I was gifted a copy of this audiobook by Harper Collins UK to give an honest review.
Blurb:
Midsummer, the Dorset coast
In the shadows of an ancient wood, guests gather for the opening weekend of The Manor: a beautiful new countryside retreat.
But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. And the candles have barely been lit for a solstice supper when the body is found.
It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…
THE MIDNIGHT FEAST
My thoughts:
The Midnight Feast is a fast-paced, enthralling thriller full of many unexpected twists. This is my favourite Foley book to date.
Set on the opening night of a countryside retreat, the rich clientele and new luxury establishment – complete with spa – causes a negative reaction from local town folk.
We follow multiple narrators, back and forth from the time before, during and after the solstice supper. As readers we aren’t privy to knowing any details about the plot, including what events might take place during the solstice for most of the book. This makes the story an extra suspenseful read and keeps readers hooked until the very end.
The audiobook narrators were also excellent. Sometimes they can make or break a story and they definitely added to the feel of this one, making the characters come alive. Each character felt fleshed out, with their own distinctive voices which was nice as it’s never fun guessing who’s narrating at any given point during a book with multiple points of view.
There are a lot of characters in this book to keep up with. I guess that was done so readers don’t work out the mystery too soon. The four main voices – Francesca, Bella, Owen and Eddie – all come from different backgrounds but each have secrets of their own. Even the most prim and proper of them all, struggles to keep up with the facade of keeping up appearances. Each of them appearing to be messy and complicated which makes for such a fun time. We also see more than just what goes on in the hotel as we take a closer look into their home lives and pasts.
We even get an extra viewpoint from two detectives in various chapters. This added another layer to the story – making the guessing game of what may have happened that evening that much harder to solve. It’s also a unique way of showing the reader a new discovery in the plot without giving lots of information away too soon.
There are many spooky elements to the book, with a big focus on birds and taking care of the natural surroundings as the town believe bad stuff happens to those who disturb nature’s beauty. This was an interesting element adding folklore to the plot because it made the whole thing seem like anything could happen, even if it might not be possible in the real world.
I never once felt bored reading this book. I constantly found myself thinking about the characters and wanting to pick it back up. This is one book I can see being adapted to screen. It’s definitely one to add to your summer 2024 reading list.
Rating: 4.5/5
Have you read any books by Lucy Foley? Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments. I’m also on Instagram and Twitter – @bookwormgirl_24
bookworm girl 