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.

Patty Magyar's review Sep 15, 2018 · edit
it was amazing

the night Olivia fell
By
Christina McDonald


What it's all about...

Abi is Olivia’s mother. Abi has raised Olivia alone. They are close...very close. Abi wants only to keep Olivia safe. She monitors Olivia’s studies, whereabouts, friends...pretty much keeping very close tabs on her entire life. Then Abi gets the phone call that every parent fears...Olivia has had an accident. And...if that wasn’t enough...there is even more news about Olivia to absorb. Olivia is brain dead and pregnant and must be kept alive until her baby is ready to be born.

Why I wanted to read it...

I love mother daughter books and this one was about Abi and Olivia and their fragile relationship. Olivia was beginning to lie to Abi about everything...every aspect of her life. But the biggest lie of all was that she was pregnant...something that both Abi and Olivia wanted to avoid.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

The writing was lovely, the alternating Abi/Olivia chapters were intense and the mystery surrounding Olivia’s birth made this book one I could not put down.

Why you should read it, too...

This book was both joyful and sad...I simply loved reading it.

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, Edelweiss and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.

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!

Not sure I can even gather my thoughts... this book was PHENOMENAL!! I rarely re-read books because let’s face it, life is short and I have more books in my wish list than I have time, but this one, I can’t stop thinking about. This book will leave a lasting impression on me. Actually I may read it again today because I have the biggest book hangover that has left me missing the story line and characters. It’s like I’m missing a piece of something from my life!

The beginning is emotional as a single mother struggles with coming to terms that her daughter has been in an accident. She is determined to find out what happened to Olivia and will do anything in her power to find the truth. The book flips back and forth between Abi (the mother) and Olivia giving you tidbits of their lives and how they intertwine before and after the accident. There are twists and turns and this emotional journey leaves you wanting more in each chapter. Beautifully written, emotionally charged and has you holding your breath, fighting back tears in the end. However, the conclusion leaves you fulfilled and bitter sweetly happy. A true masterpiece and one of THE BEST stories I have ever read.

Emotional read. Was able to relate with Abi as a mother with a daughter. Had me crying and yet I couldn't pt it down. Loved it.

Christina McDonald writes a suspenseful, emotional, and un-put-down-able read. Once I started I couldn't stop. From long-held family secrets to current day twists of suspense and whodunit and why. This book had me pinned to my cozy reading spot and the deeply emotional end was written with such pure emotion. Kleenex was used. Bravo Christina for this amazing story. I loved it and highly recommend it to anyone that lives women's fiction with some suspense, thrill, amazing characters and this author is certainly a fine storyteller. I still can't believe this is a debut adult novel. Wowza!! This is the goods!
I just reviewed The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald. #NetGalley

This book has an absolutely brilliant premise. Abi wakes to the call every parent dreads; her teenage daughter, Olivia, has fallen from a bridge into the water below and is brain-dead. She won’t survive. And yet she will be kept alive for a time, because she’s pregnant, and the doctors will do everything they can to ensure the baby’s survival. Abi must piece together what has happened to her sensible, popular daughter before it’s too late.

The narrative switches between Abi in the present, trying desperately to find out what was going on in her daughter’s life in the months leading up to the accident, and Olivia in the recent past. The revelations and surprises come thick and fast, and we learn along with Abi that there was a lot in Olivia’s life that her mother was unaware of. Throughout, McDonald keeps up the tension with no let-up.

McDonald writes with great confidence and fluidity for a debut. The descriptions of Abi and Olivia’s relationship, and other close relationships in the novel (trying to avoid spoilers), are beautiful. This is very much a book about what it means to be a parent and a daughter. The characters, particularly Abi and Olivia, are so well-drawn that I could see and hear them, and I felt like I understood the nature of their complex love for one another. I’m very excited to see what this author writes next.

This was such a good book! I couldn’t help but feel what Abi (the mother) felt throughout the whole book! There were points that I put together way before she did (but based on it being her child and being blinded by her love for her I can look past that!). I loved to see how Abi herself was made to evolve more than she ever thought possible throughout the story. It is also such a scary thing to realize no matter how close our children are they are still their own people and how easily they can still keep from us. I really enjoyed this!

A pretty good suspenseful story that kept me engaged. Finished in a day. Wasn't mind blowing but not bad at all. Maybe I was hoping for a more shocking ending but still a good book!

Well written, likeable characters, kept me guessing and made me sob. This is a mystery with heart and I really enjoyed it.

Sometimes when things are falling apart, the jagged pieces drift together and fuse into a newer, unexpected version of life.

Christina McDonald has taken those broken pieces of a family's tragedy and created quite the telling. This one is heavily imbued with real, believable characters who find themselves leaning into the wind of unbearable loss. McDonald, adeptly, makes us turn our own heads and question what our reactions would be if we faced similar circumstances.

The dreaded phone calls almost always come in the middle of the night. Abi Knight has just been informed by the hospital that her sixteen year old daughter, Olivia, has fallen from a bridge and is in critical condition. By the time that Abi and her sister, Sarah, arrive at the hospital, the news becomes even more dire. Olivia's scans show no brain activity. But there is another victim on the edge of life........Olivia is pregnant.

While reeling from the onslaught of such bone-shaking news, Abi takes a stand to do all that she can to find who did this to her daughter. Olivia will remain on life-support in an effort to keep the baby alive until delivery can occur at the safest moment. The police report gives all indication that this was merely an accident. But Abi is far from convinced.

McDonald shifts the story between alternating chapters voiced by Abi and Olivia. She keeps the tension in high gear as the calendar reverts to the past months leading to the bridge incident. We will find out a good deal of Abi's past as well and how it impacts Olivia's. Everyone will become a suspect in your mind. Certain characters will whiz you off. McDonald does a fine job of engaging her readers because this is an emotional read with so much at stake in the mix of things.

Let's face it.......we'll all be reaching for the next offering by Christina McDonald. It's that good.

I received a copy of The Night Olivia Fell through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Gallery Books and to Christina McDonald for the opportunity.

Currently reading The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald. I am always so happy when a book grabs my attention from the first page! I knew I’d like this book and nearly halfway through it, I am really captivated by the story of Olivia and her mother Abi.

The point of view switches from current day Abi, struggling to put the pieces together over how her daughter ended up in a coma, with bruises on her wrist and pregnant to Olivia, before this horrible accident.

The police are hesitant to get involved, why? And Abi told Olivia her father was dead, but is he? Who would want to see Olivia dead? Who is the father of her baby? As Olivia is kept on life support for the baby, Abi is distressed over Olivia’s upcoming death which will happen as soon as the baby is born.

This book has woven together various plot points which keeps me engaged and interested in what is going to happen next.

I love it! And you will too. Due on in February 2019!

Ultimately, The Night Olivia Fell had everything that I look for in a book: it was emotional, suspenseful, difficult to put down, it had a small amount of romance but nothing that over powered the story line as a whole, and it had secondary characters that hit the mark every time they were present. Wam, bam, thank ya ma’am!

From what I have researched, this is the author’s debut book and with me saying that, I have to in turn say this: I read this in one sitting. Nonstop. I loved this story, I loved that topic that the author tackled, and I am just in awe as I sit here and type up this review of how delicately she handled it all. For a debut novel, it knocked the socks off of almost everything that I have read this year.

There was so much that I wanted to discuss and talk about in my review and I was ready to get it all out but by the time I typed it all up the first time, I realized that so much of it would be given away if I did that. So I erased it all and instead I wanted to talk about the main thing that I LOVED about this book and that was how the author evoked authentic and raw feelings from me. It’s almost difficult for me to explain, maybe it was my mood, maybe it was Olivia or even Abi or the story-line, but this book hit me in a soft spot in my heart that I had long forgotten about and for that, I am always grateful.

The characters, WOW! They were amazing. And not one of them was as good as what they were portrayed as and as the story goes on you can see them crack more and more. They were all mixed with mysteries and they kept me guessing the entire time. By the time it was all said and done, I was suspicious of every one at least three different times. The author did a fantastic job at pulling my feelings and accusations in all different types of directions.

The plot holes were all filled. Just when I was making mental note of something that needed to be touched on, bam, it was covered. And when I say that, I mean it. That is a huge pet-peeve for me when I am reading a story. But with this book, the story-line stayed open so long that you were able to cast all sorts of allegations but then when you got to the next chapter, you would have more and the previous ones would all be gone.

I really feel like The Night Olivia Fell is so much more than the typical suspense story that we keep seeing promoted day after day. It does include the typical “cliches” such as secrets, lies, nothing appearing as it seems, and even conflicts and similarities between characters that you never would have expected, but the relatable characters and the raw emotions that this book evoked from me was in a department all in it’s own.

We know from the description that Olivia falls and is brain dead and pregnant and her mom wants to know what happened the night she fell and if she was pushed.  I stayed up way past my bedtime to find out what happened that night!  

This book is fast-paced, with hooks at the end of chapters to make you want to read the next chapter.  I don't like thrillers where you feel that these things could never happen in real life, this book was not like that.  Everything in this book seemed plausible, like it really could happen.  I also really liked that there were so many different possibilities and what happened was not revealed until the end.

This was Christina McDonald's first novel, but it really does not read like a first novel.  It reads as though the writer has a lot of experience knowing what works and what doesn't and how to hook readers.

As the mom of two teen daughters, the thing I did not like about this novel was that the mom didn't really know her daughter as well as she thought she did.