller!
The White Lotus, but make it creepy and atmospheric. 🐦⬛
The positive is that the book had great dark and creepy vibes, and if you liked season one of The White Lotus, you may like this as well. For me, it was just okay. I thought the plot progressed at a glacial pace and the vibes could only take it so far before I wanted more, and the ending felt contrived and over the top, like it was trying too hard. I guess personally, I’d like to see something a bit different from the author as her books are starting to feel formulaic for me.
My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 6/18/2024.
I’ve read a LOT of thrillers, but this new release by Lucy Foley has a unique plot, unlike any that I’ve read. It takes place on the opening weekend of a luxury resort and alternates points of views and timelines to reveal sinister motives and histories. There are many characters to keep track of (both in the present and past), as well as diary entries and elements of folklore woven throughout. In other words, the author tackles a lot, but I think she tied it all together nicely. It wasn’t my personal favorite (I did find it pretty predictable), but I think a lot of readers will really enjoy this unique thriller.
A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.
The book takes place at The Manor, an ultra luxurious hotel in England. Francesca is putting on a midsummer feast and has invited all of England's highest society, little does she know a few people from her past are some of the guests.
I enjoyed this newest book from Lucy Foley.IWe have multiple POVs, but sometimes I found it hard to keep track of some especially since they went by different names. We also have a dual timeline, there is a journal that explains to us what happened to the characters when they were teenagers. I thought it was kind of odd that no one recognized each other at The Manor when it had only been15 years, so I found that reveal to be a little unbelievable.
Overall this was a fast paced thriller that I would recommend if you are looking for a thriller with multiple POVs, a secluded environment, secrets, a mysterious death with a little folklore mixed in.
Thank you to William Morrow publishing who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Interesting read ! It did take me a bit to get into. The book was very fast paced and sometimes hard to keep all the information separate with each charachter .