Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

I was always going to love this as I have loved all Lucy Foley's books. Her writing style with multiple POV's telling the story and usually the back story is always spot on.

To me Lucy's books have the same baseline premise. There's an event, there's lots of people invited. Throw in a murder and a ton of secrets and twists and you have a brilliant read.

This time the gathering is at The Manor. A beautiful coast line retreat for wellness and relaxation. The grand opening is on the summer solstice and perfectionist owner Francesca Meadows is leaving nothing to chance. What she doesn't count on is the events of fifteen years previously coming back to haunt her. When the midnight feast is prepared on the evening of the solstice the ghosts of the past finally arrive.

As I said I loved this. I found The Midnight Feast a little darker than the authors previous books. I think this is because you get drawn into the eeriness of the forest and the folk lore of The Birds.

Highly recommended five stars.

Lucy Foley just gets better and better and this is by far her best book yet. Completely gripping from the first page, right up until the end. A dark sinister story full of mystery, thrill and fear.

This was fun! I really enjoyed The Midnight Feast: full of twists, grudges and suspense. The book was set in a forest, full of dark folklore and deadly secrets. The stories of the characters kept getting more and more intertwined, making me gasp at a few reveals. I loved the atmospheric writing and the intensity of the events, supported by the unpredictability of the characters. Lucy Foley has given us a great story! I did however predict some of the twists, resulting in the 4-star review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have always enjoyed Lucy Foley’s thrillers and was looking forward to this. I enjoyed the experience reading ‘The Midnight Feast’, however I did find that it was predictable in parts and I didn’t feel the suspense and atmosphere as I felt in her previous books. That said, the pace is good and it kept me entertained and I am sure I will continue to read her next mystery.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC of this book to review.

Foley’s dramatic scene setting is something a reader can rely on. Diving straight into something that feels sinister, or malevolent, the story begins at the inauspicious opening of The Manor, a luxury spa complex.

What I liked about this book is the constant juxtapositions of the polarised aspects. The elegant Manor against the sinister woods. The angelic host versus the malevolent birds. The beautiful “state of the art” crowd and the crass, ever so slightly messy locals. These things constantly butt up against each other throughout the story. The moral to this tale is the danger of being unauthentic, hiding your true self, your true nature. Your secrets.

The story culminates in a thrilling well designed, well staged, Midnight Feast. Foley’s description is vivid, visceral. Will it all go off happily for the guests?

This is an utterly compelling story. By the last page I was crying and laughing. Absolutely brilliant ending. I think this is her best work so far.

I highly recommend The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley.

Iv read all of Lucy Foleys books and iv loved them all, she is definitely one of my auto buy authors, this one did not disappoint. Dark and earie at times, with the creepy woods and bird storyline, it had me gripped until the end. A def whodunnit with interesting characters in a hot summer setting, what’s not to like. Thank you very much to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this early copy, it will def be buying it for my book shelf.

I have read all of Lucy Foley's books and I was delighted to read this one. I couldn't put it down and read late into the night. I think this book is back to her best as I didn't enjoy the Paris Apartment book. The multiple narration, the cliff top setting, the violent death, the creepy bird mythology all combined to draw the reader in to this story. I recommend it to fans of Foley and others who like to work out "who dunnit" and all the other layers and relationships that make her work a gloriously satisfying read.

This book made me feel all sweaty. I'll elaborate. Set during a heatwave on the Dorset coast, The Midnight Feast features all of the classic Lucy Foley tropes I've come to appreciate. We've got a bunch of smarmy, rich and (of course) very good looking 20-30-year olds. A beautiful remote setting, multiple POVs - including in the form of a diary - a big party... and a mystery body. Interwoven with creepy folklore and superstition, this book also has a bit of a spooky edge that I wasn't expecting. Especially in a book set in the height of summer.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I actually really liked all of the sections of the book that were filled with teen angst and, especially, teen girl cruelty. I'll give a very brief run-down of the plot without wanting to give too much away.

The Manor House is a luxurious, swanky new hotel for the rich and beautiful to flee to from their London abodes. On its opening weekend, the owner Francesca has planned a big party. The presence of the elite has upset many of the local businesses and local people, some of whom have been forced out or snubbed in favour of fancy labels from big cities and further abroad. But Francesca has demons of her past that are threatening to catch up with her.

How to review this book!?

The atmosphere and setting were wonderfully creepy, and the interwoven local tales and folklore added to that

The last 40% of the book was full of twists and reveals which had me glued to the pages.

Unfortunately I struggled to make it to that 60% mark. The sections in the present and after were by far the more enjoyable. The sections covering the past were full of inane filler, petty teenage angst and they slowed the pacing of the present/after plot down too much. They felt like any other book that had that same teenage rich/poor, visitor/local, jealous girl vibe.
I didn't enjoy these sections at all. I know why they were needed in terms of plot, but I feel like they needed to stick more to the point or to be integrated into the present/after more. I'm not really sure. I just know that I spent most of the past sections skimming because they all had similar themes and events.

Bit all over the place with that review.

‘The Midnight Feast’ by Lucy Foley is a dark, twisty, eerie tale set on the opening weekend of a luxury deconstructed hotel with glamorous accommodations dotted around the natural Dorset coastal landscape surrounding a grand romantic Manor House… While the setting sounds idyllic, a midsummer heatwave, unhappy locals, mysterious characters and old grudges mean that the midnight feast at the culmination of the celebrations is set to be anything but perfect!

As the book begins, we are introduced to a number of intriguing characters - lone traveller Bella who was drawn to The Manor like a moth to a flame, visionary Francesca who has turned her inheritance into what she hopes is tourism gold, architect Owen who designed the dreamy buildings for his dream woman and dishwasher Eddie who is torn between town loyalty and his paycheck. Soon flames of tension burst from the pages and old secrets are spilled like fresh blood.

The multiple perspectives make this novel compelling, and the shifting timelines from the solstice night revelry to the police investigation the morning after and the reminiscence of a pivotal summer long ago mean that the reader is drip-fed information and connections until the clever tapestry of the story weaves together. I admire how Foley gave distinct voices to her narrators and gave us deep insight into our motivations, and how she used the sweltering heat to ratchet up the stakes. The book also has a taste of the supernatural, with local legends merging with contemporary revenge to great effect.

This was a five star read for me - even though it started a little slow, I was totally gripped by about 40% and binged the rest, eager to piece everything together and hopefully see just desserts served. I’d highly recommend to fans of Lucy Foley’s previous works, Charlotte Vassell’s savage takedowns of the privileged and Catherine Cooper’s addictive destination thrillers.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Harper Collins UK via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

new resort for relaxation is having it's opening weekend but the locals aren't happy to see it there. It's destroying their lives in order to build new and shinny things in their land.

The forest surrounding the Manor is a place you don't want to mess with, scary and unexplained thigs are happening year around and the locals know to stay sawy from it all.

The guest are part of the elite and all there to be part of a special experience and let's be honest, to be able to say that they were there first. But some of the guests aren't who they say they are, they are hiding secrets that can indanger the perfect opening of the Manor and the owner.

The story is being told by multiple povs and in different timelines the past helps to understand the present and see a bit of the future and the aftermath of the opening weekend, it's helpful to understand how everything came to be.

As for the characters I liked some more than others, but it was designed for some of them to be unlikable so I think that was well done.

It was a very interesting story and I liked the build up leading to the Midnight Feast. The multiple povs made it very intriguing and helpful to see each person's motive behind their actions.

I enjoyed the final twists and especially the way it was all revealed.



* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

A dark and atmospheric read. Bit of a slow burner but it soon became a storyline that sucked me in.
Well written characters and once again Lucy Foley did it again.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I was so excited to get an early copy of this book to read and could not wait to dive in. I read this in 2 sittings, talk about a page turner. With its short chapters and multiple points of view, this is a book that is asking to be binge read.

A new high end wellness resort on the Dorset Coast. Opening weekend is sure to be massive, and Francesca will ensure that it is. She is it the only one, unbeknownst to her. I don’t want to say too much about the story, but just know that things don’t exactly go to plan. Dark secrets from the past are threatening to be revealed in a spectacular way.

I really enjoyed the back and forth timelines, learning about that summer 15 years ago through a teenagers diary. I thought it was a very clever way to clue the reader into what was happening in the present. There were so gather nasty characters and creepy dark woods that heightened the tension.

A massive thanks to Harper Collins UK for the advanced copy to read. Publishes on June 6th.

Lucy Foley writes sick great awful rich people. Loved the vibes and increasing melodrama through most of this, although I'm not sure the structure really allowed us to understand the many many characters' different motivations so the end felt slightly unsatisfying when it came.

Thank you NetGalley for this E-ARC

This was the first book I read by Lucy Foley. I had no idea what I could expect. I really enjoyed the multiple point of views. It made the story feel faster and more entertaining. It was easy to understand and I had a fun time getting to know all of the characters. Sadly the plot wasn't something I liked. I did however like the dark setting, it wasn't something I have read before.

For whatever reason, I received two copies of this book, so I am going to be reading the other one and providing feedback on it.

This is the type of party you will be scared to miss! Lucy Foley turns up the heat, and the suspense, with this closed room mystery, taking place in a secluded manor when some well hidden secrets threaten to destroy everything the guests hold dear. A spectacular read!

Well Lucy has done it again! The way she pulls you into a mystery is sublime. The storyline keeps you guessing until the end and I loved that little sucker punch twist - I wasn’t expecting that at all. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Lucy is a go to author for me - I don’t even need to read the blurb to want to read.

‘I do hate it when people let me down’
This is the refrain of one of the main characters in The Midnight Feast, luckily Lucy Foley once again does not let me down. This book is a hauntingly atmospheric dark thriller which incorporates horror and folklore elements. The writing is well paced and intelligent, the reader is often left to infer what is happening rather than being spoon-fed. Set at a newly opened, highly exclusive wellness retreat, this story is told through multiple POVs many of which are unlikeable or morally grey. Nuanced and believable depictions of the ‘class divide’ add yet another layer to the plot, people are not always who we think they are. I really enjoyed the addition of the journal entries and felt this added to the intrigue. The creepiness of the setting and the pagan folklore really kept me wanting to pick this book up and with references to Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’, a solstice celebration reminiscent of ‘Midsommar’ and more than a hint of ‘Wickerman’ vibes this story is not just your standard thriller. As Long buried secrets from the past begin to emerge, there are twists and turns aplenty, some of which are signposted, some of which come as a real surprise and all of which are satisfying and (mostly) plausible. At times this story is dark and cynical but it also has a sense of nostalgia and at times is actually quite heartwarming.
I do think the ending may be quite divisive, in some ways it seems a little too neatly tied up although this didn't affect my enjoyment one bit

Thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this intriguing book in exchange for an honest review

A good read with a slow start. A 'select few' have been invited to the opening weekend of a swanky new wellness resort/spa, The highlight is to be a midnight feast. Unbeknown to the guests, the owner has a hidden agenda linked to her childhood in the village. Then here are The Birds (shades of Hitchcock), a group of locals who dress as ravens and have secret meetings. There are so many points of view that it takes a while to remember who is who and what their past is. The reason for the inclusion of the teenage journal chapters only becomes clear late in the book. Gradually we realise why everyone's been brought here, as the story works up to a dramatic climax.