I liked this, but did not really care for any of the characters. The main characters were very selfish and self involved, and refused to take responsibility for what was set in motion. It was a good thriller, the ending was not immediately apparent.

4.5 ⭐️

This was my first book by Andrea Mara and it will definitely not be my last! This fast pace thriller draws you in from the first page and has you non-stop guessing. There were so many twists and dead ends I was eager to finish. The multiple perspectives and timelines provided a fun back and forth narrative, bringing the story together piece by piece.

There are so many times throughout reading where I inwardly cringed at Susan's antics but I also appreciated her nosiness. Every character was bold and had huge personalities - especially Venetia. There was a lot of character growth from Celeste, who I hated at first but grew fond of by the end.

Highly recommend this read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I was hooked from the first line of the prologue! There were a lot of characters and circumstances at play, and I never knew what was going to happen next. It did take me a bit to understand all of the Irish slang, but I don't think it was too much of a road block. The chapters were super short and fast-paced, I ate it up!

Thank you Transworld Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

From the moment I opened the book I was intrigued. I really enjoyed this story and was anxious on how it was going to end. The story drew me in and I was invested in the characters.. I will say Jon disappointed me… and Greta; there could be another story with her???

I was absolutely obsessed with this book! I mean, how could you not be drawn to a Whatsapp screenshot text gone horribly HORRIBLY wrong in a small tightknit community premise??? I literally couldn't resist requesting an ARC for this and I am SO glad I did.

There were so many characters and storylines to keep straight, but Andrea Mara made it so incredibly seamless, I had zero trouble with it and never lost the plot, which is very impressive. This neighborhood is filled with some of the worst people ever, with Venetia being the icing on the crazy cake. I want her backstory. I need to know why she is the way she is, bc that girl has been HURT.

Also I am not sure how it is in Ireland, but in the states I'm not worried about CPS taking my baby away from me bc she got a li'l sunburnt, so those ruminations Susan kept having about that were making my eyes roll, and there were some repetitive thoughts from the characters, but that's really about it.

The twists! The turns! I had some guesses and a few were right, but it was still a SUPER fun ride. The ones I didn't guess?? Wild. The entire time it felt like I was there, either in the neighborhoods as a part of it, or almost like I was in the kitchen with my girlfriends getting all of the tea spilled. This book was so so so fun, and I hate that almost everyone else has to wait until January to read it.

There were a few punctuation errors, but nothing one more pass from an editor can't fix. And who knows, it could just be on the E-Arc that was sent out.

WOW! That is the word I kept repeating over and over, even outloud. This novel is everything a thriller should be. Not just thrilling but suspenseful, heartbreaking and jaw dropping. The twist was amazing and I definitely did NOT guess it!!! 4 stars! The only thing that I didn’t like was we did not get full details about one huge thing which made me sad to not know. But all in all AMAZING!

This was so good! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great read — and that plot twist? I absolutely loved it!

I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy “It Should Have Been You”. The story begins with one wrong click, a snarky little text meant to be shared between sisters, but instead it was sent to the entire nosy neighborhood on the group chat. Let the DRAMA ensue! This book has all the scandal, lies, and twists one could want. I enjoyed the drama and sisterly bond.

Admittedly, I almost put the book down at first. How could this much drama stem from a text - and other than gossip - how could this many people be involved. I almost needed a cheat sheet to keep track of characters (there were a lot, but I also suck with names so that’s partially on me).

HOWEVER…when the author started to put pieces together that I didn’t even realize were part of the same puzzle, I was hooked and my mind was blown.

With so many characters and storylines, it wasn’t just one mystery to figure out, there were several. And as soon as you thought you had one solved, you were thrown a curveball and redirected to another person to try to figure out what the heck happened with them.

I’m glad I didn’t put it down. Again - this is partially on me because my attention span needs to be hooked from the get go and this book required a lot of setup beforehand. In hindsight, it all makes sense. Definitely worth the read!

It Should Have Been You is a thriller novel following the series of catastrophic events following a text Susan sends to the wrong group chat. I truly did not know where this story was going at any point. I liked how we as readers didn't know all of the details right away and learned the information as everyone else did. This book made me stay up late to finish reading. So good!! 5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I couldn’t put this book down! It Should Have Been You kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The shifts between different character views were seamless and made the story even more captivating. Although I had a hunch about the ending, the journey there was still packed with satisfying twists and turns. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller full of crazy surprises.

What a great read!
This book starts off with a very relatable situation. I mean, who hasn't sent a text to the wrong person before?
From the beginning to the end, I was pulled into this story. I couldn't put it down!
There are so many different points of view involved, easy to follow along, but shocking and surprising turns of
events. I didn't predict any of this and there were many situations where I was audibly gasping and saying
"What? No way!" and "Didn't see that coming!" This has to be one of my favorite reads.

This book started out a bit slow, and I found myself put off by the way the dialogue was written, but by the book's midway point, I was thoroughly enjoying it and couldn't put it down! There was the perfect amount of red herrings to make the book delightfully twisty but not confusing. I liked that there was one secret left at the end that was not explicitly explained, but was solvable if you had paid attention. I found it very impressive the way every detail given would somehow come back later. I am looking forward to reading other books by Andrea Mara!

4/5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book kicks off with a bang..
A text full of secrets meant for a sister accidentally gets sent to the entire neighborhood WhatsApp group. The fallout is instant, with rumors swirling and tension rising in a seemingly quiet, perfect community. Just as the main character starts to believe things might blow over, the threats begin… and then a woman is found murdered at a house with the same address.

It was told with a fast pace and lots of twists, this story kept me turning pages late into the night. The modern premise.. misusing technology in a way that spirals into something terrifying, felt super relatable and timely.
The suspense builds steadily, and while a few plot points required a little suspension of disbelief, the overall ride was worth it.

I’m giving it 4 stars because it was gripping, well-paced, and had a strong “what would I do?” factor. It didn’t completely reinvent the thriller genre, but it definitely delivered a solid, chilling mystery.
Would recommend to fans of domestic thrillers and suburban dramas with a dark twist!

I really, really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to recommended it to people and I would love to buy a physical copy for my collection. I read it in one sitting. I did not see any of the twists coming, in fact I highlighted part that made me think I did early on and I was oh so wrong. Towards the end I started to wonder about something I was afraid wouldn’t be resolved (Sam) and it was. This was a really good read. I will be looking for more from this author.

This was my first Andrea Mara novel, and I enjoyed it. I will definitely read more of her books.

It Should Have Been You was more of a mystery than a thriller in my eyes. However, it still kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen.

Mara did an incredible job with her edgy writing and kept me guessing the entire read through.
This novel had so many twists and turns I couldn't keep my head straight. Truly suspenseful.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs with all the different characters. It did take me a few chapters to keep all of the characters straight.

The ending was what made this go from a four star to a three star for me. I just felt like it was too much at the end - too farfetched. It was all tied up nice and neat, though.

I recommend It Should Have Been You to anyone who wants a fast-paced, easy to read mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking penguin and Andrea Mara for the eARC of It Should Have Been You.

Do you ever have that moment where you write an ugly text message about someone and think for a second that you sent the message TO THAT PERSON BY MISTAKE? Nightmare-inducing. Imagine sending that mean text to your NEIGHBORHOOD’S GROUP CHAT. And that text casually leading to MURDER? That’s where our book begins. You want drama, baby? It’s here.

This book was A WILD RIDE. Twists, turns, so many intriguing characters, social media fiascos, text drama, affairs, murders (yes—multiples!), mixed-up identities. I was on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE TIME—hooked from page ONE.

I was also TAKING NOTES. I wish I were kidding. My notes app got a workout trying to keep track of characters and how they were all linked together. And there were many. Short chapters and weaving POVs kept the story moving quickly and was so entertaining. I FLEW through it.

LOVED this book!

Parents Weekend revolves around a college campus where "parents weekend" is currently taking place however after 5 students do not show up to dinner an investigation begins and they soon realize that the kids did not simply party too hard but were in fact taken. The book then begins to dig into all of the parents lives and we find out that it seems every parent there has something to hide. The book is told from multiple POVs. Overall this book had a good story and was interesting enough to keep me listening however I don't believe anything stood out or made in any different than other thrillers out there. I give it 3 stars because it was interesting and got to the point quickly but wasn't outstanding.

I absolutely loved this book. I was hooked from page one. The contemporary storyline of a young mother, exhausted from no sleep, sending a derogatory text message about a neighbor to the entire community in a WhatsApp group is intriguing. She thought she was sending the message to her sisters; but instead, she sent it in a group chat to the entire neighborhood! Wow! This is something we can all relate to with technology today and how the world communicates by text messages instead of old fashion phone calls. We have all accidentally sent a text message to the wrong person; but did it cost someone their life?

The storyline is fascinating and the author did an exceptional job with character development and keeping the audience in suspense until the very end. I would highly recommend this book!

One text. Total chaos. I devoured this in a day.

Review — Fast, Gossipy, and Deliciously Messy Domestic Thriller

It Should Have Been You is pure suburban nightmare fuel — and I loved every messy, scandalous, nerve-wracking minute of it. One accidental text sent to the wrong WhatsApp group and suddenly an entire neighborhood’s secrets are spilling out, friendships are imploding, and someone winds up dead. It’s the kind of premise that makes you instantly imagine what would happen if your group chat drama went public.

The book moves at a lightning-fast pace, with short, snappy chapters and multiple POVs that slowly reveal just how ugly things can get behind picture-perfect lawns. The characters are wonderfully petty, paranoid, and flawed, and while some twists are a little far-fetched, it’s so much fun you won’t care.

If you love thrillers in the vein of Big Little Lies, The Husbands, or The Neighborhood, this is your next binge read.

Rating: 4 stars — juicy, dramatic, and perfect for fans of small-town secrets and neighborhood thrillers.
#ItShouldHaveBeenYou #NetGalley