Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I chose to pick up The Night Olivia Fell for my next read. And unfortunately it just fell flat for me. And I know I usually try and name a few things I like about books I don't enjoy, there wasn't much about this one that I could really get into. The whodunnit aspect was pretty gripping, as I had to skim my way to the end to discover what really happened the night Olivia fell. Otherwise, this book just wasn't for me.
For one, I wasn't a fan of Olivia's point of view, and her character just didn't have the right amount of volume that I prefer. I will admit that her thoughts and conversations seriously resembled that of a teenaged girl and her friends. All of the characters had serious flaws, and not the kind that I can relate to. The whole story itself just seemed a bit of a jumbled mess. That being said, The Night Olivia Fell received a lot of praise, but it just wasn't the best book for me.
For one, I wasn't a fan of Olivia's point of view, and her character just didn't have the right amount of volume that I prefer. I will admit that her thoughts and conversations seriously resembled that of a teenaged girl and her friends. All of the characters had serious flaws, and not the kind that I can relate to. The whole story itself just seemed a bit of a jumbled mess. That being said, The Night Olivia Fell received a lot of praise, but it just wasn't the best book for me.
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You can find this review and others on my blog SleepySamReads!
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was drawn to this because of the gorgeous cover and the fact that NetGalley compares it to Reconstructing Amelia, which I enjoyed.
I was drawn into the story really quickly. It's very apparent early on that Abi loves her daughter more than anything. As a lot of you know, strong familial story lines are some of my favorite types of stories.
I liked Olivia. She was a very typical teenager, but you could tell she was a good person. By the end of the story I was completely heartbroken by her situation and wished things could have turned out differently. She wanted to be there for her daughter but wasn't given the chance.
I didn't super love the big reveal of who murdered Olivia, (nor was I very surprised) but I did feel like it was really realistic and I applaud that. Often times thriller novels like this try to make their books shocking, but also tends to make them unbelievable. I'm glad this was different.
I liked Derek a lot. I'm not super into romance, but I did really like his and Olivia's. They were sweet together and I wished they had had more time.
By the end of the book I was SOBBING because of how sad it was to read Abi having to say goodbye to her daughter. I finished this at 2am and had to muffle my sobs to keep from waking people up. I know I enjoyed a book if it can illicit that type of reaction from me.
I definitely recommend this book to people who enjoyed Reconstructing Amelia, and people who like thrillers!
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was drawn to this because of the gorgeous cover and the fact that NetGalley compares it to Reconstructing Amelia, which I enjoyed.
I was drawn into the story really quickly. It's very apparent early on that Abi loves her daughter more than anything. As a lot of you know, strong familial story lines are some of my favorite types of stories.
I liked Olivia. She was a very typical teenager, but you could tell she was a good person. By the end of the story I was completely heartbroken by her situation and wished things could have turned out differently. She wanted to be there for her daughter but wasn't given the chance.
I didn't super love the big reveal of who murdered Olivia, (nor was I very surprised) but I did feel like it was really realistic and I applaud that. Often times thriller novels like this try to make their books shocking, but also tends to make them unbelievable. I'm glad this was different.
I liked Derek a lot. I'm not super into romance, but I did really like his and Olivia's. They were sweet together and I wished they had had more time.
By the end of the book I was SOBBING because of how sad it was to read Abi having to say goodbye to her daughter. I finished this at 2am and had to muffle my sobs to keep from waking people up. I know I enjoyed a book if it can illicit that type of reaction from me.
I definitely recommend this book to people who enjoyed Reconstructing Amelia, and people who like thrillers!
Overall a good story, but I figured out what happened to Olivia in the beginning, and if I can figure it out, literally ANYONE should be able to. It was also super weird to read about a brain-dead teenager being kept “alive” for months for the sole purpose of her giving birth. Yuck.
5 BIG Beautiful Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
wOWZA! This book took me on quite the emotional journey! As a mother I couldn’t help but completely empathize with Abi(The mother in this story)... I cried with her... I raged with her... I hoped with her... my mama bear was out throughout this book, I needed answers and I needed them now! Imagining my own daughter in the hospital bed brain-dead and pregnant, quite honestly made me a little sick and stressed... this is a credit to the beautiful and engrossing writing in this book, I was completely immersed and committed.... The fact that this is Christina McDonald’s debut is simply.... impressive!
Abi gets that phone call in the middle of the night that all parents fear... her daughter is in the hospital, she has fallen off a bridge...Abi’s mothers intuition tells her this was not an accident and this is reinforced by the bruises around her daughter’s wrist.... The police don’t appear to be doing much of anything to find out who pushed Olivia off that bridge.... but Abi is determined and will stop at nothing to find out who hurt her little girl...
Told from both Abi and Olivia‘s perspectives... we get the events leading up to this tragedy from Olivia‘s eyes... as well as watching Abi’s heart wrenching journey... not only to accept that she has lost her daughter, but also to figure out how this could have happened.... this was such an impactful way to tell the story because the more I got to know Olivia the more my heart broke right along with Abi’s.... also Christina McDonnell did a fabulous job with getting into the mind of both a 17-year-old and her mother.... I saw a lot of myself in both of these characters...
This was an emotional domestic suspense... as the book progressed I was suspicious of almost everyone at some point... I also found myself questioning both Olivia and Abbi’s actions... I kept thinking if only.... then... but isn’t that what life is all about? every choice we make has an impact on our lives.... had Abby told Olivia who her father was, then maybe? Had Olivia told her mother who she had fallen in love with, then perhaps? So many questions and no good answers and as we all know hindsight is always 20/20...
This is a book that left me with tears in my eyes and hope in my heart! I absolutely recommend for anyone who enjoys A beautiful story about the love between mothers and daughters with a huge dose of suspense thrown in....
*** many thanks to Christina McDonald and Gallery for my copy of this book the book releases in February 2019 ***
wOWZA! This book took me on quite the emotional journey! As a mother I couldn’t help but completely empathize with Abi(The mother in this story)... I cried with her... I raged with her... I hoped with her... my mama bear was out throughout this book, I needed answers and I needed them now! Imagining my own daughter in the hospital bed brain-dead and pregnant, quite honestly made me a little sick and stressed... this is a credit to the beautiful and engrossing writing in this book, I was completely immersed and committed.... The fact that this is Christina McDonald’s debut is simply.... impressive!
Abi gets that phone call in the middle of the night that all parents fear... her daughter is in the hospital, she has fallen off a bridge...Abi’s mothers intuition tells her this was not an accident and this is reinforced by the bruises around her daughter’s wrist.... The police don’t appear to be doing much of anything to find out who pushed Olivia off that bridge.... but Abi is determined and will stop at nothing to find out who hurt her little girl...
Told from both Abi and Olivia‘s perspectives... we get the events leading up to this tragedy from Olivia‘s eyes... as well as watching Abi’s heart wrenching journey... not only to accept that she has lost her daughter, but also to figure out how this could have happened.... this was such an impactful way to tell the story because the more I got to know Olivia the more my heart broke right along with Abi’s.... also Christina McDonnell did a fabulous job with getting into the mind of both a 17-year-old and her mother.... I saw a lot of myself in both of these characters...
This was an emotional domestic suspense... as the book progressed I was suspicious of almost everyone at some point... I also found myself questioning both Olivia and Abbi’s actions... I kept thinking if only.... then... but isn’t that what life is all about? every choice we make has an impact on our lives.... had Abby told Olivia who her father was, then maybe? Had Olivia told her mother who she had fallen in love with, then perhaps? So many questions and no good answers and as we all know hindsight is always 20/20...
This is a book that left me with tears in my eyes and hope in my heart! I absolutely recommend for anyone who enjoys A beautiful story about the love between mothers and daughters with a huge dose of suspense thrown in....
*** many thanks to Christina McDonald and Gallery for my copy of this book the book releases in February 2019 ***
5 stars- this novel was amazing.
This was the best book I’ve read all year. It doesn’t come out until February 2019 but I’ve already pre-ordered it. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a free e-ARC to review.
The plot of this novel seems pretty straightforward, something you’d normally see in a suspense/thriller novel - daughter “mysteriously” injured in an accident, trying to find out whodunit, etc. However, there were a few things that elevated this novel and made it stand out for me.
In regards to the thriller/suspense plot , the author did a great job of casting doubt & suspicion on several characters, and I truly didn’t figure it out until the end of the novel. I thought I had it figured out right away, but to my pleasant surprise, found myself questioning the killer as the novel went on. I very much enjoyed how to the story played out, as Abi worked tirelessly to figure out what happened to Olivia.
However, most thrillers don’t have an emotional component like this one did. The fact that Olivia is pregnant AND brain-dead, being kept alive on life support, adds so many feelings to this one, and evokes lots of emotion from the reader. Usually, the victim has already passed away, making the reader feel more detached- you feel no real connection to the victim. That was not the case in this story.
Without giving anything away, I was sobbing at the end of the novel - like loud, mascara-down-my cheeks ugly crying, causing my husband to ask (a few times) if I was okay. Especially in the last few chapters, the author did a phenomenal job of creating detailed, heartfelt scenes that made you feel like you were right there.
I think I also felt so strongly and was so emotional due to the way the book was written, with the alternating narratives and flashback chapters. Often, the reader only hears from 1 narrator and it’s not the victim. Hearing Olivia’s POV and knowing what was going on with her, made me connect with her on a much deeper level. The reader is in Olivia’s head right through the heartbreaking scene on the bridge. The writing for these scenes was just incredible.
Whether you’re a fan of thrillers or women’s fiction, this book will appeal to so many people and will resonate with you on a deeper emotional level. Highly, highly, recommend.
This was the best book I’ve read all year. It doesn’t come out until February 2019 but I’ve already pre-ordered it. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a free e-ARC to review.
The plot of this novel seems pretty straightforward, something you’d normally see in a suspense/thriller novel - daughter “mysteriously” injured in an accident, trying to find out whodunit, etc. However, there were a few things that elevated this novel and made it stand out for me.
In regards to the thriller/suspense plot , the author did a great job of casting doubt & suspicion on several characters, and I truly didn’t figure it out until the end of the novel. I thought I had it figured out right away, but to my pleasant surprise, found myself questioning the killer as the novel went on. I very much enjoyed how to the story played out, as Abi worked tirelessly to figure out what happened to Olivia.
However, most thrillers don’t have an emotional component like this one did. The fact that Olivia is pregnant AND brain-dead, being kept alive on life support, adds so many feelings to this one, and evokes lots of emotion from the reader. Usually, the victim has already passed away, making the reader feel more detached- you feel no real connection to the victim. That was not the case in this story.
Without giving anything away, I was sobbing at the end of the novel - like loud, mascara-down-my cheeks ugly crying, causing my husband to ask (a few times) if I was okay. Especially in the last few chapters, the author did a phenomenal job of creating detailed, heartfelt scenes that made you feel like you were right there.
I think I also felt so strongly and was so emotional due to the way the book was written, with the alternating narratives and flashback chapters. Often, the reader only hears from 1 narrator and it’s not the victim. Hearing Olivia’s POV and knowing what was going on with her, made me connect with her on a much deeper level. The reader is in Olivia’s head right through the heartbreaking scene on the bridge. The writing for these scenes was just incredible.
Whether you’re a fan of thrillers or women’s fiction, this book will appeal to so many people and will resonate with you on a deeper emotional level. Highly, highly, recommend.
I've written this review for Really Into This
Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!
The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald Book Review
A brain dead teenager with a secret pregnancy & a whodunit element? Initially, I'm skeptical if this story matter is for me, but I dove in head first after glowing reviews from Kailey, Jenny & Amy. I'm so glad I did.
A Somber but Thrilling Story
Honestly, this is a very sad story & a dire situation. Brilliantly, Christina McDonald writes this dramatic suspense novel while balancing the raw sadness that's at hand. While the heart of the story is incredibly emotional, readers do not lack the element of suspense.
There are definitely some twists & turns in this story & all of them are warranted. Christina isn't making readers go down unnecessary rabbit holes. Rather we come along with a mother doing whatever it takes to find out the truth.
I have to describe this story as heavy & I don't mean in a negative way. Certainly, there are some novels you breeze through while others hang around in my soul for a while. There is no doubt, The Night Olivia Fell leaves an indelible mark. In the end, I cried all the ugly tears. Not even kidding, a couple of times I gasped for air. Days later, I'm still thinking about this read & reliving the story.
THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book. Christina McDonald pulls off something very special with The Night Olivia Fell. She writes an emotional & suspenseful novel that undoubtedly makes every parent & child reflect on choices, secrets & intentions.
Special thanks to Christina McDonald, Gallery Books & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.
Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!
The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald Book Review
A brain dead teenager with a secret pregnancy & a whodunit element? Initially, I'm skeptical if this story matter is for me, but I dove in head first after glowing reviews from Kailey, Jenny & Amy. I'm so glad I did.
A Somber but Thrilling Story
Honestly, this is a very sad story & a dire situation. Brilliantly, Christina McDonald writes this dramatic suspense novel while balancing the raw sadness that's at hand. While the heart of the story is incredibly emotional, readers do not lack the element of suspense.
There are definitely some twists & turns in this story & all of them are warranted. Christina isn't making readers go down unnecessary rabbit holes. Rather we come along with a mother doing whatever it takes to find out the truth.
I have to describe this story as heavy & I don't mean in a negative way. Certainly, there are some novels you breeze through while others hang around in my soul for a while. There is no doubt, The Night Olivia Fell leaves an indelible mark. In the end, I cried all the ugly tears. Not even kidding, a couple of times I gasped for air. Days later, I'm still thinking about this read & reliving the story.
THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book. Christina McDonald pulls off something very special with The Night Olivia Fell. She writes an emotional & suspenseful novel that undoubtedly makes every parent & child reflect on choices, secrets & intentions.
Special thanks to Christina McDonald, Gallery Books & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.
Set this book up in a line up with other domestic thrillers that follow the “teenage daughter with a terrible secret and a tragic end” plot line and I wouldn’t be able to pick this one out. This book does nothing to distinguish itself amongst its peers. The characters are cookie cutter replicas from basically any other book you chose to compare it to, the plot is almost a point-for-point rewrite of the same, and the twist is patently obvious. I can’t say this book did anything wrong, but there really isn’t anything unique enough to truly be called compelling. Can’t honestly say I’d ever recommend this book to anyone.
This book was too sad for me to fully enjoy - I think I was really hoping for a miracle the entire read that never came...
It was a good read but, I'll just give it that. I did enjoy the author's writing style and I'd try another book by her!
It was a good read but, I'll just give it that. I did enjoy the author's writing style and I'd try another book by her!
Ok, so it may have taken me a few weeks to get into this one; I am so glad I stuck with it though. This is the story of The Night Olivia Fell. If you have a daughter, this one may mean more to you than it will to others. What lengths will a mother go to find out the truth as to how her 17 year old daughter ended up with irreversible brain damage after falling off a bridge and into the river? Abi and Olivia have a close mother-daughter relationship, but things begin to fall apart when Olivia begins to question who her birth father is. Her mom, Abi, always maintained he passed away when she was a baby, but things aren’t adding up and she’s starting to doubt her. Some huge lessons are learned as the story unfolds. There is a lot of love in this book; there’s also grief, suspense and a mystery. I highly recommend checking this one out!! Have tissues handy towards the end 💛