Took me awhile to get into this because the style is different than other Lucy Foley thrillers but once I got about 40% in I was hooked. Last line slayed me.

Thank you William Morrow for my free ARC of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley — available Jun 18!

Read this if you:
🐢 enjoy thrillers that are definitely on the slower side
😈 ever had an absolutely insane friend or two
⏳ have a ton of patience

A fancy new luxury resort has just opened up in the middle of an ancient forest. The locals aren't thrilled about it, but they're secretly snapping up whatever jobs they can land at the place. But during opening weekend, a fire blazes out of control and a body is found at the foot of the cliffs — was it all just an accident? Or are the local legends coming to life and exacting revenge?

I honestly hate to write this review, because I am definitely a Lucy Foley stan. But I kind of hated this book. The pace was dreadfully slow for my taste, and the characters are painfully one-dimensional. I didn't really care what happened or who was implicated by the end, and the reveal had me rolling my eyes pretty hard. I'm sorry to say it, but this was not for me at all! Hope you have better luck.

⭐️⭐️💫

I devoured this book. Lucy Foley has a way of keeping you engaged as she unravels a mystery. Her short chapters keep you focused and involved in every character's story line. The Midnight Feast is a story about burying the past as well as seeking justice. The dynamic of rich and poor makes its way into the past and the current story line. Foley has a way of slowly revealing a mystery before you actually know what the mystery is. There was closure for so many characters but tragedy finds a way of creeping back in.

Lucy Foley is one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors and her latest book did not disappoint! While it started off a bit slow, I found I couldn’t put this book down once the plot picked up. I loved the twists and unexpected turns near the end. I really loved how it all came together in the end, but I do wish there was a bit more of Jake and Bella’s interaction in the epilogue.

Ehh, this psychological thriller was just average for me. I really liked the sense of place (The Manor sounds awesome), but the characters were unforgettable and I feel like the story was trying to do too much. The twist/conclusion was fine and made sense, but there were quite a few subplots that complicated it for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 35%. This book felt choppy and jumpy, I had NO clue what was going on or how the abundance of characters and scenes had anything to do with each other. Like, wasn’t there a play or show at the beginning?? I felt like that disappeared and never heard about it again?? Maybe it’s just me, but I was struggling so hard I had to give up.

I understand why these types of thrillers are very popular, but I could not connect with this story or any of the characters. I feel as though I would have been able to better connect with the characters had there been less of them. Even when I had a hard time connecting to the characters, I could not connect with the story at all and didn’t feel invested. Overall, the book felt generic and lacked any sort of uniqueness.

The best mystery this year so far and Lucy Foley's best book yet. I really enjoyed this story set in a small coastal town in England where old secrets are buried and uncovered by a group of former friends. A great vacation read!

After starting The Midnight Feast at a reasonable pace, I read most of it in one day because I just had to follow the threads to the end. This is my third Lucy Foley read, and it easily cleared the already-high bar set by the first two (The Hunting Party and The Guest List). I always enjoy the way Foley moves back and forth in time, showing the days leading up to the climactic event interspersed with glimpses of the aftermath.

Francesca is a bit of a caricature of "wellness" types, which I enjoyed immensely in combination with the foreshadowing. Bella's chapters really capture the awkward, uncomfortable position of being stuck between different worlds that don't mix well. There were so many well-placed details that seemed innocuous or even unimportant in the story, only to make up essential parts of the final picture. A great read, I'll be recommending this far and wide.

As a fan of THE GUEST LIST and THE PARIS APARTMENT, I was excited to read Lucy Foley's latest novel, THE MIDNIGHT FEAST. However, I was disappointed overall. Similar to Foley's other books, this novel features multiple points of view, with one character, in particular, proving to be extremely irritating. While I understand that the irritability of this character was intentional, I found it challenging to endure her chapters. Additionally, the incorporation of folklore elements (The Birds! Ahhh!) seemed more silly than either scary or intriguing. The first 1/2 or even 2/3 of the book was a bit of a slog to get through. That being said, the last 1/3 of the book picks up and I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns at the story's climax. I just wish Foley had baked this story a little longer in her author oven.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Lucy Foley’s next novel in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it! 5/5!

This is my third Lucy Foley book and it did not disappoint. The perfect read for these last couple rainy days.

It usually takes me a bit to get the multiple POVs down but not with Lucy’s books. One of my favorite parts is the final page. Excellent!

Will highly recommend her books to patrons when our Library gets it in.

I didn’t enjoy this book. I don’t think I it’s written badly, there were just moments that felt unnecessary and there wasn’t much keeping my attention.

When I got approved for this book I was so excited....but unfortunately this was not the book for me. It was slow to move and hard to find my groove. The book tells several perspectives in an easy to follow way. I did enjoy the last several chapters as the paced picked up and some twists were revealed.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this book was for me. I didn’t connect with the story or the characters. I liked the idea of folklore in books but felt it was underdeveloped. I’d love to try another book by this author.

The Midnight Feast, where do I even begin? This book captivated me from start to finish. Its intricate narrative unfolded gradually, inviting me to piece together its mysteries across different timelines—past, present, and recent past.

Usually, I struggle with multiple points of view in a story, often finding myself lost in the complexity. Yet, this novel executed it flawlessly. Each character's role remained clear, contributing seamlessly to the overarching storyline. The inclusion of occult elements added an intriguing layer to the narrative, intertwining with the plot seamlessly. Additionally, the portrayal of a village capable of defending itself added depth to the setting.

The Midnight Feast left me spellbound, earning its place on my list of favorites for 2024. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to read an advance copy of this remarkable novel.

Land has a funny, unsettling way of watching us live out our silly lives, just waiting patiently to envelop us all and devour our bones. This menacing force is frightfully present in the ancient forest and immaculately kept grounds of a seaside expanse called The Manor. It’s an exciting reveal weekend for Francesca and her new remote wellness destination, a premier resort for the elite few who can afford it. The ordinary inhabitants of Tome, the quaint village that borders the posh estate, are less than impressed by the bothersome intrusion.

This novel is a classic collision tale between the haves and have-nots spiked with dark secrets, spooky mythology, and death. I highly recommend it for fans of folklore and mystery/suspense.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Midnight Feast for my unbiased evaluation.  4 stars

So to be honest I almost gave up on this one a few times. It was a pretty slow start for me but in the end I really am a fan of Lucy's writing so I stuck with it. In the end I am glad I did -more for completition and curiosity sake but it pick up toward the end.

Time doesn’t always heal wounds. Sometimes they are left to fester and ultimately infect everything around them.

A posh resort opens in a rural village, leaving the locals bitterly opposing the opulent show of wealth and blatant disregard for their way of life. The posturing yoga sessions on the lawn, energy crystal studded mask is covering up deep secrets. As the cast of characters come together, each with their own hidden past and agenda, will they discover the secrets that have been hiding behind “midnight feasts” for so long?

I was completely engrossed in reading “The Midnight Feast.” As I was reading, I kept realizing I was getting hunched over as was pulled further into the lives of the characters and sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!

10/10 recommend for mystery/thriller lovers out there!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy!

Lucy Foley has done it again! I loved this book. Foley writes characters that are easy to picture and creates a world in which you can see them existing. The idea of a wellness/holistic retreat as a place for a mystery/thriller was interesting. Some mystery authors lose their edge as they continue publishing, but this is one of my favorite novels from Lucy Foley. I loved it. I will be recommending it to all my friends and book clubs.

Read for:
- Your summer murder mystery
- Creepy, atmospheric suspense with a folklore twist
- Characters you love to loathe
- White Lotus meets The Wicker Man

Summary
Guests have flocked to The Manor’s grand opening, a luxurious new resort nestled on the Dorset coast. Owner Francesca has spared no expense to achieve a peaceful escape for privileged attendees, culminating in a grand summer solstice feast, a seemingly entertaining nod to local folklore. But the illusion begins to shatter when past lives threaten to surface, and suspicion grows that local old wives’ tales may hold some truth. When the elaborate feast goes up in flames and ends in murder, is it a result of class conflicts, old secrets, or something even more haunting and inexplicable?

Thoughts
Midnight Feast is deliciously creepy, twisty, and my favorite of Lucy Foley’s books so far. The loaming, oppressive woods combined with local folklore centered around some Hitchcock-type birds creates a genuinely unsettling read-with-the-lights-on story. There are characters that are easy to loathe, and others to root for, but you never really know the whole story as multiple perspectives and timelines expertly build and collide into a thrilling crescendo.

Big thank you to Lucy Foley, William Marrow, and NetGalley for this digital advanced reader’s copy!