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Should Have Known Better
It’s the moment single-mum Kate has been dreading.
With her only daughter, Chloe, about to leave home, she’s terrified by the prospect of an empty nest.
That is until she meets charming lawyer, Adam. He could be the perfect catch – if it wasn’t for his clingy son.
Because Ben has a crush on Chloe. A crush that is fast becoming an obsession.
Flattered by the attention, Chloe is happy to string him along – for now at least.
But Kate can see the danger signs, even if her daughter can't.
And when Chloe’s life begins spiraling out of control, Kate must make a choice - trust her instincts or lose her daughter forever…
With her only daughter, Chloe, about to leave home, she’s terrified by the prospect of an empty nest.
That is until she meets charming lawyer, Adam. He could be the perfect catch – if it wasn’t for his clingy son.
Because Ben has a crush on Chloe. A crush that is fast becoming an obsession.
Flattered by the attention, Chloe is happy to string him along – for now at least.
But Kate can see the danger signs, even if her daughter can't.
And when Chloe’s life begins spiraling out of control, Kate must make a choice - trust her instincts or lose her daughter forever…
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2020
About the author
A.J. McDine
15 books436 followersA J McDine writes fast-paced, character-driven psychological thrillers packed with secrets, lies and seriously dark twists.
A former journalist and police press officer, she spent years writing about other people’s dramas before turning her attention to fiction.
Her thrillers explore ordinary people plunged into extraordinary situations – and the devastating consequences of the secrets they keep.
She lives in Kent with her husband, fellow psychological-thriller author A J Wills.
Yes, they’re married. Yes, they’re both AJs. And yes, their internet search history is dodgy as hell.
When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, planning her next trip abroad or plotting her next juicy twist.
Her novels include:
The Holiday Swap
The Greek Island
The Baby
The Husband Before You
The Photo
Everyone Has Secrets
The Invite
Should Have Known Better
No One I Knew
The Promise You Made
When She Finds You
The Girl in the Window
A former journalist and police press officer, she spent years writing about other people’s dramas before turning her attention to fiction.
Her thrillers explore ordinary people plunged into extraordinary situations – and the devastating consequences of the secrets they keep.
She lives in Kent with her husband, fellow psychological-thriller author A J Wills.
Yes, they’re married. Yes, they’re both AJs. And yes, their internet search history is dodgy as hell.
When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, planning her next trip abroad or plotting her next juicy twist.
Her novels include:
The Holiday Swap
The Greek Island
The Baby
The Husband Before You
The Photo
Everyone Has Secrets
The Invite
Should Have Known Better
No One I Knew
The Promise You Made
When She Finds You
The Girl in the Window
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 506 reviews
August 27, 2023
Your typical standard thriller, following a predictable pace, just as expected. I had an inkling where it would be going, and therefore the twist didn’t surprise me. I must say that one of the characters were totally unconvincing, I nearly had to laugh from how he was described towards the end.
July 8, 2020
Later, Kate would think back to that moment. What if they'd gone to the afternoon talk instead?
What if she'd slept better, hadn't needed a double dose of caffeine and a subsequent visit to the loo?
Would that have changed anything? Would he have chosen someone else? Maybe. Maybe not. But it was pointless obsessing about it.
Because by the time Kate had weaved her way through the throng to join her daughter it was already to late.
Should Have Known Better
by A J McDine
My review:
This is a good book. It is dark, extremely well written and impossible to put down. This is one I'd highly recommend.
What differentiates this from the average thriller? Many things. The premise is that of a mother and daughter whom, while exploring colleges for the daughter, meet a father and son. Adam the dad and Kate the mom, immediately feel an attraction.
Chloe, the daughter develops a friendship with Ben, Adam's son but it is quickly apparent he would like it to be more. Chloe isn't really interested though. She has so much on her plate plus Ben's not her type.
But something's a bit off about Ben. Because when Chloe has "the talk" with him..nothing she says seems to register. Nothing. In Ben's mind, he and Chloe are boyfriend and girlfriend.
And Chloe does not like this. Neither does her mom. Then there is a party and Chloe unintentionally gets wasted.
She wakes up not remembering much.
Except for puking outside and someone holding her as she was sick. And touching her..
And..why are there love bites all over her?
This book is chilling. CHILLING! And so well done. I was getting goose bumps. This story is genuinely frightening but filled with family love as well. Great characters, mysterious and menacing story that has a heck of a great twist..just..everything about it great.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Want a thriller that will creep you out and make you impatient to know what in the world's going on? This is your book!
What if she'd slept better, hadn't needed a double dose of caffeine and a subsequent visit to the loo?
Would that have changed anything? Would he have chosen someone else? Maybe. Maybe not. But it was pointless obsessing about it.
Because by the time Kate had weaved her way through the throng to join her daughter it was already to late.
Should Have Known Better
by A J McDine
My review:
This is a good book. It is dark, extremely well written and impossible to put down. This is one I'd highly recommend.
What differentiates this from the average thriller? Many things. The premise is that of a mother and daughter whom, while exploring colleges for the daughter, meet a father and son. Adam the dad and Kate the mom, immediately feel an attraction.
Chloe, the daughter develops a friendship with Ben, Adam's son but it is quickly apparent he would like it to be more. Chloe isn't really interested though. She has so much on her plate plus Ben's not her type.
But something's a bit off about Ben. Because when Chloe has "the talk" with him..nothing she says seems to register. Nothing. In Ben's mind, he and Chloe are boyfriend and girlfriend.
And Chloe does not like this. Neither does her mom. Then there is a party and Chloe unintentionally gets wasted.
She wakes up not remembering much.
Except for puking outside and someone holding her as she was sick. And touching her..
And..why are there love bites all over her?
This book is chilling. CHILLING! And so well done. I was getting goose bumps. This story is genuinely frightening but filled with family love as well. Great characters, mysterious and menacing story that has a heck of a great twist..just..everything about it great.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Want a thriller that will creep you out and make you impatient to know what in the world's going on? This is your book!
November 1, 2024
It was good 👍🏾
July 3, 2020
The premise of the book is that the mom has the hots for a dude who has a son that is supposedly stalking the mom's daughter... but hot pants mom still goes after dad. WTAF?
June 13, 2020
A gripping, compulsive thriller, that had me captivated from beginning to end. An absolute must-read!
This is A J McDines second psychological thriller and like her first, she doesn’t disappoint!
Kate was a young mum, falling pregnant, whilst backpacking as a teenager. Now she is 37 and has a teenage daughter Chloe, who is due to head off to university after her A-Levels. Whilst she is happy Chloe is not following in her footsteps, she is feeling a little lost at the thought of her daughter leaving home.
It is at a university open day that Kate and Chloe meet Adam and his son Ben. Hitting it off straight away, Chloe and Ben keep in touch. However, Chloe soon realises Ben seems a bit obsessive and not someone who likes to take no for an answer. In the meantime, Kate and Adam seem to have developed a bit of a thing for each other and end up dating.
We follow the story as Kate and Adam grow closer and poor Chloe’s life starts falling apart with crazy Ben who she can’t seem to dump and who has a clear case of obsessive love disorder!
The chapters switch between the perspectives of Kate and Chloe. This works really well, as we read about all the things that Chloe hides from her mum and we follow the worries Kate has as a mother. McDine has got the behaviours of a teenager down to a tea with Chloe, some bits even reminded me of myself as a teen!
This story also really highlights that a mothers love for her child is unconditional.
I love how easy this book is to read. Suspenseful and riveting throughout I devoured it in just 3 days. With some nail-biting and tense moments along the way but also some emotional moments too.
A creepy obsession, secrets and lies, this book would be perfect for fans of authors like Shalini Boland.
Thank you so much to the author A J McDine for making me one of the very first readers of this book by gifting me a copy 💕
This is A J McDines second psychological thriller and like her first, she doesn’t disappoint!
Kate was a young mum, falling pregnant, whilst backpacking as a teenager. Now she is 37 and has a teenage daughter Chloe, who is due to head off to university after her A-Levels. Whilst she is happy Chloe is not following in her footsteps, she is feeling a little lost at the thought of her daughter leaving home.
It is at a university open day that Kate and Chloe meet Adam and his son Ben. Hitting it off straight away, Chloe and Ben keep in touch. However, Chloe soon realises Ben seems a bit obsessive and not someone who likes to take no for an answer. In the meantime, Kate and Adam seem to have developed a bit of a thing for each other and end up dating.
We follow the story as Kate and Adam grow closer and poor Chloe’s life starts falling apart with crazy Ben who she can’t seem to dump and who has a clear case of obsessive love disorder!
The chapters switch between the perspectives of Kate and Chloe. This works really well, as we read about all the things that Chloe hides from her mum and we follow the worries Kate has as a mother. McDine has got the behaviours of a teenager down to a tea with Chloe, some bits even reminded me of myself as a teen!
This story also really highlights that a mothers love for her child is unconditional.
I love how easy this book is to read. Suspenseful and riveting throughout I devoured it in just 3 days. With some nail-biting and tense moments along the way but also some emotional moments too.
A creepy obsession, secrets and lies, this book would be perfect for fans of authors like Shalini Boland.
Thank you so much to the author A J McDine for making me one of the very first readers of this book by gifting me a copy 💕
February 1, 2021
In this case, maybe I should have known better - but this one has a LOT of high ratings. And now I’m totally mystified - where are they coming from? Did I read a different book?
I couldn’t stand Chloe - rude, bratty, selfish, disrespectful to her mother, entitled - but I guess she was 17 so there is that to consider. . . . Kate was another piece of work herself. She was supposed to be the mother but at times it seemed like Chloe was in charge. She was rather an idiot. I didn’t like either of them.
Aside: it irritates me when a character takes a job and then does nothing but complain about doing that job, which they voluntarily agreed to do and which they are being paid to do, and for being treated like a paid employee by their boss. For example, in this book Patrick designated a door for employees to use, so as an employee Chloe should use that door. It’s not rocket science, it’s not personal, and it’s not abusive. It’s simply a rule. Follow the rules or get a different job. Duh.
I NEVER figure out the endings until they’re staring me in the face, but this one I had pegged very early on. I could see it coming at me like a Mack truck. And it was such a weak ending, too.
This book was full of what seemed like made up words and bizarre phrases. I’ve never read a book with an English setting and felt more of a language barrier. A few examples: Rootling, hoardings? How does one rest her head on her chin? A chin is already attached, on the bottom, to the head! What does it mean to be ‘banged to rights?’ I can’t remember any others and wish I’d taken notes.
Notes to author:
1 It’s DownTON Abbey, not DownTOWN!
2 How could any champagne ever be described as a marriage of Pinot Noir (RED) and Chardonnay (white)?
3 A two parent home is NOT an outlandishly dated idea.
Now that you’ve read my review, you can know better and save yourself the mistake of wasting your time on this one.
I couldn’t stand Chloe - rude, bratty, selfish, disrespectful to her mother, entitled - but I guess she was 17 so there is that to consider. . . . Kate was another piece of work herself. She was supposed to be the mother but at times it seemed like Chloe was in charge. She was rather an idiot. I didn’t like either of them.
Aside: it irritates me when a character takes a job and then does nothing but complain about doing that job, which they voluntarily agreed to do and which they are being paid to do, and for being treated like a paid employee by their boss. For example, in this book Patrick designated a door for employees to use, so as an employee Chloe should use that door. It’s not rocket science, it’s not personal, and it’s not abusive. It’s simply a rule. Follow the rules or get a different job. Duh.
I NEVER figure out the endings until they’re staring me in the face, but this one I had pegged very early on. I could see it coming at me like a Mack truck. And it was such a weak ending, too.
This book was full of what seemed like made up words and bizarre phrases. I’ve never read a book with an English setting and felt more of a language barrier. A few examples: Rootling, hoardings? How does one rest her head on her chin? A chin is already attached, on the bottom, to the head! What does it mean to be ‘banged to rights?’ I can’t remember any others and wish I’d taken notes.
Notes to author:
1 It’s DownTON Abbey, not DownTOWN!
2 How could any champagne ever be described as a marriage of Pinot Noir (RED) and Chardonnay (white)?
3 A two parent home is NOT an outlandishly dated idea.
Now that you’ve read my review, you can know better and save yourself the mistake of wasting your time on this one.
July 21, 2020
This book was a quick read. It's not long and it kept me reading as I wanted to see what happened but it was pretty tame for a thriller. I liked it enough but probably won't read another by this author. There were no surprises as I knew what was happening from early on. Just ok
Update: ok I take this review back a little. I may read this author again after all. I just read a bonus bit that author added a link to at the end of this book. I got it in my email and just finished reading it. It changes things for me. It wrapped up things with Chloe and Kate, mentioned Ben and his dad too, as well as Noah. So, that was a smart thing for author to do! I like it. Made me realize I like these characters. I've gotten to know them and enjoyed catching up!
Update: ok I take this review back a little. I may read this author again after all. I just read a bonus bit that author added a link to at the end of this book. I got it in my email and just finished reading it. It changes things for me. It wrapped up things with Chloe and Kate, mentioned Ben and his dad too, as well as Noah. So, that was a smart thing for author to do! I like it. Made me realize I like these characters. I've gotten to know them and enjoyed catching up!
August 5, 2025
I've now read two books written by A.J. McDine and one thing in common about her characters is that they don't use their common sense and act without first thinking. The Mom Kate, 37, suspects that Ben is stalking her daughter Chloe, 17.
I wish when author introduce some themes, then explore them deeper. Also please make the characters less one-dimensional, show more growth and depth throughout the story.
I wish when author introduce some themes, then explore them deeper. Also please make the characters less one-dimensional, show more growth and depth throughout the story.
August 26, 2020
What a great book really enjoyed it 😁
July 31, 2020
If you’ve ever seen a lifetime movie you’ll know right away.
Regardless, still a fast and easy read that didn’t bore me.
Regardless, still a fast and easy read that didn’t bore me.
March 23, 2023
I hate to say it but this one was not for me and not my favorite at all.
January 30, 2025
Predictable
December 9, 2020
Whizzed through this book and really enjoyed it. It certainly holds your interest and I was dying to know just what was going on. I guessed at bits but probably very late in as I don't usually figure out who the baddies are in any story ! Probably just as well or it would be very tiresome indeed.
I liked Kate and her dad though Chloe came across as a bit of a nitwit. Mind you, she was only seventeen so I suppose it's to be expected. She certainly didn't help matters in trying to put Ben off, though.....no use texting a lad who's interested that you "love him" so cavalierly and then wonder why he doesn't ease off, cos' that isn't helping ! Fool. His dad's a bit like a secondhand car salesman, a bit too suave and slick for my liking as well.
I spotted some apostrophe mistakes and a couple of missed words from sentences and she wrote banged as opposed to bang to rights. That was it for any errors so that's good work, too.
However, I was totally baffled when a blotter was mentioned as looking like a seesaw in a children's playground. No blotter I can picture looks like that so I'm not sure what she was meaning there. I even googled 'desk blotter' once I'd finished and nope, they look just as I've always known, bugger all like a seesaw !!
This little nitpick aside, I will definitely read her again.
I liked Kate and her dad though Chloe came across as a bit of a nitwit. Mind you, she was only seventeen so I suppose it's to be expected. She certainly didn't help matters in trying to put Ben off, though.....no use texting a lad who's interested that you "love him" so cavalierly and then wonder why he doesn't ease off, cos' that isn't helping ! Fool. His dad's a bit like a secondhand car salesman, a bit too suave and slick for my liking as well.
I spotted some apostrophe mistakes and a couple of missed words from sentences and she wrote banged as opposed to bang to rights. That was it for any errors so that's good work, too.
However, I was totally baffled when a blotter was mentioned as looking like a seesaw in a children's playground. No blotter I can picture looks like that so I'm not sure what she was meaning there. I even googled 'desk blotter' once I'd finished and nope, they look just as I've always known, bugger all like a seesaw !!
This little nitpick aside, I will definitely read her again.
April 27, 2021
This book is ridiculous and disgusting. Basically, a mother suspects that her daughter has been sexually assaulted yet manages to set that aside to pursue and date the rapist's father. I quit reading shortly into this book. The writing is trite and forces an English colloquialism into every other line.
Don't waste your time or money.
Don't waste your time or money.
April 19, 2021
The narrative made me think this book was written by an amateur writer. There were so many cliches when describing characters or some situations, it was really hard to continue reading it. The plot was interesting but not worth reading the entire book tbh. When I finished it, I felt the same as when I watch a really bad movie with kind of an interesting idea but poorly executed.
January 2, 2021
Tame and not thrilling
It was a quick read, but I only persevered to the end to find out what happened. And as it turned out, not a lot did happen. There was no real drama or thrills and the dialogue in places was just painful.
It was a quick read, but I only persevered to the end to find out what happened. And as it turned out, not a lot did happen. There was no real drama or thrills and the dialogue in places was just painful.
June 19, 2022
Um yes, I really Should Have Know Better than to read this book. Don't let the good reviews and a rating of 4 fool you into reading this one. It was pretty disappointing and predictable from the very start.
2.5/5 stars. Full review to come soon.
2.5/5 stars. Full review to come soon.
December 26, 2020
Would've had a higher rating, but that ending was too hallmark.
December 22, 2024
A good thriller with well developed characters.
September 9, 2024
Enjoyable enough, a bit creepy, definitely a bit triggering, and unfortunately a bit predictable.
June 24, 2020
Keeps you guessing!
This is the first time I’ve read this author and am so glad I did. For fans of family centered psych-suspense —this is on3 you don5 want to miss.
I absolutely loved the bonus chapter offered by the author
This is the first time I’ve read this author and am so glad I did. For fans of family centered psych-suspense —this is on3 you don5 want to miss.
I absolutely loved the bonus chapter offered by the author
September 8, 2020
Although it had charm I saw right through the plot twist early on and the ending was laughably trite. It started off so promisingly but I won't read this author again.
October 21, 2020
BORING 😴😴😴😴😴
January 31, 2025
It was a suspenseful story and the main plot was predictable. I guessed the ending pretty early on so there wasn’t a twist for me. It was a well done thriller just needed a bigger or different twist. Interested to read reviews from others.
🛑🛑🛑🛑spoilers below🛑🛑🛑🛑
How did Kate not see it. This made my skin crawl because I knew it was Adam from the night in the garden and throughout the book all their moments together made me so uncomfy.
🛑🛑🛑🛑spoilers below🛑🛑🛑🛑
How did Kate not see it. This made my skin crawl because I knew it was Adam from the night in the garden and throughout the book all their moments together made me so uncomfy.
May 14, 2025
Fun and easy thriller. There are some predictable moments, but also some moments that give a real sense of creepiness. I think what made this work is how realistic of a story it is. I wouldn’t be surprised at any of this happening in real life, and that adds to the thrill. Not a wow, but enjoyable enough.
April 19, 2025
3.5 stars. A standard, typical thriller.
I guessed the twist quite early on but still enjoyed it. A nice book to get through quickly but nothing to write home about.
Would recommend to fans of thrillers who want an easy read.
I guessed the twist quite early on but still enjoyed it. A nice book to get through quickly but nothing to write home about.
Would recommend to fans of thrillers who want an easy read.
October 21, 2024
I’ve listened to a couple from this author now and have really enjoyed them. Great storyline running through and I did see what was coming but it was still enjoyable.
February 6, 2025
Predictable and forgettable. Zero likable characters. What even was that
February 1, 2025
free in audible, pretty good! my 11th book this month🫢
April 15, 2025
Loved this book, great plot twist, I little bit dark but a great read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 506 reviews