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

IG | Blog

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.

After reading The Guest List, I was really excited to be approved for this ARC of Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. While I enjoyed the book overall, I did find it a bit tough to get into. I also found myself thinking that I'm noticing a theme here as if she has developed a sort of formula for her books, whether or not intentional. The book did start to pick up about half to 3/4 of the way in, and I enjoyed it in the end. However, between all of the different characters, and the pattern I'm starting to pick up on, it wasn't my favorite. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Midnight Feast is Lucy Foley at her finest. Her ability to seamlessly weave multiple POVs and timelines while still telling a clear story is unmatched.

This book is set on the British coast in the small town of Tome. The setting is the opening weekend of a lavish wellness resort on the edge of the woods so shrouded in creepy folklore that the locals know better than to go in to them. There is the classic conflict between the resort and the local community escalated by the town's history and superstition.

I hesitate to say much of anything about the characters or the plot beyond that because it all ties together so perfectly with twists that I truly did not see coming (and I always see them coming). Lucy Foley is a master of the genre and The Midnight Feast is truly her best work to date.

Thank you to Lucy Foley, William Morrow, and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I have only gotten to spend a little bit of time with this book but so far, it is turning out to be exactly what I am needing this summer! It is the perfect balance of "rich people behaving badly" combined with a mystery and even a little twist of a cult vibe in there maybe? Lucy Foley is an auto read for me with all of her novels and am loving this one!

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC!

This was so intriguing and keep me reading at a lightning-fast pace just to find out what exactly happened! I did figure out some of the twists but there was so much I didn’t that it still felt so fun to be along for the ride. And I LOVED the setting, it was so good.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC, the below review is of my own thoughts.

This was my first book by Lucy Foley, I was so happy when I was approved for this book as I have heard so many positive things about this author.

The Midnight Feast tells the story of the opening weekend of The Manor, a luxury resort, that has old secrets that are threatening to be exposed. The story is told through multiple POV's, these characters are Francesca (the owner of the Manor), Owen (architect of the project and Francesca's husband), Eddie (an employee of the manor), Bella (a guest of the Manor) and DI Walker (investigator). Besides the multiple POV we also get journal entries, from 15 years ago.

I love multiple POV books, I usually enjoy having multiple people giving their POV of what is happening and I feel it brings more depth to the story and to the characters. So I did appreciate to have multiple characters telling their own story, however I felt at times got a bit confusing with all the jumping around on the timeline and between each character POV.

I liked the journal entries I think they helped navigate what happened 15 years ago and thought they were a great addition to the story. These to me where a great addition and did help connect the dots between the past and the present

To me the pacing of the book was a bit slow, some parts did seem to drag a bit long, making it a bit boring.

Overall, I enjoyed the book it is a solid 3 stars read.

2.5-3⭐️ The first half of this book dragged and it seemed like nothing was really happening. The last 40% or so was better and things finally started to pick up.

A few issues-
There are SO many characters introduced, some of whom had different identities when they were younger. Not only was it hard to keep everyone straight, but it also didn’t make sense that these people wouldn’t recognize each other after only 15 years.
The general plot line (a large group goes on holiday to a remote location) is just too similar to Foley’s other books, The Guest List and The Hunting Party.

Overall, not my favorite of Foley’s books.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the eARC.

This is my fourth read from Lucy Foley and yet again, she does not disappoint. The twists and turns in this story kept me coming back. I found myself wanting to pick up and read it all the time.

There were several plot points I didn’t see coming and even the ones that I found slightly predictable, were only made clear right before the final reveal.

My one critique and word of advice for future readers would be the comparison I made to the story from Nine Perfect Strangers. The descriptions of the setting felt very similar and while at first it helped me visualize it, it did become a distraction that I needed to move pst. The plot was nothing like that of the book/show and once I let go of that comparison, I really settled into this story and found it captivating.

Twisty and fast paced. Would be a perfect beach read for those that enjoy a murder mystery. Kept me guessing and interested the whole way through.

This is the third book I have read by Lucy Foley and is so far, my favorite.

It’s like The Club, Nine Perfect Strangers and The Night She Disappeared got together one full moon evening, did mushrooms and created a folkloric and twisted tale of privilege, manipulation, narcissism, deceit, guilt, bravery, comeuppance and retribution.

Francesca has inherited The Manor, a residence built in the woodsy land along the Dorset coastline upon the death of her grandparents. She and her twin brothers summered there as children and now, as an adult, she has transformed the property into a luxury resort designed as a peaceful escape for the privileged guests who can afford to stay there. The locals are not happy with this decision.

The opening weekend culminates in an event called the Midnight Feast which is something Francesca and her brothers enjoyed as teens during their summers. However, not everything is as idyllic as it seems. An event that happened and was covered up 15 years ago will finally be dealt with and ends in fire and a body is found on the cliffs below The Manor.

Though told from different POVs, the main storyline takes place during a three-day timeline. I’m not sure why, but I found this interesting and enjoyed that in itself. Interspersed, are diary flash backs from 15 years ago that encompass a one-month period that fills in the gaps. I had no trouble keeping the story line clear.

I found this book to be a slow burn with several twists and surprising revelations which kept me entertained especially through the last seventy percent of the story. Every character and connection is explained easily and I had several moments where I thought I knew what was going on but then the reveal was just slightly tweaked and even better than what I had originally thought.

Well-written and suspenseful, read this if you enjoy twisty, spooky tales that include an element of folklore. In this case, birds.

I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.