I have read Lucy Foleys previous books and loved them all. I was excited to be given the chance to read the advanced copy of her newest novel, and although I found it different to her other books, it did not disappoint.
The luxurious spa retreat, set in an ancient wood, is a fabulous setting for mystery and murder. The story is told between two timelines, the characters are intriguing, and no one is who they seem.
At times, the plot is dark, a mix of folklore and the supernatural, it kept me guessing to the end.
A fantastic read.

The Midnight Feast low-key gave me Midsommar vibes, it just didn't feel as brutal as the film and it sadly wasn't very exciting.

The story is set in the Dorset Countryside, between ancient forests and beautiful coasts. I liked it.
All of the drama basically happens in less than three days, except for the flashbacks in form of a summer journal. We got 'before', 'during' and 'after' the solstice' chapters, most of them were short, that was really nice. It's just that there were in every chapter only very small hints and explanations, just enough to keep me reading but not enough for it to be thrilling. So in the end, I wasn't suprised at the outcome at all, unfortunately. The mystery wasn't as good as I expected and the supposed to be creepy and huge birds could have played a much bigger role in the story.
The different characters' pov's were well written. You could distinguish between them easily because they had different motivations and they felt very realistic. The writing style was also different in each of them, kinda adapted to the characters.
All in all, the story wasn't as impressive as I thought when reading the description.

3 ☆ stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Once again, a great thriller by Lucy Foley. The setting of a hotel for rich people pretending to want to connect to nature while actually just having a luxury retreat was wonderful. Francesca‘s character in particular was such a pointed satire, I loved it.
Overall I have to das that this book did not hook me as much as the previous ones. Also the epilogue and the whole birds storyline was not really my thing.
Nevertheless I was well entertained and enjoyed it.

I've really enjoyed Lucy Foley's previous works - she's fantastic at creating tension and intrigue. This was no exception. Once again, she has created something that's hard to put down. The pacing was great and the length of the chapters were perfect. I didn't like most of the characters, but that wasn't a bad thing in this case. The big twist was perhaps a little underwhelming, but there were still parts that genuinely surprised me. Overall, another winner from Lucy Foley!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know when there is just one author who you know will never disappoint. Well that's Lucy Foley right there. I was so excited to get the chance to read this book ahead of publication and I can tell you it was totally captivating. Only Foley can knit clues, tell you who did what and why and still surprise you with that twist you never saw coming.
The story opens with Francesca Meadows and her dashing young husband Owen. They are the picture postcard couple who have designed and created a magical wellness retreat at Tome Manor, A place inherited by Francesca from her 'Grandfa". Francesca, however, is not all she appears to be and the mask begins to slip very early on. No one is buying this crystal rubbing, mediating priestess facade, even Owen has his reservations. Both have their own secrets which are about to unravel.
The couple, with their carefully selected staff, are preparing for the big weekend opening of what promises to be tranquility in nature. The local residents however have different ideas as seen when some attempt to run havoc on the beach : They object to the couple privatising their public beach, stealing their businesses and their village being overrun by an influx of spoilt rich visitors.
There is one particular visitor Bella, who stands out, she is alone and acts suspiciously, carrying magazine cuts outs of Francesca in her bag. Bella proves to be the link between the past and present. Through her narrative we are taken back fifteen years to the summer where she meets the enchanting middle-class Frankie and her two cruel brothers. Like her, they are holidaying with family in Dorset. Together the youngsters embark on some eerie adventures in the woods. One of which includes the sighting of a series of supernatural birds. As the plot returns to the present, a rather hapless kitchen-hand Eddie, takes up the narrative filling out the missing timeline and adding flesh to the local characters. Things come to a head during the Solstice midnight Feast and our protagonist gets more than she bargained for. Its not just the guests that are unleashed.
This is a story of secrets, murder and revenge and with enough hint of the supernatural to keep the pages turning. One for the ladies!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this brilliant book. It's one to read.

I've enjoyed previous books by Lucy Foley, so was pleased to be granted a review copy of 'The Midnight Feast'. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley - opinions, as always, are entirely my own.

This book centres on the opening of an exclusive resort, The Manor, on the beautiful Dorset coast. Guests flock to the high-end luxury and anticipate a fabulous solstice feast, all overseen by the owner of the great house, Francesca. However, the site has a dark past and some of the guests are perhaps not welcome. When a body is discovered at the base of the cliffs the day after the solstice party, the police have a task on their hands to unravel the events of the past that have brought The Manor and its guests to its latest tragedy.

I love this kind of book - lots of different perspectives, a split timeline, people hiding their real motives. There's so much to keep me on my toes as a reader and I absolutely never work out the truth! This book is mainly narrated by Francesca, her husband (Owen), a local employee (Eddie) and DI Walker (the policeman). I liked that the story strands were so different, even as I found some of the characters very hard to warm to - as is completely intentional, I believe.

I thought the pace was managed well - there was a real sense of tension as the events built up to the solstice, yet with flashbacks to the events of the past that started to explain the events happening in the modern-day The Manor. I thought it was really well-plotted, although I wasn't a fan of The Birds bits - I won't explain as you'll have to see for yourself, but I'm not a fan of the occult as a story trope. It isn't central to the plot and didn't detract from my reading of the novel, but I'm definitely more interested in the human motivations and frailties.

Overall, I'd recommend this to fans of tightly-plotted psychological thrillers - Foley manages to keep the suspense simmering and throw in some properly eerie ideas as we follow Francesca and company through The Manor and its surrounding woods, beaches and cliffs.

It was an interesting read. The first 60-70% were quite slow and not a lot of things happened. And some moments could have been shorter or even removed. But the last part of the story was way more intriguing. Things took off and the pace got faster. Overall, it was a good novel and I would still recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Really enjoyed this one. Reminded me a little of the most recent True Detective.

Lucy Foley keeps getting better and better. This dark, compulsive and twisty thriller is her best yet. I read it in two days, enjoying the characters, the split time-frame, the satire of wellness culture and the deft spearing of the self-important wealthy visitors who sneer at the locals. Although there’s darkness and danger, the retribution dealt here feels satisfying as well as brutal, and there’s some hope in the final moments. I didn’t foresee some of the zigzagging twists and the last third in particular was utterly gripping, as all the threads were finally woven together so we could see the whole pattern. I loved it - thank you!

Lucy Foley has done it again!! This book was fantastic and kept me guessing all the way through. I love how she kept the identity of the dead person a secret until the end, meaning it was harder to guess the murderer. There were three different timelines within the book, 15 years before, before the death and after which I found really clever as it fed us the information bit by bit, and one timeline would answer a question that came up in a different one. The scene setting was great and I felt like I was at The Manor. Another 5 start read!

This was a highly anticipated read for me after enjoying the authors previous thrillers. It did not disappoint! I enjoyed the dual timeline which built up the tension to a fantastic and unpredictable finale!

I’ve enjoyed all of Lucy’s books but this is my favourite so far. I loved the storyline, the characters and the use of a diary to time-jump. I didn’t see the twists coming either which was a bonus for me.

Thank you Netgalley, Lucy Foley and Harper Collins for this ARC.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

There were quite a lot of characters to keep up with, making it hard for me to really empathise with any of them. I liked the premise of the book but there were a bit too many coincidences for me towards the end of the book.

If you already love Lucy Foley, strap yourself in as this is her best yet! Chapter by chapter we go back and forth through the history of a small town and a select few of its inhabitants. The focus is on Francesca, a rich inheritor of a country pile that she has transformed into a fancy pants retreat. The story culminates in the events of the grand opening weekend where everything that isn’t quite as it seems unravels spectacularly. Our other main protagonist is Bella, one time friend of Francesca, but very much not anymore. I won’t go into any more detail as I don’t want to spoil it. Just take it from me, grab a cuppa and clear your diary as you’ll want to read this in one sitting!

I have thoroughly enjoyed Lucy Foley’s back catalogue – from her debut historical dramas to more recent large cast ensemble murder mysteries – so when I heard she had a new book out, it was a no brainer to request a copy from Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“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”

The Midnight Feast has a very similar feel to recent Lucy Foley books – told from multiple points of view from different characters and over different timelines. You know that something awful has happened at a new countryside retreat and a dead body has been found on the beach – but you don’t know who the victim is until quite near the end of the book. The storyline jumps between present day – both pre and post the grisly discovery – but also back in time to the early 90s with extracts from one of the character’s teenage journals.

I have to say that what I’ve enjoyed about Lucy Foley’s books before is that they feel well written and ‘literary’ despite being contemporary fiction – but I found that the chapters from the flashbacks felt a bit forced and ‘she said, she did’. I can see that this is because it’s written in the style of a teenager – but I felt it made the book a little disjointed and not up to the usual standard of writing (but fully appreciate this is probably just my taste!)

There is also quite a lot of ‘black magic’ and mystical folklore referred to – specifically ‘the birds’, This is not my vibe at all – and I would actively avoid books with this in – or even TV programmes with such references – but I was happy to give it the benefit of the doubt and push on through because I’ve so enjoyed the author’s previous books! But this does mean I didn’t get references to ‘The Birds’ or ‘Midsommar’ as I’ve not seen or read either.

None of the characters are particularly likeable (apart from Eddie the barman) and all have their own secrets that as a reader you are party to from their chapters, and it’s interesting to see how these unravel and are revealed to other characters.

The descriptions of the countryside retreat are excellent – and you really get a feel for being there, and the suffocating heat – and the venue does sound amazing.

As you’d expect from a Lucy Foley book there are loads of twists and turns, with characters from the ‘flashback’ chapters intertwining with those in the current timeframe. Some I guessed, some with hindsight I should have guessed, and some were a complete shock – a perfect recipe to keep you just smug enough but still shocked and intrigued by the storyline.

Although I’ve been a bit moany, I really enjoyed the book and was desperate to see what happened in the end – and I thought the end very satisfactory in tying up lots of loose ends.

A big thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC – it’s out in early June 2024, so not long to wait – a perfect summer read.

1.5 rounded up to 2/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the digital ARC but I think I should probably kiss goodbye any approvals from you guys after this review but I can’t hold the rage in I’m sorry.

Lucy Foley has written at least 3 books about: rich people celebrating/vacationing at a remote/fancy location where something weird/tragic happens, everyone knows each other, they have dark pasts and someone ends up dead.
It's recycled material at this point.

My main issues with this iteration of the same-ish plot line were:
• There were no trigger warnings in my ARC when there should definitely have been.
• Foley clearly thinks that by mixing POVs, timelines and also having flashbacks in the form of dear diary all in the same book used at the same time is not lazy and messy but intelligent and revolutionary.
• Just to stress this point enough I’m not just being picky here. She literally added 5 POVs, timelines for 15 years ago from the diary that turned out to be a whole lot of nothing btw, before/after/during the feast, a month later AND I’M PROBABLY FORGETTING SOME MORE. Now look me in the eyes and tell me if all of this shit is considered as intelligent writing.
In my humble opinion, taking a simple premise and making it extremely incoherent for anyone to follow doesn’t make you a clever mastermind.
• Besides that, the writing is really mid at best. Who tf wants to read 350 pages of thoughts from 5 characters! or detailed descriptions of surroundings and mundane everyday tasks?
It was giving Ruth Ware and Stacey Willingham.
• The majority of the book is just creepy vibes, creepy legends and vague descriptions off of a teenagers diary. I don’t know what kinds of adults Foley is associating with but none of the ones that I know would ever be creeped out from any of that.
• She really uses every thriller cliche you could possibly imagine. Hearing screams from the woods at night? You bet those intelligent, self preserving, logical, well written characters with killer instincts are gonna run head first into that.
• Somebody needs to enlighten her to the meaning of banter. There’s a cheating scene that was completely avoidable because it servers no purpose, it makes no sense and it’s disgusting.
You either go all the way ridiculous with shit like that or you don’t touch them at all, this weird half assed/out of nowhere thing is just for getting reactions or checking out trope boxes and it needs to stop.
• Up until the last 30% almost nothing happens 🥱
• Then shit starts happening towards the end, we get a few good twists that I didn’t see coming but they’re nowhere near enough to save this whole train wreck.

Overall, save your sanity and not force yourself to overcome the messiness and the confusion.
IMO it was really not worth it.

A twisty, intriguing mystery with a really interesting premise and Foley's trademark multiple pov approach: "The Midnight Feast" does deliver what it promises, but also nothing more.
The setting for Foley's newest novel is intriguing enough. There's an old manor, renovated and built into a luxury retreat by Francesca, an enigmatic woman of impeccable looks. It's surrounded by atmospheric and a little mysterious woods which, as the inhabitants of the small village nearby will attest to, is ruled by a shadowy entity called "the birds" - and the birds aren't happy with Francesca's plans for the place. Fast forwards to the titular Midnight Feast, the grand opening of the new retreat - complete with a terrible fire and a dead body.

The mystery of what happened before that fire and who the body and the killer are is intriguing, yes. The general vibes of the ancient forest, juxtaposed with the modern luxury society it surrounds, are perfect. Still, I was never really absorbed. For one, I just didn't care for any of the characters. They were all different shades of unlikeable, and not in the good, intriguing way. The only likeable one was the young dishwasher Eddie who kinds of by accident gets entangled in the whole mess, and there wasn't much to him either. I also felt like most of the book and its twists were pretty predictable, and the red herrings too obvious to fall for them.

So yeah, in the end this is just a mid kind of thriller that couldn't live up to its cool premise and setting. Still enjoyable enough for a quick read.

This definitely wasn’t my favourite Lucy Foley book unfortunately. I felt very scattered when reading and I couldn’t get myself to pick it up.

I did like how everything came together at the end though. It was like a big ‘ha-ha’ moment of realisation every time a new bit of information was revealed.

The characters weren’t very likeable at all. Which was probably the whole point but I couldn’t stop the feeling of wanting to give everyone a shake every time they did something questionable.

Probably won’t read this again which is a shame but I’m looking forward to the next Lucy Foley book nonetheless.

A chilling thriller full of creepy folklore, pagan practices, deceit, manipulation, and deadly secrets.
I really enjoyed reading this. Lucy Foley has a talent for interweaving multiple narratives without making them confusing.
I loved the characterisation particularly of the more questionable characters.
The midnight feast theme works well and goes way beyond innocent childish snacks at midnight. These feasts are debauched and dangerous.
Throughout I felt it had hints of and nods to the films, Midsommar and The Wicker Man, and Hitchcock's The Birds, along with the TV series, Yellowjackets.
A twisty, eerie, and startling read.

Lucy Foley is a master of addictive, multiple POV thrillers! I’ve recommended several of her books to friends, and The Midnight Feast will definitely be added to the ‘must recommend’ list. Her characters are always so layered, and the settings are so captivating that they often feel like characters in and of themselves!

With some authors, multiple points of view can be confusing. The characters are difficult to keep in order, and I often vastly prefer one or two of the POVs over the others. That is not the case with this one! As in all her books, Foley's unique narrative style ensures that each character feels distinct and holds my attention. I love watching their flaws come to light, and trying to figure out who makes it at the end keeps me turning page after page. While there were a few predictable twists, I was genuinely shocked by many occurrences.

One of my favorite parts was the use of Bella’s teenage journal to take us back 15 years to the events that changed the trajectory of her life. I also loved all the secret identities it helped to reveal as the book went on. Additionally, the way the towns’ superstitions persisted for so long felt much more believable when presented with Bella’s first-hand teenage experience.

The Midnight Feast will have you on the edge of your seat, eager to see the mysteries of the Manor revealed. If you love wild twists and turns, eerie forests, or books about people who like to dress like a background character in Midsommar, this needs to be your next read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.