Wow! That was an excellent story about your sins coming home to roost. Long ago a crime was committed and now 15 years later, the people who were involved, either culprits or witnesses or victims return to the Manor, now newly changed to a luxury hotel/resort with the owner, Francesca and her new husband, Owen overseeing it all and making a grand opening, complete with a "midnight feast" to take place on the solstice. However, with several parties meddling to make sure the truth is known and the culprit is brought to justice, chaos reigns.

With the short chapters and the different viewpoints from a mystery guest, to the employees of the resort, and of course the owners slowly revealing what happened 15 years ago, plus the actions taken in the present just before the solstice and then the day after, it is a very hard to put down book. Lots of secrets and hidden identities also drive up the suspense. And it is not only the people of Tome trying to save their town from the greediness of Francesca, but also a creepy group which may or may not be supernatural called the Birds. A shadowy force that receives requests for grave justices to be dispensed at the base of the tree of a hundred eyes. The atmosphere of this story is wonderfully dark and creepy and I absolutely loved it and the ending was very satisfying and left a nice feeling that maybe something more than meets the eye had a hand in ending the murderer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to read and review.

Lucy Foley delivers another well-constructed, page turner in The Midnight Feast. A posh new resort (The Manor) is celebrating its opening weekend during the summer solstice. Its clientele includes celebrities and well-off guests that want to experience a bit of the British countryside in a secluded forest setting with a view and access to the beach. Your stay includes well curated activities, a focus on wellness and a special solstice event. The owner is Francesca, a sophisticated and visionary woman who has inherited her Grandparent's property and converted it into this new destination.

Not everyone is thrilled with this new development, specifically the locals who see this as an intrusion into their peaceful town and sees this as a battle between the haves and the have nots. The town also has a bit of a mysterious lore where certain trees are sacred and "the birds" settle disputes.

We start to meet the characters including Francesca, her doting husband, Owen, hotel guest Bella and bar back Eddie, and learn that they are more connected to this place than they realize. Bella spent summers in the trailer park, and we learn she was befriended by Frankie (now, Francesca) and spent time at the Grandparent's manor. The story moves between the characters, but also between the past and the present via Bella's journal that describes the experience as Frankie's "project" and tells of a tragedy that was long since forgotten by some and life altering for others. We also learn there was a fire and crimes committed during the solstice event as we also get the POV of the detective sorting through the aftermath.

I loved how the book progressed and we learned how the characters were related. Knowing what happened to the Manor early in the book built the suspense as we are trying to figure out the "who, what and why". Those with ill intentions were brought to justice, and closure was received for others. I definitely recommend picking this book up!

Thanks NetGalley and William Morrow for supplying me with an advanced copy!

I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I made it about a quarter of the way through, but I still didn't understand what the mystery was, nor did I feel emotionally connected to any of the characters.

I most definitely let out an "Oh shit!" in the staff lounge while reading one of the big twists in this delightful thriller (and I'm a librarian so everyone wanted to know what I was reading). Lucey Foley is just TOO GOOD at weaving multiple storylines and timelines together into a beautiful masterpiece. First we have Francesca, an uppity controlling owner of a new resort that just opened on her family's English cliffside property, with a major secret. Her husband is Owen, an architect who helped her create her vision, but with dark secrets of his own. Then we have guest Bella, who has a connection to Francesca but is hiding her identity while she stays there, and Eddie, a young employee trying to work his way up to bartender at the resort, and whose family farm located next door is in danger of being taken by Francesca to expand the resort. Throw in some dark woods on the property, dead bodies, scary folklore of dangerous birds, and flashbacks to one unforgettable summer, you have a perfect thriller that readers will just devour. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for a fair and honest review.

3/5 ⭐️
Spiciness: 0/5

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollinsPublishers for the opportunity to review this ARC ebook.

General tropes/themes:
- Murder mystery
- Multiple POV (first person)
- Mix of present day and prior events
- Short chapters
- British

This is my first Lucy Foley, and I will say that I really enjoyed how she wrote the multiple POV. Each character had their own narrative voice, and I was able to pick out traits of each based on how it was written, which was neat. The mystery element was intriguing, and I liked the overall story.

The only thing I would say is that it did feel unnecessarily complex at times, which I don’t mind usually, but it did seem to take away from the story a little bit. It made it a little hard to keep track of the characters as well, since there were so many.

When Francesca Meadows inherits her grandparents’ manor on the Dorset coast and turns it into a luxury resort for the elite, the shadows of the past and The Birds come looking for her.

The Midnight Feast is told through five POV (four in first person and one in third), takes place over The Manor’s opening weekend, and provides flashbacks to the summer of 2009 via diary entries. We learn about our narrators’ pasts, their connection to one another, and the sinister happenings that have each character returning to the town of Tome. No one is who they seem, some have blood on their hands, and The Birds want revenge.

Likes:
- The local lore around The Birds, but I do wish there was more background given about it.
- The diary entries were a nice touch to learn about the characters’ motivations and were more thrilling than the present day plot.
- The environment. Foley did a beautiful job of describing the location of the book. You could smell the salt air and feel the sun’s heat while reading.

Dislikes:
- The characters. Even ones we were supposed to like (Bella) fell flat. The only character I slightly cared about was Eddie, but he was also annoying at times.
- Parts of the plot, even at the end once everything was wrapped up, seemed a bit like a stretch.
- The length of the book. It felt a bit longer than it needed to be and dragged at some parts without creating enough tension to make we want to continue reading.

I really wanted to love this book, but in the end it was just okay for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

good book and author was very descriptive on the parts that needed.I lovd this author and the covers always so nice

4.0/5.0 ⭐

Think Daphne du Maurier's <i>The Birds</i> meets <i>Pretty Little Liars</i> and <i>Desperate Housewives</i>.

Multiple points of view span several days following the opening of a new luxury hotel in a small town, also including journal entries from 15 years prior.

Lost a star due to a slow start with a lot of information to sort out, some farfetched elements throughout, and a few loose ends. But stick with this one; it picks up in the middle and offers plenty of little twists instead of one big reveal.

ARC | Kindle Version

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I love Lucy Foley with her twists and turns and lots of POVs.
I think there was a bit of over explaining that was unnecessary. As a reader, I sometimes like to fill in my own blanks with mystery/thrillers. I also thought the wine store scene was not needed?

But I loved this story of small town vengeance and everyone not being QUITE who they seem. Every character had a little surprise to share and it was fun seeing all the storylines come together at the end!

To me this book just didn’t really capture and hold my attention. The beginning starts off interesting, but the characters kept getting jumbled in my head and it was hard to follow who was who. It’s a very interesting concept and if you can follow the characters well I think that helps! I needed a cheat sheet

I’m a big Lucy Foley fan, so when I saw The Midnight Feast available on NetGalley, I had to request it (advanced reader gifted e-book). She’s a bit of a mastermind and, as expected, she built an incredibly layered and thrilling story about revenge and the hidden weight of secrets.

The Midnight Feast is set on Solstice weekend at the grand opening of The Manor, a luxurious, yet rustic resort that’s the brainchild of up-and-coming lifestyle guru Francesca. She has built a zen brand on her new spirituality and used her inherited family estate to create a sanctuary for posh folks who want to get away and post it on the ‘gram. It should be a celebration, but we know that it ends with tragedy as it opens with fire and a lifeless floating body.

As soon as the story starts to unfold, it’s only shocking that there aren’t more. The guests, employees, and even the town have scores to settle with dear old Frankie and her family. Add in the fact that town seems to have a vengeful, supernatural presence of “birds” who exact justice outside of the legal system (honestly this is not as weird as it seems 🙃).

The book’s blurb says it best:

Everyone has an agenda. Everyone has a past. But not everyone will survive… The Midnight Feast

Honestly, it was such an outlandishly enjoyable book. I knew the twists were coming, but I never anticipated them all. Again, thank you to NetGalley, @harpercollins and @lucyfoleyauthor for the opportunity to read this amazing book. You all can read it as well June 18th!

Francesca has set a very exclusive, distinctive ambiance for the opening of The Manor. Her guest list is well procured as well. One of the attendees is vindictive, one is just plain evil, some aren’t who they say they are, most have secrets and money to burn. Francesca has a doting husband who’s making her dreams come true. There’s a staff jumping to follow her every command. There’s to be a feast held for the Solstice. Something or someone is sabotaging the event of the year with odd little warnings, notes, feathers, etc., left strategically. It’s eerie, creepy and all Francesca’s carefully laid plans are spiraling out of control.
This theme brought to mind the setting in Simon Toyne’s ‘The Clearing’. There is a dark forest with superstitions, local pagan history, folklore and mythical creatures. I read and loved ‘The Guest List’, however this story was a let down for me. I didn’t connect with anyone or much care what happened next. I anticipated what many of the twists would be. I would still read some of the author’s other novels and feel like others will enjoy this more than I did. It wasn’t a setting or plot in my area of interest.
An Advance Reader Copy of “The Midnight Feast” by Lucy Foley, HarperCollins Publishers, expected publication 06/18/2024, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

This wickedly dark and twisted thriller is one of my favorite books of the year so far! The grand estate in the English countryside, class/status themes, and the midsummer night’s dream party reminded me so much of Saltburn (in a good way)! I was immediately captivated by the setting, and the multiple povs gave the story so much dimension. The folklore about “The Birds” was wonderfully creepy! I just could not wait to see how it all unfolded. All the stars!!

First of all, I want to say thank you to Net Galley for this copy of the Midnight Feast!

As someone who loves Lucy Foley books, I was super excited to get into this murder mystery. I like when there are multiple POVs and I think for this book, there was some really strong character building. I was not expecting this book to be like this, but it was for sure an interesting read! I have to say that it was probably my least favorite Lucy Foley book (my favorite—my actual favorite book too—The Guest List). If you are into the whole small town and midsommar vibes, you’ll probably enjoy this read! But overall, I have some specific notes that took this book from a 5 to a 3.5 stars!

Taking place at The Manor, a spa-dream like hotel in a small town, you follow along with multiple characters. Francesca, the hotel owner who is a classic beauty guru who cares about detox and zen (with a dark history and demon within); Bella, a small town woman who had a troubling relationship with an old friend and witnessed the horrors lurking behind The Manor; Owen, the husband of Francesca and a talented architect with a poor upbringing; and Eddie, a young dish washer at the hotel who has grown up a local and wants to go beyond his family ties… each character is intertwined, their pasts going way beyond. But, with the unsettling presence of “the birds”, who will survive and make it past the Solstice? And who will be trapped within a haunted hotel that will burst into flames?

I went into this read not really anticipating anything—I didn’t know the plot. I knew it was Lucy Foley and therefore, I was ready!! To start, I think there was good background building—I could visualize the small town and the odd cast of locals who lived there. However, the Manor itself, I feel like, could’ve been visualized better and in depth. I want to know the layout and would’ve loved a map (I know this isn’t a fantasy book but who says there has to be a genre specific map?). I also think that some of the point of views were lacking. Along with this, I have serious questions about the birds and what the heck happened at the end of this book—I wish it came together in a pretty bow, but I felt unsatisfied. For these few reasons, I gave this book a 3.5.

Let’s begin with the characters. Francesca and Bella’s backstory is awesome—I can totally feel the tension and I can truly see such development. Throughout the book, you get glimpses into Bella’s old journal entries and I truly enjoyed those chapters the most. They felt so real and I felt very connected to her and the other characters. Otherwise, the characters felt distant and unlikeable. But with her journal entries, I was enticed! I honestly would’ve liked a longer book about that backstory and would’ve preferred that to this plot which felt confusing. Nonetheless, Francesca and Bella had serious character development that I was living for. They felt the most established. As for Owen and Eddie, I was not impressed. Owen was unnecessary to have as a point of view, but Eddie added an interesting dynamic. I wanted to see more of him and his journey (did he become a bartender?). I think he had such potential. DI Walker as a point of view at first didn’t make sense, but I wished we had more about him and his backstory—as the story progresses! All in all, I felt like there were too many characters that were unimportant. I got mixed up with names and felt extremely overwhelmed which was upsetting because I think there was potential for these four characters to all have such strong POVs.

The Birds. Huh? I can’t tell if they’re theoretical and this is all hallucinogenic. I also want to (spoiler) know how the past of the birds came to be. Like how did the Night Bird become the Night Bird? How did we get from one point to another? This felt severely underdeveloped and was extremely lacking in detail—a plot hole. I also feel as though I don’t know who the 12 birds are in the masks? Maybe I’m mistaken and didn’t read into it clearly, but also, this never gets explained and I want to know why black birds. Are they local or indigenous to the land? Is it like a sign of death similar to the angel of death but make it.. crow? I just feel like there was a lot left to be desired when it comes to the birds. It seemed unnecessary and we could’ve moved the plot along without it. I otherwise felt like it was giving supernatural and that’s just not what I was looking for. If it’s because of drugs or alcohol impairment, make it more clear!

Lastly, let’s talk about this ending and the death. One, we knew the main person who died. I feel like it’s always obvious (it’s the most disliked character usually for Lucy Foley’s books) and I almost want to know immediately. I also feel like the other two deaths weren’t really explained? They got trapped inside the wine cellar but how? Were they locked in? I can’t remember/don’t know if I skipped this. I also felt like this ending left a lot to be desired. The one really good character seemed to be sad and I hated how it felt like no one won? I know that makes no sense—you won if you survived—but it felt like there is no going up here. I also feel like there was some plot holes and I wanted the epilogue to explain more about how the town recovered beyond the pub scene at the end. I just feel like there could’ve also been some more practicality. Like I understand why the murderer murdered, but also I felt… incomplete? It’s a bummer because genuinely I enjoyed specific parts a lot. Like the conversations between characters were great, but also there was a lot happening and a lot of plots to follow. I need one of those boards with all the red string to keep track!!

It was a bit all over the place as a book, but I did also enjoy the read. It wasn’t a one sitter type of book, but I did think the redeeming parts were super high. It was well written and description wise, I felt immersed on this high luxury hotel excursion! But some parts felt lacking and I wanted more explanation. I also think it was kind of predictable unlike her other books!

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a review.
The Midnight Feast takes place at a brand new, posh hotel, called The Manor. The owner Francesca Meadows inherited the property following the death of her grandfather. The story follows the point of view of Bella, a guest for opening weekend; Owen, Francesca's husband and architect; Eddie, a local hired as a dishwasher; and Detective Inspector Walker.

Over the course of three days, The Manor opens and is destroyed. The characters must face an event that occurred fifteen years prior and directly relates to the current weekend. Who will still be alive at the end of the weekend?

Lucy Foley has written locked room/revenge stories before. While this wasn't anything new, it was still enjoyable to read.

I have never ready a Lucy Foley Book…..I actually have 2 on my bookshelf in my reading area…..after I read this book in 1 day I will definitely be cracking those other books open next! Very well written and I couldn’t put it down!

I loved The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley! I was invested from the very first page! It was very easy to follow with the multiple povs and I loved that aspect so much. So many twists and turns. Lucy Foley did not disappointment! Loved every minute of it! Definitely a page turner!! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book!

This seemed different from other Lucy Foley books, but not. Parts of it made me not want to continue reading but once I did, I enjoyed the story and the twists

I was so excited to receive this ARC; I am a huge fan of Lucy Foley's work! It wasn't my favorite of all her books because it was a bit slower to get into, but I thoroughly enjoyed the countryside estate setting and the multiple timelines. If you are a fan of mysteries, this one will not disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

E-arc provided by Netgalley

I've enjoyed Lucy Foleys other books and I love a myster/thriller that has multiple POVs. I liked this one as well the setting of a bungalow style hotel in the woods was great and while I enjoyed this for the most part I do wish the mystery was a bit more compelling to me. However I did like the spliced in journal entries from the past summer.