{"id":3012,"date":"2025-05-25T11:27:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=3012"},"modified":"2025-05-25T11:27:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:27:44","slug":"it-should-have-been-you-by-andrea-mara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=3012","title":{"rendered":"It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andrea Mara has carved out a distinctive niche in the crowded psychological thriller landscape, and her latest novel, It Should Have Been You<\/em>, demonstrates exactly why she\u2019s become a must-read author for fans of domestic suspense. Following the success of previous works like No One Saw a Thing<\/em>, Someone in the Attic<\/em>, and All Her Fault<\/em>, Mara once again proves her exceptional ability to transform ordinary suburban life into a powder keg of secrets, lies, and deadly consequences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Perfect Storm: Plot and Premise<\/h2>\n

The premise is deceptively simple yet brilliantly executed: Susan O\u2019Donnell, a sleep-deprived new mother on maternity leave, accidentally sends a bitchy message about her neighbors to the entire local WhatsApp group instead of her sisters. What should have been a private vent about the Geary family becomes a viral screenshot that spreads throughout their South Dublin community like wildfire.<\/p>\n

Mara\u2019s genius lies in how she escalates this relatable modern mistake into something far more sinister. The message references Warren Geary\u2019s affair with \u201cthe PR girl at Bar Four\u201d and contains snide comments about his children, including calling daughter Nika \u201cbratty\u201d and mentioning her truancy to see her boyfriend. Within hours, Susan receives death threats, her window is smashed, and then the unthinkable happens: a woman is found murdered at 26 Oakpark \u2013 the same address as Susan\u2019s, but in a different part of town.<\/p>\n

The victim is Savannah Holmes, a glamorous banking professional whose packages have been mistakenly delivered to Susan\u2019s house for years. Susan has lived vicariously through Savannah\u2019s Instagram-perfect life, making the connection even more chilling. Was this a case of mistaken identity<\/a>? Did someone kill Savannah thinking she was Susan?<\/p>\n

Character Development: Flawed and Frighteningly Real<\/h2>\n

Mara excels at creating characters who feel authentically human in all their contradictory complexity. Susan is neither entirely sympathetic nor completely unlikeable \u2013 she\u2019s a real person making real mistakes under extraordinary pressure. Her struggles with new motherhood, including disturbing intrusive thoughts about potentially harming her baby, are handled with sensitivity and psychological accuracy<\/a> that many authors would shy away from.<\/p>\n

The supporting cast is equally well-developed:<\/p>\n

Greta<\/strong>, Susan\u2019s eldest sister, appears to be the practical, reliable rock of the family, but harbors her own dark secrets
\nLeesa<\/strong>, the middle sister, represents the fun-loving peacemaker trying to hold everyone together
\nJon<\/strong>, Susan\u2019s husband, whose affair with Savannah adds layers of betrayal and motive to the mystery
\nThe Geary family<\/strong>, whose perfect fa\u00e7ade crumbles to reveal dysfunction, violence, and deadly secrets<\/p>\n

What makes these characters particularly effective is how Mara avoids painting anyone as purely good or evil. Even the most sympathetic characters make questionable choices, while the apparent villains have moments of vulnerability that complicate our judgments.<\/p>\n

Narrative Structure: A Web of Interconnected Secrets<\/h2>\n

The novel\u2019s structure is one of its greatest strengths. Mara weaves multiple timelines and perspectives together, gradually revealing how each character\u2019s secrets and lies contribute to the explosive finale. The pacing is relentless \u2013 just when you think you understand what\u2019s happening, another revelation shifts everything you thought you knew.<\/p>\n

The author employs a particularly effective technique of showing the same events from different perspectives, allowing readers to piece together the truth while experiencing the confusion and paranoia that the characters feel. This approach works especially well in the context of modern communication \u2013 WhatsApp messages, Instagram posts, and text threads become crucial plot devices that feel organic rather than forced.<\/p>\n

Themes: The Price of Social Media and Suburban Perfection<\/h2>\n

It Should Have Been You<\/em> operates on multiple thematic levels. On the surface, it\u2019s a cautionary tale about digital communication and the permanence of our online mistakes. Mara captures the horror of watching a private moment become public entertainment, and how quickly a community can turn toxic when presented with juicy gossip.<\/p>\n

Deeper themes emerge around:<\/p>\n

The pressure of maintaining perfect appearances in suburban communities
\nThe isolation of modern motherhood and the taboos around maternal mental health<\/a>
\nHow secrets and lies create chains of consequences that can destroy multiple lives
\nThe way social media allows us to construct false versions of ourselves and others<\/p>\n

The neighborhood WhatsApp group becomes a metaphor for modern community life \u2013 superficially connected but fundamentally shallow, quick to judge and slow to empathize.<\/p>\n

Writing Style: Accessible Excellence<\/h2>\n

Mara\u2019s prose is crisp, engaging, and remarkably accessible without sacrificing sophistication. She has a particular talent for capturing the rhythms of contemporary Irish dialogue and the specific social dynamics of South Dublin suburbia. The writing never feels overwrought or pretentious \u2013 instead, it flows with the natural cadence of someone telling you an incredible story over coffee.<\/p>\n

Her ability to balance multiple plot threads without losing narrative momentum is impressive. Even with numerous characters and complex backstories, the story never feels confusing or overwhelming. Each revelation feels earned rather than convenient, and the twists genuinely surprise without feeling cheap or gimmicky.<\/p>\n

Strengths and Weaknesses<\/h2>\n

What Works Brilliantly:<\/h3>\n

Authentic portrayal of modern parenting pressures and postpartum mental health
\nClever use of contemporary technology and social media as plot devices
\nComplex, morally ambiguous characters who feel genuinely human
\nPerfectly paced revelation of secrets that keeps readers guessing
\nExcellent sense of place and community dynamics<\/p>\n

Areas for Improvement:<\/h3>\n

Some plot coincidences stretch credibility, particularly regarding character connections
\nThe climactic confrontation, while intense, relies heavily on coincidental timing
\nA few secondary characters could have been developed more fully
\nThe resolution ties up most threads but leaves some questions about long-term consequences<\/p>\n

Comparison to Previous Works and Similar Authors<\/h2>\n

This novel represents Mara\u2019s continued evolution as a thriller writer. While maintaining the domestic suspense elements that made No One Saw a Thing<\/em> a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, It Should Have Been You<\/em> demonstrates increased confidence in handling complex plotting and multiple perspectives. The social media elements feel more integrated than in some contemporary thrillers that treat technology as a gimmick rather than a natural part of modern life.<\/p>\n

Readers who enjoy authors like Liane Moriarty, Ruth Ware, and Catherine Ryan Howard will find much to appreciate here. Mara shares their ability to find darkness lurking beneath suburban normalcy, but her distinctly Irish voice and focus on contemporary parenting challenges give her work a unique flavor.<\/p>\n

Final Verdict: A Compelling Addition to the Domestic Thriller Canon<\/h2>\n

It Should Have Been You<\/em> succeeds as both an entertaining page-turner and a thoughtful exploration of modern life\u2019s pressures and pitfalls. While not without its flaws \u2013 some coincidences feel contrived, and the resolution comes perhaps too neatly \u2013 the novel\u2019s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.<\/p>\n

Mara has crafted a thriller that works on multiple levels: as a mystery about mistaken identity and deadly secrets, as a social commentary on digital age communication<\/a>, and as an intimate portrait of a woman struggling with new motherhood while her world falls apart. The four-star average rating this book has received feels accurate \u2013 it\u2019s a highly engaging, well-crafted thriller that will satisfy genre fans while offering enough substance to appeal to readers of literary fiction.<\/p>\n

For anyone who has ever sent a message to the wrong person, lived in a gossipy neighborhood, or struggled with the gap between public appearance and private reality, It Should Have Been You<\/em> will resonate on a visceral level. It\u2019s a reminder that in our interconnected world, one moment of carelessness can have devastating consequences \u2013 and that sometimes, the people we think we know best are the ones harboring the darkest secrets.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andrea Mara has carved out a distinctive niche in the crowded psychological thriller landscape, and her latest novel, It Should Have Been You, demonstrates exactly why she\u2019s become a must-read author for fans of domestic suspense. Following the success of previous works like No One Saw a Thing, Someone in the Attic, and All Her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3012"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3012\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}