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nzlisam 's review for:
The Night Olivia Fell
by Christina McDonald
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.