I’m kind of sad this book is over. It was fun.
🖤The Birds meets Midsommar hosted by Goop
🖤Small village on English coast
🖤Village folklore
🖤Ghosts of the past
🖤Multiple narrators, short chapters, fast-paced thriller.
I still have questions about who was the father!!

The second book I have read by this author and just like the first one I absolutely loved it! Make sure you are not distracted while reading this book as you do not want to miss anything! Little pieces of information are always being thrown out, but most of the time you don’t even know it is important. Some of the connections I made right away by the hints and side comments, but there were some I completely missed until it was out in the open. I can see how some readers might be deterred by the buildup in the beginning of this authors’ book, but please just keep with it I promise it will pay off. The little mysteries kept me so engaged I could not wait to find out what was going on.

This novel follows the opening of an exclusive holistic resort for the wealthy on land in the country side linked to “The Birds” and pagan folklore. If you like multiple POVs, the injustices between socioeconomic classes, and dual timelines you will love this one. Not a single person is exactly who they say they are. Will true justice ever be served?

Lucy Foley is one of the authors who got me back into reading several years ago when I read The Guest List. This one one not as good as other novels by her, but still a great read. The multiple POVs were a little much and became confusing early on. I was constantly going back to the beginning but of the chapter to see who was speaking. The beginning was a slow burn, but the pace picks up in the last third and it was hard to put down. The end makes up for some of the confusion early on in my opinion.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I saw on NetGalley that Lucy Foley was releasing a new book I jumped at the chance to read it!

In true Foley fashion The Midnight Feast is mysterious, fast paced and full of twists. I enjoyed the alternating POV and timelines, especially the use of the journal to tell the events of the past. The use of the journal made me keep reading and not wanting to put it down.

If you enjoyed The Guest List, you will enjoy this one! It’s kind of the same idea but instead of everyone meeting for a wedding, they are meeting to celebrate the grand opening of The Manor, a high end woodland resort, and it also happens to be Solstice. The locals are not happy about the opening of the new resort and start to work against it in every way they can think of.

I loved the pacing of this story and it kept me hooked with each new detail that was revealed. Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for my copy of this ARC which released on 6/18/24.

3.5 stars rounded up. *****Now Available ******

Rounding up due to the excellent creep/spooky atmosphere written well!! That is hard to do at times and this book does it well!!

The Manor—-well meant to be this exquisite luxury type resort that turns into a devastating scene of death and murder with some hallucinating cider mixed in.

LOTS of characters and did find it easy to follow for the most part. Hard to believe that some hadn’t seen each other in years and didn’t recognize each other much.

Eddie was my favorite, overall written as a good person with likeable qualities. Francesca is horrible throughout. Bella was likeable often, the journal added to the storyline for sure.

I didn’t see all the twists coming. Really enjoyed the creepy woods vibe and the folklore of the birds tale.

Would recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow books for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow books for providing me with an advance reader copy of The Midnight Feast in exchange for an honest review! The Midnight Feast follows multiple character’s stories as they come together at a posh resort lead by a seemingly spiritual woman. You start to find out early on that some may have ulterior motives for being in attendance on the opening weekend!

I really loved this book. The way that Lucy Foley describes a scene is so descriptive that I have no problem picturing it in my mind. It is just descriptive enough for you to have the mental image but not too much as to make it tedious.

The beginning of the book starts off peacefully enough, I wouldn’t say it’s slow, but there isn’t a lot of action right off the bat. I think it’s appropriate to set the scene and get to know the players. Lucy Foley can skillfully tell a story through multiple characters’ points of view and it is so well done that I can hear each character’s voice and sense their personality as I’m reading!

The way the story comes together in the end is masterful. I loved all the different twists and turns and reveals that this story leads you through! Very enjoyable!

I received this book as an ARC.
The Midnight Feast is a multi-POV thriller that spans two different time periods. Set in a coastal English town, the story follows a teenage girl, Bella, who befriends a wealthy girl, Francesca during a summer holiday. Francesca has the standard ‘mean girl’ energy, but Bella can’t help but want to spend time with her. This summer holiday results in lasting trauma for multiple people, however.
Years later, the people involved in this traumatic incident (as well as a few new faces) find themselves back in the coastal town for various reasons. All things center around the wellness hotel that Francesca opened on her grandparents’ property that she inherited. Some are finding themselves on a new journey, some want justice, others revenge.
Overall, I am a fan of this author’s work. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me compared to her other novels. I found it a bit tedious to get through at times, and a lot of descriptive imagery of the setting seemed to take over a good portion of the book versus actual plot. I did enjoy the ending, however. I would give it 3-3.5/5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Midnight Feast is Lucy Foley’s newest mystery. I enjoyed the multi point of view and timeline narration. This book gave enough to keep you guessing and eerily aware of what was to come while still managing to throw in a few curve balls. Some
of it was a little far fetched but I was interested enough to see how it would end.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced digital copy! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I always have high expectations for Lucy Foley books because I loved a couple of her other books so much. Unfortunately this one did not live up to my expectations. It took me a while to get into it and even then I was never really hooked or invested in the characters and plot. I will still read anything Lucy writes and just because this didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else. If you love locked room mysteries then definitely give this one a try.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Marrow Books for an ARC of this one!

Y’ALL. I’m ngl, I was skeptical going into this thriller as Lucy Foley can sometimes be a hit or miss. But this one had me HOOKED.

I will say, it started a bit slow with the character development and the setting of the story, so it took me a little bit of time to get into. But once I was in it I was IN it. Lucy does such a great job at setting creepy vibes in her books and this one was no exception. The rural countryside of England was so vivid to me, both in the beauty of the coast but also in the sinister woods that border it. Although the time jumps were confusing to me at first, there is a building tension and sense of foreboding throughout the book that makes it hard to put it down. The characters are engaging (love my sweet boy Eddie) and you really get to root for them or root for their downfall by the end. And the ending — man. It was so crazy and there were so many plot twists I didn’t see coming and I was so here for it. My jaw dropped on multiple occasions.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend for thriller fans. Perfect scary summer read!

This was such a fun thriller! I love that this story was told in multiple points of view and flips back and forth between the past and the present. It was interesting to get to know each character and their backgrounds throughout the story. There is also a creepy/eerie vibe to this book as you try to figure out where the story is taking you over the course of the opening weekend leading up to the Feast. This book is very well written and full of suspense!

This book had so much going on & so many characters that it took me a minute to keep everything straight, but it was a 3.5 read for me. I really liked the different POVs & the different kind of twists on the who did what in the story. Some of the twists concerning Bella, Frankie, Owen, Jake etc I didn’t see coming at all. That definitely made up for the ones I did see that was predictable, like the ones concerning The Birds. I think the plot was really interesting and kept me intrigued but there were a few plot holes that realistically didn’t make sense to me but I don’t want to give any spoilers. As far as the rest of the storytelling I did enjoy the whirlwind of trying to piece everything together to see where the story was going. There were a few heroes in this story but definitely more villains to keep it really messy which I liked. I received this complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this! I found the characters to be rather interesting, and I found the story easy to follow. The short chapters made it feel like a quick read. This makes for a fun summertime thriller. Between the author's writing and this gorgeous cover, I could easily imagine myself within the setting. 4 stars :)

Lucy Foley has done it again! After reading 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵, I immediately added this to my TBR once I saw that she had written a new novel.
This is very reminiscent of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵 in the way it is written, but that's where the similarities end.

This book has multiple POVs and multiple plot twists that you are going to want to read this one!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 takes place at The Manor, the newest resort to open in the small town of Tome. Everyone who is anyone wants to stay there, and it is booked well into the year.
It is opening weekend and the owner, Francesca, has plenty of events planned for her guests - including a midnight feast at the solstice. But little does Francesca know that old friends and enemies are among her resort guests.

So this book begins a bit slow for me but it definitely builds up in anticipation. Just like with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵, I couldn't put it down because the book opens with The Manor on fire and there's a body on the beach.
I wanted to know who it was, how they got there and why. Not only that, but there are so many secrets that are exposed that you want to just keep reading.
Some of the plot twists I saw coming (if you can read between the lines then you'll be able to guess them too) but there was one that I definitely did not see coming until the very VERY end.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book; but I suggest buddy reading it with someone because you'll want to throw out theories and it sucks when you have no one to talk about this with.

If you’re a Lucy Foley fan, you’ll likely appreciate the slow burn pacing of this novel. Though the timeline jumps were a bit confusing at times, I found the story more engaging than “The Paris Apartment.” The moody, creepy setting is perfect for a crisp fall day, making it a great candidate for a re-read in the autumn. This book captures the atmospheric tension and suspense that Foley fans crave, and its intriguing plot twists kept me hooked from start to finish. If you’re in the mood for a suspenseful read with a chilling ambiance, this is definitely worth picking up.

When I read the synopsis of The Midnight Feast I was immediately intrigued. This is a new-to-me author and I saw her books were really popular on Goodreads. Sadly this book fell a little flat for me. There were a lot of characters, names, POVs, and timelines that when I put the book down, I had a hard time picking it back up and remembering the details. The folklore kept me invested and some of the twists did provide enough entertainment that I kept reading, but I am otherwise clearly in the minority on this one.

In Midnight Feast, Bella is trying to get revenge and punish Francesca for something that happened when they were teenagers, but she's not the only one trying to break Francesca's castle (or Manor) down. This story is told from multiple POVs and with excerpts of a diary mixed in the story. I would highly recommend taking notes of characters until you get to the end because it's sooo hard to follow. The jumps through time don't really help and sometimes it's implied that 'the dead body' is one character only for you to find out it's someone else. This would be a great twist if it wasn't so hard to keep track of who is who in this book.

The most disappointing part is that this is supposed to be a thriller. I am used to reading thrillers that you can't close the book, and I kept waiting for that big turn moment in the book where you just want to know 'who did it' or 'who is dead' but it just didn't happen here.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy of this book.

As always, I loved this lucy foley book! Thank you for the opportunity to arc read it! I live the references to birds and I am always a fan of more isolated settings which I think is why I love her books so much!

TW/CW: Language, drinking, classism, sexual assault, cheating, bullying, family drama, child abandonment, animal death, gore

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.

THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELP

It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at… The Midnight Feast.
Release Date: June 18th, 2024
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 354
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Sucker for the cover
2. Writing style was good
3. Quick read

What I Didn't Like:
1. All the talk about how women's bodies look compared to other women's
2. Meh story
3. Repetitive things happen over & over
4. Underwhelming ending

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

God Frans annoying and endless "darling" and "my love" is driving me insane.

Can we kill Delah and Tate? Talk about horrible humans!

Wow so Fran is filming people inside their rooms.... She claims it's for the customers. How?

Wow Owen is Shrimp! And he's married to Fran but she didn't know it's shrimp but Michelle knew who he was.

How did Delilah and Tate just end up showing up everywhere where Eddie is? It's insane dude can't go anywhere without running into them

God I forgot that Bella had a kid it's been so long since she was mentioned.

Once again for 100th time mentioned that Bella has a smaller chest.

Everyone has their part and they definitely never break their stereotypes.

The big reveal of that Francesca poisoned Cora and Cora is Shrimps/Owen's mother. That's why the £20,000 was sent to Shrimps father via mail. Well that was underwhelming.

Plus Eddie's brother reappears randomly and why?? What was the point of him coming back? Who cares....

Final Thoughts:
I'm sorry but I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for something to happen. Reading this book I had to take a few naps because it made me sleepy. Honestly that's a shame because I enjoyed the writing style the author gave use and was invested in the characters crossing paths as adults. Too bad that couldn't turn into more that countless talks about;
• Bella's small chest
• Birds birds birds
• Owen's obsession with Fran
• Fran's obsession with Owen
• Eddie being tormented by Delilah and Tate
• Hugo endlessly sexualizing every woman

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Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
1 like

I loved the concept of this book and am generally a fan of Lucy Foley but this book was a miss for me. I was frustrated by the way every single chapter ended on a cliff hanger. I understand that the intention was likely to make it a page turner, but I ended up feeling annoyed as it continued. Anticipating what's going to happen next is fun, but so is following a scene to its conclusion. I love the concept of the crows and thought it was inventive. I also wished that the main antagonist had some kind of redeeming qualities, rather than being a through and through villain.