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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
meh. i don’t like books where the author doesn’t have any idea how to write the child characters. teenagers don’t flip their hair and say “whatevs” that much. besides that, just didn’t grip me for whatever reason.
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
It took me a while to get into but once you hit the good part you didn't want to put it down because you needed to know what the f*** happened!
I love a book that can bring tears to my eyes. I wasn't sure at first about this one, seemed like a familiar story but by the end I really cared about the characters and the ending was a surprise.
I wanted to love this book but honestly it just dragged on and on. The idea is great but the middle 200 pages are sludge.
The Night Olivia Fell
A “who done it” story that snatches the soul within the first few pages. Olivia fell. How did she fall? Was it an accident? Who was sending the threatening text messages? Who was following Olivia? The boyfriend? The best friend? The investigator? The absentee Dad? Derrick? Was that girl really crazy or was she pretending? Was it the mom? Mom’s best friend? Tell me. Tell me now!
For a great majority of the book, I will admit that I was playing detective and I got it wrong with every chapter I read. When the culprit is revealed, I thought to myself…I knew that, but I didn’t put all of the clues together despite the clues being so obvious…sorta.
Having two perspectives leading up to Olivia falling; one from the mother and one from the daughter, did keep my attention - even with me not liking “flashback” storytelling. Unfortunately during the last few chapters, my attention span went somewhere else…too many people involved, too much drama going on. It got to a point that I didn’t give a damn why Olivia fell off the damn bridge or if anyone pushed her. They were probably tired of waiting for the final reveal just like me.
Overall, the book did start out as a strong 4 out of 5. Due to the last few chapters being a bit boring and dry -- and the repeated “Whatever, whenever, I’m here forever” corny line being repeated…I think a 3 out of 5 would just about sum this book up.
A “who done it” story that snatches the soul within the first few pages. Olivia fell. How did she fall? Was it an accident? Who was sending the threatening text messages? Who was following Olivia? The boyfriend? The best friend? The investigator? The absentee Dad? Derrick? Was that girl really crazy or was she pretending? Was it the mom? Mom’s best friend? Tell me. Tell me now!
For a great majority of the book, I will admit that I was playing detective and I got it wrong with every chapter I read. When the culprit is revealed, I thought to myself…I knew that, but I didn’t put all of the clues together despite the clues being so obvious…sorta.
Having two perspectives leading up to Olivia falling; one from the mother and one from the daughter, did keep my attention - even with me not liking “flashback” storytelling. Unfortunately during the last few chapters, my attention span went somewhere else…too many people involved, too much drama going on. It got to a point that I didn’t give a damn why Olivia fell off the damn bridge or if anyone pushed her. They were probably tired of waiting for the final reveal just like me.
Overall, the book did start out as a strong 4 out of 5. Due to the last few chapters being a bit boring and dry -- and the repeated “Whatever, whenever, I’m here forever” corny line being repeated…I think a 3 out of 5 would just about sum this book up.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald could have just been a typical "mom seeks the truth about what happened to her daughter" book except it was not. Christina McDonald's writing makes you connect with the characters, root for Abi, a single mom whose entire life revolved around her daughter, Olivia, and makes it a "cannot put down" book.
Abi wakes in the middle of the night to hear every mother worst fear - her studious, sensible daughter had an accident. At the hospital she learns Olivia fell off a bridge, is braindead, and, oh yeah, she is pregnant. Abi's word turns upside down and she will not stop at anything to find out what happened that night on the bridge.
Using flashbacks McDonald flips back and forth between the present and the months leading up to Olivia's fall. This technique lets us see how in just a few months a person can change by keeping secrets and not letting others in.
I was not sure until the end of the story what really happened to Olivia. This is a suspenseful mystery that sucks you in from the very beginning.
I have added Christina McDonald to my "authors to read" list.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/1/19.
The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald could have just been a typical "mom seeks the truth about what happened to her daughter" book except it was not. Christina McDonald's writing makes you connect with the characters, root for Abi, a single mom whose entire life revolved around her daughter, Olivia, and makes it a "cannot put down" book.
Abi wakes in the middle of the night to hear every mother worst fear - her studious, sensible daughter had an accident. At the hospital she learns Olivia fell off a bridge, is braindead, and, oh yeah, she is pregnant. Abi's word turns upside down and she will not stop at anything to find out what happened that night on the bridge.
Using flashbacks McDonald flips back and forth between the present and the months leading up to Olivia's fall. This technique lets us see how in just a few months a person can change by keeping secrets and not letting others in.
I was not sure until the end of the story what really happened to Olivia. This is a suspenseful mystery that sucks you in from the very beginning.
I have added Christina McDonald to my "authors to read" list.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/1/19.
A story told from two perspective in two different timelines. There is focus on mother/daughter relationships, teenager’s hormones and general lack of reasoning, and a bit of mystery as we try to figure out just what happened the night Olivia fell. No really big twists or turns but I still enjoyed the flow of the story.
Me emocioné con el ending pero son consciente de que tiene muchas cosas que dan un poco de cringe sobre todo en relación a los abortos y algunos temas como están tocados
I usually save 1 star reviews for books I hated, which is the only reason this is 2. Nothing terribly wrong per se, but I found the writing incredibly irritating at times, including issues with the way both POVs were written, the suspense never materialized at all for me, and the ending was predictable & boring.