Another fabulous Lucy Foley book! Known for her multiple POVs, I found this the most engaging one yet. A past timeline with the ongoing of opening weekend with plenty of narratives to build suspense with a current timeline with a narrative of the outcome. Blended together in perfect harmony to create a gripping and twisted story.

A highly engaging novel with some truly creepy plot points left me speechless.

The Midnight Feast is a standalone thriller by author Lucy Foley. The story is told across multiple POV characters and through journal entries. There is dual timelines which draw out the suspense as we are get to see both the events leading up to the solstice as well as those after playing out at the same time. The author drip feeds the reader clues about what transpired but you will have to wait until the explosive ending to see how all the pieces tie together. There were plenty of red herrings and an interesting twist at the end that even though I read a ton of these kind of thrillers, even I didn't see coming. There is a large cast of characters to suspect and even though some aren't particularly likeable people, the author delivers unique voices, backstories and motivations that make you feel invested. The story is somewhat slow-paced as is to be expected from these style of mysteries. I enjoyed the chilling wood setting. There were some horror-style elements thrown in that I felt could have been fleshed out a bit more which would have added to the atmosphere and fear. I'd recommend this one to fans of this genre and authors like Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell and Alice Feeney.

The Midnight Feast was Unsettling, Creepy, and it Sure Kept Me Guessing!

June 2025 – It’s the opening weekend of The Manor, an exclusive, cliffside, health and wellness resort hotel, nestled away in the tiny village of Tome, Dorset, with the beach on one side and the woods on the other. The retreat promises three days of luxury, spirituality, and pampering, culminating in a Midnight Feast on the Day of the Solstice.

But just before dawn The Day After the Solstice fishermen make two grisly discoveries, floating in the water is a body, and high up on the cliff The Manor is burning!

Just what went on at The Midnight Feast?

After finishing The Midnight Feast I can honestly say that Lucy Foley is the master of misdirection – the plot had more twists than the trees featured in this novel – the mystery was multi-layered, clever, and exciting, and the shocks and secrets just kept on coming. I can’t stop thinking about that last 25%!

The characters were a mix of one’s I cared about, other’s I wasn’t sure about, and a few that were evil to the core. All were compelling, three-dimensional and intriguing. I even teared up a couple of times and was surprised how emotionally invested I was in some of these character’s situations and trauma. The setting of Tome took on a life of its own – steeped in class conflict and divide, exacting justice, and customs and folklore. Now, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I’m terrified of birds – although I’m not keen on their squawking, flapping wings, and beady eyes – but the bird legends featured in this novel, coupled with the fact that people kept finding ominous feathers, really freaked me out.

There were several timelines to keep track of. The present story arc, which took place over the three-day retreat weekend – Opening Night, The Day Before the Solstice, The Day of the Solstice – via four POV’s. Then there were flashbacks to the summer of 2010 in the form of italicised journal entries, as well as flash forwards to The Day After the Solstice beginning with the discovery of the fire and an unidentified body. There was also a spooky, foreboding prologue titled, The Woods. The summer journal was the standout for me, that is until the last 25% when every moment was my favourite.

Now I can’t decide which Lucy Foley book is my favourite, this one, or The Guest List. I think I love them both equally.

P.S. As a teenage I also devoured Bella by Jilly Cooper, as well as the other books in the series, Harriet, Octavia, etc.

I’d like to thank Netgalley UK, Harper Collins UK, and Lucy Foley for the e-ARC.

Take note of the release date, 6th June 2024, as The Midnight Feast is a must-read thriller.

I’ve loved all of Lucy Foley’s books and this was no exception.

It is set at a large family home turned wellness retreat owned by Francesca Meadows and takes place on opening weekend. Members of the local village are less than pleased about this disruption to their quiet lives.

There are A LOT of characters in this book and they all play an important part in the story. I didn’t find it difficult to follow despite the story jumping between the different characters POVs. It also switches between past and present and slowly uncovers the whole story. I thought I had the twist figured out part way through but I absolutely did not.

I enjoyed the folklore elements that were weaved into the story. I loved the addition of the summer journals too, they really helped bring the story together.

I’d recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good thriller!

Having read previous books by Lucy Foley, I hoped for an intriguing read and wasn’t disappointed. This is a chilling, mysterious thriller which keeps you gripped throughout.

The setting is The Manor, a luxurious wellness resort, surrounded by encroaching, menacing woodlands. Each chapter is written from various viewpoints and time scales, giving an in depth, rounded account of characters and story.

The main character is Francesca, who owns the complex; on the surface she is a friendly, welcoming host, but has a hidden dark side. There are secrets to explore concerning several characters. Bella, who is booked into the lodge nearest the woods; Michelle, the hostess, and Owen, Francesca’s lover. Hovering sinister birds bring a gothic element to the story.

As the characters are introduced the story becomes more complex. Chapters flip between present day and past building up tension, especially when a body is discovered on the opening day of the resort. I found it difficult to empathise with any of the characters, they all had hidden secrets which makes an intriguing read. The book is gripping and compelling, with enough twists and turns to keep you turning the page.

Thank you netgally for the Arc. At first I felt the book started out slow but it sure picked up quickly. So many twists and surprises. I don’t want to give anything away but wow I didn’t guess any of the twists. Great book! I highly recommend!

I’ve heard lots about this author but had never quite taken the plunge to read her books so far.
Initially I wasn’t sure I would enjoy the book, it took me a little time to get into it and I wasn’t sure how ‘make believe’ it may be. However, once the story started unfolding and I understood the characters more, I really started to enjoy it.
The book was an easy read and I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout.
I didn’t get the wow factor which would have pushed to 5 stars but would certainly recommend it!

I have read a few books by this author. The premise and the beginning are always promising. But I'm not sure what is it, but something is missing. It's possibly the time it takes for the main event to occur. The story this time did take a while to build and while I appreciate that is good to build and develop the characters, I often find my interest waning as I want something to happen. Many readers will love this book, but I admit I found it all slow to progress and a bit of a rush at the end.

3.5 Stars

I've read most of Lucy's books and some I've enjoyed and others not, but this one sounded good so gave it a go. It certainly set the tone for the book. It did take me a while to figure out and back and forth in time and different POVs.

Some characters I found intriguing and others were very annoying, and again, it took me a while to get them all sorted in my head and who was who. I did like the diary entries, but due to the formatting I found it difficult to read (this was an eBook from Netgalley so I'm aware the formatting probably isn't finished yet). Due to there being no quotation marks in the diary entries, this was also difficult to read at times as I wasn't sure who was saying what.

Also, during the characters it often jumped back and forth with no break up of the scene. However, despite this I did enjoy the story even though it was a little predictable.

Certainly a slow burn, like other Lucy Foley books and one that had the added element of the weird birds, which I did particularly like.

Countryside retreat The Manor has everything going for it: state of the art technology, thoughtful gestures for guests and a host who is out of this world. It’s the new place to be and visitors are willing to spend a lot of cash to ensure they’re there for Midsummer, a time of spiritual importance. Much is planned but behind the scenes, tensions abound. From the staff running the show to the unexpected attendees to those close to the top who are only just hanging on, the solstice supper is one event that shouldn’t be missed. This isn’t a debauched occasion; rather a chance for someone to seek revenge about a secret that happened over a decade previously. Chances are, you won’t be able to predict everything that occurs… which makes reading this quite brilliant.

This is the first of Lucy Foley's books I've read, but I can't move on social media for early praise of it so I was excited to jump in.

It really starts with a bang. It's thrilling and eery and I was really absorbed instantly.

There are a lot of characters, a lot, some more important to the main story than others, but I have picked out who I think are the most important.

Firstly, the ladies; we have Bella, our main protagonist She seemed uneasy, afraid - whether she was afraid of herself, someone else, or the environment, I wasn't sure. But she definitely felt on edge. I felt she was hiding something, but what? What does she know? What happened to her? Why is she there? She was very intriguing.

In contrast, we have Francesca, the owner of the manor. She i very...sort of like a fairy, ethereal is probably the right word. Floating along, used to getting her own way, she doesn't seem to have any cares in the world. But once again, I felt there was definitely something she was trying to repress.

And finally we have Michelle, Francesca's "right-hand woman". She's tough, a bit frightening, but she seems to be a bit too willing to do anything to help her. She felt very much like a lap-dog. An interesting, if somewhat irritating character.

And then the main men. We have Eddie, he's young, a new member of staff working in the kitchen. He felt a bit naïve, and easily led, but I was looking forward to reading more about him. For me, he started off a bit meek, showing his inexperience, but he soon became quite strong (I won't spoil why or how), and he became one of my most interesting characters.

And then Owen, Francesca's husband. He's an architect, and had a hand in building the manor. He's definitely hiding something. Why did he want to get involved with it? Why is he there? What does he see in her? He was definitely the most enigmatic characters, in my view. There was something about him I couldn't quite understand, which made him interesting.

And then my last character is DI Walker, a policeman called to the Manor during the events (again, I will not spoil the whys and what and wherefores). I know I sound like a broken record, but he was definitely hiding something. There seemed to be more at stake here for him than just a police investigation.

What I found really fascinating was this exploration of class and money, the better off and the worse off, those seemed higher than others, and therefore deemed more worthy or deserving. Those people that are unafraid to irk others if it means they get what they want. They don't consider other people's feelings, they are unimportant.

It's split into three time periods, with the chapters flitting throughout. We have the "before" which includes the opening of the manor and the solstice celebrations, the "after" which, self-explanatory, is set after the opening/celebrations, and then we have the "past", which is given to us via snippets of an (at first) unidentified diary.

I wasn't a huge fan of the diary entries as, even though they did give extra background information into why things are the way they are now, I wasn't' as enamoured about reading about spoilt rich snobs and their use of poorer people. The scenes after the solstice were more favourite. The before scenes are quietly frightening, suspenseful, and then it begins to ramp up and it all joins together very well.

Apparently, Lucy is the queen of the multiple POVs. I have a love/hate relationship with them Get it wrong, have too many, and it gets confusing and bitty and difficult to keep on top of. But get it right, have the right amount, then it really helps give the story extra depth, which this has achieved.

The storytelling is very good, as is the description of place and setting. Very thorough but not bogged down in details. But it's easy to put yourself in the situation because of how well Lucy has described the scene - the smells and noises, the people, the weather, the buildings, the clothing, the food and drink, the flooring.

The one...I don't want to say negative as it wasn't...the one thing that didn't quite click with me was this theme of "birds". I won't go into too much detail as I don't want to make this a spoiler-fest, but there is an ongoing thing about birds - stay away from the birds, keep away from the birds, don't disturb the birds, don't go in the woods at night because of the birds, etc. You're never 100% sure what these birds are, are they real, is it a premonition, a fairy tale, what? And if I'm honest, I didn't really understand them. I mean, in a literal sense I understood them on the page, they're birds. But I didn't get what the point of them was in terms of the story. No other review I've seen mentions this confusion, so perhaps it's just me. I was just expecting this big reveal about them, and it never found it for me, so I'm still a bit confused as to what the point of them was.

It's got a quiet, subtle thrill. For me, it was all about what could be. What is hiding in the shadows. Are people who they say they are? What are people hiding? What is the truth? A lot of it is implied and for me that's more uncomfortable than if there was an obvious scary villain crawling the pages.

What makes it a good thriller for me, is how everything comes together. You're reading it, enjoying it as it is, reading the before and after. And then things start to click, start linking together and you find your jaw has dropped. Things I didn't see coming, but then seem obvious once you've read it. I wonder how it would read if I was to give it a second go, knowing what I know now.

I read it in am atter of hours, which is proof for me that it was good and enticing and absorbing. It may not have been absolutely perfect for me, but I couldn't keep away from it.

All in all, as my first of her books, I'd say I'm very impressed. The positive reviews were right. It's menacing, quiet but thrilling, unnerving, harsh, with interesting characters and well created spaces. My first Lucy Foley book, but it won't be my last, I'm sure.

I was so happy to be chosen to read this arc as I’ve previously enjoyed Lucy Foleys other books!

I love the dual POVS as I really enjoy being able to see all the different ways people see events and who is reliable and who’s not. I did struggle a little with the pacing which is why I gave it a 4.5 and not a 5 as sometimes it felt like the story dragged whenever we went through the diary entries however I do understand it was needed in order to understand current events going on.

I thought the addition of folklore and legends was really interesting and added a slight horror?? element to it and made the story that bit more suspenseful and put you on edge.

At first I didn’t like the POV of the detective as I felt like it didn’t add anything to what we read from the events the night before HOWEVER I was so wrong and it came full circle and was very much needed.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me this to read!!

a thriller with multiple povs surrounding a newly renovated manor in the small town of tome. I enjoyed the structure of this as we have to piece together the story to figure out who the murderer was, who was murdered, and what happened when the group were kids. it was quite slow to get into but once the story really started i sped through it. I loved the folklore of the birds and the locals fighting the rich

thanks to netgalley for an arc, which will be released on june 6th <3

*The Midnight Feast* is an engaging thriller with a chilling atmosphere and a variety of POVs. The isolated setting enhances the suspense.. However, some plot twists are difficult to believe, and the pacing felt too slow. While the writing is generally immersive, dialogue can feel stilted at times. Overall, it's a solid read for thriller fans. Fans of Nine Perfect Strangers will enjoy the setting!

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.

I struggled a little with this. It took a while to get a handle on the characters. I was about a third of the way through before it really took off for me. This is a story on different timelines which is easy to follow once you get hold of the characters. Like the rest of Lucy Foley’s novels, it’s well written and easy to read but, for me, it just doesn’t have that hold to not put it down. It’s okay but a long way from being her best I feel.

A great holiday read. Moves really quickly and keeps you guessing.
The narrative moves between the current day where an upmarket wellness retreat has taken over a local manor, and, years before where a group of teenagers spend a summer together.
Throw in some creepy local myths and some nice scenery too.
Lucy Foley is great at writing these mysteries and this one ties up beautifully at the end.

This novel starts at the day of the opening of The Manor, a luxury retreat at the Dorset coast. Francesca Meadows still has everything in hand then and even a few locals crashing the woods doesn't faze her. Soon enough it does become clear that some locals hold a grudge against her and even in the hotel there's a guest who seems not to have come to be pampered but has a hidden agenda.

There is a lot of jumping around in time and POV's, not only between past (15 years ago) and present but the present was also further split into before and after the solstice meaning the time leading up to the dead body and setting The Manor ablaze and the investigation afterwards. I could only smile when Francesca's carefully planned evening spirals into utter chaos and nothing is left of her perfect image. I still had to speculate who the dead body was though. I had a pretty good idea - although it was another mystery altogether how a body would end up there - but the author carefully hid the identity till the end. 

The atmosphere became even more eerie whenever the woods and the birds were mentioned. The creepy, gothic vibe was very well done, so if you're a fan of this kind of spooky and dark atmosphere it won't disappoint. I'm not the biggest fan in general of the supernatural vibe but the town's myths were purposefully used and it put me appropriately on edge.

I did have to suspend quite a bit of belief that neither Francesca or her brothers recognize people from the past and it had me shaking my head more than once. If I ignore that then I did love some people from the past popping up again in the present and the revelation of their identity. 

The Midnight Feast definitely wasn't lacking twists and turns. The biggest surprise for me was the identity of a second body because I had someone else in mind but that person turned up - a new surprise - alive and kicking as well in the end.  

The Midnight Feast is a gothic whodunnit that kept the cogs in my head whirring. I wasn't thrilled to the max at the start but the further into it the stronger the sense of foreboding became and the Midnight Feast event did live up to my expectations. Overall it was quite an unnerving read.
(to be published on blog-X-Goodreads etc. 26 May 2024)

Lucy Foley's latest has an atmospheric, intriguing, and enticing premise that had me excited to read this, but unfortunately while I had enjoyed her previous books, this turned out to be a huge disappointment. It is often expected that you will have to suspend your sense of disbelief within this genre, but here the levels required are ludicrous. The narrative that goes back and forth in time is uneven in its pacing, and the teen journal entries failed to capture my interest, whilst the inclusion of some threads in the story are superfluous. With its multiple perspectives and secrets, the past is to haunt the exclusive wellness Manor, with Francesca determined to ensure its success. However, the solstice opening becomes a fraught and disturbing affair with a fire and a body. Some of the twists and turns are a tad too obvious, there is local opposition, and folklore that takes in black feathers and birds. No doubt some readers will enjoy this, but this was just not for me. I hope to like Foley's next book a lor more. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I have loved all of Lucy Foley’s books so far but this one just didn’t hit the spot for me.

In social media promo it’s described as a locked room mystery which it’s not at all which I find a bit strange…

Midnight Feast is set at a Soho House-esque club on the coast which is run by Francesca Meadows. A body shows up after solstice, but who is it? And what happened?

We follow Francesca’s POV, her husband Owen, a guest, a member of staff and a police officer, as well as diaries entries from 15 years ago as the truth begins to get pieced together.

You don’t find out who the body is until right at the end which I found frustrating but if i’m honest is probably the only reason I didn’t give up reading.

There’s also a twist right at the end which is so random and just strange in my opinion. I feel bad giving this a negative review but it just wasn’t great in comparison to her other books at all.

☆ ☆ ☆

thank you to both netgalley and lucy foley for letting me read this arc book in exchange for an honest review!

in my personal opinion this was a really hard read, i did enjoy it for most parts of it but it was filled with so many identities i just didn’t understand it either.

there were too many changes in pov all the time and I did struggle to keep up, the book overall wasn’t bad, i would still recommend