You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I guess if I have nothing nice to say, I should say nothing at all.
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
"whenever, whatever, I'm here forever"
The theme throughout this book with this quote rang through with a strong mother and daughter aspect between Olivia and Abi and then Olivia and Zoe.
I enjoyed all the characters but some fell flat for me or just average. I wish that there was more from the baby's dad, Derek. From his short interactions I understood that he was the average good guy but I wish we understood more deeply why Olivia was so in love with him and more so how their relationship was. To me it felt as though Olivia just fell hard in love and I wish I had more from their relationship. I also wish there was more Derek throughout. I feel as though I would have got a better look into him if there was mention of him visiting Olivia on the ventilator. He was portrayed as so distraught and his actions just did not align in my opinion. Even though that is true I do understand that the author wanted everyone to seem as a suspect so maybe that is why we did not get this dive into Derek's life and didn't get to know him well.
Anthony was also a bit of a weird character. I am still a little confused what was the big deal about him helping on the case and why Sarah was so weary about him. I felt that those interactions and interactions with the police department were weird and maybe not to the book as they should have been. Along with the doctor and medical events, I am unsure how realistic they would be.
Overall this was a good little thriller but fell flat for me in some aspects such as realistic character development. The author did an AMAZING job at portraying everyone as the killer. Every chapter I was met with more information that led me into a different way. I was fooled all the way up to the end! I really enjoyed that aspect and it kept me on my toes throughout! This book was a tear jerker towards the end so be ready to choke up a bit! I love how the author left me with a lasting impression.
The theme throughout this book with this quote rang through with a strong mother and daughter aspect between Olivia and Abi and then Olivia and Zoe.
I enjoyed all the characters but some fell flat for me or just average. I wish that there was more from the baby's dad, Derek. From his short interactions I understood that he was the average good guy but I wish we understood more deeply why Olivia was so in love with him and more so how their relationship was. To me it felt as though Olivia just fell hard in love and I wish I had more from their relationship. I also wish there was more Derek throughout. I feel as though I would have got a better look into him if there was mention of him visiting Olivia on the ventilator. He was portrayed as so distraught and his actions just did not align in my opinion. Even though that is true I do understand that the author wanted everyone to seem as a suspect so maybe that is why we did not get this dive into Derek's life and didn't get to know him well.
Anthony was also a bit of a weird character. I am still a little confused what was the big deal about him helping on the case and why Sarah was so weary about him. I felt that those interactions and interactions with the police department were weird and maybe not to the book as they should have been. Along with the doctor and medical events, I am unsure how realistic they would be.
Overall this was a good little thriller but fell flat for me in some aspects such as realistic character development. The author did an AMAZING job at portraying everyone as the killer. Every chapter I was met with more information that led me into a different way. I was fooled all the way up to the end! I really enjoyed that aspect and it kept me on my toes throughout! This book was a tear jerker towards the end so be ready to choke up a bit! I love how the author left me with a lasting impression.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.*
The Night Olivia fell is the first book by Christina McDonald that I've read, and I chose it solely from the description: "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."
It is the story of Abi Knight - dealing with the dual reality that her daughter will die when she is done incubating her grandchild (that she was completely unaware of) and trying to push for answers about how Olivia fell from the bridge resulting in her injury that has left her braindead in the first place.
The author did a great job weaving an interesting and relatable backstory for Abi - herself a teenaged single mom, who thought by being completely involved and restrictive with Olivia she could keep her from the same fate.
The auxiliary characters (boyfriend, best friend, best friend's brother, possible half-sister, possible father, aunt, detectives) are all strong and combine to build a good story with a great twist.
*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.
The Night Olivia fell is the first book by Christina McDonald that I've read, and I chose it solely from the description: "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."
It is the story of Abi Knight - dealing with the dual reality that her daughter will die when she is done incubating her grandchild (that she was completely unaware of) and trying to push for answers about how Olivia fell from the bridge resulting in her injury that has left her braindead in the first place.
The author did a great job weaving an interesting and relatable backstory for Abi - herself a teenaged single mom, who thought by being completely involved and restrictive with Olivia she could keep her from the same fate.
The auxiliary characters (boyfriend, best friend, best friend's brother, possible half-sister, possible father, aunt, detectives) are all strong and combine to build a good story with a great twist.
*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Book was just ok and very predictable. Good story concept, just not much depth. I found the main character Abi really unlikable, kind of childish and at times outright dumb. There are so many better mysteries to read. One good thing, it was a really quick read.
Meh. Felt amateurish. Perhaps trying to be a thriller but it failed.
This is marketed as a thriller but it's really more of a mystery. Despite the story being engaging, I never really felt anything for any of the characters until the very end.
I don’t really do reviews anymore but man, when I first saw this book on a list somewhere (I can’t remember where) it sounded so good and like a must read. I’ve put off reading it cause other things always sounded a bit more interesting and I now wish I’d just left it at that. I thought about giving it two stars because I did actually finish it but my goodness me no.
It’s so cliched, the characters are all super unlikable, predictable and boring, the writing is… I don’t even know. Annoying and bland mostly. The amount of onomatopoeias is ridiculous considering it’s supposed to be a book for adults and the author tries so hard to write like a teenager in Olivia’s chapters and fails so miserably.
The plot was predictable and nothing happened ever and I also think it’s one of those books that really should not have been written in first person perspective. Or at least not for both pov’s.
Oh and can I also just say… maybe I’m just not an USAmerican cause my god this book is so American.
I just… it’s not even good for, you know, a good trashy read?
It’s so cliched, the characters are all super unlikable, predictable and boring, the writing is… I don’t even know. Annoying and bland mostly. The amount of onomatopoeias is ridiculous considering it’s supposed to be a book for adults and the author tries so hard to write like a teenager in Olivia’s chapters and fails so miserably.
The plot was predictable and nothing happened ever and I also think it’s one of those books that really should not have been written in first person perspective. Or at least not for both pov’s.
Oh and can I also just say… maybe I’m just not an USAmerican cause my god this book is so American.
I just… it’s not even good for, you know, a good trashy read?
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Book 2 of 2025
My thoughts:
I really wanted to read this book because do no harm by this author was a five star read back when i read it a couple of years ago so i had high expectations for this one. Maybe i expected too much, because i thought i was going to love it more. Don’t get me wrong, this was still a very gripping, sad (in a beautiful way) mystery with a strong focus on motherhood and how far you’re willing to go as mother to protect your child. I love all those things and i think this book did all that very well. The writing was also really good. Then why did i not end up loving it more? I think the chapters from olivia’s pov, the daughter, were less interesting to me because it involved a lot of stereotypical teenage drama. That’s really not my thing, which is very subjective but it did impact my enjoyment. I also think the ‘who dunnit’ was predictable. I would advise going into this book for the emotional journey and not necessarily to be thrilled. I think if i had different expectations going in, i might have enjoyed it more. But i would still recommend this!
Read this if you like:
Book 2 of 2025
My thoughts:
I really wanted to read this book because do no harm by this author was a five star read back when i read it a couple of years ago so i had high expectations for this one. Maybe i expected too much, because i thought i was going to love it more. Don’t get me wrong, this was still a very gripping, sad (in a beautiful way) mystery with a strong focus on motherhood and how far you’re willing to go as mother to protect your child. I love all those things and i think this book did all that very well. The writing was also really good. Then why did i not end up loving it more? I think the chapters from olivia’s pov, the daughter, were less interesting to me because it involved a lot of stereotypical teenage drama. That’s really not my thing, which is very subjective but it did impact my enjoyment. I also think the ‘who dunnit’ was predictable. I would advise going into this book for the emotional journey and not necessarily to be thrilled. I think if i had different expectations going in, i might have enjoyed it more. But i would still recommend this!
Read this if you like: