"The Night Olivia Fell" is a suspenseful book. It centers around a mother (Abi) whose teenage daughter (Olivia) had been declared brain dead after falling from a bridge. However, upon closer examination, it seems as though it might have not been such an accident.

However, she can't figure out who would want to hurt her kind, loving daughter.

As the story progresses, you are given reasons for why a few someones might have wanted to harm her daughter - and you find out more about the mother through a few flashbacks. The story is told in alternating chapters and alternating viewpoints between Abi and Olivia - which is a method that used to not be a favorite but one that I have since come to appreciate.

Although part of the ending was predictable, I still appreciated this story and found it compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy! It will be released the 5th of February.

This had an interesting concept, but I found it to just be an average or okay read. I had hoped for more suspense then there was in the book. Some of the "twists" weren't all that surprising. A lot more predictability than what I've come to expect in this genre.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.

Holy freakin’ cow! This is a debut?! UNBELIEVABLE!

5 stars! Easily! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Night Olivia Fell has everything I look for in a mystery/thriller. It sucked me in from page 1 and I couldn’t put it down. Abi gets a call in the middle of the night that her daughter, Olivia, has has a terrible accident. Or was it?

As a mother myself, I could totally relate to Abi’s character. Her protectiveness, her constant worrying, her skepticism regarding the “accident”:and her fight for justice for Olivia - it took me on an emotional roller coaster!

My review could never do any justice for this fantastic book! Just read it. ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley, Christina McDonald and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review.

This was the last book I didn’t put down after reading just a portion of it so I’ve had time between finishing it and writing a review which
Is refreshing. I thought the writing was a good combination of plot driven and character study with plot the bigger plus. I like that while
this is not in the fiction category it delivers on the level of fiction albeit literature showing the ability we have to alter reflect and have an
Impact on the lives of others...hard to find in the publishing for profit world these days.

I didn't figure this one out until the very end. So many possibilities....

This is a very suspenseful book. So many secrets that unfold one by one, adding to the suspense. I can not fathom how Abi managed to stay sane through it all. I totally get how she felt like the police weren't doing anything and she had to find out what happened, but wow did she ever get put through the wringer trying to question everyone.

The story is told from Olivia's point of view and Abi's. The reader get to see what Abi is working to uncover then we see the event from Olivia' perspective and why she did what she did.

A very emotional story as well as suspenseful. Be ready for a roller coaster ride with this one.

I liked the fast pace and trying to figure out what happened on that bridge that horrible night.

If you enjoy a good thriller, you will like this book.

Abi Knight has to live a mother's worst nightmare. Her 16 year old daughter Olivia fell from a bridge after being assaulted and is now braindead. Olivia is also pregnant, something Abi hadn't known until Olivia's doctor informed her at the hospital. Her daughter will now be kept on life support until the baby dies or can be delivered. Abi puts all her energy and effort into discovering who was with Olivia that fateful night.

For a girl who didn't have any enemies, Abi thought, it turns out there were at least five people who might have motives to want Olivia out of their lives or dead. For months Olivia hadn't been herself, which Abi became more aware of as she thinks back over the events of those months. So much had been going on in Olivia's life that Abi wasn't aware of and Abi comes to learn just how much Olivia hated and resented the control that Abi exerted over her life. Control that Abi considered protecting and nurturing Olivia, but Olivia considered overbearing and repressive.

As the book introduces us to each of the people who might want to harm Olivia, we also meet people who may not have wanted to harm her but still were instrumental in keeping the truth from coming out of what really happened that night. Abi is a mom driven to find out the truth no matter how much it hurts because she'll never get her daughter back. With so many people in the book who might have a motive, I wasn't positive who was responsible for her injuries. Olivia did put herself in harm's way many times, and we read some chapters from her point of view. Knowing her fate and reading her chapters, as they are happening, makes it hard to handle that we can't just stop her from taking the risks that she takes. I have never been a mother but I can see the frustration a parent would feel, wanting to protect their children and being helpless to do so.

Thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, and NetGalley for this ARC.

This story pulled on my mama heartstrings and I couldn't stop reading to find out how Olivia fell and ended up in a coma. There were several characters who appeared guilty or at least that's what the author wanted you to think. The ending was so obvious that I completely overlooked it! This was a quick and easy read.

I could not put this down. I was captivated from the very beginning and couldn't wait to find out what really happened to Olivia. I enjoyed reading the events from Olivia's point of view and from Abi's. This one tugs at your heartstrings.

I couldn't put this down! It started off with a bang and didn't let up! The flashbacks definitely had all of my attention and kept me turning the pages until the very end. The twist and turns didn't stop! Such a fan!

The Night Olivia Fell is an emotional story. I would recommend keeping the tissues close while reading this book. I was guessing until the very end on “who done it”.

An emotional mystery. I don’t believe I have ever used those words to describe a book in the mystery genre.

Abi Knight is awakened by the phone call no mother ever wants to get: her teenage daughter Olivia is in the hospital. When the police unexpectedly rule Olivia’s fall an accident, Abi decides to find out what really happened that night. Was Olivia’s fall really an accident? Or something far more sinister?

Told from the perspectives of Abi and Olivia, this story packs an equal amount of mystery and emotion. While the pace is not break neck, it kept me reading and interested from the first page. The characters are well written and engaging. McDonald wrote in such a way that I could feel and experience all that the characters were feeling as if I were right there with them.

Looking for a story that will engage the butterflies in your stomach as well as your heart? The Night Olivia Fell is perfect for you! The twists keep you on the edge of your seat and Olivia’s circumstances will break your heart.

A deeply moving novel that asks if we would rather be happy or know the truth?

This story isn’t a typical mystery-thriller. It has all the makings of a great read (fast-paced; twists; some surprises) but it has something others in the genre don’t: the ability to make the reader feel. The story is so deeply tragic and heart-wrenching that I wasn’t surprised to find myself wiping tears away as I closed my kindle.

Bravo!

See full review on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2673694430

Emotional, heartbreaking and gut wrenching, but in the end uplifting with hope for the future. From page one The Night Olivia Fell grabbed me and held on until the stunning conclusion. Very early one morning Abi gets the call no mother wants to get. Olivia has fallen from a bridge...there is no brain activity...and she's pregnant. Olivia is put on life support until her baby can be safely delivered. The police seem to be doing very little and Abi needs to know what happened. The Night Olivia Fell follows Abi's journey and as she learns what happened to Olivia she also learns that she is capable of so much more than she thought she was, she learns how to accept help and what being a family really means. This is a book that will stay with me a very long time...I look forward to reading more by Christina McDonald.

"Whenever, whatever, I'm here forever." A whispered promise from mother to daughter. A statement of love and promise passed down from one generation to the next in the Knight family. Is it truly a promise a mother can keep? This is a question weaved throughout this novel of love, loss, lies and betrayals.

In the small hours of the morning, Abi Knight is woken from sleep by a call, telling her she needs to come to the hospital, where her daughter is. There was an accident, she is told. She does not believe this, as her daughter Olivia, is right there, in bed.... but running to check, she finds that 17 year old Olivia is not at home. She makes a desperate dash to the hospital, where her daughter lays, broken, after a fall off the low wall of the Zig Zag bridge, and into the water below. She is told that her daughter will never wake up, that she is brain dead from the accident. She is also told that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant, and thus the medical staff wishes to keep her alive on life support for the sake of the baby, whom they may be able to save.

Abi does not believe that what happened was an accident. She begins to look at facts and clues and begs the police for help. They seem to be dragging their feet, unwilling to look at the dearth of evidence that points to there being more to the story. Who can help her? How can she get the answers? How can she manage when her daughter, her whole life, lays brain dead in the hospital.

McDonald does a good job laying out her story with the narrative going back and forth between Abi and Olivia as their stories about what occurred unfold, until the final conclusion. I had to suspend my disbelief a little more than I usually like to, as there were some inconsistencies in the telling of the tale. However, the book was still extremely good, and I raced through it as I needed to know what happened. I am glad I stuck with it!

Wow! I was a little apprehensive about this book because the author is new to me and I believe new to this genre but the description drew me in. This author did not disappoint.

How far would you go to find the truth out if it was your daughter? Abi was relentless in her search to find out what happened to her daughter. The book pretty much opens up with Olivia falling but throughout the book you get to see what the mother-daughter dynamic was.

Every one has secrets and there was no shortage of secrets in this book.

The characters were relatable, the book was fast paced, and the writing was great!

Thank you to netgalley, and Galleey books for this ARC!

Schmaltzy and predictable. Reading other reviews makes me think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I had (or even wanted) kids.

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

Abi Knight gets a call stating her daughter Olivia has fallen off a bridge. When arriving at the hospital she is informed that Olivia is brain dead. Olivia is also pregnant and must remain on life support to keep her baby alive. Abi feels the police are not investigating the incident. She believes that Olivia did not fall off the bridge. Abi is determined to find out what happened to Olivia.

I nearly read this book in ONE day!! This book has it all, suspense, intrigue, family secrets, and a heart-wrenching storyline. I found the story so gripping and was up reading way past my bedtime on a work night! I woke up in the morning and had to finish before going to work. I am so thankful for a flexible work schedule.

All I could think about throughout the story was how powerful a mother’s love is for her child and what lengths she will go to in order to protect her child.

I normally take a couple of days when I finish a book to digest it and think about what I want to say but here I am just minutes after finishing The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald writing my review as fast as I can realizing that there is no need dwelling on this book because it was so riveting, raw and real. My gut feeling and the emotional reaction to this book are telling everyone out there that this is good, really good. It feeds ask of your emotions and curiosity, leaving you fulfilled and yet sad that like all good books, it ended.
The story starts out with a mothers worst nightmare as Abi Knight gets a call from the hospital that her 17 year old daughter, Olivia, has fallen off a bridge. Single mom, Abi, races to the hospital and rushes to see her daughter, knowing that Olivia will be fine, she just needs to see her and Abi will make it alright. But she can't. After the doctor gives her the most gut-wrenching and tragic news possible, Olivia is brain dead, the doctor then drops the bombshell that Olivia is pregnant and will be kept alive due to state law until the baby can be born. What? How can my beautiful virgin daughter be pregnant is what goes through Abi's "thousand thoughts a minute" mind? How did she fall off the bridge and not survive since Olivia was a champion high school swimmer? What was Olivia doing out so late when she always came home on time? As Abi deals with the grief of losing her daughter when the baby comes, she seeks answers to all of her immediate questions and as the story unfolds, there are more and more questions that will be asked and ultimately answered about that night and the months before Olivia's fateful fall. The characters in this story are realistic and believable although not all are likable. While no one is perfect, a mother's love is. Read this book and you will feel the gamut of emotions. So curl up in your favorite chair with the beverage of your choosing for a great read. Just make sure to have tissues handy. Christina McDonald's book was one of the first books I've read this year and other books will have a tough act to follow. Thank you to Netgalley and Galley Books for an advance copy of this book. #NetGalley #TheNightOliviaFell

This novel was a slow burn. The alternating timelines and somewhat unreliable narrators were reminiscent of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. However, throughout the story, you can’t help but become invested in these characters and their well-being. Although some situations and decision were frustrating and seemed to lack common sense, one could identify with the multiple roles and characters found in this book. At times I was the mother, the impatient and emotional teenager, the wronged boyfriend, the insecure best friend, the admirer, and many more. The need and desire to find out what happened will resonate with everyone and, in the end, the story will be just as satisfying as it was heartbreaking.

At 4:30 in the morning, Abi Knight’s phone rings. That is never a good thing. They say something has happened to her daughter Olivia. She needs to get to the hospital. She is shocked awake, thinking her daughter was still in her bed, but no, they are right. Olivia has fallen off a bridge and is officially brain dead. Abi is in shock but as she prepares to have her daughter become a organ donor, she is hit again with another shock, Olivia is pregnant. They cannot unhook her and will do whatever it takes to make sure the baby survives. Abi struggles with the fact that she had no idea what was going on in her daughter’s life. She thought she did. She has done her best to raise her alone, keeping her secrets tucked away. And she did, until Olivia accidentally sees a girl who looks exactly like her.

Abi is determined to find out just what happened the night Olivia fell. Abi knows this was no accident. She will go through hell and high water to get justice for her baby. She will also have to come to terms to a life without Olivia and a life with this little baby.

I loved this book! It was one that I picked up and in no way was going to put down until I found out what happened. My husband was sitting there talking to me but I honestly couldn’t tell you what he was talking about. I think I said “yeah” a few times. (FYI, I think it was about football) I loved Abi’s progression throughout the story. She was so shut off from a lot of emotions and it truly makes sense when you read her backstory but watching her open up was wonderful. The story is both sad and uplifting. I was sobbing at the end. (Which I am sure surprises no one) You can’t help but put yourself in her shoes if you are a mother.

There are many twists and turns, a few I had worked out, but the ultimate mystery, the who did it, was a surprise and yet it was hard to find a villain.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery for a copy of this wonderful book.