TLDR: Pretty standard Lucy Foley fare - a decently entertaining page-turner with multiple POVs that slowly reveal a tale of revenge and a mystery long buried in the past.

Lucy Foley returns with another atmospheric thriller that fans of her work will find familiar. The Midnight Feast delivers on the hallmarks of her style: a multi-perspective narrative, deeply entangled past connections between characters, a peek inside the lives of those much richer than you or I, and the slow unraveling of secrets leading to a wild climax and a deadly conclusion.

Set in an opulent luxury resort on its grand opening night, right away there's a sense of unease beneath its glamour. Foley’s descriptions of the setting—a glittering infinity pool, designer cocktails, and an ancient forest full of secrets—are vivid, contrasting ancient folk horror tales with the ultra-modern, faux new age aesthetics of the resort. The dynamic between the characters is compelling, with each hiding their own motives and histories that intersect in surprising ways.

However, while the premise is intriguing, the execution felt formulaic, especially if you've read Foley's other books. The characters, while distinct, lacked much depth beyond their immediate secrets. That said, the atmosphere is undeniably engaging, and the twists are satisfying enough to keep the pages turning. While The Midnight Feast may not break new ground, it’s a solid read for fans of Foley’s style or those looking for a mix of Blair Witch creepiness and Fyre Festival chaotic drama.

VERDICT:
If you’re a fan of Foley’s previous books, you’ll enjoy the familiar structure and slow-burn reveals. For new readers, it’s a decent introduction to Foley's “Agatha Christie for the Instagram age,” style, though it might not be her strongest offering.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. The scene is a brand new luxury hotel in the woods in England, and as always in her novels, the setting is like a character. There is a fire and a murder, and the book works on figuring out what happened. It’s a very slow mystery, but it kept me reading. #themidnightfeast #lucyfoley #advancedreadercopy #netgalley #bookstagram #mystery #thriller #lovetoread #takeapagefrommybook #readersofinstagram

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The Midnight Feast has a bit of Midsomar feel to it. The land protects the people and the people protect the land, and if greedy people try to change that, bad things happen, as you find out in The Midnight Feast. This was creepy and atmospheric and very much nature centric.

A great little mystery story. The beginning was a bit of a drag for me but I stuck with it and the pace quickened.

I loved this book. It was very entertaining to read and I was not expecting the plot twists throughout! Definitely recommend!

Follows the typical Lucy Foley formula. If you enjoyed her other books, you will most likely enjoy this one too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I like Foley's work, but this one is firmly in the middle of the pack. Predictable but enjoyable read.

While The Midnight Feast did not capture and hold my attention, I will still continue to recommend Lucy Foley to thriller lovers in my social circle. I plan to try reading this again at a later date so I can post a more thorough review. Thank you!

I seriously love Lucy Foley! I love the multiple narrators and twists and turns she produces! This book was so good and had me continuing to read through the night! Also, she always has the best settings for her books and this one was no exception!

4.5 stars

Lucy Foley has become a must read author for me at this point so I jumped at the chance to read this one. Plus, that short summary was the perfect way to catch my attention and make me want to read this book. I was instantly intrigued! From the beginning pages, this felt very much like a Lucy Foley novel with the story being told from multiple viewpoints and characters. I love how she does this and how as the reader we slowly get to know each of the characters. What made this book unique was the dark, haunting vibes of the woods where The Manor was located. It gave me Yellowjackets vibes if you've watched that show (it's dark but so good!). This book is a slow burn but in the best of ways. It builds up the tension and suspense until it all boils over into a page turning ending. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Readers who enjoy atmospheric, suspenseful reads should pick this book up. I'm landing on 4.5 stars but rounding up on Goodreads. Here's my current ranking of her books if you are interested (from favorite at top on down):

The Guest List (this one remains my favorite so far)
The Midnight Feast
The Hunting Party
The Paris Apartment

Honestly I loved all four of these with the lowest being four stars still. They are all so good and I recommend them all especially for mystery readers.

I felt like the vibes in the book were great - the dark and spooky setting at the manor, the eerie mystery, etc. I also think that it started out strong with multiple POVs and short chapters, but ultimately I got lost quickly and became uninterested in the story. I didn't really understand the birds and felt like it would have been a more likeable story without that.

Let me start with this: I have read all of Lucy Foley's books so far and they're always hit and miss for me. This unfortunately was a miss, but I do still really enjoy her writing. There were redeeming qualities here, it just wasn't for me! I stayed so confused with all the storylines and it made it really hard for me to really get into it. I have, however, enjoyed enough of her books that I will continue to pick up her work in the future.

I love Lucy Foley, but this one didn't quite hit for me, unfortunately. I found it hard to keep up with the different characters and timelines which could be more a me thing than the writing. I didn't feel any sort of attachment to nor interest in any of the characters or what happened to them which is unusual for me with this author.

On the plus side, the place setting and atmospheric vibes of the resort in the creepy forest was on point!

Still, an auto-buy author for me, so excited to see what she comes out with next.

The setting drew me in right away and the characters kept me guessing. Another great choice by Lucy Foley!

one of my fav reads of the year and i was so taken by this prose that it has become one of those that i keep recoommending and I am looking forward to more from this author!

I was a dummy and didn’t read my NetGalley copy in a timely fashion and ended up listening to the audiobook from Hoopla. I love Lucy Foley’s books - she does a great job of combining the usual thriller tropes with some (possibly) supernatural business - this was fast-paced and engaging with great narration. Highly recommend.

Thank you William Morrow for the advanced reading copy!

I was teetering between 4.25-4.5 stars on this one, and I think I finally landed at 4.5 a few weeks after finishing this! I really enjoyed this book overall The plot was creative and there were lots of twists and turns. I LOVE Lucy Foley's writing style. It's atmospheric and enticing from start to finish. The setting of this book was fantastic -- such a creepy forest setting with mystical and whimsical vibes. I always appreciate the way Lucy Foley ties so many characters and timelines together, and I loved the way that all these seemingly unrelated mysteries came together throughout this story. Really enjoyed!

i love Lucy Foley's work, it's always great, and this was most definitely not an exception. 5 stars, tysm for the arc.

When listening to audiobooks, it can be difficult to keep track when there are many characters. This book had too many characters for audio. It may be fine visually. I did not enjoy because it was difficult to keep all the stories straight.

I am a huge Lucy Foley fan and the premis of this one pulled me in right away .
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley kicks off during the grand opening weekend of The Manor, a lavish resort nestled near a forest
Francesca Meadows, who grew up in the area and recently inherited the property, has meticulously planned every detail to offer a peaceful, scenic getaway. However, in this moody, slow-burn mystery, the celebration takes a dark turn, leading to death and flames as the land’s hidden secrets emerge throughout the weekend.
I was underwhelmed by the characters and the ending, but enjoyed the reading journey.