Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I was really excited when I was approved for this as I sped through The Paris Apartment and loved it. But unfortunately I’m putting this as a DNF at 40%. This just wasn’t for me, I wasn’t gripped by it and felt a bit lost with so many POVs and having the characters change identity within those POVs.

Absolutely devoured this, gobbled it up in one sitting, in the heat. A fever dream! Sinister, intriguing and pacy - Lucy Foley has done it again. A brilliant summer thriller,

Set at the hot new Devon luxuy retreat The Manor, The Midnight Feast follows the lead up to and aftermath of its grand opening on the summer solstice. People aren't who they seem and old grudges come to ahead... I'll leave it there so you can enjoy all the twists and turns Foley weaves in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly granting access to the eARC - much appreciated!

The Plot: 4/5 The Characters: 4/5 The Setting: 5/5 The Writing: 5/5

Thoughts:

This was an amazing read!! My first Lucy Foley novel and I can understand now why her books get so much hype.
The multi-POV narratives kept me hooked throughout the story and I think the way Lucy Foley intertwined the characters stories was so smart! I never guessed any of the twists that were revealed towards the end.

I definitely recommend this book to any thriller enthusiasts! It had everything I look for in a thriller.

Tropes:

Folklore
Dual timelines
Mystery
Cult themes
Toxic friendships
Victim gets revenge
Tight circle suspects

Pros & Cons:

Pros: I loved the combination of past and present tense, the diary entries too!
+ short chapters 🤩

Cons: My only niggle of complaint would be that I struggled to comprehend how the characters who knew each other in their teens wouldn’t recognise each other in their 30’s. (Bar a couple of them, eventually).

A thrilling read told from various POVs with twists and turns aplenty.
Bella attends the newly opened Meadows ultra-Hotel with a pseudonym and a wardrobe of rented clothes following receipt of an anonymous tip about its ownership. Gripping, gritty and compelling. With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an advance copy.

Unputdownable! If that's not a word, it should be, because there's no better word to describe this book. I found it super engaging and right when I thought "oh okay it's pretty predictable" I get hit with twist after twist!
Some things simply couldn't even be guessed. Exactly what you need in a good murder-mystery!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC!

I've loved all of Lucy Foley's books, and this was no exception! I found this really gripping, and the multi-person perpsective worked really well. I enjoyed all the twists and turns and didn't see the ending coming. The perfect summer read.

DNF @ 40%

I had fairly high expectations for The Midnight Feast, after finding MANY of Lucy Foley's thrillers fun, gripping and enticing enough for me to want to read the next. Unfortunately though, I think I have to throw in the towel with her books ~ I'm accepting that maybe they're just not for me.

The atmosphere in this was great and undoubtedly the most enjoyable part for me. What I couldn't get behind though, were the COUNTLESS pop culture references. There were so many that it was beginning to take me out of the story, let alone feel any sort of suspense. Needless to say that the first 40% had me dragging my feet and extremely confused.

This proved a fantastic holiday read, like The Wicker Man meets Goop told from multiple POV.

Francessa is a marvellous creation, introduced in 2 different timelines and despicable in both, she is the entitled influencer that we all love to eye roll, pedalling overpriced tat to the gullible rich. Having inherited an estate from her grandparents, she has reinvented herself and the property as an upmarket ‘destination’.

Then there is Bella, trying to find herself, Owen, trying to lose himself and Eddie just starting to find who he really is.

But this stretch of the Dorset coast is ancient and full of its own mystery and mythology: the Birds. 🦅 The Birds have their own response to the changes around them and a way of uncovering secrets that bring events to a thrilling conclusion.

This was spooky, satirical and satisfying but I can’t imagine it being reviewed favourably in Conde Nast Traveller any time soon!

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have really enjoyed all of Lucy Foley’s books so I was excited to be able to read this early. This took me awhile to get into and I found it very easy to put down initially. However, the last half I flew through and loved how the story and characters came together in the final few chapters. Similar to her other novels there is alternating POV and also alternating timeline of before and after the midnight feast.

Francesca Meadows builds an ultra posh retreat resort on her family’s property, The Manor, totally disrupting the life and livelihood of the locals. Characters from her past resurface, disrupting her perfectly planned opening weekend.

Not my favorite Lucy Foley book, but a solid read if you can get past the slow start!

Loved this new book from Lucy Foley, wonderfully immersive.
Opening weekend for a new five star accommodation complex called The Manor but the locals aren’t happy….nor are ‘the birds’ or ‘the trees’.
This piece of land has been owned by Francesca’s family for a long time and the sense of entitlement is clear.
There are a few characters in this book and chapters are told from their point of view, some also have now and then chapters. While it does sound confusing, I found it very easy to follow.
With some sense of the supernatural and eeriness, I flew through the first half of the book but then real life caught up and I couldn’t wait to get back to it.
I really don’t want to say too much regarding the book as not knowing adds to the suspense but I loved the ending, very satisfying.
Well worth the read
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

I was so excited for this book, but unfortunately it disappointed me. The characters were so insufferable that I couldn’t seem to muster up any energy to care about them or what happened to them. The timeline switches also kept throwing me off and the pacing was just so slow it didn’t capture my attention; it took me a while to even finish this book. It’s supposed to be thrilling, but I was bored out of my mind.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Told from multiple POV and timelines might seem a little off putting, but stick with it.
I was a bit unsure of this at first, but it does make sense and I actually really liked it.
I struggled to find time to read when I started it but when I found more time, it was definitely more enjoyable. This is one of those books that is best devoured in a few sittings if you can.
The characters were well established and likeable, even the bad guys. Twists and turns from about 60% on and this is where it picked up for me. Some big revelations near the end which kept me interested.
Overall I’d give it 3.5 out of 5, rounded up to 4.

Lucy Foley is fast becoming my go to author for locked room mysteries. This one had a dark eerie undercurrent which is even more my sort of thing. Loved it !

I definitely liked the setting of Manor and forest. The setting is dark, mysterious and creepy. The characters were mysterious too. Like one can’t predict how dark the secrets are. The gothic and Pagan folklore elements are spot on. The book has been narrated through multiple perspectives. There are secrets and mystery.

Francesca Woodland is the owner of the Manor. She organises the summer solstice feast, guests gathers but strange things begin to happen soon. Something mysterious happens in the woods, constantly connecting the birds with eerie feeling and the burning Manor leads to endless questions. There is an intriguing mystery with the lone buried secrets from the past. There are multiple characters including Owen, Francesca’s husband, Bella who comes to attend the feast, she seems good and mysterious but she end up doing an unthinkable thing and something that happened in the past bothers her. Eddie is a teenager. He is a kitchen helper/ Bartender. Eddie’s family is intriguing and all the journal entries gave new perspective to the story while also added the layer of mystery. There are certain beliefs of the local community. We get to read before, during and after solstice. All the unfortunate things that happens during the Solstice is being investigated by DI Walker. Then the fifteen years old mystery unveils with shocking truth and secrets. The ending was shocking and unpredictable.

Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley

4.5

My first Lucy Foley and I was not disappointed. The Midnight Feast will make a cracking holiday read (or any other time come to that) for sure.

The story centres around The Manor, a holistic retreat for rich clientele who "fit the profile" designated by the owner, Francesca Meadows, who has transformed her old family home into a new age hotel for the discerning few.

There are various other significant players- Owen, Francesca's husband; Eddie, local boy and trainee barman and Bella, one of the guests. All have their own secrets that would be devastating to their plans if they were to be found out. Francesca is determined that nothing will mar her opening weekend and that includes local myth that The Birds will seek revenge on any who are found guilty of any crime. The Birds are the law in Tome.

The story is told from several points of view but it never gets confusing. The back and forth into different timelines is equally well handled. I'm notorious for losing my way in books but this story gripped me all the way through. I read it in two sittings.

The reason for the half point deduction is that there were just one or two tiny bits at the end which were a little too fantastical for me but apart from that it was a great story which took off in the second half and I found it impossible to put down until I'd finished it.

Excellent. Highly recommended.

Thankyou to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the advance review copy.

I think this is Lucy Foley's best yet. Dark, twisted, sinister, the works!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley is a dark, mysterious locked-room type thriller told from multiple points of view, flipping between the past and the present. It’s focused upon the opening of a new, luxury hotel set on the Dorset coast, surrounded by woods. I found the story started slowly but I was swept up by the menacing atmosphere and the haunting folklore, and by the final third of the novel I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The characters were complex and fascinating (even if many were thoroughly unlikeable) and the creepiness built to a terrifying conclusion with a satisfying twist.

Thank you to the author, HarperCollins and Netgalley for the advance copy.

Secrets and lies! I really, really enjoyed this one.

It started as a slow burn for me, or maybe it was because I didn’t really have the time to read enough of it at a time, as once I had the chance to sit and immerse myself within it, it seemed to really pick up pace.

It starts with the opening night of The Manor, an old family home, which has been renovated into a boutique wellness retreat by the granddaughter of the family, Francesca. It is a three day event, ending with The Midnight Feast on the day of the Solstice.

The opening of this new hotel is much to the dislike of the community who aren’t happy with the intrusion this new hotel will bring to their beautiful historical woodlands, coast and “the birds”.

It is told through different points of views and timelines, which I really enjoy and I loved the folklore being the integral part of the story.

I would definitely recommend The Midnight Feast, but don’t go upsetting the locals or the birds!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and Lucy Foley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Pub Date 6 Jun 2024

It is the opening weekend of The Manor. Everything is set in place to go smoothly but by the end of the weekend, the place will be up in flames.

Lucy Foley is one of my favourite thriller authors so naturally I was excited when I got approved for her newest arc. I read the first 15% and found myself thinking it was a bit slow to start, with quite a few characters to keep track of. But as I read on, I got more and more invested as I caught onto who was who and ultimately found myself hooked, finishing the book in one sitting, on a rainy afternoon. The last 10% of the book had me gasping at how creepy it was! It seemed everyone had their own secrets and to see everything come together the way it did was so satisfying. I cannot rave enough about this book! I read an ebook copy and am sure the audiobook version would be phenomenal.

Enjoyable read! It took me a while to get into as I found it a little slow at the beginning and hard to wrap your head around all the characters, but it all came together nicely.


There were a good few twists which I always like.....most of which surprised me!

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this read.