I liked this one but I didn't love it. I have been on a reading slump lately and while I didn't dislike this one, it just felt a little "been there, done that". Granted, I read a lot so it can take a lot to surprise me, I just didn't feel like this one was that shocking. I liked the plot - cannot imagine the decision this entails for Abi - I just felt like this didn't dig as deep as some of the other mystery books do that I am really drawn to.

The Night Olivia Fell
By Christina McDonald
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Be sure to have the tissues ready !!!

WOW !!! This book was so amazing ! If you have not read it , you really should. It is such a gut wrenching and heartbreaking read. It was so good that i read 98 % of it in one day. I have to say that I would never believe this was a debut novel. This author just really blew me away with her writing skills. The characters were so good so real. The story is told from both Abi and Olivia's POV and you feel like you really know them. I wanted to reach through the book and hug them both.It is loaded with so many twists, turns & secrets. I don't think I have ever had a thriller make me cry like this. I could not even see through the tears as i neared the end of the book.
This Emotional and moving story will have you asking yourself over and over what happened to Olivia that fateful night ? Did she fall or was she pushed ? If so who pushed her ? How will this tragic story end? Will the baby survive ?

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

When a pregnant young woman falls off a bridge it becomes a mystery of whether she fell, accidentally, or she was deliberately pushed.
Her mother is determined to find the truth. The police distance themselves from the case making it more difficult to find answers. The list of suspects grows. Each has a reason for wanting Olivia out of the picture. Even though Olivia is braindead, life support cannot be removed until all attempts to save the fetus have been done. Many questions need to be answered before the end of this novel.

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald was a heartbreaking, intense read. I felt compassion for the mother - imagining how I would feel/react if this were my child. It was suspenseful, engaging, and heartbreaking. While I felt there were parts where Abi reacted differently than I would have - I had to remind myself we all react to tragedy in different ways. I highly recommend this book.

A book grounded in reality with authentic characters and narrative. More than a suspense novel this book may very well be in a league of its own. Abi Knight must figure out what happened to Olivia, her now brain dead and pregnant daughter. Told in flashbacks and in the present, the story is so very compelling and well crafted.

This was such a treat! I loved the pace, the twists. This book is best to go blind. it was so good!

I will feature this book in Summer Reading Guide next month.

3.5 - a little more like a YA novel; a fast-paced page-turner, but there were some plot holes that troubled me

McDonald delves deep into family dysfunction and weaves a story through mixed timelines and unreliable memories. The heart break of a mother's loss, coupled with a suspenseful journey to uncover the truth behind the disturbing events that left her pregnant and comatose combine to create a chilling and memorable tale.

Loved this book! I love mysteries and thrillers, and this was definitely a page turner that kept coming up with new twists. The chapters are told alternating from Olivia’s point of view leading up to the fall. And Abi’s (her mother’s) point of view after the fall. I liked how the author did this, giving the readers glimpses into both lives. I found myself wanting to pick up this book any chance I got to find out who caused the fall any why. I loved the ending. Very heartwarming. I will definitely be reading more from Christina McDonald. Great first novel! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I overall enjoyed reading this book, however, at times I felt like I was reading a a young adult book. The writing was often repetitive with descriptions and the dynamics of the parenting style reiterated to the point of “here we go again”. The transparency of the plot was early in the book, but was told in alternating points of view to keep me reading. The issues of teenage pregnancy, single parenting, and abortion make this book perfect for a Lifetime Movie. This book straddles the genre between young adult and general fiction to be a hit for readers. I just wanted more. Thank you for the opportunity to read for a fair review.

Though the book is marketed as adult, I almost put it in the Young Adult category because the sections that come from the daughter's point of view read in that vein. The premise is quite adult, a mother finds out that her daughter is in a coma, pregnant, and the circumstances are murky. The pacing was a little uneven, it was more family drama than suspense. The alternating narration from mother and daughter was jarring at times. I do have to confess that Christina McDonald managed to hold my attention, and I wanted to know the resolution. I was entertained. The suicide aspect might trigger some, but I thought it was handled well. I would read more form Ms McDonald.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Oh my good Lord I hated this book. Had I not signed up to review it, I would have abandoned it. This book SCREAMED cookie cutter. Everything about this story was stereotype in the way it was written and the characters were portrayed. I can normally find something redeeming in a book and I was able to do it starting out in this book, but it felt the author slid into a lazier style of writing and went with society stereotypes.

Reviewed for Netgalley.

1 Star

Review limited to Goodreads due to rating.

Gallery Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Night Olivia Fell. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

A phone call in the middle of the night changes Abi Knight's life forever. Her daughter Olivia fell off of a bridge and the prognosis from the doctors is bleak. With many unanswered questions and a lack of police involvement, Abi takes it upon herself to find out what truly happened the night Olivia fell.

Having previously read Reconstructing Amelia, I agree with the publishers that this novel is reminiscent of that book. The author unravels Olivia's past a little at a time, giving readers hints and clues as to how she ended up on the bridge. There were some plot holes for me, especially in regards to the lack of police involvement from the beginning. The party who influenced the police would have had no knowledge of the event that transpired until later in that day, as the news broke to the rest of the world. The ending was a little transparent, as well as some of the plot points along the way. That being said, I liked how the author portrayed Abi Knight as a strong woman determined to discover the truth about her daughter. Readers can relate well to Abi, especially in regards to the love that she has for her daughter. Overall, The Night Olivia Fell is a quick read and one that I would recommend to those who like mystery and suspense.

The Night Olivia Fell is a complicated tale of suspense, lies, love and sadness. The book starts with Olivia’s fall from a bridge nearby her home. Her mother, Abi, receives the call that is every parent’s worst nightmare, and she can’t seem to get any answers on how or why this happened to her daughter. To top it off, Abi also finds out that Olivia is pregnant, and though braindead, must remain on life support to save the life of the baby. From there, the book alternates between Abi’s quest to find the truth and the events that led up to the fall, starting months earlier. Over the course of the story, we meet many characters that are connected to Olivia and each other. Though I was able to predict some of the surprises along the way, the book kept me guessing as to what really happened on the bridge that night. Many times I thought I had it all figured out, only to consider more theories as the story continued. I am not much of a crier, but I think it says a lot about this book that the tears were falling by the end of it. I will admit that I wasn’t much of a fan of Abi at the beginning of the book - she was controlling and seemed weak. But over time I grew to like her more, both from a better understanding of her intentions and the growth of the character over the course of the story.

I received a free ARC copy of this book from Netgalley, but my review is voluntary and reflects my true feelings about the book.

This was a brilliantly plotted and paced novel that dealt with a sensitive subject well and beautifully while also maintaining strong suspense and excitement. A brilliant debut.

Unfortunately this book just didn't work for me. I found that I just didn't like many of the characters and had a hard time even caring if I finished the book. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest review.

OH. MY. GOSH!.....Christina McDonald has a great talent for writing! This story had me from the very beginning page to the very last page. It's a story that takes two time lines and weaves them together to piece the puzzle of what happened The Night Olivia Fell. This book took me on a heart breaking journey with the main character, Abi, to find out the truth about her daughter's "accident". She loves her daughter more than anything else and it's hard for her to believe that her daughter just happened to "fall" off a bridge. But why, who, how, would want to harm her daughter? Oh, the secrets that seep out as the story opens up. I had to keep turning the pages!

I love the way Ms. McDonald wrote from the present time POV of Abi and switched to a few months before to set the events that lead to the "accident". Each clue Abi discovered was tied to what happened before Olivia fell in Olivia's POV.

Ms. McDonald's gift of descriptive writing had me feeling every anxious, heart wrenching ache the characters were feeling. It is a book that had me guessing.....trying to figure out the clues. It's intriguing, it pulls at your emotions, it makes your heart ache, it has mystery, and it has wonderful characters that were so realistic from some you totally pull for and others you just can't like for good reason.

There are some passages that spoke to me and really made me feel the depth of Ms. McDonald's talent....here are a few that I really liked:

"I don't get it right all the time," he admitted. "But I love her. You don't have to be right one hundred percent of the time to show you love someone. And she doesn't have to be perfect to be well loved."

" Derek shook his head. "You're not protecting anybody, Olivia. You want to know the truth, but you're not willing to be honest." "

"And anyway, maybe you could never know all someone's hidden sides--like an apeirogon, a polygon that looked, on the surface, like a circle, but with an infinite number of sides."

I love the phrase that Abi had for her daughter Olivia...."Whenever, whatever. I'm here forever."

The Night Olivia Fell is an amazing story. I want to thank Goodreads for the copy I won from them. I want to thank Gallery Books for sending it to me and I especially want to thank Christine McDonald for writing this suspenseful and heart wrenching story that had my emotions as a mom falling out of my heart.

A suspenseful novel that keeps you guessing the whole time. A fun read that I would recommend to people who have enjoyed suspenseful novels that take place in the suburbs.

There was a lot of telling rather than showing in this book. Also a lot of cliches, plot holes, things that didn’t quite make sense, and awkward dialogue/phrasing. Despite all that, the storyline was interesting. It just could’ve been a lot better.

I loved this boom and couldn’t put it down for the first 70% or so. It really kept me guessing and questioning the motives of all of the characters. However, as McDonald began to pull everything together at the end, there were way to many convenient coincidences. All the pieces fit perfectly together in impractical ways. I mean how do all these individual l people randomly run into one another... again individually... in a major city and the suburbs. I’m sorry m review is vague... I just really don’t want to give anything away since it really kept my mind racing through possibilities until the very end.