The Midnight Feast - Lucy Foley

I have read a couple of other books by this author and was really pleased to be able to listen to this one as an audiobook. I thought the story was really well paced and narrated excellently, I loved the characters and their backstories. I also thought that the writing was very atmospheric. I raced through the book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Many thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio for the chance to give my honest thoughts

Since I really enjoyed the Paris Apartment I was looking forward to listening to the new Lucy Foley book!
This time we find ourselves in an old, historic estate, transformed into a luxury wellness hotel by Francesca Meadows, the granddaughter of the original owners.
Francesca’s made it into a high-end retreat, but the locals aren’t thrilled about it. Strange events start happening around the property.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, keeping the story fresh and engaging. It also moves back and forth in time, especially as a woman from Francesca’s past shows up at the Manor’s opening weekend. She’s determined to reveal all of Francesca’s dark secrets.

The audiobook is narrated d by Roly Botha; Laurence Dobiesz; Joe Eyre; Tuppence Middleton; Sarah Slimani and although I usually prefer a one-person-narration it worked perfect for this story!

Thank you #NetGalley # HarperCollins for this audiobook

The narrators are the best part of this audiobook. Really bringing the characters to life.
The changing timelines and different POV make it difficult to follow at times but the characters are quite distinct.
The setting and the summer solstice give the folklore and birds a big part in the story.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

Ohhh, this was a fast twisty ride! I love Lucy Foley’s books, so was over the moon when I received an ALC.

Short chapters, multiple POVs and duel timeliness kept me guessing right to the end. There were some surprising twists, clever plotting and atmospheric scenery ensuring a totally entertaining read.

Full cast of narrators - Roly Botha; Laurence Dobiesz; Joe Eyre; Tuppence Middleton; Sarah Slimani were fantastic and made for a bingeable listen.

Huge thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for my ALC -I loved it!

The Midnight Feast is a dual timeline, multi POV mystery thriller surrounding the opening weekend of a brand new luxury retreat set against the wild Dorset coastline where tragedy strikes over a fifteen year long secret. The story is also infused with a folklore element surrounding 'The Birds' and is set around the Summer Solstice.

I was so excited to read this book as I have previously enjoyed The Guest L:ist and The Hunting Party by the same author however I found myself extremely disappointed by this book. I thought the setting was very promising and I usually love reading about rich people's drama so the premise should have been right up my street. The pacing was great initially and for the first 100 pages or so I was very immersed in the book and thought this could be a 4+ star read. The cast of narrators all had very clear voices and I liked that multiple narrators made it very easy to differentiate between the different characters.

However I found a lot of the plot twists to be frankly ridiculous and by the end I found the sheer number of convenient coincidences laughable. Additionally I felt the book lost all momentum for the middle 200 pages and it really seemed to drag on particularly with the constant shifting between timelines and POVs. This book is advertised as being a mystery thriller so I was slightly puzzled as to why the folklore element was included as it shifted the book to be more fantastical which isn't what I signed up for.

Overall this was sadly another disappointment following on from The Paris Apartment and I think Lucy Foley's writing style is maybe losing it's touch for me.

Another great release from Foley! Atmospheric, chilling and full of suspense. I loved the folklore elements and dark woodland tales. This made for such great spooky autumn reading.

I usually love reading books by Lucy Foley, but this one didn’t grab me. I think listening to it didn’t work for me, it’s very back and forth and there is loads happening. It’s a slow burn read with good writing. The characters were interesting and did enjoy them.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators read well, prompted each character well. A 3.5 read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

I really enjoyed this audio book it had me hooked from the start. Nice narration well thought out plot look forward to more by this author

A new thriller with multiple narratives weaved expertly by Lucy Foley.

The beginning felt a bit rough to me. The different voices were very difficult to care about at the beginning and there were too many. And, honestly, how many times will she do the same storyline of working class vs posh at an event? This had the same vibes as The Guest List (which I did really enjoy!)

But, I decided to stick with it and, well, she does it all very well! By the end I was riveted and couldn't stop. Really enjoyed the ending and finding out how every seemingly disparate character was entwined with each other.

I can really recommend the audiobook too, the cast of voice actors did a great job!

While it was an entertaining read, it didn't quite blow me away. The story takes place in a lavish, isolated mansion where friends gather for a fancy celebration. As the night goes on, secrets start coming to light, and things turn deadly.

The Midnight Feast leans into the locked-room mystery trope with multiple POVs and unreliable narrators. This combo is my fave part of the book, and I thought it created a decent amount of suspense - I do love a good guessing game. In saying that, some of the twists didn't quite hit the mark and if you’ve read Foley’s other books, this one might feel a bit familiar.

While it didn't entirely work for me, I always recommend trying a book for yourself.

The Midnight Feast follows the story of our protagonist Francesca as she opens her new exclusive wellness retreat “The Manor” in her hometown of Tome on the Dorset coastline.

She dreams of a relaxed, boujee curated experience for her guests which will bring in the big bucks; however it’s clear from the start that The Birds have other plans.

The story is told from multiple POVs, along a dual timeline, with a snappy page turning pace. Full of suspenseful horror like moments and multiple twists, it’s an easy book to binge. However, at times I felt it was a little over complicated in places and lacking in depth in others.

I switched between the audio and kindle version and found myself a lot more engrossed in the audio. The narrator did a fantastic job at building tension throughout.

Overall, another enjoyable and tense locked room mystery from Foley but definitely not my favourite.

3.5/5

It s open weekend at the Manor. The manor is by the beach and surrounded by woods. Two bodies are found all whilst the manor behind them is burning. I will say the one downside of this book is the that the timeline is all over the place

The story was somewhat predictable and uninspiring. It had its moments of entertainment, but it didn't stand out. Nevertheless, it provided a comfortable and pleasant reading experience, making it perfect for a relaxing coffee break.

As a huge fan of Lucy Foley's writing, I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of THE MIDNIGHT FEAST audiobook in exchange for my honest review. A big thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publishers, HarperCollins UK Audio | HarperCollins.

THE MIDNIGHT FEAST was a lot of fun - I really enjoyed the multiple narrators (both as characters and in the audiobook) and thought the multiple POV translated really well to audio! This had lots of surprising twists and interesting developments throughout, with characters you root for and others you come to root against. I'd definitely recommend this for fans of Foley's work and anyone interested in a fun, dark, gripping thriller.

This was a fun, easy read which fell a tad short when it came to suspense and thrills. I enjoyed the variety of POV’s and while not all of the characters were liable I did have a clear understanding of their motives. I also loved the setting, an exclusive country retreat, which offered glamour and a touch of isolation.

However, the main plot didn’t quite live up to the setup. The story was predictable and easy to guess , the mystery element felt weak and it was lacking an element of danger. This book has the same easy to read and immersive setting as other Lucy Foley books but it wouldn’t be the first one I’d recommend.

This book worked particularly well as an audiobook, with multiple narrators that did a great job of bringing each character to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.75★

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I read this as an audiobook, and it was really great. I loved all of the narrators. I’m especially glad that each character had their own narrator, as there were quite a few to follow. I think it might have been confusing to me if it were done differently. So in that way, the audiobook was perfect.

Thoughts:

- I have to say I really liked the characters. Even though not all of them were likable, they really added to the story. Even Francesca’s POV. I don’t think I had any issues with them overall. Not gonna go into too much detail because there are a lot of characters and POVs. (This might be a book with the most POVs I’ve read so far.)
- I liked the writing. It was very easy, I didn’t have any issues with following the story, pretty straightforward. I might be picking more books by the author in the future.
- However, and this is why it isn’t getting a higher rating from me, I felt like the story was pretty… obvious? There wasn’t that big of a mystery because you know a lot of things quite early. And it definitely wasn’t thrilling nor suspenseful. It wasn’t a bad story per se, it was entertaining. Just not what I hoped for I guess? I really wanted a summery thriller mystery and it wasn’t really what I got. I had fun though.
- I did enjoy the settings and the vibes but it definitely didn’t have Midsommar vibes as I saw it being described - I’m kinda sad about that.

So yeah, overall loved the audiobook! Would recommend. The narrators were really fantastic. I definitely had fun but wanted a bit more.

Thriller set on the DORSET coast

Welcome to the opening weekend of the Manor, “the hottest new rural getaway” run by Francesca Meadows, who inherited and upgraded the family seat. No expense spared, everything on tap, the whole enterprise underpinned by a holistic and wellness ethos. Her endeavours have caused quite a stir in the local community.

It is the Summer Solstice 2025. The novel has hardly opened and we go back to events in 2010, when Frankie (Francesca) was a bored and insufferable teenager, entertaining newly acquired ‘friends’ from the locality. She was forced to spend Summers with her grandparents in Dorset at their stately home, now “The Manor”, whilst her mother was elsewhere doing her thing. We meet people and have insight into events at that time, which somehow filter into the here and now.

Francesca was an unpalatable young woman then and is only more so, in 2025. She is married to the architect who redesigned the family pile, and as the years have passed, she has become even more unpleasant, nay nasty. Unbeknownst to her staff and guests, she has installed spy cameras around the building, so she can monitor all the comings and goings. She has a wonderfully honed public image, particularly in the press and on Social Media, but we are privy to her excoriating thoughts on life and the people who surround her. Snob doesn’t even cover it when it comes to the local yokels; it’s fascinating to hear her stream of consciousness, the author must have had such fun creating her.

We know early on, too, that something devastating happens to the whole set up (a clue is on the book cover ) but exactly what and why is, of course, withheld until late into the story. There are plenty of secrets to be spilled. We understand that the folklore around these parts is strong and there seem to be warnings about ‘the birds‘. The “witches and weirdness’ of the locale, Francesca feels, can be sidelined by her brand of big city, 5* spirituality … but can it?

I listened to this as an audiobook and thought the various narrators did an excellent job in their different capacities. And I was really keen to get back to the narrative after a break so that I could catch up with the dark deeds taking place in the community, which is always a good sign. A good poolside read for Summer 2024.

In the shadows of an ancient wood, guests gathered for the opening weekend of The Manor: a beautiful new countryside retreat. Old friends and enemies circulated among the guests. It had all begun with a secret, fifteen years prior, and now the candles had barely been lit for a solstice supper when the body was found.

This was one of my highly anticipated reads of the year, and I wasn’t disappointed. The setting in an isolated grand-but-creepy manor, the local superstitions and the secretive past created a formula that was highly atmospheric and suspenseful.

Francesca was unlikable by design - I did find her to be super annoying with her fakery. Bella was intriguing - I kept wondering who she was and what connection she had with the group. Eddie was such a sweetheart, I was hoping nothing would happen to him from the start!

Foley’s book is always full of twists and turns and this was no exception. I didn’t manage to guess all the hidden secrets completely, and I was happy for that. The reveal did surprise me in a good way. It was a very fun book that was easy to follow, and the audiobook was performed really well!

I highly anticipated The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley, as I really enjoyed her other releases, and it did not disappoint.
The different POVs were easily distinguishable and had the typical mix of unlikeable and likeable characters. The setting was excellent, and the fast pace made me want to read the whole book in one sitting. There were many reveals that I didn’t see coming and which truly shocked me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

After a couple of books that I gave up on reading, this is a return to form for Foley. I loved the shifting time frames and Although I guess a couple of the 'twists' (and there are plenty!) there were many more that I did not. Clever and atmospheric with a vivid sense sense of place and some truly deplorable characters, I raced through the audiobook of this. The narrators were great. I'll definitely be recommending it to friends who enjoy this type of audiobook.