It’s opening weekend at the Manor, the uber trendy resort spa where all the guests are given crystals and the cocktails contain CBD oil. The owner, Francesca, likewise appears perfect – she even knows the names of all her employees. But all is not perfect. The Manor is situated in an idyllic forest with hidden beaches nearby which the locals have used for centuries and wish to continue to use. There’s a mysterious guest – one who’s lied about her past to get past Francesca’s censors – who hates Francesca. There are a few locals; the Manor hasn’t exactly been kind to them. Then there’s Owen, Francesca’s beloved husband; he adores her, but he’s also keeping a secret from her.

The story told from the alternating first person viewpoints of the guest, the local, the husband, and Francesca herself with some excerpts from a summer journal from about 15 years ago, and the third person point of view of DI Walker, the person who’s come to investigate. As the book interweaves their stories, it also skips forward and back in time; we learn there’s a fire and a killing in chapter two, but it’s not until the end of the book we learn who died (and whodunnit) with lots of delightful twists and turns along the way.

Initially I was disappointed in this book, as it seemed to have all the trendy elements that are my pet peeves. But I realized Ms. Foley wasn’t merely being trendy – she was skillfully using them. The book starts opening night, then jumps to after the solstice – after the killing – without revealing who the victim was. And by having each person tell their story in present tense, it doesn’t give away any clues as to who lives and who dies.

Overall, recommended, perhaps not as a lazy beach read as I think you need to pay some attention to the characters and what’s going on to full appreciate the book.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

I really liked The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, but her other books have been a bit meh for me. This newest work is very atmospheric, creepy, and engaging! Lucy Foley really has the whole dual-POV thing down to a science. The premise is interesting and I loved the folklore element. Sure, some things didn't make sense, some things were easy to guess, and sometimes the pacing was weird, but overall this is a super enjoyable read.

This was such an amazing read. I could not put this book down, and probably lost sleep I desperately needed trying to devour this book.

This book follows the opening of a new high-end manor hotel that is opening in a small tight-knit town. This book follows multiple different characters who are important to the hotel or the town in some way, and just dives into all of their dark secrets and past. There's also an urban myth about "the birds" who come and exact revenge on those who have done wrong in the town (who have not been properly found out or dealt with by law enforcement) and the description of the birds had me so scared and uneasy.

I love a good flawed character and this book was full of them. Unlikeable characters (when done right) are my favorite thing to read. Especially when they get whats coming to them. I really could not put this down. I liked other Lucy Foley books in the past but this is definitely my favorite book that I've read from her so far.

Lucy Foley's books are incredibly popular in my library, and I think this one will meet all of her fan's expectations. Creepy atmosphere? Check. Multiple, diverse points of view? Check. Twists, chills and turns? Check. While Foley tends to work off a formula, its a successful one and I think this book was more intriguing than The Guest List. Class struggle cliches and folklore combine to tell the story of a luxury wellness retreat, its owners and the local community and environment that it's displacing. The diary entries were a nice touch and helped set it apart from the author's other books. I can see this being a popular book club pick since it will give a lot to talk about beyond the mystery itself, in terms of environmentalism, gentrification, the growing wealth inequality.

A bit of mystery, a bit of mysticism, and a bit of classic "whodunnit", Lucy Foley gives readers another solid story to figure out!

Thank you to NetGalley for granting this ARC, super good and fast read. The story was intruiging and the characters had an interesting back story.

My thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow for this arc.

I have no idea what I just read? Same foremat. Dead body at a location with multiple jumping all over the place with all the characters. Throw in a non linear characters journal that disrupts the flow of the story, dead birds, bull heads, people in costumes and bird masks, plus solstice celebration and you have a really strange book that I cannot recommend.

I feel like Lucy Foley is a pretty consistent 4 star suspense review in my book. I enjoyed The Midnight Feast with its multiple points of view and fun references to things like “the birds” and “midsummer nights dream”. These allusions did a great job of contributing to the eerie imagery and almost supernatural vibe laden throughout the novel. I did not really “love” any of the characters so I also got some White Lotus vibes in that regard. I did like how everything came together in the end and found the twists to be surprising!

Wow, this was a wild ride! I've read a few other books by Lucy Foley and this was by far one of the best. 4.5 stars!
On the Sunday morning of opening weekend of the Manor retreat, the local police are called. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered. Something’s not right with the guests. What happened on the grounds of the Manor the past 36 hours? And who—or what—is the cause?

THE FOUNDER

THE HUSBAND

THE MYSTERY GUEST

THE KITCHEN HELP

Everyone has an agenda. Everyone has a past. But not everyone will survive…The Midnight Feast.

There are a cast of characters and there are flash back scenes that are read through one of the character's diary. The pieces eventually slot into place but the way that so many of the characters are pivotal throughout the story unfolds in spectacular fashion! I don't want to spoil any of the twists but they are TWISTY!!!! This is a good one for folks that love a little revenge plot too! Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy! Loved it

The story has multiple POVs which allows the reader to learn more about the characters. I enjoyed the diary entry chapters, as they slowly revealed more of a backstory.. The story was a little too slow burn for my taste, but the ending was intense and kept me hooked.

I want to love Lucy Foley and all her books just seem to fall flat for me, The Midnight Feast included. I'm bummed. again. the cover pulled me in, it’s gorgeous. I want to have it on my shelf solely because of the cover, but I have a 4 star and up rule, and I gave this one 3 stars.

Francesca Meadows opens a resort called The Manor after inheriting the property from her grandparents. It’s opening weekend and she wants things to be perfect, even though it’s been a bit troubling getting things up and running. The locals are not a fan of a posh resort opening up. And then there’s The Birds. The locals whisper about The Birds and how they right wrongs within the community.

The Midnight Feast has 5 POV’s and 3 periods of time we are jumping between. it’s not hard to keep track of, but when we start having characters from the past showing up in the present with new names and no one recognizes each other, it becomes unrealistic and a little hard to track. And The Birds. Honestly, I hated this part of things. It just seemed… dumb. I don’t know how else to put it. One of the POV’s was a teenage diary and it was understandably juvenile, but I didn’t enjoy reading it.

If you enjoy Lucy Foley’s other books, you’ll probably enjoy this one. She’s just always been a 2-3 star read for me, and this was no exception.

I devoured this book ! It was full of suspense and twist towards the end. I adored the setting the book takes place In at the Manor. Felt like I had stepped into a Midsummer Night's dream set. Lucy Foley never disappoints on her descriptive writing style. I also loved all her other books. I highly recommend this book if you love a good fast paced thriller with lots of secrets and lies being uncovered.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Book 46 of 2024
[Thriller & ARC]
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read this if you know what it’s like to pull yourself up from the bootstraps that is your family, you dream of starting over as an entrepreneur, or don’t trust anyone.

I truly enjoy Lucy Foley’s writing style. She has a great way of hooking your interest early on even if you don’t relate to the world or concept she draws you in with being able to rate to the characters experiences and emotions and struggles. This book really drew me to develop new interests in travel abroad and paying attention to ALL people I encounter.

The Midnight Feast was not my favorite Lucy Foley. The ending was redeeming, but the path to get there was littered with too many ridiculous coincidences and plot twists. The main character, Francesca or "Frankie" was one of the most unlikable fictional people I've ever read about. The misdeeds of the rich and powerful ooze throughout this book, and the bacchanalian behavior of the guests of "The Manor" were a real turn off to me. At one point I almost threw in the towel, but I was already 50% done so I plowed on. Foley uses the flashback method, and stories told from multiple people, Francesca, Bella, Eddie, and Owen to tell her tale. Curious to see what other readers will think of this one.

Lucy Foley's "The Midnight Feast" is a compelling and fast-paced novel that takes place over the course of opening weekend at a posh new resort called The Manor. Told through multiple viewpoints across time periods, it quickly becomes clear that not everything is what it seems. The cast of characters are unique and the story offers a fun take on "wellness culture" and how the 1% tends to abuse their power. Although I felt like the ending dragged on just a tad too long, I had a great time with this and really enjoyed it on the whole.

I loved this! I’m a fan of Foley’s previous work but this one may now be my favorite? I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the journal to present time jumps as well. There were a couple of twists that I saw coming, which I think was the point to distract you from the main twist, which was absolutely a shock! I will be buying a hard copy and recommending to my thriller friends. Thanks to #NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so fun! I loved the atmosphere of the manor and pagan, midsommar vibes of the party! The birds and midnight feast made it so eerie and gave it a hitchockian feeling. In typical Lucy Foley fashion, there are multiple POVs and short chapters that will keep you turning the page and wanting to know what is going to happen next.

Thank you for this ARC copy.

I liked the premise of the book overall but felt the delivery lacked something. It was hard to connect to the characters and messy at times. I think there could have been more thrill throughout. Reads similar to Nine perfect strangers, with the setting and main character.

Lucy Foley is one of my go to authors, I just love everything that I've ever read by her! When I heard she was releasing a new book, I could hardly contain my excitement. I just knew I wasn't going to be disappointed, and I was right.

The Midnight Feast is set at the Manor, a new posh resort for the elite in small town, legend filled, Tome. Guests gather for the opening night and are awed by Francesca's elegance and poise as she floats among the guests. Her husband Owen's architecture brought the woman's dreams to life and the couple seems to have it all. Yet, something dark and eerie threatens to bring the opening weekend crashing down.

In typical Lucy Foley fashion, The Midnight Feast has multiple points of views, well written, tons of twists and turns, and keeps you on your toes!

Highly HIGHLY recommend The Midnight Feast.

Thank you so much, @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for this Advanced Reader's copy. All opinions are my own.

WOW WOW WOW! It took me a few weeks to read this because I did NOT want it to end. I'm forever a huge Lucy Foley fan, and this was her best yet. I've read thousands of thrillers throughout my time as a reader, and none of them have ever gotten under my skin the way this one did. I've already recommended it to so many people and plan on buying the hard copy ASAP. THANK YOU to those who approved me for this-- you have no idea how happy and excited I was to read this!