It Would Have Been You

by Nikki Belgrave

Drew Bailey is bad luck, and has learned to live by one rule:
Never get close to the people you love, unless you are willing to lose them.

She is content living a small life until her brother shows up unannounced, on a Friday the thirteenth, no less, to issue her an ultimatum: Keep accepting her fate and miss out on his life-changing news, or finally break the curse for good.

The plan is simple: for one weekend, Drew will test the limits of her curse. She will live as if her presence isn’t dangerous. If she succeeds?
She’ll get her family and her life back, just in the nick of time.

Cue Ravenwood Manor, the lavish reading retreat in Charlotte, North Carolina, that will serve as the perfect setting for Drew to test out her uncursed alter-ego, Epic Drew.

The itinerary: Low stakes.
The amenities: Top-notch.
The food and wine: To die for.

But as Epic Drew finds herself drawn to the company of an unexpected (and very handsome) stranger while the other guests can’t seem to get along, a storm cancels their plans and traps everyone inside on the first night. From there, the tension has nowhere to go but up, ending in a tragedy no one saw coming. Through it all, Drew learns a hard lesson:

If you push your luck, luck will push back.

Genres: Romance

Paperback

Expected publication February 13, 2026

About the author

Author, bookworm, and nostalgia addict. Halloween is a lifestyle. Read my short story, Amongst the Large Pines, that was adapted to film to debut at the 2024 Austin Film Festival as part of the Night of the Living Shorts category.

Reviews

[Meagan Petroni · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS – IT WOULD HAVE BEEN YOU

​Huge thank you to the author, Nikki Belgrave, for providing me with an ARC of this gem! I’m so incredibly honored to get to read your work—this book is an absolute knockout.

​The Vibe:
​A FMC with a bad-luck curse.
​A book & wine store (literal goals).
​A cozy reading retreat in Charlotte, NC.
​...and a MURDER investigation?! 🔍

​The Chemistry:
Cameron is the definition of "ooey-gooey" and easy to love. The tension between him and Drew had me giggling like a schoolgirl and kicking my feet! Even as a certified Smut Queen, I have to hand it to Nikki—the yearning in this closed-door romance was exquisite. While I usually prefer a bit more heat, the emotional payoff here was totally worth it.

​Why you need to read it:
Nikki’s writing is so descriptive you can practically smell Cameron through the pages. It’s funny, it’s mysterious, and the character development is top-tier. She handles real-life issues like trauma and healing with such grace while keeping the plot fast-paced and fun.

​Final Thought: Whether you’re a thriller girlie or a romance lover, this book has a seat at the table for you. Add it to your TBR immediately!

[Erica (Cheekymama2) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow—this book completely surprised me in the best way. I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy, especially since it’s a suspense romance, a genre I hadn’t really explored before. Safe to say… I’m officially a fan. This may just be one of my new favorite genres!

Drew has endured heartbreak twice in her life, leaving her convinced that wherever she goes, tragedy is sure to follow. With the impending birth of her nephew, her family is determined to pull her out of her own head and gifts her a weekend book retreat for her birthday. Enter the retreat—and enter Cameron. As sparks fly and good things finally start to happen, Drew can’t help but wonder: is this the fresh start she desperately needs, or is her “curse” waiting to strike again?

This story truly had everything: humor, charm, heartbreak, romance, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. The character development was especially strong—I felt deeply connected to each character and genuinely missed them once the book ended. The author masterfully sprinkled breadcrumbs throughout every chapter, making it nearly impossible to put down.

If you love Abby Jimenez–style romance with a thrilling twist, this book is a must-read. I promise you won’t be disappointed. I sincerely hope this is just the beginning for this debut author—I’ll be eagerly waiting for what comes next!

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5★

I'm so so sooooo lucky I got to be an early reader for this book! It was absolutely wonderful! The ONLY reason this is not 5 stars for me is because I'm not a fan of insta love. I kind of hate it and generally if I read a story that has it, unbeknownst to me, I knock it down a star or two. The fact I 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 do it for this book says a 𝗹𝗼𝘁.

It was unbelievably cute, fun, and 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮. If there's one thing I absolutely love about romance books, besides the love, it's humor. This was unexpected and it made me so happy! There were coincidental things in the story that aligned with things in my life (which I loved) and some of the pop culture references were *chef's kiss*. Oh and did I mention that this is a 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 romance? Those are increasingly becoming my favorite.

I literally loved all the characters except for a select few for good reason. haha. The FMC Drew was so relatable and the MC Cameron was insanely swoon worthy! Let's not forget all the side characters - you'll love them all for different reasons.

But that's actually not all! This book also added in a murder and investigation! This is actually my very first suspenseful romance and now I need more of them! I kept going back and forth between two characters I thought committed the crime but in the end, my guess was wrong! haha.

And I don't know if the author plans to write more stories for the side characters but I'd be the first in line to read them!

Definitely check this book out!!

[bookshelfreader_31 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book it would have been you by Nikki belgrave beautifully blends romance and suspense. It pulled me in from the very first page. The writing is immersive and easy to fall into, making it nearly impossible to put down once I started. I found myself completely wrapped up in the story and the emotions are carried. It took me on quite a ride, one I will never forget.

Drew is a female lead in the character I connected with most. Has Jenny through grief and trauma felt raw, honest, and deeply human, especially as she slowly begins to believe that she isn't cursed or destined to bring harm wherever she goes. Cameron, the male lead character, is a steady presence in their evolving yet sudden relationship . He made her feel seen, bringing warmth and hope into the story. Showing how love can exist alongside pain and still create healing even if it exists in both parties.

The characters felt real and emotionally rich, and the pacing flow naturally from start to finish. The author's writing was so vivid and descriptive with detail that you could picture it in your mind. The writing was not dense it flowed perfectly like satin. I believe Nikki has became one of my favorite writers. The way she writes is beautiful and undescribable.

With meaningful themes, a thrilling and suspenseful closed-door romance , this a story that will stay with me long after I have finished this book left a lasting impression that made me eager for more from Nikki Belgrave. Thank you, for writing this book.

[Gaby Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review- It Would Have Been You by Nikki Blake 🍀💀💖

Drew Bailey is bad luck and you can't prove her wrong. Her family tries to as they gift her a weekend reading retreat in North Carolina for her to try out being "uncursed Drew." It seems to be working well as she falls for the handsome Cameron James until someone is murdered at said retreat. Can Drew and Cameron catch the murderer while disproving the former's curse?

This was a fun read! I love murder mystery and romance and had a hard time putting this down. I love Nikki Belgrave's writing style, it was beautiful.

Her characters felt well-rounded — Drew and Cameron had perfect chemistry. I started rooting for them as soon as they met. Cameron may be my new book boyfriend to add to my infinity gauntlet of book bfs.

Drew drove me crazy a little bit when talking about her curse, but they way she treats it is justified. This book has a focus on mental health and anxiety. Her family and friends love her and don't push her too hard. Cameron is respectful to her.

Overall, the writing is good, the twists work, and the romance is to die for (pun intended).

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes romantic suspense novels, mental health rep, closed-door romance fans, and murder mystery readers.

[Leah Richmond~ Chapterbooks_andcoffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege to read this early, thank you to Nikki for the opportunity!

This book hooked me immediately and kept me turning the pages to find out more.

Drew is our FMC. She has endured trauma twice in her life and she believes that because of the situations, she is cursed. That a dark cloud follows her around and will impact those she loves. Her family and friends rally hard to convince her to live her life. They feel like a reading retreat will be just the thing for her!

Cameron enters the chat. Our MMC is the one to pick Drew up from the airport and there is immediately chemistry in just that first phone call.

If you are wondering where the suspense comes in? Once at the retreat, Drew meets the other 3 girls, plus Delaney who runs it. Tension runs high between some of the girls. A storm passing through intensifies, power goes out, and someone ends up dead.

The events that unfold bring Drew and Cameron closer together. They share an understanding as each of them have endure great loss in their lives.

The details in this book and how every piece was tied together was perfection. The character development made each character so unique to the story and sometimes you wanted to scream at them, other times you wanted to hug them. There were twists and turns, laugh out loud moments, and sweet tender moments.

If you enjoy a sweet love story with a suspense twist that keeps you on your toes the whole time, this book is for you! Nikki is now an auto-buy author from here on out! The writing was beautiful and the flow just kept it so easy to read. If I hadn't been doing a buddy read and reading set sections per day, I would have devoured it in a day! Thank you again, Nikki!

[Wooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, anyone who knows me knows I don’t usually read anything that isn’t sci-fi or fantasy. And I usually wouldn’t ever have picked up a romantic thriller on my own. BUT I stumbled my way onto this author’s street/hype team after she held a fun game on her Instagram to guess her new author pseudonym (which was a delight, lemme tell you). So as a street team member, I got to read an ARC of the book and lemme tell y’all — you know it’s gotta be a good book for Christina to read outside her preferred genres.

Vibes:
FMC who believes she’s cursed with bad luck
A hunk of a cinnamon roll MMC
A latte that I now MUST try
A well-intended retreat to read books and drink wine in Charlotte, NC that leads to MURDER!?

Nikki gets an A+ for the tension in this book. Even if smut is your thing, I think you’d still be satisfied with the closed-door romance of this book because the tension is absolutely palpable.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters. Drew is definitely relatable, especially if you’ve struggled with the particular brand of anxiety where you feel like everything bad that happens is your fault and you can’t stop your brain from projecting all the worst-possible outcomes of every scenario you can imagine. Cameron - he’s definitely swoon-worthy, but he did have a few moments for me where I went “ehh, really?” Though, to be fair, he and Drew do have a LOT in common, and I guess those kinds of things can make you feel an intense connection with someone very quickly. The side characters were delightful, too. I especially adored Ollie and Monkia.

Plus, there were moments when I literally laughed out loud.

Pacing-wise, things take a while to get going (the Murder doesn’t occur until Chapter 29 / 51%). Not that I have a lot of experience reading murder mysteries, but I’d expect the murder to happen sooner. Though, after finding out whodunnit, I definitely understand why we needed a lot of interaction before the murder.

It all felt very well researched — to the point where I got a little bit of PTSD at the mentions of the Charlotte airport because of how realistic the description was (truly, it’s the worst airport in the US). Belgrave also did an excellent job researching the setting, since several landscapes are mentioned and all are 100% accurate. As a lifelong North Carolinian, I can definitely attest that the research put into making the setting feel realistic was well done!

There were a few spots that could have done with a bit more thorough editing, but all in all, this is a very well-rounded read. Enough mystery and suspense to keep your heart rate at a healthy level while still having plenty of romantic moments. Or maybe it’s the other way around? I truly can’t tell because this is definitely a romance and a suspense/murder mystery. The blend of genres was so, SO well done.

This was one of those stories that, after you find out who the culprit is, you want to go back and reread immediately to see if there’s anything you missed.

Truly, I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s a very quick, enjoyable read that makes me think I might like murder mysteries more than I thought I would. I'm extremely thankful to the author for gifting me a copy of this book to read early!

[Steph Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Twisted Game of Clue

Murder Mystery ✅ Romance ✅ Superstition ✅ Cinnamon Roll MMC ✅ Strong (but tired) FMC✅

There are many wonderful authors I could draw comparisons to, but Belgrave’s work deserves to stand entirely alone. This book is a genre-bending rollercoaster that I am begging to see adapted into a limited series or movie immediately! The characters are so well-developed that I could see each of them, main and supporting, come to life on the screen!

At the center of the story, we have our FMC, Drew, and our MMC, Cameron. Drew gives “strong but tired” in the most relatable ways. Cam gives golden retriever meets cinnamon roll. Both characters are navigating through their own separate traumas and struggling to put their lives back together.

The supporting characters are phenomenal and do their jobs pushing the main characters out of their comfort zone (sometimes in good faith…sometimes not so much). Belgrave fabricated the characters with such thought, that as a reader I was left satisfied while selfishly wanting more. I would absolutely read the spinoffs for the supporting characters! There is so much else that can be done in this world that Belgrave created, especially leaning into the superstitions and suspense!

Watching the different main and supporting characters' journeys provided just the right amount of romance amongst the chaos. The vibe I received from this story is that of a twisted, black cat superstitious game of Clue. The tension is palpable, especially when you hear the dreaded, famous last words: “I’ll be right back.” You want to scream at the pages, but you can't stop turning them.

Ultimately, what boosts the story from an average suspense read to a five-star read is the emotional complexity. Amidst the comic relief and the suspense, there are moments of stabilization and grounding. A quote that stuck with me is, “Smell the flowers, and then blow out the birthday candles, just like Birdie used to say.”

If you are looking for a genre-bender that combines the right touches of suspense and closed-door romance, this is the story for you! Now I am off to get my chocolate-covered strawberry latte!

[Lee Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikki Belgrave’s debut novel is absolutely compelling! I was very privileged to read the very first version of this novel, and I can say, even in the earliest form, I felt the heart of the story beating forth! It Would Have Been You features a fantastic, complicated heroine and a wonderful, compassionate love interest hero!

Drew Bailey fiercely loves her family and her friends, but she suffers from one major problem: the big lie that she believes about herself is that she is Cursed Drew, bad luck, and doesn’t deserve to be a part of the people who love her the most. Her brother and her boss (who is also a close friend) challenge Drew to remake herself into Epic Drew (who is definitely not cursed or bad luck) on a writing retreat they paid for her attend. Drew takes the big step to fly out to the retreat and meets the gorgeous and charming Cameron. As Drew gets to know Cameron, she soon comes to understand he sees the Real Drew, not the false Cursed Drew or the Epic Drew persona Drew put on for the retreat.

I loved Drew and Cameron’s interactions from the very start, but when Cameron understood Drew on a level that no one else did, they were absolutely endgame for me. As the writing retreat starts heating up and tragedy happens, Drew and Cameron’s relationship is forged in fire as they learn to care for each other, even though they just met. The kisses are very steamy, but that’s as far as it gets in terms of spiciness.

Emotional, Compelling, Thoughtful, Heart-Pounding, Nikki Belgrave’s romantic suspense novel has such heart and depth, and I love the characters of Drew and Cameron so much. They are such a sweet and wonderful couple, and I feel so honored that I got to be one of the first to experience their relationship on the page! An amazing debut novel!

[Twinkle.butt.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Would Have Been You by Nikki Belgrave is a deeply emotional exploration of grief, guilt, and the quiet ways loss reshapes who we become. The story follows Drew, a young woman haunted by the tragic death of her parents—a loss she believes she could have prevented. Seeking escape, she attends a weekend retreat that becomes far more confronting than she expects, especially when she meets Cameron, a man carrying a grief that mirrors her own.

Belgrave truly shines in her character development. Drew and Cameron feel achingly real, their pain layered and raw without ever feeling melodramatic. Their connection builds slowly, filled with tender moments and emotional tension that pulls you in and makes you root for their healing, whether together or apart.

The novel’s handling of grief and recovery is one of its strongest elements. Rather than offering easy answers, the story shows how unresolved trauma bleeds into relationships, decisions, and self-worth. It’s honest, uncomfortable at times, and very human.

Belgrave’s writing style is lyrical yet accessible, allowing the emotional weight of the story to land without feeling heavy-handed. That said, the pacing does stumble in the middle, where the story slows and lingers longer than necessary. Additionally, while the main characters are richly drawn, some supporting characters feel underdeveloped and serve more as background than fully realized people.

Overall, It Would Have Been You is a heartfelt, character-driven novel that balances romance with emotional depth. It’s a touching read for anyone who enjoys stories about healing, second chances, and learning how to forgive yourself after loss.

[Kaitlyn Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into this book, I’ll admit I was nervous. It’s a debut novel written by a friend, and with so much praise coming from family and close circles, I worried I might not love it — or that the hype might be biased.

I’m so happy to say I was completely wrong!!

This book was fantastic. The writing is elegant and flows beautifully, with no noticeable plot holes, and I found myself laughing out loud while also constantly guessing what would happen next. It strikes the perfect balance between a clever mystery (think Lisa Jewell–style intrigue) and sharp, charming humor reminiscent of Sophie Cousens. I genuinely couldn’t put it down.

The characters were a joy to read, and I became fully invested in them by the end. Romance-wise, there are some steamy kisses, but nothing explicit — just enough spark to add to the story without overpowering it.

If I had all the power and money in the world, I’d make sure this book was sitting on shelves everywhere. I want everyone to read it! I can’t wait to get my physical copy — this one deserves a permanent spot on my shelf!

[Kate🧚🏼‍♀️🫧 · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW!! 🖤
💜🖤ROMANTIC SUSPENSE? YES PLEASE!!💜🖤

I loved this story for many reasons. For one, I relate to Drew and her anxiety battle/ thinking she’s just bad luck. I also loved this story for the slow burn love story. The chemistry between Drew and Cam was fireeee in the most PG-13 way. As much as I do love books rated R, I also have a lot of love and respect for authors like Nikki Belgrave, who can create somewhat sexual tension/ intimate moments and still keep it PG-13. And I also loved the suspense! The murder at the retreat omg! & you would’ve never guessed who did it or their motive behind it, and that’s what a good thriller is about! ❤️‍🔥 THE GASP FACTOR. I feel so lucky I got to read this story early, and it didn’t disappoint! In fact, it left me wanting more after every page! I’m not ashamed to admit I stayed up WAYYY past my bedtime to finish this book, and it was so worth it.
Also, sorry Nikki if this is inappropriate but CAMERON, SMASSHH. 🔥🔥
Overall, I easily give this story 5/5 💛⭐️ !!! Must read for sure!!!

[Cyndie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy that I was chosen to be an early reader of “It Would Have Been You” by Nikki Belgrave.
This is one of those books that you just don’t want to put down. The chapters are the perfect length, and they end in a way that makes you want to keep reading...way past bedtime!
The characters are absolutely delicious, with a wide range of personalities, making the story so relatable. I just love the dialogue in the main character, Drew’s head. I can totally relate to her. And Cameron? Wow is all I’m gonna say!
There is no fluffy filler in this book which I appreciate. There were times when I actually laughed out loud, and other times when I welled up.
Well done Nikki Belgrave!
I absolutely love this book and highly recommend it.

[Miranda Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently enjoyed a charming blend of cinnamon roll romance and mystery. The MMC exudes golden retriever vibes and the book thoughtfully touches on mental health. While there’s no intense spice, the open-door moments keep it engaging. This was my first time reading from this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it, looking forward to more from her!

[Sarah Hoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this read! It was fast paced, exciting and almost impossible to put down. This would make a fantastic book club pick. Nikki is such a talented writer and I hope she writes more books!

[Nikki Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m biased because I wrote it :) It Would Have Been You is the story of my heart, so of course I love it very dearly. Thanks to everyone taking a chance on my debut novel! All my love to all of you