This is a fantastically twisty story. This is only my second book by J.T Ellison, she has quickly become one of my favorite writers. Mindy is a skier on the verge of the olympics untill an accident puts her in the hospital. This is when she learns she has leukemia and her only hope is a stem-cell transplant. Will anyone in her family be a match, will she survive this? Layers of twisty secrets and family drama with Mindys mom Lauren at the center of all.

I really enjoyed the thrill of this one. It’s quick drama filled pace, kept me flipping threw the pages fast to find out was going to happen next.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley

I ordinarily love everything by this author but was very let down by this one. I found it just trudging through the motions, never felt a connection to the characters or storyline at all. Might try again someday but thanks to netgalley for the opportunity

3.25*
Mindy Wright is the latest, greatest downhill ski phenom. She’s just become the teenage champion and now has her sights squarely on the Olympics. In such a dangerous sport, serious injuries are unavoidable. So it was no real surprise when Mindy took a nasty spill. But unbelievably, her skiing injuries are the least of her problems.

Specialty surgeons quickly discover she has a potentially fatal illness. Now her most important race is against time, to do what’s necessary to find a cure for her.

It’s during this process that secrets and long hidden deeds are peeled back and exposed – leaving one major question: What’s the higher priority? Saving Mindy’s life, or keeping secrets hidden from everyone.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author with the first - Lie to Me, that I could not put down. This one just didn’t quite hold the intensity of her previous release, but still a solid, fun read!

It’s a rapid pace, light reading, and if that’s what you’re looking for you’ve got it! You’ll love this one. Personally for me, I was just looking for something a bit more...on par with J.T. Ellison’s last book.

A buddy read with Susanne🌸

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin-MIRA and J.T. Ellison for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A fabulously tense, addictive, and thrilling read.

All hail the Queen. TEAR ME APART is a phenomenal read. At the beginning of the book, I had a feeling I was going to be getting a certain type of thriller. However, after things began to unravel, I soon realized I was in for one hell of a ride.

Here is the thing about Ellison. She has a unique ability to pull at your heartstrings while still maintaining a solid level of suspense. The narrative is packed with so many layers of deception and intrigue that you can't help but devour the pages in front of you. At least, I couldn't stop myself.

From beginning to end, this book will pull you into the web of lies with the rich writing style, carefully crafted twists, and the perfection of the plot. Trust me when I say...this is a must read.

Long, but good. I didn't realize when I started that this is nearly 500 pages long. I'm not sure that it needed to be, but I didn't find myself lagging at any point. Some of the relationships are twisted and some are sweet. I definitely will be reading more Ellison as I really enjoyed this one.

Tear Me Apart was a 5 star read for me. It had everything a thriller needs to be successful and most importantly believable. The characters were so well rounded and developed. As Lauren’s perfect life started unraveling and I thought for sure she was behind it all, she held up such a perfect veneer that I seriously doubted myself and wondered who else I had overlooked. Perfect!

Please do not judge this book by the time it took me to read it. I had a lot of stuff going on which took me away from the love of my life: reading. Tear Me Apart, is an excellent book. It had every single element that makes a book really really good. There was family drama, there was mystery, there was intrigue, and there was even romance. The author hit every single mark. and he did it extraordinarily.

This book held me captive. I have never read this after before but I can assure you I am definitely a fan.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book, thank you to J. T. Ellison and harlequin Mira.

This was my first book by this author and I cannot wait to read another one.
What a roller coaster ride: lies, betrayal, murder.
How your life can change in a heartbeat, happy one minute and the next your life is going downhill fast and you realize who you thought are family are really strangers.
I loved the writing and the emotions this book brought forth.
Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author J. T. Ellison.

J.T. Ellison set the bar high when she wrote Lie To Me; I was engaged from start to finish and couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks afterwards. Unfortunately, Tear Me Apart did not live up to my expectations. Maybe that had to do with how I felt about Lie To Me or the fact that Tear Me Apart had received such incredible reviews.

Tear Me Apart dragged on for at least the first third. I didn't feel invested or interested until around the mid-way point. Once it picked up, it delivered the twists that were promised... but still a case of too little, too late.

I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers - fiction. However, I still need to feel that the plot could happen and is explained in a reasonable fashion. Tear Me Apart left a lot of holes in the story line, leaving me a lot of questions. I think this one was just a bit too unrealistic for my taste.

Tl;dr: A crackerjack of a thriller that's a twisty, fantastically fun ride.

Wow, did I enjoy Tear Me Apart! I'd just finished an amazing novel in a different genre, so I confess, I went in with a bit of an attitude. And I was throughly delighted with how Ms. Ellison showed me the what for.

I can't say too much about the plot without getting into spoiler territory, but I csn say this: the writing is solid and tight with a T, the villian is one hell of a character, there's a teen girl who is precocious without being precious, and for once I actually found myself longing for the small subplot with a hint of romance to be more (usually I find that the romance eats up more space than it should--not the case in Tear Me Apart!

Is this worth your time? Well, it was so enjoyable that I tore through it, sneaking in chapters during my commute and even before a staff meeting instead of heading straight for the pizza. And I love pizza.

In fact, I liked it so much that 3/4 of the way through my ARC I bought a copy--and another of Ms. Ellison's standalones. Definitely recommended for fans of character driven suspense/thrillers with strong female characters.

Tear Me Apart was a really good book and I really enjoyed the author's writing. The story wasn't what I expected at all and certainly had some good twists and turns along the way. Some of these I figured out before hand and some I had not. The book does deal with some fairly sensitive issues but I think the author handled them really well. It was certainly an engrossing story and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future. Also, make sure to read the author's note at the end of the book.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin and MIRA books for sending me an ARC of this book.

This was my second JT Ellison Book, and it won't be my last. Both books I have read, have kept me engrossed until the last page. This is a story of Love, Trust and Betrayal. I love how it goes from past to present. I also enjoy books of mental illness, which this disappoint. Thank you Netgalley for blessing me with a copy!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this book.

Alas I give it only 3 stars. It was just not as good as her previous books (which I'd 5 star) and I found I just did not care about any of the characters. There was no mystery and no big plot twists.

TEAR ME APART is another great novel by JT Ellison. I discovered Ellison on netgalley and am always excited when another novel comes out. Great, gripping suspense at it's finest.

Tear Me Apart was a slow starter for me. I picked it up and put it down numerous times. What turned me off was the multiple points of view and the many voices introduced and intertwined. However, once I got through the setup sections, and the suspense started to unfold, the pace picked up, as did my interest. I did find myself appreciating the complexity of the multiple storylines and the uncovering of the layers. The psychological aspect was well explored, as were the effects of physical injury. There was a lot of scientific and medical jargon. All in all, once I got into Tear Me Apart, I did find it entertaining, it would make a good airplane or vacation read.

This was a good story, but it was lacking in the mystery aspect. There really was no mystery as all was very easy to figure out. Not as exciting and suspenseful as the writer's other books.

Wow. This book is powerful. From the minute I started reading, it sucked me in; I devoured it. For all the twists and turns, it was easy to follow! JT Ellison is one of those authors that as soon as I see a new book by her, I know it will be first on my "to read" list.

This is a thrilling story about family drama, family secrets, and mental illness. While I did not find the twists shocking, I did enjoy the tension and the fast pace of the book was refreshing. It is a quick, engaging read that encourages you to put the puzzle pieces together.

I enjoyed the multiple characters and getting to know them. I was suspicious of each at times in the story. Ellison has a way of writing her characters with their flaws to maybe insight rage in you but you still like them. The more you get to know them, the more human they become.

The ending was perfect and I am still thinking about it days later...haunting.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is fast paced with an intriguing plot, but not quite as suspenseful as it could have been. It was too easy to figure out Lauren’s secrets early on, leaving me hoping for a BIG twist that never happened. Ellison’s writing style still keeps the reader glued to the pages and this reader was not too disappointed in the overall outcome of the book. A book that is read for entertainment purposes should entertain and this one did just exactly that.

EXCERPT: The metal of the casket is the same color as the sky, murky gray with touches of glinting silver as the sun passes behind the clouds. The sound of sobbing, the cries of the justified, the flailing of my heart. Why did I choose such a big casket? She doesn't fit. It's the smallest adult coffin they have, but it's still too large. She is lost inside. They should have handled this. The padding needed to be expanded so her body doesn't jostle.

The body. Her body.

The words I've heard in the past few days are ones I never expected - new, untried, untested. Casket. Body. Funeral. Viewing. Embalming. Autopsy. Severed. Seven-inch non-corrosive steel blade.

Homicide.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: The follow-up to her critically acclaimed Lie to Me, J.T. Ellison’s Tear Me Apart is the powerful story of a mother willing to do anything to protect her daughter even as their carefully constructed world unravels around them.

One moment will change their lives forever…

Competitive skier Mindy Wright is a superstar in the making until a spectacular downhill crash threatens not just her racing career but her life. During surgery, doctors discover she’s suffering from a severe form of leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope. But when her parents are tested, a frightening truth emerges. Mindy is not their daughter.

Who knows the answers?

The race to save Mindy’s life means unraveling years of lies. Was she accidentally switched at birth or is there something more sinister at play? The search for the truth will tear a family apart…and someone is going to deadly extremes to protect the family’s deepest secrets.

With vivid movement through time, Tear Me Apart examines the impact layer after layer of lies and betrayal has on two families, the secrets they guard, and the desperate fight to hide the darkness within.

MY THOUGHTS: Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison is the, most aptly named book I have ever read. It did tear me apart. I ran the whole gamut of my emotions, multiple times. I laughed, I cried, I was shocked, appalled, horrified, excited, scared, tense, and utterly captivated.

And then, when I was 90% through, and my Kindle ran out of charge - I thought the world had come to an end! I could not bear it! I paced. I pleaded with the Gods. I invoked ancient charms. I chewed my lip, and raked my hands through my hair, all to no avail. I simply had to wait. . .

The tension builds slowly, but build it does, into a series of earth shattering peaks, each higher than the last. I gave up chewing my nails years ago but, my goodness, they took a hammering with this read. And the crescendo is. . . well, words fail me.

There are a lot of complex issues dealt with in this book. Child abduction, child trafficking, cancer, depression and suicide. Depression and suicide touch all our lives, and while you or I may or may not suffer directly, we all know someone who does, whose life is affected by the 'black dog'. And at this point, I would like to quote from the author's note at the end of the book. . .' 'Some day darker than usual.' It is this I want you to remember, should you ever find yourselfin the darkness. This feeling is temporary, no matter how cruel and pervasive it feels. It will get better. There is hope.

I hope this book will allow us to have more open dialoguesabout mental illness. There is no shame in a diagnosis of depression, or bipolar disorder, or severe anxiety, or any other mental illness. On the contrary, a diagnosis should be celebrated, because you, or your friend, or your family member has been brave enough to seek help. A wonderful doctor once told us there is no difference in these diagnoses than discovering you have diabetes - your body simply doesn't process the same way another's does. It is something to remember, and with that mentality, perhaps we can erase the stigma altogether. '

There are so many facets to this book, it is like the world's most intricately cut diamond. But at no point while I read, did I ever feel confused. J. T. Ellison knows her stuff. Tear Me Apart has earned a whole super-nova of stars from me.

💖💖💖💖💖

THE AUTHOR: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J.T. Ellison writes standalone domestic noir and psychological thriller series, the latter starring Nashville Homicide Lt. Taylor Jackson and medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens, and pens the international thriller series “A Brit in the FBI" with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. Cohost of the Emmy Award-winning literary television series, A Word on Words, Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin-Mira via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

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this was my first book by this author but it won't be my last! what a unique, thrilling ride. kept me wanting to turn the page to figure out how everything was connected!