Lucy Foley's "The Midnight Feast" is a suspenseful thriller, atmospheric and rich in setting and characters. It is a locked-room mystery that is set in "The Manor", Francesca Meadow's new luxury hotel. The Manor, however, is surrounded by an eerie forest, one that holds many secrets. Whatever you do, do not upset the birds!

There is so much I enjoyed about this novel! I loved the premise and the folklore aspect incorporated within really captivated me. The setting was perfect for a story such as this, with Lucy Foley capturing the perfect atmosphere, and I loved the major contrast between The Manor and its surroundings. The characters all harbor secrets, and the flashbacks give insight as to what's going on and what led to that point. However, there were times when I didn't know what was going on. There are also several characters, past and present, and too many names to keep up with. Aside from that, this is a riveting book with a captivating storyline and wonderful story-telling! 4.5 stars

Thank you NetGallley, William Morrow, and Lucy Foley for this ARC!

Another excellent book!! Thanks for allowing me to read an advanced copy. I look forward to more from this author

I loved it. I enjoy Lucy Foley's work and this was another solid book from her. Well written, good characters, good pacing. I'm a fan.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley because I loved The Guest List and I really enjoyed The Paris Apartment. Unfortunately, I did not feel the same about The Midnight Feast. There were too many characters to track in the present timeline, along with how they fit in the past (through one character's journal). The first half of the book just dragged for me; I appreciate a "slow burn" and suspense builder, but ultimately, I found myself bored at times and just wanted to know who the dead body was. The last 25% of the novel finally had some action, but the ending felt unbelievable and some of the twists didn't fit well. All in all, it was just okay. I prefer previous Foley novels instead.

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

The Midnight Feast was different from the typical suspense/mystery books I have read in the past. It does jump from present to past with multiple characters which was initially confusing but once I got the hang of it, I was in for the ride. The setting was eerie and creepy. I liked the incorporation of folklore which I see some people complained about in their reviews but I felt it added that eerie element. I also enjoyed how things tied together in the end. There were more connections from past to present than what I was expecting. The Guest List is still my favorite by Lucy Foley but I liked this one too. I don't think it will leave a long lasting impression which is why I gave it 4 stars. I do look forward to the next Lucy Foley book.

The Midnight Feast by [Author's Name] is one of my favorite books by Lucy Foley. I loved the setting, the Manor, and the intriguing divide between the guests staying at the Manor and the locals. This novel gave me strong Midsommar and Saltburn vibes, blending eerie communal rituals with sharp social commentary.

This is a typical Lucy Foley novel. It’s a little out there in the thriller category, which is typical of this author’s other works. This one is written from the perspective of many different characters and was hard to follow at times. It reads slower than other thriller novels but is overall a good read. I liked it, but it wasn’t at the top of my tbr pile. If you like her other works, you’ll probably like this one too. It did very much have the movie "The Birds" vibe.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for letting me read this ARC!

For the opening weekend of The Manor, Francesca Meadows has curated an exquisite weekend itinerary sure to make it known as the most exclusive wellness hotel around. Little does she know many people from her past have also come and are intent on setting things right after an event that occurred on the property fifteen years ago changed the lives of so many.

There was so much potential with this storyline and it just fell short for me. The “twists” felt predictable and I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters (though many of them could be likable if they were written that way). It just felt like a chore to get through this one.

Thank you to William Morrow publishing and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my unbiased review!

MIDNIGHT FEAST, Lucy Foley

It is the opening weekend for the new exclusive luxury resort, The Manor, owned by Francesca Meadows and her architect husband, Owen Dacre, and they are determined to make sure everything goes perfectly. The opening chapter, however, reveals that something went horribly wrong and now the police are investigating a death.

The story is told from multiple perspectives as well as 3 different time lines: the time leading up to the inauguration’s Midnight Feast, right after it when a body is found, and a 15-year old diary. Although the frequent shifts between past/present/diary were at times challenging, the story develops with lots of twists and turns exposing lifelong secrets, keeping you engaged and curious. Lucy Foley is a master in misdirection!

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed reading The Guest List and The Hunting Party (in spite of the unlikable characters in both) and thought the premise of Foley's newest book sounded intriguing. A luxury resort is having its grand opening celebration. Most people are having a wonderful time, but many local residents resent the resort owner and what she has created. Some of the guests and employees may have a motive for being there other than enjoying the ocean views and curated food and drinks. There is a flash forward very early on in the book letting you know that all is not going to go as planned at the main event - the Midnight Feast.

This book was another one that was full of unlikable people. I was able to find a couple people to root for, but I wouldn't want to spend much time with most of them. One exception is resort employee Eddie, who I really liked throughout the book for his honesty and down-to-earth personality. The story is told in three timelines showing events leading up to the party, the aftermath, and journal entries from one of the characters written 15 years ago. The journal entries are an excellent way to show past events, but I kept getting confused about the sequence of events in the other timelines.

There were frequent mentions of local folklore throughout the book that added to the creepy, foreboding atmosphere, but was also confusing. However, I found it clever how some of the characters are slowly revealed to have unexpected connections. The way everything comes together for a fitting and surprising ending helps bump this book up to four stars.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and William Morrow Books. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. Unfortunately I have to DNF this at about 15%. The timeline and the point of view are all over the place. I cannot keep track of what is going on for the life of me. On top of that, I’m just not invested at all. The writing is meh and the plot makes no sense. This was my first book by Foley and I’m not sure I understand the hype.

I really loved this! It was fast paced and full of twists and turns! Truly hard to put down. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is a crazy ride. Multiple pov’s and every one of them has secrets. Up until the final moment I was not able to unravel the twists myself. Lucy foley does an amazing job at keeping you on your toes!

Confession: I did NOT expect to enjoy this book. I requested it out of curiosity, and promised myself I would promptly DNF it if I felt like it was going down the same path as The Paris Apartment, which I found to be a disappointment.

What I received instead was a juicy, secretive, simmering thriller perfect for summer. It has Foley’s trademark multiple-POVs that each brilliantly support the story. There’s plenty of backstory, which I love, that intertwines with present-day tension.

Summary: It’s the opening weekend of The Manor, a no-expenses-spared resort on the coast in Dorset. But what begins as an elegant summer celebration turns violent—by Sunday, a body has been discovered, a fire has ravaged, and a fifteen-year-old secret has come to light. 👀

It’s compulsively readable and has the kind of juicy drama you love to watch unfold. This makes for an excellent, slightly creepy thriller with some paranormal elements that makes for an excellent summer read.

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

The book is overwhelming in the beginning because of how many different characters perspectives go back and forth. The writing for the journal was hard to read, but I recognize the intent is a teenager writing it.

With that said, the business of the book doesn't leave a lot of room for speculation and I quite enjoy that. It caught me from the beginning though there were times it slowed down for me.

Overall 4 stars. It was a good read. The ending did not surprise me but I'm happy with it. There were several twist that you may not catch along the way though.

The slowest of slow burn thrillers, which I have to admit I am a bit over. I find myself gravitating towards faster and suspenseful books. I love a good locked room thriller, especially a creepy manor, so I wanted to give this one a try. The beginning of this one I found to be boring (probably because of the whole slow burn thing) but the book also has a large cast of characters, and I kept finding myself forgetting who was who. All of the characters just seemed so underdeveloped. Also the folklore seemed to be underdeveloped as well. I also hate birds, so the constant mention of them started to grate on me (but that's a personal thing and I can't take stars off for that).

Thank you to Netgalley, Lucy Foley, and publisher for the ARC of this.

This is a locked room who-dun-it type of thriller, as is most of her books. I loved the more or less isolated 'Manor'. I loved the dark spooky atmospheric setting. Birds, birds, and more birds. There is a huge cast of characters in this, as well as a journal style chapters sprinkled in. It did take me awhile to get through this one, and it is a slower burn type thriller, BUT I plan on listening to the audiobook when it comes out in a week or so.

Midnight Feast
Lucy Foley
Pub: 6/18
4☆

Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin…

This is a sloooow burn, so pack your patience. BUT it’s so worth it in the end as all of the puzzle pieces start falling into place. It was a fun, atmospheric read with questionable characters and so many twists I didn’t see coming. A well written mystery that will ultimately have you going… 🤯!

What I enjoyed;
✨ SO Many Twists
✨ Locked Room Mystery
✨ Multiple POV
✨ Past/Present Timeline

Thank you to William Morrow for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is opening week for The Manor, a high end and exclusive retreat center owned Francesca Meadows. However, during the festivities, old friends and enemies attend and secrets begin to resurface. Along with that, a body has been discovered.

I love a slow burn thriller when I am invested in the characters and the build up, but for the first 50ish % of this I was bored. There were too many perspectives and the timelines kept flipping before any strides in the plot were made. Still, I am happy I stuck with it because the ending definitely came full circle and had some shocking twists. Plus, I loved the full cast audio performance

Read if you like:
-Locked room stories
-Slow burn thrillers
-Birds
-Dark and creepy settings
-Large cast of characters

Thanks to William Morrow for the gifted copy.

My friend sent me two texts 45% into this book:
1. So like someone is dead
2. And there’s a lot of people

And that’s a pretty good summary of the book.

I really didn’t feel like a lot happened, and was very bored for most of the book. There were too many points of view - they weren’t all needed. Unfortunately, this was a big miss for me.