Wasn’t a big fan of this one. Never really connected with any of the characters and the revelations at the end felt too far off

It's opening weekend at an exclusive resort and while the guests expect pampering and decadence we get secrets, lies, deceit and murder.

Lucy uses multiple timelines and POVs to tell this story of murder, retribution and morally gray characters. While I found it entertaining, I wasn't blown away by it. maybe there was too much going on with the multiple timelines, POVs, folklore, journal entries, etc. at times it felt a bit disorienting which may well have been intentional but instead of engaging me it made me feel disjointed in a way that I can't quite put my finger on.

Overall, this was definitely an atmospheric mystery but the reveals never shocked me and it felt a bit too slow for my personal reading preference.
I enjoyed it. I just didn't love it as much as I thought/hoped I would.

Came for a spooky thriller, stayed for unhinged people. They say watching a train derail or a car crash is hard to look away from, that's what reading this book felt like. Not because it was bad, but because the characters kept making increasingly unhinged decisions and revealing wild facts about their pasts. I didn't find the storyline particularly engaging but I did need to know how everything was going to play out.

There's a lot to juggle in this story with dual time lines and multiple POVs but I thought Foley handled it very well. The different POVs were all very distinct and easy to keep track of. The past time line was sprinkled in sparingly enough that I didn't get bored reading it, and it left me with just enough questions to keep wanting more. And the way everything came together at the end of spectacular.

Details kept coming to light that made the story more and more fascinating. It was a fairly quick read because the pacing was increasing through out the book. It started slow and built up and up until it reached the climax. And what a climax.

DNF @40%. Nothing was happening- I was unfortunately incredibly bored and didn’t feel sucked in to the story. I found myself not wanting to pick it back up. I really loved Lucy’s “Paris Apartment”, but this just didn’t reel me in.
I did really love the atmosphere of The Manor, though!

The Midnight Feast was one of my most anticipated reads I’ve loved this authors other mysteries!

I was expecting intrigue, creepy atmosphere, and a gripping locked-room mystery. But I was so bored reading this.

There are five POVs, none of which are interesting. The more POVs added, the more watered down the characters are. Other than Francesca, the characters merged in my head. Unfortunately, Francesca only stood out because of how awful she was. If an author wants to write a large cast, they need distinct traits for each character. Otherwise, you get what you have here: main characters that provide no grit to the story and make it supremely uninteresting to read.

Maybe I could have forgiven the lack of personality if there had been a plot to follow. Mostly, it was just bullies, immature adults, and random folklore bits (which were the best part.) The actual murder victim isn't revealed til nearly the end%, which annoyed me so much. I trudged through so much just for the victim reveal to be lackluster and anticlimactic.

The last 1/4 of the story was easier to digest. All the random plot points and boring characters wrapped up into an ending that would have been satisfactory, even clever if the first 3/4 was slow and difficult to get through. As everything came full circle, I felt relief that the story was over and didn't care how it came together.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance digital copy.

Lucy Foley interweaves the vacation thriller with a folk horror vibe. I thought this was a smart and interesting commentary on the vacation thriller trend that Foley herself started with The Guest List. In The Midnight Feast, she looks at vacationers as an invading species that must be rooted out and destroyed. A bit out-there, but I kind of loved it!

Dnf for me. Too slow & not what I expected, not what I expected from this author especially. I do appreciate the ARC, thank you NetGalley & the publisher William Morrow!

The Manor is a high end "glamping" resort that is deep in the woods in a small English town called Tome. It is owned by Francesca Meadows who has spared no expense in creating a unique experience down to the charged crystals given to each guest. It is opening week for the resort and Francesca wants everything to be perfect. Told in multiple viewpoints and timelines, Foley has returned to her recurring theme of rich people versus poor and greed versus human kindness. Along with Francesca, we have narratives from Bella who is attending as a guest but has a secret she doesn't want revealed, Eddie, a young server who lives in town, Owen, the husband of Francesca and D I Walker, a police officer. There are also diary entries from a teenage girl who lives in the lower class caravans and has recently befriended a rich girl that lives in the manor.

The story had a slow start and it was sometimes frustrating that every time something scary happened, the story moved to another person and the spell broken. Most of the story is about the actions in the past of the young rich girl who collected poor friends and treated them well initially but then betrayed them when she was bored. There is also a historical element as this town had some legends about some things called "The Birds" who protected the forest and the trees. Themes of ecology, gentrification and greed are brought to light as Francesca and her staff prepare for a solstice party to celebrate the opening. The last third of the book was quite exciting and made up for the rather slow start. There were lots of twists and people who weren't who they said they were and the author did a good job with the ending. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

3.5 stars

Amidst the ancient forest behind the Manor, an exclusive, new resort, guests wander the grounds draped in linen, wandering past wooden sculptures and sipping cocktails laced with CBD oil. Francesca, owner of the manor, grew up on the property. She’s transformed her childhood home and planned everything to be perfect- a midsummer’s night’s feast where guests feel like they have stepped into a magical world.

She doesn’t realize an old friend is among her guests, waiting to expose old secrets. She doesn’t realize her husband has dark secrets of his own. And she could never anticipate how her actions might bring about the horrors that will unfold before the rising of dawn.

Like other Lucy Foley books I have read, the tension and suspense grows out of the multiple character perspectives. Foley’s strength is in dishing out just enough secrets and information from the various characters to keep her readers wanting to learn more.

Most of the time, the author is great at creating a sense of atmosphere, although I still wanted more description about the layout of the resort, the interior rooms, the forest. Still, it was an improvement for me over The Guest List and The Paris Apartment.

While I enjoy thrillers that focus on several character perspectives, I found this one a bit too ambitious for the story that was told. There were lots of different plot threads that, while they weren’t left hanging, felt underdeveloped and glossed over. With so many characters, it was hard for each character to feel as fleshed out and developed as I would have liked.

Still, I always have fun reading a Lucy Foley book and The Midnight Feast was no exception. I enjoyed the flashback chapters and how they helped develop some of the main characters. The novel also had some nice, spooky forest vibes. And reading about messed up rich people behaving badly? Well I’m always here for that!

I recommend reading The Midnight Feast if you have enjoyed Foley’s books in the past, like your thrillers to have multiple character perspectives and enjoy a spooky forest setting.

*Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

This was such a great thriller. Lucy is a great writer that really brings out the characters and keeps you on the edge of your seat about what will happen next. I know this book will be a huge success.

The Midnight Feast is about The Manor, a wellness retreat is having it's opening day weekend. They are getting ready for their midsummer celebration. However things start to not go as planned. There are secrets from the past that still lurk around the Manor.

Overall, I didn't love The Midnight Feast. It's a very slow burn suspense. You find out at the beginning of the story that someone died but you have no clue who. The story takes you between the past and present to unravel everything. It also is told between 4 different perspectives. I think that was the main problem for me, I didn't like the narrators. I only enjoyed Eddie's perspective. I really didn't like anyone else. Plus I found the ending very predictable.

I love Lucy Foley so I was excited to get approved for an ARC from her. I usually discover new authors through NetGalley, not books from my fav authors! With that being said, thus was unlike her other novels and did take a bit for me to get interested. The multiple POV' make the story fresh and flow nicely and I enjoyed the diary entries. Francesca is the granddaughter of the original owners and she inherits the "manor".

The manor is a home that was renovated into a boutique hotel, that rubs the locals the wrong way. They believe in superstitions and paranormal activities--in comes the "birds'. They believe the birds are responsible for everything wrong in this small town. The ending is unpredictable and I wasn't able to figure out who was the killer. Speaking of killer--we have DI walker a detective looking for a murderer/arsonist. I enjoyed all the characters and trying to solve the case along with the detective.

I was really excited for Lucy Foley’s newest book but I have to say it feel flat for me. While I initially liked the elements of macabre there ultimately was too many story lines that ended up tying together for an anticlimactic finish. It feels like many characters were meant to be added in to the story’s twist but it was almost TOO many.

"The Midnight Feast" by Lucy Foley is a gripping thriller set in a newly renovated wellness hotel, The Manor, which is shrouded in local legends about "the Birds." Francesca Meadows, the owner, faces eerie events and hidden dangers as a mysterious woman from her past threatens to expose dark secrets during the grand opening weekend.

The narrative skillfully alternates between various points of view and timelines, adding to the suspense. Characters like DI Walker, the detective investigating arson and murder, and Eddie, the endearing staff member, enrich the plot. The beautiful yet eerie setting contrasts with the sinister events unfolding, creating a tense atmosphere.

While the large cast and multiple plotlines can be challenging to follow, the story keeps readers guessing until the end. "The Midnight Feast" is a compelling and atmospheric read, perfect for those who enjoy a well-crafted mystery with plenty of twists.

I always have high expectations when it comes to Lucy Foley, so I was excited to see the release of this book. The takes place in a historical house that was renovated into a library, and is written from three different POVs. At times it was a bit hard to follow, especially in the beginning. This story did a great job keeping you on edge, there truly felt like there was no telling what could happen next. I appreciated the spooky & gloomy setting, but overall this wasn’t my favorite book from Lucy. It was entertaining, but won’t be sticking with me compared to other books in this genre. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC!

3.5 ⭐️’s
Fifteen years ago tragedy struck the small village of Tome. A tragedy that can never be mended, a tragedy that has ruined more than one life. It’s fifteen years later and Francesca Meadows is about to open her state of the art newly renovated resort. Life always seems to work out for her and this weekend is about to change her life, but will she finally get what she so richly deserves? Told in the voices of the founder, the husband, a mystery guest,and a Deputy Inspector (both in the past and the present), this one keeps you on your toes. With so many characters, it would be easy to get lost along the way … but Foley does an excellent job of keeping the reader focused and engaged. No one is what they seem, everyone has an agenda and not everyone will survive. Foley intermixes folklore, mysterious woods and a summer journal written fifteen years ago to give us a creepy, atmospheric read. With its many characters it’s hard to imagine how Foley will tie everything together, but with each twist we get closer and closer to the truth. While this book was well written and engaging, each new twist seemed more and more far fetched and the subject matter was quite dark in places. The story was still enjoyable, but a bit disappointing by the end. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thank you so much for the ARC for Lucy Foley's The Midnight Feast.
It started off super interesting. There are birds. There are mysterious people. There are diary entries. But I can't lie, it was very hard to follow. There were too many POV and timeline switches to easily keep up with that I think stunted the plot which shifted it from thrilling to dull. I ended up DNF at 85% left as it hit publish date. Thank you again for the copy.

Thank you William Morrow for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

I started this on audio, but I’m glad I ended up picking up my physical copy! Too many characters and time jumps for audio! This started a little slow and took me awhile to figure out who all the characters were. The last half went a lot faster, and I enjoyed piecing together what happened that night. I did like all the POVs once I realized who everyone was.

As someone who loves Lucy Foley's writing and past works, I was so excited to receive an ARC of The Midnight Feast. The book is centered around this huge lavish manor where the owner, Francesca Woodland, holds many mysterious secrets. Following an ensemble of people in Francesca's life, past and present, the author takes the reader through a thrilling journey where I was in suspense constantly. A super fun read!

I've read both The Guest List and The Paris Apartment from Lucy Foley, so I was excited to dive into The Midnight Feast. What I found was an exciting blend of Foley's typical writing style and something new that was reminiscent of Riley Sager. I love a book that uses flashbacks to tell a story of something sinister that happened in the past that is just now coming to light.

The characters were all very well fleshed-out, but I had a particular fondness for Eddie. I also loved the way Foley painted Francesca; it was perfect for her character's villain arc. The twists and turns in the story were unexpected, and even when I had an idea of how a particular plot point was going to go, the getting there was still very interesting. I particularly liked that Eddie turned out to be Jake's brother, and that Owen was Shrimp and also Cora's son, but not even Francesca knew. That was a particularly delightful detail.

It did take me a bit to feel completely hooked by the story, hence the 4-star rating, but once I was halfway through, I had trouble putting it down. If you're interested in twisty thrillers about characters with dark pasts, you'll enjoy this one.