A suburban neighbourhood starts to spiral when one text message causes a nasty chain reaction with horrifying consequences.
You press send and your message disappears. Full of secrets about your neighbours, it’s meant for your sister. But it doesn’t reach her—it goes to the entire local community WhatsApp group instead.
As rumor 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.
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…
Your item was added to pickup at [location]
Your [amount] away from FREE shipping!
You qualify for FREE shipping!
Translation missing: en.settings.free_shipping_default_message
"This was a wild and crazy ride. I love the short chapters and alternating points of view. The intersecting stories and the different things happening to these characters lead me down a twisty road. I was impressed by Andrea Mara's ability to keep me guessing to the very end. I look forward to reading more of their work in the future."
— Anonymous (4/5)
Will keep you on your toes throughout…
"What an excellent book. Just what I was wanting to read. First book ever by Andrea Mara and she’s a very good writer, very articulate. Short chapters too always handy if you are reading before bed I find. It’s a weaving kind of plot and you don’t really know quite who killed them but the lives of the people in the community are believable . Some snobby types of women and some busy bodies interfering in each other’s lives. The main characters carry the story with enough intrigue to keep you reading. Highly recommended."
— Katzyy (5/5)
Great book, i didnt
"Great book, i didnt want to put it down. Recommend!"
— Mt123 (5/5)
Drama galore!
"Drama galore! A text message, that should not have been sent, leads to another text message, that should not have been sent. Talk about drama via the neighbourhood chat group. Many neighbourhoods have a community page where this drama takes place every day though I suspect most doesn’t lead to multiple murders. Celeste started it all. She sent a text taking a swipe at another neighbour, Susan. Thinking she was texting her sisters, Susan sent out a rebuttal targeting Celeste, her husband and kids. And that’s when the fight started. The story is told from many perspectives and you do meet all the people in the neighbourhood. Almost everyone in this community is awful. They’re neither likable nor have any redeemable qualities. One person after the other is toxic, chaotic and unhinged. The pettiness is unfathomable. Granted, I did enjoy the drama and am glad it’s not mine. Lots of life lessons to be learned from this story. Most important: How to mind your $@#&ing business and keep your mouth shut! Maybe put the phone down too. If you love neighbourhood drama, then this book is for you. Who hasn’t looked out the window when neighbours are yelling at one another or when the cops show up outside. I know I am. And so are my cats! Who do you think alerted me. They’re nosy too."
— Brantford N. (5/5)
Pages fly by
"It Should Have Been you is a fast paced thriller with twists and turns that keep you hooked from beginning to end. The book in fact is diabolically clever and there are many jaw dropping moments. Susan inadvertently sends off a text thinking its to her sisters but instead its to the community What's App Group. It was not the nicest of texts. Her life spirals out of control from that moment on. Andrea Mara takes the reader down a tense and twisted path that will have you holding your breath. I leave the rest of the journey up to the reader. I dont want to give anything away. Clear your calendar, grab your copy and be prepared to read long into the night."
— Judy1 (4/5)
Q&A
Published date: Dec 16, 2025
Language: English
No. of Pages: 384
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
ISBN: 9780385699495
Dimensions:
5.5" W x
1.0" L x
8.25" H
"A simple, ordinary mistake explodes into a suburban nightmare in this hugely compelling, one-sitting read packed full of thrilling moments and genuinely surprising twists. Andrea Mara is at the very top of her game." —Catherine Ryan Howard, author of 56 Days
"It Should Have been You left me breathless. Andrea Mara deftly reveals each character's dark, deadly secret with her usual skill." —Jane Corry, author of My Husband’s Wife
"Wow, It Should Have Been You blew me away. Ingenious plotting, brilliantly written, pacy and totally unpredictable, I devoured it over a weekend. This is Andrea Mara's best book yet. Absolutely outstanding!" —Claire Douglas, author of Local Girl Missing
"Andrea Mara gets better and better. It Should Have Been You is so relatable and it's agonisingly compelling. I absolutely loved it." —Catherine Kirwan
"It Should Have Been You is another triumph showcasing Andrea Mara's brilliant, compulsive plotting. The queen of the neighbourhood thriller, Mara writes multi-layered, utterly believable characters that grab you from the first page. Riveting, twisty and revealing—I couldn't put it down." —Sam Blake
"The intricacy of the plotting, the tension, the pacing, the delicious gossipiness. . . . Masterful. . . . I loved it. I love all her books . . . but this one is my all time fave." —Sophie White, author of Where I End
"It had me enthralled. A masterclass in tension." —Patricia Gibney, author of The Missing Ones
“Andrea has a knack of taking our every day anxieties and turning them into full-blown nightmares. She is on of the best psychological thriller writers out there, subtly weaving darkly absorbing stories with relatable characters who leap off the page.” —John Marrs, author of You Killed Me First and The One
“It Should Have Been Youis an up-all-night thriller that makes us consider the consequences of one small mistake. Compulsive, twisty, and utterly-page-turning. I devoured it.” —Lucy Clarke, author of One of the Girls
ANDREA MARA is a #1 international bestselling author. Several of her books have been shortlisted for Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year awards. She lives in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband and three young children. Someone in the Attic was her North American debut, and It Should Have Been You is her second novel to be published in North America.
You May Also Like
Previous
Next
Recently Viewed
Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
Opens in a new window.
eBooks from Indigo are available at Kobo.com
Simply sign in or create your free Kobo account to get started. Read eBooks on any Kobo eReader or with the free Kobo App.
Why Kobo?
With over 6 million of the world's best eBooks to choose from, Kobo offers you a whole world of reading. Go shelf-less with your library and enjoy reward points with every purchase.