I think any book that brings awareness to the stigma of suicide and mental illness deserves time and recognition.
As someone how has suffered mental health problems, on and off, since my early teens, this book struck a cord.
Tear Me Apart, tells the story of a world class teenage skier, Mindy Wright, who suffers a leg break during one of her competitions, only to find out, during tests, she has leukemia. This blows her family apart, when she needs life saving treatment but she can only get this from a blood relative. Lauren Wright, Mindy's "Mother", has to come clean with the truth of how she came to be Mindy's mother.
Mindy was kidnapped at birth and her biological mother murdered.
Did Lauren innocently adopt her daughter or does she have a sinister past that comes back to bite her?

Expected publication August 28th!

What a wild ride! Tear Me Apart tells the story of a teenage superstar skier who is on track to join the US Olympic team when she suddenly suffers a season ending leg injury. But, while in the hospital she may find out more than she ever bargained for. Sudden her life and the lives of those around her are shattered into pieces and things will never be the same again.

Several words to describe this book: ever-changing, uncertain, suspenseful, lengthy, and psychological.

I'm having a hard time really seeing this book as a "thriller." Most of the surprises were heavily concentrated at the beginning of the book, and many of the "surprises" at the end were not very shocking. However, the story was still engaging and kept me entertained from start to finish. I just didn't feel that huge shock value that usually accompanies a thriller at the climax. The ending was a tad predictable.

In my opinion, the real highlight of this book is J.T. Ellison's look into the psyche of those suffering from mental illness. Seeing what lengths a mother would go to in order to protect her child and her family, seeing how those who suffer from depression make decisions about how they want their lives to play out, etc. In addition, the look at family dynamics and what makes somebody a mother or a father was especially impactful.

I particularly enjoyed the break in formatting when the main characters are writing letters to each other. It was a nice pause, even more so because the book is on the longer side. And as somebody who lives in Nashville, I rather enjoyed references to Vanderbilt and the Nashville area as I was able to relate to them.

Overall, well done and suspenseful story for anybody looking for a page turner.

-I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to J.T. Ellison, MIRA Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review.-

Mindy Wright skis competitively, and she is on the verge of a breakout when she suffers a horrific crash. She sustains not only life-changing, but also life-threatening, injuries. Shockingly, her doctors find she has leukemia while she is undergoing surgery.

When a stem cell transplant is what she needs to survive, her parents receive routine screening. Neither is a match…and neither is biologically related to Mindy!

Time is of the essence to save Mindy’s life, but in order to find a match, all the years of lies will have to be unfurled one at a time. Which parent knows the truth? And which one will take it too far to protect Mindy and the harbored secrets?

Once Mindy is diagnosed with leukemia Tear Me Apart was off to the races with all the twists and turns. I did not find the twists overly shocking, but just enough to keep the tension mounting, layer upon added layer. When the pacing was on in this longer than average book, it was ON, and that made the time “commitment” more than worth it.

Tear Me Apart encompasses family drama laden with secrets, while also addressing topics of mental illness, missing children, and competitive skiing. How they gel together is a captivating roller coaster ride of a read.

Thank you to MIRA/Harlequin for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Tear Me Apart is a great psychological thriller that kept my attention so that I didn't want to put the book down! The book goes from the present to seventeen years earlier, with so many surprise twists and turns that you are guaranteed not to be bored! I absolutely loved the ending, it was perfect! Will definitely be reading more from this author

Tear Me Apart has so much to say about mental illness that may stay with me for awhile. It started off great, then kind of fell flat for me in the middle and I found myself getting a little confused between who was who but all of a sudden, I could not put the book down and realized this was such a great psychological thriller! Holy cow! 4 stars from me! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have to admit the beginning was a bit slow for me, I thought for sure I wasn’t going to like this book. However, the book took a turn and I absolutely loved this book !

The subject of Mental Health in this book is a very important one, and reading the Author’s note at the end of the book made me love the book even more ! Mental health is extremely important to talk about and I’m so glad that it is becoming less taboo, because of book like this one ! Most of us have dealt with Mental Health issues either with family members, friends, or even ourselves. It is so common and we really need to help each other out and understand how Mental Health works and how it affects our loved ones.

The ending was so perfect ! I was really impressed by the creativity of the story and the lovable traits of the characters. You can’t help fall in love with Mindy and her determination is contagious. You fell like you, yourself, can accomplish anything.

Highly recommend this book! I think everyone needs to read it, even if you are not a mystery/thriller lover.

Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison is a long thriller that builds well to the suspenseful conclusion. Mindy is a 17 year old skiing phenom who had a devastating injury that leads to her being diagnosed with cancer. While seeking for a close family relation to help her fight the cancer Mindy's family learns quite a few surprises. This read had many twists and turns and keeps you guessing right to the end. Read and enjoy!

After loving Lie to Me last year I knew that I had to pick up a copy of Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison and give it a read. Now after Tear Me Apart I might as well add J.T. Ellison to my short list of authors to just grab no questions asked.

Mindy is an up and coming skier that the media is calling the next Lindsey Vonn who is in the process of trying out for the Olympic team when disaster strikes. At the last gate Mindy crashes and breaks her leg and is rushed to surgery where doctors find that she has a rare form of leukemia.

Now of course Mindy’s parents will do whatever they can to help their daughter with her battle against cancer so they rush to get tested to become donors. When neither parent or her aunt are a match it looks as if Mindy may have been switched at birth but Lauren, Mindy’s mother is extremely against looking into the past.

The story is told from multiple points of view across the book through separate sections. Each section has the readers peeling back more and more layers of the story as you work to uncover years worth of secrets and lies. The story is very easy to follow though even with the different POVs and times and from the opening pages I was completely hooked on the story and needed to know how it turn out. Definitely a thriller I’d recommend checking out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What a ride! This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. In exchange for a copy of the book from Netgalley I am posting an honest review. The story follows the Wright family as their life is turned upside down. Following the bad skiing accident of their Olympic bound daughter Mindy, not only do they discover Mindy has leukemia, but that they are not her biological parents! What happened to Mindy’s real parents? How did Mindy come to be with her family here in Vail? Someone is hiding something and the truth that has been concealed all these years is bound to come out. Some of the things that happened were a little far fetched, and I had figured out the ending earlier on. But the story love kept giving me so many twists and turns that it didn’t matter. One criticism I would say is that the book starts a little slow. Part 2 it really starts amping up. It’s worth it!

3 Stars

Mindy Wright is teenage sensation. An Olympic hopeful Downhill Skier. The world is her oyster - that is until she break a leg on her last run down the mountain and loses the race. That not even the worst of it - when undergoing testing at the hospital, it is discovered that Mindy has a rare form of Leukemia and needs a stem cell transplant. When her parents are tested, a secret comes out. Neither are a match! Lauren, Mindy’s mother has known all along and yet she has never told anyone. Not her husband Jasper, or her sister Juliet. The question is why? And who are Mindy’s parents? Dun dun dun…

Lauren Wright has a lot to hide. Her secrets however, are nothing, in comparison to her desire for her daughter to succeed and no one will get in the way of what she wants most.

“Tear Me Apart” by J.T. Ellison is a wild and crazy fast-paced mystery / suspense. The underlying storyline is quite intriguing and it held my interest. However, there were several tangential storylines which I felt were a bit unnecessary and took away from the mystery. This is the second book I have read by J.T. Ellison, with “Lie To Me” being the first. As I enjoyed both novels, these will definitely not be my last.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey! So happy that we read this one together!

Thank you to NetGalley, HARLEQUIN - MIRA and J.T. Ellison for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 8.14.18.

Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison is another great tale. It has the mystery, intrigue, and dark edge to it like all of her previous books. However, the pacing was what almost stopped me from reading the book. It felt dragged. In the beginning there was no action or dialogue that made me want to dig in further. I felt myself wanting to quit until the middle of the book when the story finally gripped me. I should be hooked in from the beginning. But I was not. I love this writer's work. Every book is unpredictable as to which way she writes. This one kept me wondering...until the clues came straight out which gave away too much in my opinion.

The story was about a family a family being torn apart by deception. The main characters is dying and relied on her parents to help save her. Only to find out, they are not her parents after all. Can you imagine being a family all those years only to discover that when it really counts, the truth come out...or sort of does. Mindy's predicament is a tough one. Then there is someone wanting to keep things hidden. Only time will tell if Mindy survives and whether her family is completely destroyed. Overall, Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison was a good book. But not as great as her previous ones.

Thanks to Netgalley & Harlequin for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Easily one of my favorite books I've read this year!

Mindy, a professional young skier, wrecks on an Olympic trial run, and what was supposed to be a broken bone leads to a discovery of cancer. Aggressive treatment options are set into motion, but a blood test quickly determines that her parents are not actually her parents. Who are Mindy's biological parents, & can they find them in time to save her life?! As the search for answers begins, a web of lies is spun- the reader tries to piece together the truth, all the while knowing that things aren't quite adding up.

The plot's element of suspense, combined with family drama (love!), made for an "unputdownable" book. I especially loved this because while I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on, I was also rooting for Mindy, a character I became very found of. Ellison definitely tugs at the heartstrings throughout this novel & creates several lovable characters.

This is one that will give you "all the feels", while also keeping you on the edge of your seat! Whether you're a fan of thrillers/suspense or family dramas, I would definitely recommend this one.

This may be my favorite book of all time!

I highly recommend this book - It had me saying “what the heck is happening” from page 1 till the end!

Tear Me Apart captured my interest from the very first page and held it until the end. It is a very intense read - the tension builds and builds. I thought about it a lot when I had to put the book down and tend to every day things. Tear Me Apart would make a great movie.

I was given an answer readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was really enjoying this book, until the end. The “twist” had been hinted at since the beginning, and I couldn’t believe it would be that obvious, so when that was actually the end... A shame as it is really well written and well crafted mystery up until that point. Still worth a read

Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison is an intriguing novel and very hard to put down. The plot revolves around a sixteen year old girl and her family. She loves competitive skiing but is seriously injured in the beginning of the book. While in the hospital the doctors learn that she has a rare form of cancer. Her mother is very protective and involved with her daughter and slowly falls apart as the story continues. The book is about her mother's secrets and past history. This makes a very emotional tantalizing story which was hard to put down.

Wow, this story has something for everyone - mystery, secrets, a little romance and a lot of suspense. The author chose some very hard topics to write about; mental illness, child abuse, suicide and murder, etc. The story was perfectly woven together to keep readers interested to the very end. Highly recommended!

Just when you THINK you know how this story is going, Ellison send you on an intricate double S turn and suddenly it's somewhere else! And then it changes again. To call it a roller coaster is an understatement. It's like the mazest of mazey books that you literally can't put down, because every 4 chapters things change and you're holding your breath, waiting for the next plummet! Not only is it a look at a family with so many hidden secrets it's amazing they haven't bubbled like lava before, it's the story of sibling rivalry and the hidden reasons for it. Then add a mystery on top and a couple of murders and you have a book that hits all your genres and leaves you begging for more! Don't miss this one, or you will be sorry you did!

I need a higher rating scale like 100 stars! 🌟 ALL the stars to this nugget of thriller awesomeness! JT Ellison has done it again!
This one was full of twists, turns, murder, more twists, psychology thrillness and more twists on twists!
I’m not going to give anything away except to say READ THIS!!!! I loved the characters because of how they were presented to us. All likeable? Yes I really did.
I loved the Colorado scene/backdrop which sounds so beautiful.
I couldn’t put this one down. I felt like I was in the story, it was written so vividly.

Thank you #NetGalley, the author and publisher for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review. ALL the 🌟s!!!!!

I would like to give this book ALL the stars!!

When I first started reading it I was really confused. We start out in some sort of inpatient mental heath hospital and then switch to a young skier. I thought I was mistakenly reading a contemporary but what was that first part about and how in the world does it all fit together. I even re-read the synopsis SEVERAL times because it just wasn't coming together for me. THEN it did!!

This book is intense and full of all kinds of drama and lies and deception and secrets. It is so hard to figure out who is telling the truth and is that truth is really the truth or just another spin on it. You can tell what some of the plot twist are but there are so many of them that you are bound to not see a few of them coming. One of the plot twist towards the end really caught me off guard. There was still 10% or so left in the book and it should be over so what else was going to happen. A lot was still left to happen.

I can easily see this adapted into a movie.


I highly recommend this book.