Member Reviews

I loved The Night Olivia Fell! There were so many twists and turns, and I loved being inside both Olivia and her mom's brain. I didn't know who pushed Olivia until the very end. So good!

Was this review helpful?

Maybe domestic thrillers aren't for me. Maybe it's just certain ones that I like? This was not enjoyable for me at all. Everything was just bleh for me, from the predictability, dialogue, characters, writing, plot, just everything. The dialogue was not good, it was stagnant to me. The characters were quite flat and boring. The writing was pretty juvenile to me and there were so many plot holes, while being predictable. Didn't like this one.

Was this review helpful?

This was one book that I just really couldn’t get into all that much. It was such a slow start for me, but I managed to finish the book. It definitely peaked my interest, and I plan on riding more books by this author in the near future. I do recommend it to friends and family, so definitely give it a chance and see what you think.

Was this review helpful?

Put you on the edge of your seat kind of read. Love how it pulls out the fear in all of us with plot twists that were unexpected in the end. It kept me wanting to turn every page to find out what happens. Love this kind of reads. I highly recommend this one to any who loves a edge on the seat read.

Was this review helpful?

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I had requested this book awhile ago (over two years ago at this point) because it sounded interested but I didn't get the chance to read it until now. I thought this was a pretty good book, it kept me guessing throughout which is kind of the point! I just felt so bad through the whole book for Olivia and Abi - it was heartbreaking reading their story and knowing that Olivia would never wake up. It was a solid mystery though, and had a good cast of suspects. I kept flip flopping on who I thought the killer was. I really liked that the story was told through alternating points of view between Olivia leading up to the event and Abi after the event. This version of storytelling for this specific plot was perfect and created more tension while also giving important pieces of the plot to the reader. I thought this book was also a great portrayal of a mother's love in different forms. Abi's love from her mother and older sister, her love for Olivia, and Olivia's brief experience also (**spoiler I think?**) - all of these came together to give an overwhelming depiction of a mother's love for her child. Overall I enjoyed the book and I'd recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

This was a interesting read. It was emotional and suspenseful. My first novel by Christina McDonald, but definitely not my last.

Was this review helpful?

If you are looking for a heart-wrenching mystery you will be able to find it in The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald. I have been seeing praise for McDonald's novels for a long time and I am so glad I FINALLY picked this book up. The story is told through flashbacks from Olivia's viewpoint as well as the current-day viewpoint of her mom Abi. This method kept the suspense alive, and I loved the way McDonald slowly unraveled just what happened the night Olivia fell. I wasn't sure what to expect but the ending surprised and shocked me, as well as made me very emotional. It is a perfect blend of mystery and emotion, and Abi was such a moving and relatable character.

I can also tell you that this book is exceptional on audio! There are two narrators, Kelly Burke & Laurel Lefkow, and I fully stand behind the idea to have a different narrator for the mom and daughter. It took me a minute to realize this because their voices sounded similar to me, but oh what a great choice it was. Burke and Lefkow play their parts perfectly and were the perfect women to voice Olivia and Abi. The plot of this story is very moving, and I have a feeling it will resonate with a lot of moms in the "what if" type of way. Even though I'm not a mom myself, I was still able to fully connect with the story and characters, and it kept me on the edge of both my emotions and my seat! The Night Olivia Fell is perfect for readers of domestic suspense that packs an emotional punch. Looking forward to reading more from McDonald and I can't wait to see what kinds of surprises she brings me in her other novels.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

Wow. This book is a great duel-narrative thriller/mystery. I loved how Ms. McDonald alternated between Abby's struggle to learn what happened to her daughter (now brain-dead in the hospital), and Olivia's tale leading up to the night she was pushed off of the bridge. Abby's determination to learn the truth kept pushing the novel forward, and Olivia's story kept the reader invested their story. I was guessing up until the end on whodunit. This book was page turner and an emotional rollercoaster. What a ride!

Was this review helpful?

This could have been a good book, but the writing does not allow it. Some parts of the story was just unbelievable. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

Was this review helpful?

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

"But there are no redos in life. You can’t go back and make things better. All you can do is live with it and move forward.”

This is a great story that I received on my Kindle as an ARC a while ago from Netgalley. It's told from the perspectives of Olivia and her mom Abi, alternating between the past as Olivia and the present as Abi, telling the story about the night Olivia fell from a bridge and went into a coma. Abi discovered after the call that Olivia was pregnant, and she strongly believes that her fall was not an accident. She has a mother's intuition that Olivia was murdered and works with and against the detectives to get answers. And she only has until the baby is born, because that means Olivia will come off of life support.

The story has lots of good characters, lots of twists, and doesn't give in to the obvious. Olivia is a typical teenager who keeps her own secrets, and Abi is a typical overbearing mom with secrets of her own. Reading both of their stories and knowing that it ends in tragedy, you wish you could step in and help them solve it before it's too late, but it's still heartbreaking to watch it unfold. I really like the mother/daughter storyline here and think that separates it from many other mystery thrillers out there.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book! I wasn't surprised by the ending. I kept waiting for a big twist, but it wasn't there for me. Regardless, I still really enjoyed it. It's worth the time to read it The Night Olivia Fell would also make a great book club read.

Was this review helpful?

It's becoming a challenge to find a mystery/thriller that I enjoy but I was pleasantly surprised by The Night Olivia Fell - it was an engaging page turner and I couldn't put it down. I felt the characters were well developed - which is what I usually find lacking in thrillers.

Was this review helpful?

Actual rating: 3.5 Stars

The Night Olivia Fell started strong and I was invested in the plot and characters. There were quite a few individuals who, at one point or another, I felt were guilty. Unfortunately, after I knew who the ultimate culprit was, I lost interest and felt the author added too much unnecessary fluff at the end.

Was this review helpful?

A really great book in my opinion. I was intrigued by Olivia's story from the start. All of the characters are intriguing in their own way. I enjoyed the suspense and plot. The story was fast paced and kept my attention. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future

Was this review helpful?

" Whenever , Whatever. I'm here forever "

This a heart wrenching novel by Christina McDonald . It starts with a call in the dead of night to Abi, a single mother to teenager Olivia . She is called to the hospital , Olivia has suffered a fall from a bridge and suffered a traumatic brain injury. She has gone through the surgery but has no brain activity. But she cannot be removed from life support because it was discovered that Olivia is pregnant.
Abi is devastated and even though she keeps being told that it was tragic accident , she is convinced that someone pushed Olivia off the bridge. She is determined to find out the truth even as she must face the death of her daughter and the impending birth of her grandchild .
Written from dual perspectives , Olivia in the past and Abi, in the present . Was it an accident or was Olivia pushed ? Abi must find out .
Such a good read , .emotional and suspenseful. Would recommend .

Was this review helpful?

WOW.

What an emotional rollercoaster of a book was this! Absolutely riveting and well written. I could not put this book down, and finished it within hours of picking it up.

The characters and storyline were very intriguing and well developed. The chapters flowed seamlessly, even though we go on a journey through past and present events. And the plot twists. OH the plot twists. One chapter you have your own ideas of “whodunnit” and the next you have to re-evaluate what you thought you figured out. This is a truly great book. I am absolutely stunned by how much I enjoyed this book and all the words within its pages.

Was this review helpful?

Wow, just wow!!!!!! That ending had me in tears for hours. This is Christina McDonald’s debut book and she really nailed it. I can’t wait for her next book to come out. This book is definitely in my top 10 reads for this year.

This book was about a mother who would stop at nothing to learn the truth about what happened to her precious daughter, Olivia. Olivia fell off a bridge and is in very bad shape at the hospital. Was it an accident? Was she pushed? Who is responsible for her fall?

I want to start off by saying that for a debut novel it was amazing. I can’t say enough good things about this book and author. The author did such a great job in writing it. I truly felt what all the characters were feeling. I was in an emotional roller coaster the whole entire book that I never wanted to get off from. By the end I couldn’t stop crying and felt each characters pain and loss. Also, I can’t get over that shocking ending. It is going to take some time and therapy to heal from that big of a whopper. I couldn’t believe what happened to poor Olivia. Olivia wasn’t innocent in any of this either but didn’t deserve what she got. But that is how teenagers are. They make poor choices and sometime those bad choices have deadly consequences.

Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Was this review helpful?

Sorry this took so long to review. I read it last year end thought I’d sent feedback! At any rate,it was a pretty good book as I recall and deserves at least four stars. Thank you to NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

This one got me in the feels as a mother seeks to find the person responsible for her daughter's assualt. Told in alternating perspectives, part murder mystery part love story, the suspect list is long and varied.

Was this review helpful?