The Midnight Feast: A Novel

The Manor is a historical home that has been renovated into a hotel by the granddaughter of the original owners. Francesca Meadows has turned the Manor into a massive wellness boutique hotel, where the price tag is hefty and the clientele are well to do. Of course the locals aren't too happy about the hotels existence. They feel that their sleepy town of Woodland Hutches should not be invaded. Strange things start happening around the location, some are reminiscent of an old wives tale the locals call "the Birds". "Beware of the Birds" many locals have warned, believing in the superstition. But surely "the Birds" are not responsible for a murder?

The story follows different POVs so the reader never get bored. It also jumps timelines as a woman from Francesca's past appears at the Manor's opening weekend. She is intent on exposing all of Francesca's dirty and morbid secrets. In addition, there's DI Walker, the detective that is investigating what seems to be arson and murder. But is it the mysterious woman from Francesca's past that's causing these horrible tragedies or is it really the work of a superstitious myth?

I give this book 3.5 stars. While I absolutely loved how the story unraveled, I did struggle in the beginning with the slow burn. One of my favorite thing about this book is I NEVER, at any point, knew who the culprit was until the end when it started to unravel. A great summer thriller for sure.

I started this book around mid-May, and here I am, three months later, writing this review. This is the first book I’ve read by Lucy Foley, and I picked it up solely because of all the hype surrounding her work. However, in all honesty, my first impression of her writing did not live up to the hype.

The plot of the book is simple. The Midnight Feast follows the story of Francesca Meadows, who has recently inherited the Manor from her grandfather and transformed it into a luxurious wellness retreat. The retreat features seaside cabins, woodland hutches, and upcoming treehouses designed by her husband, Owen. To celebrate the opening, she decides to throw a lavish midnight feast, complete with a perfectly curated dinner and white flowing linen outfits for the guests.

However, deep in the woods lie secrets from Francesca’s past. A rift with the locals and mysterious guests roaming the manor threaten to uncover her dark secrets and ruin her perfect solstice. Francesca has no other way out but to burn the place down and flee Dorset forever.

Initially, I found it very difficult to get into this book as the writing style was a bit confusing. Although the plot was simple, the author chose to complicate it by throwing in fantasy elements like folklore and the birds, which I think need not have been a part of this mystery.

The story is told from multiple POVs, which was interesting. The major story is uncovered through journal entries made by one of the characters 15 years ago, giving this book its dual timeline. However, despite the short chapters, the writing was very descriptive, making the transition from description back to the story a bit confusing and difficult to follow, further putting this book on the slow burner.

On the other hand, the characters were not very likable. The main character, Francesca Meadows, was too arrogant and corky. However, I did like the characters Bella and Eddy. Eddy was just cute, innocent, and the hero of this mystery. I also failed to connect with the story of the birds and the legend surrounding it.

Overall, I did like the mystery surrounding the story but not the entire book on the whole. I would recommend it to readers looking for a fantasy mystery book. As for me I did finish it after three months and would have to really think before picking up another Lucy Foley book.

Thanks to netgalley, the publishers HarperCollins uk and Author Lucy Foley for the arc.

Good book! Great plot. A little confusing

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This book kept me intrigued as it built up to the various reveals. Some things felt too convenient, but were satisfying enough. Switching between the different POVs worked well, although I wondered if a teenager would really write like that. I think more could have been done with some of the side characters to make them more suspect. And, the reveal about who was in the house at the end felt a bit like a throwaway. Overall, this was a quick read with enough questions that were all fully answered by the end. 3.5 stars.

“I saw this meme... that was like: ‘How can there be so many problems in the world when there are so many wealthy women with crystals?'” I liked this. The snark. The wit. The suspense. I was confused and intrigued. “The vibe is relaxed, albeit spiced with a faint note of social competition.” I really just wanted to know what the eff was going on.