Reviews

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

Only show reviews with written explanations

nickimonkey's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.75

I love this. Especially the love story. It made me actually think she would miraculously be okay at the end. The mystery itself felt more organic and real than most I’ve read so far. It was beautiful.

The one part I hated was the custody arrangements and how possessive she was over her grandchild. I get helping out while he is in school but for her to say if Derek gets an apartment after he graduates he can get her on the weekends. No ma’am. He is that baby’s father and he stepped up, he should have custody.

Also the way Abi described how the baby got her name makes me wonder if Derek actually had any say in the matter

haylisreading's review

Go to review page

5.0

4.5 stars

This read kept me engaged in the mystery, though, I thought it ended up being a little too predictable.
I adored the dual POV of mother and daughter.

avery_rivers's review

Go to review page

2.0

The story is a decent one and it kept my attention well enough. There's just one thing I consider a massive flaw and that is the first person narrative of a character that couldn't possibly relay their story. Olivia's brain dead, but she's recounting everything that led up to the night *including what happened just before she lost consciousness.* So...she's brain dead, but her brain functions enough to be the narrator for half the book?? How does that work? Did she think it all on her way down from the bridge into the water? A different plot device could have been utilized, like a journal or letters - instead, the first person narrative felt lazy and cheap. (Apologies to the author)