This book contains a few interesting ideas and a couple of twists, which this reader did find mostly predictable. The author starts out with a very creative premise, reflected in the title of the novel, that really doesn’t play out to be that important for the overall story.

Instead, the plot focus is on a love triangle between three mildly interesting characters, (two brothers and one of their wives) interspersed with a current day serial killer plot, a couple of ineffectual detectives, and another series of unsolved childhood murders.

The real story, the main thematic element, which is handled with great sensitivity, is the trauma of infertility, and the damage it can wreak on the lives and loves of the afflicted. This element unfortunately, appeared buried in too many other happenings to receive the attention it deserved.

Overall, not one of my favorite reads but one that has received some great reviews.

A great big thank you to #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

*** three and a half shiny stars

3.5 stars

It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison is less of a thriller and more of a domestic family drama. This book follows main characters Olivia and Park Bender who are struggling with multiple miscarriages back to back. The book opens with Olivia experiencing her latest miscarriage and hasn't even told her husband about it when the police knock on the door with some unbelievable news: A woman has been found murdered and the DNA found on the scene leads back to Park. But it's not his DNA - it's familial DNA - meaning it is most likely from his son. But the Benders do not have any children.

I was torn about this book. I enjoyed the multiple POV chapters. I enjoyed the fact that we know pretty much from the beginning who the killer is - I like it when the author does this because it's not common and we get to see how and why the killer became the way he was. But I did not enjoy this book because I didn't love any of the characters and I'm not super interested in the DNA/sperm donor theme that's been in a few books lately.

I thought most of the book was slow and a bit boring with predictable twists - but there was one little twist at the end that I didn't see coming.

I have enjoyed books by Ms. Ellison in the past and will continue to read what she puts out!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I wasn’t expecting the ending at all. I wanted a happy ending that was the only thing that bothered me but she did get some happiness

I loved this book. It had me hooked from the begging and was a novel that I could not put down. I highly recommend this one!

I thought the premise was really interesting but the execution just missed the mark. It dragged on too long and need a little something more from the mystery.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I love J.T. Ellison’s books. LOVE them. Lie To Me, Her Dark Lies,Good Girls Lie, and Tear Me Apart are some of the ones I’ve read!

J.T. always has a twist or two that I don’t necessarily see coming. So some of It’s One of Us I guessed kinda early and some, well, I was not expecting it.

What I loved:

Clearly, I am a fan of the cover.

Olivia. Man, that lady had some stress on her, but she had some one liners that made me stop and laugh.

The ending. It worked for me.



Bottom line: I was intrigued by the plot ( the cops come to ask about a son, but these people don’t have children only to find out that he donated his sperm and had SEVERAL children?! Hello documentary gold! ) But while that hooked me, what kept me going was the unfolding of their lives. Each perfect layer was slowly being ripped to shreds and that is where J.T. Ellison shines- showing what people do when their backs are against a wall. Highly recommend.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. Traveling With T also purchased it because the divine Julia Whelan narrates and I had to listen to her All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

No matter how many books are on your reading list, be sure to put this novel at the top!
The Benders find themselves in an emotionally charged situation and are forced to confront their own truths while trying to make sense of a murder investigation involving Park's son. As the story unfolds, J.T. Ellison peels back the curtains to reveal a thrilling and captivating plot and the devastating consequences of secrets and lies that lurk beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect marriage and family life. With twists and turns and expertly drawn characters, the novel will hook and keep you guessing until the end.

Great thriller with lots of suspense. Lots of twists and turns and no idea who you can trust. By the end I was a little annoyed with everyone though.

IT’S ONE OF US brings the reader into a world that is candid, filled with tension, and at times emotionally wrought. Ellison peels back the layers of a relationship struggling through infertility and dealing with secrets kept.

Even though I read countless books by this author, there was something much more impactful about this particular book. The suspense, twists, and interwoven deceptions were all present and expertly crafted. However, it was the characters that truly made this story for me. There is an honesty within Olivia and her actions that resonated. Her struggles, the complexities within her personality, and her reactions to the situation she is pushed into bring richness to IT’S ONE OF US. Without the way the author developed and brought Olivia to life, this would have been a good domestic thriller. With Olivia, it makes it a great one.

Then you add into the mix the killer. The malevolent feeling that comes from his actions sent chills down my spine. Ellison managed to delve into the mind of a murderer and allow him to touch every single character’s life.

I commend Ellison for telling this story. She never fails to create brilliantly entertaining suspense novels. And this one has all the dark, twisty goodness I love, but it also has depth rooted in a real-world issue for many women as well as touching on deeply rooted mental issues. From beginning to end, IT’S ONE OF US was compelling, complex, and emotional.

Wow, that was a wild ride. I wouldn't expect anything less than thrilling from the amazing J.T. Ellison. I love how little snippets throughout the beginning gave you a clue to who the bad person was if you paid attention but I definitely wasn't prepared for the ending. I especially loved reading the author's note at the ending that explained how she came up with the idea for this book. I'm glad she could take such a heartbreaking subject and turn it into this amazing book. Each character played such a big part in this book and the suspense was unreal. Most of the twists I never saw coming and normally pregnancy tropes are not my favorite but she wrote it so well that it really didn't bother me. The settings were done perfectly and it was very atmospheric. The ending was a little unsatisfying for me which is the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. Nonetheless, I'm excited to see what she writes next!

This was an entertaining thriller with an interesting topic. I was hooked from the get go and had no idea how everything was going to pan out - a sign of a great thriller!

This book was OK, but nothing great. The premise sounded interesting, but the execution fell a little flat for me. I'm not a fan of insta-love so the coupling at the end seemed very rushed and unrealistic; the motive of the murderer seemed not very fleshed out; and the characters, particularly Olivia and Park, were for the most part unlikeable (although Darla and Scarlett were tolerable).

I appreciated the author's personal insight into her own experiences with infertility and miscarriage and, as I've thankfully never experienced either, am hesitant to speak for those who have, but thought she handled both as plot lines sensitively.

This was a very entertaining thriller with twists and turns. It's a story that has way more emotional depth than most thrillers. This is definitely one of the most unique storylines I've ever read.

I thought this book was just alright. The plot was interesting to me but I felt like the characters - especially Park - were really annoying and the dialogue felt too forced like they were trying too hard to use proper grammar and high brow words. That isn't realistic to how people talk! I did like the little twist at the end but felt like the reveal of who the murderer was was a little predictable. I figured it out pretty early on in the book.

"A woman is missing. Unbeknownst to those who love her, a placid lake holds her deep in its clutches. Its inhabitants watch her drift and dance in tune to gentle currents. They sneak little bites of her flesh, becoming one with this intrusion until they are no longer startled by her. They coexist. They play. They nestle deep in her hair and build ecosystems in the crevasses of her body. She gives of herself; she becomes their home. Generations are born that never knew a time without her. She is as much a part of their lives as the water around them, as familiar to the decomposed effluvia as the fallen trees and the limestone lake bed. When the sun shines at just the right angle, and a small breeze ruffles the water, those magic days after heavy rains when the algae blooms disappear to the edges of the bank, the shadow of her can be seen from the surface. A ghostly flicker; here, then gone. She exists for them now."

This prologue gave me chills. It starts with the body of a woman in a lake. Then what women are seen as by men. Jumps to the man responsible for her death. Her family. The police. Then him again, his fears at being found out for what he did. Then she is found. But will he be caught?

Park and is wife, Olivia, are opposites – where she is extroverted, he is an introvert. He is also a ghost writer for thrillers and works from home, while she designs home interiors. They are having problems trying to conceive and its taking a toll on their marriage. When lots of secrets start surfacing, including that the missing woman, Beverly, was found at the bottom of a lake dead, and DNA matched to Park's son, one he didn't even know he had, things unravel so fast.

J.T. Ellison found a way to write in multiple POVs expertly, keeping me on the edge of my seat while reading. There is a quality of un-put-down-ability that made reading this book such an experience! By the ending I figured some things out, other twists were complete surprises. This, to me, is a must read novel for fans of murder mystery thrillers...

P.S. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the review copy. The review is my own and the book is 100% worth reading!

This was more of a drama than a thriller and unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me, as much as I would have liked it to. The main idea is an interesting one and the characters were well written, but it wasn’t a book I enjoyed nor did it grab my attention and keep me engaged.

J.T. Ellison certainly knows how to keep her readers on the edge of their seats The plot of It's One of Us is fast paced and the way Ellison labeled her chapters by categorizing the characters as "the husband", "the mother", etc. was perfection.

Olivia and Park Bender have been trying with no success to have a child and the pressure and disappointment is really taking a toll on their marriage. When police arrive at their door to explain that DNA results from a recent murder have turned up DNA from Park's son, secrets are soon revealed. Is it really Park's mysterious son to blame, or maybe Park's twin brother has some past secrets to share.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mira Books for the opportunity to read this novel.

I normally love whatever this author writes but this subject just did not interest me in the slightest.

This was a good thriller to get my toes back into the genre. I liked the back story and felt it was pretty original of a storyline. Overall did not guess the solution immediately which I like. Solid 3 star suspense.

*I really feel like this book needs a trigger warning for miscarriage and infertility*

I liked the characters and the details in this one! I must say I wish it would have ended differently, but it was very interesting and definitely kept me reading!