The Midnight Feast is best described as "passed the time just fine", but it's certainly not a book I would write home about or be at the top of my recommended list. I also wouldn't recommend against it though. It's simply just fine. I usually love thriller mysteries but do not enjoy the unreliable narrator or the intentionally withheld story. This was a bit slow in the beginning, but then of course picks up as all the action takes place in the last 100 pages or so. I did love the book's final line and the play on words, and of course how it's the women saving the day. I think there is a large audience for Lucy Foley's books, but I am not a member of that audience.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good mystery and I wasn't certain where this one was going at first, since we didn't really have a murder or a mystery to solve except with the off chapters flashing forward. I do not want this review to give too many spoilers so I ill try not to fill in the blanks too much, but the flash forwards didn't give us (the reader) much direction or clues either.

Don't get me wrong, I was pretty intrigued by how the storied played out and several of the characters were very interesting but some where very much written to fit a trope type or be flat in terms of narrative dimension. I think my biggest issue is the summary of the book says "Secrets. Lies. Murder." But it's really more of a suspense and drama where we are dealing with various individuals who have history with each other and some are trying to bring the truth about the past into the present.

In general, I think I would have simply rewritten the tag-line. Is it really a locked room murder mystery? No. Can people leave if they want, or come and go as they seem to please? Yes. Is there a vibe of this being some sort of cult commune? Yes.

But, the past has a way of rearing it's head and making sure we do not forget the lessons we should have learned. The secrets won't stay buried, the embers of the fires will not die out, and there is a risk of flames revealing everything that has been worked to be covered. Only the birds truly know.

Lucy Foley has been a bit hit or miss for me but usually more hit than miss. I enjoyed this book but didn’t find myself dying to pick it up when I wasn’t reading it. The premise and characters were ok but I just didn’t feel super invested. I will still recommend to my thriller book lovers. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

Lucy Foley’s best yet! Atmospheric, with great characters and lots of twists, The Midnight Feast follows multiple points of view during the opening of The Manor, an exclusive hotel/retreat in the English seaside. Francesca Meadows is the mastermind behind the project, and the story weaves between past and present. A fun and fast-paced summer read.

There were a few different POVs, so that made it a little hard to get invested in the book. Once I got everyone straightened out, I was sucked into the mystery. This would be a great book to read by the beach. It is fast paced and entertaining. I enjoyed it.

Struggled to get into this one - definitely one you need to consistently read in order to stay invested.

OBSESSED. Lucy Foley never misses. She knows how to write true crime in a way that hooks a reader and keeps them hooked all the way through. Incredible read.

Yet another great book from Lucy Foley. There were parts that were a bit weird (those birds…), but Foley writes great thrillers. It took me a bit longer to get pulled into this book than some of her others, but after a few chapters I didn’t want to put it down. Foley continues to be a must read author for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, author and William Morrow Publications for the ARC copy.
The Manor is having grand opening , it's been carefully planned , meticulously executed by none other than the new owner Francesca , it's a no expenses spared , boasting of supreme quality and healing places in its Woodside cottages for its guests. Everyone's waiting for the grand final event, 'The Midnight Feast', everyone including those that are there with secret agenda , to discover hidden secrets that the Manor and the forests surrounding it harbors. And morning after the solstice things literally are in flames leaving behind bodies in its aftermath.
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This is slow burn mystery thriller narrated from multiple POV. We get to read the events that transpired before the fire , after the incident from the Inspectors POV, as they go through the crime scene making us curious who's dead and who's responsible.
Pretty much the first half of the book is for setting up the stage for the story including background of the characters, there are also chapters that are diary entries from a teenage girl that narrates about the Manor and a story that tells readers what transpired in the past , this was the most interesting portion for me, what seemed like innocent teenage summer fun quickly gives us an ominous feeling and builds up various horrible scenarios in our heard as we progress reading the entries.
The chapters are otherwise short which makes it easy to flip through pages making this quick read. Inserting a supernatural/mythical element is an interesting touch is my observation as it builds into mysterious element of the story.

Although the pacing of the story was slower the revelation towards the end made up for it , it had me gasping with surprise, never saw the connections.

If you've liked this author's previous books like The Guest List , The Paris Apartment , you'll like this one too.

It's a 4/5 🌟 read for me .

The Midnight Feast was a great summer thriller, perfect for a quick read by the pool or beach. The short chapters with multiple POVs were fast paced and made it very easy to read. I loved the culty vibes and the seaside setting.

The Manor is a historical home that has been renovated into a hotel by the granddaughter of the original owners. Francesca Meadows has turned the Manor into a massive wellness boutique hotel, where the price tag is hefty and the clientele are well to do. Of course the locals aren't too happy about the hotels existence. They feel that their sleepy town of Woodland Hutches should not be invaded. Strange things start happening around the location, some are reminiscent of an old wives tale the locals call "the Birds". "Beware of the Birds" many locals have warned, believing in the superstition. But surely "the Birds" are not responsible for a murder?

The story follows different POVs so the reader never get bored. It also jumps timelines as a woman from Francesca's past appears at the Manor's opening weekend. She is intent on exposing all of Francesca's dirty and morbid secrets. In addition, there's DI Walker, the detective that is investigating what seems to be arson and murder. But is it the mysterious woman from Francesca's past that's causing these horrible tragedies or is it really the work of a superstitious myth?

I give this book 3.5 stars. While I absolutely loved how the story unraveled, I did struggle in the beginning with the slow burn. One of my favorite thing about this book is I NEVER, at any point, knew who the culprit was until the end when it started to unravel. A great summer thriller for sure.

I was not able to stage engaged and interested in this book. It was a DNF for me unfortunately. I really wanted to love this book and thought the description was interesting, but it just fell flat for me and I found myself getting bored.


Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange for my honest review and opinion!

Lucy Foley is one of my favorite authors! I have read her last 3 books, and had really high hopes for this one. And it did not disappoint! It has become my new favorite! I have already been recommending this book patrons. I was so excited to hear that it is already being turned into a movie! I can't wait.

HUGE thank you to William Morrow for the ARC!

I think this was my favorite Lucy Foley book yet! Was it weird? Yes. But for some reason it worked for me more than her books usually do!

If you're scared of birds and like being scared, you definitely need to torture yourself with this book!

I loved all the different perspectives and thought all of the characters were equally interesting and mysterious. I really had no idea where the plot was going and how it was going to tie together, but I was satisfied with the ending. The flashbacks kept me locked in and curious how they would fit together with the present timeline.

Overall, I definitely recommend and think this will be a huge hit.

This is out now!

This wasn't a bad book - it was quite spooky, fast-paced, and fun - I just don't think it was for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and @williammorrowbooks for the ARC. Lucy Foley is an author that keeps you engaged with short chapters and intriguing characters. The mystery behind The Manor was so well done. The characters are so relatable and I never guess the ending until Lucy Foley lays it all out for me. Add this to your TBR immediately.

The Midnight Feast just might be my favorite of Lucy Foley’s books. Every time I thought I knew who the killer was there was a new twist that kept me guessing about what really happened. Her characters are complex and the setting is somehow both idyllic and delightfully spooky. I enjoyed the dual timelines and multiple-POVs, as I felt it really added to the intrigue and maximized the dark secrets everyone was hiding. In my opinion, this is the perfect locked door mystery for summer.

Definitely my favorite of Foley's since The Guest List. It was a slow burn, but the plot intrigued me enough to keep my interest. Lots of characters to keep track of but it was all sorted out by the end. Good ending!

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced reader's copy. I've read every Lucy Foley book and yet again, this one does not disappoint. A perfect summer thriller. The opening of The Manor and everyone is there. All the guests are wandering around and slightly drugged in the woods. There's a fire, someone finds a body. Secrets are revealed and the past is of course, not what it seems. This was an engaging, not what you expect, mystery that kept me reading until the end as I did not know what was going to happen. Lucy Foley is a must buy for me.

This book had me HOOKED from the jump. This was my first Lucy Foley book and it will not be my last! I truly enjoyed the storyline and the plot was very well written.