I’m officially an Andrea Mara fan and addict. It should have been you, has made me think twice and check twice before sending messages on WhatsApp groups. The short chapters do not take away from the suspense and hooks you in. For any suspense thriller fan this needs to be on your tbr.
It Should have been you gets 5 stars from me as well as my fear of group chats.

Ever send a text to someone you’re not supposed to? Guilty! But what if that text went viral, spreading throughout a tight knit community where everyone is just delighting in the tea being spilt? What about the family the text is gossiping about?

Susan, a teacher and a sleep-deprived new mum is struggling. When she sees something pop up in the neighbourhood’s WhatsApp group, she sends a snarky message about a neighbour’s entire family to her sisters. But it doesn’t go to them and the ramifications of that text has a devastating effect that no apologies can ever take back.

Andrea is one of my auto-buy thriller authors because every scenario she creates feels very genuine and real. She takes a small inconsequential moment and weaves it into a frightening narrative that will suck you right in. We’ve all sent messages to the wrong people but thinking of how something can literally go completely out of control and cause chaos in people’s lives is terrifying. There’s a large cast of characters to grapple with in this story but Andrea expertly brings their stories together and the twists and turns that you encounter will literally leave you reeling. Every single person has secrets their hiding and when it comes to the murder of a woman at the same address as Susan, the suspect pool is extensive.

This is easily a book you can read in one sitting and although some elements come across as a little far fetched, within the scope of the story they work because it’s a work of fiction and these moments create further tension and drama. I would love to see this story made into a film. I think it would work brilliantly on the big screen.

Thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Publishers for the arc. It Should Have Been You is out on the 8th of May – 4.5 ⭐️

New mum — and local teacher — Susan accidentally sends a snarky WhatsApp message intended for her sisters to the entire neighbourhood group chat with deadly consequences in this addictive and twisty thriller.

I have to admit, when I first read the description for this book, I did wonder how much damage a mis-sent text could do… but, yeah, this is not a text you want to go viral! After making allegations about a neighbour’s entire family, Susan quickly has more than an embarrassing grovelling apology to worry about as events rapidly spiral out of control. When a woman with the same address is murdered, Susan wonders if she herself was the intended target. No spoilers but let’s just say things are about to get a whole lot worse for poor Susan.

The consequences of the WhatsApp message are far-reaching and literally everybody in this book has something to hide. There is quite a large cast of characters, with multiple points of view, but this is skilfully handled by the author and adds to the overall suspense and character development. The plot is clever and fast-paced, packed full of cliffhangers, and has so many twists that even the twists have twists!

This is my third Andrea Mara book and I’ve enjoyed them all. Addictive, easy to read, and perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Claire Douglas.

The more you read of Andrea’s latest book, the more you want it to continue. If you’ve ever written the wrong thing in the wrong WhatsApp group, you’ll be nodding your head in sympathy with the protagonist. A simple apology is not going to work, however, not when gossip surrounding a family’s and its, well, extra-curricular activities are mooted. As the rumour continues to spread, a death threat is received. The next day, someone is dead, someone with the same address as you but who isn’t you. Of course, the fretting increases: are you the person who another wanted dead? And if so, will they try again once they realise their mistake? It’s such a twisty, layered book and so clever from a reader’s point of view. Every spider web-like link is well explained, while still letting the reader come up with their own solutions.

Andrea Mara is one of my favourite authors so I couldn’t wait to read this and wow I love it. had to devour It in a few hours as once I started I couldn’t put it down. It was a tense read with many twists and turns. I loved the writing style and how well written the characters were. The story was written so well especially cause this could happen to anyone I have many times sent a message and had to look make sure I sent it to correct person so I did feel for Susan on maternity at home with her newborn baby and she accidentally sends a rant to her street group chat when it was suppose to be her sisters. With everyone turning against her secrets and lies spill out of this book. I love everything about it and can’t wait to recommend this fantastic thriller to everyone. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this great book. Now to patiently wait for Andrea Maras next one.

Such a simple mistake, that we could all make. You send your sister a Whatsapp, its full of gossip and accusations about people in your local commmunity, but instead of just your sister, you mistakenly send it to the whole of your local mums' whatsapp group. How can something like that become the fuel for the worst possible scenarios, even fatal outcomes. I liked the way the story was told from the perspective of each individual and the tension built nicely towards the end. A good read.

I adore Andrea Mara’s books and this one delivers the twists, turns and suspense the whole way through. I love the opening as the whole way through the book I was trying to see how it fit into the story and then the ending was gripping! Realistic and relatable characters mixed with the perfect amount of drama and tension.

Possible spoilers.

First off, I want to express my concern for baby Bella. Possibly the best behaved 4 month old, that not only gets passed off to people at the drop of a hat, but is badly treated. She does not deserve this.

Apart from that, this book was a wild ride, an innocent message setting off a chain of catastrophic events.
It was hugely entertaining trying to tie all the threads together. Especially if like me you had one character acting the OTT pantomime villain in your head.
I enjoyed how all the lives weaved in and out of each others, so that it tied up so well at the end.
Cracking story.

After Andrea’s last book genuinely scared me, I was excited to read her newest book- which is just as scary but in a different way.

Susan, a teacher on maternity leave with her baby Bella, is frustrated with her parcels being continually mixed up with the same address in a different side of town. She’s also getting fed up with the what’s app group for her neighbourhood. So, one evening when she is especially annoyed, she fires off a response to her sisters’ what’s app group, full of her ire and also containing salacious gossip regarding a neighbour. Except that Susan dodges send it to her sisters. She accidentally replies to her entire neighbourhood. The horror of this moment increases when her message is screen shot and sent outside of the groups, reaching far across her town. And the nightmare is literally just beginning for Susan…..

The really worrying thing about Andrea’s terrifying stories are that they are so believable and could easily be happening in this day and age.

Another fantastic read.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

This is my favorite book by Andrea by far! Susan is home raising baby Bella when she sends a text message to her sisters in response of Celeste’s text in a group chat. Unfortunately, Susan accidently sent it to the entire group. This sets off a spiral of events. People dead. People plotting revenge. Affairs coming to light. Secret crushes. Child abuse by a babysitter. Are all of these tied to Susan? Holy cow! This book was amazing. So many characters carefully intertwined. So many secrets. So many twists. So many culprits! Must read!

This book has freaked the hell out of me! How from an innocent mistake (sending a text message to the wrong person) things can go seriously wrong in a succession of events that are really gripping and will keep you awake at night! Brilliant!!!

It Should Have Been You is a gripping thriller that turns an everyday mistake into a full-blown disaster when Susan, an exhausted new mother accidentally sends a “harshly critical” message to her neighborhood group instead of her sisters.
The story’s premise is highly relatable—most of us have sent a message to the wrong person. As such, the characters feel real, and their reactions to the chaos is believable. The book is full of surprises, with each chapter leaving you desperate to find out what happens next.
Another great book from one of my favourite authors! Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!

A Cataclysmic Mistake..
One small mistake produces cataclysmic results in this tension fuelled novel of suspense. When worn out new mother Susan sends an unpleasant, pointed and accusatory message to her sister, she accidentally sends it to the whole of the community WhatsApp group - a message that is soon to become the catalyst for a bizarre and catastrophic and even fatal series of events. With a cast of well drawn and credible characters populating a pacy plot with twists and turns aplenty and a lively narrative, this a quick and satisfying read.

Its one of those nightmare situations that you hope will never happen, accidentally posting a dashed off message to the wrong group's WhatsApp, rather than keeping your thoughts within a much more select group.

In 'It Should Have Been You', local teacher Susan comments on her neighbourhood WhatsApp group with a few home truths about a particular member rather than sounding off to her two sisters. Her message quickly unleashes a wave of uncontainable retaliation across the entire neighbourhood and beyond which affects several innocent residents and ultimately ends up in death and murder. There's local gossip a plenty, and Queen Bees who previously felt they were untouchable are quickly brought down to earth.

Andrea Mara's latest domestic thriller is another triumph that drills down into your worst nightmares and then goes further and further, until everything is unravelled and there's no going back. Its fast paced and addictive; from the opening pages, I was hooked, desperate to find out how Susan could ever come back from this nightmare predicament.

“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.”

When Susan accidentally sends a barbed text full of her neighbour’s secrets directly to the entire neighbourhood, instead of to her two sisters, it sparks a chain of terrifying events that relentlessly spiral and rock Susan’s world.

Andrea’s done it again. A gripping and masterfully-woven plot that had me staying up too late to finish it and interrupting my husband’s telly watching with my audible gasps and expletives 😂.

There is a cast of characters, each one very authentic and distinctive, though always with that underlying familiar sense these could be your own neighbours. There are lots of tricky themes running through out, handled with aplomb as always.

I have no doubt this will be another bestseller for Mara and rightly so - she’s at the top of her game.

It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara.

When I saw this on NetGalley I knew I had to request it. I love everything Andrea writes, she never disappoints and she certainly didn’t this time.

Susan a secondary teacher who is on maternity leave has just sent a nasty text meant for her two sisters to the wrong WhatsApp app group. She is exhausted from getting up with the baby several times every night and makes a mistake.

However, this mistake has disastrous consequences for so many families but the most devastating is the death of four people.

Holy Moly this is one fast-paced, engaging thriller that keeps you guessing from beginning to end. The narrative structure, which alternates between different points of view, adds a layer of complexity and intrigue that hooks you so early on. Mara’s writing is sharp, with a strong sense of suspense and an atmosphere of tension that intensifies throughout the book.

I could not put this book out of my hands for five minutes. The characters were so captivating that I was not sure whether I loved them or hated them, I trusted no one and was always on edge waiting for the next twist to come along and knock me off my feet.

Mara again has produced another fantastic, thought-provoking thriller that will be talked about for a long time especially since this is a mistake that could easily be made by any one of us.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

With many thanks to Transworld Books and Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

An absolute go to author for me and once again Andrea Mara delivers a cracking five star read. Perfectly plotted as one message sent by mistake snowballs into a myriad of events. Told mainly from the POV of Susan but it’s the POV’s from the other characters that gives this story real depth. Suspense, intrigue and tension by the bucket load keep you totally hooked. Not a chapter or word is wasted and every little detail is paramount to the story. Exceptional

The book was a perfect blend of mystery and suspense... You won't be able to put this down until you've finished! It really gets you to think before you send a message and consequences which prove fatal or does it?!

It was so gripping I read this in one
sitting! The tension was palpable and grows with every page. I had to keep remembering to breathe as the many twists and turns kept coming along as I eagerly turned the pages! One twist in particular really stood out for me!

I adore Andrea Mara’s books no matter where I am in my shelf, she always gets bumped to the top! Hurry with the next one! I’d highly recommend this book!


🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!

Simply spectacular. I really enjoyed this novel situated in a small community in Dublin. Susan is a secondary school math teacher accidentally sends a bitchy message through WhatsApp to members of a group. The message originally intended for her sisters Greta and Leesa is immediately read. This in itself made me laugh out loud as I too experienced a similar mishap.

The message is quickly read and shared before she can recall it and the result has dire consequences. It has exposed her inner most thoughts on certain members of the community including the rather stuck-up Celeste and her family as well as an affair she claims to have witnessed.

As the effects of her deed ripple throughout the group, she is caught up in mysterious murders that coincidently happened after the messages were sent. Do they have any connection to her and if so, is her life in danger.

I really liked the various voices of the characters and Mara did an excellent job in developing each one. This is a high-octane book which explores relationships, secrets and teenage angst wrapped up with lots of suspense and tension to keep you guessing all the way. I highly recommend this and predict it will be a best seller at its release.

May I thank NetGalley, Andrea Mara and Transworld for an ARC for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

I'm not entirely sure I'd describe this book as a thriller, more domestic suspense. However, great book. Hated some the characters in the way (I hope) you're supposed to 😂 had to keep reading to find out what happened.