‘Your neighbours have secrets. How far would they go to keep them?‘
– It Should Have Been You
[ About It Should Have Been You ]
Look what you started.
You text your sister. Your message is full of gossip about your neighbour. But you accidentally send it to the entire local community WhatsApp group instead.
Now everyone knows.
As rumour spreads like wildfire through the picture-perfect neighbourhood, you convince yourself that people will move on, that this will quickly be forgotten. But then you receive the first death threat.
And someone wants you dead.
The next day, a woman has been murdered. And what’s even more chilling is that she had the same address as you – 26 Oakpark – but in a different part of town. Did the killer get the wrong house? It won’t be long before you find out…
[ My Review ]
It Should Have been You by Andrea Mara published May 8th with Transworld and is described as a ‘gripping, unputdownable new psychological thriller’.
Andrea Mara is known for her twisty, addictive and very readable novels with many number one bestsellers under her belt. It Should Have Been You stormed the charts on publication and is currently number one in Ireland garnering great acclaim from fellow writers and readers alike. With a seriously dramatic prologue, the reader is immediately put on alert and left on edge intrigued to discover more about how this frightening predicament developed. I wasn’t completely sold on parts of the novel as I did find some of the behaviour a bit too far-fetched but I thought the basic concept of the plot was smart, cementing Andrea Mara as a writer who can turn something very domestic and ordinary into something much more malevolent and dark.
Susan O’Donnell is a normal suburban new mother on maternity leave, stressed out and tired with each day morphing into the next. Her constant in her life are her two sisters, Greta and Leesa, with the three of them a close-knit group who always have each others’ backs. They provide a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on and all freely rant about life and the folk they cross paths with. One day, Susan unwittingly sends a message to the wrong WhatsApp group with the most unexpected and shocking results. Her intended audience were Greta and Leesa as she bemoaned the carry-on of a neighbour, Celeste Geary and her ‘pointy comments‘ in the residents chat. Irritated and exhausted, Susan has no idea of what she has done until she receives an urgent call from her sister Greta shouting at her to delete her message immediately. With a sick feeling in her stomach and a realisation of what she has done, Susan quickly hits delete…but the damage is done.
The screenshot of Susan’s message is shared beyond the residents’ WhatsApp group and the online chatter becomes relentless with the most shocking ripple effect to follow. Susan is full of remorse and regret for her mistake. As a primary school teacher, her reputation is now very much on the line. She turns to her husband and her sisters for support but as things get a little more sinister Susan’s panic levels increase by the minute.
The discovery of the body of a woman who has the same first line address as Susan, but in another part of town, causes much concern and fear. Was Susan the possible target? Does she now have a price on her head for a silly mistake?
Tensions rise between neighbours, and the police investigation ratches up a notch, as the waters get a little murkier and suspicions filter across a community. An innocent mistake leads to murder. A neighbourhood rife with speculation and hearsay is afraid. How can such a genuine and, some would say, harmless lapse in judgement bring so much terror and fear into a Dublin suburb?
With an intriguing concept It Should Have Been You takes a deep dive into the consequences of an innocuous mistake on a social media platform. We’ve all been there when the realisation kicks in of what we have done. That moment of pure panic. That feeling of stupidity and guilt. Susan O’ Donnell made a mistake and she paid a very high price for it.
An entertaining fast-paced read It Should Have Been You contains a very important lesson for us all. Be very careful of what you share on social media. Be very careful who you share it with!
[Thank you Transworld, via NetGalley, for a copy of It Should Have Been You in exchange for my honest review]
[ Bio ]
Andrea Mara is a No.1 Sunday Times, Irish Times and Kindle bestselling author. Her books have sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide, and four of them have been shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year. No One Saw a Thing, was a Richard and Judy Bookclub Pick, sold more than 100,000 copies in thirteen weeks, and was No.1 in the UK, Irish and Kindle charts.
She lives in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband and three children.
