This book I could not put down loved it from beginning to end. I would highly recommend!! This isn't like something I've read before.

Susan, a teacher on maternity leave, sends a snarky comment to her sisters about mutual acquaintances on What’s App and unfortunately, for her, it was sent to the neighborhood group instead.. What ensues is everyone’s worst nightmare and then some. After deleting it, she realizes that someone has screenshotted it and shared it with others. As hard as it is to believe the jealousies and anger towards others lead to murders and unexpected harm to others. This story is a page turner and keeps you wondering all the way through who the murderer was and why did these people get murdered.
The story is told through several narrators and sometimes can be a bit confusing, but overall, it was a very enjoyable book to read. Thanks to NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Although I stayed up way too late to keep reading, I felt the story had too many over the top coincidences, responses and consequences to an accidental text sent to the wrong group. That being said, I thought it was interesting enough to keep reading to see how everything ends up connecting in the end. I’m not a fan of social media and this story highlights all the things I dislike…anonymous judgements, bullying, glamorization of materialism. There were a couple surprises in the story, but more predictable turns. I’d recommend if you want a quick mystery/suspense read with an interesting premise, but a soap opera backdrop.

💎 💎 💎 1/2
Man, the summary of this book was so good. Honestly the plot was good but there were to many other stories and WAY to many different POVs. There were kids trying to hurt/kill other kids and it just was a lot of confusion. Definitely has a good main story though.

I’m grateful for the opportunity from @netgalley for this ARC book.

#arcreview #multiplepov #suspense #mystery #thriller #aunties.book.club #netgalley #bookreview #itshouldhavebeenyou #revenge #affairs #murder

This was so good!!! I had a blast!!!

SUMMARY:
Folks, so much happens in this book. There are so many characters. I will just give a very brief overview, I suppose.

Susan: Lives at 26 Oakpark. Has Husband Jon and Baby Bella. Two sisters, Leesa and Greta. Fond of sending gossipy texts.

Savannah: Lives at 26 Oakpark....but like a different one. Mostly alone, very mysterious. What happened to her?

The story basically revolves around these two...but like also about everyone they have ever met.

Most basic outline of events - Susan gets real messy on WhatsApp, which is apparently a thing people use. (Also apparently people still use Snapchat??? I thought that was dead and gone.) People get BIG MAD about this message. Mad enough to straight up want to kill Susan...or, you know, the woman who lives at 26 Oakpark.

MANY EVENTS UNFOLD.

MY THOUGHTS:
I looooove a book with multiple POV characters. Really hits the ADHD itch in my brain. This book is so fast-paced and fun. At the same time, it all plays out pretty logically and gives you time to understand what is going on. I guessed a lot of the twists and was completely wrong about plenty of others.

Justice for Leesa. Leesa never did anything wrong in her entire life and gets no recognition for it.

All of these characters (besides wonderful Leesa) have something deeply wrong with them. Like, deeply flawed characters throughout. But you also see where they are coming from. They all feel like real people reacting in real ways. A little heightened, sure, but still realistic.

You will CONSTANTLY be on edge for poor Bella. Please stop putting this poor baby in danger I was so stressed.

WAIT Felipe was also an angel. Cody as well. Only Bella, Cody, Leesa, and Felipe are making it to heaven. Everyone else gives stinky rat behavior.

FINAL OPINION:
I wish I could say more about this book, but I am so scared of giving too much away. A must read. Super fun, very well written. I think I will read it again once it comes out just to go over all the hints again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

This story is told from multiple points of view, and centers around Susan, who accidentally sends a hurtful message meant for her sisters, into her neighborhood group chat. This small mistake sets off a domino effect that spirals into three murders. While the idea is intriguing, I found the pacing to be quite slow, with little happening until the last 1/4 of the book. By the time the plot picked up, I wasn't all that surprised by the twists, and the eventual "who killed who" and "why".

One of the aspects I did appreciate, was how the book brought up the negative side of social media. The idea of sending a message, how fast it can circulate, and how one small mistake can change everything. Also, how young children have the world at their fingertips and how that isn't the best thing for them.

The writing itself was decent and easy to read, and I thought the concept had potential. However, for me, the story ultimately wasn't what I hoped it would be.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC! This book will be published on 1/16/26.

I am obsessed with Andrea Mara. Something about her writing style, in particular, how she writes about families and conflict between family members. All of her books are fast-paced, "keep you up at night" style thrillers and this one was no exception.
"It Should Have Been You" focuses on the effect that one text can have on the lives of multiple people. Susan, the main character, is home on maternity leave and scrolling her neighborhood "What's App" messages when she decides to send a mean text to her sisters about someone (Celeste) who posted. Unfortunately, the thing we all dread happened and Susan sent the message out to...well...everyone. Next thing she knows, three people are found dead and one of them lives at the same address as her. Was the murdered woman meant to be Susan? Did she cause these deaths by one ill-conceived text that she will forever regret?
I devoured this book in two nights. At first it was difficult to keep track of the various characters, but once I got the hang of it, I was hooked. This book is about something that could happen to anyone, and that's how Mara taps into our fears. How many times have you sent a text to the wrong person? What happened because of it? I loved this and will read all the books she puts out. Amazing author who hasn't let me down yet!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Holy crap! I enjoyed this book. Susan accidentally sends a screenshot with a rant about someone (spilling some tea about Celeste) and the consequences are much more than embarrassment. And all of it in just a week.

This plot and writing were good. I had a hard time with all the POVs, especially as they kept switching from past to present, but it all connected in the end AND was satisfying.

I’m not going to lie, I thought it was going one way and it didn’t. Although, you could predict some of it. It still was a satisfying read.

I loved the relationship between Susan, Leesa, and Greta. It was refreshing to read about such a deep love, not just a romantic love.

I gave it a 4/5 just because of what I mentioned about the POV’s.

The last paragraph had me sighing in relief.

I’ve accidentally sent a message to the wrong person, but luckily just suffered embarrassment. Readers look at that text before you send it!

Enjoy the read! <3

Anything and everything that can go wrong (and then some) goes horribly wrong after a woman accidentally sends her snarky commentary on a screenshot of a neighborhood What’sApp group message to the wrong person. This is my absolute NIGHTMARE, and Mara did an amazing job capturing that panic (and then ramping it up like nine hundred notches to turn one dumb mistake into the worst-worst case scenario possible). Truly a cautionary tale for people (oh, hello!) who love nothing more than sharing screenshots and talking shit. The address being 26 Oakpark gave me a little extra jolt every time I saw it because I live in Oak Park, which made it extra fun.

This was completely wild, and I loved it even more than Someone in the Attic. Mara fans are in for a real treat!

“It Should Have Been You” was a WILD ride! It was so twisty and I really never knew where we were headed next—in a good way! I love that the author planted seeds along the way that made you think one thing would happen, but then would lead to something completely different that still made sense.

Sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with so many different characters and narratives, but I really didn’t struggle with this one. I think she did a good job of setting each one up, so when we got to their perspective, we knew who they were.

Even though the plot was out of control, I felt like the ending was realistic enough and tied up every loose end.

This was my first read by Andrea Mara, and it definitely made me want to pick up another one of her books. Thank you for giving me the chance to read this one early! I was hooked the whole time.

Have you ever sent a message to the wrong person? And the message was about that person?

Susan is home on maternity leave, sitting on her house looking at her neighborhood Whatsapp group. She does what a lot of us have done, she takes a screen shot and sends it to her sisters to complain and vent about the poster. But Susan accidentally posts the screenshot and the nasty, revealing message in the neighborhood group instead. The message revolves around Celeste, her husband, and her kids. Revealing secrets that now the entire neighborhood knows about.

When Susan wakes up the next day, the messages to her have gotten worse and death threats trickle in. But what shocks everyone is the news of murder. A murder that Susan thinks she might have caused with her message and a case of mistaken identity.

This is a wild one. There are a fair amount of characters but I didn't find it difficult to follow and keep them straight. Of course there are webs and splinters caused by this text being sent out and multiple lives are effected and dissected in this who-dun-it. Absolutely lots of guessing and twists involved here which I loved. Do you need to suspend your belief a little bit? Yes, but essentially this is a message about how one small mistake can have very big consequences.

Andrea Mara's It Should Have Been You is a compelling psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of modern communication and its potential consequences. The plot centers around Susan, a secondary school math teacher who inadvertently sends a critical message about a neighbor to the entire community WhatsApp group. This seemingly minor mistake ignites a chain of events that unravel the fabric of their tight-knit neighborhood, leading to escalating tensions and unforeseen outcomes.

Mara's portrayal of suburban life is both authentic and engaging, capturing the nuances of everyday interactions and the undercurrents of secrecy that often lurk beneath the surface. The narrative structure, shifting between various characters' perspectives, provides a multifaceted view of the unfolding drama, allowing readers to understand the motivations and emotions driving each individual.

The pacing of the novel is adept, with an initial buildup that establishes character relationships and setting, followed by a crescendo of suspense as the repercussions of Susan's mistake become more pronounced. This progression keeps readers invested, eager to see how the situation will resolve.

However, some readers might find the multitude of perspectives initially challenging to navigate, as it requires attentive reading to keep track of each character's storyline. Additionally, while the plot is engaging, certain developments may feel slightly contrived, stretching the boundaries of believability.

In summary, It Should Have Been You is a thought-provoking thriller that explores themes of privacy, community, and the unintended consequences of our digital interactions. Mara's skillful character development and exploration of contemporary issues make this novel a worthwhile read for fans of psychological suspense. While it may present some initial challenges due to its narrative structure, the payoff is a gripping story that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

Ahhh this was so good!! Twisty, fact and addictive!! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for early arc of the book! I had fun reading this one!

This book was definitely a page turner and had me intrigued since the very beginning. This book felt more like a mystery to me, with a dash of thriller involved. It was about social media, which consumes a big part of people’s lives these days. I am guilty of sending the wrong message to someone else, so I felt for the main character. I think this book was well written, easy to read and flowed well. However, I did feel that the characters were lacking depth and it did lack focus at times. It did feel realistic to me, due to the modern world of social media. Overall, I found this to be a reasonable read and recommend it to anyone that is looking for an easy to read mystery with some thriller in it!

It Should Have Been You is about a woman named Susan, who accidentally sends a very secretive message to a local community group. The message was supposed to be sent to her Sister. This message contained secrets within the community and put a lot of people on blast! When she went to go delete it, it was already too late. People had screenshotted it and even reposted it in other groups! She starts receiving death threats. The very next day, a woman was murdered! As this story unravels, almost everyone that she mentioned in that secretive message becomes a target for being a murderer. Susan wasn’t the one murdered, but was she the one who was supposed to be? Does this story have a happy ending or do more murders take place? I rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Andrea Mara, Transworld digital publishing, and PENGUIN GROUP | Viking Penguin Pamela Dorman Books for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review of this book!

I am a first time reader of Andrea Mara's work. After devouring this novel, it won't be the last. This was a great psychological thriller. Entertaining, twisty, and fast paced.
There are many point of views and some time differences that made it a little hard to keep up with but nothing that spoiled my reading experience. I must say this story makes one realize what gossip can do to the young and mature. I will recommend this to others.
Thanks to the publishers for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed it. Now excuse me while I look for more books by this author!

I was hooked on this book from the beginning. Imagine... sending a private text message to everyone in your group. You not only have the horror of the mistake you made, but the fallout as well. The book had many twists and turns, and just when I thought I had it figured out, I was almost right... and wrong.

The only issue that I really had with this book was with the setting. In the story, there are two housing developments with the same names and same street addresses within 5 miles of each other. The story was set in Ireland, so maybe that could happen.

Other than that, small (but significant detail), the book was very good.

Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced copy.

Wow! This story has many twists and turns, folds in on itself, branches out and left me surprised at the end. It's a gripping story, with numerous misadventures triggered by one text accidentally sent to a group. Susan is the unwitting common denominator in the multiple levels of mystery throughout the community. This book is hard to put down, and the short chapters encouraged me to keep going, late into the night.

Well first I want to thank the author and NetGalley for the advance copy. This was such a good book. I was reading it every chance I got and didn't want to put it down. Especially after that message Everything I was looking for was in the book. The twist and it kept me guessing. The only thing I didn't like was that there we so many character I kept getting lost on who and who was related and all that but after a while you know who is who. But overall it was a really good book definetly recommend it and will be reading more from the author. It was such a great read! Once again thank you to the author and NetGalley!

This is one of the books that I wish I could go back and read a second time. Very well written and deep characters with a twisty story line.