First, check out that cover! I think I would've read this one based on the cover alone. It's certainly eye-catching. And it suits this story perfectly. JT Ellison has penned a domestic thriller that kept me turning the pages into the wee hours of the night. Infertility is a big part of the story here, so be aware before diving in. With that in mind, things do get seriously emotional. So much so that parts of the book lean more toward drama and women's fiction. That said, it's still very much a domestic thriller with murder and plenty of secrets and lies to fuel the fire of mystery. As expected, there are twists - one in particular at the end that's pretty big. All in all, this is another solid read from Ellison, and I'd recommend it.

Best book so far in 2023!
It takes a domestic thriller to the next level and once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.
This book spins infertility and donor sperm births on its head.
This is one high flying adrenaline ride you don’t want to miss and that ending…wow it completely blew my mind!!
I’m a huge fan of JT Ellison and this might be her best book yet! Make sure you read the author’s note at the end as she has personal experience with infertility and miscarriage!
I applaud you J. T. for sharing such a personal experience you have had for others to read and you are correct it should be made more aware. I shared that journey also.

Powerhouse bestselling author J. T. Ellison (a favorite author) delivers her best yet with her latest, IT'S ONE OF US — a heart-pounding twisty psychological suspense of secrets, lies, betrayal, and DNA.

Set in Nashville, meet Olivia (interior designer) and Park Bender (ghostwriter), a handsome and successful couple with everything life could offer them except a child. Olivia does not have a problem getting pregnant; however, carrying a child full-term.

After numerous pregnancies, miscarriages, IUIs and IVD, needles, hormones, and pain, and just losing the one she was currently carrying, she is about to give up hope. This situation has strained their marriage, and all seems so clinical. Adoption is out of the question—she wants their bio-child.

Feeling down and out about the latest miscarriage (she has not even delivered the bad news to her husband yet), two homicide detectives show up at their home and bring shocking news. A woman's body is discovered in a nearby lake, and DNA evidence links to Park.

Park donated to a sperm bank in college and never told his wife. Now he finds out he has 28 children out there. And one of them seems to be a murderer!

According to Park's contract with Winterborn Life Science, they were supposed to use these samples only a few times. Unethical.

Olivia is devastated. She cannot have one child, and now she finds out her husband has all these children. What else is he hiding? How long has he known?

We hear from a teenager, Scarlett Flynn, who is involved in an online chat room for the "Halves" of the DNA related to this one man—their biological father, Park. We also hear from her mother, Darby.

The single (oncology nurse) mother, Darby Flynn, had two children (Scarlett and Peyton) through this same sperm bank but was told they had different biological fathers. Is this true?

Told from POVs:
THE WIFE (Olivia)
THE HUSBAND (Park)
THE DAUGHTER (Scarlett)
THE MOTHER (Darby)
THE BROTHER (Perry)
THE DETECTIVES (Joey and Will)
THE MURDERER

From 1999-2001 to the present, we learn about Olivia and Park's childhood/college. Olivia is also best friends with Park's sister, Lindsey, and she has a relationship with Park's twin brother, Perry. Their relationship ended when he left the country for Europe as a professional photographer. There is a lot of conflict between the twin brothers, with Olivia in the middle. Perry is back, which lends more stress to the situation.

Olivia holds her secrets from the past as well.

The investigation brings up other deaths associated with Park, and he was never charged. His roommate was arrested and went to prison. A murder of a girl from childhood and one in college. Now another woman has gone missing. So what really happened? The investigation looks into Park's past.

Whom can Olivia trust? Can she trust herself?

In a race against time, they must find the killer and solve the mystery behind the murders before he kills again. When you think the book is wrapped up with a satisfying conclusion, Ellison delivers another jaw-dropping wicked twist in the Epilogue. Well done!

IT'S ONE OF US is a perfect title with many meanings. A highly entertaining and addictive read.

Ellison is at her best in this emotionally charged thriller as she explores the intense emotions surrounding infertility, loss, marriage, and children. The Author's Note is genuinely heartfelt. Her personal experiences with infertility, which she courageously shares openly with readers, further enhance the overall reading experience. Her insights into the topics make the book come alive.

DNA: I am always fascinated with books surrounding DNA and this one was unputdownable. In addition, the intense emotions between the husband, wife, brother, and the donor's families will have readers glued to the pages of this compelling and gripping murder whodunit.

J. T. Ellison is a master storyteller, and her creative skills are fully displayed.

RECS: If you enjoy DNA stories, I highly recommend Lisa Unger's Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six and Dan Chaon's Sleepwalk.

Be sure and pick up the audiobook, narrated by the fabulous Julia Whelan.

A special thank you to #MIRA and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐STARS
Pub Date: Feb 21, 2023
Feb 2023 Must-Read Books

Olivia and Park Bender have been wanting a child. In between her demanding job as a designer her attempts at becoming pregnant have failed. She has had several miscarriages. Fertility treatments and IVF has been hard for them.

Out of the blue they get the news that Park’s son was suspected of murder. Olivia knows this is a mistake as he does not have children.

With Park’s admission that he donated sperm to a clinic while he was in grad school, it is possible he has children. There are strict rules on how many times your sperm can be used, but sadly the clinic did not follow those and finds out he has over twenty something children and 19 males are under suspicion.

A young girl has found out she has half siblings because of the clinic. She has tried to contact several of them online and by the time she meets Park, things get out of control.

One emotional and intense roller-coaster of a ride. The past has come back to haunt them. We all make decisions every day and have no idea how they affect others.

Olivia and Park are a married couple and from the outside it looks good. But of course there are secrets in every marriage and boy or boy do they have secrets.
Park is an English teacher and ghost writer and uses that to express some of his hidden secrets. His wife Olivia is a locally famous interior designer and on the surface she looks very well put together.
This started off really well. We are starting to see the cracks in the façade and we start to see what exactly the couple is struggling with and how they are dealing with it. But by the 50% mark is just kind of falls apart. We find out who the antagonist is but by then I didn't care about the how or why. I wasn't invested in an of the characters. This fell flat for me.

It’s One of Us by J. T. Ellison is a powerful domestic thriller. A fast paced thriller that will keep you engaged from start to finish. Ms. Ellison takes us on a highly emotional rollercoaster ride that will keep you thinking throughout. The twist and turns are many! The characters are real and well developed and may pull at your heartstrings at times. Ms. Ellison writes about highly sensitive issues but handles it well. This one has all my favorites…….family drama, secrets, lies, deception, suspense and murder. It is a heart stopping story that you will not be able to predict or figure out!! And that ending….well pick this one up and find out! An extraordinary story of what you will do for happiness in a marriage and the burning desire to have a family. I highly recommend this compelling story, J. T. Ellison does not disappoint with this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Mira, Harlequin Trade Publishing and J. T. Ellison for such an intense story to read and review. The opinions expressed are my own.
#netgalley #mira #harlequintradepublishing
#itsoneofus. #jtellison. #arc. #htpinfluencer

TW…Infertility and miscarriage.

Dealing with fertility issues is not for the faint of heart. The emotional toll, mood swings, not to mention the drugs and procedures are costly. It can make a marriage stronger or the cracks in the marriage grow wider (per cover). JT Ellison knows first hand (see Author’s Note). Proceed with caution if you are sensitive to this…it is handled honestly, but might be much if you are dealing with this.

Olivia has a thriving job as an Interior Designer. Life should be perfect, but fertility issues rob her of her one dream, becoming a mother. Then her life changes on a dime with the knock on her door. Her husband, Park, DNA is found at a crime scene. A long ago secret comes to light and their world is shaken to its core.

Secrets, lies, betrayal…this book is full of them. Ellison spins a web and it’s easy to get caught up in. Just when you think you have everything figured out, there might be a little twist or two thrown in throughout the story. Characters are sympathetic, but not necessarily likable. Storyline flows well and keeps you turning the page. One storyline with Park I found a little absurd. DNA testing thru the internet is a hot topic and this deals with a headline we’ve all read about. Overall a strong story.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Thank you to NetGalley, J.T. Ellison and Harlequin trade publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This one starts off uniquely and once the first big shock comes I was addicted to this one. I loved the idea of the sperm bank and what happens. The twists are amazing and it’s a quick read just like all of Ellison’s precious works. I feel like this was spoke to me a bit deeper than her others because we struggled so hard with fertility. Thanks for writing a book that covers such an important and difficult topic!

After years of struggling with infertility, Olivia and Park Bender’s marriage is showing signs of strain. On the morning that Olivia experiences a miscarriage, the police arrive at their Nashville home with shocking news – Park’s DNA has been linked to a series of crimes. The implication is that either Park is a suspect or one of his children is.

So begins J.T. Ellison’s latest thriller, It’s One of Us.

Park has things in his past he’s not exactly been forthcoming with Olivia about, including his donation to a sperm bank that used his sample far more than the documentation said they should or would. Turns out Park has multiple children by different mothers and these children have all connected on a Discord server. There are also questions about Park’s past related to the disappearance of his college girlfriend.

Ellison piles on twist after twist to the story, shifting through multiple points of view during the story. Whether it’s one of the women who used Park’s sample, Park’s daughter, the suspect, Olivia, Park, or Park’s twin brother Perry, each narrator provides an interesting piece of the puzzle as the story of what happened starts to unfold. Ellison even puts in an interesting twist or two to a love triangle that developed between Olivia, Park, and his twin brother Perry back in their college days and one that threatens to resurface again now.

Seeing Ellison reference various areas of Nashville and our local television station is an added bonus for this reader as a resident of middle Tennessee. Thankfully, she doesn’t pull a 24 and has every destination in the area be only five minutes from each other as the plot or latest twist needs various players in various places at a certain time.

The premise of a marriage already under strain due to infertility and then tested by the wildest of external forces is an intriguing one. Ellison’s exploration of Olivia’s struggle and emotions with infertility hits home with raw power and emotion. Be warned that if this is something you or someone you love struggles with, this book may hit you in all the right and wrong ways. The afterward reveals Ellison’s own struggles and how they led to Olivia’s creation.

But as twist after twist arrives, the story begins to lose a bit of its focus and intensity in the second half. As I said earlier, there is a love triangle that emerges between Olivia and the Bender twins – one that gets exacerbated as secrets come to light and Park’s twin brother Perry arrives back in town at precisely the wrong moment. White the story works hard to establish the long-simmering tension, but the payoff isn’t as solid as it could or should have been.

It ends up taking the story down a peg or two in the final pages and left me feeling a bit unsatisfied with It’s One Of Us in the final pages.

3.5 STARS - It's One Of Us is a domestic thriller set in the world of DNA websites and the issues that arise when Park and Olivia, a couple who is struggling with infertility, learn that Park is biologically related to a murderer. (Please see my trigger warning at the end of this review)

The issue of infertility is strong in this book but handled with sensitivity and compassion. I appreciate how the issue of nature versus nurture is woven into the story and the author's poignant note at the end of the book where she shares her own infertility struggles with her audience.

There are a few twists and the use of regularly shifting POVs keeps the pacing high, but I felt the infertility aspects overshadowed the mystery. There is a solid final twist very late in the book, but I was disappointed that the identity of the murderer was revealed so early in the story and that their motivations felt weak.

Overall, this was a good domestic drama with a side of mystery that tackles the emotional issue of infertility. It was an entertaining and sometimes emotional read that will instigate great discussion within book clubs, but not quite the dark and twisty read I had anticipated.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to MIRA books for the complimentary digital advanced copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

Trigger Warnings: Infertility, descriptions of a miscarriage

J.T. Ellison does not disappoint in this stand-alone thriller. What happens when you find out your spouse was a sperm donor? What happens when you find out that his child is a killer? When your past choices catch up to you ... whoa!

This one was a fast-paced thriller that you can't put down! If you haven't checked out this author, this book and her previous books, you are missing out!

Thank you #netgalley and #htp #mira for the eARC.

Olivia has been trying to get pregnant for years. She loses her last IVF baby and she is basically numb. She is sick of her husband and just plain sick of everything! Then the police show up at her door with a unique case. The killer’s DNA matches her husband. But that can’t be. They don’t have children.

I love all the narrators. Not usually my thing, but the way this is organized it adds so much to the story and the intensity. Plus, the uniqueness of this tale really had me engrossed. Yes, it is a murder mystery but what makes it unique is how the murderer was identified and conceived. I mean a sperm bank and he has how many siblings? Add in the freaky twist at the end which I did not see coming and you have a captivating book!

I have been a fan of this author for a long time and this book is one of her bests!

Need a fabulous thriller which will have you completely consumed…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

It's One of Us by J. T. Ellison is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Olivia Bender desperately wants to be a mother so when she miscarriages again, after the latest fertility treatments and IVF, she doesn't want to tell her husband, Park, that she has failed again. (Trigger warning.) Before she can talk to him, however, the police show up at their home. DNA from the crime scene at a recent murder investigation show that the perpetrator is Park's son. But Park doesn't have any children, or does he? It then comes out that years ago Park donated sperm to a clinic. He has no idea how many times his sperm was used. Additionally, the scene of the murder seemingly mirrors that of Park’s ex-girlfriend in college, where he was briefly a suspect.

Chapters in the narrative are told through the point-of-view of multiple characters and each viewpoint makes the dialogue more rich and complex along with furthering the character development. The multiple viewpoints work well in this novel and adds realism and complexity to the plot. The chapter openings note who is talking/thinking during that particular section of the story.

Secrets play a huge role in the plot and add to the twisty layers of the narrative. Suspects are plentiful as well as secrets. Some secrets characters hold, such as participating in a group of women or offspring of a specific sperm donor, seem obvious. Others seem more nefarious. The characters are portrayed as complex, realistic individuals and are interesting.

The writing in excellent, as one would expect from J. T. Ellison. The story will totally engage you and keep you reading to the end. Some of the twists and ending are predictable, but the journey is still worth the read. There are plenty of revelations, betrayals, connections, and secrets exposed to keep you totally engrossed in the narrative. There is a very personal author's note at the end that many readers will appreciate.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

Ellison has written another excellent suspense novel. The plot is very twisty since the reader discovers that nearly all the characters are hiding secrets.

DNA home testing thrillers seem to be a real popular subgenre for thrillers right now. This one also deal with infertility and several miscarriages. If this is a trigger for you-just know the author has also dealt with this issue herself and handles it with raw emotion.

I will say that the prologue got me right from the beginning. I enjoyed that there were several POVs throughout the novel and the chapters were fairly short ( Yay my favorite ) I also liked the fact we knew who the “bad guy” was right from the start. It’s also fun when authors do this, I like to see the way they spin things. There were a few twists that I thought were good and juicy.

I would not call this a thriller. It’s more of a suspenseful domestic family drama. I felt like most of it you really have to suspend belief. I also thought the characters motives to be unrealistic and some were just down right annoying lol

This is my first by this author and even though it wasn’t my favorite, I chalk that up to the whole DNA thing and it not really being something I care all that about.

High school sweethearts Olivia and Park Bender have all the material trappings of success, yet the one thing they are unable to do is start the family they both so desperately want. And when a murder investigation hits close to home, secrets each has been keeping from the other threaten to tear them apart.

It's One of Us is a skillfully plotted, suspenseful tale with the kinds of twists that keep readers off balance until its shocking conclusion. Bravo, J.T. Ellison.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+
PAGE TURNER! This is a must read. It is a tense thriller/psychological journey with secrets, obsessions, betrayal, coping, survival, love, family, broken marriage, lies, and deception with multiple POV. I couldn’t stop reading because each chapter brought new light and twists. I think I have it all pieced together and BAM another turn knocks me back on my couch reading the next chapter. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Company for ARC read. I am a new fan of J.T. Ellison

Olivia is struggling to get pregnant after trying IVF multiple times without any success, and she is about to give up hope. As If things have not been hard enough for Olivia and her husband, Park, their world is turned upside down even more when the police show up at their door step accusing Park of being the father of a murder suspect. How can it be? Olivia knows it is not true, it is just an honest mistake-or is it? Olivia soon learns that Park has not been truthful with her throughout their time together, and he has been keeping some secrets from her. The thing is-Olivia has some secrets of her own as well.

This is an emotionally, intense, & thrilling read that is full of drama and secrets. The story is told from multiple POVs, and it is one of those books that sucks you in and that is hard to put down. I loved the short chapters and the interesting and unique plot line. I like how Ellison took a realistic and emotional approach to fertility struggles. I suggest that you read the author’s note at the end to learn of her personal connection with this.

I will say that this lacked the amount of mystery I was hoping for, and it was pretty predictable as I was able to guess the twists. I do think that this book dragged a bit and parts of it could have been cut out, but overall it was a good read! J.T. Ellison is becoming an auto-buy author for me!


⚠️TW: Infertility, pregnancy loss, miscarriage

I wanted to like this one. I really did. I always rate this authors books 4 stars or higher. This novel just didn't grab me. I forced myself to finish just because I kept expecting it to get better.

Fantastic read!
I was completely engrossed in this book I had to keep reading until it was over.
It has a wonderfully entangled enmeshed plot that became more snarled and complicated as I read.
I loved it!
It deals with donor sperm, infertility, two brothers who both love the same woman, a murdering offspring, and even more complications in between.
It also includes a deeply personal note from the author at the end. I love how she used her own story to create one of the best books I’ve read on a long time.