Solid 3 star, typical Lucy Foley thriller—extra helpings of creepy and weird to the point of droning on and on with it, with plenty of guru/meditation/organic junk thrown in—until the end. The ending was fabulous. Bumped it up for 4 stars for the solid ending that wrapped up loose ends that you didn’t even expect to be explained AND for the last line. The last line was utter perfection.

“What’s with all the old birds in here this evening? Place is overrun with them.”

Lucy foley is one of my favorite authors but this wasn’t my favorite. There was a lot of times her characters said “er…” and it felt a little juvenile on the writing style. There also was a lot of characters to keep track of throughout the story line. I did love the plot line though. There were a lot of twists and turns they kept me interested. I would definitely recommend it!

Starting off as a very eerie read set on an old estate turned upscale resort , The Midnight Feast had a spooky and unsettling plot going back and forth in time from 15 years past to the present, Francesca has achieved her life’s dream to establish a unique hotel near the woods on the property she inherited from her uber wealthy grandfather. On opening day the guests are all upper crust, except for Bella, who received a mysterious invitation to attend.

Huge weird birds permeate the tale, giving it a mythical essence. Murder, fires, falls, secrets, lies and hidden agendas abound. Something awful is going to happen. The beginning held promise and then the story split into too many subplots, too many points of view (5), too many double identities and an old diary which annoyingly is interspersed throughout. Like the kitchen sink, there is just too much thrown in. The plot and cast of characters became disjointed and difficult to follow.

I’ve read other Lucy Foley books. They seem to follow a particular formula. It’s time for a change The author is capable of better. Many people are going to enjoy this book and the looming evil that finally erupts. For me, it was just an okay read with flaws that caused me to speed read through to the end. Three stars for an adequate story. My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read and review an advance readers copy. Publication date is June 18, 2024.

Fabulous! My favorite Foley thriller since The Guest List!! While it did take a little while to get into the story, once I did, there was absolutely ZERO looking back! This one sort of gave me end of season two of True Blood vibes IYKYK…

Something happened 15 years ago, something kept secret… until now. Now, the past is coming back to right the wrongs and we get to play party guest to the shenanigans. Francesca is preparing for the opening of her lavish luxury retreat, and there has been no expense spared. With guests arriving, staff hard at work, and locals defiantly crashing the party (so to speak), we learn very quickly that there is something, a presence, lurking in the woods, eager to unleash the horrors that have been covered for over a decade.

Through an incredible cast of characters, good, bad, with secrets and determination, we learn the truth, riveting as it is. Seeing how this unravels, how the characters are connected to each other and the bigger mystery at hand, was masterful. Every singe voice brings something different. And I had the BEST time reading to this book!

Short synopsis: Its the night of the grand opening of an exclusive luxury hotel, end in flames. Secrets from the past are buried deep, but how do these guests histories intertwine.

My thoughts: Going into a thriller I’m always hoping that I get some unexpected twists, because I’m notoriously good at catching them early. This one did not disappoint! So many unexpected moments!

I loved how the different POV ended up entwining with each other both past and present. Glimpses of money and power, and the lengths someone would go to to protect a mistake.

The folklore of the birds added such a fun element to the story and completely added to the ambiance of the atmosphere making things feel so spooky.

With multiple POV and timelines I feel like the audio version may be difficult to follow. I personally read the physical copy and would suggest reading that way too.

Read if you love:
- Locked room thrillers
- Dual timelines
- Teenage Friendships
- Luxury
- Atmospheric reads
- Folklore

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an e-ARC copy of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley in exchange for an honest review.

The stage is set for a perfect opening weekend. The Manor is a exclusive B&B style resort in the countryside of England. Top products have been flown in, a guest list has been meticulously curated, and everything has been checked twice by the owner. Francesca Woodland has spared no expense to make everything perfect. What she did not anticipate was the locals retaliation, guests with false identities, and the whole thing going up in flames. Literally. Plaqued by the threat of local myths, Francesca's perfectly planned weekend spirals out of control and her guests get more than they paid for. One thing is for sure - no matter how much money you spend, the truth will out.


***SPOILERS***

I am going to be brutally honest. This book was her previous book, The Guest List, mixed with The Village. It was like the author took the outline from her last book, tweaked it, and sent it out. Also, the writing was just bad. The story follows several characters and jumps through multiple timelines. I did appreciate that she labeled each chapter to whose POV it was, but the changing of the writing to match the character's dialect just felt bad. Also, not to mention some of the corny lines. At the end of the book, a character that had disappeared comes back 15 years later and is revealed to be one of the POVs you read from. The line is literally "it's me, Jake. Your big brother. I've come back". I was picturing this man cliffside as he whips his hat off in the wind and delivers this line over his shoulder like a telenovela.

There was a slight "twist" where I didn't realize one character was related to another, but there was no reason for anyone to have guessed that in the first place. I think if you're looking for a fluff read or something that you're half paying attention to on vacation, this book would be fine. For me personally, I like the genre enough that I want more out of it.

The thrilling last act made up for the dragged-out buildup, The Midnight Feast started off on shaky ground; while I enjoyed the luxury resort setting, and all the thriller must-haves (multiple POVs, multiple timelines, etc.), I found the character voices a little monotonous, and being constantly irritated by a particular writing choice. But in the end it did win me over with a satisfying closure, and the page-turning adrenaline I was seeking in a fun summer read.

The characters were intentionally unlikable—even the ones who turned out to be sympathetic were kept pretty aloof in order to spread suspicion. While this was a valid strategy to generate suspense, in execution Lucy Foley may have withheld some empathetic details for far too long, to the point I was not emotionally invested in the happenings, thereby dampening my desire to return to the novel.

Sadly The Midnight Feast also contained one of my pet peeve in fiction writing—using unrealistically detailed 'diary entries' as a storytelling device. These entries contained publication-worthy prose, documented every critical moment / dialog per verbatim—and supposedly written by a teenager. Intermixed between chapters, these poorly disguised flashbacks were the least successful aspect; would've preferred just a straightforward first-person or third-person point of view to get the information across.

To my (surprised) delight, the second half of the novel (particularly the last 30%) really ramped up on the action and reveal, and the connections mostly justified the glacier pace beforehand. Even though it wasn't difficult to detect plot holes aplenty (there was definitely a more civilized way to resolve the novel's central conflict), the melodramatic, unhinged chaos created enough dopamine-filled distraction that I was more than willing to disregard the lack of realism.

All in all, The Midnight Feast ended on a high, but preceded by a pretty uneven thriller experience. One's satisfaction will greatly depend on how one rate the payoff, but personally this is a step-up from The Paris Apartment, with better atmosphere, more well-rounded lore, and a better spread of character archetypes. Even though this hasn't quite made me a Lucy Foley convert, but it is moving in the right direction.

Honestly it was really hard to get into. I love Lucy's works but there were just way too many view points and the chapters were so short that it made it jarring bouncing around so much. I do enjoy shorter chapters and multiple view points, but it was too much for me to handle this time.

I really tried to like it, I've heard great things about Foley...but it just didn't work for me. I was bored, and the shifting timelines and characters confused me when I put it down and came back to it.

This really had a strong finish; I couldn’t put it down after about the 70% mark.
I did struggle getting into it in the beginning, though. Of course Francesca’s POV was my least favorite because she is the most fake and delusional person, but I also felt like some wording didn’t make sense. Maybe it was because the author was trying to be “on trend”, but I had no clue what she was talking about during some of Francesca’s chapters.

I liked Eddie’s chapters the most, as he was the most down-to-earth person. When there was one of the big reveals, I was really surprised, while some of the others were more natural conclusions.

I really liked the end, so I give this 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I wanted to like this book but it just wasn't for me. The story was a little too weird for me - especially the parts with the birds. I did enjoy all of the twist and turns the story took.

I did not finish reading this book.

The book was told from many, many perspectives and I had a very difficult time keeping up with the storyline. I read about 30% of the book and had no idea how the characters connected and was bored with the story line.

I have read other books by this author that I have enjoyed so I just think that this book just wasn’t for me.

Lucy Foley's 'The Midnight Feast' had a lot going for it. The premise – a secluded island, a group of strangers, a storm, and a mysterious host – promised a deliciously suspenseful read. Unfortunately, the execution falls short, leaving the reader feeling more like they've been served a bland, lukewarm dish than a thrilling culinary masterpiece.

The biggest issue with the novel is its predictability. While the setup is intriguing, the characters and their motivations are painfully transparent. One can easily guess who is hiding the darkest secrets and who is destined to become the next victim. The tension, which should be building throughout, feels artificial and contrived, rather than organically generated by the plot or character development.

Opening night at the Manor, and you know Lucy Foley is going to deliver an amazing novel full of twists and turns, and a dead body. I absolutely loved this book with multiple POVs (which I do not find difficult because Foley eliminates that confusion), and never knowing who the "bad guy" was. I definitely did not trust anyone in this book. I have read a few books by Lucy Foley and this one was up there with the better ones! As I am finding with her books, you have to be a bit patient for some of the twists to iron themselves out, and I am not mad at it. I definitely recommend this to thriller fans!

The Midnight Feast is a dual time line, locked-room mystery set at an exclusive wellness resort called The Manor. The locals are not happy about the resort and keep referring to folklore and old wives tales of "The Birds" and to beware of them. The grand opening of The Manor begins on the night of the solstice. The next day, we find out a murder has been committed.

I honestly have to say I struggled with this one. The characters were unlikeable, the story was confusing and hard to follow.

The MidnighList t Feast by Lucy Foley is a mind-bending psychological thriller that explores themes of personal identity, how social influences can determine a person’s ultimate destiny, and a quest for redemption.

Both of Lucy Foley’s bestselling novels The Guest List and The Paris Apartment were obviously popular with readers and critics alike. Having read neither, I’ve only admired her work from afar, so this is my first book from the British author. The popularity of those previous novels boded well for me enjoying her latest novel The Midnight Feast and motivated me to request an advanced reader copy. The novel seamlessly blends mystery and suspense and is chock-full of twists and more than a little creepiness.

I must confess that I disliked almost all the characters in this book, yet that didn’t affect my interest in them or my enjoyment of the story. I’m tempted to believe Foley may have intentionally drawn these characters as a challenge to the reader to engage with them despite their lack of likability. Foley puts the reader in the heads of many of the characters of this book, so we learn who they are and what they are like first hand, as well as from the opinions of the other narrators. This multiple narrator approach made it a challenge to identity the protagonist of the book, but there was never any doubt about the identity of the antagonist, although it wasn’t until near the end when the reader learns just how villainous the person is.

Besides the multiple narrators, Foley also relies on a diary kept by one character to help the reader understand and follow the plot. And the novel alternates between three significant time periods (one period via the diary) throughout, sometimes abruptly, but always adeptly.

Foley delays revealing several secrets until the very end, including what motivates two of the key characters in their respective quests for redemption. It’s a twisty read most certainly and happily there’s satisfying closure at the end where justice comes late.

I found The Midnight Feast a pleasant introduction to Lucy Foley, whose style I found somewhat reminiscent of Agatha Christie. I definitely plan to read more from this author.

Wow, what a whirlwind of a read! So many characters and secrets that led to such a tantalizing conclusion (with actual fireworks!) I felt that the author let the plot build, but without dragging on and on. I also enjoyed how the story kept switching back between present and past events because it definitely kept the reader “on their toes.”
I was so excited to get an ARC of this book because I have really enjoyed this author’s other books. I thought The Midnight Feast was one of the author’s best, as the reader was able to tie together all the many revenge plots of the various characters with ,of course, several twists and surprises in the end. Thanks again to Net Galley and HarperCollins Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of The Midnight Feast!

#TheMidnightFeast #ARC #NetGalley #HarperCollinsPublishers

THIS IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE LUCY FOLEY BOOK I’VE EVER READ.

The atmosphere. The twists. The turns. The way I audibly gasped, TWICE.

It’s hard to really review since I don’t want to spoil anything. She just has a way of keeping you on your toes. I really enjoyed the dual time line.

With this being an arc, there was some slight errors but it was still easy to follow exactly when I was, who I was, etc.

I highly recommend this book. Especially if you’re looking for an atmospheric locked room murder mystery.

Read This Book If…you love the tv show White Lotus!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

Genre: mystery/thriller
Spice Level: 0/5🌶
Setting: English seaside manor
POV: multiple, 1st person, present tense

My Thoughts:
Having loved The Guest List and hated The Paris Apartment, I was ready for anything with this thriller and it turned out to be GREAT!

There’s a ton of White Lotus vibes - a fancy manor resort, rich people who can get away with anything, and the poor locals who have to deal with them.

The past vs. present was really interesting and I loved how some shared history was slowly revealed throughout the story. There were plenty of twists and turns, but I loved how they were slowly revealed instead of all saved for the end.

If you’re looking for a solid beachside thriller this summer, you’ve found it!

I received this book as an ARC on Netgalley from the publisher, William Morrow, with a publication date of June 18, 2024.

The book has multiple points of view and two timelines, which made it a bit challenging to keep track. However, overall, it was an engaging and fast read. It's a real page-turner with short and fast-paced chapters. At first, I was going to give it 3 stars because it felt similar to The Guest List, but the ending was a surprise and wrapped up the story nicely.

The story revolves around multiple characters attending and hosting the opening weekend of an exclusive resort. It also delves into an incident on the same property 15 years ago. The two timelines intertwine with secrets, revenge, and murder.