Lucy Foley has delivered again with a spooky, tense mystery full of twists and turns. I think this might be my favorite so far? Definitely not one to read when you're home alone!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting a review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

Lucy Foley is the queen of: you think you know exactly what is going to happen, only to be hit with a plot twist that seems so obvious yet so shocking at the same time.

This was nothing earth shattering, but I could not put it down after I was halfway in. The plot really engaged me and had an ending I was happy with. The first few chapters had very flowery writing that I was excited about, but then as the book progressed I think the plot took over and the writing took a back seat. I would have liked for the “midsummer gothic” feel to have been more prominent, ie rituals, chants, references to the folklore. I do think these has a unique feel for a multiple pov thriller, as the setting almost feels like horror genre, but toes the line so it stays more on the mystery side. My favorite part of all the characters is getting to do the casting in my head with all their descriptions and personalities.

Fun cast:
Bella - Victoria Pedretti
Eddie - Noah Centino
Francesca - Emma Roberts
Owen - Matthew Daddario
DI Walker - Scott Eastwood

I enjoyed these characters and the way the author always has them come together in the end blows my mind. Lucy Foley will always be an automatic read for me. This was my fifth book by her, and probably my third favorite.

3.5 ⭐️

I liked this one.... it kept my attention and had me guessing who was responsible for what. I found all the characters unlikable, but think that was the point. Def worth the read!

I had so much fun reading this book! Lucy Foley’s writing doesn’t blow me away, and I had to suspend my disbelief occasionally. However, she’s excellent at building suspense and had me audibly gasping on more than one occasion.

This was a great read. It kept me engaged and I finished it easily. The characters were developed and the story line was great.

I enjoyed the setting and the characterization. The structure was interesting, and kept me guessing and wondering until the end. I enjoy this author

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

This is the third book by Lucy Foley that I’ve read (previously read ‘The Guest List’ and ‘The Paris Apartment’ [did a podcast episode on this]) and I think this was the most intriguing. It’s funny that this book gave me “The White Lotus” vibes before I had even started watching the show.

I won’t share any spoilers in terms of the specifics of my guessing but I eventually guessed correctly the multiple mysteries of this read. With that, I liked that this wasn't a typical one death and guessing who killed them but rather a web of lies and multiple options of potential victims that could’ve been the dead person or persons. That said, I did find the story to be dragged out and I struggled getting into the story. It also could’ve been a lot shorter, at least short of 300 pages. Overall, this was a very interesting read and different from the other two Foley books that I’ve read.

If you like:
The Village/Midsommar
Crime novels
Edgar Allan Poe
Vacay Gone Wrong
Local Superstitions
Thrillers that keep you guessing!

Then you’ll devour The Midnight Feast

Welcome to The Manor, a luxurious one-of-a-kind estate settled in a forested area of Dorset. Francesca Meadows aspires to be a bright, shining aura of positive energy and mellow vibes. However, under her surface there is a rage that has been burning, no matter how much she tries to suppress it. As the guests of The Manor unwind and make merry, Francesca senses an uneasiness creep back into her life. A mysterious guest, Bella, reminds her of her past. The past she has worked so hard to leave behind. As The Manor’s main event The Midnight Feast draws closer, tensions begin to rise not only among Francesca’s carefully curated environment but from the locals that are furious with Francesca’s disregard for their land and local superstitions. As the events of the evening unfold, who will be unmasked and who will survive this luxury vacation?

This book kept me guessing and guessing, overall I think I got 25% of my assumptions correct! This was such an enjoyable mystery to read. I felt like this story was slow to get into at first, but by the time the diary entries started popping up I was completely hooked. I thought the local superstition surrounding The Birds was woven into the main mystery so beautifully. It all felt very cohesive.

I loved The Guest List by Lucy Foley, but I think The Midnight Feast is my new favorite novel by Lucy Foley!

Highly recommend this book, this will be the perfect addition to your summer reading list! Thank you NetGallery and William Morrow for this advanced digital copy. Publish date 06/17/2024

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. The Midnight Feast has a unique plot in the sense that the victim of the crime is not unveiled until the end of the novel. It was a "fun" experience trying to guess who was going to get the ax (figuratively speaking). I enjoy Lucy Foley mysteries and was glad to have a sneak peek of this one.

What happened in the past 3 days at The Manor that reduced it to ruin? The Manor - it’s the most beautiful, relaxing, and definitely expensive escape that money can buy in its area. Think linen, flower crowns, CBD cocktails, meditative practices, crystals, etc. The community around The Manor? Absolutely not happy about it drawing people to their hometown, having to share the surrounding forest and beach, and potentially even the town secrets. One of which is that the pagan folklore that tells of vigilante Night Birds is very much true. Through multiple points of view in the present and past we learn that there has been a fire at the manor, bodies have been found, and secrets/secret identities are being discovered.

I very much enjoyed this book once I really got into it! I cannot say enough about the atmospheric setting in this one - I had such a clear picture in my mind throughout. The setting of the manner in past and present just gave an overall vibe to the entire book that was fantastically done. There were so many points of view that I’m not sure who to call the FMC, but Francesca is definitely one of them, and she was a delightfully woo woo and crazy character. The folklore in the story was inventive, fun, and very ominous.

I predicted the big secret identity twist but it was still a really fun one and a great idea. The smaller one at the end was a surprise to me, also really fun.

I did find it hard to believe that certain characters wouldn’t recognize one another after 15 years, especially with the close proximity and shared setting. The story did get a little muddied/confusing for me at a couple of points with so many POVs to follow, plus the summer journal from the past.

Overall a great read. This is a great choice for a summer thriller and it’s release date is June 18, which is perfect! Thank you so much to Lucy Foley, the publisher and NetGalley for access to this arc.

This started strong, and I've enjoyed Foley's previous novels, but the last third or so was just a bit too absurd, even for this genre of thriller.

I'm a sucker for anything Lucy Foley puts out, and while the build up was a little slower than I like, this book definitely did not disappoint! Mystery entwined with a bit of magic/myth/folklore made this story almost impossible to put together. 100% did not see the ending as it was written. The story, told from multiple perspectives was woven together over time (multiple timelines) and put together in an ending I didn't anticipate. Would definitely recommend.

The midnight feast by Lucy foley Can one greedy, self absorbed rich woman, destroy a village. Will the village ever be able to fight back

I picked up Guest List a year ago from a little feee library and read it one day, so I was very excited to read this one! From the beginning I couldn’t really get into it but as it got going it got much better! I do think so many characters starts to be overwhelming. I never wanted to annotate until now because I kept having to flip back and forth! Also was not huge on the journal part. Otherwise the mystery itself was really interesting and had my attention until the end!

This was such a great read! Reminded me a lot of Nine Perfect Strangers. A great storyline with some addicting characters. Thank you Lucy Foley!

This was a page turner for me. I could not put this book down. The plot the twist were chefs kiss. I highly recommend everyone to read this book.

The Midnight Feast is the newest mystery from Lucy Foley, which takes place at an exclusive manor along the coast of southern England. Francesca's grandfather recently passed away and left the manor to her, and she's renovated it to be a resort for the elite. Opening weekend doesn't end the way she planned, but instead, with the manor enveloped in flames and a death toll. The book follows Francesca, her husband the architect, a mystery guest, and the kitchen help during the weekend - as it's slowly revealed the horrors that happened on that land in the past, and now the present.
This book was a slow burn, and very atmospheric. I've read The Guest List and The Paris Apartment, and loved them. However, this one is slower and took more time to get into. I did love the folklore aspect, and the reveals of how all of the characters are unwittingly connected. If you're a Lucy Foley fan this is worth checking out, but maybe start with The Guest List if you're new to her!Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Midnight Feast grabbed me right from the start. I loved the atmospheric Tome Manor and the multiple POV that Foley is know for. Tome Manor is a creepy manor in the woods with secrets and folklore. Basically it has a dark past and when a body is discover the police are called to investigate and secrets are uncovered. I loved the back and forth time line and how immersive the story became. Thank you Net galley for the virtual copy in exchange for my review.

I like Lucy Foley's work - it's twisty and focused on group dynamics. She may be caught up in her own success where this book had needlessly too much mystery and for no reason. Suspense and tension needs to be earned and not expected by an author. The story was far fetched and we never understood the villains motivations - she is a broad stroke text book villain, and we are expected to hate her. The timing is weird too - only 15 years have passed since major characters have seen each other and no one seems to recognize each other. I understand that we have to suspend some disbelief as we read but this was too much.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher William Morrow for my e-ARC! It’s opening weekend for a posh new hotel that has invaded a quaint seaside English village. Now it’s the locals vs Francesca Meadows and it’s about to get deadly! Never underestimate the power of ancient local lore. I normally cringe at multiple POV books (typical Lucy Foley), but this fast paced and super twisty thriller had me hooked. Get through the first few tedious chapters and things get dicey and you won’t be able to put it down. A solid 4.25 stars!

Release Date: June 18, 2024