The Night Olivia Fell

By: Christina McDonald

Narrated by: Kelly Burke, Laurel Lefkow

Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

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?

©2019 Christina McDonald (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

So much meaning to those who have lost a child.

While I was reading this I found out that I am a grandma from my son who passed away last year. This book touched my heart 💙 in so many ways.

Similar to Then She Was Gone

Good read. If you liked Then She Was Gone, you will enjoy this book also.

Kept me guessing!

This was wonderfully written and narrated. This story came close to my own heart, not for the loss but for the reality of you never know how long you truly have with your loved ones. Never take for granted your good health.

Quite unexpected

I had no idea whether I would like this story when I downloaded this book But the turns, the unexpected subplots were amazing. The author's voices distinctive and gentle for each character. I found myself unwilling to put it down for very long at all.

It’s been a long time since a book made me cry.

At first, this story was a nice simple listen. Loved the narrators. Was the ending a shock, no, but the story was still engaging. The grief and fight of the mother is heart wrenching. The last 10 minutes had me bawling.

It was a no for me.

I couldn't get past the narrator for the mom. She sounds like a robot. Takes away all of the emotion, and makes the whole book feel stiff.

Eh, okay

Decent story but horrible narration. The narrator did okay with the primary character but unless you like over enunciation and robot voices, you'll be dissatisfied with the rest. This why I much prefer actor-narrated books.

interesting story line

I liked this book from the start. Suspenseful, interesting characters and the back & forth chapters worked.

Intense, book with many twists

You have Abi Knight a mother who receives a call that her daughter was in a car accident and transferred to the hospital. When Mom gets to the hispital she finds her daughter is brain dead and she is pregnant. Most of the book is set in present tense and some in past tense. The characters are realistic and interesting. Abi doesn't believe this was an accident. The storyline is well plotted and believable. You end up with realistic feelings and emotions. There are many twists and turns that are gut wrenching and heartbreaking. Kathy Burke does the narration and will grab your interest and pull you to the end of the book. i highly recommend this book

Solid story, frustrating narration

McDonald writes a decent story. She gets a little bogged down in the descriptive details, especially with Abbie. The story’s flow and development is good. Unfortunately some of that is lost in the narration. Kelly Burke does a solid job as Olivia. She is believable and honest. Laurel Lefkow almost stopped me from listening. Her timing is off. Her pronunciations are almost nails on a chalkboard. Her range with other voices is, honestly, just awful. When I listen to a book - and I listen to a lot of books- I want the narrator to tell me a story, not read it to me. I won’t be listening to her again.