What a thriller! I enjoyed how the author developed the characters and kept the plot twisting. I recommended to my followers on GoodReads to try this one out when it is published. Thank you for the ARC!

Published to GoodReads and TikTok on 5/17/2025.

Thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Publishing for offering an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Susan is just like any first-time mom during maternity leave— extra time on your hands but also in a constant state of exhaustion and anxiety. What she thought was a harmless text sent to her sisters, it ended up being a damaging message sent to the entire neighborhood group chat. What’s even more shocking is someone was murdered as a result. This book will take you on a wild ride that will keep you on your toes until the very end.

4.5 ⭐️

Wow, this book was one of my favorite reads so far of 2025. It was twisty and thrilling and it kept me guessing the entire time. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist came. The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star book for me was just on the amount of characters and chaos that was hard to keep straight in the beginning. I found myself writing down how each character was connected in order to keep up. It still was an excellent book and reminded me a lot of Harlan Coben’s twisty stories. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it definitely makes me want to read more!

4.25 stars. Who would have thought that a snarky message meant for one's sister but accidentally posted to a message board would be the inciting incident for a story of multiple murders/attempted murders. There are a lot of characters to keep track of - the main players, their siblings, spouses, children, many of whom get their own POV chapters. There is also time jumping. Things get pretty twisty toward the end, so pay attention!

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for providing me with an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available for sale now in certain UK markets and publishes in the US on January 13, 2026.

3⭐️ It Should Have Been You starts with a juicy setup: a woman sends a text full of neighborhood secrets—meant for her sister—but accidentally blasts it to the entire community WhatsApp group. The next day, someone is murdered… at an address almost identical to hers.

It had Desperate Housewives vibes, which is a show I enjoy, but the story felt a bit cluttered with too many POVs. The teen subplot took away from the main mystery, and the aftermath of the text felt a little over-the-top. Still, it was a quick, dramatic read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

review posted on my goodreads and instagram profile. 3.5 stars. this was a pretty good read! it definitely dragged at times and all the POV switching and time-hopping became quite convoluted, but once i was in the swing of things it was easier to remember all the characters/relationships.

i like how the reveals were trickled in throughout the story instead of all packed in at the end. however, the climax, though exciting, was a bit questionable in its motivations and timing imo.

overall, this was a fun read with good twists. i would recommend to those who enjoy multiple POVs and concurrent storylines.

I want to say first that I loved the premise of the book and there were definitely jaw-dropping moments and a lot of twists and turns. However, I feel that the twists and turns were perhaps a little too convoluted. Every character that is mentioned becomes pretty relevant in the book and it can get a little hard to follow along with everyone. Also, and this just may be my taste, but some of the violent themes in the book were a little too much for me. I love a good thriller/mystery, but there were elements of the book that I felt were just a little too much. I think the book could have gotten to the point and kept a lot of the intrigue without going into soooo much detail on every single character that is mentioned and every single plot line. I did find a lot of the book enjoyable, just found so much of it convoluted and the ending a little lackluster.

Could. Not. Put. This. Down.

All the messy drama of a neighborhood message board but add murder(s).

Listen, I am on maternity leave with a 7 week old baby. If you’ve been there you know it’s hard to get invested in a book but I couldn’t stop reading this one and it flew by for me!

Now is it groundbreaking? Maybe not. Don’t expect Davinci Code level twists and connections. But is it a fun, fast read, that managed to keep me on my toes? YES. One message turns into chaos for so many people, there are connections they wouldn’t have seen before. Affairs, mistaken identity, revenge. All the things.

If I should be listened to about anything, it’s that you should read this book.

Andrea Mara is a favorite author and It Should Have Been You did not disappoint. While this was not as scary and suspenseful as my favorite novel Someone in the Attic, it was still very good. We are in Ireland and living the life when a mistake is made. A mistake in fact that we are all probably guilty of. A response is sent on a social media app that we thought was just going to our family when indeed it has gone out to the entire neighborhood. Unfortunaely that mistake has deadly consequences and a price must be paid. I thoroughly enjoyed this suspense filled novel and hope that you will too!

Many thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read before release in exchange for an honest review.

wow wow wow this one was really good! it kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. i connected deeply with every single one of the characters and was so invested in what would happen to each of them. it was perfectly written to give exactly what the story needed at the exact perfect time. i was never bored!

This is an INSANE read, in a good way. I stayed up way past my self designated bed time to finish this book. You simply can not put it down. It’s nail biting and hair pullingly good thriller.

Wow!! I was hooked from the very beginning! It was quite the ride!! Susan sends a message to the wrong group and literally all hell breaks loose. I loved Susan and her sisters, some of the other characters were harder to deal with. However, this book was jam packed with twists and turns and I would have never guessed the ending in a million years. As soon as you can go get this book!! I love Andrea Mara.

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Group for sending me this ARC.

It Should Have Been You kept me turning pages late into the night.

The book hooks you from the very first chapter. An honest mistake has devastating effects for all of the characters throughout the book. The pacing is perfect, with shorter chapters that make it impossible to put down. This book has everything you want in a thriller: scandal, lies, drama, and twists -- lots of twists!

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for this copy of an arc!

2.5 rounded down.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book. These are my honest thoughts.

A multi perspective book that starts with a text that should have never been sent. That text leads to murder. I was all in, but this book unfortunately severely missed the mark for me.

Why didn't it get five stars from me?

The writing felt a bit immature and too casual for me.

I had a really difficult time connecting to any of the characters in this book. I didn't care about any of them and I found our main character to be extremely whiney! She doesn't think anything through and chronically makes mistake after mistake. There was no redeeming quality about her. She literally can't even do the grocery shopping. I feel like maybe I missed the point with this book. Maybe it was meant to demonstrate how difficult life could be postpartum, but I honestly feel like that's giving this book too much thought and insight.

There were some sentences that I just thought were so ridiculous. Ex: "He was a grocery ninja." Like, what???
I struggle when books put in really specific references to current fads/trends. I feel like it dates the book and is unnecessary. Referencing "X", Snapchat, Facebook, and Colleen Hoover's Verity made it all feel a bit dated. If you're not familiar with the hype of Verity, that reference doesn't mean anything to you.

I found a few points in the book to be improbable but I found the ending to be especially unbelievable. The covid references drove me up the wall.

One of my personal pet peeves is when an author repeats the same phrase in the book and "stops her cold" was said like 5 times in one chapter. It feels like it lacks any inspiration or effort to think of a different phrase/synonym/metaphor.

This just wasn't the book for me.

From the very first chapter, the tension is palpable as the story unfolds around a tragic mistake and the devastating ripple effects that follow. The pacing is tight, with short chapters that make it easy to say “just one more” until you realize you’ve read half the book in one sitting.
I loved the characters my only complaint was that sometimes I’d mix the characters up
The final twist is clever and well-executed, though a few plot points stretched believability slightly, which is why I’m not giving it a full five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for this copy of an arc!
You can find my review on my bookstagram and goodreads.

*4.5 stars rounded up*
I’m slowly trying to get more into thriller novels and figuring out what I like and wow! I really enjoyed this one.
Honestly a very very quick read for me because I feel like I just got sucked into this story and had to keep reading until I finished it. This was my first book by Andrea Mara and it certainly will not be my last!!
Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

I found this book very intriguing, I couldn’t stop reading even to get some rest! This was so well written, and I enjoyed every second of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the eARC.
A WhatsApp group mail goes out to the whole group rather than the two it was meant for.
It blows up into a huge problem, causing death and destruction.
There wasn't one character that was likeablev (except for the baby). In fact they were all awful, nasty and in some cases even murderous.
When the story started to include the baby being hurt, I started feeling uncomfortable and DNF.

Andrea Mara's latest psychological thriller, It Should Have Been You, delivers a gripping narrative that explores the potentially catastrophic consequences of a single digital misstep. Set in a seemingly idyllic suburban neighborhood, the story follows Susan, a new mother on maternity leave, who accidentally sends a critical message about a neighbor to the entire community WhatsApp group instead of her sister. This seemingly minor error sets off a chain of events that unravels the fabric of their tight-knit community, 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.

Thank you to Viking Penguin for this ARC

This book was a roller coaster of the best kind. So many twists and turns , it was so hard to put this book down.

A woman accidentally sends a text to a neighborhood group chat instead of to a private chat between sisters, airing out a fellow neighbor’s dirty laundry. The aftermath is catastrophic and far reaching.

This book was fast paced, multi pov, with every character having secrets and all were as interesting as the next. Everyone added something to the story and moved it along to make the story a real page turner.

I gave 4 stars because there was one twist that, I felt came from left field and I’m not exactly sure how the FMC came to that conclusion, when it wasn’t even something on my radar.

Overall, this is a very solid thriller and I definitely will be recommending this once the book is released. Can’t wait to read it again (maybe I’ll figure out the twist I didn’t understand lol).

This was a quick and easy read much like a Freida McFadden book. The chapters are short and the story moves fast. The twists were pretty good. I liked how it ended.