I've loved previous books by Lucy Foley, and The Midnight Feast did not disappoint! Foley is an expert in weaving disparate story threads together so that the conclusion is completely credible while still taking the reader by surprise.

The author presents us with a dizzying array of characters where - from the outset - it is clear that no one is quite who they seem. I like the way the story was narrated by different voices who dropped in subtle clues as the story progressed. I also enjoyed how the story moved between the past and the present day, giving an understanding of character motivations.

One of my favourite reads so far this year - I look forward to seeing what Foley will come up with next!

The Midnight Feast is a gripping, twist-filled, edge-of-your-seat read packed with secrets.

The book opens very ominously with The Woods and a short but very eerie description. It’s a very gripping opening, raising questions and drawing you in to what’s happened. We are then thrown into June 2025 as The Manor retreat opens. It alternates between two timelines; the opening night and the following day.

The story is told through the many perspectives; Bella, Eddie, Francesca, Owen and DI Walker. A lot of characters but some feature more than others. The main focus is around Bella as we hear from her the most and she’s a focal character in both present and past. You don’t get to know an immense amount about her present day life but I still felt I knew her well through her past and her present actions at The Manor.

I found myself really immersed in the present day timeline, enjoying the snippets learnt of the characters pasts. They are all really fascinating, with so many secrets and history from themselves and sometimes between one another. The way they interact and entwine is fascinating, I haven’t enjoyed a set of characters this much in a long time!

Lucy Foley is undoubtedly the queen of multiple character viewpoints. She really makes you feel for each character, effortlessly drawing you in to their point of view. Even though some of the characters I didn’t particularly like, I still felt invested in them which is just a credit to Lucy Foley’s writing!

The Manor is an exclusive resort, the kind that draws you in with its expensive exclusivity and free gifts aplenty. I loved it as the focal point of the novel, the key point of secrets and mystery. It’s really well described from the offset and I was immediately drawn by it, feeling like I was there and involved in all the happenings and mystery.

I enjoyed the mysteries, particularly the mystery of the body and the unknown person. I was always to eager to have answers, to know more and to discover the truth. The summer journal was a great addition, learning so much of what happened in the past through a different format, written by a teenager provided a differing perspective.

The twists in the novel were brilliant and I didn’t connect any of the dots! I finished the book feeling completely astounded and had to take some time to process it all – such a lot happens and it’s expertly written. A truly surprising and thoroughly engaging novel.

If I don't need to do my adult life tasks, i think I'll devour this book in one sitting!

Welcome to The Manor
Francesca is launching the opening of The Manor around The Solstice. This is a really expensive retreat hotel just for those with deep full pockets. Among the guests is Bella, someone who clearly has a history with The Manor and Francesca.
With the development of The Manor, Francesca sealed off the access to certain areas, which makes the locals aren't happy about it.
So...
The Midnight Feast will be sabotaged...
What happened fifteen years ago will be revealed...

The story is narrated by five different POV and there are lots of back and forth of the time line, while it's a bit intimidating at the beginning, i can say that the story, the plot, flows really well. It didn't confuse me at all!! I'm so glad that I braved myself to dive into this book. A solid 5 stars from me.

Welcome to The Manor, a luxurious retreat situated deep in the Dorset woods.

Francesca Meadows, a wholesome, hippyish, and spiritual woman in her 30s, owns The Manor. She inherited the land from her grandfather, and she feels an affinity for the place, as that’s where she used to spend her summer holidays as a young girl.
Owen Dacre is an architect who designed The Manor. He is also Francesca’s husband and madly in love with her. They married after a short, whirlwind romance. On the surface, they present a united, happy front.

The guests arrive at the Manor to celebrate the Solstice. It is also a very hot, scorching summer. Enemies (who pretend to be friends) gather at The Manor, drinks run free, and it won’t be long until someone ends up dead…

I LOVED this book.

Lucy Foley really knows how to spin a mysterious and tense narrative. I enjoyed how the book was written: diaries from 15 years ago, points of view from different people from before and after the solstice. It really kept me guessing all the way to the end.

Every guest had a secret, even the owners of the place.

There was a supernatural element to the mystic ‘Birds’ – an ancient belief in creatures who looked after the locals and served justice as they saw fit. The local community really believed in them, and there was a certain malevolence when people talked about them. It gave a Hitchcockian feel to the story: remember ‘The Birds’ with Tippi Hedrin? I recommend you watch the film; it’s a classic.

Overall, it’s a fantastic story with many twists along the way.

I definitely recommend it.

Many thanks to Harper Collins for my NetGalley widget.

“The Midnight Feast” is the latest book by author Lucy Foley that is set in ‘the Manor’ a luxurious resort where no expense is spared. It is the grand opening of The Manor but all is not going to plan when the local police are called responding to a fire and the discovery of a body.

There are some really interesting characters in this novel and we are told of their back stories, revealing secrets and motives to keep you guessing. The characters have history from fifteen years ago and the novel ties up past and present that will impact their lives.

The secrets are drip fed to the reader which heightens the tension as we uncover the truth.

3.5 stars

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I love all of Lucy Foley’s books, brilliant for anytime of the year. Filled with suspense, twists and turns - this is a must read this summer!

Another cracking thriller by Lucy Foley. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read an ARC.
A book set at the luxury hotel, 'The Manor' on the weekend of its grand opening. The owner, Francesca Meadows, a hugely annoying woman is a woman who has something to hide - and 'Bella' one of the guests is determined to reveal it that weekend. Bella is not the only one to have an issue with Francesca and The Manor, however, with various 'locals' having been trampled on in Francesca's plans. We learn at an early stage that someone has died, and I enjoyed guessing who that person might be .... The links between the various characters were all cleverly unravelled as the book progressed to what proved to be a neat and quite satisfying ending. A great book to keep me entertained on holiday

I really enjoyed this book from Lucy Foley. A posh wellness guru opens her dream retreat at her ancestral home, with the help of her architectural prodigy new husband. One guest attends the opening weekend alone, but why is she going by an alias? And why does the young dishwasher make her think of her past. This book is a bit of a ‘join the dots’ laced with (terrifying) local myths. Everything comes together well, I had most of it figured out but there were a couple of surprises as well. A great poolside read.

The Manor is a stylish new retreat that has opened with no expense spared. Of course there is a murder. This book is similar to Foleys other books and for me I found it tiresome. I won’t be reading anymore.

#TheMidnightFeast #NetGalley

I always look forward to a Lucy Foley novel and whilst I thought this was ok, it wasn’t up to her usual standard.
Let’s hope her next one is back to its fab self !

Atmospheric thriller with fantastically unlikeable characters. This was really pacey. The world building was strong - good blend of woo-woo and spookiness.

Wasn’t my favourite of this authors book but still enjoyable. It was entertaining but don’t think I would rush to recommend

Another enjoyable tale of criminal adventure from Lucy Foley.
Guests arrive for the opening weekend of The Manor - a luxury retreat developed and run by Francesca. In addition to local opposition and 'The Birds' all is not as it seems in the resort or with many of the staff and guests. Events of years ago, when many were teenagers, come back to haunt the celebrations
A thoroughly enjoyable read as you piece together the links between the characters and the story that runs in parallel to the opening weekend.

A really engaging listen with wonderful narration.
Lucy does it again! I enjoyed this book & was eager to finish it to see how it would end!
The perfect summer setting & small community thriller.

I loved the writing but the plot (folklore “the birds “) just didn’t connect with me at all - I won’t be publishing a review as I didn’t really enjoy it

Not my favourite Lucy Foley book but worth a read. I found it easy to dip into the characters enjoyed this well written thriller

Foley consistently knocks out mass market bestsellers, but despite this it’s taken me a while to warm to her writing. Her winning formula of unpleasant rich people getting bumped off continues and this is the best one yet set in an exclusive resort on the Dorset coast. The family-owned Manor Hotel has been renovated by a world-renowned architect and the opening weekend proves to be a thriller. So many secrets, so much unpleasant history and a woodland steeped in local folklore result in murder and mayhem. Another bestseller for sure.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

I have read a few of Lucy Foleys novel and have enjoyed them, however this one just didn't quite match up to those.

I found most of the characters to be unlikable and whilst there were a couple of twists I didn't guess the plot was just not very exciting. I wouldn't say I disliked this book but just wasn't as good as expected.

A deliciously dark mystery set against the backdrop of of the beautiful Dorset coast. Francesca has inherited The Manor and transformed it from her grandparents home into a stunning spa hotel. Guests gather for the grand opening and summer solstice celebrations but among the rich and famous are people determined to remind Francesca of her history.
The local folklore plays a big part in the events, ensuring a chilling darkness and sense of evil.
A thoroughly enjoyable mystery with characters you like and some you loathe but that keep you reading until a very satisfying end.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
I loved this one from start to finish. The short chapters, multiple POVs and flashbacks kept me intrigued and I was flying through it. It’s a quick and super suspenseful read. I loved how everything came together in the end. A solid 5 star read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Multiple POVs
Continued suspense
Flashbacks
Quick read
Short chapters

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝙈𝙞𝙙𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙨𝙩. 

𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘫𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦....

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺; 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.