Twists on every page! I read this in one sitting and I'm sure you will feel the same. I stayed on the edge of my seat the entire time and just had to know what happened next.

Quick read! Super good thriller of hers!my first book by her but can’t wait to read more! Relatable characters

Really good! Hooked me from the first chapter and I just could not finish it fast enough! Love the sister dynamic mixed with the neighborhood thriller. Highly recommended! Thank you NetGalley for this arc

If you think what you post on social media doesn’t matter, think again. Susan meant to send her sisters a text mocking her neighbors but, oops, she accidentally posted it on the local WhatsApp group. This little mistake that, let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of in some way or another, set off a literal shitstorm that ended with four people dead, one person hopefully dead (what did happen to Venetia?), one person possibly headed to juvie and two couples divorced. And this all happened over the course of one very long week! Far-fetched? Absolutely. Absurd? For sure. But, as a longtime member of neighborhood social media groups (Facebook, Nextdoor, WhatsApp) I can unequivocally say what happened is not improbable. But, while the plot of this book had potential, the execution was a jumbled mess. There were too many things happening, two many characters, too many varying POV’s. I was confused and by the 75% mark I lost interest.

3 stars rounded up to 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)
Review Title: A fast-paced, cinematic thriller that grabs you from the first line

“Every parent has a moment they wish they could take back—but what if yours spiraled into a nightmare you couldn’t escape?”

From the first sentence to the final chapter, this domestic thriller delivered non-stop tension with a story that felt like watching a high-stakes movie. I was instantly pulled in by the prologue, desperate to know what drove someone to such a terrifying decision.

This is a fast-paced read with short, cliffhanger-style chapters that made it nearly impossible to put down. I especially appreciated how relatable and grounded it felt—touching on the very real struggles couples face when a baby enters the picture: sleep deprivation, resentment, and emotional distance.

The WhatsApp group was a brilliant, fresh twist on neighborhood drama. Greta’s messiness, the neighbors’ savagery, and one hilarious text message? 10/10 chaos.

While I enjoyed the multiple POVs, at times it was just a bit much. And although I love quick chapters, a few could’ve been merged for stronger flow.

This was my first Andrea Mara novel, and definitely not my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh wow! I want to give this book six stars!

Susan is a teacher on maternity leave. She’s exhausted and spending a little too much time on the neighborhood WhatsApp group. When a passive-aggressive reply gets under her skin, she takes a screenshot and texts her sister, saying:

“OMG she’s such a smug wagon. I’d love to send her the pics of her husband wrapped around the PR girl at the opening party for Bar Four. Or tell her that her bratty daughter bunks off school to see her boyfriend. And that everyone knows she covered up what her son did to the Fitzpatrick toddler. That would wipe the pass-agg smile off her face. Urgh. I know. I’m awful. I just needed to get that out of my system.”

Except—she accidentally sends the message to the entire neighborhood group, not just her sister.

If that were the end of the book, it would be a perfect horror story. No notes. But we’re only 2% in.

What follows is a nightmare for Susan that worsens by the hour, despite her apologies and desperate attempts to make things right. And when the story goes viral and she’s doxed, things turn truly dangerous: a woman with an almost identical address in another part of Dublin is found dead, and Susan starts to wonder—was she the intended target?

All the twists and turns! And the sheer relatability of Susan’s predicament. It’s a wild ride—and one you won’t regret taking.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7503935503

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!