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Release date: February 5, 2019

Publisher: Gallery

Blurb:

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 heartwrenching 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? 

Review:

Are you guys ready for another must read recommendation from me?! Don’t worry about your gigantic TBR, this isn’t out until February so you still have some time and it was so damn good that I think you’ll thank me for urging you to read it.

This is told in two timelines and from both Abi’s POV as well as Olivia’s. Abi’s chapters are after Olivia fell and Olivia’s are six months before the accident. Right from the start this one tugged on my heart strings, immediately seeing Abi get the nightmarish news that her daughter is as good as dead and then going back to when she was a happy, carefree teenager damn near broke my heart in two. Seeing the events that led up to Olivia’s tragedy juxtaposed with knowing the inevitable outcome was really clever and awful all at once.

This was definitely an emotional read and McDonald did an incredible job of making me feel the characters emotions, especially Abi, as a mom I couldn’t even fathom her pain and heartache. Besides such an evocative journey, this had some really tricky moments and was not easy for for me to put down or figure out what would happen next. Super impressive debut by an author to watch, the comparison to Reconstructing Amelia was spot on so if you’re a fan of that one do not miss this!

The Night Olivia Fell in three words: Emotionally-charged, Gripping and Authentic.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.