I liked this one. I’m a fan of J T Ellisons books. I liked the back and forth between characters and was able to visualize the story well. The characters had alot of depth and enjoyed this thriller.

This is a go to author for a great thriller, and she did not disappoint!
From DNA to infertility, a woman's journey to have a child of her own, and a husband discovering he has over two dozen children.
What a great concept and we are there as the facts unfold, but we are kept on the edge of our seat as bodies turn up, and disturbing happenings develop! Past soon meets the present, but surprises abound, and most I never saw coming!
A must read, you won't be able to put it down!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.

It's One of Us
by J.T. Ellison
Pub Date: Feb. 21, 2023
Mira
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
This is my favorite book by this author. A spine-tingling mystery that had me guessing till the end. I am recommending it highly! Olivia Bender designs exquisite home interiors that satisfy the most demanding clients. But her own deepest desire can’t be fulfilled by marble counters or the perfect rug. She desperately wants to be a mother. Fertility treatments and IVF keep failing. And just when she feels she’s at her lowest point, the police deliver shocking news to Olivia and her husband, Park.

DNA results show that the prime suspect in a murder investigation is Park’s son. Olivia is relieved, knowing this is a mistake. Despite their desire, the Benders don’t have any children. Then comes the confession. Many years ago, Park donated sperm to a clinic. He has no idea how many times it was sold—or how many children he has sired.

As the murder investigation goes deeper, more terrible truths come to light. With every revelation, Olivia must face the unthinkable. The man she married has fathered a killer. But can she hold that against him when she keeps such dark secrets of her own?
5 stars definitely

It was a thrilling ride to the end! The story had twists and turns throughout, unveiling of secrets along the way. Trying to figure out who did what and who was lying was never ending and kept me guessing until the final chapter. Well crafted suspenseful thriller.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This is one lf my favorite books by this author. It’s about a couple struggling with fertility, when one day, a cop shows up to tell the husband that one of his children are being investigated for murder. The wife is confused because they don’t have kids. Turns out he donated to a sperm bank many years ago…. I loved it!

I would definitely recommend this book. The story is great, the chapters are short and bounce back and forth with Olivia and Park. The idea that something like this could happen is a bit scary. Sometimes you don't really know someone as well as you assumed. Thank you, #NetGalley#Mira#ItsOneofUs

The premise of It’s One of Us is Profound. The idea that donated sperm can father close to 30 children is insane and for all of those offspring to be wanting to meet their father? This is good stuff. The writing is superb and I could not devour it fast enough. This book is practically perfect.

Interesting plot about a woman who suffers multiple miscarriages during in vitro. When the police arrive at their door, she discovers that her husband has unintentionally fathered multiple children after his sperm donation was used too many times by a fertility clinic. One of these children has just murdered a woman. Somehow everyone is connected in this fast-paced thriller by J.T. Ellison. An enjoyable read and a moving book on infertility.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of It's One of Us.

The premise sounded interesting and it began promisingly but it quickly derailed.

First, It's One of Us contains many stereotypical tropes typical of this genre:

Both wife and husband are harboring secrets.

The wife mentions frequently how hot and charming her husband is.

I appreciate the author spotlighting infertility and the emotional and physical and mental toll conceiving a child takes, but I'm tired of the female main character struggling with having a child. Not every woman wants a child.

Second, there are too many POVs, and very little character development.

You don't connect with anyone, much less the murderer.

My next point: don't reveal the identity of the killer midway through the book. I feel like I've wasted time reading up to that point.

Third, there are too many things going on; a love triangle, multiple donor children, constant revelations, (which aren't suspenseful by the time the detectives show up at Park and Olivia's house for the second time), constant lying and deceit by Park and Olivia.

The narrative became silly and hard to suspend disbelief for. Fast.

Fourth, Olivia and Park aren't sympathetic characters. I get what Olivia is going through, but her whiny, self serving behavior didn't make me empathize with her. For someone with a successful career, her self esteem and self worth depended too much on a man.

Fifth, I'm still not sure I believe in the identity of the killer. Why did he develop his obsession with Olivia? Why her?

It felt contrived, as if the author had to pick someone as the killer and eeny, miney, moe, settled on this dude.

The ending is Lifetime-y, a happy-ish ending for all involved, not quite, but more realistic than all the events that came before.

This book explores lots of moral issue underneath a well written story of a marriage falling apart due to secrets and another family having to face some awful truths. Lots of things to for students to discuss and think about while reading an interesting and tense story

I may be in the minority here, but I felt like it started out pretty slowly. I didn’t really get into it until about halfway through, then it was a page turning thriller. I definitely enjoyed the plot line, but I think I expected more from JT Ellison based on her previous work that I LOVED.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this title. Olivia thinks she has an almost perfect marriage to her husband. They have been trying to have a child for several years, and Olivia has undergone multiple rounds of IVF. After a knock on the door from the police to question her husband about a murder of a woman Olivia knew tangentially, she discovers that her husband had donated sperm to a clinic, and has potentially fathered almost 100 children! As Olivia processes this betrayal, we are privy to the history of her relationship with her husband and his family, a nurse across town whose children are the product of the donation, and a murder that occurred while Olivia's husband was in college.

The plot moves swiftly, and both the character and setting descriptions draw the reader in. I had an inkling who the current killer was, but the surprise at the end was extremely satisfying!

Highly recommend!

This was an excellent thriller that I found impossible to put down. I actually binged the whole book in less than 12 hours (because I had to sleep), and while I was sure I had all the answers early on, the ending left me extremely surprised.

Synopsis: One evening Olivia and her husband, Park, get a knock on their door that changes their lives forever. The police are investigating a local murder and DNA tests reveal the prime suspect to be Park’s son. Despite their desire and years of trying, Olivia and Park do not have any children. With that news comes a confession Park thought would stay hidden forever: he donated his sperm back in graduate school and has no idea how many children he may have.

Thoughts: The pacing of this book was amazing! Told through seven points of view with all relatively short chapters, I was racing through the pages. While this may seem like a lot of perspectives, each one was vital to the story and added the necessary element of suspense to keep you guessing and paint the full picture. A big part of this story deals with infertility and miscarriage. It wasn’t until I read the author’s note and acknowledgments at the end, where she talks about her own infertility struggles, that I understood the true inspiration and motivation for the story. While it is a thriller and the book encompasses all that we expect for this genre, there was an emotional element to it that I really loved and know people will connect with.

Read if you like:
-Whodunit thrillers
-Multiple perspectives and short chapters
-Secrets and lies
-Nature versus nurture debate
-Jar of Hearts

Thank you HTP for the ARC. Pub date: 2/21/23

What I liked:
The honesty of Olivia’s struggles with having a baby. It felt genuine and honest.
Darby
Perry and Liv reuniting.

What I was disappointed over/ didn’t like:
Park. He was just awful. Darby was too good for him.
The way Peyton was introduced in the beginning did not add up in the plot. Was it a misdirect? It felt like the author started writing him before deciding he was the killer. I didn’t feel like his motive was clear- it got really convoluted with no real closure.
Detective Moore- I expected to hear more about her backstory given how empathetic she was to the miscarriage.
No happy ending for perry and liv?! Really? After all that. The ending felt rushed and not satisfying.

Oh my goodness this was a great read!
IT’S ONE OF US by @thrillerchick kept me on my damn toes from beginning to end.

Olivia and Park Bender have the idyllic life in an idyllic home but when the police come knocking one morning linking Park to a recent murder, they have to reckon with things in both of their pasts.

While I’m college Park donated sperm to a bank that was only supposed to use is ten times. He finds about 28 children that have his DNA and one of them is a serial killer.

Olivia is supremely pissed at Park for not telling her, namely because she has fertility issues and just lost another baby. The notion that Park has so many bio children in the world irks her to no end.

Supporting characters include Park’s brother who Olivia once had a fling with, and Park’s sister, also Olivia’s best friend.

The ending to me was bittersweet and SHOCKING!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to @htpbooks & @_mira_books_ for my #gifted book!

TW: Infertility, miscarriage
What an intriguing premise! Park and Olivia are married and have had multiple miscarriages/infertility issues. It becomes known that a murderer has matched to being a son of Park's, but that's impossible since they don't have children, right? However, Park donated sperm in his college days and come to find out - he has dozens of children out there and one happens to be a killer.
This is told from multiple perspectives, which I liked. I did find it somewhat repetitive in the middle and tied up too nicely at the end. The other thing I didn't like (which I'm being very picky about here) is all the "P" names: Park, Perry, Peyton. It just bothered me!
Anyway - a solid novel. Nothing too shocking.

Keep me listening! I enjoyed this book a lot! It was easy, enjoyable, not overly complicated , enjoyable book. I will recommend because of those reasons. Topic was fresh.

This book is a psychological thriller about a couple facing fertility issues. Olivia and Park have been trying to have a family with no success. However, Park had donated sperm while in college and has many offspring out there which he was unaware of. The DNA of one of his sons was found on a murder victim. The story had many twists and secrets that affected their marriage. More missing girls propel the story along with Park becoming a suspect. The author has a very personal note at the end which reveals her own personal struggle. Kudos to her candor! Great writing! #It’sOneOfUs #JTEllison #NetGalley

Compelling psychological thriller that explores the unravelling of dark secrets and consequences that ensue. This novel follows Oliva and Park Bender whose seemingly happy marriage, hides dark and terrible secrets. Olivia is a successful Interior Designer, while Park is a teacher on sabbatical who also works as a ghost writer. Just as the Benders suffer yet another miscarriage after many attempts at IVF, they discover that Park's son (through anonymous sperm donation while a college student) is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Further compounding this difficult news, Olivia and Park discover that there are as many as 28 children as the result of his sperm donations. As the murder investigation ensues, another woman is taken and as the police and Benders seek to find the main suspect-Park's son, Dark secrets continue to be revealed that serve to further divide the Benders and those around them. This novel is riveting and unpredictable as dark secrets come to light, not only about the Benders, but also that of Park's son and his propensity for violence. Will the Benders' marriage survive or will these deep dark secrets tear they life they built together apart?

Unpopular opinion: This was hard to read. The story sounds intriguing, and JT Ellison is a prolific writer with many popular and exceptional works.
Olivia and Park have been trying for a baby. They had to resort to IVF that keeps failing. Olivia has experienced many painful miscarriages. One day the police come knocking, Park is the father of a murderer! How is that possible, they have no children? The truth comes out that Park donated sperm back in college and has a shocking number of children out there. This breaks Olivia's heart.
There are a lot of POV's here. It's also hard to suspend belief. One minute I was enthralled in the story and the next I was annoyed by Olivia and Park and just didn't care where it was going. I DNF. Perhaps I will come back to it, but for now- it wasn't for me.