This thrilling tale is a Hitchcockian twist on The Birds meets Midsommer spanning between the events of a solstice celebration in 2009, recreated in current day.
It’s 2009 and teenagers Frankie and her twin brothers are spending their summer at their grandfa’s estate, Tome Manor. Bored with their posh lifestyle, they invite locals from Tate’s rundown caravan park and the nearby cattle farm to take part in a midnight celebration when something goes very wrong.
Fast forward to 2025. Francesca Meadows is a wealthy young socialite who reinvents Tome Manor into an exclusive resort for London’s wealthy. Her handsome architect husband., Owen Dacre, is the mastermind behind the manor’s transformation. Opening weekend coincides with summer solstice 2025. Revenge, murder and reunions all culminate in an explosive ending when motives are finally revealed. I love a book like this with so many twists and an ending I would never imagine.
This is my first book by Lucy Foley, although she’s been on my radar for awhile. I will definitely read her other novels. 5⭐️
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins publishers for this arc due June 18..

Set in Dorset, South West England, The Midnight Feast does a couple of things Lucy Foley is known for really well–the multiple perspectives, the slow tension, and the shocking ways in which characters are connected–but the finale prevented this from being a four star book for me. However, I think it’s still worth picking up if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers, but only if you’re okay with a simmering build and being in the perspectives of some unlikable characters.

Foley’s latest book takes place in the present (once the body has been found and police are beginning their investigation), the night before, and the far past. I have to clap for Foley’s writing and the way she keeps track of multiple characters because she does it so well; I wasn’t confused who was speaking or who was connected to who so most of the reveals were great and the timeline worked.

The conflict between the wealthy who are intruding on the locals’ land was done well and I like that there were multiple perspectives from the side of the locals and a couple from the side of the wealthy. However, The Midnight Feast is never quite as creepy as I wanted it to be, considering the threat of The Birds lingering and I feel like there were some missed opportunities for truly eerie things to happen.

As much as I think the multiple perspectives worked, I do think the book has one of the problems I’ve had with other Foley books which is that there are just too many characters. Some of them end up functioning as red herrings in a very obvious manner, which was a bit annoying, and their roles could’ve been condensed.

Once the action really began, things happened much too fast. I wanted more descriptions of the chaos since we had such a slow buildup and I don’t think going back and forth so quickly with the perspectives was as successful during this finale since it took me out of the moment. Once things finally settled down, I was a bit disappointed.

All in all, The Midnight Feast has a lot of successful swings and a couple of misses. I really enjoyed the setting and the way Foley switched between past and present, but wanted so much more from the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This review will be published on my blog (clearsummers.wordpress.com) and Goodreads on June 4, 2024. A review will be published on Amazon on the pub date.

A Thriller that has everything!! Very Agatha Christie like! Lucy Foley never fails when it comes to lovely twists and tuns.

Omg… I can’t even begin to explain how blown away I am by this book. So much happens that I wasn’t expecting that just blew me away in every aspect and I honestly loved every minute of it. This book had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next to the point where I didn’t even want to put it down, I also loved that. It gave a lot of history and information to kind of build the story up even bigger than what it already is to give it more of that spark that it needed to really draw you in and capture your attention because I think without it it wouldn’t have made much sense, I also loved the journal entries and everything in between from the feathers to the little attention to details to the play on words to the fact that they used the song teddy bears picnic as a part of the storyline, but twisted it in a way that just was beautiful. Honestly hands-down fantastic read.

I think this is Lucy Foleys best book yet. This book has such a great atmosphere and draws you in.

We get multiple POVs from everyone connected to the story plus past POVs from what started it all. We had a great ending that wouldn’t except definitely from a Lucy Foley book.

The chapters are short and allow the storyline to go fast and keep you drawn in until the every end.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

Thank you William Morrow for providing a free copy for my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an ARC of this book to review.

With flavors of both Midsommar and The Menu, Foley's The Midnight Feast was a whirlwind read for me - finished in less than a day - and deliciously satisfying. With equal parts secret society/cult story, revenge plot, familial secrets, culture and class clash, murder, and a dash of youthful romance, you're in for a ride.

The story centers on the opening weekend of a posh hotel/retreat set in the English countryside. Francesca Meadows is the crystal-toting, natural-remedy-hawking. linen clad, entirely zen proprietress and she has a vision of relaxing perfection for her extremely wealthy guests. Think pagan chic paired with "forest bathing" - as she'd put it. She's turned the manor she inherited from her grandparents into a high-end resort. At a hefty price, her guests are treated to every luxury and she has something big in store for a midsummer solstice celebration. A return, in some way, to her youth's midnight feasts: times where she snuck out late at night and got up to what she'd thought of as some fun.
But the rural community surrounding the hotel remembers young Frankie and her family. And not fondly. They've upset The Birds, a mythical group of local lore and superstition, and these shadowy entities are out for vengeance.
There are secrets buried in the grounds of the hotel and Francesca hasn't entirely distanced herself from her inner Frankie, try as she might to put on a fresh face. Her past comes rushing to her and secrets long-buried are bound to be uncovered before the festivities end.

Narration alternates between a couple of characters as well as 15 year old journal entries. I found most characters to be fairly fleshed out (some more than others) and the revealed connections between them all to be really well done. Of the narrators, Francesca and Bella, in particular, have really clear voices - even if I rolled my eyes at Francesca and found her intensely unlikeable. Owen felt a bit lacking in comparison, as did DI Walker (though I think the latter was by necessity).
There's no rushing to solve any mysteries; Foley lays her revelations out carefully to keep you guessing and reading. I found myself anticipating certain plot twists as I read and being happy when my guesses were confirmed and intrigued when I was shown to be off the mark and led to guess again. The story's resolution was strong enough, and satisfying enough, that any points I may have seen as weakness in the storytelling or style were forgiven upon finishing. That, and The Birds made for a compelling thread throughout the story.

I look forward to reading more reader reactions upon its official release!

I started out being unsure of what I thought of this book. But as it picked up I got more and more into it. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded and the way it was told. I liked reading from different character points of views and I really loved the twists! I did not see them coming and those are my favorite kind.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So good!!! I think my favorite so far from #LucyFoley. Her characters are always so delightfully despicable, but not in an annoying way…more like a guilty pleasure. Especially when they get their comeuppance 😈

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC. I have to say I loved the guest list but was so disappointed with this one. The pacing was way too slow, I found myself falling asleep every night trying to read it which is crazy for a thriller. Once I got to 80% it picked up but all the twists were really ridiculous. It was simultaneously predictable and so outrageous that it was ridiculous. Would not recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced readers copy!

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Pub Date: June 18, 2024
Say hello to your next Summer thriller!!

THE MIDNIGHT FEAST was the binge worthy, edge of my seat book that I needed after a month long slump! Lucy Foley is back with a fast paced thriller! Foley is masterful with her locations in all her books and this one may be my favorite yet!

The Manor includes seaside cottages, top notch food and drinks, a crystal infinity pool, luxury spa all only for the elite. Money is not an issue in this sophisticated and stylish location. Yet the locals resent The Manor and the land that has been taken from the locals and the immaculate woods that should not be disturbed due to the folklore around The Birds. The Birds are said to wrong all the rights and more…is it true?

The truth of the Folklore is tested when within 36 hours there is a fire, a body and guests who seem different. A gripping thriller with multiple POVs and with secrets that will keep unraveling! A who dunnit thriller that keeps you on your toes! Those twists 🤯 I was unprepared 😂 THE MIDNIGHT FEAST is one that you need to grab this summer.

*I received this as an arc from Netgalley.

Who knew so much could happen in one weekend. I caught myself throughout wondering different things and trying to guess who is who and what is going on and I actually didn’t get any of it, which I love! I loved that as connections came throughout the book it was actually surprising and a “ahhhh” moment. Great job and definitely would recommend! I save my 5 stars for the books that really blow my mind and while this one was good and surprising, it didn’t have that 5 star factor for me but definitely still a great read!!

Love the writing style and how it was told through multiple POVs. It really allowed me a full glimpse into the story but was also surprised by the ending. Very well done.

I gave this 3 stars because I couldnt finish it. The writing felt like it was trying way too hard to be something it wasnt. People go into Lucy Foley's books looking for an easy thriller read. This book felt like it was trying to be a modern classic or something.

Foley is back with this one! Paris Apartment wasn’t my favorite but Midnight Feast packed a punch. I thought the story was well thought out and the characters were a mystery but unwoven at a great pace. I started to really get hooked when the diary entries started and then I couldn’t put it down. It’s a great book to read in one sitting and have you guessing the whole time! I love some of the big reveals and was definitely surprised by one of them!

I have read a few books by this author and have always enjoyed them. I thought in the beginning of this that i was going to have to DNF because i was just not vibing with it. Then i got a little further and found myself tearing through the pages well into the evening. I'm glad i stuck it out bc this is the type of book i always enjoy...it's my "bread and butter" if you will. I'll definitely be recommending this book to others!

Lucy Foley does it again.

Page-turning, thrilling action driven by characters as deep as the night is dark. All twists not being equal, she manages to feed one just enough to stay hungry - until the truth is revealed and the action drives at a pace to be feared.

The Midnight Feast will surely reside atop her already steep pinnacle of work.

A special thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel.

Thank you NetGalley for ARC!

This was my first Lucy Foley book and it will not be the last. I loved the writing style and it played out like a movie in my head. I loved the multiple POVs and the timeline shifts. Overall a very solid book.

The past always catches up to you, no matter who you are or how you reinvent yourself..

Francesca has inherited her old family manor and turned it into a woodsy retreat for the rich and bored. Despite construction still underway, everything is going according to plan and they're booked up for the summer solstice weekend. Sure, the locals aren't happy about the blocked access through the woods, or how Francesca's been taking their land to develop her resort. But it's all fine, money fixes everything, right? Until one guest starts snooping around and Francesca realizes she's not who she's pretending to be. In fact, Bella is the past coming back to bite Francesca 15 years later, and it could ruin everything. But Bella isn't the only one who isn't exactly who they say they are. Oh, and The Birds are watching. Just like they've always done.

This book is told from multiple POVs where we're given pieces of the full story through the perspectives of multiple characters, as well as diary entries from 15 years prior. The story is very compelling, and I FLEW through it. I love Lucy's writing style and the way that she keeps you guessing what's going to happen next. You can start to formulate an idea of what may happen, but just enough information is withheld from you to prevent you from coming up with a full-on theory. This was a great mix between a thriller and a cozy mystery that I think fans of both genres will really enjoy.

My only complaint is that on top of the POV changes, there are also timeline changes--the diary is 15 years in the past, and we also get the characters POV "Before the Solstice" and "After the Solstice" all jumbled together which was confusing to navigate for the first 50 pages or so--so be careful keeping your timeline straight. And everything DOES wrap up into a very neat bow that many will consider unrealistic. However anyone who has lived in a small town knows that while the drama may be realistic, the way it all comes together is very valid.

This was such a great read from Lucy Foley, and I can't wait for her next one!

I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely devoured the Guest List so was really excited for another by the author, but sadly, this one was a bit of a miss for me, ultimately falling a short.

Pros: As usual, Lucy Foley is fantastic at juggling both multiple POVs and time frames whilst still keeping the story flowing well and building the atmosphere. Her writing style is easy to read, and the book was a great page turner.
Cons: I predicted almost all of it/ it played out exactly as a I expected, which is a huge letdown. The fun of a thriller is guessing, guessing again, and being wrong both times, and this just didn’t have that. It also felt like it dragged in the middle, with a lot of unnecessary repetition, especially around the folklore aspects.

Overall: not bad, not great

This is the PERFECT summer thriller. The cottage core turned horror was so fun to read about. I love the amount of foreshadowing and was very surprised by all the twist and turns and hidden connections. As all of Lucy Foley's books this was such a good time and so fun to read. I can't wait to recommend to all thriller fans.