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.

The Midnight Feast pulled me into its entrancing embrace and refused to let me go. Lucy Foley simply is a master of the genre.

I really enjoy Lucy Foley’s style of writing and the way she plays with the expected structure of a mystery narrative, seamlessly threading together complex narratives that often play with the linear structure. She smashes it out of the park again in this claustrophobic and chilling read. It is my favourite of hers since The Hunting Party and that book set my standard of modern thrillers, so it was not easy to surpass.

This is the kind of book that sends a shiver down your spine – it walks that line between supernatural influence and human monstrosity so well. You are keenly aware of this isolated settings and the local legends that swarm around it. From that arresting opening, you are all in. Foley expertly balances different timelines and characters’ narratives, giving you glimpses of the larger jigsaw picture you are slowly piecing together. It is a well-layered mystery, with secrets to uncover in both the past and present timelines that utterly distort everything you’ve read so far. The mystery is just phenomenal, with so many rabbit holes to lose yourself burrowing down. There are plenty of smaller clues seeded earlier on that build to devastating and explosive conclusions. All the time you are on the back foot, trying to understand exactly what may have occurred and why. In short, this was exceptionally executed and will be recommended to everyone I know.

The entire concept of this book is genius. We focus on the ultimate ‘wellness’ retreat, The Manor, which allows Foley to skewer certain stereotypes we may expect to see in this space. It is a symbol of immense privilege, causing tensions to rise amongst the locals, with a sinister history and folklore associated with the site. All of this is kindling for the roaring inferno Foley has planned. That folklore edge allows for the suggestion of the supernatural to come into play, adding a new element to the mystery that makes it that much darker and ambiguous. The shadows seem a little more ominous than before. Your mind goes into overdrive as we follow several characters, all with their own voices that hook you in even as you may despise them a little. There are a multitude of secrets here and almost everyone has something more to them than first seen. I would recommend going in with as little information as you can and just let Foley take you on a wild trip through the woodland.

The Midnight Feast is one of my top five mystery reads of the year so far – it is a chilling, character focused and carnivorous beast that will tear everything in its path apart. At once it is pulse-pounding and slowly builds its dread to a conclusion that I will not forget any time soon.

In some ways this was another brilliant, classic Lucy Foley book - I was gripped from the start and there were lots of twists I didn't see coming. However I found that this had a much darker and supernatural undertone than any of her other books.

I really enjoyed the element of mystery that was introduced and wondering what was real, and what could be that supernatural element that was underlying throughout.

I did find it slightly tricky to keep up at points due to the various story lines and characters, but it had a really satisfying ending that tied up all the loose ends. Overall I loved it, and would recommend to any thriller lovers.

The Birds are coming.

The wicker man meets holiday memories of a teenage girl.

I loved this book. Fast paced. Intriguing characters. Plenty of surprises. Will keep you guessing until the last "summer solstice" crashing ending.

Meet Sparrow, Frankie, Shrimp and a host of Tome characters. Gorgeous setting. Folklore filled. Read this book

Have never been disappointed by a Lucy Foley book and this was just as good as promised

The Manor has always had rumours attached to it and the grand reopening by the owner Francesca Woodland aims to quash these, but what she has not accounted for is a guest from her troubled past who intends to confront the tragedy that has haunted her from childhood to adulthood.

Told from several narratives and the inclusion of Bellas teenage diary helps the plotline wind its way to the explosive final where secrets and reinvented pasts are exposed.

I have read 2 of Lucy Foley's books - The Hunting Party and The Guest List and the general conclusion I came to, was that she followed a fixed formula for her plots- a group of friends/family getting together on a remote location, a little dark history behind the place, lots of sinister secrets and a couple of relationships that have festered and soured, and then there is a murder and mayhem breaks loose. After reading The Hunting Party, I felt I needed a break from this formulaic plots but almost 2 years later, when I picked up her book again, I did enjoy reading it and was looking forward every day, after work, when I could get back to my book.

Francesca Meadows, the owner of The Manor, a lavish retreat in the middle of the woods, is expecting a grand opening weekend for her ambitious hotel. But one of the guest has a hidden agenda. Things start going wrong right from the start- what with local residents resenting the new hotel invading their space, the urban legends that slowly and horrifically start coming true, and Francesca's past catching up with her present. There are some spooky moments in the book, but nothing that can be categorized as horror. As with most of Foley's book, there are multiple POVs(though it doesn't make the narration confusing) and the plot jumps between two timelines, giving us glimpses of the history between the characters.

Although I enjoyed reading the book, the major downer for me in this book, is that the mystery was kept under wraps for too long and it felt a little too much of a drag, even when readers have already figured out the obvious. Other than that it was an entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy of the book.

The Midnight Feast was another disappointing read from Lucy Foley. Unoriginal and far-fetched plot, cliche characters, weak writing. I am actually struggling to find anything I liked about this book. Possibly, the narration as I listened to the audio version, although it wasn’t enough to make me enjoy the story. Unfortunately, this one was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟🌟✨/5
Considering how this got off to an extremely Rocky start, I was fully expecting to give this book two or even one stars. I'm glad I pushed through, though, because this was a very fun read! While far from perfect, The Midnight Feast is an entertaining thriller.

I initially hated the first person narration but got used to it soon enough. All the characters except Eddie are flawed and terrible people, which is why I didn't really like reading from their perspective. Francesca's POV was particularly annoying to read. The pacing was a little slow for me. I really enjoyed the dual timeline narration and the way all of the individual plotlines came together in the climax. The first 70% was agonizing to read, so I cannot give this 4 stars or higher. However, I was unable to put this down once the plot twists started dropping. There were some too convenient moments, though.

Overall, the midnight feast is a fun thriller and I'd recommend it to those who want to read something that doesn't require too much thinking.

This atmospheric mystery failed to get me invested in its story as I never felt connected to its characters. This meant that when plot reveals or twists were delivered, I wasn’t affected.

The novel examined class and status, with a definite focus on rich people being the problem. The main characters each had their own distinct perspectives and narrative voices... but I didn't feel attached to them; not even young, clueless Eddie. The diary entries were written in such unrealistically high detail and there was a lot (too much?) weird bird drama. The plot offered up surprises, but I never felt the shock of them – probably due to my detachment to the characters. Unfortunately, this novel was a disappointment, as I have enjoyed the author’s books in the past.

I absolutely loved this book. I have read several of Lucy’s books and this is one of my favourites. The story moves alongs nicely and there are a few twists I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed the different timelines and the first person POV. One for your summer list.

I've loved previous books by Lucy Foley, and The Midnight Feast did not disappoint! Foley is an expert in weaving disparate story threads together so that the conclusion is completely credible while still taking the reader by surprise.

The author presents us with a dizzying array of characters where - from the outset - it is clear that no one is quite who they seem. I like the way the story was narrated by different voices who dropped in subtle clues as the story progressed. I also enjoyed how the story moved between the past and the present day, giving an understanding of character motivations.

One of my favourite reads so far this year - I look forward to seeing what Foley will come up with next!

The Midnight Feast is a gripping, twist-filled, edge-of-your-seat read packed with secrets.

The book opens very ominously with The Woods and a short but very eerie description. It’s a very gripping opening, raising questions and drawing you in to what’s happened. We are then thrown into June 2025 as The Manor retreat opens. It alternates between two timelines; the opening night and the following day.

The story is told through the many perspectives; Bella, Eddie, Francesca, Owen and DI Walker. A lot of characters but some feature more than others. The main focus is around Bella as we hear from her the most and she’s a focal character in both present and past. You don’t get to know an immense amount about her present day life but I still felt I knew her well through her past and her present actions at The Manor.

I found myself really immersed in the present day timeline, enjoying the snippets learnt of the characters pasts. They are all really fascinating, with so many secrets and history from themselves and sometimes between one another. The way they interact and entwine is fascinating, I haven’t enjoyed a set of characters this much in a long time!

Lucy Foley is undoubtedly the queen of multiple character viewpoints. She really makes you feel for each character, effortlessly drawing you in to their point of view. Even though some of the characters I didn’t particularly like, I still felt invested in them which is just a credit to Lucy Foley’s writing!

The Manor is an exclusive resort, the kind that draws you in with its expensive exclusivity and free gifts aplenty. I loved it as the focal point of the novel, the key point of secrets and mystery. It’s really well described from the offset and I was immediately drawn by it, feeling like I was there and involved in all the happenings and mystery.

I enjoyed the mysteries, particularly the mystery of the body and the unknown person. I was always to eager to have answers, to know more and to discover the truth. The summer journal was a great addition, learning so much of what happened in the past through a different format, written by a teenager provided a differing perspective.

The twists in the novel were brilliant and I didn’t connect any of the dots! I finished the book feeling completely astounded and had to take some time to process it all – such a lot happens and it’s expertly written. A truly surprising and thoroughly engaging novel.

If I don't need to do my adult life tasks, i think I'll devour this book in one sitting!

Welcome to The Manor
Francesca is launching the opening of The Manor around The Solstice. This is a really expensive retreat hotel just for those with deep full pockets. Among the guests is Bella, someone who clearly has a history with The Manor and Francesca.
With the development of The Manor, Francesca sealed off the access to certain areas, which makes the locals aren't happy about it.
So...
The Midnight Feast will be sabotaged...
What happened fifteen years ago will be revealed...

The story is narrated by five different POV and there are lots of back and forth of the time line, while it's a bit intimidating at the beginning, i can say that the story, the plot, flows really well. It didn't confuse me at all!! I'm so glad that I braved myself to dive into this book. A solid 5 stars from me.

Welcome to The Manor, a luxurious retreat situated deep in the Dorset woods.

Francesca Meadows, a wholesome, hippyish, and spiritual woman in her 30s, owns The Manor. She inherited the land from her grandfather, and she feels an affinity for the place, as that’s where she used to spend her summer holidays as a young girl.
Owen Dacre is an architect who designed The Manor. He is also Francesca’s husband and madly in love with her. They married after a short, whirlwind romance. On the surface, they present a united, happy front.

The guests arrive at the Manor to celebrate the Solstice. It is also a very hot, scorching summer. Enemies (who pretend to be friends) gather at The Manor, drinks run free, and it won’t be long until someone ends up dead…

I LOVED this book.

Lucy Foley really knows how to spin a mysterious and tense narrative. I enjoyed how the book was written: diaries from 15 years ago, points of view from different people from before and after the solstice. It really kept me guessing all the way to the end.

Every guest had a secret, even the owners of the place.

There was a supernatural element to the mystic ‘Birds’ – an ancient belief in creatures who looked after the locals and served justice as they saw fit. The local community really believed in them, and there was a certain malevolence when people talked about them. It gave a Hitchcockian feel to the story: remember ‘The Birds’ with Tippi Hedrin? I recommend you watch the film; it’s a classic.

Overall, it’s a fantastic story with many twists along the way.

I definitely recommend it.

Many thanks to Harper Collins for my NetGalley widget.