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.

It Should Have Been You will prey on all of your social fears while keeping the narrative relevant and personal. Have you ever sent a text to more people than you meant to? Have you ever sent a text to the wrong person? Have you ever had an entire community turn against you because of it? It can happen to the best of us, and when Susan, a local teacher sends out a public message that was meant to be private, a domino effect upends her life and alters the dynamics of her entire community.

I liked how the story became more complex with many plot lines, how the author skillfully pandered to our fears of slipping up and being "seen" badly, and how it kept me guessing. The things that held the book's potential back were undeveloped plots (with the teenagers), the fact that a couple of the adult plot lines felt a little hollow, and the fact that the book took a long time to get going.

I still recommend this read because it is a solid thriller with a lot of good things about it. Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Publishers for being generous enough to send me an e-ARC!

Thanks to Netgalley and Transworld Publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.75 stars, Rounded Up.
When Susan accidentally sends a scathing text to her neighborhood group chat instead of her sisters, she sets off a chain of events that she never could have predicted. The next morning, three people are dead. Should one have them been Susan? In the aftermath, a tangled web of characters try to make sense of what has happened--and more than a few of them are more dangerous than they seem.

I had a hard time with this book. It felt like it was *almost* there, but maybe needed another edit or two. I flew through it quite quickly and it never really lost me. There are numerous characters, but I always felt as though I knew who was speaking and had a clear sense of why. Still, while this book does hold readers' attention, it leaves a lot to be desired. With so many POV characters (at least 8 from what I can remember), we get very little depth from each perspective. People--especially children--act uncharacteristically and, while some suspension of disbelief is required for mystery novels, this book took it a few steps too far. The writing and story are intriguing, but the result is a bit chaotic, predictable, and hollow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC of this book.

It was a simple mistake, anyone could have made it. But the consequences of that mistake turned into a nightmare. In Andrea Mara's domestic thriller, you see multiple POVs of how an accidental text affects the lives of many. From start to finish, I found myself obsessed with how it all ended, who did what, and what the final outcome was. There were so many twists, some predictable and some not, but all in all, this murder mystery had me SAT.

When one woman accidentally sends a private message meant for her sisters to the entire neighborhood group chat a series of tumbling blocks occur that cause secrets to be exposed and enough anguish that lives are lost.
This book was a wild ride that captivated me from the first page. All kinds of scenarios played out in my head as I read and I adored how the author was able to have multiple stories going on at once. It was easy to follow as she switched between the characters and I couldn’t put it down!!

“It Should Have Been You” is about Susan a second grade teacher who is on maternity leave that makes a gravely mistake. She is exhausted from getting up with the baby several times every night and she has just sent a text, meant only for her two sisters, to the wrong group on WhatsApp. This group message includes the entire neighborhood, even the person she is gossiping to her sisters about. Her mistake has life altering consequences for many families, but the most devastating is the death of four people. This is a fast-paced, engaging thriller that keeps you guessing from beginning to end. I trusted no one and was always on edge waiting for the next twist and turn to come along.

This book had an interesting premise, and parts of it were twisty and suspenseful. But there was SO much going on, that the plot and pacing really suffered, and it was a bit difficult to keep everyone and their issues/problems straight.

It started off very intriguing: Susan sends a snarky and rude text to her sisters. Only she realizes too late it did not go to her sisters, but instead to everyone in her very large neighborhood WhatsApp group. The fallout is swift, many people are affected, and Susan is mortified. But when people end up dead, Susan is afraid her text might have even more serious repercussions, and she may be in danger herself.

When the book kind of lost its way was when ALL of the different POVs/characters came into play, with all of their various plot-lines. So much was happening that the way everything "tied together" felt at times much too convenient, and at times even implausible. I had to suspend belief much of the time just to try to stay engaged in the story, only to be pulled out again when another POV came into play and I had to remind myself who this was and why they were mad and how that tied in to Susan's main storyline.

I do not think I would recommend this book. I could not connect to any of the characters, because there were so many of them. I do feel that if the whole teenager plot had been left out the story would have been tighter, more engaging, and much better--more time could have been spent focusing on integral characters.

I fell in love with Andrea Mara when I read "Someone in the Attic" and I was so excited about "It Should Have Been You". I was NOT disappointed!

I love Andrea Mara’s writing. This is my fourth book by her and I can’t get enough. Told by multiple POVs which keeps everything tense. Gossip and murders abound. Who is hiding what? Read It Should Have Been You to find out, Thanj you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Well, there goes my Monday. All I’ve accomplished is devouring It Should Have Been You. After the first few chapters I couldn’t put it down! What chaos, so many moving parts and so much drama. All from a text mistakenly sent to the wrong group. Like S, I would be double checking my texts before sending from now on!