Lucy Foley is always at the top of my TBR. I very much enjoyed the Paris Apartment, but this one fell a bit short for me. Fast-paced story made for a good read. I enjoyed the resort style mystery and the clashing effects of gentrification, but the plotline around the Birds was a bit strange. Think the book would have been stronger without that storyline.

I would like to thank Netgalley and William Morrow for the ARC. I have read a couple of books by Lucy Foley and felt that the writing is always a tad bit slow, and the author tends to focus on way too many details. Although this book started quickly, it slowed down a bit halfway through and then finally picked up at the end. The author made sure all questions a reader may have are concluded at the very end, but I still have a couple of questions regarding the incidents that occurred in the past. I really like how it wasn't confusing when the author kept transitioning from past to present timelines because it was all connected to the previous chapter and then the chapter that follows after the past timeline. Overall, I will give this book 3.5 stars because of its slightly slow pace halfway through and the author feeling rushed to complete the book

QUICK TAKE: Here’s what you need to know: if you like Lucy Foley books (THE GUEST LIST, THE HUNTING PARTY, THE PARIS APARTMENT), you will really like THE MIDNIGHT FEAST. Foley is known for her twisty locked room mysteries told from the POV of multiple characters, and TMF is no exception: this time set at a luxury resort (think SoHo Farmhouse in the UK) run by a Goop-esque founder hiding some very big secrets. GUEST LIST is still my all-time favorite Foley, but this is a close second; I liked the upstairs/downstairs dynamic between the wealthy guests and the townies working at the resort, and there’s a simmering subplot involving pagan ritualism that leads to a fun twisty reveal in the back half of the book. The diary flashbacks are a bit on the nose, but they lead to several satisfying character reveals that will keep readers on the edge of their seat from start to finish.

The Midnight Feast is so fast paced, so full of twists and turns (perhaps even one or two too many), and thrilling until the very last page. Loved the folklore aspect, it definitely set a mood for the whole book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

I love Lucy Foley but The Guest List still remains supreme in my book. This lacked a lot of suspense and true thrill up until the very end when everything just accelerated. From a reader perspective you could see where this was headed but there were some great twists I couldn't foresee (DI Walker's identity, Eddy's mother's involvement with the birds). Otherwise some things seemed to drag on.

Also, I don't think the epilogue needed to be that lengthy. I kept thinking it'd end on an abrupt note but there were still rotating POVs.

Wow! This was absolutely incredible. The spooky atmosphere of the woodland setting combined with the dark, haunting local folklore just really worked for me.

I loved the local folklore centered around the Birds that is revealed during the course of this book. Especially the differing opinions from the local residents on whether they believe the legends and stories about the old woods.

The main POVs were Bella, Eddie, Francesca, Owen, and Detective Inspector Walker. There are entries from a summer journal that recount events from 15 years ago. We also get a few chapters from the local fisherman early on in the book. Francesca’s POV was the most interesting, especially seeing how she treated the people around her and the new-age spiritualism aesthetic that she’s obsessed with.

The only aspect of this book that I did not enjoy was the large number of POVs and short chapters which could sometimes feel like “filler.” For example, there didn’t need to be so many chapters with the fisherman, especially early on in the book when the chapters on the other side were so much more interesting. The chapters of the summer journal were pretty boring, not to mention unrealistic for someone to write down word-for-word dialogue in the diary.

"The Midnight Feast" by Lucy Foley is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that transports readers to a mystical manor where secrets and betrayal takes center stage. Foley masterfully builds suspense, weaving together multiple perspectives and a glimpse into the past to keep readers guessing until the very end. Each character is richly drawn, with their own motivations and secrets, adding layers of complexity to the intricate web of relationships that form the heart of the story. This book does start off a tad slow, introducing characters and timelines through diary entries, but do not be discouraged because when things ramp up - they RAMP up really good. At one point, I was anticipating the twists and before I knew I was hit 3 more! Truly enjoyed this wild ride, as always Lucy Foley created another wonderful story.

I liked it. Twisty, pacey and back and forth between timelines. If you a in the mood for a rocky weekend at the idyllic but ominous countryside locale: The Manor, dive in! Surprises await!

This twisted thriller from Lucy Foley starts with the discovery of a dead body positioned gruesomely at the bottom of a cliff, a large English manor burning to the ground, and an elite resort filled with dazed guests. The story then jumps back in time 36 hours and plays out from many characters’ points of view, including those of the property owners, employees, and guests. Foley masterfully ties the multiple story lines together, weaves in a backstory of a fateful summer 15 years in the past, and brings to life a local lore of supernatural forces who reside in the nearby woods. 4.5/5 stars

I overall enjoyed this one. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow, I received an ARC of Lucy Foley's newest novel - The Midnight Feast.

I gave it four stars because this one took me a bit to fully invest myself into the plot and the multiple POVs. At first it seems quite chaotic and slow - then the diary/journal is introduced.. that is when things started to pick up.

While I think some of the twists were a little hard to believe, and there was a lot going on, I still managed to stay up in order to finish the last 100 pages because I HAD to know what was going to happen.

Definitely worth a try if you didn’t like her other thrillers! I, for one, think this is her best one so far!

What and overall awesome read! This is my first Lucy Foely book but certainly will not be my last!

The Midnight Feast offers you multiple points of view from privileged characters, locals and law enforcement with different timelines all surrounding the manor. Present day the manor is gearing up for opening weekend which is supposed to be an all inclusive, spa retreat. But little do the guest know about all the mystery in the woods surrounding them, including the notorious “birds”.

This book is everything dark, spooky and thrilling. It touched on pagan folklore and gives a very Midsommar vibe including murder and mystery. I was on the edge of my seat continuing to want more. The character development was mostly great, although I wish there would’ve been either more elaboration, or a little less info to keep it up to the imagination towards the end.

Overall I think it was a super solid book and I’m really glad I read it and highly recommend to people who enjoy folklore and murder mystery, who did it/how did they do it, type books!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of this book!

Who doesn't like a Lucey Foley thriller?? Our story follows multiple POVs and timelines, all centering around events taking place at The Manor. Present day, we're at The Manor's opening weekend--a Goop-esque retreat complete with spa treatments, an infinity pool, organic food, crystals, etc. However, this bougie stay isn't what it seems. Lurking at the edge of the grounds is a spooky forest that may or may not be inhabited by The Birds, a powerful force that will step in when the law does not. We follow our cast of characters through opening weekend as they party, serve, and ultimately... try to survive.

I give "The Midnight Feast" a 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4. Much like The Manor guests, I was entertained, intrigued, and excited to see what came next. Also like The Manor guests, I ended up a tad disappointed, but had fun until close to the end. I felt like some of the characters were a bit flat (a common issue with multiple POV stories). My biggest complaint, though, was that it got pretty cheesy toward the end. A few parts felt a little spoonfed, like the audience couldn't handle anything other than a very explicitly laid out ending, nothing at all left to the imagination. The last few pages though made up for it a bit!

Overall, I'm glad I read this, and I had fun along the way! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This was such a delight to unfold. The story is revealed through a combination of past and present multi-povs and diary entries. We have a clash of privileged characters, locals and investigators that have crossed paths and interwoven their lives all coming to a head at The Manor in present day. This story, shrouded in mystery and murder, touches on pagan folklore and gives an all too familiar Saltburn/Midsummar party scene. The author really dials into the anticipation and building intensity by paralleling the major twists to the peaking chaos of the “midnight feast.” The reveals and how/who they were discovered by was such a sinister touch to the overall anxious atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Vibes: True Detective, Midsommar, Saltburn, folklore, a cliff side manor, atmospheric woods

Thank you Netgalley, author & publisher for this electronic advanced reader copy. This is a honest review of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley & receiving a ARC has no way influenced my review.

I was intrigued when I read the synopsis of this book & have read Foley’s other books in the past and found them entertaining. I will say, the way the plot/twists were built, was perfection.

This story has her classic multiple POV’s. The setting is dark & eerie. The small town has these folklores that already set the story up with so many secrets. It was definitely a page turner for me because I wanted to find out what happened.

I will say how she created each character was perfection and how she fitted them into the plot was clever.

If you’re like me & enjoy thrillers where you legit want to go back in pages & yell “how did I miss that,” this book is for you! Clever and excitingly written. Favorite Lucy Foley book to date.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, unfortunately this one didn’t work very well for me.

You know from the blurb that “The Manor” is the brainchild of Francesca Woodland and designed by her architect husband, Owen.

The novel starts during the opening weekend and Francesca is certain that everything is perfect. There is a beautiful infinity pool, special “healing pouches” for the guests with crystals and a special cocktail to mark the occasion. The “Manor Mule” is already being enjoyed by the guests spread out on the lawn - it seems to be the start of a wonderful weekend. There are cottages by the sea and also those that are set almost at the edge of the forest. It is a picture perfect evening - until it isn’t.

We flip back and forth between the various characters, past and present timelines, a folklore that appears to be true and the manor burning with the police finding multiple dead bodies. Add to that a journal written by one of the characters when they were young.

PROS:
*The premise sounded interesting

*The setting was beautiful, the combination of beautiful woods alongside a cliff overlooking the sea.

*I found one likable character, Eddie, who is part of the staff. He came across as genuine and believable.

*CONS
* Too many characters, some of whom have changed their names and identities. Between the guests, the Manor staff and the police, there are a puzzling number of characters to keep track of.

*There is also a journal kept by one of the characters which we read in between everything else that is going on!! I’m not a big fan of teenage angst which is a large part of the journal.

*The folklore part of the book was touched upon time and again and yet the reveal was easy to predict

*There have only been 15 years since some of these characters have seen each other and yet they fail to recognize each other. Huh???

Lucy Foley strikes again. This is the perfect read to ease into Summer. Everyone pasts catches up with them someday - but sometimes it needs a bit of a nudge. This atmospheric read will have you both ready to head to the beach and second guessing that choice. Be prepared for some unexpected twists and turns. Told in dueling timelines, this book will have you on the edge of your beach chair.

Probably the laziest of Foley’s novels to date. The archetypal “hidden identity” trope is getting old and predictable. The final reveal here was like if Scooby Doo tried to do an episode about feminism. The book didn’t hook me like other Foley works have, it was painful to get through and not worth it in the end.

Too many POVs and extremely slow. Normally I love Lucy Foley, but this one was a miss. Due to the writing style and the pace of the book, it made me not want to finish the book. If it tells you anything, I debated whether I should finish it for majority of the book.

Overall, wouldn’t recommend this book.

I wanted to love this. But I did not. It really dragged for me. One of the main characters I hated. Not because I was suppose to hate her, just because she was just ick. The story was really hard for me to follow for some reason. 3 time lines. I will admit the last part was much better when all the action was happening. That is what made me decide to give it 3 star.

I will continue reading Foleys books because I'm hoping I get another Guest List or Paris Apartment, both of which I loved.

Thank you for an advance copy of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley.

3.5 stars! I enjoyed the last half of the book much more than the first half. It took me a while to understand who the characters were and to wrap my head around the timelines, but once I did I was hooked. This was the fourth book I’ve read by Lucy Foley, and enjoyed it as much as the others.