Not the type of book I usually go for (I tend to gravitate towards thrillers and romance novels) but this one was soooo wonderful. Thank you Netgalley for a great read.

What could have been just another mother-loses-child story becomes so much more than that. A story of one woman's pursuit of the truth. Dont want to say more, but I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Above average writing with an average plot. This book reads quickly, and there are all kinds of red herrings as to who caused Olivia's fall. The best parts are the realizations that Abi makes as she navigates the world after her daughter's tragedy. However, the plot kind of reads like a teenage soap opera. I'd *almost* classify this one as YA, it kind of reads like an episode of Riverdale. Thanks so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

"Being a parent is one long process of daring yourself to let you go." Here's a book for your 2019 TBR's (because there are only 52 days left in 2018...say what?!). The Night Olivia Fell is sure to be one of 2019 best reads. Goodreads calls this book perfect for fans of "Reconstructing Amelia and Big Little Lies." This book reminded me more of the former.

Synopsis: Single mother Abi gets a phone call in the middle of the night that no parent wants to get: her only daughter, Olivia, has fallen off a bridge and is now on life support. Everyone keeps saying it was an accident, but the marks on Olivia's wrists lead her mother to believe otherwise. With the police not wanting to launch an investigation, Abi takes it upon herself to figure out what happened "the night Olivia fell." Abi soon realizes that maybe she didn't know her daughter as well as she thought she did, and Olivia realizes that her mother has secrets of her own.

Opinion: I really enjoyed this book. It is fast-paced and suspenseful. The chapters alternate between Olivia and Abi's point of view. There are well-developed subplots that add an extra-dimension of mystery to the story. As a mother, I could completely empathize with Abi and even Olivia, and I even found myself getting a little teary-eyed at the end of the story. This is probably the first "thriller" that has ever made me cry! It did remind me a lot of Reconstructing Amelia, so if you enjoyed that book, you'll probably like this one too. I don't want to give too much away, but you'll definitely want to check this one out! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

Woah! What an incredible, tense, emotion filled read! I devoured The Night Olivia Fell, only pausing my reading when life intervened. I loved the way the story unfolds with chapters clearly marked both in time and by who is narrating. Alternating back and forth in time, the story is told at times by Olivia and at times by her mother, Abi. Ms. McDonald nails the angst of a teenaged girl wanting more freedom and the life of a single mom struggling to make a life for her daughter and then searching for answers after a tragic incident. It is a coming of age book for both the daughter and the mother.

The Night Olivia Fell is suspenseful and tragic as Olivia’s narrative from the several months leading up to her accident is woven with her mom Abi’s quest to uncover what really happened that night on the bridge. Even though the plot of the book is good and well-paced with various twists and turns, I couldn’t lose myself in it the way I wanted to because I was so annoyed with Abi. Abi had a whole host of issues complete with a treacherous backstory about how her own mother abandoned her when she committed suicide as well as the volatile relationship she had with Olivia’s father. Abi has created a life for herself and Olivia where they are mostly isolated- Abi refuses to rely on anyone or let them in. She sets extensive rules and boundaries for Olivia and of course, as any teenager would, Olivia rebels against them. In Abi’s attempt to keep her daughter safe, she actually pushed her into the arms of danger. Classic. And of course, through her daughter’s tragedy, Abi realizes that it is okay to trust people and that she might be better off if she relied on someone other than just herself every now and then. Had Abi realized all of this earlier, Olivia might not be brain dead and pregnant but I guess we’ll never know.

“What do you do when you know something and nobody will listen? When you need answers and nobody will provide them? When you can’t trust anybody to help you?”

A rage was surging through Abi’s body. Her daughter Olivia was brain dead - and pregnant.
Abi doesn’t believe it was an accident that Olivia fell from the bridge - but getting the detectives - Samson and McNally to listen to what she has to say - take her seriously- is like pulling teeth. Whether they help her or not - Abi is going to find out what happened to her daughter. Go Mom!

As the story unfolds - we learn about Olivia’s world. We not only learn about her friends - guys & girls - ( of course suspecting any one of them as to who might have pushed Olivia off that bridge), but we learn what’s driving Olivia into a recent frenzy.
She spends a ridiculous amount of time googling a girl named Kendall. There’s a reason.....one she hasn’t shared with her mother - in spite of the fact that they’ve had a pretty close relationship.
We also are privy to Olivia’s thoughts - feelings - observations - and assessments towards others - often projecting how her friends and/or mom would think, feel, react, in any given situation.
Olivia was a smart cookie - she knew where to draw the line with each of her friends and mom. Olivia anticipated her mother’s worries - and therefore was extra responsible in texting her mother - staying ahead of her mother’s concern’s....giving her comfort-security .....( weather true or false)....when she was away from home.
Even straight A students - like Olivia and not into drugs - can become agitated and down right angry. Olivia was tired of being lied to..... which you knew her mother in France both were. But WHY?

Abigail Knight - Abi- is focused on the investigation, yet we get backstory on her life too. She’s the most complex character in this novel.
She was an overprotective mother. Insecure with who she is. Her own mother committed suicide when she was a teenager. Her childhood obviously affected the way she was with Olivia. We do witness Abi’s growth and strength over time.

Through the tragedy - from when Olivia fell - Abi discovers she didn’t know everything about her daughter. It was an ‘a-ha’ surprising revelation to her.
Personally - I’m puzzled when parents think they ‘do’ know everything about their teenager.
No matter how close a mother/daughter relationship might be - they are both independent of one another.

This was a plausible enjoyable domestic thriller. Good - not over-the-top mind blowing gripping - rather it was a tender-heart - mystery thriller through the soul of a mother who loves her daughter.....and vice versa.

3.6 stars

Thank You Netgalley, Gallery Books, and Christina McDonald

I just finished The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald and it was such a suspenseful and engaging read. I have found that I am very drawn towards domestic thrillers and this book kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the alternating narratives and I was able to really connect with each of the main characters who were imperfect but real because of McDonald's ability to portray them with such complexity. It was a very emotional read and kept me guessing until the end. I definitely recommend this one and it was a solid four-star book for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review:THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL by Christina McDonald. I loved this book. Being a single mom with a daughter myself, the storyline made me sad at times but was very heartfelt. I pretty much had it figured out who caused Olivia to fall but there were enough twists and suspicions to make me doubt myself. ⭐⭐⭐⭐Four stars.

What a debut novel by Christina McDonald! This book had my attention at page 1. It was suspenseful, emotional, and not easy to put down.
The book is about Abi, a single, hard working Mom to teenaged Olivia, who is found dead at the bottom of a bridge. Not only does Abi have to deal with the fact her daughter is brain dead but also, pregnant, But by who?
Even though Abi is a wonderful Mom (and very over protective), she has a past herself. Her Mom committed suicide when she was young and she was raised by her sister, Sarah. Olivia was promiscuous as a teen, and ended up pregnant by a man (Gavin) with a career in politics. He is furious about her pregnancy, and their affair ends abruptly. Gavin thinks Abi aborted their child, but Olivia decided not too, and hid it from him for years.
It not until Olivia runs into her "look a like" sister, Kendall that things begin to take a downward spiral. Olivia becomes angry that her Mom has lied to her about her father, and wants answers. She begins digging around, searching for answers into her past. But soon after, Olivia begins to feel as though she is being watched, she even starts to receive text messages with threatening images of her being murdered. Not only is she searching for answers about her past, she is also involved in a teenage love triangle. Is it the jealous boy that she no longer likes following her, is it the newly found sister, or the crazed father, who is afraid of his political career being ruined that is behind the threats? Read the book to find out!!!!
Thanks so much @Netgalley for letting me read and review this book! I had been dying to read it, ever since I heard about it.

I loved this book it moved me to tears . The plot was well crafted and excellent and the characters well drawn . It kept me guessing till the end.

Loved it!! Definitely a 5 star read for me this year. The story sucked me in from the very beginning and the way the details and plot were revealed throughout the book was really interesting to me. This was my first book by this author, but I guarantee I'll be looking forward to more in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and also to the author for the chance to read this new novel in exchange for my honest review.

THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL by Christina McDonald is gripping, suspenseful thriller that kept me flipping the pages from beginning to end. It is told from the points of view of single mother, Abi, in the present but with a few flashbacks to months prior, and daughter, Olivia, in the months leading up to her tragic “accident” and resulting irreversible brain injury. The story starts when Abi gets the news that Olivia has fallen from a bridge and is brain dead, but still must be kept on life-support. What no one knows is whether it really was an accident or did someone harm Olivia intentionally. The author slowly, but deliberately, reveals details of their lives, relationships and long-buried secrets in an emotional and heart-wrenching way. As the tension builds, it is impossible to tell who is telling the truth. Beyond the thriller aspect of the book, there is the powerful story of a mother/daughter relationship and how far a mother will go to protect her child. I was fully engaged in this well-written and compelling book and highly recommend it! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this outstanding debut novel.

Wow. This book is one of those that grabs you from first page and doesn't let you go until you have finished it. Abi receives a call that every parent dreads. There’s been an accident. Her daughter, Olivia is brain dead, but she must be kept alive with machines until her baby is born. Abi is shocked by this news but she is also shocked by the news that her daughter is pregnant. Did Olivia die as the result of an accident or was she killed? Olivia is determined to find out. This is a great psychological thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This was such a suspenseful, emotional and unputdownable (is that a word?) book! I finished the book in one setting. The story flowed well, it's beautifully written and I love that the author alternated between the viewpoints of Olivia and Abi. The character development is great and I found them very relatable. Throughout the book I developed multiple theories as to what really happened to Olivia but the author does a great job of adding multiple questionable characters. This book is highly addictive! I highly recommend this book and can't wait to see what is next for Christina McDonald! Thank you for the ARC copy.

From the very beginning of The Night Olivia Fell, readers know that this is one story that will not end well. Author Christina McDonald pulls no punches in this one, offering a heartwrenching novel that's also strangely uplifting.

While asleep one night, Abi Knight receives a call that every parent dreads -- her daughter Olivia has fallen from a bridge. She races to the hospital, and the doctor tells her that even though Olivia is brain dead, she must be kept alive with machines until her baby is born. Abi is shocked not only by her daughter's accident but also by the news that Olivia is pregnant. From there, McDonald takes us back and forth in time and switches narrators from Abi to Olivia until finally, we learn what really happened on the night Olivia fell.

I found this one very similar to Reconstructing Amelia, but it has its own heart and voice. The writing is superb, and I couldn't wait to pick it back up in the evenings when I got home from work. As the reader, you know what's eventually coming, but, just like Abi, you find yourself hoping for a miracle.

MY RATING - 4

This book was amazing. So well written and kept me on the edge of my seat till the end. I wondered the whole time who actually killed Olivia. Never would have guessed it. So many twist and turns. Fell in love with the characters and felt for them through out the whole story.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I really enjoyed this book. Abi is an over protective mom of teenager Olivia. She feels like she failed as a protector the night Olivia is hurt. Without going into details, this book has mystery and some romance too. I could not put it down and will definitely watch for more by this author.

This book is one of those that just absorbs the reader from page one and doesn't quit until you have finished. The mystery keeps your attention and brain trying to figure out everything. I thought the characters and plot were well written and the author did an amazing job of drawing the reader to what she wanted them to see,
Will use in a daily challenge and highly recommend in Chapter Chatter Pub, closer to the release date:

Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #TheNightOliviaFell.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a quick read. The mystery surrounding Olivia’s fall was so intriguing, I couldn’t wait to get to the end and found out who was responsible and why. Throughout the book you are given so many possible suspects it’s hard to guess how the book will end. I also felt that this book had you feeling every emotion possible! The sadness and numbness Abi is faced with while trying to find out what happened to her daughter and the love she feels for her unborn granddaughter will definitely pull at all of your heart strings! I think this was a perfect way to project exactly how much a mother is willing to do and/or sacrifice to keep her children safe!

I was granted access by netgalley.com to an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was hooked my in the first few pages, and I had a tough time putting it down! Intriguing and suspenseful, I'll recommend to all lovers of psychological thrillers!