What do you think?
Rate this book
Tear Me Apart
One moment will change their lives forever…
Competitive skier Mindy Wright is a superstar in the making until a spectacular downhill crash threatens not just her racing career but her life. During surgery, doctors discover she’s suffering from a severe form of leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope. But when her parents are tested, a frightening truth emerges. Mindy is not their daughter.
Who knows the answers?
The race to save Mindy’s life means unraveling years of lies. Was she accidentally switched at birth or is there something more sinister at play? The search for the truth will tear a family apart… and someone is going to deadly extremes to protect the family’s deepest secrets.
With vivid movement through time, Tear Me Apart examines the impact layer after layer of lies and betrayal has on two families, the secrets they guard, and the desperate fight to hide the darkness within.
Competitive skier Mindy Wright is a superstar in the making until a spectacular downhill crash threatens not just her racing career but her life. During surgery, doctors discover she’s suffering from a severe form of leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope. But when her parents are tested, a frightening truth emerges. Mindy is not their daughter.
Who knows the answers?
The race to save Mindy’s life means unraveling years of lies. Was she accidentally switched at birth or is there something more sinister at play? The search for the truth will tear a family apart… and someone is going to deadly extremes to protect the family’s deepest secrets.
With vivid movement through time, Tear Me Apart examines the impact layer after layer of lies and betrayal has on two families, the secrets they guard, and the desperate fight to hide the darkness within.
489 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2018
About the author
J.T. Ellison
72 books5,677 followersJ.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.
With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards They have also been optioned for television, and published in 28 countries.
J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, where she is hard at work on her next novel.
With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards They have also been optioned for television, and published in 28 countries.
J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, where she is hard at work on her next novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,769 reviews
August 18, 2018
4 shocking stars to Tear Me Apart! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Mindy Wright skis competitively, and she is on the verge of a breakout when she suffers a horrific crash. She sustains not just 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, both her parents receive routine screening. Neither is a match...and neither parent 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.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Mindy Wright skis competitively, and she is on the verge of a breakout when she suffers a horrific crash. She sustains not just 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, both her parents receive routine screening. Neither is a match...and neither parent 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.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
November 11, 2021
this story is the kind of amusing over-the-top drama that only mentally unstable characters can give you. totally unrealistic, but a lot of fun, nonetheless.
the slow unraveling of lies and secrets is definitely what makes this story work. the letters from the past give too much of the plot away, so much so that the end reveal is common knowledge from the very beginning, but the way the characters try to cover up and backtrack and do major damage control until they are spiralling into self-destruction is quite entertaining.
this is for sure a book you will want to pick up if like getting stuck in a tangle web of deceit and you dont mind your mysteries/thrillers to be on the longer side.
↠ 3.5 stars
the slow unraveling of lies and secrets is definitely what makes this story work. the letters from the past give too much of the plot away, so much so that the end reveal is common knowledge from the very beginning, but the way the characters try to cover up and backtrack and do major damage control until they are spiralling into self-destruction is quite entertaining.
this is for sure a book you will want to pick up if like getting stuck in a tangle web of deceit and you dont mind your mysteries/thrillers to be on the longer side.
↠ 3.5 stars
September 4, 2018
4.5 Intensely Engrossing Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 This book was no bunny slope, it was a black diamond run all the way! This was a book that left you exhilarated and a little cold... filled with twists and turns with many bumps along the way.... there were many high flying moments as well as some close crashes.... so strap on those skis fasten those goggles, and get ready for an intense ride down the slope with this book....
Mindy Wright is a skiing prodigy on the brink of Olympic glory until.... a major crash, a broken leg,and an unforeseen diagnosis, changes everything.... while in the hospital with her broken leg Mindy is diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia... in need of a bone marrow transplant both her parents are tested, and when not only are they not a match they are not genetically related to Mindy.... Mindy’s perfect run at Life is now a perfect nightmare, and it isn’t only her bone that is shattered.... how is this possible? Was Mindy switched at birth? Or is the answer more dark and complicated than that? How many secrets run through this family and what have they done to protect them?
Oh what a tangled web we weave.... and the untangling of this web was quite the thrilling ride.... I was probably suspicious of every single character in this book at one time or another with the exception of Mindy.... told from the perspective of multiple characters... you really saw this scenario unfold from every angle.... I thought this was such an impactful way to tell the story it kept me completely engrossed until I reach the finish line.... secrets leading to lies, lies leading to secrets, nobody ever knowing who to believe.... and in the middle of this crazy storm a girl who is fighting for her life!
An engrossing book that will keep you turning those pages well after the ski lift closes.... with a ending that was both haunting and perfect....
Absolutely recommend to fans of thrillers with complicated characters and a compelling plot.... this was definitely a gold medal read!🥇
*** many thanks to Harlequin-Mira for my copy of this brilliant book ***
Mindy Wright is a skiing prodigy on the brink of Olympic glory until.... a major crash, a broken leg,and an unforeseen diagnosis, changes everything.... while in the hospital with her broken leg Mindy is diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia... in need of a bone marrow transplant both her parents are tested, and when not only are they not a match they are not genetically related to Mindy.... Mindy’s perfect run at Life is now a perfect nightmare, and it isn’t only her bone that is shattered.... how is this possible? Was Mindy switched at birth? Or is the answer more dark and complicated than that? How many secrets run through this family and what have they done to protect them?
Oh what a tangled web we weave.... and the untangling of this web was quite the thrilling ride.... I was probably suspicious of every single character in this book at one time or another with the exception of Mindy.... told from the perspective of multiple characters... you really saw this scenario unfold from every angle.... I thought this was such an impactful way to tell the story it kept me completely engrossed until I reach the finish line.... secrets leading to lies, lies leading to secrets, nobody ever knowing who to believe.... and in the middle of this crazy storm a girl who is fighting for her life!
An engrossing book that will keep you turning those pages well after the ski lift closes.... with a ending that was both haunting and perfect....
Absolutely recommend to fans of thrillers with complicated characters and a compelling plot.... this was definitely a gold medal read!🥇
*** many thanks to Harlequin-Mira for my copy of this brilliant book ***
September 2, 2018
What a tangled web of lies J. T. Ellison has created!!! The more I read in this book, the more shocked I became with the twisted trail of deception that was uncovered by a single incident. Ellison is a favorite author of mine, and I noticed she liked to play with the reader a bit. She doesn’t mind having flawed characters. In fact, Ellison’s work thrives on flawed characters! But her characters feel real because of that. They feel like they make mistakes, they forgive those they shouldn’t, they lie in ways that are understandable and even ways you can empathize with. And then she hits you with those final twists and everything suddenly falls into place and you wonder how these characters got to this point! This book was a fun, twisty read that I completely loved!
About the Book
Mindy Wright is a young star in the competitive skiing world, with a real shot at making the national team. Mindy has two parents who adore her, Lauren and Jasper Wright. They live in a gorgeous mountainside home, close to her training facility. They homeschool her so she can compete and train to make the team. And they love and support Mindy in every way.
When Mindy takes a fall on her last qualifying run, her parent’s are devastated. Rushing Mindy to the hospital to have her broken leg fixed, they discover something shocking: Mindy has cancer and needs a stem cell transfusion. Desperate to help any way they can, Lauren and Jasper offer to be tested, only to discover something even more shocking: Mindy is not biologically related to them.
With Mindy’s life on the line, Lauren and Jasper will do anything they can to protect their daughter. But what if their lies are the barrier to finding the match for Mindy? Is it possible her parents know more than they let on? Or is this a terrible mix-up with devastating consequences?
Reflection
I’ve mentioned that J. T. Ellison is one of my favorite authors, and there is a reason for that. Ellison does not ever take the easy road through her novels. There is never a quick and easy twist, never a moment where a character gets off the hook, and she doesn’t baby her characters. We see her characters with all of their flaws, their lies, and their regrettable moments. And they are ALL liars to an extent. They lie to us, they lie to themselves, and sometimes they lie to eachother.
I think many authors struggle with falling in love with their characters. And when that happens, it can be very difficult to show them with all of their good and bad traits. Ellison takes the reverse approach. Most of her characters seem awful at first, and then the more you know them the more human they become, and the more rootable. Her characters impression manage to an extreme degree—hiding themselves from the reader, the other characters, and sometimes even from themselves.
Lauren and Jasper are such fascinating characters. You’ll go in finding them boring a bit entitled and overbearing of Mindy. But they love her so much, that its hard not to cheer them on. And as each other them become more real, I was drawn into the story. Then we have a mysterious third narrator with a seriously dark story. I was dying to know who this third narrator was and how she fits into the story! She has her own cast of characters way back in time, and each one fascinated me. Ellison uses this parallel story so effectively, laying out all of the pieces at just the right times.
There are a lot of other great characters, but I don’t want to spoil the ride so I’ll keep them to myself. Except to say that there is a pretty great dog in the book named Kat (lol) and she is so cute and loveable, even over text!
This is truly a story about the immense love of a mother and father for their daughter, and the horrifying secret that threatens to tear the family apart. Those lies we tell for the greater good come back to haunt us. And because we are all human, the lies tend to build. Instead of living in our truths, we bury ourselves in the lies we’ve created. To save Mindy’s life, a lot of lies need to be exposed. What a twisted tale!!!
This was a buddy read with Melisa and Berit and we LOVED this book!!! See my blog post here!
Many thanks to Harlequin MIRA and to J. T. Ellison for a copy of this book to review.
About the Book
Mindy Wright is a young star in the competitive skiing world, with a real shot at making the national team. Mindy has two parents who adore her, Lauren and Jasper Wright. They live in a gorgeous mountainside home, close to her training facility. They homeschool her so she can compete and train to make the team. And they love and support Mindy in every way.
When Mindy takes a fall on her last qualifying run, her parent’s are devastated. Rushing Mindy to the hospital to have her broken leg fixed, they discover something shocking: Mindy has cancer and needs a stem cell transfusion. Desperate to help any way they can, Lauren and Jasper offer to be tested, only to discover something even more shocking: Mindy is not biologically related to them.
With Mindy’s life on the line, Lauren and Jasper will do anything they can to protect their daughter. But what if their lies are the barrier to finding the match for Mindy? Is it possible her parents know more than they let on? Or is this a terrible mix-up with devastating consequences?
Reflection
I’ve mentioned that J. T. Ellison is one of my favorite authors, and there is a reason for that. Ellison does not ever take the easy road through her novels. There is never a quick and easy twist, never a moment where a character gets off the hook, and she doesn’t baby her characters. We see her characters with all of their flaws, their lies, and their regrettable moments. And they are ALL liars to an extent. They lie to us, they lie to themselves, and sometimes they lie to eachother.
I think many authors struggle with falling in love with their characters. And when that happens, it can be very difficult to show them with all of their good and bad traits. Ellison takes the reverse approach. Most of her characters seem awful at first, and then the more you know them the more human they become, and the more rootable. Her characters impression manage to an extreme degree—hiding themselves from the reader, the other characters, and sometimes even from themselves.
Lauren and Jasper are such fascinating characters. You’ll go in finding them boring a bit entitled and overbearing of Mindy. But they love her so much, that its hard not to cheer them on. And as each other them become more real, I was drawn into the story. Then we have a mysterious third narrator with a seriously dark story. I was dying to know who this third narrator was and how she fits into the story! She has her own cast of characters way back in time, and each one fascinated me. Ellison uses this parallel story so effectively, laying out all of the pieces at just the right times.
There are a lot of other great characters, but I don’t want to spoil the ride so I’ll keep them to myself. Except to say that there is a pretty great dog in the book named Kat (lol) and she is so cute and loveable, even over text!
This is truly a story about the immense love of a mother and father for their daughter, and the horrifying secret that threatens to tear the family apart. Those lies we tell for the greater good come back to haunt us. And because we are all human, the lies tend to build. Instead of living in our truths, we bury ourselves in the lies we’ve created. To save Mindy’s life, a lot of lies need to be exposed. What a twisted tale!!!
This was a buddy read with Melisa and Berit and we LOVED this book!!! See my blog post here!
Many thanks to Harlequin MIRA and to J. T. Ellison for a copy of this book to review.
August 28, 2018
This was my first book by J.T. Ellison and it will not be my last! I was seriously impressed with Ellison’s writing and I have to admit, I have never had to look up so many words while reading a work of fiction - so hey thanks for increasing my vocabulary, Ms. Ellison!
When seventeen year old professional skier, Mindy, breaks her leg in a competition, a series of events unravel which will change the course of her and her family’s life forever.
This is a dark, multi-layered story that combines issues with mental and physical illness, and questions as to how far certain people will go for those they love. I certainly appreciated the author’s note where she mentions her inspiration and her support of suicide prevention. This is an important topic that is addressed within these pages.
And I have to say Kat the dog was probably my favorite character in the whole book!
This was a buddy read with my fellow @6bookbesties Mackenzie and Berit. Thank you to MIRA and Harlequin for my advance copy. This book is available today!
When seventeen year old professional skier, Mindy, breaks her leg in a competition, a series of events unravel which will change the course of her and her family’s life forever.
This is a dark, multi-layered story that combines issues with mental and physical illness, and questions as to how far certain people will go for those they love. I certainly appreciated the author’s note where she mentions her inspiration and her support of suicide prevention. This is an important topic that is addressed within these pages.
And I have to say Kat the dog was probably my favorite character in the whole book!
This was a buddy read with my fellow @6bookbesties Mackenzie and Berit. Thank you to MIRA and Harlequin for my advance copy. This book is available today!
October 4, 2018
3.25*
Mindy Wright is the latest, greatest downhill ski phenom. She’s just become the teenage champion and now has her sights squarely on the Olympics. In such a dangerous sport, serious injuries are unavoidable. So it was no real surprise when Mindy took a nasty spill. But unbelievably, her skiing injuries are the least of her problems.
Specialty surgeons quickly discover she has a potentially fatal illness. Now her most important race is against time, to do what’s necessary to find a cure for her.
It’s during this process that secrets and long hidden deeds are peeled back and exposed – leaving one major question: What’s the higher priority? Saving Mindy’s life, or keeping secrets hidden from everyone.
This is the second book I’ve read by this author with the first - Lie to Me, that I could not put down. This one just didn’t quite hold the intensity of her previous release, but still a solid, fun read!
It’s a rapid pace, light reading, and if that’s what you’re looking for you’ve got it! You’ll love this one. Personally for me, I was just looking for something a bit more...on par with J.T. Ellison’s last book.
A buddy read with Susanne🌸
Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin-MIRA and J.T. Ellison for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Mindy Wright is the latest, greatest downhill ski phenom. She’s just become the teenage champion and now has her sights squarely on the Olympics. In such a dangerous sport, serious injuries are unavoidable. So it was no real surprise when Mindy took a nasty spill. But unbelievably, her skiing injuries are the least of her problems.
Specialty surgeons quickly discover she has a potentially fatal illness. Now her most important race is against time, to do what’s necessary to find a cure for her.
It’s during this process that secrets and long hidden deeds are peeled back and exposed – leaving one major question: What’s the higher priority? Saving Mindy’s life, or keeping secrets hidden from everyone.
This is the second book I’ve read by this author with the first - Lie to Me, that I could not put down. This one just didn’t quite hold the intensity of her previous release, but still a solid, fun read!
It’s a rapid pace, light reading, and if that’s what you’re looking for you’ve got it! You’ll love this one. Personally for me, I was just looking for something a bit more...on par with J.T. Ellison’s last book.
A buddy read with Susanne🌸
Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin-MIRA and J.T. Ellison for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2018
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.
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.
August 15, 2018
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.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
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.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
October 19, 2018
3.5 Stars
I really didn’t want to read this book! You know, very slow stories with almost 500 pages aren't my cup of tea but then I thought what if I listen to the audio!?! So I tried it and really enjoyed the audio! It has 6 performers! Yes, exactly! SIX.PERFORMERS! And that was why I didn’t get bored! The narration was really good! The disappointment part was the ending, as usual! I guessed it from the start and was hoping that I’m wrong but unfortunately, I was right! It was so obvious! Told in multiple POV, both in 1st and 3rd person. It’s a standalone novel, really slow-paced with short chapters and a predictable ending, alternating between past and present! Overall, I enjoyed listening to the audio and hope you like it as well!
I really didn’t want to read this book! You know, very slow stories with almost 500 pages aren't my cup of tea but then I thought what if I listen to the audio!?! So I tried it and really enjoyed the audio! It has 6 performers! Yes, exactly! SIX.PERFORMERS! And that was why I didn’t get bored! The narration was really good! The disappointment part was the ending, as usual! I guessed it from the start and was hoping that I’m wrong but unfortunately, I was right! It was so obvious! Told in multiple POV, both in 1st and 3rd person. It’s a standalone novel, really slow-paced with short chapters and a predictable ending, alternating between past and present! Overall, I enjoyed listening to the audio and hope you like it as well!
January 30, 2019
I've read a few J.T. Ellison books over the last two years. When Tear Me Apart came out, I quickly added it to my TBR and looked forward to getting it scheduled in the queue. After reading lots of light cozy mysteries, I needed a stronger thriller or suspense last week and moved Tear Me Apart up on my list. I enjoyed the book a lot and walked away with tons of mixed emotions, ultimately settling on a solid 4 stars.
Mindy Wright is a 17-year-old competitive skier who is likely about to join the US Olympic Team. An accident on the slopes derails those hopes but also reveals she has leukemia. The rest of the book is an explosion of lies and secrets all culminating in discovering (1) Mindy's real parents, (2) how she became adopted, (3) what happened to several young girls in a psychological institute, and (4) what is the relationship between parents and children versus sisters. Since I don't want to give away too much about the plot, what you need to know is that this book will delve into how far a person will go to protect someone they love or something they desperately want.
The book starts in complete discord and chaos -- in a good way. Different characters lead the first few chapters. We have perspective and POV from a few primary people in the book. We don't know how everyone relates to each other until at least fifty percent into the book. It's a suspenseful tale that draws you in... not immediately, but with each unraveling layer of the onion. It's a bit sweet, sometimes make you cry, but always leaves you with something more to keep discovering. Who's telling the truth? Who's leaving out some info and embellishing other history? It's confusing and all leads to a rather huge explosion.
Let's start with the good. Character, plot and writing are all solid. They are well-depicted and keep you interested. Ellison chooses to only show Mindy's point of view in a handful of not-very-important scenes. The focus is on her biological parents and her adopted parents, as well as other interested parties and one kind aunt. How everyone fits together is intriguing, especially once you discover who's behind the letters Mindy finds in a locked closet in her house.
Let's dance around the odd. One character goes from completely in control to completely out of control. I can support her slow unraveling... history coming back from the dead... the powers of psychosis taking over... but it was way too far. If you're crazy, you'll do some crazy stuff. But I still don't understand why 17 years later you go off the rails in a spectacularly insane finish. If the secret comes out, it does. You could have kept a bunch hidden and just said: "here's who your parents were" and "this is how you came to live with us." Also, we don't have nearly enough clarity on what was wrong with the bio mother to do the things she did. I understand depression can make you do things you wouldn't normally do, or feel things you shouldn't feel, but... the progression wasn't enough for me to completely believe it. For those reasons, I couldn't give this 5 stars.
I thought about dropping it to a 3 or a 3.5, but ultimately, I couldn't put the book down. I found myself in constant attachment and wanting to know how did it happen. Sometimes I poked holes in the explanations only to find those same holes being explored chapters later. It's OBVIOUS the author went into extreme planning mode and truly wrote a complex thriller. It just didn't complete the webbing for me. I respect her talent and think because of my obsession to know what happened, I feel comfortable with 4 stars.
Who else read it? What did you think? I will definitely read more from this author. She's a wonderful storyteller.
Mindy Wright is a 17-year-old competitive skier who is likely about to join the US Olympic Team. An accident on the slopes derails those hopes but also reveals she has leukemia. The rest of the book is an explosion of lies and secrets all culminating in discovering (1) Mindy's real parents, (2) how she became adopted, (3) what happened to several young girls in a psychological institute, and (4) what is the relationship between parents and children versus sisters. Since I don't want to give away too much about the plot, what you need to know is that this book will delve into how far a person will go to protect someone they love or something they desperately want.
The book starts in complete discord and chaos -- in a good way. Different characters lead the first few chapters. We have perspective and POV from a few primary people in the book. We don't know how everyone relates to each other until at least fifty percent into the book. It's a suspenseful tale that draws you in... not immediately, but with each unraveling layer of the onion. It's a bit sweet, sometimes make you cry, but always leaves you with something more to keep discovering. Who's telling the truth? Who's leaving out some info and embellishing other history? It's confusing and all leads to a rather huge explosion.
Let's start with the good. Character, plot and writing are all solid. They are well-depicted and keep you interested. Ellison chooses to only show Mindy's point of view in a handful of not-very-important scenes. The focus is on her biological parents and her adopted parents, as well as other interested parties and one kind aunt. How everyone fits together is intriguing, especially once you discover who's behind the letters Mindy finds in a locked closet in her house.
Let's dance around the odd. One character goes from completely in control to completely out of control. I can support her slow unraveling... history coming back from the dead... the powers of psychosis taking over... but it was way too far. If you're crazy, you'll do some crazy stuff. But I still don't understand why 17 years later you go off the rails in a spectacularly insane finish. If the secret comes out, it does. You could have kept a bunch hidden and just said: "here's who your parents were" and "this is how you came to live with us." Also, we don't have nearly enough clarity on what was wrong with the bio mother to do the things she did. I understand depression can make you do things you wouldn't normally do, or feel things you shouldn't feel, but... the progression wasn't enough for me to completely believe it. For those reasons, I couldn't give this 5 stars.
I thought about dropping it to a 3 or a 3.5, but ultimately, I couldn't put the book down. I found myself in constant attachment and wanting to know how did it happen. Sometimes I poked holes in the explanations only to find those same holes being explored chapters later. It's OBVIOUS the author went into extreme planning mode and truly wrote a complex thriller. It just didn't complete the webbing for me. I respect her talent and think because of my obsession to know what happened, I feel comfortable with 4 stars.
Who else read it? What did you think? I will definitely read more from this author. She's a wonderful storyteller.
July 29, 2018
This book is just not my cup of hot chocolate.
Mindy is a 17 year old skiing phenomenon when she breaks her leg during a downhill run. As a result of pre-surgery blood testing, Mindy and her parents discover that she has leukemia and ultimately are told that Mindy's mother is not her biological parent. GASP!!!
I figured out without a doubt who Mindy's mother was on page 85 of 489 so that made it a long and tedious read for me. By the time the "how" of Mindy's parentage is revealed, I just didn't care anymore. I found Mindy to be unbelievable and her mother to be cliché.
Fans of J.T Ellison will no doubt enjoy this book so I don't discourage anybody from reading it. Being my first read by this author I went in blindly to her style and unfortunately found it not to my liking.
I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mindy is a 17 year old skiing phenomenon when she breaks her leg during a downhill run. As a result of pre-surgery blood testing, Mindy and her parents discover that she has leukemia and ultimately are told that Mindy's mother is not her biological parent. GASP!!!
I figured out without a doubt who Mindy's mother was on page 85 of 489 so that made it a long and tedious read for me. By the time the "how" of Mindy's parentage is revealed, I just didn't care anymore. I found Mindy to be unbelievable and her mother to be cliché.
Fans of J.T Ellison will no doubt enjoy this book so I don't discourage anybody from reading it. Being my first read by this author I went in blindly to her style and unfortunately found it not to my liking.
I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2018
I loved this thriller! I have been a fan of Ellison’s books for years but I particularly enjoyed this tale of family secrets. The characters are so well done—you immediately fall in love with the ski prodigy daughter, and care about what’s going to happen next. Add to that a plot full of unexpected twists and turns, and this is a perfect page turner. Definitely a great way to spend the weekend!
September 22, 2018
EXCERPT: The metal of the casket is the same color as the sky, murky gray with touches of glinting silver as the sun passes behind the clouds. The sound of sobbing, the cries of the justified, the flailing of my heart. Why did I choose such a big casket? She doesn't fit. It's the smallest adult coffin they have, but it's still too large. She is lost inside. They should have handled this. The padding needed to be expanded so her body doesn't jostle.
The body. Her body.
The words I've heard in the past few days are ones I never expected - new, untried, untested. Casket. Body. Funeral. Viewing. Embalming. Autopsy. Severed. Seven-inch non-corrosive steel blade.
Homicide.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: The follow-up to her critically acclaimed Lie to Me, J.T. Ellison’s Tear Me Apart is the powerful story of a mother willing to do anything to protect her daughter even as their carefully constructed world unravels around them.
One moment will change their lives forever…
Competitive skier Mindy Wright is a superstar in the making until a spectacular downhill crash threatens not just her racing career but her life. During surgery, doctors discover she’s suffering from a severe form of leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope. But when her parents are tested, a frightening truth emerges. Mindy is not their daughter.
Who knows the answers?
The race to save Mindy’s life means unraveling years of lies. Was she accidentally switched at birth or is there something more sinister at play? The search for the truth will tear a family apart…and someone is going to deadly extremes to protect the family’s deepest secrets.
With vivid movement through time, Tear Me Apart examines the impact layer after layer of lies and betrayal has on two families, the secrets they guard, and the desperate fight to hide the darkness within.
MY THOUGHTS: Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison is the, most aptly named book I have ever read. It did tear me apart. I ran the whole gamut of my emotions, multiple times. I laughed, I cried, I was shocked, appalled, horrified, excited, scared, tense, and utterly captivated.
And then, when I was 90% through, and my Kindle ran out of charge - I thought the world had come to an end! I could not bear it! I paced. I pleaded with the Gods. I invoked ancient charms. I chewed my lip, and raked my hands through my hair, all to no avail. I simply had to wait. . .
The tension builds slowly, but build it does, into a series of earth shattering peaks, each higher than the last. I gave up chewing my nails years ago but, my goodness, they took a hammering with this read. And the crescendo is. . . well, words fail me.
There are a lot of complex issues dealt with in this book. Child abduction, child trafficking, cancer, depression and suicide. Depression and suicide touch all our lives, and while you or I may or may not suffer directly, we all know someone who does, whose life is affected by the 'black dog'. And at this point, I would like to quote from the author's note at the end of the book. . .' 'Some day darker than usual.' It is this I want you to remember, should you ever find yourselfin the darkness. This feeling is temporary, no matter how cruel and pervasive it feels. It will get better. There is hope.
I hope this book will allow us to have more open dialoguesabout mental illness. There is no shame in a diagnosis of depression, or bipolar disorder, or severe anxiety, or any other mental illness. On the contrary, a diagnosis should be celebrated, because you, or your friend, or your family member has been brave enough to seek help. A wonderful doctor once told us there is no difference in these diagnoses than discovering you have diabetes - your body simply doesn't process the same way another's does. It is something to remember, and with that mentality, perhaps we can erase the stigma altogether. '
There are so many facets to this book, it is like the world's most intricately cut diamond. But at no point while I read, did I ever feel confused. J. T. Ellison knows her stuff. Tear Me Apart has earned a whole super-nova of stars from me.
💖💖💖💖💖
THE AUTHOR: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J.T. Ellison writes standalone domestic noir and psychological thriller series, the latter starring Nashville Homicide Lt. Taylor Jackson and medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens, and pens the international thriller series “A Brit in the FBI" with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. Cohost of the Emmy Award-winning literary television series, A Word on Words, Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin-Mira via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.
This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
The body. Her body.
The words I've heard in the past few days are ones I never expected - new, untried, untested. Casket. Body. Funeral. Viewing. Embalming. Autopsy. Severed. Seven-inch non-corrosive steel blade.
Homicide.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: The follow-up to her critically acclaimed Lie to Me, J.T. Ellison’s Tear Me Apart is the powerful story of a mother willing to do anything to protect her daughter even as their carefully constructed world unravels around them.
One moment will change their lives forever…
Competitive skier Mindy Wright is a superstar in the making until a spectacular downhill crash threatens not just her racing career but her life. During surgery, doctors discover she’s suffering from a severe form of leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope. But when her parents are tested, a frightening truth emerges. Mindy is not their daughter.
Who knows the answers?
The race to save Mindy’s life means unraveling years of lies. Was she accidentally switched at birth or is there something more sinister at play? The search for the truth will tear a family apart…and someone is going to deadly extremes to protect the family’s deepest secrets.
With vivid movement through time, Tear Me Apart examines the impact layer after layer of lies and betrayal has on two families, the secrets they guard, and the desperate fight to hide the darkness within.
MY THOUGHTS: Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison is the, most aptly named book I have ever read. It did tear me apart. I ran the whole gamut of my emotions, multiple times. I laughed, I cried, I was shocked, appalled, horrified, excited, scared, tense, and utterly captivated.
And then, when I was 90% through, and my Kindle ran out of charge - I thought the world had come to an end! I could not bear it! I paced. I pleaded with the Gods. I invoked ancient charms. I chewed my lip, and raked my hands through my hair, all to no avail. I simply had to wait. . .
The tension builds slowly, but build it does, into a series of earth shattering peaks, each higher than the last. I gave up chewing my nails years ago but, my goodness, they took a hammering with this read. And the crescendo is. . . well, words fail me.
There are a lot of complex issues dealt with in this book. Child abduction, child trafficking, cancer, depression and suicide. Depression and suicide touch all our lives, and while you or I may or may not suffer directly, we all know someone who does, whose life is affected by the 'black dog'. And at this point, I would like to quote from the author's note at the end of the book. . .' 'Some day darker than usual.' It is this I want you to remember, should you ever find yourselfin the darkness. This feeling is temporary, no matter how cruel and pervasive it feels. It will get better. There is hope.
I hope this book will allow us to have more open dialoguesabout mental illness. There is no shame in a diagnosis of depression, or bipolar disorder, or severe anxiety, or any other mental illness. On the contrary, a diagnosis should be celebrated, because you, or your friend, or your family member has been brave enough to seek help. A wonderful doctor once told us there is no difference in these diagnoses than discovering you have diabetes - your body simply doesn't process the same way another's does. It is something to remember, and with that mentality, perhaps we can erase the stigma altogether. '
There are so many facets to this book, it is like the world's most intricately cut diamond. But at no point while I read, did I ever feel confused. J. T. Ellison knows her stuff. Tear Me Apart has earned a whole super-nova of stars from me.
💖💖💖💖💖
THE AUTHOR: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J.T. Ellison writes standalone domestic noir and psychological thriller series, the latter starring Nashville Homicide Lt. Taylor Jackson and medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens, and pens the international thriller series “A Brit in the FBI" with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. Cohost of the Emmy Award-winning literary television series, A Word on Words, Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin-Mira via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.
This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
August 8, 2018
5+++ stars from me! I have read quite a bit of really good books this year and this is one of them. This is a book that is going to stay with me. I requested this ARC simply based on the fact that I really like the last two books I have read by this author. No One Knows and Lie to Me were 5 stars in my book. So I had pretty high expectations. What I didn't know is that she managed to exceed them. This is my favorite work so far by her.
Mindy Wright is a 17 year old blazing the slopes as a champion downhill skier. She is in the running for making the Olympic team. All she has to do is ace this competition. Then it happens, she falls and has to be hospitalized for her injury to her leg with surgery pending. There is still hope for her Olympic dream, until the doctors discover by accident that she has leukemia. She has been tired lately but thought it was just her training schedule.
Upon learning that she had leukemia, I instantly thought oh great, I don't want to read a depressing book. I am a nurse and I deal with enough illness and death that I just don't like to read about it when I am trying to decompress from whatever I have dealt with during my work day. Much to my surprise, it wasn't like that with this book. Somehow even with that being part of the story, it just wasn't a depressing story to me. Upon being diagnosed with leukemia this book develops into so many twists. They weren't random though, they all were shocking, but it blended so well with the story, it seemed like real life. It wasn't a bunch of shock value twists. It was just a twisted story of a family that sucks you in. I honestly didn't want the book to end. Just when you thought another detail to this story couldn't be added, there is another one. Quite possibly my favorite line was "Why can't this bitch just stay dead."
Multiple deaths, missing children, mental illness, suicides. Seem like too much? Not a chance. This is a perfectly spun story that I truly enjoyed reading.
On a side note, I highly suggest reading the author's note at the end of the book. It actually brought me to tears, it is very touching and heartfelt. As someone in the medical field I was impressed by her medical terminology and details. Thanks for another great read J.T. Ellison!
Thank you to J.T. Ellison, Harlequin Mira and NetGalley for this ARC
Mindy Wright is a 17 year old blazing the slopes as a champion downhill skier. She is in the running for making the Olympic team. All she has to do is ace this competition. Then it happens, she falls and has to be hospitalized for her injury to her leg with surgery pending. There is still hope for her Olympic dream, until the doctors discover by accident that she has leukemia. She has been tired lately but thought it was just her training schedule.
Upon learning that she had leukemia, I instantly thought oh great, I don't want to read a depressing book. I am a nurse and I deal with enough illness and death that I just don't like to read about it when I am trying to decompress from whatever I have dealt with during my work day. Much to my surprise, it wasn't like that with this book. Somehow even with that being part of the story, it just wasn't a depressing story to me. Upon being diagnosed with leukemia this book develops into so many twists. They weren't random though, they all were shocking, but it blended so well with the story, it seemed like real life. It wasn't a bunch of shock value twists. It was just a twisted story of a family that sucks you in. I honestly didn't want the book to end. Just when you thought another detail to this story couldn't be added, there is another one. Quite possibly my favorite line was "Why can't this bitch just stay dead."
Multiple deaths, missing children, mental illness, suicides. Seem like too much? Not a chance. This is a perfectly spun story that I truly enjoyed reading.
On a side note, I highly suggest reading the author's note at the end of the book. It actually brought me to tears, it is very touching and heartfelt. As someone in the medical field I was impressed by her medical terminology and details. Thanks for another great read J.T. Ellison!
Thank you to J.T. Ellison, Harlequin Mira and NetGalley for this ARC
January 13, 2023
Mindy Wright is at the top of her game. A competitive skier, she is vying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team at the World Championships when everything comes crashing down. Literally. Colliding with the final gate, Mindy finds herself with a compound fracture to her leg. But the already bad news only gets worse. She has an aggressive and rare form of leukemia that will take her out of the game completely.
Compounding this already horrendous situation is the revelation, following a DNA test prior to a much-needed stem cell transplant, that Mindy is not biologically related to her parents. Was she switched at birth? Adopted? Or something even darker? As a lifetime of secrets are revealed and lies are exposed, the race to save Mindy’s life begins in earnest. But to find the truth their lives will be torn apart. And, on top of everything else, someone is willing to go to deadly extremes to keep the past hidden. Will they find the answers in time?
Holy guacamole, J.T. Ellison is a talented writer! After reading (and loving) Lie to Me, I had huge expectations for Tear Me Apart. And, even for a book close to 500 pages long, it delivered in spades! A mix of mystery, thriller, and police procedural with just a tad of mild romance thrown in, there’s something in it for everyone. Despite the length, I found myself riveted from the opening scene (Ellison is incredibly good at this as I found in Lie to Me). And, except for a short time in the beginning while the background was being laid, the plot didn’t let off the gas once.
Told in multiple timelines and points-of-view including old letters between two characters, it could have been an incredibly confusing and digressive storyline. Instead, it had one of the most well-organized plots that I’ve read with gradually increasing tension and suspense. Only one thing irked me, the final big twist. Revealed about two-thirds of the way through, it felt a little over-the-top. I was concerned that the rest of the book would be as well, but, excluding a stand-off at the climax, everything felt realistic, in a epic true crime sort of way. Where, in the end, a lifetime of lies, both overt and those of omission, were hiding a sinister truth.
Shockingly, I felt invested in nearly every main character and found my allegiances shifting several times over the course of the novel. Each reacted in exactly the manner I would expect from the situation and had deep authenticity to them. In addition, the relationships between them felt natural and never once made me question their believability. From the mother protecting her daughter to a wronged husband feeling betrayed, each rang true to me.
Jam-packed full of mind-blowing twists (with the first big one not revealed or insinuated in the synopsis being quite a doozy), each delivers a brand-new plot direction that I never saw coming but felt entirely natural. I honestly would believe it if you told me this was based on a true story.
An addictive, effortless read, Tear Me Apart easily captured the fear, hope, and devastation of this terrifying premise. One that shows the depths of a parent’s love and the extremes one person will go to keep their secrets hidden. I don’t know how on earth I missed reading her books until recently, but now that I’ve found them, I will shout from the rooftops that she’s one of my favorite authors. All I know is, don’t let the length keep you from reading this one as it simply flies by. Rating of 4.5 stars.
Trigger warning - cancer, miscarriage, cutting, depression, suicide
Compounding this already horrendous situation is the revelation, following a DNA test prior to a much-needed stem cell transplant, that Mindy is not biologically related to her parents. Was she switched at birth? Adopted? Or something even darker? As a lifetime of secrets are revealed and lies are exposed, the race to save Mindy’s life begins in earnest. But to find the truth their lives will be torn apart. And, on top of everything else, someone is willing to go to deadly extremes to keep the past hidden. Will they find the answers in time?
Holy guacamole, J.T. Ellison is a talented writer! After reading (and loving) Lie to Me, I had huge expectations for Tear Me Apart. And, even for a book close to 500 pages long, it delivered in spades! A mix of mystery, thriller, and police procedural with just a tad of mild romance thrown in, there’s something in it for everyone. Despite the length, I found myself riveted from the opening scene (Ellison is incredibly good at this as I found in Lie to Me). And, except for a short time in the beginning while the background was being laid, the plot didn’t let off the gas once.
Told in multiple timelines and points-of-view including old letters between two characters, it could have been an incredibly confusing and digressive storyline. Instead, it had one of the most well-organized plots that I’ve read with gradually increasing tension and suspense. Only one thing irked me, the final big twist. Revealed about two-thirds of the way through, it felt a little over-the-top. I was concerned that the rest of the book would be as well, but, excluding a stand-off at the climax, everything felt realistic, in a epic true crime sort of way. Where, in the end, a lifetime of lies, both overt and those of omission, were hiding a sinister truth.
Shockingly, I felt invested in nearly every main character and found my allegiances shifting several times over the course of the novel. Each reacted in exactly the manner I would expect from the situation and had deep authenticity to them. In addition, the relationships between them felt natural and never once made me question their believability. From the mother protecting her daughter to a wronged husband feeling betrayed, each rang true to me.
Jam-packed full of mind-blowing twists (with the first big one not revealed or insinuated in the synopsis being quite a doozy), each delivers a brand-new plot direction that I never saw coming but felt entirely natural. I honestly would believe it if you told me this was based on a true story.
An addictive, effortless read, Tear Me Apart easily captured the fear, hope, and devastation of this terrifying premise. One that shows the depths of a parent’s love and the extremes one person will go to keep their secrets hidden. I don’t know how on earth I missed reading her books until recently, but now that I’ve found them, I will shout from the rooftops that she’s one of my favorite authors. All I know is, don’t let the length keep you from reading this one as it simply flies by. Rating of 4.5 stars.
Trigger warning - cancer, miscarriage, cutting, depression, suicide
August 21, 2018
Wow... Tear Me Apart is quite the ride my friends. This is a fast paced mystery/thriller that will leave your neck sore from turning back and forth!
I think it's best to go in blind with this one and avoid reading other people's reviews. The underlying story line is quite intriguing and has multiple layers to peel with this onion.
Talk about years worth of lies and lies. Characterization is a definitely a strong point in this story. Each character is well developed and adds more depth to the overall plot. Can I just say I loved Zach and his fury companion Kat!!! Oooooo so darn cute! <3 <3.
And.. surprise surprise... I found out the overall storyline not even half way through. I think I need to chill out on my detective skills... they never fail me. I of course knew each character that was lying etc and was spot on. This was a bit of a bummer for me considering I guess tad bit predictable?
Also, I felt the ending was dragging on a lot. The book was almost 500 pages... too much added fluff that wasn't necessary to the main story.
Overall, decent entertaining read. 3.5/5 stars
Thank you so much to Harlequin/Mira and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Published to GR: 8/20/18
Publication date: 8/28/18
I think it's best to go in blind with this one and avoid reading other people's reviews. The underlying story line is quite intriguing and has multiple layers to peel with this onion.
Talk about years worth of lies and lies. Characterization is a definitely a strong point in this story. Each character is well developed and adds more depth to the overall plot. Can I just say I loved Zach and his fury companion Kat!!! Oooooo so darn cute! <3 <3.
And.. surprise surprise... I found out the overall storyline not even half way through. I think I need to chill out on my detective skills... they never fail me. I of course knew each character that was lying etc and was spot on. This was a bit of a bummer for me considering I guess tad bit predictable?
Also, I felt the ending was dragging on a lot. The book was almost 500 pages... too much added fluff that wasn't necessary to the main story.
Overall, decent entertaining read. 3.5/5 stars
Thank you so much to Harlequin/Mira and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Published to GR: 8/20/18
Publication date: 8/28/18
September 30, 2023
Wow, what a great read! When Mindy, a world class competitive skier, breaks her leg in competition, it’s discovered in blood testing that she has leukemia and need a transplant. But that’s not the only thing the doctors find. Apparently, Mindy’s parents are not related to her by blood, and her mother has been keeping her adoption a secret from everyone else in the family.
This was so good… full of twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting as Juliet, Mindy’s aunt and a DNA specialist investigator, searches for her biological family who could act as donors before time runs out. Fast paced with surprises around every corner!
Trigger Warnings:
This was so good… full of twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting as Juliet, Mindy’s aunt and a DNA specialist investigator, searches for her biological family who could act as donors before time runs out. Fast paced with surprises around every corner!
Trigger Warnings:
August 22, 2018
Mindy Wright--an up and coming competitive teenage skier-- breaks her leg in competition. During surgery, doctors discover that Mindy is sick: she has an aggressive form of leukemia and needs a stem cell transplant. But when her family is tested, it is discovered that Mindy's parents are not her biological parents. What does this mean? Was she switched at birth, or did something more dark and dramatic happen? At the core, Mindy needs to live. But beyond that, what are the ramifications for the Wright family? What secrets will be revealed and uncovered while trying to save their precious daughter?
This was a dramatic and interesting story that grabbed me from the beginning. The first portion is told from the perspective of three women: Mindy, age 17; her mother, Lauren; and Lauren's sister, Juliet, who actually works as a scientist in a DNA crime lab. This gives Juliet early and easy access to DNA samples relating to Mindy and the "case" as it progresses on. We also get excerpts of letters that appear to be from or relating to a psychiatric hospital in the early 1990s. All of this makes for an interesting and compelling format to our story, with a slow and steady reveal of strange information that you know does not add up: a twisted web of secrets and lies. We are immediately left wondering what happened with Mindy--how is she not Lauren's daughter? What is going on?
I do not want to go into too much detail and ruin much of the plot, but I found this one very intriguing, as I was wondering where the story would go. I might have been a little slow on the uptake as to who was Mindy's real mother, but I did find it exciting to put all the pieces together. I really liked the characters of Mindy and Juliet and a few others who were introduced later on (the story is told in various parts, so you get some different narrators, too).
In true Ellison fashion, there's some great drama and a few good "whoa" moments, as well. When I first started the book, I hadn't refreshed myself on the description, and I was a little worried that this would be more of a family drama than a mystery, but have no fear--while this family has more than their share of drama, there's a great mystery/thriller aspect as well. In fact, the novel can get downright creepy at times, with a villain who can give you the chills.
Overall, I thought this was another winner from Ms. Ellison. It's a quick, engaging read with interesting characters and a plot that encourages you to put the pieces together. She's quickly becoming a go-to author of mine. I'm actually chasing down her Taylor Jackson series on Paperbackswap, because I want to read more of her books! If you enjoy a dramatic, quick-moving thriller, I highly recommend this one! 4+ stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!); it as available everywhere as of 08/28/2018.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ~ Instagram
This was a dramatic and interesting story that grabbed me from the beginning. The first portion is told from the perspective of three women: Mindy, age 17; her mother, Lauren; and Lauren's sister, Juliet, who actually works as a scientist in a DNA crime lab. This gives Juliet early and easy access to DNA samples relating to Mindy and the "case" as it progresses on. We also get excerpts of letters that appear to be from or relating to a psychiatric hospital in the early 1990s. All of this makes for an interesting and compelling format to our story, with a slow and steady reveal of strange information that you know does not add up: a twisted web of secrets and lies. We are immediately left wondering what happened with Mindy--how is she not Lauren's daughter? What is going on?
I do not want to go into too much detail and ruin much of the plot, but I found this one very intriguing, as I was wondering where the story would go. I might have been a little slow on the uptake as to who was Mindy's real mother, but I did find it exciting to put all the pieces together. I really liked the characters of Mindy and Juliet and a few others who were introduced later on (the story is told in various parts, so you get some different narrators, too).
In true Ellison fashion, there's some great drama and a few good "whoa" moments, as well. When I first started the book, I hadn't refreshed myself on the description, and I was a little worried that this would be more of a family drama than a mystery, but have no fear--while this family has more than their share of drama, there's a great mystery/thriller aspect as well. In fact, the novel can get downright creepy at times, with a villain who can give you the chills.
Overall, I thought this was another winner from Ms. Ellison. It's a quick, engaging read with interesting characters and a plot that encourages you to put the pieces together. She's quickly becoming a go-to author of mine. I'm actually chasing down her Taylor Jackson series on Paperbackswap, because I want to read more of her books! If you enjoy a dramatic, quick-moving thriller, I highly recommend this one! 4+ stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!); it as available everywhere as of 08/28/2018.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ~ Instagram
August 31, 2022
Book Blog | Bookstagram
“The words I’ve heard in the past few days are ones I never expected – new, untried, untested. Casket. Body. Funeral. Viewing. Embalming. Autopsy. Severed. Seven-inch non-corrosive steel blade. Homicide.”
I liked this a lot. I didn’t love it. It’s not the best thing I’ve read this year, but it’s a good read. It’s not a waste of your time, at all. But truthfully, I save my five-star ratings for books I want to turn into liquid form and inject directly into my veins on an IV drip.
So, with perspective, 4 stars is a really good rating from me.
There are a lot of moving parts in this and some of it requires a gleeful suspension of disbelief that doesn’t exactly come easily to me, but even in fiction, I want things to be thought through.
Here, you have a prodigy Team USA skier who just happens to break a leg which just happens to lead to the discovery of some terrible form of cancer, which just happens to reveal some biological parentage questions, which just happens to reveal a murderous family secret, and you’re little sister just happens to be a DNA expert…
It was a little bit too much in terms of the domino effect and convenience of revelation. I suppose I like my plotlines to have a bit more intention and a little less coincidence. But, if you can let that part go, then you’re in for a ride.
There are a lot of heavy themes that are dealt with through the course of the story – cancer, relationships, child abduction, the aftermath of tragedy, depression and suicide and a mother’s love.
Ellison tackles all of these themes head-on. She never shies away from trying to put the most human and honest lens onto the situation and the characters, even if that means revealing flaws that don’t have a good excuse.
Yes, I ate all the Halloween candy already. I don’t know what you want me to say!? I can’t control myself! Don’t let me buy Halloween candy so early. Christ!
This dedication to honesty and character development makes this a more lengthy read, but well worth it for the emotional experience and the connection you develop to the characters, even the more sinister ones. There are also some flashback-psych ward scenes that lend to backstory and mental health history and were some of my favourite scenes in the novel.
Because, if there’s anything I love more than eating all the Halloween candy three weeks before Halloween, it’s a psych ward setting!!
I only had a couple of little issues related to the plot that are spoiler-y so I won't even mention them. But otherwise, this is a deeply developed novel that can hold your interest for a full 500 pages with rich characters and dramatic layers.
This is a thriller, but it’s also a family saga, one that plays up the sinister tones of the lengths a mother will go to protect her child, to have a child, to make sure a child is safe when you don’t feel you can be the one to provide that safety.
Though it relies a bit too heavily on coincidence with a few loose ends, Tear Me Apart is a book worth reading.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 4 stars
“The words I’ve heard in the past few days are ones I never expected – new, untried, untested. Casket. Body. Funeral. Viewing. Embalming. Autopsy. Severed. Seven-inch non-corrosive steel blade. Homicide.”
I liked this a lot. I didn’t love it. It’s not the best thing I’ve read this year, but it’s a good read. It’s not a waste of your time, at all. But truthfully, I save my five-star ratings for books I want to turn into liquid form and inject directly into my veins on an IV drip.
So, with perspective, 4 stars is a really good rating from me.
There are a lot of moving parts in this and some of it requires a gleeful suspension of disbelief that doesn’t exactly come easily to me, but even in fiction, I want things to be thought through.
Here, you have a prodigy Team USA skier who just happens to break a leg which just happens to lead to the discovery of some terrible form of cancer, which just happens to reveal some biological parentage questions, which just happens to reveal a murderous family secret, and you’re little sister just happens to be a DNA expert…
It was a little bit too much in terms of the domino effect and convenience of revelation. I suppose I like my plotlines to have a bit more intention and a little less coincidence. But, if you can let that part go, then you’re in for a ride.
There are a lot of heavy themes that are dealt with through the course of the story – cancer, relationships, child abduction, the aftermath of tragedy, depression and suicide and a mother’s love.
Ellison tackles all of these themes head-on. She never shies away from trying to put the most human and honest lens onto the situation and the characters, even if that means revealing flaws that don’t have a good excuse.
Yes, I ate all the Halloween candy already. I don’t know what you want me to say!? I can’t control myself! Don’t let me buy Halloween candy so early. Christ!
This dedication to honesty and character development makes this a more lengthy read, but well worth it for the emotional experience and the connection you develop to the characters, even the more sinister ones. There are also some flashback-psych ward scenes that lend to backstory and mental health history and were some of my favourite scenes in the novel.
Because, if there’s anything I love more than eating all the Halloween candy three weeks before Halloween, it’s a psych ward setting!!
I only had a couple of little issues related to the plot that are spoiler-y so I won't even mention them. But otherwise, this is a deeply developed novel that can hold your interest for a full 500 pages with rich characters and dramatic layers.
This is a thriller, but it’s also a family saga, one that plays up the sinister tones of the lengths a mother will go to protect her child, to have a child, to make sure a child is safe when you don’t feel you can be the one to provide that safety.
Though it relies a bit too heavily on coincidence with a few loose ends, Tear Me Apart is a book worth reading.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 4 stars
December 13, 2018
I have so many books on my to-be-read list that by the time I get around to reading one, I rarely remember the synopsis. I am glad I didn't bother to refresh my memory and instead just dove into this one because I think it works better as a compelling read the less you know ahead of time. In my opinion the twists and turns the story took are half the reason this was an entertaining read.
The action goes back and forth among different characters and for the most part I thought that enhanced the story rather than made it annoying that it bounced around so much. The book does contain one of my least liked characters in recent memory and I can't tell you how many times I had the urge to just want to shake the person. The story without a doubt held my interest but it did run a bit long. For sure it could have been trimmed down by at least 50 pages. In some ways the story loses a bit of steam towards the end but overall it was a good read and I look forward to reading some of the author's other novels. I highly recommend reading the Author's Note at the end because it provided some good context into the writing process.
The action goes back and forth among different characters and for the most part I thought that enhanced the story rather than made it annoying that it bounced around so much. The book does contain one of my least liked characters in recent memory and I can't tell you how many times I had the urge to just want to shake the person. The story without a doubt held my interest but it did run a bit long. For sure it could have been trimmed down by at least 50 pages. In some ways the story loses a bit of steam towards the end but overall it was a good read and I look forward to reading some of the author's other novels. I highly recommend reading the Author's Note at the end because it provided some good context into the writing process.
August 20, 2020
5 stars. Wow, whoa, wonderful- a fantastic read. Even plausible. Twists and turns abound. And the writing style is so good- I did not slip into my bad habit of skim reading.
Unputdownable, doubled
Unputdownable, doubled
September 3, 2018
Favorite Quotes:
There is a nurse named Eleanor Snow who runs the ward, but we all call her Ratchet because she is a bitch. No one said we had to be original.
She doesn’t want to die. She feels the cancer moving through her, like a shadow in her blood. It has grown in the past few days, is becoming harder and harder to fight... Its snapping jaws are just there, out of reach, but for how long?
The words are absurd. This is one of those bizarre nightmares where you’re dreaming inside of a dream, and you know you’re dreaming, so you tell yourself to go ahead and wake up because this isn’t fun at all.
“Show me the Milky Way, Mommy. I want to see the candy bars in the sky"… She was so mad when she found out that the sky didn’t have chocolate in it.
Everything here is dirty; though it’s been cleaned, again and again, the stink of raw bleach hangs on every corner like a blanket. Bleach and fear, the prison olfactory. Plus the dirt of a thousand people, grimed into the history of the place.
My Review:
There was much beneath the surface of this slowly developing and captivating story; it was maddeningly paced yet in the end, I appreciated the cunning and craftiness of the plot. J.T. Ellison is an evil genius. I had initially devised a theory of a terrorist plot but quickly abandoned that when I easily identified the culprit although I had no idea of all the complex twists and turns and nuances there were to this tale. There were lots of clues as well as misdirections, yet the mounting incidents and the number of deceased in various cities and occupations were cleverly situated and although the deaths seemed incidental and easy to explain their occurrence was far too often to not be foul play. The writing was top quality, engrossing, and flowed smoothly in an alluringly addictive and enticing manner and while I wouldn’t call it a thriller, it certainly held my attention and kept me well entertained and glued to my Kindle. I also greatly treasured the recognition of Project Semicolon in the author’s ending notes.
There is a nurse named Eleanor Snow who runs the ward, but we all call her Ratchet because she is a bitch. No one said we had to be original.
She doesn’t want to die. She feels the cancer moving through her, like a shadow in her blood. It has grown in the past few days, is becoming harder and harder to fight... Its snapping jaws are just there, out of reach, but for how long?
The words are absurd. This is one of those bizarre nightmares where you’re dreaming inside of a dream, and you know you’re dreaming, so you tell yourself to go ahead and wake up because this isn’t fun at all.
“Show me the Milky Way, Mommy. I want to see the candy bars in the sky"… She was so mad when she found out that the sky didn’t have chocolate in it.
Everything here is dirty; though it’s been cleaned, again and again, the stink of raw bleach hangs on every corner like a blanket. Bleach and fear, the prison olfactory. Plus the dirt of a thousand people, grimed into the history of the place.
My Review:
There was much beneath the surface of this slowly developing and captivating story; it was maddeningly paced yet in the end, I appreciated the cunning and craftiness of the plot. J.T. Ellison is an evil genius. I had initially devised a theory of a terrorist plot but quickly abandoned that when I easily identified the culprit although I had no idea of all the complex twists and turns and nuances there were to this tale. There were lots of clues as well as misdirections, yet the mounting incidents and the number of deceased in various cities and occupations were cleverly situated and although the deaths seemed incidental and easy to explain their occurrence was far too often to not be foul play. The writing was top quality, engrossing, and flowed smoothly in an alluringly addictive and enticing manner and while I wouldn’t call it a thriller, it certainly held my attention and kept me well entertained and glued to my Kindle. I also greatly treasured the recognition of Project Semicolon in the author’s ending notes.
August 21, 2018
Mindy Wright, 17-year-old darling of the ski slopes, is an Olympic contender until a breathtaking downhill crash leaving her in the hospital with a broken leg. But maybe this is a blessing in disguise. While undergoing surgery, doctors find that she is suffering from a severe form of leukemia and only a stem cell transplant is her only hope.
Bad things go even worse. When her parents are tested to be donors, they discover that her father is not he father. But the family knows this already .. he adopted Mindy when she was just a baby. What really changes everything is that Mindy is also not related to her mother.
What follows will tear this family apart. Decades of secrets will have to taken out of the shadows. The desperate fight to keep those secrets and the darkness within will cost them everything.
How far will a mother go to protect her child, her life?
I have followed this author for quite a while and each of her books seem to get better and better. TEAR ME APART is an amazing story that kept me riveted from the very first page, and the second half of the story left me chewing a few fingernails.
This is probably one of the best I've read this year!
Many thanks to the author / Harlequin-Mira / Netgalley for the advanced digit copy of this suspenseful crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
February 25, 2019
3.75 stars rounded up. J. T. Ellison’s novel ‘Tear Me Apart’ dazzles with its complexity and dynamic plot. The prologue, set at University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee in 1993 is cinematic and revealing. Two young girls, age sixteen, will be housed in the psychiatric unit, providing the fulcrum on which this tale will turn. Vivian has been struggling with depression and has tried to commit suicide three times. Upset at the intrusion of a new roommate, Vivian finds the new girl sitting on the bed in thrall to the antipsychotic, Thorazine. Ellison sets the scene up beautifully and if I were a camera, I would enter a dark room backlit by the window. The new girl is entirely in shadow, a dark silhouette in low light as she sits, looking out the window. Vivian, knowing the properties of Thorazine firsthand, rifles through her possessions, trying to ascertain whether the new girl’s presence could be threatening, or even dangerous, as, regardless of what kind of mental illness they have, all residents are all housed together. In this cinematic reveal, dark music plays, foreboding and ominous, as the girl says, “Touch my things again, and I’ll kill you.”
Fast forward to Vail, Colorado, 2018, as Olympic hopeful Mindy Wright, seventeen years old, competes in the Alpine Downhill. She is the sport’s sweetheart, winning over journalists and competitors alike with her warm personality and engaging smile. Supported by doting mother and artist, Lauren Wright, and lawyer father, Jasper Wright, it seems nothing can stop her. Until it does. A skiing accident lands her in the hospital with a broken leg. That’s not the least of her problems. In the hospital, Mindy is diagnosed with AML--Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive cancer affecting bone marrow and the blood. When Mindy’s parents are tested to see if they’re a good match for stem cell treatment, it’s discovered that they are not her biological parents. This set-up creates an edge of the seat suspense and the tension only grows as Ellison propels us deeper into the mysterious heart of secrets and deceptions.
This book is definitely a page-turner. Occasionally, situations are a little too contrived to suit my sense of credibility, but a riveting plot compensates. Lauren’s sister, Juliet, just happens to be a scientist who studies DNA and just manages to get the passcode (by watching the nurses) to the computer in Mindy’s hospital room, so she can see the DNA reports of her parents. DNA and how it is used throughout the novel can sometimes lead to a stretch of the imagination; still, how DNA information in CODIS can be tied to crime scenes or sexual assault victims, is endlessly fascinating, and will pop up as useful in Ellison’s novel.
The two young girls at the beginning and the Wright family are expertly linked by Ellison. Characters are captivating, but I’m not sure if I can go so far as to say, multi-dimensional. I guessed at the ending but kept raptly reading to see if I was correct, on the look-out for a psychological twist. I was pleased that even though the terrain was rocky and uncertain, Ellison did not throw a wrench in the workings and let things proceed as an unfolding. Depression is a real dog in many peoples’ lives and not the warm service animal she writes about as companion to her character, Zach Armstrong, in this novel; but the beasty dog that drags so many through the mire. Psychosis is another animal altogether, a symptom of an underlying disorder, like schizophrenia. Both need the help of professionals and Ellison writes in her author’s note at the end of the book that she hopes this book sparks a conversation about depression. I hope so too.
Fast forward to Vail, Colorado, 2018, as Olympic hopeful Mindy Wright, seventeen years old, competes in the Alpine Downhill. She is the sport’s sweetheart, winning over journalists and competitors alike with her warm personality and engaging smile. Supported by doting mother and artist, Lauren Wright, and lawyer father, Jasper Wright, it seems nothing can stop her. Until it does. A skiing accident lands her in the hospital with a broken leg. That’s not the least of her problems. In the hospital, Mindy is diagnosed with AML--Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive cancer affecting bone marrow and the blood. When Mindy’s parents are tested to see if they’re a good match for stem cell treatment, it’s discovered that they are not her biological parents. This set-up creates an edge of the seat suspense and the tension only grows as Ellison propels us deeper into the mysterious heart of secrets and deceptions.
This book is definitely a page-turner. Occasionally, situations are a little too contrived to suit my sense of credibility, but a riveting plot compensates. Lauren’s sister, Juliet, just happens to be a scientist who studies DNA and just manages to get the passcode (by watching the nurses) to the computer in Mindy’s hospital room, so she can see the DNA reports of her parents. DNA and how it is used throughout the novel can sometimes lead to a stretch of the imagination; still, how DNA information in CODIS can be tied to crime scenes or sexual assault victims, is endlessly fascinating, and will pop up as useful in Ellison’s novel.
The two young girls at the beginning and the Wright family are expertly linked by Ellison. Characters are captivating, but I’m not sure if I can go so far as to say, multi-dimensional. I guessed at the ending but kept raptly reading to see if I was correct, on the look-out for a psychological twist. I was pleased that even though the terrain was rocky and uncertain, Ellison did not throw a wrench in the workings and let things proceed as an unfolding. Depression is a real dog in many peoples’ lives and not the warm service animal she writes about as companion to her character, Zach Armstrong, in this novel; but the beasty dog that drags so many through the mire. Psychosis is another animal altogether, a symptom of an underlying disorder, like schizophrenia. Both need the help of professionals and Ellison writes in her author’s note at the end of the book that she hopes this book sparks a conversation about depression. I hope so too.
August 8, 2018
3.5/5 stars
This review will be short and sweet, because it's really one of those novels that you need to go in blind for (so don't read more than the synopsis, folks). In true JT Ellison fashion, Tear Me Apart is a wild ride, told by an author who is a master of her craft. Mindy Wright is an up and coming professional skier with the whole world ahead of her. She is on the verge of great success, with the possibility of joining the US Olympic team. Mindy's dreams come crushing down on her after a ski injury, and she finds herself in the midst of a cancer scare. The doctors tell Mindy that she's suffering from Leukemia, but if she can have a stem cell transplant, it would greatly increase her chance at survival. After the doctors run tests, neither her parents nor aunt are a match. Confused and inquisitive, Mindy's aunt dives deeper into the situation and finds out that Mindy also doesn't have matching DNA—she is not biologically related to them. As time develops, the group must find out what exactly is at play here. Was Mindy switched at birth? The family must find out before Mindy's time runs out.
JT Ellison is one of the best writers I've ever encountered—let me just say that right now. I did feel that my expectations for Tear Me Apart were unreasonably high after reading Lie to Me, and as a reader, I'm urging you to look at these stories in a different light. Tear Me Apart is vastly different than Ellison's previous works, which is a testament to her writing capability and creativity. I felt that the pacing of Tear Me Apart was slower than what I was used to with her previous stories, but her writing is the strongest it's ever been.
My advice, don't be a Dennis. Do not go into Tear Me Apart and begin to compare it to Lie to Me, but go in with an open mind. Ellison's writing continues to hold a grip with readers and I just know that Tear Me Apart will be an impressive Fall release.
Thank you MIRA Books for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This review will be short and sweet, because it's really one of those novels that you need to go in blind for (so don't read more than the synopsis, folks). In true JT Ellison fashion, Tear Me Apart is a wild ride, told by an author who is a master of her craft. Mindy Wright is an up and coming professional skier with the whole world ahead of her. She is on the verge of great success, with the possibility of joining the US Olympic team. Mindy's dreams come crushing down on her after a ski injury, and she finds herself in the midst of a cancer scare. The doctors tell Mindy that she's suffering from Leukemia, but if she can have a stem cell transplant, it would greatly increase her chance at survival. After the doctors run tests, neither her parents nor aunt are a match. Confused and inquisitive, Mindy's aunt dives deeper into the situation and finds out that Mindy also doesn't have matching DNA—she is not biologically related to them. As time develops, the group must find out what exactly is at play here. Was Mindy switched at birth? The family must find out before Mindy's time runs out.
JT Ellison is one of the best writers I've ever encountered—let me just say that right now. I did feel that my expectations for Tear Me Apart were unreasonably high after reading Lie to Me, and as a reader, I'm urging you to look at these stories in a different light. Tear Me Apart is vastly different than Ellison's previous works, which is a testament to her writing capability and creativity. I felt that the pacing of Tear Me Apart was slower than what I was used to with her previous stories, but her writing is the strongest it's ever been.
My advice, don't be a Dennis. Do not go into Tear Me Apart and begin to compare it to Lie to Me, but go in with an open mind. Ellison's writing continues to hold a grip with readers and I just know that Tear Me Apart will be an impressive Fall release.
Thank you MIRA Books for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 11, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5 rounded up.
I really wanted to love Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison, I really did. Unfortunately, this one ended up being more of a "like" for me, and I didn't love it near as much as Lie to Me.
What it's about: 17 year old Mindy Wright is quickly rising in the ranks of competitive skiing, and seems like a shoo-in to qualify for the US Olympic Team. That is, until a horrible crash jeopardizes both her skiing career and her life. While at the hospital doctors discover that Mindy is suffering from a very aggressive form of leukemia, and the only thing that can save her life is a stem cell transplant. But when her parents and aunt are tested no one is a match, and even more curious, Mindy is not actually their daughter. Now with the race to save Mindy's life huge question begin to emerge, who are her real parents and how did she end up with the people she's lived with for 17 years?
The book skips around between current day Colorado, and past which takes place in a mental health hospital in Nashville. I loved the switches between past and present, but I actually wish more of the past had been included. All the "why" would stem from the past, and I don't feel like I got enough of the 'why' in this book.
I loved the pacing of the novel, although it was a bit slower in some parts than others. Even in the slower parts I still managed to fly through it, and I stayed up until 2:30 AM just to finish. I think Ellison is a master at her craft, especially considering how different this book was from Lie to Me (and her other books from what I've heard). I like that she tried something different here, but I also think this book was a little long. It clocks in at almost 500 pages and I really didn't think it needed to be that long.
My other semi-large issue with Tear Me Apart was that it was just way too predictable for me. None of the twists actually shocked me, and I saw most of it coming. That being said, I still loved how the story built and seeing how layer after layer was unraveled.
Final Thought: I believe it is best going into this one blind, so I don't want to say too much more. I recommend to fans of J.T. Ellison (just know you are getting a different type of book from Lie to Me) and to people that love seeing a web of lies and betrayal unfold in their books. This novel was a doozy and if you can't predict what is going to happen you are probably going to love it. I can't wait to see what Ellison will come up with next!
I really wanted to love Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison, I really did. Unfortunately, this one ended up being more of a "like" for me, and I didn't love it near as much as Lie to Me.
What it's about: 17 year old Mindy Wright is quickly rising in the ranks of competitive skiing, and seems like a shoo-in to qualify for the US Olympic Team. That is, until a horrible crash jeopardizes both her skiing career and her life. While at the hospital doctors discover that Mindy is suffering from a very aggressive form of leukemia, and the only thing that can save her life is a stem cell transplant. But when her parents and aunt are tested no one is a match, and even more curious, Mindy is not actually their daughter. Now with the race to save Mindy's life huge question begin to emerge, who are her real parents and how did she end up with the people she's lived with for 17 years?
The book skips around between current day Colorado, and past which takes place in a mental health hospital in Nashville. I loved the switches between past and present, but I actually wish more of the past had been included. All the "why" would stem from the past, and I don't feel like I got enough of the 'why' in this book.
I loved the pacing of the novel, although it was a bit slower in some parts than others. Even in the slower parts I still managed to fly through it, and I stayed up until 2:30 AM just to finish. I think Ellison is a master at her craft, especially considering how different this book was from Lie to Me (and her other books from what I've heard). I like that she tried something different here, but I also think this book was a little long. It clocks in at almost 500 pages and I really didn't think it needed to be that long.
My other semi-large issue with Tear Me Apart was that it was just way too predictable for me. None of the twists actually shocked me, and I saw most of it coming. That being said, I still loved how the story built and seeing how layer after layer was unraveled.
Final Thought: I believe it is best going into this one blind, so I don't want to say too much more. I recommend to fans of J.T. Ellison (just know you are getting a different type of book from Lie to Me) and to people that love seeing a web of lies and betrayal unfold in their books. This novel was a doozy and if you can't predict what is going to happen you are probably going to love it. I can't wait to see what Ellison will come up with next!
March 4, 2020
I listened to the audible production of “Tear Me Apart”. It’s a story of a female Olympic skier who severely breaks her leg during competition. During pre-op tests at the hospital, she learns she has leukemia and will need a stem cell transplant. After discovering there is no family match for the transplant, the genetic testing further reveals that the skier is not related to any of her family.
This is a character driven story, that alternates in time. The current time is 2018 when Mindy, the skier, learns she is not the biological child of her parents. The reader then gets a story that takes place in a mental hospital in 2000 with two teenage girls starting a friendship of sorts. The reader knows important information is being disclosed in these chapters, and the mystery of how these two events merges remains unsolved…. until near the end.
This is a suspenseful thriller that builds tension through the whole story. There are some interesting plot twists that are surprises, although the ending is a bit expected. Nonetheless, the intensity of the story is well paced, and the reader will want to gobble up the last third of the story. One can’t get to the end fast enough.
I enjoyed listening to this. This is a perfect story to listen to because it is suspenseful without major details that can bog down the listening pleasure. Sometimes simple and inventive makes the listening more enjoyable.
This is a character driven story, that alternates in time. The current time is 2018 when Mindy, the skier, learns she is not the biological child of her parents. The reader then gets a story that takes place in a mental hospital in 2000 with two teenage girls starting a friendship of sorts. The reader knows important information is being disclosed in these chapters, and the mystery of how these two events merges remains unsolved…. until near the end.
This is a suspenseful thriller that builds tension through the whole story. There are some interesting plot twists that are surprises, although the ending is a bit expected. Nonetheless, the intensity of the story is well paced, and the reader will want to gobble up the last third of the story. One can’t get to the end fast enough.
I enjoyed listening to this. This is a perfect story to listen to because it is suspenseful without major details that can bog down the listening pleasure. Sometimes simple and inventive makes the listening more enjoyable.
August 25, 2018
There has not been an book by JT Ellison that I have not loved.....and Tear Me Apart did not disappoint at all. She is an author whose writing is emotional and honest and I can't get enough. This book made me cry, smile and think - it is a rollercoaster of emotions and I loved it!!
Mindy Walker is a competitive skier, well on her way to representing the USA in the winter Olympics...until she crashes and breaks her leg. Whilst in surgery for her leg, doctors discover that she is seriously ill with an aggressive form of leukemia. After trying chemotherapy the doctors decide that a stem cell transfer is her only hope. Her family are all tested - and her life is turned upside down when the results show that she is not related to them. Her whole life has been a lie and she has no idea who she is anymore or who her real family are. Years of lies and secrets start to come out in an attempt to save Mindy's life. But how far will a mother go to protect her child and her past?
This is a story of love, trust and betrayal. Of how mental illness affects people and the ones that they love. 2 families torn apart. I absolutely loved it and its characters. Thank you to Harlequin MIRA and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
Mindy Walker is a competitive skier, well on her way to representing the USA in the winter Olympics...until she crashes and breaks her leg. Whilst in surgery for her leg, doctors discover that she is seriously ill with an aggressive form of leukemia. After trying chemotherapy the doctors decide that a stem cell transfer is her only hope. Her family are all tested - and her life is turned upside down when the results show that she is not related to them. Her whole life has been a lie and she has no idea who she is anymore or who her real family are. Years of lies and secrets start to come out in an attempt to save Mindy's life. But how far will a mother go to protect her child and her past?
This is a story of love, trust and betrayal. Of how mental illness affects people and the ones that they love. 2 families torn apart. I absolutely loved it and its characters. Thank you to Harlequin MIRA and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
January 4, 2019
Amazing ideas in this book and I was really excited to read this.
The writing is wonky (I don't know how to explain it...it's just "off" for me).
It felt dragged out at times. Had far too much detail for some of the less important and mundane things/acts/scenes.
It was interesting. I just think it could have been about 250 pages shorter than it was and still would have crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's on the backstory and mystery.
The writing is wonky (I don't know how to explain it...it's just "off" for me).
It felt dragged out at times. Had far too much detail for some of the less important and mundane things/acts/scenes.
It was interesting. I just think it could have been about 250 pages shorter than it was and still would have crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's on the backstory and mystery.
July 23, 2018
A unique thrill ride from start to finish - psychiatric hospitals, family secrets and professional skiing? How are these various stories connected over time? JT Ellison weaves a flawless integration that kept me wanting to know more the entire time! Down to the very last page, I was on the edge of my seat questioning what would happen next!
Thank you to Harlequin for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Harlequin for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,769 reviews