Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Unfortunately, I DNF about 50% in. I really struggled to enjoy this one. I don't think the characters were meant to be "enjoyable" but I couldn't find anything redeemable about them to keep me going. The combination of abuse, violence and drugs did not make this feel like a "gothic thriller setting" that I had expected. There were also a lot more characters than I could keep track of especially with all the issues at hand. I do think fans of The Guest List may like this but the atmosphere didn't match what I wanted from this.

This was different than her other books. More of a supernatural feel. It goes back and forth between POVs and timelines and at first it was hard to remember the characters. But once I did, the book wasn’t intriguing and I read it quickly. I do think the end was a little rushed and I didn’t like it as much as her other books, but I still enjoyed it and Continue to recommend her as an author. More like 3.5 stars.

This was my first Lucy Foley book and wow, it did not disappoint!!

At first it took me awhile to warm up to so many POVs. I don't think I have read a book with this many in a hot minute, so it took some time. But-- the story and setting was so atmospheric that I just had to keep reading! It honestly read like a movie. It's definitely a great summertime read!! It will take you on the twistiest adventure ever, so buckle your seatbelts! We follow Francesca Meadows, who decides to revamp her old home into a luxurious resort. We'll also get to see Owen (her husband), Bella (the mystery guest) and Eddie (the kitchen help). Just when you think you know what's happening, you don't. This is what I really need in a mystery and Lucy Foley did not disappoint!

Thank you William Morrow and Netgalley for this arc!!

Not going to lie, this is my least favorite book of Lucy Foley. There were way too many povs and I didn't care for any of the characters. The twists weren't doing their job because I felt like I was pushing through too many loops in order to remember which character was which. Maybe it would be better as an audiobook?
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with an arc of this book.

Lucy Foley’s latest book, The Midnight Feast, is a can’t-put-down psychological thriller. Told from multiple perspectives, Foley weaves a story told in the past and present.

The Manor, a resort for the wealthy, is set to open on the summer solstice. Guests wear linen and wreaths made of leaves, drinking excessively, while friends and enemies circulate among them, waiting for The Midnight Feast. But inside the forest, there are secrets, and the old wives tale of “The Birds” has the locals on edge.

Fast forward to the next day: guests are confused. A body is found. And the police try to piece together what happened the night before. Lucy Foley keeps you guessing until the very end: what exactly happened at the Midnight Feast?

Long buried secrets explode when a luxury hotel opens and holds a celebration during the summer solstice. Twenty years ago something horrible happened in the woods of a quiet village where folklore and superstition are a way of life. The significant players have returned to right the wrongs and exact revenge. Fans of Ms Foley won't want to miss this

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Midnight Feast early. Wow! That was certainly an adventure and so much fun to read. It took me a little bit to get into the grove of the story but before I knew it I was flipping through pages so fast I had to find out what happened. I love the back and forth in time and character points of view. The subtle hints that had me guessing what really happened were fun. I didn't really predict much which was a good surprise. Overall, I thought it was well rounded and kept pace with the mystery so I never felt a lull in the action. I have no desire to do out into the woods at night. Great book!

I have enjoyed Lucy Foley's other books and was quite keen to get my hands on this ARC.

The story is woven together by a combination of journal entries, current day events from different perspectives and flashbacks to the days before the Midnight Feast. Fifteen years ago a group of teens and young adults were thrown together for the summer. There was the "rich" girl who was staying at her grandparents' estate. There was the city girl who was on holiday. There were a rash of local boys and girls. And there was a local legend of the The Birds, who address any local wrong that is not handled legally. It started as an uneventful summer but ends with someone dead and a lot of secrets.

Fifteen years later, the "rich" girl has turned the estate into an elite hotel offering a lush New Agey experience. The locals are unhappy and a lot of the drama from fifteen years ago returns. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and found myself coming back to sneak in more minutes. Definitely one of my favorite Foley book!

This was my first Lucy Foley so I didn't have much to compare it to; I felt like there were some really high highs with this book as long as some really low lows. I will still recommend it to patrons and imagine it will be a popular title.

“I always did love sneaking out at midnight as a youth. There's something so alive about this hour: magical and elemental. As though anything could happen.”

Francesca Meadows has it all - wealth, beauty, power, a handsome husband who built her a wellness retreat empire on the Dorset Coast. She also has many secrets buried deep from her childhood spent summering on this very island at her grandparents estate. She’s a different person now, or so she likes to believe.

It’s the Manor’s opening weekend and the headline activity is a solstice midnight feast. But what Francesca could never anticipate, is that on this particular night, her childhood mistakes will come back for a reckoning. A body is found in the woods on the Manor property, which holds many dark secrets, and someone at the Manor seems to be after Francesca.

Readers find out who, why, and how through this multiple POV, multiple timeline whodunit.

🍽️🐦‍⬛🍽️🐦‍⬛🍽️

This was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I found it very entertaining. I’ve always liked Lucy’s style and pace of writing. It’s comfortable to me, like a cozy mystery but amped up and with creepy vibes. I enjoyed the short chapters and alternating POVs and multiple timelines and had no trouble following along with it all. Although I could guess some of the twists, I did not guess them all for sure, especially the last few! I love the creepy forest vibes and the use of the vigilante birds. Alfred Hitchcock is one of my all-time favorites, and I enjoyed the odes to ‘The Birds’ which still haunts me in my nightmares sometimes lol! I also got Blair Witch vibes for sure.

Thank you so much to Lucy, William Morrow, NetGalley for the gifted physical copy and e-galley!

I absolutely love Lucy Foley! I have read most of her books that she’s released and this is a top one for me! At first I wasn’t too sure about this one, felt like it’d be a slow burn and then I was hooked! I couldn’t put it down until I figured out the truth!

Lucy Foley can always be counted on for a twisty, atmospheric thriller and The Midnight Feast is no exception. This unlikable cast of characters had me wondering who to root for and kept me guessing until the very end.

Big fan of Lucy Foley. That being said, this one was a miss for me.

While the story was well written, it was a bit of a complicated read going back and forth with so many POVs. I found myself annoyed with all the switches. But here were quite a few twists but none that stuck with me to make me feel like my mind was blown or I was jumping to finish the book to find out everything possible.

It was an interesting enough story. I did catch myself zoning out and in a hurry to finish just to be done. I would still recommend it to Lucy Foley fans.

Thanks so much NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.

Real talk for a second, I had a hard time with this one at first! I have actually heard this from a lot of people, and even a friend reading today. I am typically a big fan of DNFing books that can’t reel me in quickly. EXCEPT, if it’s an author I already know and love. I stuck with this one because I loved Foley’s other books and dang, I was not disappointed. She really blew this one out of the water. So much so that it was one of my favorite books last month.
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Francesca has just opened an exclusive resort on the land she inherited. Everyone who’s anyone is there, and she has attended to every detail to create a truly unique experience. Opening weekend will be one to remember. But when people from her past start to show up, old memories begin to surface. And one truly horrific night in her past threatens to shatter all that she’s built. Not everyone will make it through the grand opening alive.

This book is told in multiple POVs, which felt a bit overwhelming at first. As I said, I warmed up throughout. The last third of the book left me gasping. She blew it out of the park. I also loved the atmospheric creepy folklore around the forest and the local legend of the Birds.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for this eARC!

The Midnight Feast - Lucy Foley
4.75/5⭐️

“Turns out a leopard doesn’t change its spots, even if it’s covered them up with some wellness bullshit and white linen.”

Go now! Go order this book! It’s creepy. It’s twisted. The revenge! The surprises! I always love Foley’s novels but this was her best yet. You’ll never walk through the woods the same way!

Creepy, spooky, new thriller by Lucy Foley! Things the perfect summertime thriller, and it all tied together perfectly at the end. The idea of The Birds being vigilante justice in the small village was awesome and some of the characters absolutely got what they deserved. It was a slow beginning at first, but that ending was fantastic!

In true Lucy Foley fashion this book was atmospheric and the setting was a character all on its own. Which made for such an interesting read. However, this one fell a bit flat for me. It was extremely over the top and out there which I just didn’t vibe with. The characters were hard to follow at times and the dual timelines also made things a little confusing. I was still entertained until the very end but just didn’t love it.

The Midnight Feast has the perfect combination blend of mystery, revenge, folklore superstition and thriller that creates an intriguing story. Francesca and her architect husband Owen are on the cusp of opening Francesca's inherited family manor as a luxury resort on the summer solstice. All has been created with exclusivity and over the top luxury for their guests. Bella, an old friend of Francesca's has secretly joined the manors guests with a score to settle, but what could that be? As grand opening unfolds things start to unravel and the we are left to wonder who is who, and what is what. Are all the characters really who they appear to be? The story is told in flashback journal entries from fifteen years ago and then to present day. I really enjoyed this novel. It made me think and try to figure the mystery out for my self without being obvious. The mood is spooky, atmospheric and a bit gothic which I really enjoyed. Highly recommended. 4 solid stars.

#MiniReviews:

Thanks William Morrow for my gifted copies.

Super short sweet reviews to close out the week.

🍽️ The Midnight Feast:

Queue another book that I call by the wrong title very boldly to everyone. It is not The Midnight Party, but a feast.

I love a remote/isolated location and a whodunnit. Felt like this one was a bit slow, but I enjoyed the vibes. It’s a very on brand book for Lucy Foley. We have multiple POVs and we have a dualish type timeline. I bet the audio would have been amazing for this one.

I definitely will try again on audio because the full cast is usually what sets Foley’s apart for me.

I feel pretty exhausted after this week, so these mini reviews are all I can muster.

QOTD: How do you “recharge?

I just couldn’t get into this one… I am disappointed. I really liked the Guest List and the Hunting Party. I didn’t like the Paris Apartment but I had higher hopes for this one.