It Should Have Been You Summary: A Tale of Suburban Secrets by Andrea Mara
Inside The Story
This article provides a factual breakdown of Andrea Mara’s psychological thriller, It Should Have Been You.
The book presents a chain reaction that begins with a single digital mistake and expands into multiple violent tragedies.
What follows is a comprehensive overview of what happens and who is involved.
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TL;DR: The Chain Reaction
A tired mother sends a cruel message about her neighbors to the wrong group chat.
The message goes viral locally, and within days, a woman who looks like her is dead at a matching address.
The incident connects multiple hidden affairs, abusive relationships, and long-buried resentments.
The narrative concludes with several deaths, a kidnapping, and a final revelation about the first murder.
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Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Susan O’Donnell | Schoolteacher whose accidental message starts the chain of events. |
| Jon Mullane | Susan’s husband who has a secret affair with Savannah Holmes. |
| Greta O’Donnell | Susan’s sister who killed Savannah and survives a forced overdose. |
| Leesa Khoury | Susan’s supportive sister who provides shelter during the crisis. |
| Maeve Khoury | Leesa’s teenage daughter who is cyberbullied and run over. |
| Aoife Khoury | Leesa’s tech-savvy daughter who exposes the online bullying. |
| Celeste Geary | Susan’s high-achieving neighbor whose family fractures. |
| Warren Geary | Celeste’s husband who had a brief affair with Aimee Quinlan. |
| Nika Geary | Celeste’s daughter who cyberbullies Maeve and commits a hit-and-run. |
| Cody Geary | Celeste’s troubled teenage son. |
| Savannah Holmes | The victim at the duplicate address and Jon’s mistress. |
| Aimee Quinlan | The PR worker murdered by her husband Rory. |
| Rory Quinlan | Aimee’s abusive husband who is killed by Venetia. |
| Venetia | Aimee’s sister who seeks revenge against Susan’s family. |
| Felipe | Venetia’s husband who dies protecting baby Bella. |
| Albie Byrne | Savannah’s ex-husband who covered up her drunk-driving accident. |
It Should Have Been You Summary: The Escalating Consequences
Warning: This summary contains major spoilers.
Susan O’Donnell, a secondary school math teacher on maternity leave, accidentally posts a gossip-filled message to the 300-member Oakpark WhatsApp group.
She deletes it quickly, but not before it is screenshotted.
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That night, a brick is thrown through her window, and she receives anonymous threats.
A woman named Savannah Holmes is then found dead at 26 Oakpark in Loughlinstown. This is a different development that shares the same house number and street name as Susan’s address in Blackrock.
Savannah resembles Susan physically. Susan believes Savannah was killed by mistake.
The truth is more personal. Susan’s husband, Jon, had been having an affair with Savannah under the alias “Sam.” Savannah learned Jon’s real identity and confronted him. She is the one who smashed Susan’s window.
A second tragedy unfolds from the same text. The message exposed an affair between Warren Geary and Aimee Quinlan. Aimee’s abusive husband, Rory, murders her after seeing the screenshot. Aimee’s sister, Venetia, then kills Rory with a barbell.
Venetia blames Susan for Aimee’s death and launches a terror campaign against Susan’s family. This culminates in Venetia breaking into Susan’s home and kidnapping her baby, Bella. The conflict peaks during a summer party when Venetia holds Susan and her sister Greta hostage.
Venetia forces Susan to choose who dies: her sister or her baby. Greta volunteers and tells Susan to inject her with heroin. Unbeknownst to Venetia, Greta has taken Naltrexone, which blocks the opiate.
Venetia flees with Bella, but her husband Felipe blocks the car. Venetia stabs Felipe, and Susan knocks Venetia unconscious. Felipe later dies from his wounds.
The final twist involves Greta. She discovered that Savannah was the drunk driver who ended Greta’s hockey career years earlier. Savannah’s ex-husband, Albie Byrne, had covered it up.
When Greta confronted Savannah, Savannah mocked her injury. Greta pushed her in rage, and Savannah hit her head on a radiator and died.
One year later, Susan and Jon are separated. Susan attends therapy and processes the fallout from a single message.
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Summary by Chapter: Grouped Narrative Phases
Spoilers are included in this breakdown.
The Fatal Message and Immediate Reaction
Susan’s WhatsApp error introduces the main conflict and triggers immediate retaliation. The story establishes the parallel lives of Susan and Savannah. The neighborhood setting shifts from mundane to paranoid.
Multiple Deaths and Widening Suspicion
Savannah’s death and the double homicide of Aimee and Rory Quinlan hit the community. Susan notices physical and address similarities between herself and Savannah. Her fear of a mistaken-identity killing grows.
Uncovered Betrayals and Teenage Conflict
Susan finds receipts that prove Jon’s infidelity. A secondary plot emerges when Nika Geary posts Maeve’s private diary on Snapchat. This leads to intense cyberbullying and a hit-and-run later in the book.
Confrontation and Escalating Danger
Greta interferes with Nika’s hockey camp lunch to protect Maeve. Celeste accuses Greta of negligence publicly. Susan connects Jon to the timeline around Savannah’s death.
The Hostage Situation and Climax
Nika runs Maeve down. Venetia takes Susan and Greta hostage. The forced-injection scene occurs, and Felipe sacrifices himself to save Bella. Susan stops Venetia, but Felipe dies.
The Final Revelation and Aftermath
A year later, Susan and Celeste reach a quiet understanding. The narrative reveals that Greta killed Savannah. The book closes with Susan reflecting on the irreversible damage caused by one action.
What Drives The Story
| Theme | How The Book Presents It |
|---|---|
| Actions and Consequences | A single digital mistake expands into abuse, revenge, and multiple deaths. |
| Maternal Anxiety and Protection | Postpartum pressure and the drive to protect children shape key decisions. |
| Suburban Pretence | Pristine Dublin neighborhoods hide infidelity, abuse, and self-harm. |
| Sisterly Sacrifice | Loyalty between sisters drives both Greta’s selflessness and Venetia’s grief. |
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