This was amazing and unputdownable. I was drawn in by the claims that it was for fans of Big Little Lies and I loved it even more than that. My heart broke to watch a mother struggle to prove her daughter’s brain death wasn’t accidental, and it was impossible not to suspect everyone Olivia knew. (I received an eARC from the publisher through netgalley for my honest review)

I was so emotionally involved in the story of Olivia's fall, that I kept hoping she would awaken from her coma, although it's clear from the beginning that she is brain dead. The twist is she must be kept alive to support her pregnancy, which Abi her mom, learns about at the same time she learns of her daughter's "accident". But Abi is not convinced the fall was an accident and through her persistence finds a trail that leads to so many suspects that it's really a surprise when you discover what happened. Because of the language (dialogue) that Olivia uses during her point of view interspersed throughout, I do have to subtract a star. McDonald uses beautiful, descriptive language in her narrative but Olivia's "voice" and observations sound very much beyond her years. It was very discordant to my ears and distracting to me as a reader to hear a teenager use such eloquent descriptions, but not so much that I didn't enjoy the suspense and the great story line.

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I was going to NEED to read it. The author does such a fantastic job with giving you just enough description that you almost feel like a part of the story. In the opening part of the book where Abi is rushing to the hospital, the writing was so damn good that I began to feel Abi’s emotions. Being a mother myself, I can’t imagine getting a phone call like that and Christina McDonald tapped into every single raw emotion imaginable.

I loved how you were given just enough to think you knew what had happened and then turn around in the next chapter and find out you were just a puppet and Christina McDonald was pulling your strings and laughing. The lies start piling up fast and soon it’s hard to figure out what’s the truth and what isn’t.

The part that surprised me most about this book was the ending. If I thought the beginning was hitting on raw emotion, I was definitely not ready for how this book ended. We’ve already been on this wild ride of ups and downs and anxiety to then have our hearts ripped out of our chests and put on display. Never have I read a book that has touched on so many emotions like this one did. I finished the story in tears!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5) This book is going to come into 2019 swinging and definitely put Christina McDonald on the list of authors to watch.

Olivia falls from a bridge near her home - accident or foul play? In this heart wrenching story, we find the people surrounding Olivia whose secrets and lies are eventually laid bare. Christina McDonald has a wonderful new book with this story. It will haunt me for some time to come. Well done!

THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL is not a read for the fainthearted. With the unwavering gaze of RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA, this novel focuses on the fierce and unsettling lives of its characters. It's a riveting--but dark--read.

I absolutely loved this book! It started off with an event that made me want to find out more, which lead to devouring the story in just under 2 days. The characters were well written, believable, and lovesble. You rooted for each one in their own way. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Wow! Excellent emotional book. Heart wrenching story of Abi, a busy mom who gets the worst call of her life informing her that her beautiful daughter has suffered a catastrophic fall. The story that then unfolds is heartbreaking as Abi tries to find out exactly what happened to her beloved daughter. Ultimately uplifting and sad this book is a must read.

An excellent addition into the psychological suspense genre. Fast-paced, skillfully told from multiple perspectives and lots of twists and turns.

Many thanks to Edelweiss, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hearing any title billed as a fit for fans of Reconstructing Amelia is an immediate must read for me - however, those are large shoes to fill, so I was apprehensive - and my fears were totally assuaged and I was blown away by this wonderful novel.

It's hard to believe this is MacDonald's first foray in adult fiction as this book was well-paced, polished, surprising, heartwrenching and more. I had tons of theories in my head about where this story was headed and I was correct about some and totally off base on others, but I found myself enjoying every reveal and I was utterly gripped by the alternating perspectives of mother and daughter.

I can't say enough good things about this book and am so grateful to Gallery books for providing an early copy to me!

Abi is living her worst nightmare - she received a call in the middle of the night informing her that her teenage daughter Olivia is in the hospital. She has fallen off of a bridge and is brain-dead and, much to the shock of her mother, pregnant. Olivia must remain on life-support to keep her baby alive. Abi doubts the ruling of her fall as an "accident", so she sets off on a journey to find out what really happened. Along the way, Abi will also face secrets in her own past.
This book was absolutely un-put-downable!! It was emotional and face-paced. It will make every parent ask themselves how well they know their own kids.
thank you to Christina McDonald, Galley Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this amazing book!

A great psychological suspense story. A page turner. I couldn't predict what was gonna happen and I also couldn't put it down. Book some time for this. Highly recommend!

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald
Wow I absolutely fell in love with this book, the story line had me hooked from the first 10 pages! I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down, I even got caught reading it at work and not wanting to stop!!! I wish the author would right a book about Derek now just where the characters wouldn't die! Maybe make the story of how he grieved and moved on and learned how to be a dad!!!
5 stars all the way!!

You get a phone call that your daughter has been In an accident (?) and is pregnant.
Her mom Abi, knows this was not an accident and will stop at nothing to get to the truth!
Told from Abi and Olivia’s point of view this is a beautifully , tragic story !
I absolutely loved this book from beginning and end !
Sit down , cozy up and have tissues ready !!

Christina McDonald tells the story of The Night Olivia Fell by going back and forth in time from the point of view between the mother and daughter. Ms McDonald has sprinkled bread crumbs for the reader to follow along with Abi (the mother). Difficult to put down as you really want to learn what happened. Fair warning, there may be a few tears along the way. I was given an early copy to read.

The Night Olivia Fell is a great debut novel about relationships. Abi, the mom, gets a call that her daughter has been in an accident and rushes to the hospital to find her daughter Olivia is brain dead and pregnant.

Was it an accident as the police feel or was it deliberate. If so, who would do that and why? Told in alternating time periods, the book sucks you in and makes you want to keep reading. I'd give it 3.7 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion

Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for an E-ARC for this beautiful book. I have no words for this one. At first, it seems like a straight-forward story revolving around a single event. However, there is so much more to it. It’s a story of mother-daughter relationships, new beginnings, and life. I cannot think of another book to compare this to; I can’t say, “if you love __________’s writing style, you’ll love this”, because this book is in a class of its own.

In the small hours of the morning, Abi Knight is startled awake by the phone call no mother ever wants to get: her teenage daughter Olivia has fallen off a bridge. Not only is Olivia brain dead, she’s pregnant and must remain on life support to keep her baby alive. And then Abi sees the angry bruises circling Olivia’s wrists.

When the police unexpectedly rule Olivia’s fall an accident, Abi decides to find out what really happened that night. Heartbroken and grieving, she unravels the threads of her daughter’s life. Was Olivia’s fall an accident? Or something far more sinister?

If you're looking for a book about family drama and secrets, then you need to pick up The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald because it's chalk full of drama! It's such an emotional ride full of suspense that you won't be able to stop reading until the very end.

Thank you #Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of #TheNightOliviaFell
Pub Date: 05 Feb 2019

Are you guys ready for another must read recommendation from me?! Don’t worry about your gigantic TBR, this isn’t out until February so you still have some time and it was so damn good that I think you’ll thank me for urging you to read it.

This is told in two timelines and from both Abi’s POV as well as Olivia’s. Abi’s chapters are after Olivia fell and Olivia’s are six months before the accident. Right from the start this one tugged on my heart strings, immediately seeing Abi get the nightmarish news that her daughter is as good as dead and then going back to when she was a happy, carefree teenager damn near broke my heart in two. Seeing the events that led up to Olivia’s tragedy juxtaposed with knowing the inevitable outcome was really clever and awful all at once.

This was definitely an emotional read and McDonald did an incredible job of making me feel the characters emotions, especially Abi, as a mom I couldn’t even fathom her pain and heartache. Besides such an evocative journey, this had some really tricky moments and was not easy for for me to put down or figure out what would happen next. Super impressive debut by an author to watch, the comparison to Reconstructing Amelia was spot on so if you’re a fan of that one do not miss this!

The Night Olivia Fell in three words: Emotionally-charged, Gripping and Authentic.

Beautifully written. A must read. And because the review needs to be 100 words, which I find silly, I will say it again. Beautifully written.

Fantastic, I still have tears coming down my face... I loved everything about this, the writing, the characters, the twists and the conclusion. I’ve read other reviews saying they had this figured out very early, but maybe I’m naive, I did not. At all!

This story had so many layers, from Olivia’s missing dad, Abi’s relationship with her daughter and sister and her mothers mental illness and demise. The writing felt so genuine, the relationships and dialogue so very good! It’s an extremely sad story that ends in a more positive place. This was excellent, kudos!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for a copy in exchange for a review.