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.

I've read J.T. Ellison before, so I knew I was in for a great ride when I began this one - and boy was I ever! This had so many twists and turns I felt like I needed a seatbelt! From the very beginning of this one, we're led on a wild ride which starts with a murder, leads us down a very wild path involving cold cases, sperm donations, twin brothers, OH MY!

But it's best to let you discover things as they play out. Because let me tell you, that's not even the half of it. Trust me. And it goes until the very end of the book.

Each of the characters in this book are flawed in some deep way, and seeing all of those personalities interact and work through this complicated situation is quite interesting. With all the complexities of the murder investigation and the tests that keep popping up, seeing Olivia, Park and their friends and families work together to try and keep tings under control was really interesting because they couldn't seem to all get on the same page, and each of them was hiding their own secrets and lying to each other about something as well. The characters and their personalities were almost as interesting as the storyline itself.

I greatly enjoyed this book and will keep looking out for more J.T. Ellison books. She's a very talented author that knows how to create great storylines and characters that draw me into her books and keep me wanting more!

It’s One of Us by J.T. Ellison has a major trigger warnings regarding fertility. If this is something sensitive for you, I’d take note. This was a very fast read with multiple POV’s that kept me engaged. The DNA stuff kept the plot twists coming and was very easy to understand. This was so suspenseful and emotional and I really felt for Olivia. I’m going to be looking for more books by Ellison.

I love J. T. Ellison and the premise of this had me intrigued. I had a little trouble getting into this. There were so many different characters and it didn’t hook me in right away. However, the last 1/3 was a page-turner with twist upon twist. The structure and plot were unique and the suspense was abundant.

I just finished reading "It's One of Us" by J.T. Ellison. Thanks to Mira Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about a couple with a rich and entwining past that are trying to have a baby but are unsuccessful. Two events happen which brings forward a rash of secrets and betrayals that are bound to tear the couple apart and expose their lies. The couple finds out that a woman they know was murdered and that the main suspect is related to the husband (Park) who maintains that he has no children. What follows is a series of lies that are exposed to reveal that years previous, Park had donated his sperm and as a result fathered many childre, one of whom is the murderer. Meanwhile the wife, Olivia, has just suffered her fifth miscarriage and is filled with rage that her husband has been lying to her, but she has secrets of her own, and they enter the picture as well.
What I liked about this story was the compelling story. The family of Park, the police, and the families of the 'halves' that were both intriguing and interesting. I liked that the story slowly unraveled in a way that was very dramatic and interesting. It was a hard to put the book down and attend to my chores. I loved how Olivia's story ended and how she was happy.
What I didn't like was the fast ending. It was finished so quickly and I found that it was less than satisfactory. I would have liked a more satisfactory ending that I could have been more fully detailed so that I could have been more satisfied. I also feel like there were some plot holes that were not fully deveoped.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a great story that kept me reading and entertained until the very end.
Happy Reading Everyone!