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It Should Have Been You
A cyberstalked high-school advice columnist takes matters into her own hands to discover the secrets behind her twin sister's murder in this intense and compelling mystery thriller.
Seventeen-year-old Clara Seibert ghostwrites an advice column for her school’s newspaper. She’s funny, feisty, and cares deeply about making a difference in people’s lives, but her own personal problems threaten to overwhelm her. Five months ago, her twin, Moura, was murdered.
Soon threatening emails start to arrive at her staff inbox. Convinced that her email stalker blames Clara for her sister’s death and is out for revenge, she decides to undertake her own investigation. Can she solve the murder in time to save herself?
This suspenseful page-turner about a complicated sibling relationship is perfect for fans of We Were Liars, Fangirl, I'll Give You the Sun, and Vanishing Girls. Secrets, lies, brilliantly crafted twists and turns, and a dual mystery will keep readers in suspense until the very last page.
Although primarily a whodunit, this novel also focuses on important social themes high-school teens face. Lynn blends a page-turning mystery thriller with sweet romance and demonstrates the very real effects of grief, rivalry, sexuality, dating violence, and bullying on today's youth. Clara is believable, relatable, smart, snarky, brave, and conscientious. Her strong teen voice will resonate with a wide audience, and she is a perfect role model for teens who are dealing with similar social issues.
Seventeen-year-old Clara Seibert ghostwrites an advice column for her school’s newspaper. She’s funny, feisty, and cares deeply about making a difference in people’s lives, but her own personal problems threaten to overwhelm her. Five months ago, her twin, Moura, was murdered.
Soon threatening emails start to arrive at her staff inbox. Convinced that her email stalker blames Clara for her sister’s death and is out for revenge, she decides to undertake her own investigation. Can she solve the murder in time to save herself?
This suspenseful page-turner about a complicated sibling relationship is perfect for fans of We Were Liars, Fangirl, I'll Give You the Sun, and Vanishing Girls. Secrets, lies, brilliantly crafted twists and turns, and a dual mystery will keep readers in suspense until the very last page.
Although primarily a whodunit, this novel also focuses on important social themes high-school teens face. Lynn blends a page-turning mystery thriller with sweet romance and demonstrates the very real effects of grief, rivalry, sexuality, dating violence, and bullying on today's youth. Clara is believable, relatable, smart, snarky, brave, and conscientious. Her strong teen voice will resonate with a wide audience, and she is a perfect role model for teens who are dealing with similar social issues.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 30, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
February 4, 2018
I don't wanna talk about it.
December 28, 2017
YA thrillers have been on fire lately - Karen M. McManus' One of Us Is Lying, Amanda Searcy's The Truth Beneath the Lies, and now Lynn Slaughter's It Should Have Been You.
When It Should Have Been You first appeared in my mailbox I was intrigued. The premise sounded interesting, and I was looking forward to trying one of Page Street Kids new YA titles. As it turns out, this book blew me away! It's Veronica Mars meets One of Us is Lying. It's well written, suspenseful, and compelling. It's a book that calls to be read in one sitting because once you start you just can't stop.
It Should Have Been You begins the story of Clara Seibert, the twin left behind. When Clara's sister was brutally murdered in their own home, Clara's life was turned upside down. Her family has fallen apart, her mother can barely stand to look at her, and her sister's fan base believes Clara is the killer. It doesn't help that Clara is having a hard time grieving. Her sister and her were never close - she barely knew her - so how can you truly grieve someone, a twin to make matters worse, that you didn't know the first thing about? When Clara starts receiving threatening letters, claiming it should have been her, she decides she needs to take action: she needs to find out who's behind this before they kill her next.
Part of what made It Should Have Been You so fantastic was Clara. Clara is stronger than she gives herself credit for. She's also wickedly smart, a good friend, and an even better advice columnist. I loved that Lynn Slaughter brought Clara's hobbies out front and center. It was always interesting to see what questions she would get for her advice column, and it brought out such a wise, helpful part of Clara. Honestly, she'd be the person to go to if you have a problem! I also found her relationship with her sister Moura to be fascinating. With this kind of book you'd figure her and her sister would have been super close, but that wasn't the case at all. Clara barely knew her beyond the superficial level, and as it turns out, her sisters was hiding a lot of secrets.
The plot in this kept me on my toes the whole way through! I never could quite pin down who the bad guy was, and the times where I was sure I was right, I ended up being completely wrong. What made it even more thrilling that everyone seemed to be a suspect at some point. Constantly, I was double guessing everyone's motives, especially when it came to Moura's inner circle. What I loved even more was how well Lynn Slaughter pulled everything together at the end. I don't want to say too much, but I will say everything was a lot more connected than I could have ever imagined! Additionally, there was a touch of romance in this as well as that was believable as well as swoon-worthy. It also brought upon a pretty fun reveal towards the middle, which seriously had me laughing out loud.
Overall, if It Should Have Been You is any indiction of what Page Street's YA line will be like, we're in for quite the treat! I can't suggest this one highly enough, and I look forward to Lynn's next book.
When It Should Have Been You first appeared in my mailbox I was intrigued. The premise sounded interesting, and I was looking forward to trying one of Page Street Kids new YA titles. As it turns out, this book blew me away! It's Veronica Mars meets One of Us is Lying. It's well written, suspenseful, and compelling. It's a book that calls to be read in one sitting because once you start you just can't stop.
It Should Have Been You begins the story of Clara Seibert, the twin left behind. When Clara's sister was brutally murdered in their own home, Clara's life was turned upside down. Her family has fallen apart, her mother can barely stand to look at her, and her sister's fan base believes Clara is the killer. It doesn't help that Clara is having a hard time grieving. Her sister and her were never close - she barely knew her - so how can you truly grieve someone, a twin to make matters worse, that you didn't know the first thing about? When Clara starts receiving threatening letters, claiming it should have been her, she decides she needs to take action: she needs to find out who's behind this before they kill her next.
Part of what made It Should Have Been You so fantastic was Clara. Clara is stronger than she gives herself credit for. She's also wickedly smart, a good friend, and an even better advice columnist. I loved that Lynn Slaughter brought Clara's hobbies out front and center. It was always interesting to see what questions she would get for her advice column, and it brought out such a wise, helpful part of Clara. Honestly, she'd be the person to go to if you have a problem! I also found her relationship with her sister Moura to be fascinating. With this kind of book you'd figure her and her sister would have been super close, but that wasn't the case at all. Clara barely knew her beyond the superficial level, and as it turns out, her sisters was hiding a lot of secrets.
The plot in this kept me on my toes the whole way through! I never could quite pin down who the bad guy was, and the times where I was sure I was right, I ended up being completely wrong. What made it even more thrilling that everyone seemed to be a suspect at some point. Constantly, I was double guessing everyone's motives, especially when it came to Moura's inner circle. What I loved even more was how well Lynn Slaughter pulled everything together at the end. I don't want to say too much, but I will say everything was a lot more connected than I could have ever imagined! Additionally, there was a touch of romance in this as well as that was believable as well as swoon-worthy. It also brought upon a pretty fun reveal towards the middle, which seriously had me laughing out loud.
Overall, if It Should Have Been You is any indiction of what Page Street's YA line will be like, we're in for quite the treat! I can't suggest this one highly enough, and I look forward to Lynn's next book.
January 9, 2018
4.5 stars
December 4, 2017
Thank you to Page Street Kids for a copy of the ARC in exchange for a fair review.
It should have been you Here is the link to preorder. Release date is 1/30
Clara is still reeling from the murder of her sister Moura it has been five months and a lot of suspicion due to the fact that she was in the house while her sister was murdered. But Clara knows she didn't kill her sister. She just wants to get back to normal, but it is so hard when her mom is losing her battle with grief and people still believe the rumors that she killed her sister.
So when Clara gets the email saying It should have been you, she doesn't tell anyone right away. But after she tries to reply and it gets bounce back, she does go see the Detective that was working on Moura's case. When he meets her with suspicion she worries that no one will ever find the killer.
So she decides that she has to look into this, not only to clear her name, but to save her life as well.
I couldn't stop reading this from the moment I opened the book. This book deals with so much from domestic violence among teens, murder, stalking, inappropriate relationships and so much more. I wanted to shake all the people that found it so easy to believe that someone could or would kill their own sister just because she was left out and jealous. I mean I do know that it happens, but still I found that so frustrating.
I admit that I pretty much guessed the killer when certain information was revealed, but my guess is it was designed to be that way, what I didn't see coming was the other part.... I know so vague but spoilers. I don't want to ruin it for you. This is a must read!
It should have been you Here is the link to preorder. Release date is 1/30
Clara is still reeling from the murder of her sister Moura it has been five months and a lot of suspicion due to the fact that she was in the house while her sister was murdered. But Clara knows she didn't kill her sister. She just wants to get back to normal, but it is so hard when her mom is losing her battle with grief and people still believe the rumors that she killed her sister.
So when Clara gets the email saying It should have been you, she doesn't tell anyone right away. But after she tries to reply and it gets bounce back, she does go see the Detective that was working on Moura's case. When he meets her with suspicion she worries that no one will ever find the killer.
So she decides that she has to look into this, not only to clear her name, but to save her life as well.
I couldn't stop reading this from the moment I opened the book. This book deals with so much from domestic violence among teens, murder, stalking, inappropriate relationships and so much more. I wanted to shake all the people that found it so easy to believe that someone could or would kill their own sister just because she was left out and jealous. I mean I do know that it happens, but still I found that so frustrating.
I admit that I pretty much guessed the killer when certain information was revealed, but my guess is it was designed to be that way, what I didn't see coming was the other part.... I know so vague but spoilers. I don't want to ruin it for you. This is a must read!
July 23, 2018
In this smart YA thriller, the twin sister of a murdered piano prodigy is receiving her own death threats. It Should Have Been You gives readers two mysteries which may or may not be connected: Who killed Moura, and who is threatening Clara? There are suspects galore for both, although the local police are making little headway on either. In fact, the detective in charge of investigating Moura’s murder seems to focus on Clara as the most likely culprit.
It Should Have Been You has many appealing aspects, including clever, authentic banter between Clara and her friends and frenemies, and new clues to ponder pop up in almost every short chapter in this fast-paced novel. As the anonymous advice columnist for her school newspaper, Clara’s communication with her advice-seekers provides not only interesting alternative voices but an important subplot about physical abuse in adolescent relationships. Although the plot moves quickly, author Lynn Slaughter rewards readers with insightful depth related to arts education, various psychological conditions, and ways that trauma affects families and friends.
I won’t say anything about the ending other than when I thought it was over it wasn’t over. There is one amazing coincidence that made me wince a little, but it doesn’t affect the plot or the outcome. It Should Have Been You had me wondering and re-checking clues until the very end.
It Should Have Been You has many appealing aspects, including clever, authentic banter between Clara and her friends and frenemies, and new clues to ponder pop up in almost every short chapter in this fast-paced novel. As the anonymous advice columnist for her school newspaper, Clara’s communication with her advice-seekers provides not only interesting alternative voices but an important subplot about physical abuse in adolescent relationships. Although the plot moves quickly, author Lynn Slaughter rewards readers with insightful depth related to arts education, various psychological conditions, and ways that trauma affects families and friends.
I won’t say anything about the ending other than when I thought it was over it wasn’t over. There is one amazing coincidence that made me wince a little, but it doesn’t affect the plot or the outcome. It Should Have Been You had me wondering and re-checking clues until the very end.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
February 28, 2023 Received advanced reader copy from publisher via Baker & Taylor book supplier
I gave this one 114 pages before I rolled my eyes for the final time and put it aside as a “did not finish.” It was because there were 5 star Goodreads reviews, and the intriguing storyline, that I gave it more than my usual 50 pages. But the story did not flow (interview segments were so choppy), I felt like details were popping out of nowhere (did we know Jenny played tennis before the Tennis Mafia comment? If we were told, it didn’t stick), and I was so sick of reading about the food being eaten (this had NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY! I don’t care if they were eating takeout, pulling a pizza from the freezer, etc.).
Also of note: the publisher included a note in the ARC (not unusual) and explained that they were introducing a YA publishing line and would be focusing more on cover art and marketing. And, this was the cover they came up with? A cover that invokes a same-sex-relationship? Or at the very least close sibling? When they couldn’t stand each other?? Nope. Just nope. And for me to get annoyed at a cover selection? That is big. I will fall in love with covers, yes. And, covers definitely draw my attention when I’m shopping/roaming the library. But to criticize a cover? Not sure I’ve ever done that before!
** No finished date included because I did not want this to count toward my Goodreads challenge.**
I gave this one 114 pages before I rolled my eyes for the final time and put it aside as a “did not finish.” It was because there were 5 star Goodreads reviews, and the intriguing storyline, that I gave it more than my usual 50 pages. But the story did not flow (interview segments were so choppy), I felt like details were popping out of nowhere (did we know Jenny played tennis before the Tennis Mafia comment? If we were told, it didn’t stick), and I was so sick of reading about the food being eaten (this had NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY! I don’t care if they were eating takeout, pulling a pizza from the freezer, etc.).
Also of note: the publisher included a note in the ARC (not unusual) and explained that they were introducing a YA publishing line and would be focusing more on cover art and marketing. And, this was the cover they came up with? A cover that invokes a same-sex-relationship? Or at the very least close sibling? When they couldn’t stand each other?? Nope. Just nope. And for me to get annoyed at a cover selection? That is big. I will fall in love with covers, yes. And, covers definitely draw my attention when I’m shopping/roaming the library. But to criticize a cover? Not sure I’ve ever done that before!
** No finished date included because I did not want this to count toward my Goodreads challenge.**
March 11, 2018
This started off good. Really good. I was intrigued and wanted to find out who killed Moura. Clara starts receiving threatening emails from a stalker and she is thrust back into the police world with the same detective who couldn't pinpoint her sister's murderer and still believes Clara is the culprit. The most believable thing was the detective pinning the blame on Clara when she was innocent and treating her unfairly; I have first hand experience with that. Anyway, Clara is crushing on new student Ben and they succumb to instant love. She investigates her sister's murder by going around to each of Moura's friends and questioning them and asking if they were in a secret relationship. No one likes her except her bff Jenny because everyone liked self-centered, manipulative, and cold Moura and thinks Clara killed her because she yelled at her in public. The story became more ridiculous as I read on.
February 5, 2019
Неоднозначное у меня впечатление от книги. Сама она, конечно, смешная и наивная. Детектив не особо серьезный и очень предсказуемый. Но при этом, несмотря на то, что детективная линия – основная, книгу мне читать было очень интересно. Я прямо оторваться не могла (ну а вдруг все автор еще интереснее завернет). Для подростков, на мой взгляд, само то. И романтика, и детективные линии. И даже есть, о чем подумать (советы колонки Клары). В целом, очень даже не плохо.
И да, мода на умерших «не тех» близняшек прямо кругом.
И да, мода на умерших «не тех» близняшек прямо кругом.
September 17, 2022
this read like “one of us is lying,” like every cliche murder mystery with a side of romance. it wasn’t very surprising, but it was a quick read.
April 9, 2018
I would first like to thank Lynn Slaughter for sending me a signed complementary copy. Upon request I received it almost immediately! I think a YA novel is very hard to review especially when the reviewer, me, is way beyond the YA years. I tried to think of myself as a 13 year old girl reading this book and reviewing. And I think I would say this book was “very cool”! It started out simple, a little sad and mysterious (there was a murder!), then kept building with tension that would keep any young person interested. The main character, Clara, sure had a lot of bad stuff happen to her which made the story intriguing and suspenseful. However Clara was strong and smart, and a typical teen thrown into a not so typical situation. There are many issues raised in this story that teens today deal with re: cyber-bullying and peer pressure. Add a few little sweet romances and some funny dialogue and you now have a book that deserves 4 stars!
June 4, 2023
4.5/10, wow, this was a repulsive and abysmal YA crime/thriller book, what's wrong with them? Now I have to find another YA book to enjoy other than this one, because this book just wasn't for me. The main character, Clara, was actually an unreliable narrator, which meant that I was quite deceived and confused by her as I read through the book, especially when she told me that she was the killer, but she wasn't the killer at all, which became apparent as I read more of the book. Clara herself was also quite an unlikable character, not only was she unreliable, but also she was disrespectful to some people, like her mother, and the detective, not to mention that she is also quite reckless, starting her own investigation into her sister's death (which was just asking people what they knew about Moura), but that did nothing much, except nearly getting her killed at times.
I thought I found the killer, whose name was Joel, since the main character could tell someone's handwriting, and also their size based on what shirt they wore? What, how does that even make any sense? Unfortunately, however, Joel was not the killer (but at least she found the person who stalked her with emails), it was just another red herring, just like when Clara lied that she was the killer, but she was not, I found that very frustrating to read. There were so many characters within the book, I couldn't even remember most of them, why did the author decide to put as many characters as possible within the book? The real killer was a person I never knew before, he was called Dr. Levitsky, and he killed Moura because of jealousy or something? Speaking of, Moura actually wasn't a great character either, she was just cold, snobby, and self absorbed, at least according to the eyewitnesses of the characters, including Hannah, who was her crush. If you like young adult books, try the Maze Runner, it's a lot more believable, and action packed than this book, and it also has a hint of mystery in it.
I thought I found the killer, whose name was Joel, since the main character could tell someone's handwriting, and also their size based on what shirt they wore? What, how does that even make any sense? Unfortunately, however, Joel was not the killer (but at least she found the person who stalked her with emails), it was just another red herring, just like when Clara lied that she was the killer, but she was not, I found that very frustrating to read. There were so many characters within the book, I couldn't even remember most of them, why did the author decide to put as many characters as possible within the book? The real killer was a person I never knew before, he was called Dr. Levitsky, and he killed Moura because of jealousy or something? Speaking of, Moura actually wasn't a great character either, she was just cold, snobby, and self absorbed, at least according to the eyewitnesses of the characters, including Hannah, who was her crush. If you like young adult books, try the Maze Runner, it's a lot more believable, and action packed than this book, and it also has a hint of mystery in it.
Read
July 18, 2018DNF
May 18, 2022
I'm sorry, I don't usually DNF books but I had to with this one. I got 5 chapters in and just couldn't take it anymore. The premise sounded really cool and I was excited to read this book but it was just bad. The plot wasn't making any sense and felt very rushed; the dialogue didn't sound anything like how normal humans talk to each other; the main character didn't feel at all like a teenager and instead felt like a 30-40 year old trapped in a teen's body; there were so many people introduced all at once that it created "character soup"; and there was also stigmatization of mental health, which I didn't life tbh.
-Why does everyone in town and online think Clara killed her sister? Normal people's reaction would be "Oh I'm sorry for your loss." not "You F-ing killed her you murderess snake!!!" Even the explanation of "They weren't very close and she WAS in the house at the time" doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
-It's mentioned multiple times that Clara got harassed to an extreme both on and offline right after her sister was murdered (implying she probably got other death threats in the past) so why does this specific death threat set her off so badly? If the harassment really was as bad as she claims it is wouldn't her reaction to the initial threat be "Oh look, another one. Delete." not "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god someone wants me dead!"
-Why does Moura have so many fans? She was a prodigy...okay, and? It's not like the parents were celebrities and it wasn't mentioned that she was like an influencer or anything. We're just told multiple times "Moura had lots of fans." HOW did she get so famous? Tons of people can play the piano amazingly and they're not all super famous like Moura apparently was.
-Why is the dad so inconsistent? Clara tells the audience multiple times that her parents greatly favored her sister and makes it seem like it was a miracle to ever get their attention for 5 seconds. Yet the dad seems to be very involved and concerned about Clara and her life? If instead she was like "My mom has always loved Moura much more than me but my dad has always been there for me." then that would make much sense...but instead it's framed where it seems like both her parents never really cared about her life but (nearly) every time we see the dad he's interested in her life???
-Clara does not act a teenager, she acts like a 30-40 year old. To be honest, all of the teens seemed to like more like adults instead of...well teenagers. I especially noticed this when at the start Clara gets yelled at for not immediately telling her parents about the first death threat (even though it had only been like 3 hours since she got it.) Normal kids would react like "I didn't want to worry you and didn't think it was a big deal? Why are you getting mad at me, I got these all the time right after Moura died. It's literally not that serious, I don't know why you're so mad at me, dad." but instead Clara is like "Yeah I actually deserved to get yelled at for that." ??? Teens don't have the foresight to see the bigger picture. Not being rude, it's just scientifically proven that teens can't see the bigger picture of things. Also, no she didn't deserve to be yelled at for that. Like, she never even got a chance to tell her parents about the death threat before they wanted to yell at her about it?
-There are way too many characters being introduced all at once. Every chapter there was like 1-5 new names being added to the list. I don't know any of these 50 billion people and I don't care about any of them. Every other scene where a new character was introduced it felt like a previous character could've easily taken that place and used it for the audience to get to know them. Jenny's introduction? Could've instead had CJ take Clara back to her house so we can get to know CJ more. Introducing CJ's crush (whatever his name was)? Could've instead put Clara's crush in that scene. (And yes I skipped to the end and know why the author had two different crushes but it would've more interesting if there had been only one and that had been the bad guy.) There was just too many names to keep track of right at the start of the book.
-One last thing: I don't really know how to explain this or how to give examples but with the way this book was written and how the characters were acting, you could tell an older adult wrote it. That's not me saying older people can't write good stories, just that this particular one had the vibe of that relative that always complains on Facebook, you know the one. The way that the characters acted and reacted to things (especially the younger ones), it didn't feel like she was writing actual people. The teens didn't feel like teens, they felt like how she WISHED teenagers would act. The adults didn't feel like adults, they felt like caricatures of adults.
I just...can't with this book. Is this a proper review? No, I didn't finish it. Could some of my problems have been resolved if I had pushed through more? Maybe, but I doubt it. We're only in May but I do believe I have found my least favorite book of 2022.
-Why does everyone in town and online think Clara killed her sister? Normal people's reaction would be "Oh I'm sorry for your loss." not "You F-ing killed her you murderess snake!!!" Even the explanation of "They weren't very close and she WAS in the house at the time" doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
-It's mentioned multiple times that Clara got harassed to an extreme both on and offline right after her sister was murdered (implying she probably got other death threats in the past) so why does this specific death threat set her off so badly? If the harassment really was as bad as she claims it is wouldn't her reaction to the initial threat be "Oh look, another one. Delete." not "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god someone wants me dead!"
-Why does Moura have so many fans? She was a prodigy...okay, and? It's not like the parents were celebrities and it wasn't mentioned that she was like an influencer or anything. We're just told multiple times "Moura had lots of fans." HOW did she get so famous? Tons of people can play the piano amazingly and they're not all super famous like Moura apparently was.
-Why is the dad so inconsistent? Clara tells the audience multiple times that her parents greatly favored her sister and makes it seem like it was a miracle to ever get their attention for 5 seconds. Yet the dad seems to be very involved and concerned about Clara and her life? If instead she was like "My mom has always loved Moura much more than me but my dad has always been there for me." then that would make much sense...but instead it's framed where it seems like both her parents never really cared about her life but (nearly) every time we see the dad he's interested in her life???
-Clara does not act a teenager, she acts like a 30-40 year old. To be honest, all of the teens seemed to like more like adults instead of...well teenagers. I especially noticed this when at the start Clara gets yelled at for not immediately telling her parents about the first death threat (even though it had only been like 3 hours since she got it.) Normal kids would react like "I didn't want to worry you and didn't think it was a big deal? Why are you getting mad at me, I got these all the time right after Moura died. It's literally not that serious, I don't know why you're so mad at me, dad." but instead Clara is like "Yeah I actually deserved to get yelled at for that." ??? Teens don't have the foresight to see the bigger picture. Not being rude, it's just scientifically proven that teens can't see the bigger picture of things. Also, no she didn't deserve to be yelled at for that. Like, she never even got a chance to tell her parents about the death threat before they wanted to yell at her about it?
-There are way too many characters being introduced all at once. Every chapter there was like 1-5 new names being added to the list. I don't know any of these 50 billion people and I don't care about any of them. Every other scene where a new character was introduced it felt like a previous character could've easily taken that place and used it for the audience to get to know them. Jenny's introduction? Could've instead had CJ take Clara back to her house so we can get to know CJ more. Introducing CJ's crush (whatever his name was)? Could've instead put Clara's crush in that scene. (And yes I skipped to the end and know why the author had two different crushes but it would've more interesting if there had been only one and that had been the bad guy.) There was just too many names to keep track of right at the start of the book.
-One last thing: I don't really know how to explain this or how to give examples but with the way this book was written and how the characters were acting, you could tell an older adult wrote it. That's not me saying older people can't write good stories, just that this particular one had the vibe of that relative that always complains on Facebook, you know the one. The way that the characters acted and reacted to things (especially the younger ones), it didn't feel like she was writing actual people. The teens didn't feel like teens, they felt like how she WISHED teenagers would act. The adults didn't feel like adults, they felt like caricatures of adults.
I just...can't with this book. Is this a proper review? No, I didn't finish it. Could some of my problems have been resolved if I had pushed through more? Maybe, but I doubt it. We're only in May but I do believe I have found my least favorite book of 2022.
October 29, 2017
I got an advanced reader copy of this book and I LOVED it. Lynn Slaughter does an excellent job of keeping the reader's attention from the very first line. You will not want to put this down.
February 26, 2022
It Should Have Been You follows Clara Seibert as she tries to discover the murderer of her twin sister Moura. This is due to death threats that she receives through the email of the school advice column she runs. The novel introduces many characters throughout the story, leaving the reader guessing as to who could possibly be behind all the mysteries. The pacing is also very fast, which allows for short and quick chapters to keep the reader engaged, but also makes some of the portions of the story feel weird or unnecessary. In fact, some of the subplots in the novel feel as if they could be taken out of the book, with minimal impact to the plot. However, It Should Have Been You still proved to be a very entertaining YA novel throughout, with plenty of twists and turns, so I do recommend to those interested in a murder mystery.
July 3, 2018
So, a couple of days ago, I was in the library, looking for a new book to read. I wasn’t looking for a particular book or genre – I was just scanning some random shelves, hoping to spot a good book. I noticed this book on the shelves where new releases were kept and started flipping through the pages. I realized it was a murder mystery, so I thought, “Oh, seems like an interesting book.” I checked it out, and boy am I glad I did.
It was a wonderful book! From the word choice to descriptiveness (is that a word? I’m pretty sure it is) to the plot, this book was perfect.
The story revolves around 16 year old Clara Seibert, whose twin sister Moura, a highly talented pianist, had been murdered five months ago. On top of the grief of losing her twin (even though the twins weren’t that close), Clara starts getting mysterious phone calls and death threats from an evil cyberstalker who seems to be covinced that Clara murdered Moura. So Clara decides to undertake her own little investigation to save her own life while also clearing her name and finding out who really did murder Moura. However, conducting her own investigation also meas attracting a LOT of unwanted attention – and maybe even attention of Clara’s cyberstalker or Moura’s murderer. But Clara’s determined to save herself from the cyberstalker and even find out Moura’s killer – but trying to save her life means getting into situations that could just take it away.
So, overall, what I loved most about this book was the fact that it was very descriptive. So descriptive, in fact, that I could really imagine myself being in that sort of a situation, or as a third party viewer of all of this. However, while the plot itself kept me turning the pages, the identity of Clara’s cyberstalker was a bit… off. I mean, the threatening texts that Clara received really didn’t match with the cyberstalker’s actual motive (I think you might understand if you read the book.) So that part was a bit off, but the book, as I’ve already said, was delightful. An interesting storey indeed. Overall, this book was written in an intriguing, enjoyable manner, and makes for a good read!
It was a wonderful book! From the word choice to descriptiveness (is that a word? I’m pretty sure it is) to the plot, this book was perfect.
The story revolves around 16 year old Clara Seibert, whose twin sister Moura, a highly talented pianist, had been murdered five months ago. On top of the grief of losing her twin (even though the twins weren’t that close), Clara starts getting mysterious phone calls and death threats from an evil cyberstalker who seems to be covinced that Clara murdered Moura. So Clara decides to undertake her own little investigation to save her own life while also clearing her name and finding out who really did murder Moura. However, conducting her own investigation also meas attracting a LOT of unwanted attention – and maybe even attention of Clara’s cyberstalker or Moura’s murderer. But Clara’s determined to save herself from the cyberstalker and even find out Moura’s killer – but trying to save her life means getting into situations that could just take it away.
So, overall, what I loved most about this book was the fact that it was very descriptive. So descriptive, in fact, that I could really imagine myself being in that sort of a situation, or as a third party viewer of all of this. However, while the plot itself kept me turning the pages, the identity of Clara’s cyberstalker was a bit… off. I mean, the threatening texts that Clara received really didn’t match with the cyberstalker’s actual motive (I think you might understand if you read the book.) So that part was a bit off, but the book, as I’ve already said, was delightful. An interesting storey indeed. Overall, this book was written in an intriguing, enjoyable manner, and makes for a good read!
October 3, 2022
Don’t read this book. I read it until the end in hopes it will get better, but it didn’t.
Though it had a hooking beginning with the POV from the murderer before the crime, that’s about as good as it gets. From there, it went downhill EXTREMELY fast. On the first page alone, Lynn Slaughter introduced 5 different characters who turned out to be irrelevant to the story, and made me wonder why she mentioned them in the first place. There was just too many characters to remember, and it wasn’t easy to remember who was who because they all had no personality, nor details about them to make me recognize them. I lost track of who was who throughout the majority of this book. For example, I dislike how Lynn Slaughter wrote Ben. She made him seem like the perfect guy, which isn’t realistic at all. Who winks mid conversation? Who kisses someone on the first date? Overall, just really boring characters.
Secondly, the transitions were awful, and the writing wasn’t flowing. The whole detective Clara interrogation process was so choppy. She hopped from one place to another, and the writing felt all over the place. It was the same process but in a different font. She’d call them, meet up, get essentially no information that was important, and the cycle repeats. Near the end, Clara found clues in her sister’s closet. She should’ve just started there to save time, gas, and a trip to the hospital.
The whole finding the murderer confrontation-let alone any confrontation in this book- was boring, the complete opposite of thrilling. There wasn’t any good and notable details, no flowing writing, no attachment to the character to give suspense, etc. The foreshadowing didn’t stick out to me either, if there even was any. I didn’t remember it until it was brought up again. It seemed as though Slaughter wrote this book on a deadline, like it was rushed. I didn’t feel any emotion from this book.
I noticed that Lynn calls herself an author targeted towards teens and young adults. It makes sense, given how she tries to write with Gen-Z lingo but slides in Millennial terms I have never heard of. That was another huge ick for me; inconsistent writing style.
P.S, I hate how Lynn put in effort / details in all the wrong things, like what weird Italian food they were eating, or the type of music playing. I had no idea what she was talking about.
Also, her horrible writing reminded me of half-assed fan-fiction with the amount of blushing and “…” there was.
This book was a mess, and respectfully, never write a book again.
Though it had a hooking beginning with the POV from the murderer before the crime, that’s about as good as it gets. From there, it went downhill EXTREMELY fast. On the first page alone, Lynn Slaughter introduced 5 different characters who turned out to be irrelevant to the story, and made me wonder why she mentioned them in the first place. There was just too many characters to remember, and it wasn’t easy to remember who was who because they all had no personality, nor details about them to make me recognize them. I lost track of who was who throughout the majority of this book. For example, I dislike how Lynn Slaughter wrote Ben. She made him seem like the perfect guy, which isn’t realistic at all. Who winks mid conversation? Who kisses someone on the first date? Overall, just really boring characters.
Secondly, the transitions were awful, and the writing wasn’t flowing. The whole detective Clara interrogation process was so choppy. She hopped from one place to another, and the writing felt all over the place. It was the same process but in a different font. She’d call them, meet up, get essentially no information that was important, and the cycle repeats. Near the end, Clara found clues in her sister’s closet. She should’ve just started there to save time, gas, and a trip to the hospital.
The whole finding the murderer confrontation-let alone any confrontation in this book- was boring, the complete opposite of thrilling. There wasn’t any good and notable details, no flowing writing, no attachment to the character to give suspense, etc. The foreshadowing didn’t stick out to me either, if there even was any. I didn’t remember it until it was brought up again. It seemed as though Slaughter wrote this book on a deadline, like it was rushed. I didn’t feel any emotion from this book.
I noticed that Lynn calls herself an author targeted towards teens and young adults. It makes sense, given how she tries to write with Gen-Z lingo but slides in Millennial terms I have never heard of. That was another huge ick for me; inconsistent writing style.
P.S, I hate how Lynn put in effort / details in all the wrong things, like what weird Italian food they were eating, or the type of music playing. I had no idea what she was talking about.
Also, her horrible writing reminded me of half-assed fan-fiction with the amount of blushing and “…” there was.
This book was a mess, and respectfully, never write a book again.
May 21, 2018
It was an interesting premise with hit-or-miss execution. Some of the twists and intrigues were really interesting, and some were unrealistic and bordered on ridiculous. The ending, although I appreciated that something else happened with the emails and I had already made the connection to the recurring emails and who they were about, was silly. As was all the drama when Clara finally figured out the culprit in Moura's case. What a miraculous coincidence of timing.
A lot of the interview segments were just really disjointed and the book became a series of "I talked to her for two pages and then I skipped over to talk to him for a page and then I talked to her for a couple pages and–" It was okay for a bit, but I wish there was a better story line in Clara's present rather than just the focus on the investigation of the past.
Also, characters. Clara was interesting and feisty sometimes (although made some questionable decisions and was, to be quite frank, more than a little annoying during parts of her investigation), but I didn't see a lot of growth in her throughout the story. Most of the side characters were totally static and one-note and uninteresting, and, as far as I can tell, Moura and their mom had basically no redeeming qualities throughout. I actually liked the detective the most, as he showed the most genuine growth out of everyone even if he could be frustrating in the beginning (but although I felt Clara's frustration, I have to admit that I still sympathized with the detective because he is, in fact, just doing his job—and he still took all of her later concerns seriously, which is definitely good). Most of the other characters were pretty boring and underdeveloped.
Although I did have some problems with the story's structure and characters and some sketchy leaps, I found it to be a fun little thriller and was intrigued by the mystery as I worked alongside Clara to put the pieces together. I don't read that many thriller-type mysteries, so it was kind of a fun change.
A lot of the interview segments were just really disjointed and the book became a series of "I talked to her for two pages and then I skipped over to talk to him for a page and then I talked to her for a couple pages and–" It was okay for a bit, but I wish there was a better story line in Clara's present rather than just the focus on the investigation of the past.
Also, characters. Clara was interesting and feisty sometimes (although made some questionable decisions and was, to be quite frank, more than a little annoying during parts of her investigation), but I didn't see a lot of growth in her throughout the story. Most of the side characters were totally static and one-note and uninteresting, and, as far as I can tell, Moura and their mom had basically no redeeming qualities throughout. I actually liked the detective the most, as he showed the most genuine growth out of everyone even if he could be frustrating in the beginning (but although I felt Clara's frustration, I have to admit that I still sympathized with the detective because he is, in fact, just doing his job—and he still took all of her later concerns seriously, which is definitely good). Most of the other characters were pretty boring and underdeveloped.
Although I did have some problems with the story's structure and characters and some sketchy leaps, I found it to be a fun little thriller and was intrigued by the mystery as I worked alongside Clara to put the pieces together. I don't read that many thriller-type mysteries, so it was kind of a fun change.
July 31, 2019
TRIGGER WARNING for some pretty unnecessary and gruesome mentions of domestic abuse (a lot, for really no reason), sexual assault, rape, and suicide. Of course this is a book about a murdered sister, there’s death and violence and all that. But a seemingly big part of the book is that Clara, the living sister, is a journalist and did a report on dating violence? This is not a spoiler, by the way. But still, there was really no connection to the plot by including this and no mention of this or anything like it in the synopsis.
I thought the book was pretty amazing, and if it wasn’t for the (let me repeat) UNNECESSARY constant mentions of domestic abuse, I would have given it 5 stars. If Lynn Slaughter wanted to make a book about domestic abuse, I would encourage her to, with a connecting plot and allusion to it/warning in that synopsis. But this was a book about a murdered twin and being threatened, there was no need for that complete side plot.
If you are sensitive to domestic abuse in detail, skipping pages 238-241 will save you the trouble of reading through it and also does NOT include anything new about the plot at all, so no worries on missing out. I actually like that those pages are pretty clean cut, they have nothing to do with the plot and the next page is right when the interview with a survivor ends.
I just really would have appreciated a trigger warning or mention of this stuff. Anywhere in the book? I dislike how random and at parts, graphic it was. The violence and murder was mentioned in the synopsis and did not bother me like the abuse did. Without that subplot, the book would have been 5 stars.
I thought the book was pretty amazing, and if it wasn’t for the (let me repeat) UNNECESSARY constant mentions of domestic abuse, I would have given it 5 stars. If Lynn Slaughter wanted to make a book about domestic abuse, I would encourage her to, with a connecting plot and allusion to it/warning in that synopsis. But this was a book about a murdered twin and being threatened, there was no need for that complete side plot.
If you are sensitive to domestic abuse in detail, skipping pages 238-241 will save you the trouble of reading through it and also does NOT include anything new about the plot at all, so no worries on missing out. I actually like that those pages are pretty clean cut, they have nothing to do with the plot and the next page is right when the interview with a survivor ends.
I just really would have appreciated a trigger warning or mention of this stuff. Anywhere in the book? I dislike how random and at parts, graphic it was. The violence and murder was mentioned in the synopsis and did not bother me like the abuse did. Without that subplot, the book would have been 5 stars.
April 4, 2018
Sibling relationships are never completely even in the eyes of parents and tend to change, but what if your twin ends up dominating everything...and then is murdered? This is the situation Clara finds herself in after her piano virtuoso sister Moura was killed while Clara listened to jazz through headphones two floors above the crime. The detective assigned to the case keeps hinting that he believes she was the killer, her mother, who doted on, and devoted most of her time and energy to Moura, can't even look at her surviving daughter and her father, while supportive, doesn't have much left in the tank when she needs his emotional support.
The thing keeping her going is her being on the high school newspaper and the teen advice column she writes. When she begins receiving hang up calls and anonymous emails accusing her of killing Moura and hinting at harm to her, Clara decides it's time to do her own investigation. New student Ben offers her a welcome distraction and attraction between them grows, but even that bit of goodness is soon threatened. The deeper Clara digs, the more she realizes how little she knew Moura and then the threats ramp up.
This is a very good mystery with a cast of intriguing players, numerous red herrings and a double reveal at the end. A very good selection for libraries where teens enjoy smart and twisted mysteries.
The thing keeping her going is her being on the high school newspaper and the teen advice column she writes. When she begins receiving hang up calls and anonymous emails accusing her of killing Moura and hinting at harm to her, Clara decides it's time to do her own investigation. New student Ben offers her a welcome distraction and attraction between them grows, but even that bit of goodness is soon threatened. The deeper Clara digs, the more she realizes how little she knew Moura and then the threats ramp up.
This is a very good mystery with a cast of intriguing players, numerous red herrings and a double reveal at the end. A very good selection for libraries where teens enjoy smart and twisted mysteries.
May 26, 2018
Wow. At first, I thought this book wasn't really going to excite me. But, it truly did. Coming to find out, Moura, Clara's twin sister was in an inappropriate relationship with her teacher's husband. Of course, his wife killed Moura because even though that was her golden student, Moura sleeping with her overage husband was the ultimate betrayal. I should have seen that coming! Lol. Clara started to get threatening emails when her sister died because everyone suspected she did it. Coming to find out, Tony "Mr. Perfect" was sending her the emails. He got mad that Clara was sending his girlfriend encouraging advice about leaving him because he was abusive. Once again, didn't see that coming! But, I knew he was a sack of shit. I should have known! Lol. What I really liked about this book is how it went into detail about the horror stories of girls being in abusive relationships and the horrible things they had to go through. At first it was random, but as I got through the book I know why. I'm just glad that authors are bringing it to light, no matter how uncomfortable and scary it is. Thank you, Lynn, for doing this. This is the type of content I was expecting for "The Last To Let Go." I feel that if it went into more detail about the abuse in that book, it wouldn't have been so lacluckster in my opinion.
December 9, 2019
I liked it. Some plot felt extraneous, but not horribly so. MAJOR TW/CW for domestic and sexual violence though, and the latter just comes out of nowhere.
The cover is also pretty misleading. It implies either a close friendship between two girls or women or a F/F relationship. This book features neither, though briefly mentions a now ended F/F relationship a couple times. The "besties" in the book don't actually feel alllll that close and the sisters basically despised each other.
In addition, there are quite a few characters and the author tends to use he/him and she/her for pages on end when characters are interacting which meant a lot of flipping back to find a name so I could remember who was talking to the protagonist.
Overall though, good read.
The cover is also pretty misleading. It implies either a close friendship between two girls or women or a F/F relationship. This book features neither, though briefly mentions a now ended F/F relationship a couple times. The "besties" in the book don't actually feel alllll that close and the sisters basically despised each other.
In addition, there are quite a few characters and the author tends to use he/him and she/her for pages on end when characters are interacting which meant a lot of flipping back to find a name so I could remember who was talking to the protagonist.
Overall though, good read.
February 7, 2018
Thanks to Page Street Publishing for sending me an ARC .
I really enjoyed this story very much. If you like murder mysteries than this book is right up your alley. I loved watching Castle and Guilt on TV so this book was really like those shows. I liked how the main character was written and how for a minute there believed that she murdered her own sister. However, it had twists and turns along the way. I also never saw the ending coming. It will get you because you won't expect it at the end. I felt like this was an easy read and easy to understand. A good whodunnit book.
I really enjoyed this story very much. If you like murder mysteries than this book is right up your alley. I loved watching Castle and Guilt on TV so this book was really like those shows. I liked how the main character was written and how for a minute there believed that she murdered her own sister. However, it had twists and turns along the way. I also never saw the ending coming. It will get you because you won't expect it at the end. I felt like this was an easy read and easy to understand. A good whodunnit book.
September 12, 2019
This one can be summed up in a few words. That it got more crazy as it went on, and ya you can probably guess that wasn't a good thing. I loved the start of this one it was way creepy and you kind of already know that Carla didn't kill her twin sister, even though everyone else thinks she did, including the police. This story was full of insta-love, weird characters, and just people really loving the evil twin (in a sense). The story and plot just felt really messy and I am sad to say that this one just didn't work out for me.
July 3, 2020
This book is so goooooooooooooood! I absolutely loved how It Should Have Been You was written. In the beginning, it was kind of slow because you were getting introduced to everything. However, once the climax hit, things started unraveling and there were so many plot twists. One plot twist led to another and it all fell into place by the end. If this sounds like the type of writing style you enjoy, then what are you waiting for, read it already! Even if you're not sure, you should definitely check it out.
April 14, 2022
It Should Have Been You is, unfortunately, pretty poorly written. One dimensional characters, a not-so-interesting mystery, flat dialogue, and all around rushed tone do very little for it. The romance is quick and forced, the victim wasn't a good person, and the stakes feel so low when it comes to the danger and threats. I saw someone compare it to One of Us Is Lying and that's nowhere near correct. Maybe this will suffice for middle grade readers who are new to the thriller/mystery genre, but I'd recommend that everyone else pass on it.
January 30, 2018
When Clara Seibert’s twin sister, Moura, a piano prodigy, is killed, many people think Clara is the killer. Then Clara, who is an advice columnist for her school newspaper, starts receiving death threats. Clara investigates the crime on her own, not only to clear her name, but to save herself. She learns that Moura was keeping secrets - dangerous secrets. I could not put down this twisty mystery, it will keep you guessing until the very end!
May 16, 2018
this book actually took me awhile to get into. the first few chapters seemed slow for me but as i kept reading, i’m glad i picked it up. the ending was so unexpected i did not see it coming. when i got down to the last thirty pages, i got super confused why there was still so much to be said. as i kept reading, my mind was blown away.
June 11, 2019
I’ve been in such a murder mystery mood. This book I’ve had on my shelf for years and I finally got to it. It’s a super cool premise and I really enjoyed it but I think it’s not the best. I totally couldn’t guess who was the killer but this novel isn’t a masterpiece but it’s a good trashy YA murder mystery.
May 3, 2021
I have basically lived within the pages of this book. It has been one of my favorite reads this year just because it deals with serious issues that so many women (or men) may deal with in their every day lives. It may be pure fiction but it deals with very real problems such as: domestic violence, statutory rape, stalking, and discrimination because of sexual orientation.
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