It's One of Us
by J.T. Ellison
5 out of 5 stars
TRIGGER WARNING: Before starting this review, I wanted to clarify that this book is set around a couple struggling with infertility and recurring miscarriage - and this is a central plot point throughout the story. For anyone uncomfortable with or who may be negatively impacted by reading about this topic - I just want you to be aware before continuing with the review or reading the book.
With that said, I think this was my favorite book that I have read so far by J.T. Ellison and one of my favorite thrillers of all time. The characters felt so real to me; they had relatable problems, so much so that I found myself thinking about them throughout the day.
Olivia Bender is a well-known and sought-after interior designer with an impressive portfolio. She has always wanted to be a mother, along with her successful career and marriage to her childhood sweetheart Park Bender.
When we are introduced to Olivia, she discovers she is miscarrying... again. Years of fertility treatments and IVF have not been successful, and she starts to feel a schism in the marriage.
Before Olivia can tell Park that she is miscarrying again, the police knock on their door. A local woman had been missing. It was all over the news. Finally, her body was found, and their suspect left some DNA behind.
The prime suspect they are looking for is a match to Park Bender's son. Park and Olivia don't have any living children, so this must be a mistake, right? Wrong. Park has to admit what he has been hiding: many years ago, he donated sperm to a local facility. Park has children, and they don't even know how many.
The timing of this revelation could not be worse for Olivia, who is going through enough without the added stress of a murder investigation and realizing that Park has been lying to her for years and has sired children of his own.
As the investigation unfolds, tension runs high. Park and Olivia were barely holding it together before these new discoveries. Now, they are drifting further apart. Park's estranged brother Perry comes back into town. Old feelings, secrets, and lies come to light, and Olivia must face all of this while she watches Park take pride in the fact that he is a father after all.
I don't want to give anything away (this was all in the blurb - so the reader knows most of this before starting the book), so I will end the synopsis and move on to my final thoughts:
I liked that this book was a multiple POV and how each chapter was labeled (the husband, the wife, the daughter, the murderer, etc.) Even though you know who the murderer is early on, the story is still very exciting and tense. I did not see the twist at the end coming - I love when that happens!
I also thought it was interesting for the author to not wrap everything up in a perfect bow at the end. I liked this choice because that just isn't how life works. You don't always get the picture-perfect fairytale ending your heart aches for.
Thank you, J.T. Ellison, for writing something real and raw. Thank you for sharing the story of your own experiences with infertility in your author's note and for making those of us who are going through it and those who have gone through it feel seen.
The journey through infertility and loss is lonely, so I want to use this platform, so others like me won't have to feel that way.
If you are going through or have gone through it, just know you are not alone. I recommend talking to someone: a friend, partner, or a professional - but talk about it when you're ready.
I personally work through things better with books and music, so I have linked a song by Taylor Swift that came out last fall that really helped me work through my feelings:
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