Wow, what a page turner! As with all of Lucy's previous books this is gripping, imaginative, twisty and turny and a fantastically good read. Told in a dual timeline, both present day and 15 years ago, we slowly learn the secrets of a fateful night deep in the woods, surrounded by local folklore. A must read!

Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my free and honest review. Lucy Foley does it again with another thriller that ticks off all the boxes of an amazing novel. Fantastic, relatable characters, detailed and believable storyline, events that pull you in and make you feel the emotions of those in the story, and suspense filled twists and turns you never see coming. Kudos to a fabulous author!

EXCERPT: I have a darkness within me, a violent darkness that I have kept at bay for so long: an inky bottomless well of it like crude oil buried deep, deep beneath the ground. I close my eyes and inhale the smell of burning wood and feathers from the beach and I smile.

ABOUT 'THE MIDNIGHT FEAST': Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin...

Midsummer, the Dorset coast

In the shadows of an ancient wood, guests gather for the opening weekend of The Manor: a beautiful new countryside retreat.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. And the candles have barely been lit for a solstice supper when the body is found.

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.

MY THOUGHTS: I wanted to like The Midnight Feast more than I did. I did love the final 20% which I just raced through but I felt vaguely irritated by the rest of the book.

The story is told from five points of view: Francesca - the owner of the Manor; Owen - her architect husband; Bella - the guest in Woodlands Hutch #11; Eddie - a local, the dishwasher and aspiring bartender; and Detective Walker - SIO on the case. The storyline unravels over two timelines, 2010 when the characters were teenagers, and the current day.

Eddie was definitely my favorite character. He was likeable, honest and unpretentious. He has a dysfunctional family background and is torn between his allegiance to the locals and his own aspirations.

Detective Walker comes a close second. Although, I'm not really sure how Detective Walker got called in on this case. It wasn't a cold case, which is his forte.

I liked the (basic) plot - it had good bones.

I really disliked the bacchanalian excesses - it just killed this read for me. Also, I'm not sure why the characters took so long to recognise one another.

I could not understand why Sparrow kept returning to Frankie's house when it is perfectly clear that Frankie is a manipulative bully, and her brothers are sexual predators. Why would she even think of going back?

The black feathers were a nice, slightly creepy touch, but much more could have been made of this aspect. I wanted more creepy. Subtle creepy. Spine tingling creepy. There was definitely the scope for it. I liked the nod to Daphne du Maurier's The Birds, which I read again recently.

Although I did love the final 20%, especially that final paragraph, overall I was left feeling vaguely disgruntled.

I usually love Lucy Foley's books and I am not quite sure what went wrong here but The Midnight Feast was only just an okay read for me. Will that stop me reading more from this author? - that's a definite NO. I'll be at the front of the line for her next offering.

⭐⭐⭐

#NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: I came to writing through a love of reading — I previously worked with books as a fiction editor, a literary agent’s assistant, a bookseller and a literary scout!

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Lucy Foley has quickly become a hot topic in thriller fiction. With weaving plotlines dotted with awful people, she deftly delivers a gripping story.
The Midnight Feast has all her usual eerieness, thrills and murder.

Francesca Meadows inherits her grandparents’ manor in rural West of England and transforms it into an exclusive hotel where well-to-do guests have to submit a mini-biography before they can stay. The locals are largely unhappy about the increasing encroachment into their land, giving rise to tensions in the community. Thus the scene is set for this well-plotted thriller with lots of characters and assisted by the mysterious atmosphere of the surrounding woodland. I personally found that the frequent timeline jumps and really short scenes gave it a ‘hoppy’ quality, meaning I couldn’t really get into it. Otherwise, it’s well-written and a good thriller for lovers of the genre.

A moustache twirling mystery set in a fancy pants hotel opposite some dark, witchy woods? How intriguing!

While this wasn't my cup of tea - too many time jumps and narrator switches- I can see mystery lovers enjoying this. There's definitely a good mystery to unravel here.

This is the newest release from Lucy Foley. Of the books I have read previously, I disliked The Hunting Party, liked The Guest List and loved The Paris Apartment. The premise of this one sounded intriguing and I was excited to get stuck in.

Francesca has developed the site of The Manor into an exclusive, luxury countryside retreat. A Midnight Feast event is taking place for the opening weekend which is happening over the summer solstice.

The book opens with a body being found at the bottom of the nearby cliffs and Lucy Foley weaves the story of who has ended up there and reasons why. The book is told following a number of different perspectives of people connected to The Manor. It follows a present day timeline and one set 15 years earlier in 2010.

I loved the experience of reading this book. The setting on the Dorset coast was great and I loved the atmosphere. I thought the use of local folklore worked really well too. I particularly enjoyed the short chapters, which despite the initial slow build of the mystery, made it fly by. I did not see all of the twists coming, although clues were there and I thought the twists were really good.

I think this one of my favourite mysteries I have read this year and probably my favourite of the Lucy Foley books I’ve read to date. A great page-turner for the summer!

I am rating this book 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5 stars).

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins UK, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own

If you’re looking for a gripping page-turner for the summer holidays then look no further!! I was absolutely hooked and loved all the twists and turns to this new thriller from Lucy Foley.

Francesca Meadows has inherited her family’s vast property on the coast and turned it into the most luxurious and expensive holiday retreat with only the finest organic ingredients, exclusive treatments and signature scents! She is zen personified! On the outside at least…

When the mysterious Bella checks in for the opening weekend, and the undesirable locals start causing mayhem for being shut out of their own beach and woods, things begin to unravel for Francesca. And the truth behind what happened at The Manor 15 years ago is about due to be exposed…

I loved the fast pace of this excellent thriller - the viewpoints of multiple characters who were all not quite what they seemed. Francesca was great to read - from a hilarious caricature to a woman driven mad from anger and the need to survive and triumph over everyone. And the diary entries from that summer 15 years ago worked really well to slowly build up the picture of who Francesca really is and what has brought all these people from the past back together.

Some of the scenes with The Birds were totally terrifying and I never guessed what was going on. There were so many surprised and I loved how everything came together and was explained by the end. A really clever and entertaining read!

Another tremendous thriller from the excellent Lucy Foley. The idea of past events coming back to haunt people in the present is a common enough trope in crime fiction but it is handled here in a refreshing and enthralling way. The array of characters is fascinating, the secrets are revealed bit by bit and the final outcome is shocking! Great stuff.

This was an average thriller. I expect so much more from a Lucy Foley. Everything just felt a bit half arsed and not very fleshed out.

I have loved many a Lucy Foley but this one just missed the mark for me slightly. As always I loved the different character viewpoints and the changes in time and place but the referral to “the birds” just felt almost forced into the storyline.
The ending felt like it wrapped up a little quickly.
Not a bad one but not my fave of Lucy’s!
Thank you for the ARC copy.

Overall an enjoyable read with an interesting setting and cast of characters. There were moments that felt a little disjointed but it came together in the end

Lucy Foley’s best book since The Hunting Party. The atmosphere is off the charts! Loved the brilliant character of Francesca, and the setting is TOP. Reaffirming Lucy Foley as one of my favourite authors.

he Midnight Feast

I have loved Lucy Foley's previous thrillers so I had high hopes for her latest novel, The Midnight Feast, and I was not disappointed. Addictive, and sinister, you're in for a wild ride!

Set in midsummer, on the Dorset coast, with echoes of Hitchcock and Daphne du Maurier, a luxury, exclusive hotel has its opening weekend. The perfect glamorous serene atmosphere is about to unravel.

Flitting between the past and the present, the characters who gather for the grand opening are not here for a relaxing time. Something sinister has happened in the creepy woods which surround the hotel, and memories, broken friendships, and bitter rivalry are waiting to be unearthed.

Twisty, gripping and eerie. I was unable to put this book down as I wanted to know where the story was going to head.

Lucy Foley explores local folklore, the power between classes, the push and pull between tradition and progress. Fans of The White Lotus, Murder at the End of the World will love this book, and the way rich people and their problems face their comeuppance.

This is a great summer read, and will keep you on your toes.

Thank you netgalley for the ebook copy of this book!

𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 *ੈ✩‧₊˚
This book was so well written! It was so hard to put down, between the mystery of the birds and the body at the bottom of the cliff I was dying to know how this all played out. I love the way Lucy Foley is able to create stories and characters with so much interwoven backstories and history and she’s still able to tie everything back so perfectly. I couldn’t stop coming up with my own theories while reading and honestly was really impressed with the ending although a bit sad that it did end lol.

All the characters were distinctive from the next and honestly all really interesting if not strangely likeable. I’m a huge sucker for complex characters and character development and this book had both!

My new favourite Foley!

I really loved the premise of this one. A staple of Lucy Foley's writing is her dark, almost oppressive atmospheres, and The Midnight Feast certainly didn't disappoint in this aspect. The woods themselves felt like another character, forming an intrinsic part of the narrative, and I think this is a real strength of Foley's writing. The superstitions and small town aspect enhanced and elevated the setting, but it also gave the writing an almost supernatural element, which I found to be really gripping.

It's refreshing that Foley doesn't shy away from making her characters as dislikable as possible, especially ones that have zero redeeming features. The narrative voices of each character were all so distinct, which I think is a bonus when it comes to a thriller.

For me, the ending was perhaps a little too neat, but it also shows how clever her writing is because I did not see the final reveal coming AT ALL. I've always liked how Foley structures her books, but I feel that this was very well plotted and structured as the different timelines and perspectives came together seamlessly.

Gripping, thrilling, and a fantastic read!

Lucy is fast becoming one of my favourite thriller authors so I had to request this one.

Costal setting. A party. An unsolved crime. Lots of locals and a disturbing folklore. A recipe for a very complex and interesting story.

The hotel has just reopened. It’s very expensive and brings a lot of posh people down from London. The locals don’t like it. The locals have secrets that they want to keep. What did happen to the old man in the woods? None of your business.

The owner is peace and serenity. Her husband is quiet and happy to be there. Or so it seems.

There’s a lone guest who has arrived. She’s at a couples retreat on her own. Fair enough. But she has questions. Lots of questions.

Who really are these people? What really happened all those years ago?

Told from multiple points of view and from both the past and the present, this will keep you guessing until the end.

This psychological drama is set around a new luxury retreat hotel in Dorset. Told in many points of view and flipping between timeliness, the tale is told. As the chapters are short, you don't get confused with who is speaking and the use of a diary works well to reveal the back story.
Add in a local legend, and we begin to see how no=one is quite what they seemed.
A real plausible page turner, meticulously plotted to create atmosphere and tension with a satisfying twist at the end.

Having enjoyed Lucy Foleys previous books I think this is her best one yet! The story starts off slowly but soon draws you in with plenty of intrigue, lots of twists with some creepy folklore thrown into the mix for good measure. No-one is who they might at first seem and there’s plenty of tongue-in-cheek references to influencer “gurus” which made me chuckle.. The plot was incredibly well thought out and everything comes together in the end in a brilliant way. This is definitely a top-class page-turner and a perfect summer read. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE MIDNIGHT FEAST

Lucy Foley

"I refuse to be punished for something that happened so long ago."

-super short chapters and multiple POV made this one fast-paced and captivating
-it reminded me simultaneously of The Club (by Ellery Lloyd), Nine Perfect Strangers (by Liane Moriarty) and The Crows Have Eyes III: The Crowening (starring Moira Rose) ... 👀👀👀
-if you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise - I'll never think of Teddy Bears' Picnic the same way again!
-could have been more single-minded and definitely twistier, it got a little confusing and lost its punchiness by trying to do too much IMO
-regardless, Lucy Foley fans will adore this!

⭐⭐⭐

"I always did love sneaking out at midnight as a youth. There’s something so alive about this hour: magical and elemental. As though anything could happen."

"Because when you’ve behaved for this long, it feels so good to be a little bad."

Big thanks to Netgalley for an advanced digital copy