Tear Me Apart

By: J. T. Ellison

Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky, Rebekkah Ross, Jacques Roy, Caitlin Davies, Amy McFadden, Pete Simonelli

Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2018 J. T. Ellison (P)2018 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Did I listen to the same book?

The narrators were hard to listen to. Especially the voice of mindy. I found myself just wanting to turn it off when mindy’s chapters came up. The story was ok at best. There are definitely no twists and turns. I knew from the beginning what was going on. The way that Juliette’s character reacted to Mindy not being blood was annoying and ridiculous. Like the author couldn’t imagine loving a child whole heartedly even if that child didn’t share your blood. Calling her “a stranger.” Really???? Like anything would change after 17 years if you found out that your niece/child came out of another human being. I would not recommend this audiobook to anyone else. I’m surprised that I finished it. I don’t usually write such negative reviews but everyone else ga e this book such glowing reviews and I don’t get it???

Recommended by Lisa Garner!

I am a consistent rater but not a reviewer; however, in this case I had to take the time to review. This book surpassed all of my expectations. Lisa Garner is one of my favorite authors, so when Audible sent me an email with a note from Lisa recommending this book I had to bite. I listened to another book by JT Ellison and love it too. I almost listen to this book in just one go but had to take a break to sleep. Not gonna give anything away. Don’t pass this one out. Great Narrators too.

The stakes couldn’t be higher

This is a JT Ellison book, so I knew I was in for quite a ride.

I wasn’t prepared.

I enjoyed ‘Lie to Me’ and eagerly awaited this new release. I snapped it up and then listened to the book in a day and a half. Several times I was ready to throw my iPod because I thought the story was going in a particular direction, only to keep listening and find it heading somewhere else. I never felt cheated – everything was there and I should have been able to put the pieces together. I had a personal bias that affected how I viewed the book, that lens only becoming clear as the story played out.

There are parallel stories going on, one in the past and one in the present. And I mean ‘present’. Ms. Ellison writes in the third person present tense and although it normally drives me crazy, her writing helps me overcome my loathing. Also, there are a couple of small scenes that were written in the first person – just to make sure I knew how important those moments were.

As the synopsis alludes, at the heart of this book is a mystery about lineage. Is it nature or nurture? What if you suddenly discover you are not who you have always believed yourself to be? What if the life you’ve been living is a lie? And what if that quirk of fate – like a crash flying down a ski hill – didn’t happen? Would you have ever found out the truth or died believing the carefully constructed lies?

I am adopted and so know that I do not carry my parents’ DNA. My parents opted for complete openness and I have always known I was adopted. I have a clear memory of my mother telling me before I started kindergarten that I shouldn’t tell other kids I was adopted because they might make fun of me. (She has since denied ever making that comment.) In the end, there were several of us who were adopted – including several of my cousins, and it never was a big deal.

But I had that truth. I also had some vague understanding of my biological parents’ situation. What led them to make the decisions they made. Was some of it sugar-coated? Yes. When I met my biological mother, I was provided with far more details. I was able to thank her because I understood keeping me was impossible and she did what she believed was best. I have always respected that. When I was twenty-seven, we met in person. She was able to provide me with more updated medical information. And introduce me to my three half-siblings, who were born in a marriage subsequent to my adoption.

Nature does have some influence, I can promise you. Preferences, quirks, traits…I share a number of them with my grandparents, mother, and siblings. In fact, of her four children, I look the most like her. And when I metthat side of my biological family, a lot of pieces of the puzzle of my life fell into place. I love my adopted family, but there was something very comforting in finding people like me.

I completely empathized with Mindy’s dilemma. Yes, she is seventeen and very sick, but she also is facing a new reality – and not just cancer or the potential loss of her professional sports career. Her entire life has been based on a lie and now her survival depends on the adults in her life unravelling that lie as quickly as possible.

That threat – of a fast-moving cancer – was a brilliant premise for a book and the stakes couldn’t have been higher. I loved the twists and turns. I loved the characters who I knew weren’t totally trustworthy, but I wanted to root for. I loved that there was a love story embedded deep in the book, but it was secondary to the suspense. I loved the unreliable narrators, but yearned for someone who knew the whole truth.

I have to say that the character of Katerina was perfect. Her role was critical and her place in the book was wonderful. ‘Kat’ was the embodiment of the need to cope with tough situations. And I love the humour she brings. Nothing better than a “big goof ball”.

An underlying theme in this book is mental illness and although I don’t want to get too deeply into it, I had a strong and visceral reaction. One character talked about each depression getting worse and wondering if the bottom would ever come. I’ve been in that position of just wanting to give up because I could not see the surface, I was so far down.

I also understood what can happen with a controlling mother. A mother you can never please. A woman who picks favourites. Again, this was another thing that pulled me in. Ms. Ellison has a line on dysfunctional characters whom I relate to.

Scary, eh?

This, to my mind, is her best book to date. She tackles some current issues with a deft hand, mixes in fascinating characters, and makes magic. This is a thriller to remember and one I might even listen to a second time.

There are six narrators and I am not sure who performed each character. I could look it up, but it doesn’t matter because all six are very talented. Each had a voice that matched the image in my mind and the whole production worked. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Oh – and I want a book for Brianna Star!

Five Star Reviews Incomprehensible

Multiple narrators annoying and distracting. Mindy voice just awful. Mindy as a character was crafted as just too perfect for words. Irritating in the extreme. The plot was predictable with very little suspense. The “adults” in the book had the communication skills of a pet rock. Disappointing.

LOVED IT; Kept Me Guessing & In Suspense!

This is the first book I have read by this author and I absolutely loved it! So intriguing how the story line developed. I was hooked from the start wondering how the first few pages would ever play into the main part of the story, but the author eventually delivers answers in a very satisfying manner. I was constantly trying to assess if these characters were as they seem and so anxious to find out all the secrets that weaved these lives together. Living on the outskirts of Nashville made it even more realistic for me because much of the storyline takes place at institutionalizations in this area. Loved all of the narrators also. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Wow!!

I rarely write reviews but this book turned into such a thriller!! I was blown away by all the twist! All narrators were amazing. Very thought provoking. It sticks with you!! Life is never what it seems.

Truly don’t understand the rave reviews..

This was just a horrible book. Characters were not well developed, the plot was predictable and UGH it was just overall such a drag. It truly felt like zero effort was put into writing this book. I’m writing this review because I’m generally pretty easy to please on these quick “suspenseful” novels - this was not worth the money or the time. Truly.

Lots of twists

Great plot, great narration, lots of twists. Kept me engaged to the end. A few hiccups that confused me here and there, but overall a very solid book.

Couldn’t wait to get in car to go to work!

This book made my commute to work so enjoyable! Didn’t even mind sitting in traffic! Thumbs up with a full five stars through and through!

Twisted

This is one of the best books I have read in this genre. The narrators do an excellent job if you enjoy psychological thrillers you will love this book.

Just fantastic!

I loved this book. It’s one of my favorites that I’ve ever listened to. There was no point in which I was bored, the story was captivating from start to finish, each character was interesting in their own way, the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I could go on and on. Highly recommend this book. The second I’ve read by this author and it certainly won’t be the last.