I really enjoyed this book. I like how all the characters tied back together.

Told in several point of views but the timeline is told in present, diary entries from 15 years ago, and the day after the crime.

Francesca has opened a luxury hotel on her family’s estate. It’s in a poor town but she vows to only use locally sourced material in the hotel (which she doesn’t). She’s married to the man of her dreams and has the best manager running her hotel. For the opening weekend, she’s planning a midnight feast as a reminder of her childhood. Everything leading up to the feast is a disaster. The locals are crashing the beach, a woman from her past has shown up as a guest and is threatening to ruin the celebration, and then there’s the legends of the birds. They supposedly seek justice for people but Francesca doesn’t believe in it.

The diary entry is from “Bella’s” point of view. I put in quotations because that’s the name she signed up as but not her real name. The summer 15 years ago has haunted her. She was befriended by “Frankie” Francesca on the beach. Frankie is rich and posh and Bella is poor living in the tv park. She wants to impress Frankie but she knows the family is evil. Frankie starts inviting an older girl to hang out with them and Bella is so jealous. She sees the older girl talking to Frankie’s grandad one night and tells Frankie. Frankie then hatesss the girl. Frankie’s granddad is known for his affairs. The girl tells Bella that it wasn’t an affair. That Frankie told her the granddad had art connections and she thought she could escape this town if people knew her work. Bella invites her to a bbq at Frankie’s in hopes they can make up. Only Frankie gives everyone mushrooms in brownies and it turns out they were poison. No one ate them except the older girl because everyone knew Frankie spiked food in the past for fun. The girl dies and Frankie’s grandfather says he’ll ruin Bella and her new boyfriend’s Jake’s life if they tell. Bella believes him. Jake disappears after and Bella knows they killed him.

Jack is now working at the luxury hotel and trying to keep his family together. His brother disappeared 15 years ago and they think he’s on drugs and in jail. His parents have been miserable. Jack basically ties all the characters together in the book. He’s a local.

In the end: Frankie’s husband finds the body. It’s actually his mom and he’s also local and frankie didn’t know. Jake is the police officer investigating the day after the solstice. It’s jacks brother that disappeared. He’s been working behind the scenes to convict Frankie somehow. Bella’s diary tells what happened. The “birds” run Frankie out of town. She wrecks her car and runs and accidentally runs off a cliff. We find out in the end Jacks mom is a bird and he thought it was his dad so he stole the garments to keep him out of trouble. When Frankie is ran out of town Jack is dressed as the bird to scare her. He feels a power in the garments and the power wants revenge. He’s the one who chased her off the cliff and he kind of liked the feeling.

The Midnight Feast - Likewise Book Reviews

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