Lucy Foley’s “The Midnight Feast” dishes out mysteries, thrills, and dark secrets with a side of chilling folklore. Old friends reunite at a luxe Instagram generation hotel opening, where guests aren’t who they seem, and hidden secrets from the past resurface. The drama leads to a shocking fire and murder investigation. Expect a fast pace, tons of twists, and a gripping dual timeline that’ll keep you hooked till the last page. Foley delivers another page-turner that’s perfect for those long summer days by the pool.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The perfect summer page-turner

I am a huge fan of Lucy Foley's past novels, so when this came up on Netgalley and I got accepted, I literally was like a child at Christmas.

This is another outstanding novel and I devoured it within a few days, which for me is very good.

I do not want to give too much away on this novel, but it was gripping, fast paced and the characters were just a work of art.

Its the opening night of The Manor, and the story is narrated, as usual, by different characters point of view. I love this concept, as Lucy Foley's writing is not too complicated as I can forget who is who.

The locals are not happy with the opening of The Manor, and then the opening weekend does not exactly go to plan. The twists and turns just kept coming and I was hooked.

The characters were well researched and enjoyable to read about.

Perfect summer read, thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an odd one in many ways. Firstly because it was odd and secondly because often with thrillers I love them all the way through only to be disappointed by the ending whereas this was the opposite. With its pagan and folklore vibes it was too weird and unreal for me throughout until the reveal 'explained' the weirdness and the otherwise all too convenient connections. So a tough read, especially as the characters were also all pretty unlikeable bar Eddie, but rounding up to four stars based on the satisfyingly twisty way it all came together in the end.

Loved this book. It was creepy and I couldn't predict what happened next. I wasn't a massive fan of the ending, or the hint at the paranormal.

Lucy Foley has always captured me with her storytelling, instinctive for the page turner, she keeps me reading into the night. Her latest novel is no exception. The Manor is on its opening weekend. The Manor is the place to be seen, to spend copious amounts of money and to find oneself in a world full of noise.

Except nothing is as it seems and so are the people that work there, the woman that owns it with her husband as well as one of the guests. It seems The Manor was more well known 15 years previous in the local community, for something very different.

Told through different points of view. Told across two different timelines in short sometimes one page chapters to punch home exactly what is going on under the façade of The Manor. The characters were despicable, brave and sad and perhaps it didn’t give me a satisfying ending to some of them. I totally understand why the author went the way she did – sometimes life might give you the answers but never the justice.

Will anyone ever stay at The Manor again because it is not just the people, there is some other strange goings on that no one can name what it is.

A great mystery, that had plenty of visual appeal as it did characterisation and setting, one to be looked out for in 2024.

I need to stop picking up Lucy Foley, because ultimately I don't like her writing style which means I have a really bad time with her books. The writing style was so 'teenager writing their first fanfic' that I don't know how it got published this way. I really don't like the 'I'm talking to myself in my head but I will be super meta and cryptic for no reason, also *nudge nudge* children aren't I so hip and clever'. It really bothered me, making the experience of reading unpleasant. The mystery itself was okay and the last 20% were pretty fun cause of how messy everything got. But the writing and insufferable characters really brought the whole rating down.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.

An absolute blinder of a read. I'm yet to find a book by Lucy that I don't finish and exhale in amazement!
I loved that the different points if view and the changing timeliness just added to the atmosphere, tension and confusion. You just never know what will happen next!

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that dives deep into themes of family secrets, betrayal, and the darkness that lurks beneath perfect facades. The story revolves around the enigmatic Fairchild family, who gather at their ancestral home for a lavish feast. The event is supposed to be a celebration, but tensions run high as long-buried secrets start to resurface. Each family member harbors their own hidden agendas, and as the night progresses, the atmosphere becomes increasingly claustrophobic with a sense of danger looming in the background.

I love that the narrative shifts between multiple perspectives, revealing the web of complex relationships and the dark truths that each character is trying to conceal. Foley’s writing is evocative and immersive. Her use of descriptive language and attention to detail create a palpable sense of atmosphere. The pacing is masterful, with well-timed reveals and cliffhangers that maintain suspense throughout.

3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest book review.

SO excited for another Lucy Foley after a bit of a hiatus. I generally enjoyed this, but sadly not as much as some of her others. The Paris Apartment was a lot to live up to! I wasn't sure in which direction this was going to go and for a bit I wondered if it would be similar to some of the newer fiction (see, Weyward) that would wind witchcraft and magic into a crime novel. I did feel a little disappointed, but only likening it to other titles, generally very enjoyable, kept me guessing until the end!

Lucy Foley has done it again, well done.
Gripping and believable throughout.
Deliciously dark and definitely delightful.
Intelligent, intriguing and interesting.
Two timelines and multiple POVs.
It all comes together in an explosive ending.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK.

The Midnight Feast is a spooky and atmospheric novel with a heavy emphasis on local lore and superstition. In the opening chapters, we discover that someone has been murdered but it isn't clear until the very end who that person is although a few likely candidates emerge as the story progresses.
The opening scene and the last quarter of the book were riveting but I found that the middle dragged with not a lot happening.
I found it difficult to keep track of all the characters and who was narrating as there were multiple points of view and jumps in the timeline. It seemed to take me a long time to finish this book as it didn't hold my attention and I picked up other things to read as I went along.
I may have enjoyed this more as an audiobook.

I adore Lucy Foley's writing, and this is no exception. Well written, she brings wonderful characters to life. Many characters and threads weave together to keep the wonder and suspense with twists and turns. From the upper classes to caravan parks and pagan rituals it's a wonderful read.

I was pleased to receive an ARC of this book for review, as the synopsis sounded good, and I have previously enjoyed this author’s work.
However, having ploughed on to 35% this is a DNF for me, sadly. There are so many POVs, different timelines, and completely dislikable characters that I could not become invested in any of them. It seems to consist of a disparate group of wealthy, hugely entitled people, with not a redeeming feature amongst them.
I hate being manipulated by the drip feed of little bits of information about what occurred- the murder- with no indication of who the victim was. Why was the Manor on fire? Who was responsible for that? The constant switching of POV, back and forth to different timelines, and characters I couldn’t like, even the naive and feeble character Eddie, meant I really didn’t care about what happened to any of them, or who did what to whom.
I will not post this review elsewhere as I did not read the whole book.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Another gripping fast paced thriller from Lucy Foley. This time set in the West Country as the latest bourgeois 'retreat' is launched by the dazzlingly perfect owner, but as you might expect all is not what it seems. Harking back to a chance encounter as teenagers, the action flits between the past and the present resulting in a full paganesque cleansing of past wrongs. Murders will literally be exposed, treacheries uncovered and facades will fall. But which narrators can be trusted, what past revelations will they admit to and who will be the last man or woman standing?

Neither the perfect summer vacation nor the glittering world of the present tells the real truth - a time of innocence can no longer be seen through rose tinted glasses and the present will no longer be silenced. Fabulous!

When you read a Lucy Foley, you know that the story will unfold slowly and there is an air of mystery running through the storyline - The Midnight Feast was bang on brand. Yes, it’s a slow burner but you need to stay with it and the twist was brilliant, I did not see it coming. Very clever writing and how everything ties up in the end was brilliant.

"Deep in the woods they gather. The same clearing they have always used; and their forebears before them, since the legends began. A strange flock. Black-robed, beastheaded. Born of the unknown depths of the wood..."

As usual, I started reading and I just couldn't stop. I found the main 'villain' faintly ridiculous and unbelievable (though they were fun to hate anyway), but this ended up being the perfect read for a long plane journey and for the start of summer. Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-ARC!

I've not read many by this author but what a read.

I really enjoyed from start to finish.

It was harder to read as it jumps back and fore but I still really enjoyed it.

The Midnight Feast is an absolutely gripping story of revenge. I love Lucy Foley's writing, it always keeps me on the edge of my seat! This book was filled with twists and turns that I couldn't keep up with, in a good way.

Another classic Lucy Foley page turner, for me much better than ‘The Guest List’ which I didn’t like. Her ability to write multiple character viewpoints is impressive and keeps the reader on her/his toes with all the secrets and mystery. A good escapist read.

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The Hunting Party - Lucy Foley

Having read the hunting Party years ago and absolutely loving it, but then reading the guest list and not being too keen. I wanted to give another Foley book a go before making a decision on the author. Although a similar format I felt the hunting Party felt different enough to the previous two books that I was really able to get into it and try and work out the twists, none of which I was able to decifer.

The Midnight Feast is set at the opening of a new country side retreat, meant for those who want to experience complete luxury whilst in the middle of nowhere. However, as darkness stirs the woods start to come alive. Old friends and old enemies start to emerge among the guests and the hosts leading to past secrets coming alive.

There's so much depth to the characters in Foley's books, from the start you know every single one has a bigger role to play but you can never work out what the role is, who is bad and who is good. Because of this excellent story telling I was absolutely gripped from the start and was desperate to continue reading to get to the bottom of it, especially once I reached the 50% mark. A great crime novel to read this summer.