I would definitely consider myself a Lucy Foley fan. I believe the she is a master at creating eery settings that add to the suspense of the story. So, whenever I saw that she was releasing another book, I was very excited! But, this overall fell very flat for me.
I even DNF'd this at around the 50% mark, which is not a common thing for me.

I love a slow and drawn out mystery, but this moved a way too slow. I think what Foley has mastered in her last few novels is starting out with a very intriguing premise and slowly building from there with these incredibly interesting, yet unreliable narrators. This novel has the same format as her others, but where it ultimately fails is the characters. The characters in this are supposed to be ridiculous. I get that! But, as she was trying to achieve almost satirical, there was just a misstep there that made the characters not work in that sense, which ultimately lead to the novel not working for me.

There was just really no suspense for me that made me put down the book and never pick it back up again!

Thank you to Natgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read the ARC for this book!

This book was amazing so much more than I thought it would be. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was atmospheric and beautifully written. I love how we got to see a lot of different perspectives and we had time jobs and they left you with questions. This is one of those thriller books where I really didn’t know and couldn’t keep up with the twist. They all caught me by surprise. Absolutely loved

Thanks NetGalley!

This is by far my favorite book by Lucy Foley yet! Some many things I didn't see coming. Midnight Feast was a book I couldn't put down. I loved the multiple character perspective. The lore of the Birds was and excellent touch and gave the whole novel a bit of mysterious edge. So many twists and turns I didn't see coming that I was not able to put it down!

It’s the opening night of The Manor, but secrets are hidden in the woods. On the last day of opening weekend a body had been found and something is not right with the guests. 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.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley is a mystery set during the grand opening of a fancy boutique hotel- The Manor. Owner Francesca Meadows has set up the special dinner for the solstice celebration to mimic those of her childhood. What she doesn’t plan is for several attendees to have a connection to her and one of those such childhood events that turned deadly.

I found the plot of this interesting and liked how the author revealed information slowly. However, there were a lot of POVs that switched back and forth as well as multiple timelines which sometimes was a little much to follow. Overall a good read, but not my favorite Lucy Foley book.

OBSESSED!! Holy Cow! I'm glad I finally got to finish it on the day it came out. This might just be my favorite book of the year so far. It was amazing. The setting was picture perfect. I don't even know what to say. I'm in awe. Multiple povs, flashbacks to the past through journal entries, an amazing setting of a locked door type story, or should I say isolated setting? It was so eerie and slow building. I absolutely loved it. It gave me major White Lotus vibes. 👏

The Midnight Feast was a wild ride! I think this is the best Lucy Foley Novel yet!

Foley's thrillers are known for the complexity in the narrative style- If it's Foley there will be multiple points of view, narrators will be unreliable, events will be told out of order, and it will be up to readers to put the puzzle together by the end. I am always fascinated when writers play with narrative structure. For me it adds to the twists and the reader involvement and emersion in the plot. I generally go into one of Lucy Foley's stories excited about the possibilities, but with "The Guest List" and the "Paris Apartment" I came away feeling the the concept was better than the execution.

Not so in "The Midnight Feast." Here-I was finally able to find what I had been hoping for in her books. I am so glad I decided to give her another chance. Their are 5 main perspectives through which we see the action which centers on events at a posh hotel opening over 3 days- the day before, the day of, and the day after summer solstice. A decadent Feast is planned for the guests on the night of solstice, but as we learn straight away, things do not quite go as planned and some people have wound up dead. So what happened and why? That is what the reader is let to piece together.

Despite being similar in form, I felt like the story was much tighter- the twists come at just the times and while you should expect to be confused in the beginning (because that is how these things go) the threads come together at just the right times to answer some of our questions, and also created more. I will say, this novel also gave me some pretty eerie vibes, Midsommer energy is used along with plague masks and murders of crows- the tension was palpable- and I loved it! Lastly, if you are looking for a fictional villain to hate- you will definitely come to despise one of these characters, which again enhances the fun (at least for me!)

I had a blast- if you are looking for a bingeable thriller for a summer day- this one should hit the spot!

Thanks to William Morrow Pub. and Netgalley for early access to this e-book for review purposes.

The Midnight Feast is a great suspense story that has many twists. It will keep you guessing how this tale will end until the very end of the book. I give it a 4.5 stars.

Lucy Foley is a master at blending different character views, sometimes jumping around a bit, to unfold a mystery so crazy, you could never dream it up. With The Midnight Feast, there is an opening of a new posh resort called The Manor, and readers are instantly introduced to the eccentric founder, her nervous new husband, the young dishwasher turned bartender along with some of his connections, and a mysterious guest introduced as Bella, who seems to hold a grudge on the founder.

There are hints at urban legends surrounding the woods on the outskirts of the resort that bring a frightening element to the story. There is revenge to be had, and Foley's touches of revelations throughout bring surprise and shock that keep you on the edge of every turn of the page. She never disappoints in capturing attention to the very end. The Midnight Feast is another stellar thriller.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Why I Chose It: I wanted to give Foley another try (I’ve only read The Guest List and found it ok) and I am drawn to locked room mysteries.

If I had to sum up this book in few words I would say, “Rich people behaving badly.” It was giving cult, it was giving small-town, it was giving young and dumb, it was giving spooky urban legend. I wanted it to push all of these things more. I wanted more cult, more small-town connection, more urban legend; I need more than just surface level.

I did enjoy the POVs and how they propelled the story. I was not a fan of the diary being a plot device. I felt like the author could’ve found a different way (perhaps more connected to the cult or small-town motif) that could’ve played the role of the diary. While I never connected with any of the characters, I was impressed with how distinctly each one read. I never was confused with which POV I was on because they were so well done.

All in all, I was entertained and I wanted to see what was going to happen. I did find the ending wonderful and loved that full circle moment. Fans of rich people behaving badly, folklore and urban legends, and books with lots of POVs will enjoy this one.

The first 60% of this book was a bit confusing with all the names and the journal entries, but in true Lucy Foley fashion she brought it all together at the end. I enjoyed it and at one point, I even gasped.

This read was outstanding! There was plenty of action, drama, and suspense. This novel was full of surprising twists. You won't be able to put it down.

I absolutely loved this book. It might even be the best book I’ve read so far this year! The atmospheric vibes, intertwining character stories, and the back and forth timeline were all so intriguing. I loved the excerpts from the summer journal and how everything just fell into place. The big reveals were shocking! Also, the setting was unmatched. I loved how we had all the spookiness of the forest, the beauty of the ocean and cliff side, and the nostalgia of summertime. Overall, this was such an incredible thriller!

👥Multiple POV
📝Journal excerpts
🫣Spooky scenes

I love Lucy Foley thrillers and I was so excited when I got this ARC!

First of all, I loved the setting! An English manor by the water that’s been turned into a luxury hotel? And there’s a murder?? Say less!! Locked room mysteries are some of my favorites, so I knew I was going to like it right away.

The writing and the descriptions of the forest and the local superstitions were so eerie and unsettling. I got a little creeped out reading this at night, I won’t lie! Also love the fact that there were multiple POV’s and short chapters! It made me read so much faster so I could try to piece everything together!

My one criticism is about the character of Jake. It’s hard to talk about without spoiling anything, so I’ll just say that I was left with a lot of questions. I did still like the ending though.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves twists and turns, locked room mysteries, and immersive settings!
It will be out on June 18th!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy!

This was a good read. I will say the beginning was very confusing keeping track of all of the characters and it didn’t start to fully make sense until about 20-30% of the way through. But that honestly may be what Lucy was going for. After about 50% it really picked up and there was just constant action. I loved all the added twists. Some of them were predictable but some of them I didn’t see coming at all. All in all it was a good read and really had me thinking

“All of this, the soft curling locks, the rural goddess photoshoots with farm animals, the flowing linen: it hides something steely and unyielding. Beneath it all she’s always been hard as fucking nails.”

Thank you William Morrow for the gifted finished copy!

This book is officially my favorite Lucy Foley. I absolutely ate this one up. I can’t stop thinking about the very last sentence in the book. It gives me chills but also weirdly brings me so much joy. If you’ve read this one, please DM me because I’d love to chat about it with someone!

Lucy Foley perfectly blends the bougie expensive wellness retreat storyline with a small rural town full of superstition and just a touch of the paranormal (or not). Plus there is a cold case storyline that is tied in as well. For another writer, this could have come across as disjointed but Foley really made it work.

Check this one out for:
*Rich people behaving badly
*Midsommar vibes
*Creepy ancient woods
*Small town folklore
*Cold case mystery
*Revenge storyline
*Wellness retreat gone wrong
*Multiple POV

THE MIDNIGHT FEAST is out today!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6574436154
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8XP5mJpV9L/

I always enjoy picking up a Lucy Foley thriller. The Guest List is the book that got me back into reading and will always have a special place in my heart. So I always look forward to checking out her books.

Lucy’s books are always dashed with intrigue that can be borderline frustrating but always keep me hooked. Frustrating in a sense that I’m just like “tell me what the deal is now” lol. But it’s that feeling that always keeps me interested in her books. I feel like I often guess how some things will play out, but it’s never a disappointment when what I thought is what is true. If anything it just makes me feel like a good detective in that I was able to pick up the clues and figure things out.

This one was really interesting and reminded me of elements of so many other books and movies, but not in a way that feels copied. I always love getting multiple perspectives in a thriller and not only do what get perspectives from 5 different people but we also get diary entries from 15 years prior. All of these perspectives and timelines help to piece together a very intriguing puzzle.

If you’re a Lucy Foley fan I would pick this one up. A solid typical thriller from her. This one reminded me of:
•Nine Perfect Strangers
•The Village
•His & Hers
•Midsommar
So if you like any of those things, I would also consider checking this one out.

This thriller has moderate language.

Content Warnings: sexual assault (briefly on page), rape (implied)

This is one of those novels in which I expected so much, and it just somehow fell a bit short for me.

The book opens up during opening weekend of "The Manor" the brainchild of Francesca Meadows and designed by her husband, Owen, who is an architect. Francesca is calm personified, or so she wants you to believe, and she's sure that this opening weekend is only the beginning of great things to come.

What did I like? This story is told from multiple POVs and I'm always into that because it gives multiple insights and keeps you guessing. I also found the journal entries interesting because they allow us a glimpse into the past, helping us to understand why things are happening the way they are.

I loved the atmosphere and tension of this book, it definitely gave me some creepy feelings while also helping me to really dive into the book.

Unfortunately, it just fell short of its mark for me. There was some folklore in this novel that just felt very predictable, and when things unravel, I just wasn't wowed. I also don't understand why some of the characters don't recognize each other, people don't change that much in 15 years.

It was a quick read and it was fine, just not great.

This was a fun and fast-paced thriller, and I think that if you're looking for a locked room mystery or just want a well-plotted mystery then this will be up your alley. With multiple POVs to really propel this story forward, I found myself flying through to the end. Additionally, the atmosphere and tone of the story was really well cultivated, and I enjoyed the lore about the birds that were haunting the manor. The clues, the twists and the plot are all well done and made for a really enjoyable read. I can't wait to get our physical copies in for my patrons, thought the shelves won't see them for a long time because the holds list is already nearing the 100s!

The Manor is now a hotel owned by Francesca Meadows and her architect husband Owen Dacre. When Francesca was young, she and her brothers stayed at the manor in the summer with their grandmother as their mother summered in the Mediterranean. Since then, the Manor was left solely to Francesca. The manor has a nice pool, large grounds and is near a cliff leading to a beach. Francesca, with the help of Owen, transformed the Manor into a lovely hotel which offers a wellness atmosphere. The highlight of the stay is a celebration of the Solstice in which all the guests will participate. But a guest has arrived with a sinister agenda which may blow the entire event into smithereens.

It all started in 2009 when Francesca (known then as Frankie) made friends with some of the locals who joined her in her pool and engaged in other teenage stunts. There is a large wooded area with tales of huge birds that live in there and can kill. One of these stunts led to a devastating event that has left many of the locals scarred. With the reminder of this, many are not happy that Francesca is back and, thus, try to make her first event filled with problems.

OK. Honesty here. This is my first book by this author and I am disappointed. This is the kind of book that my son calls a “woo monster” story that had me rolling my eyes. The huge fear of the birds was ridiculous. All in all I was simply glad to say that i had finally finished reading it. Sorry. Not a favorite.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lucy Foley is an auto buy author for me and I couldn’t wait to see what she had done next. The Midnight Feast is a great summer thriller when you’re looking to escape the heat.

I enjoyed the atmospheric setting and the legend of “the birds” that haunted the manor. The multiple view points kept the story going.

While I preferred other Lucy Foley books, I’m glad I read this. Looking forward to reading what Lucy writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.