Francesca Meadows is readying herself and also hustling her team of helpers in anticipation of a celebration feast to mark the opening of her luxury hotel. She’d inherited the Manor from her grandparents and has subsequently invested a good deal of time (and money) transforming this familial coastal estate into a retreat for those with deep pockets. The guests are now in place, amongst them the mysterious Bella, someone who seems to have something of a history with this place, and with Francesca.

We’ll learn how events play out through the eyes of Francesca and Bella, but also through Francesca’s husband, Owen, and a local kitchen helper called Eddie. To some extent it’s hard to like any of the major protagonists, with the possible exception of Eddie: their behaviours are almost always self-serving and very often inappropriate. But the story is told with its tongue often firmly in its cheek, so I’m inclined to forgive it this characteristic. It’s at once wryly amusing, somewhat shocking and intriguingly mysterious.

Some of the locals are not happy that Francesca has sealed off access to areas they’ve always treated as communal, including a stretch of beach. They’re not going to take this lying down, so some disruption to the evening’s proceedings is possible. As we near what promises to be the highlight of the weekend, we also learn more of the history of this place, and some of these people, through a series of diary entries, written by a teenage girl who spent some time here whilst on holiday quite a few years back.

Foley draws these threads together skillfully and eventually leads us to a truly dramatic finish. This is a psychological thriller that pits a selfish desire for social status against history and a desire to right historical wrongs – to achieve redemption. It’s very well done. I listened to an audio version, brilliantly narrated by a team of actors.

Another good thriller by a bankable author.

This wasn't my favourite and had many points of view and some in different timelines so could get confusing but stick with it.

Great characterisation with Francesca being a character you'll love to hate and the audio narration was fantastic..

I really enjoyed this novel and it was definitely a unique story. I found it difficult to get into it initially but I'm glad I continued because there were many twists and turns in the plot that I only half-saw coming. The characters are all well-developed and interesting, and the different narrators truly did a tremendous job in portraying their personalities - especially the narrator for Eddie, who perfectly captured the character's fear and panic at multiple stages throughout the story. I loved the majority of the characters, even those who I hated just as much which is always a sign of wonderful writing! The only aspect I didn't like was the predictability of who some characters actually were and how they were related to each other, as well as the ending. Although it was mostly satisfying and I'm glad that the novel ended the way it did, I feel terrible for Eddie and how he now has to live his life, but overall, this is definitely a book I would recommend!

The Midnight Feast - I listened to this on audible and was treated to a mystery set on the Dorset coast. The Manor is nestled amongst ancient forests and old folklore and the guests are due to arrive! Francesca is ready to fling open her doors of The Manor to her guests where she has created a gorgeous wellness retreat Then things start to happen - prepare yourself for spine tingling moments, plot twists, revenge, a crime from the past emerges and it all ends in murder at The Midnight Feast. Narrated by Roly Botha, Laurence Dobiesz, Tuppence Middleton, Joe Eyre and Sarah Slimani - what a great performance and even more - what a creepy, tension building summer read. Thank you to Harper Collins for my copy of this fabulous book which is out now!

This is my first Lucy Foley book and it just didn't work for me. It was very confusing and not in a "I want to figure out wtf is happening" kind of way, but in a "this makes NO SENSE to me" way.

I'm not a thriller expert. I casually pick them up and I don't have strong feelings about what they should or shouldn't be. The only thing I expect is to be thrilled. Even if I have to suspend disbelief or just go along for the ride, I want to feel the tension ebb and flow throughout the story, to lean forward in my seat, to want to connect the dots. None of that happened for me with this one.

I liked some elements of it, like the incorporation of folklore into the story, which was interesting and unexpected, the dual timeline, and the short chapters, but not much else. Maybe this just wasn't the Lucy Foley book for me and another of her books will work better, but this was a flop.

It's opening weekend down in Dorset for The Manor, a luxury resort and spa for the wealthy, that the locals seem to hate.
As expected, nothing is as it seems and we jump from past to present to hear all the secrets this manor seems to have.

This was my third and final shot at a Lucy Foley book, however she is just not for me.
I DNF the Paris Apartment, nor did I finish The Guest List, but I pushed through with this one to say I've completed at least one of her books.
I felt there was too many POVs to keep myself engrossed, and found myself having to rewind back and listen again as I'd zoned out. The birds... why so much chat?

I'm so glad others enjoyed this book, and it's great to see she has many 4 star and above reviews.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve heard so much about this one and was excited to get stuck in. It’s a listen thats full of murder, secrets, folklore and revenge. It’s told from several points of view in a range of different timelines including diary flashbacks which gave the listen a little something extra. It starts off a bit of a slow burn but stick with it as it’s so worth the wait. The author knows how to weave an intriguing and engaging listen so much so it got me through a road trip to Galway and back. The author did an incredible job and kept my attention throughout. This one is a well developed storyline with mostly likeable characters - oh Francesca 🙈. It’s definitely one for your TBR pile.

The Midnight Feast is a fast-paced, enthralling thriller full of many unexpected twists. This is my favourite Foley book to date.

Set on the opening night of a countryside retreat, the rich clientele and new luxury establishment – complete with spa – causes a negative reaction from local town folk.

We follow multiple narrators, back and forth from the time before, during and after the solstice supper. As readers we aren’t privy to knowing any details about the plot, including what events might take place during the solstice for most of the book. This makes the story an extra suspenseful read and keeps readers hooked until the very end.

The audiobook narrators were also excellent. Sometimes they can make or break a story and they definitely added to the feel of this one, making the characters come alive. Each character felt fleshed out, with their own distinctive voices which was nice as it’s never fun guessing who’s narrating at any given point during a book with multiple points of view.

There are a lot of characters in this book to keep up with. I guess that was done so readers don’t work out the mystery too soon. The four main voices – Francesca, Bella, Owen and Eddie – all come from different backgrounds but each have secrets of their own. Even the most prim and proper of them all, struggles to keep up with the facade of keeping up appearances. Each of them appearing to be messy and complicated which makes for such a fun time. We also see more than just what goes on in the hotel as we take a closer look into their home lives and pasts.

We even get an extra viewpoint from two detectives in various chapters. This added another layer to the story – making the guessing game of what may have happened that evening that much harder to solve. It’s also a unique way of showing the reader a new discovery in the plot without giving lots of information away too soon.

There are many spooky elements to the book, with a big focus on birds and taking care of the natural surroundings as the town believe bad stuff happens to those who disturb nature’s beauty. This was an interesting element adding folklore to the plot because it made the whole thing seem like anything could happen, even if it might not be possible in the real world.

I never once felt bored reading this book. I constantly found myself thinking about the characters and wanting to pick it back up. This is one book I can see being adapted to screen. It’s definitely one to add to your summer 2024 reading list.

An atmospheric thriller set in the haunting woods of a small coastal village with mysterious guardians The Birds. The characters were well developed and I enjoyed the switching between different points of view. No real plot twists and the villian arc was lacking but enjoyable nevertheless.

Another great book from Lucy Foley, and the first audiobook I've listened to from this author. Well written, good characters and the story moved along nicely and kept me engaged during a long commute. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audio book. 3.5* rounded up

Francesca Meadows and her husband Owen Dacre have recently refurbished the Manor House she inherited from her Grandmother. Owen is the architect, who was employed to bring the manor back to life and they fell in love and married.
It is opening night, the newly built hotel and spa is full and Francesca is looking forward to showing off her amazing home. However some locals are not happy and show it.

Also some long buried secret from the past is about to resurface, could this ruin all of Francesca’s hard work?

Bella one of the guests, also has a history with the manor and with Francesca.
In this story we hear versions of events as they unfold and from the past from several view points. (Francesca, Bella, Owen and Eddie, one of the employees from the Manor)
The story jumps from then and now to several days before and the day after. Listening to the audiobook at times it was quite confusing and I had to go back to check which event/timeline it was.
It felt very disjointed at times.
I enjoyed the premise of the story and feel the book may be better as it will be easier to keep track of events.

I found all the narrators enjoyable to listen to

I don’t think Lucy Foley’s writing is for me- there was wayyyyy too much focus on the random social things and not enough on the mystery. When it did get down to the mystery it was good!!! It did take me a second to get accustomed to the multiple POV’s- I’m not sure we needed this many but at least each one added something to the story. It was pretty morbid with all the local legends and creepy things which I really enjoyed, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care much about the plot, I barely understood what was happening until past 60% 😭 I think a lot of people would love this, though, it just isn’t my kind of thriller.

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future.

I loved The Midnight Feast so much ( see my review under the ebook) that when I saw it as an audio book I just had to have a listen - the narrators are absolutely brilliant and bring the story to life, increasing the suspense. When I need to read and listen to both formats I know how much I love a book and this is definitely one of my favourite books this year!

A disappointing book by Lucy Foley. I found the characters to be very 2 dimensional and the whole idea that because someone has money, they are a certain way, and those that aren't so well off another. I finished the book not really caring about any of those in it, and not really sure I could tell you what happened.
The audiobook was well read by several narrators, all of whom gave believable performances.

I’ve read all of Lucy Foley’s books to date, and I enjoyed the character development and plot of this a little more than the previous ones. There were still lots of characters with varying levels of contributions to the story, which got confusing at times but it was good to listen to the story as a full cast audiobook. I liked the mix of diary entries and narrative, although even this got confusing at times and I’m not sure that the police investigation was necessary or that it added much to working through the plot.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Having read previous works by this author, I was thrilled to receive the opportunity to review the audiobook edition of their latest release. And I must say, I was not disappointed! The narration is impeccable in building suspense and creating a dramatic atmosphere, while the vivid writing style immediately immersed me in the story's setting. Despite being familiar with Foley's ability to craft captivating narratives, 'The Midnight Feast' stands out among their works. The fast-paced plot, filled with secrets and mystery intertwined with elements of fantastical folklore, flows seamlessly. While I could foresee the ending, it did not detract from my enjoyment of this highly engaging read.

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 for providing me with a copy of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Foley is the author who got me back into reading in 2020 so when I saw I had been approved for an ARC I was over the moon! I adore Foley’s writing and the atmosphere she creates in her books, this one was no different. I absolutely loved The Midnight Feast and how creepy and isolated it felt. I loved plot twists and the way everything connected; this is a book to binge in one sitting!

The only thing I didn’t love were the pop culture references and the jokes about politicians - I feel like the book will become dated in a few years because of this. Other than that it was amazing!

I really enjoy Lucy Foley's books, this one wasn't my favourite but I did still very much enjoy it. I quite liked the build up by the switching back and forth with timelines and POV's. Characters were good and I enjoyed the overall storyline. I was glad to have read it.

Narration with a full cast was fantastic and really added to the whole feel of the book.