So to be honest I almost gave up on this one a few times. It was a pretty slow start for me but in the end I really am a fan of Lucy's writing so I stuck with it. In the end I am glad I did -more for completition and curiosity sake but it pick up toward the end.

Time doesn’t always heal wounds. Sometimes they are left to fester and ultimately infect everything around them.

A posh resort opens in a rural village, leaving the locals bitterly opposing the opulent show of wealth and blatant disregard for their way of life. The posturing yoga sessions on the lawn, energy crystal studded mask is covering up deep secrets. As the cast of characters come together, each with their own hidden past and agenda, will they discover the secrets that have been hiding behind “midnight feasts” for so long?

I was completely engrossed in reading “The Midnight Feast.” As I was reading, I kept realizing I was getting hunched over as was pulled further into the lives of the characters and sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!

10/10 recommend for mystery/thriller lovers out there!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy!

Lucy Foley has done it again! I loved this book. Foley writes characters that are easy to picture and creates a world in which you can see them existing. The idea of a wellness/holistic retreat as a place for a mystery/thriller was interesting. Some mystery authors lose their edge as they continue publishing, but this is one of my favorite novels from Lucy Foley. I loved it. I will be recommending it to all my friends and book clubs.

Read for:
- Your summer murder mystery
- Creepy, atmospheric suspense with a folklore twist
- Characters you love to loathe
- White Lotus meets The Wicker Man

Summary
Guests have flocked to The Manor’s grand opening, a luxurious new resort nestled on the Dorset coast. Owner Francesca has spared no expense to achieve a peaceful escape for privileged attendees, culminating in a grand summer solstice feast, a seemingly entertaining nod to local folklore. But the illusion begins to shatter when past lives threaten to surface, and suspicion grows that local old wives’ tales may hold some truth. When the elaborate feast goes up in flames and ends in murder, is it a result of class conflicts, old secrets, or something even more haunting and inexplicable?

Thoughts
Midnight Feast is deliciously creepy, twisty, and my favorite of Lucy Foley’s books so far. The loaming, oppressive woods combined with local folklore centered around some Hitchcock-type birds creates a genuinely unsettling read-with-the-lights-on story. There are characters that are easy to loathe, and others to root for, but you never really know the whole story as multiple perspectives and timelines expertly build and collide into a thrilling crescendo.

Big thank you to Lucy Foley, William Marrow, and NetGalley for this digital advanced reader’s copy!

Am I growing tired of thrillers or did this just not grab me? I'm not sure. I might not have strong feelings about the book, but I sure had strong feelings about Francesca - what a horrible person! This will be a hit despite my hesitation.

The Manor, a new, Instagram-worthy, luxury resort, has been opened in a quiet coastal town. Owner, Francesca Meadows, has curated the opening weekend with custom cocktails, immaculate grounds, and a Midsummer-themed feast. Outside The Manor, tensions have been rising; the locals are unhappy with the influx of out-of-towners and the forest surrounding the property is humming with unrest. Local folklore claims the forest is home to the Night Birds, an equalizing force called to action when law enforcement is out of their depth.

I could barely put this one down. The Midnight Feast is a tense, atmospheric thriller that reads like an A24 film. There were 5 POVs, but I didn't find them confusing as the voices felt very distinct. I wish there would have been a bit more about the Night Birds as I really enjoyed that element of the mystery. The twists caught me off guard; I had to go back to reread passages to see if I could catch those small hints.

I'll start by saying that I do think most people will enjoy this novel. I think my opinion is definitely in the minority. While this book wasn't my favorite, I didn't hate it. I just didn't connect with the characters. This book is told from the point of view of multiple people, and I didn't feel particularly close to any of them. In fact, it took me awhile to get the male characters straight; I kept mixing them up and confusing who was who. I found myself setting the book down and having a hard time coming back to it. The plot wasn't interesting to me, and I wasn't blown away by any twists or by the ending. But, as I said earlier, I know people love Lucy Foley and I think her fans will thoroughly enjoy this novel. It just wasn't for me.
*I'd like to give a big thank you to the author and to netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.*

Thanks@williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for this advanced review copy of The Midnight Feast, hitting shelves June 18!

I'll be honest- I didn't love The Paris Apartment, Foley's last book, so I wasn't sure how l'd feel about this one.

Sometimes quick POV changes in a thriller lead to lack of character connection for me and I wind up frustrated.

Not the case with The Midnight Feast. Super fast paced but it kept me connected to the characters and (per usual with Foley) I did not guess the twist.

It felt very atmospheric to read this book, set in the spooky woods, in a cabin resort high in the mountains of Andorra.

Highly recommend for a quick thriller, grab your copy next month!

this is a multi-POV with a back and forth in different timelines. despite that, it was really easy to follow along. there are journal entries which i also found to be a great addition to the mystery and revelations. it brings together the chaos of where past and present clash together with explosions unveiling unexpected secrets.

one of the things i liked about this was that Lucy Foley knows how to dangle just enough information to keep you going, but not enough that it spoils too much to soon. the downfall of this, though, was that it also had moments where it dragged and fell flat for me. at some point, certain things became repetitive and i felt like i was running in a perpetual circle chasing for even just a nibble from that metaphorical carrot and stick. it's like there were moments where there was a lot going on, but also not enough simultaneously. if that makes sense.

as for the characters... everyone clearly has secrets and acts pretty shady. as things slowly reveal, you start to understand their role in the storyline. you either spent the chapter questioning their intentions or just disliking them. Eddie was probably the most likable, subtract his constant mentioning and/or whining about Delilah/Lila. the detective's, & eventually Owen's, stories were the most impactful tho. their storylines really rounded out the chaos of everything else happening. unfortunately, i was kind of left wondering more about The Birds in the end. sort of unanswered questions. it's briefly mentioned that they keep things "balanced in nature", but like... it felt a bit too fleeting.

i would have to give this a 3 STARS. it's not bad at all, it just felt like it took too long to "get there". there were some edge-of-your-seat moments, but not enough to keep me truly immersed. it's definitely a good read for anyone going camping, just for the spooky forrest vibes. i have no doubts others would enjoy this more than me, so i'd definitely recommend this anyway.

thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. i received this as an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

4/5

A quick day read thriller that had a few more twists than I expected; but was just a bit too far contrived to be a 5 star read

Usually reading a book from multiple POVs and especially ones that go back and forth time wise, are confusing to me, but this particular book was one that it worked on. It actually kept me wanting to read more. The inclusion of journal entries from the main character allowed me to really understand the story and kept me fascinated and wanting more.

The addition of “The Birds” gave the story a creepy factor, yet important part of the story. I personally am terrified of birds so this would have definitely got my heart pumping.

Towards the end, I had a lot of questions, but the epilogue was able to answer all of them. Overall it was a great read with several twists and turns that kept me from putting it down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Lucy Foley for the ARC!

🪶📔🌊🍄‍🟫🐦‍⬛

<i>The Midnight Feast</i> is another whodunit-type novel from phenomenal story weaver Lucy Foley. It’s told from multiple different angles, much like her other books, which I typically don’t like but honestly she makes it work! Foley is so good about threading the needle through seemingly random characters and plot points, looping everything together into a thoughtful story with a few surprise elements that I never see coming.

I liked the setting, the way each character had a different voice (you don’t always see this with books told from multiple POVs), the pace (interested from the beginning, then my interest grew and grew to me furiously tapping for a new page by the end), the twists, and the way she connected everyone and everything.

The folklore was a slight miss for me. I feel like there was some description lacking, because every time that element was mentioned I had a really hard time “seeing” anything in my mind. I would have appreciated a little bit explaining what those elements looked like.

4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Big thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

The Manor is an exclusive resort and the opening promises to be the luxury experience the guests have been promised. But there's a secret hiding at The Manor. A death that's been covered up, but won't stay forgotten. While some have moved on, others are stuck in the past and they will do anything to remember the one who is gone.

As opening night unfolds, so to does the past. In a classic Lucy Foley web, no one is who they seem to be and anyone could be the next victim.

I loved the Guest List and you could tell Foley was trying to emulate the Guest List with this most recent who-done-it. However, the Midnight Feast fell flat. While I love short chapters, switching POVs and timelines every page became confusing and difficult to manage.

I did love the darker, unconventional element of this novel that we have not seen from Foley in the past. Unfortunately because I was focused on this aspect I was able to expect a plot twist.

This really enjoyed reading The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and was thrilled when I received an ARC from NetGalley for The Midnight Feast!

The Manor, the anticipated hottest new resort’s opening weekend falls during the Summer Solstice. What begins as a luxurious getaway for many resort guests…quickly becomes riddled with strange occurrences. The story is told from multiple point of views, ranging from the hotel owners, to staff members and even resort guests. A party, a murder, a missing brother, a historic fire, Turns out, The Manor has some secrets of its own and it’s only a matter of time before everyone is connected.

If you are looking for a slow burn murder mystery set in England’s countryside this is the summer thriller you are waiting for.

I want to start out by saying that this was a good book but I’m not 100 percent sure that this was the book for me. I had a hard time following the story due to so many flashbacks and so many changes in POVs that is as getting a little confused on who was who.

I couldn’t quite follow if what was happening with “The Birds” was a real thing or a drug induced vision. I had trouble knowing what exactly was goin on in each chapter as it flipped so much.

I feel like what may have also been an issue was reading this on my kindle and it was a little harder to go back and look at things and I fi had read it as a hard cover book I would have had a better chance of understanding what was going on because it would have been easier to flip back and find the answer i needed.

The ending was good and it had a few good twist but i had trouble wrapping my head around the end of it because names changed and stories were being retold that i had already forgotten.

I hate that i couldn’t give this book an amazing review but I will leave it as a good review.

I enjoyed The Paris Apartment, so I was surprised by how flat this fell for me. It's not particularly long, but it dragged. While we are made aware of a mystery from the beginning, the vast majority of the novel doesn't feel suspenseful. The mythology surrounding the Birds isn't interesting or creepy. I don't expect suspense novels to have thoughtfully fleshed-out characters, but the present version of the protagonist lacks any substance. This one's a no for me.

5 stars for the atmosphere, 4 stars for the entertainment value, 3 stars for the plot, and 2 stars for the characters =3.5ish all-over-the-place stars!

The grand opening of an exclusive resort draws the rich and famous, but old secrets rear their ugly head during the festivities, resulting in chaos and murder.


What worked
The atmosphere--it is dark, creepy, and sinister. The woods play a huge role in the events and elevate the plot.
Another intriguing element that held my attention was the lure of the local birds. The legend of these nefarious, mythical birds that seek vengeance on those who tarnish the woods adds a layer of darkness.

What kind of worked
The twists--some are obvious, but a few are surprising. One caught me off guard completely. There is also a solid level of tension and suspense.

What didn’t work
There are too many characters, most of whom are underdeveloped. Most of them are unlikable, but there is one that is not so bad.
Chapters alternate between characters, I enjoyed some of their voices more than others.
The timeline switches back and forth between the past and the present, and the past is shared through diary entries. I found the chapters about the past boring and predictable. This trope is getting old.
The plot is thin, and the narrative is uneven. The ending is satisfying to a point, but it goes on and on and on.

Overall, this is a slow-burn read with some enjoyable elements. It is very readable, but the execution is messy. I might be overly critical because I expect more from Foley's books. At the same time, I would still recommend this one for its menacing atmosphere and entertainment value.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️. Thank you HarperCollins publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc. Overall I enjoyed it. There were some really great twists and turns. Some “oh snap” moments I didn’t expect. I didn’t love certain aspects of the story. I loved the journal going back and I liked the idea of the locals banning together to take care of their home, but the actual bird piece didn’t do it for me. I also have a hard time believing adult Jake who got his life together would just stay away from the family he deserted as a drug addict teen.

It was interesting, kept my attention, and had me wondering what the hell was going to happen.

As it was an unedited version, there were some incomplete sentences and strange placed quotation marks, but I’m sure this will go through several more rounds of edits and be cleaned up.

I really wanted to love this one. Starting with the beautiful cover. This is my third book by Lucy Foley, and I’m afraid it will be my last.

The whole luxury resort setting was giving White Lotus vibes, which I was excited about, but it quickly faded as each chapter came through. Multiple POV in Foley’s traditional fashion. I appreciated that there weren’t as many as in The Guest List. I feel like there were a lot of unnecessary details, like the very lengthy journal entries. Unfortunately, I was not very interested in the story, and felt like not finishing too many times. I love when thrillers keep me on the edge of my seat, and have me turning pages non stop. I’m so sad to say, this one did not do that for me.

I wish the book had mentioned some trigger warnings. Didn’t really trigger me in any way, but I 100% support books having warnings when certain topics are being presented.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.