Wow! Lucy Foley does it again! I feel like she is one of the few authors that does dual POV so well! I did think that the beginning took a bit to get started for me but once it did I could not put this book down! It just had you guessing till the very end! I was able to figure out a few of the plot twists, but the other I had no idea! Lucy is an autobuy author for me and I can’t wait to see what she has next up her sleeve!

It’s solstice weekend and the opening weekend of the manor. The narrators of the book switch between Francesca - the owner of the manor, her husband Owen, a guest named Bella, and a dishwasher named Eddie.

Lucy Foley’s books have been very hit or miss for me. The switching between all the characters for me just seemed to drag the book on. She loves to do multiple POV’s throughout her books and while I love when some authors do that.. hers just does not do it for me. The whole storyline was a bit strange. I feel almost like the part of the birds with an after-thought. Others may really enjoy this book, but for me I just didn’t love it.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Foley is one of those auto-buy authors for me at this point. I enjoy her twisty British mysteries! This one wasn’t my favorite, sadly. It reminded me a LOT of Ellery Lord’s The Club - exclusive resort full of rich people, locals who hate the fancy folks taking all their land, and murder! In this case, the resort is called simply The Manor, and it’s meant to be like a fancy wellness retreat…for those who can afford the outrageous price tag. The opening weekend of The Manor is also the weekend of the summer solstice, so we’re jumping around in time to the days immediately before and after the solstice itself, when it’s clear something terrible happened.

The Manor is run by a woman named Francesca and designed by her architect husband Owen. She’s a real piece of work, and by the end I got why she’s such a loon, but her chapters are extremely irritating to read. We also have POVs from Eddie, one of the staff (he’s a dishwasher hoping to someday be a bartender), Bella, a guest with A Secret, and DC Walker, who’s investigating the dead body found after the solstice. It’s a lot of perspectives and a lot of jumping around in time, and none of the chapters are longer than a few pages. We also have excerpts from Bella’s summer journal, which is where we learn how all of these seemingly disparate threads connect. It all felt a little *too* convenient that there were SO many connections between all of these people. There’s also this whole cult thing happening with “the Night Birds” - it’s not clear if the locals think they’re a cult (made up of people) or some kind of mythical creature, or if they’re even real at all, in any sense of the word. The Night Bird thing doesn’t end up adding all that much to the plot. There are some creepy scenes in the woods, but I feel like you could get rid of it and not lose anything from the story. There’s already a lot going on here.

This is one of those multiple timeline stories where I wanted to change timelines! I couldn’t decide if I would have rather just started with Bella’s teenaged story, or if I wanted to just follow the detective in the present. Jumping back to the resort kind of left me cold, and I wasn’t all that interested in hearing from Francesca or Owen. But it’s fast paced and twisty, and it was a decent distraction from the world’s worst flight (when I was soaking wet after standing in the rain waiting to board!)

It’s opening night at the Manor and there’s been a fire in the forest near by. Police are called and a body has been discovered 🤔 something is not right with the guests. Everyone has an agenda, but who done it? 😏
I’ve read a few of Lucy Foley’s books and I’ve enjoyed them. I can count on her to have a mystery, thriller, who done it book 📚 I enjoyed this book but, with her books you need to have patience because she does pack a lot information and details in her work. If you like a thriller, murder mystery book, then I’d give this book a chance.
Thank you to Lucy Foley and NetGalley for the advance readers edition of this book for my honest review ❤️

The was a wild ride!

Ive been a huge fan of Lucy Foley for awhile now so when I got this ARC I screamed! I read it in one sitting and could not put it down!

Tension between the locals of a town and the guests of a Manor that sits on the edge of an ancient forest brings unwanted attention and a murder.

Over the course of 36 hours the police are trying to figure out what happened in that manor and why everyone involved is acting out of character.

This book had wonderful folklore themes that any thriller enthusiast would enjoy!

5 star read for me!

I didn’t know what to expect with the Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. The beginning I could tell was a little different than the others I like by her but by the end i was totally hooked! I really liked the different perspectives & the flashback journaling. Definitely recommend this!

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow Publishing for this ARC.
I always enjoy Lucy Foley's books. The Midnight Feast was a wild ride. With dual timelines and numerous important characters there is a lot to keep track of while reading. However, once you get your bearings you can feel the tension and all the dynamics at play. Once I started I couldn't put it down!
The Midnight Feast comes out May 15 and you will want to make sure you have a seat at the table!

The multi character storyline had me hooked. I couldn’t put the book down wanting to find out more about the characters from both the past and current time. I loved the setting of The Manor and the woods with all the mystery that shrouded it.

This is a classic local small town trying to be overtaken by some corporate greed. A mix of mystery and a little horror.

“Watch out for the birds.”

Lucy Foley is back in her newest book, The Midnight Feast, bringing us another tourist destination mystery. Francesca has opened a must visit, luxurious resort for high end guests, but not everyone is what they seem, not even Francesca. Everyone is hiding their own histories and agendas, including staff worker Eddie, guest Bella, and Francesca's husband, Owen. Told through multiple points of view and even timelines, it is hard to know who to trust and what will happen next, all adding to the intrigue.

While I preferred this book to Foley's The Guest List, which I found to be highly predictable, this is one book you have to pay attention to if you want to understand everything that is happen. Between the past unraveling slowly, current day problems, and a potentially supernatural setting in the background, there is a lot requiring attention. I don't love that about mysteries, where I like to be immersed in the one or two storylines, but it was done pretty well. I was especially intrigued in the slow unraveling of the character's past history. This was definitely not an easy book to predict the ending, and I enjoyed the surprises along the way. Overall, a solid book, albeit not my favorite. It is definitely worth checking out if you like Lucy Foley's other works!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

3.5 / 5 stars
Pub date: June 18th, 2024

This was top tier! The way the story comes together piece by piece like a beautifully written puzzle had me shook. The ending was the best! The little snippets of foreshadowing was so subtle it all made sense. This was a great read! This is my first by Lucy Foley and I'm sure it's not my last!

My first Lucy Foley novel and it won’t be my last!

Read if you like:
Multiple POVs
Alternate timelines
Amazing plot twists

The story kicks off with the grand opening of the posh, luxurious hotel called The Manor. The owner is the illustrious and enigmatic Francesca Meadow. She wants everything to be perfect but when one guest from her past shows up unexpectedly along with the locals causing trouble, this “perfect” weekend for her privileged guests could turn into anything but.

I absolutely devoured this book! The story, coastal setting, superstitious history and all of the characters had me invested in this story. The multiple POVs, alternate timelines and the summer journal kept me on my toes and helped give some more background on the owners of the Manor and the locals who resent them. Each character served a purpose and while it was slow at the beginning, the middle and end make up for it with some jaw dropping twists.


Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for granting me an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Sadly this one let me down.

The story was so slow. And it never felt like it got going or moving or picked up any steam. I just wanted to find out what happened, but even in the end, everything felt underwhelming.

The concept of the book was eerie and I wanted to know the info however the twist at the end wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it would be. The people who you want to die do and the other characters didn’t surprise me as much as I thought they would. Owen being shrimp was the biggest surprise.

This gave me White Lotus meets Midsummar vibes. At the beginning, I was a little overwhelmed because we do have plenty of POVs and I was not sure how I was going to keep up with over 10 characters. Apparently this is normal for this author, but eventually it all got connected. D. I Walker POV was unnecessary, and did not add to the plot. I loved how the locals vs tourist( outsiders) profiting out of beautiful places was talked about, and wish was talked more throughout the book because it could have added more to the “spooky” vibes in the woods. I did love “the birds” aspect and the diary pov. THAT PLOT TWIST AT THE END regarding the birds was chef kisses. This was my first read by this author and I will continue to read more by her.

I sadly had to DNF this book and I think it must have been the lack of a protagonist I could root for. I sort of liked the farm kid and the diary chic, but their characters were touched upon before spending more time with others I cared less about. The suspense didn't build enough for me to care what happened by the time the investigation was referenced. I was intrigued by the birds but it never created enough atmosphere for me to really care what came next.

BOOK REVIEW

The Midnight Feast
By Lucy Foley

Plot: It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. And yet, just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. The local community resents what they see as the Manor’s intrusion into the local woods and attempts to privatize the beach, and small skirmishes have erupted on the edges of the property between locals and the staff. And the whispers keep coming, about an old piece of pagan folklore – the night Birds. Though surely everything at the Manor has been done above board.
On the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered. Something’s not right with the guests. What happened?

Review: This book, like most of Lucy Foley’s novels, is a slow-burn and at first I was a bit nervous it would be too much of a slow burn. Silly me to ever second guess Lucy again. About halfway through the real drama began and I was hooked! The plot and twists were well planned and beautifully executed. I didn’t noticed any plot holes or moments of suspended disbelief. The web of lies is so perfected that I believe even the most savvy of readers will not be able to see all of the twists coming (or figure out who the spider spinning this web truly is until the last page). In the last 20 pages it was reveal after reveal after reveal! Bravo Lucy on a masterful piece of storytelling!

The Midnight Feast is out June 18th, 2024! Thank you to Lucy Foley and NetGalley for an ARC copy of The Midnight Feast in exchange for my honest review!

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3.5 ⭐️

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about doing this ARC because I didn’t love “The Guest List.” However, I did listen to that on audio and read this one and I think that made a big difference. The book was definitely a bit slow to begin and had multiple POVs so it was hard to get invested at first. But once things started to roll, I needed to know how the plot was going to play out. I had a similar feeling reading “The Paris Apartment” where once I was hooked, I couldn’t stop. I did feel like the pace of the book felt a bit inconsistent but the overall storyline kept me guessing throughout and the ending was definitely not expected.

📚 Thank you NetGalley, Lucy Foley, and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. If there is one thing Lucy Foley does well it's atmospheric thrillers where the setting is just as important as the character

The characters are well explored through alternative points of view, as well as two time lines.

I felt like the birds bit was a bit. Meh. But overall not bad. Not my favorite but not the worst!

A cast of characters come together to celebrate a beautiful new wellness center. Everything is perfect until a body is found at the base of the cliffs.

The owner and her husband have spared no expense and are determined to succeed despite the resentment from the locals. Each of the characters has their own agenda and although there are some obvious clues as to who is there and why, the story unfolds nicely at a good pace. A slight departure from some of here other titles but worth the read.

This was my first Lucy Foley book that I have read, so I was not sure what to except since I was not familiar with her writing style. The story intrigued me but I did find the style a little hard to imagine and follow along. The story was told over the span of 36 hours as well as 'summer journal' that showed events from 15 years prior. I had trouble keeping all the characters in check. There were too many, some of whom changed their names and identities over the 15 gap . Between the guests, the Manor staff, and the police, there are a puzzling number of characters to keep track of. It had only been 15 years since some of these characters had seen each other and yet they fail to recognize each other??

I gave this novel a 3.5 star rating. The story was good and when I got about 80% through, it really became intense and I was not able to put it down! I just wish I was able to imagine some of the images in my mind the way she had described them. Maybe I am just not familiar enough with English to be able to see it. That aside, I would still recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this unique mystery for my honest opinions.