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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I'm between 3 and 3.5 stars. What is making me lean more towards 3 stars is the fact that the first half of the book kind of dragged for me. I found myself skimming some of the details and I never do that. I found the characters a little one dimensional and the mystery to be secondary. This may just be a me problem, but I prefer a little more mystery in the books I read. I kept reading because I wanted to find out what happened rather than who did it. The book did pick up a little and I read the second half in one sitting. There were also a couple of things I found to be convenient and a little cliche. However, the emotional impact of the book is what's making me lean towards 3.5 stars. The characters are a little one dimensional, but I ended up caring about them and I truly felt for both Abi and Olivia. So while not the best book I've ever read and far from my favorite, I'm glad I did.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Consider my heart strings well and truly tugged!
In the early hours, Abi is abruptly woken by a ringing phone.
‘Nobody called at this time of night with good news’.
The call is every parent’s worst nightmare. Instead of being tucked up safety in bed like she thought, Abi’s teenager daughter has been severely injured in a fall from a bridge. Rushing to the hospital, Abi is told that Olivia’s has sustained irreversible brain damage, and has no chance of waking up. As she’s reeling from the news, Abi is then informed that Olivia is three months pregnant, therefore must remain on life support until delivery. Abi is shocked over how much she didn’t know about her daughter's life? Who is the baby’s father? What was Olivia doing on the bridge in the dead of night? Was her fall accidental, or something more sinister?
A touching and moving tear-jerker, that overcame me emotionally, with sympathetic characters whose situation really resonated with me. Abi’s love for her daughter, and Olivia’s love for her mother shone through, and I felt genuine grief for both characters. Keep those tissues nearby – you’re going to need them!
Fast-paced, with numerous twists, and a long list of suspects, all with real-life, believable motives, any one of which could’ve resulted in Olivia’s fall. Told in dual narration, with Abi desperately trying to uncover who is responsible, and Olivia in the six months beforehand, ending in the night on the bridge. Olivia’s chapter’s were my favourite, as I thought Christina McDonald nailed how teens speak, interact, behave, are secretive, and their fears and insecurities. Like Kimberly McCreight’s, Reconstructing Amelia (which I read in 2017) I can see The Night Olivia Fell appealing to both adults and teens, and even better, the perfect opportunity for mothers and daughters to discuss after reading.
Super quick and easy-to-follow, I read this in two sittings. This was a Goodreads and Instagram group read with The Traveling Friends (thanks Norma and Brenda), and I enjoyed everyone’s input immensely. Recommended to those who enjoy a lighter, emotional contemporary mystery.
In the early hours, Abi is abruptly woken by a ringing phone.
‘Nobody called at this time of night with good news’.
The call is every parent’s worst nightmare. Instead of being tucked up safety in bed like she thought, Abi’s teenager daughter has been severely injured in a fall from a bridge. Rushing to the hospital, Abi is told that Olivia’s has sustained irreversible brain damage, and has no chance of waking up. As she’s reeling from the news, Abi is then informed that Olivia is three months pregnant, therefore must remain on life support until delivery. Abi is shocked over how much she didn’t know about her daughter's life? Who is the baby’s father? What was Olivia doing on the bridge in the dead of night? Was her fall accidental, or something more sinister?
A touching and moving tear-jerker, that overcame me emotionally, with sympathetic characters whose situation really resonated with me. Abi’s love for her daughter, and Olivia’s love for her mother shone through, and I felt genuine grief for both characters. Keep those tissues nearby – you’re going to need them!
Fast-paced, with numerous twists, and a long list of suspects, all with real-life, believable motives, any one of which could’ve resulted in Olivia’s fall. Told in dual narration, with Abi desperately trying to uncover who is responsible, and Olivia in the six months beforehand, ending in the night on the bridge. Olivia’s chapter’s were my favourite, as I thought Christina McDonald nailed how teens speak, interact, behave, are secretive, and their fears and insecurities. Like Kimberly McCreight’s, Reconstructing Amelia (which I read in 2017) I can see The Night Olivia Fell appealing to both adults and teens, and even better, the perfect opportunity for mothers and daughters to discuss after reading.
Super quick and easy-to-follow, I read this in two sittings. This was a Goodreads and Instagram group read with The Traveling Friends (thanks Norma and Brenda), and I enjoyed everyone’s input immensely. Recommended to those who enjoy a lighter, emotional contemporary mystery.
Beautiful story. Engaging, cleaver and we'll constructed.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse
emotional
fast-paced
If you enjoy a good thriller, this book is one to read. Not only do you get an intense thriller with this story, you also get an emotional story of a mother's love for her child. By the last few chapters of this book, I had to read through my tears. The author has hit one out of the ballpark with her first book. Her second book is to be released in January, 2020. I will definitely be adding her new book to my wish list.