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Happy Tuesday, book friends, and happy pub day to The Night Olivia Fell! I have a review I’m super excited to share. I read The Night Olivia Fell back in late summer with a group of blogger friends, and we unanimously loved it! An emotional read perfect for groups, The Night Olivia Fell is definitely a book you will want to discuss with friends!

My Thoughts:

The Night Olivia Fells opens with a scene of which no one wants to relate. Abi Knight receives a phone call that her teen daughter has been in a tragic accident and is in the hospital. Upon arriving, she learns that her daughter is not only brain dead, but also pregnant. 

From there, the narrative shifts between Abi, mostly in the present day with some flashbacks, and Olivia in the months leading up to her fall, until the two narratives merge in a masterful way. 

Abi believes from the start that Olivia’s fall is no accident. She sees bruises on her wrists, and she quickly learns no one is taking her seriously, including the police. Once they finally begin to investigate, the case never seems to be their priority, and Abi decides to take matters into her own hands. 

What happened to Olivia that fateful night, and how will this tragic story end?

There are so many things I loved about The Night Olivia Fell, and the biggest is how grounded it is in reality with authentic emotions, relationship dynamics, and characters. And those characters…wow! Not one is simply good or bad; they are a nice mix of complexity that keeps you guessing, especially when it comes to pointing the finger at who might have harmed Olivia. The author kept a wide net cast when looking for the suspect. I would develop a theory, and then pan to the next potential perp as the story went along and red herrings were dangled. 

The Night Olivia Fell is so much more than the typical suspense story. While it has all the paramount trademarks, including secrets, lies, and formidable tension, it is in a league of its own with its intensely relatable characterization and raw emotion. You will love Abi and Olivia, and you will most definitely want to wrap your arms around each of them together, as you read their story and accept their individual fates as mother and daughter. 

I read this book as a group read, and this was the best kind of story to read together. We shared in the tension, the love for these characters, and the guessing game at just who was guilty at the center of it all. 

Thank you to the author, Christina McDonald, for the complimentary physical copy. All opinions are my own. 

Synopsis:

In the vein of Big Little Lies and Reconstructing Amelia comes an emotionally charged domestic suspense novel about a mother unraveling the truth behind how her daughter became brain dead. And pregnant.

A search for the truth. A lifetime of lies.

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?

Christina McDonald weaves a suspenseful and heartwrenching tale of hidden relationships, devastating lies, and the power of a mother’s love. With flashbacks of Olivia’s own resolve to uncover family secrets, this taut and emotional novel asks: how well do you know your children? And how well do they know you?

Author Bio:

Christina McDonald is the author of domestic suspense novel The Night Olivia Fell, to be published by Simon and Schuster early in 2019.

An author, journalist and copywriter, Christina has worked for companies such as The Sunday Times, Dublin, The Connacht Tribune, Galway, Expedia, USAToday.com, Travelex, and Pearson Publishing. Originally from Seattle, WA, she holds an MA in Journalism from the National University of Ireland Galway, and now lives in London, England.

Connect with Christina on Facebook,   Twitter, Amazon, and Instagram. She loves hearing from readers!

Please check out these other reviews from my friends:

Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark

Holly at

Kendall on Goodreads

Mackenzie at PhDiva.blog

Have you read The Night Olivia Fell, or do you plan to? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR