From the very beginning of The Night Olivia Fell, readers know that this is one story that will not end well. Author Christina McDonald pulls no punches in this one, offering a heartwrenching novel that's also strangely uplifting.While asleep one night, Abi Knight receives a call that every parent dreads -- her daughter Olivia has fallen from a bridge. She races to the hospital, and the doctor tells her that even though Olivia is brain dead, she must be kept alive with machines until her baby is born. Abi is shocked not only by her daughter's accident but also by the news that Olivia is pregnant. From there, McDonald takes us back and forth in time and switches narrators from Abi to Olivia until finally, we learn what really happened on the night Olivia fell.
I found this one very similar to Reconstructing Amelia, but it has its own heart and voice. The writing is superb, and I couldn't wait to pick it back up in the evenings when I got home from work. As the reader, you know what's eventually coming, but, just like Abi, you find yourself hoping for a miracle.
MY RATING - 4
