The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: February 5, 2019
Format: Paperback - 368 pages
Kindle - 2823 KB
Nook - 4 MB
AudioBook - 10 Hours 45 Minutes
ISBN: 978-1501184000
ASIN (Kindle): B075RQKYQH
ASIN (AudioBook): B07HKMD612
BNID: 978-1501184017
Genre: Mystery Suspense Thriller
Buy The Book:
Disclaimer: I purchased this book from Once Upon A Book Club - February 2019 Adult Box and Fresh Fiction - February 2019 Book Box.
Book 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.
A search for the truth. A lifetime of lies.
In the small hours of the morning, Abi Knight is startled awake by the phone call no mother ever wants to get: her teenage daughter Olivia has fallen off a bridge. Not only is Olivia brain dead, she’s pregnant and must remain on life support to keep her baby alive. And then Abi sees the angry bruises circling Olivia’s wrists.
When the police unexpectedly rule Olivia’s fall an accident, Abi decides to find out what really happened that night. Heartbroken and grieving, she unravels the threads of her daughter’s life. Was Olivia’s fall an accident? Or something far more sinister?
Christina McDonald weaves a suspenseful and heart wrenching tale of hidden relationships, devastating lies, and the power of a mother’s love. With flashbacks of Olivia’s own resolve to uncover family secrets, this taut and emotional novel asks: how well do you know your children? And how well do they know you?
Book Excerpt:
The Night Olivia Fell
“You want the truth? I’m—” My admission was cut off by a streak of blazing hot pain as something exploded against the side of my head. My brain barely registered the blow, my vision a dusky blur of red, pain searing into my skull and down my jaw. I felt my body spin with the force of it.
I reeled backward until my legs whacked against the low cement wall and I tumbled over, my body hurtling sideways across the ledge. A dark fog pressed against my outer vision, and before I knew it I was falling, plunging into empty space.
I hit the river on my back, my eyes fastened on the bridge’s soaring spires illuminated by a flickering streetlamp.
Then the shadowy water tipped me under.
“You want the truth? I’m—” My admission was cut off by a streak of blazing hot pain as something exploded against the side of my head. My brain barely registered the blow, my vision a dusky blur of red, pain searing into my skull and down my jaw. I felt my body spin with the force of it.
I reeled backward until my legs whacked against the low cement wall and I tumbled over, my body hurtling sideways across the ledge. A dark fog pressed against my outer vision, and before I knew it I was falling, plunging into empty space.
I hit the river on my back, my eyes fastened on the bridge’s soaring spires illuminated by a flickering streetlamp.
Then the shadowy water tipped me under.
My Book Review:
In The Night Olivia Fell, author Christina McDonald weaves a riveting suspense thriller that easily draws the reader in with its dark storyline that follows single mother Abi Knight as she deals with a mother's worst fear: how her seventeen year old daughter Olivia's life ended so unexpectedly.
Set in Portage Point, Washington, and told in the alternating first person narrative by Olivia and Abi, the reader follows their story from past to present (Olivia's timeline: April - October // Abi's timeline: October - February). Abi searches for the answers to how Olivia fell from the Zig Zag Bridge into the river and suffered permanent and irreversible brain damage, and even more shocking is that Olivia has to be kept on life support because she is three months pregnant!
This captivating tale is rich in detail and vivid descriptions, has intriguing and suspenseful twists and turns, and will have the reader experiencing the full gamut of emotions, with no other option than to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.
As a diehard fan of suspense thrillers, I must admit that this story exceeded my expectations. The dark intensity of the storyline and the complexity of the intertwining connection between Abi and Olivia's pasts, and the heartbreaking present journey that Abi endures as she searches for answers and closure, kept me thoroughly riveted, engrossed, and guessing as the pieces to the puzzle come together.
With a complex and realistic cast of characters, the author does a phenomenal job of delving into the tangled web of secrets, lies, and betrayals; and Abi's undying mother's love and emotional quest for the truth about what happened to her daughter. The author transports the reader into this fast-paced white-knuckle storyline with her creative interweaving of a psychological cat-n-mouse game between the characters that leaves the reader's heart palpitating until the surprise ending leaves them emotionally spent. It just doesn't get any better than this!
The Night Olivia Fell is one heck of an adrenaline rush that is a must-read for the true diehard suspense thriller junkie!
RATING: 5 STARS
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