I so wanted to like this one but it failed to completely reel me in. Lucy Foley’s known for her complex, winding crime stories and this is no exception. It’s told from multiple perspectives, shifting backwards and forwards in time. I could see this approach was meant to keep readers guessing but I frequently found the ornate structure and the array of slightly-stock characters close to dizzying. The underlying narrative is skilful enough - not for nothing is Foley so popular a crime writer - and the backstory presented in the form of a teenager’s diary featured a number of intriguing elements. But it also felt manipulative and, for me, far too slow moving.

The central storyline unfolds in the near future and revolves around the opening of a chic, upmarket resort, the kind that attracts wealthy devotees of micro-dosing and wellness culture – somewhere tailormade for the Gwyneth Paltrows of this world. But this new development has met with hostility from the locals, among them a sinister, ancient society known as “The Birds.” The resort itself is positively dripping with secrets and hidden agendas: from what happened in owner Francesca’s youth to questions surrounding her husband Owen’s origins, not to mention the real identity of Bella a guest who seems bizarrely fixated on Francesca. In addition, we get missing people from the past, delinquent teens from the surrounding area threatening to attack hotel guests; and a series of unsettling occurrences with a folk horror flavour. The material itself is more than promising but the way everything fitted together just didn’t convince me, I found the succession of plot twists and reveals a bit wearying. But it’s still a relatively accomplished murder mystery which will undoubtedly work well for Foley’s many fans.

I think The Midnight Feast might actually be the best book I've read by Lucy Foley. The setting is incredibly atmospheric. It's blazing hot, the solstice is approaching and the newly opened hotel on the grounds of the old manor house is completely booked out. What could be more fitting for a Lucy Foley novel than a remote location and a group/horde of incredibly disgustingly rich people? There are many POVs and almost everyone we meet has something to hide. I enjoyed reading it extremely, especially the ending is filled with plot twists, not all of which I saw coming.

I really enjoyed this, a well paced thriller with plenty of twists. I really liked the more folklore-ish aspects of The Birds which appear in the woods. Nice class distinctions and as is often the way in Lucy Foley novels, some truly unlikeable characters. Great strands of stories coming together well, some surprises along the way and a well crafted plot. Great thriller, would recommend.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

The premise of this book was very promising, yet I am sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I had quite a few issues with this book. Firstly, the constant switching between timelines and POVs was confusing and left me constantly thinking "wait what is going on?". I think the extracts into the past could have worked well if they were better planned, but they seemed too abrupt and confusing. These insights into the past didn't always progress the plot in any way either, so I felt like many of them could have been left out as they felt unnecessary. I did enjoy reading the journal entries though, and I think these would have sufficed without all the other flashbacks.

The beginning was also slow and drawn-out; it took too long for the action to kick in and I found myself feeling bored for the first half of the book or so. Once it did get going though, I enjoyed it a lot more, and the last 25% was enjoyable, gripping and fast-paced. It is just a shame that the author couldn't have made the entire book as thrilling as the last quarter, as if they had this would have been a great book with a great plot. I felt we spent too much time on background details rather than focusing on the plot. I did think the author did a great job at describing this really beautiful, idyllic setting and contrasting it with this really dark, creepy atmosphere that surrounds the legend of "the birds".

There are also a few too many characters in this book. It got to the point that I was confused over who was who, and was having to keep notes on who each character was, what their job was or how they knew the other characters etc just to keep up. For example, there was no need to include so many staff members and delve so deeply into their lives. The plot could have proceeded in the exact same way but using half the characters. Pretty much all the characters (other than maybe Eddie) were also annoying and quite shallow as they didn't have any real personalities (Bella for example seemed to have no personality other than being driven by revenge).

This is a real shame as I really wanted to love this book! I've heard some great things about Lucy Foley's other books, but this one was overall very disappointing. I will still try and read some of her other books, as I do think this book had potential that was just unfulfilled, but I am sorry to say I would not recommend reading this particular book. I rated this 2 out of 5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Lucy Foley for this ARC.

I have mixed feelings about The Midnight Feast. It dragged a bit in the beginning, actually up until around halfway. It did pick up at the end, the characters came together and pieces fell into place.

I cannot for the life of me understand why Sparrow kept going back to the manor. Real sucker for punishment stuff. Especially after that business with the dreadful Hugo. Every member of that family, from Frankie to Grandfa should have quietly been put out of their misery, what absolutely god-awful people. (Although I do tire of the whole 'the rich tormenting the poor' trope).

I loved the way Foley describes the Woods. Alive and writhing, they are another character in the book, malevolent and vengeful, as I would be if I had existed for centuries and this crowd came along. I loved the town, especially the name, Tome, pronounced Tomb. How cool is that? And you'd better pronounce it correctly or else.

I hated the business with the bull. Why oh why do authors do that? That really could have been left out, it added nothing and in my opinion detracted from what could have been a better read. Subtlety, Ms Foley, goes a long way towards creating atmosphere. Blood and gore do not. That's just gross. And no one in their right mind would sacrifice their own bull and remove his head because he was arthritic. I ask you.

All in all it wasn't the worst thing I've read, and the potential... Mind-blowing potential that sadly wasn't reached. The manor, the gardens, the woods, the elder trees... So much atmosphere could have been built into this, the being-watched creepy. Spine-chilling, subtle creepy. The stage was there but sadly the hedonistic Bachannalian behaviour really threw a damper over everything. Glad to see Daphne du Maurier's The Birds given a mention, i think I shall read it again, a sort of palate cleanser, if you will.

3 and a half stars, with a whole star knocked off because of poor Ivor.

It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…
THE MIDNIGHT FEAST

I’m a big fan of Lucy Foley so this one was a must read, and I Demolished it in 3 days!
The last 30% was just whiplash twists after twists. It felt like putting the last pieces of a jigsaw together and realising what the picture is.

Whilst it took some getting into, it was very much worth it. I really enjoyed the switch between past and present and the switch between children and adults.

It’s an eerie read. At times I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go but overall I really enjoyed it.

Safe to say I’ve never been a fan of birds and they just creep me out a little bit more!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me access to a copy of this in exchange for an honest review

This is very much a run of the mill thriller but it just didn’t have the edge that I’ve come to expect of the author, Lucy Foley. I’m disappointing that I can’t rate this so well but, for me, the plot is weak and I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. Unfortunately I abandoned the book at 60% as I felt that I could give an honest review by then. Maybe it will appeal to die hard fans.

My thanks to the author, to the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review The Midnight Feast.

I enjoyed this book however I did find the characters leading each chapter confusing at times.

The characters were great and well written, made me love and hate certain ones.

All in all, a good mystery book which will keep you wondering and thinking page after page.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I’ve read all of Lucy’s books and was excited to read the next one. It didn’t disappoint. Told through multiple viewpoints, this murder mystery will keep you guessing to the end

Thank you to @Netgalley.co.uk and @HarperCollinsPublishers for a copy in return for an honest review

Lucy Foley always chooses fantastic settings for her stories, and yet again, has found the perfect setting in "The Midnight Feast"
What I really enjoy most about this writer is the way she presents her story. As an aspiring writer, I once was advised by a "critic" that "you have to write from the hero/heroines POV, not from the POV of different characters."
Not So, and I'm delighted to see that someone who is such a talented writer thinks like me! (Or that should be, I think as they do.)
As Foley demonstrates beautifully in her work, everyone has a voice. By dedicating each chapter to a character and separating the point of view, the story holds more depth, and for me, it becomes more natural.
Each chapter brings more information from the way each person thinks, feels, and sees the tale unfold. There are so many hidden truths to be uncovered, and each one brings an unexpected angle to the story. It is so intense and exciting that it grips the reader from the beginning.
Excellent storytelling, brilliant plot, wonderful characters, and a fantastic read.

Lucy Foley has become an autobuy author for me. I raced through this book with its dual timeline, multiple POVs, intriguing characters, and unexpected twists!

I really wanted to love this book as I've enjoyed this author in the past. However, the first half of the book seemed to drag and I almost gave up a couple of times. There were just many points of view and the timelines got a bit too confusing. There was a wide range of characters which I quite liked but I always think including diaries, especially a teenager's diary is a bit off-putting for the reader but that could just be me!

Overall, I'm glad I persevered as the last quarter was quite exciting as it all came together.

I absolutely loved this book from the first chapter. It is the perfect murder mystery, my favourite Lucy Foley book so far! Set over the summer solstice, it was the perfect time to read this one and I devoured it in a few sittings.

Set at The Manor, a high-end get away for the city high flyers to pretend they're at one with nature on the south coast, you really feel like some of the characters are getting their just desserts. Told through multiple POV and timelines (my favourite type of thriller!) there's many twists and turns you won't see coming.

Highly recommend this as the thriller of the summer! Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A story told between different perspectives and across 2 different timelines. A story of family and friendship. How can one summer night as a teenager 15 years ago make a difference? Everything finally comes full circle, the truth finally is out at the Midsummer Midnight Feast. A slow burner, with some twists to keep you thinking, and a good mix of characters -some to love and some to loathe. As things begin to unravel the pace does pick up.

You should definitely not live in your present if you haven't dealt with your past.

Another amazing read from Lucy Foley. I loved all the twists at the end. Thanks, @Netgalley for n amazing arc.

I really enjoyed this page-turner and read it in as close to one sitting as my day permitted.

The first few pages were a bit of a slog, but after that point I raced through it. The dual timeline and multiple points of view were clear and engaging, and the plot was fun and clever - and significantly better than those in Foley's other thrillers, so I'm really glad I gave her another chance despite finding those somewhat mediocre. Whilst some of the characters and events were quite far-fetched, this was artfully handled and stayed just on the right side of the limits of suspension of disbelief.

Even the ending - a difficult aspect of thrillers to get right, and often disappointing - was well crafted and satisfying.

I tried to like this book and was very excited to receive an ARC 😓 but, oh boy, where do I even start?! I had more issues with this book than a gossip column has with celebrities.

First off, I had no clue what was happening or why. I felt like I'd walked into the middle of a mystery dinner party where everyone else knew the script but me.

The timelines flip-flopped more than a fish out of water. We jumped back and forth so much I needed a map, a compass, and maybe a time machine to keep track of it all. There were too many POVs and timelines and despite all that, the story wasn't really moving forward.

This is supposed to be a thriller, right? I should be on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, losing sleep. Instead, I was yawning and considering a nap. In fact, I started using this book to actually fall asleep every night and that was the only pleasure I got from it.

Then there are the characters. Imagine a bunch of stuck-up rich folks, prancing around in their atmospheric vibes, surrounded by feathers, trees, and birds. So. Many. Birds. If I wanted this much bird action, I'd visit an aviary.

Ugh!

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me an e-ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Well done Lucy Foley you’ve done it again another brilliant book, this had me hooked from the beginning till the end. Full of intriguing characters, mystery and some unexpected twists a perfect summer read.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley in return for my honest review.

I've read and enjoyed a few of Lucy Foley's books before and so I had high expectations for this novel.
It is the opening weekend of The Manor and the summer solstice, an exclusive and very expensive hotel owned by Francesca and designed by her doting husband Owen. The plot mixes past with the present as it gradually reveals the horror of events that happened a summer 20+ years ago as the characters are revealed to be connected in a clever and intricate way.
The plot switches between snippets and diary entries from 20 years ago, the opening weekend and the day after the summer solstice when a body is found and at first, it was a little confusing trying to keep up but as the story unfolds it all begins to make perfect sense as secrets and events come to light.
At first, I struggled to get into the story but the intrigue of the plot kept me going and around the 60% mark, the pace really picked up and I had to know the ending! There are multiple POVs in the book from Francesca and Owen to Bella, Eddie and the detective DI Walker and I loved the way it all comes together at the end by tying up loose ends and revealing jaw dropping twists.

A new thriller by Lucy Foley is always something to celebrate, and this one more than lived up to expectations, combining her signature, multi-POV style with darkish elements of folklore, which added an unexpectedly eerie layer to the narrative.

Emulating her 2020 murder mystery The Guest List, The Midnight Feast opens with a celebratory gathering and an unidentified corpse. The who, the how and the why is what forms the core of the labyrinthine plot that follows.

Also like The Guest List, the setting is key.

Welcome to The Manor, an ultra-exclusive country retreat, nestled amid woodland on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea. It’s opening weekend, timed to coincide with the summer solstice, and the scene is set for a magical evening of celebration. But, an imposter is circling among the guests, mysterious forces are hovering in the woods, and the owner, Francesca Woodland, is not the only one hiding dark secrets.

With three timelines, four narrators, and an overwhelming sense of foreboding, this was an intense, compulsive read, propelled by Foley’s trademark short, snappy chapters that urge you to keep turning the pages.

The characters are an interesting mix. Not all are likeable. A few are downright loathsome. But, they all share a connection to a shocking event that happened fifteen years ago.

As the past unfolds and creeps up to meet the present, it becomes clear that this is a story about dark deeds, betrayal and revenge; about privilege and entitlement and how neither offers protection from culpability and justice.

As always with Foley, the plot is pleasingly full of sneaky twists and surprises, the majority of them beautifully disguised, and with one final jaw-dropper held back until the very last page.

Essential reading for all fans of the murder mystery genre.