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
I’m glad you all enjoyed it, Jen! It sounds so good. I’ve seen wonderful reviews for it. Loved yours and can’t wait for this one. 💗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, favorite M! I know you’ve been doing an amazing job with your own books this year, but if you get a chance to work this one in, I hope you enjoy it too. It’s definitely in my top favorite reads. I’ll never forget it. 💜
LikeLike
Great review 💣!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Priyasha! ♥️
LikeLike
Great to hear you enjoyed this, Jen. Being compared to Big Little Lies & Reconstructing Amelia, two books I loved, kind of made me wary of this book. But I’m going to give it a shot. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you get a chance to read this one, Rach. Another friend who loved Reconstructing Amelia (Traveling With T) said it was a good comparison, so I hope it feels that way to you too. ♥️ (I still need to read RA). To me, it was much more emotional than Big Little Lies.
LikeLike
Excellent review! This sounds a bit heart wrenching! But it definitely sounds like it’s worth picking up😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Tammy! It is definitely an emotional read and keeps the tension up.
LikeLike
Awesome review Jen! So happy you loved it!💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Sus! So today my car said it was 77?! And we had to turn the a/c on in the house in February? What? ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know right? It’s crazy and I think about how nasty and bone chilling cold it was in NY when we left and I’m like, ugh why didn’t we move here years ago!🤔 The house stayed cool so no air for us!😂Have a great night Jen and did I tell you he much I’m loving finding new food places here? Zaxby’s????? 💜❤💜❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did you have Bojangles in NY? I LOVE Bojangles for breakfast! 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
No we didn’t but I had it when I lived in Virginia Beach!😂 I love their biscuits!!💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent review! This was such a great book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Heather! I loved this one so! ♥️
LikeLike
Fantastic review, Jennifer! I want to read this one. Fingers crossed my library gets a copy. 🤞😀
LikeLike
Great review!
I went to add this to my list, apparently it was already on it 😀 Haha. Looks like i made a good choice at some point!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Norrie! You definitely did. This is up your alley! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
This does sound like a highly emotional read! As a mom of teens, I think it might make it even more emotional for me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I definitely think it could, Ali!
LikeLike
This book sounds awesome! I need to add this to my TBR
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s such a good one to add, Zoe! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review, Jennifer. I have read this suspenseful thriller and enjoyed it. Happy 😊 Reading!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Virginia! I’m so happy you loved this book too! An unforgettable read! 💗
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a read that will stick with me for ever! Love sharing this with you!💕💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed! Unforgettable, memorable, out the yin yang! ♥️
LikeLike
Fantastic review! This book sounds amazing. I will definitely add to my TBR mountain. 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I hope it’s one you find memorable, too, if you get a chance to read it. I’ll never forget it! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love reading your review again! I just loved this one so much too! It will definitely be a fave of 2019–so many excellent debut authors this year, and I love that! xoxo ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Steph! It’s a fave for me, too. I’ll never forget it! YES, absolutely, about the debut authors! ♥️ xoxo
LikeLike
You’re welcome! Yes! I’m just thrilled for these authors who are having such excellent debuts, like Christina! She’s so sweet and I know they really worked hard for it. It’s lovely to see! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh this sounds excellent. Fabulous review Thriller with the family relationships and secrets.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Anne! It’s more suspense than thriller, but super, super good and a favorite of mine I’ll never forget.
LikeLike
This book is such a joy!!! I am so glad we got to read this together—it’s such a special story!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a memorable, special read, Mack! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is one I’ve been looking forward to for awhile – so many questions that need to be answered!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t wait for you to read it, Angela! So, so good!
LikeLike
I’m thrilled to see you enjoyed this one, great review! I just got approved on Netgalley for it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Janel! I hope you’ll love this too! It was unforgettable for me. How’s it going with your happiness planner? Whenever I see your name, it prompts me that I’m not using it like I should. I need to get back into the habit- fast! (As I type that, I’m sure the problem is not using it as my main planner. Then I would see it more and it would be easier to use it!). ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had one week out where I didn’t use it but other than that, I’m doing really well. And it still guarantees I do at least one happy thing each week, even a little “me time” like going to grab a coffee and enjoying it while I read my book. I can see why having multiple planners is difficult. I have the HP, and A Novel Companion and I wish they were combined so everything was in one place 😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds brilliant! I love a read that is filled with complex characters. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Suzanne! It’s definitely one of my favorites for the year.
LikeLike
OMG that premise! It sounds hideous but so intriguing. Fantastic review as always my dear. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Beth! It’s a tough premise, but this book was so well-done, it ended up being one of my favorites for the year! ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful words Jennifer! I got my copy in the mail today and I’m going to re-read it. So fun to see all the great publicity for this one this week. So happy for Christina!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, DeAnn! It’s going to be so fun to re-read! I should do that too! I am super happy for Christina. This success could not have happened to a nicer person!
LikeLike
Baaahhh!!! I so want to read this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really hope you get the chance! Top fave of mine, Myndi!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds sooo good! I love when characters are so complex that you are unsure of just how you feel about them, because I feel like so many people in real life are like this. Adding the this to my need to read list.
LikeLike