Reviews

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

rachelmeinke's review against another edition

3.0

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!

maikenthomsen's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

annawilson's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

cj_mo_2222's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Bullying, and Classism

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Sexual assault

nja820's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A wild thriller that kept me guessing until the end.

rosecahill's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

sablou53's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

wondrousreads's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

3.0

madscrain's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mcgbreads's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.0

ARC review; thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and HarperCollins UK Audio for the access to the ebook and the ALC. 

This is my first Lucy Foley book and it just didn't work for me. It was very confusing and not in a "I want to figure out wtf is happening" kind of way, but in a "this makes NO SENSE to me" way. 

I'm not a thriller expert. I casually pick them up and I don't have strong feelings about what they should or shouldn't be. The only thing I expect is to be thrilled. Even if I have to suspend disbelief or just go along for the ride, I want to feel the tension ebb and flow throughout the story, to lean forward in my seat, to want to connect the dots. None of that happened for me with this one. 

I liked some elements of it, like the incorporation of folklore into the story, which was interesting and unexpected, the dual timeline, and the short chapters, but not much else. Maybe this just wasn't the Lucy Foley book for me and another of her books will work better, but this was a flop. 

About the audiobook: the narration was fine. A solid audiobook that delivers the story quite well.