It Should Have Been Me (Little Black Dress) [Paperback]

Phillipa Ashley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Little Black Dress | Publication Date: March 1, 2009

When Carrie's fiancé Huw suddenly calls off their wedding, and she finds out he's marrying another woman, she's devastated. Desperate to get away, Carrie jumps at her best friend Rowena's suggestion of a road trip in her VW camper van. But when Rowena has to pull out and Matt Landor, an old friend of Huw's, ends up filling the breach, she's not so sure. Will fate take the pair on an altogether different journey?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Overall, this was a great read! I'd recommend this book to people who enjoy travel, England, quirky characters, and romance. I'll definitely be pursuing more Phillipa Ashley books...a nice, happy read that will warm your heart during these chilly, wintery months. Happy reading!"-That Artsy Reader Girl --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Phillipa Ashley is the author of Decent Exposure.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755343344
• ISBN-13: 978-0755343348
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 4.5 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,712,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

www.phillipa-ashley.com

Award-winning British author, Phillipa Ashley, loves writing lively, sexy, funny romantic fiction. After studying English Language and Literature at Oxford University, she worked as a copywriter and journalist.

Her first novel, Decent Exposure - titled DATING MR DECEMBER for the US - won the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers Award. In 2009, it was filmed as a Lifetime TV movie called 12 Men of Christmas starring Kristin Chenoweth and Josh Hopkins.

Her next releases are WISH YOU WERE HERE in June 2011 and FEVER CURE in July 2011.

She lives in an English village with her husband and daughter and loves Champagne, Jane Austen, hiking and boogie boarding.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read, December 2, 2011

By 

J. Thomas "The Long and the Short Of It Reviews" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carrie Goes Off the Map (Kindle Edition)

Carrie thinks she's got it all figured out. An upcoming wedding, a well planned out life. And then the unthinkable happens. Her fiancé decides that they aren't working anymore and ends it, just like that. The breakup came out of nowhere. There were no signs or hints that it was coming. It's time for Carrie to pull herself together and move on.

In this funny, lighthearted romance, Carrie takes an adventurous path to self discovery. Starting over isn't easy, but this woman is winging it quite well....for the most part. There was that little incident that led her to meeting Matt Landor for the first time. First impressions are everything, and she didn't make the best one.

In many instances, Matt and Carrie get on one another's nerves. A road trip forces the two to bond a little more. Who knew what that would eventually lead to? Their stubborn pride could cost the two real love if they aren't careful.

Carrie Goes Off The Map is enjoyable, enlightening, and fun. The author creates believable characters that the reader will love or or dislike, depending on their role in the story. The path to happily ever after for Carrie and Matt takes readers on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, memorable moments, and along the way will meet some charismatic characters that leave their mark in this well crafted novel. Set in various places, including some of Europe, the pacing flows smoothly from one thing to the next.

If you enjoy a contemporary novel that has the high potential to leave a smile on your face after the last page is read, then don't miss out on a chance to read this story. Hurry and get yourself a copy.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important to know: "Carrie Goes Off the Map" = "It Should Have Been Me", January 2, 2012

By 

Claire (East Coast USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Carrie Goes Off the Map (Kindle Edition)

This is a fun read and most satisfying novel and I agree with many of the previous reviews. But what no one has mentioned is that this book came out in 2009 in the UK under the title "It should have been me". This really should be mentioned somewhere to prevent people from buying a book they may already have...
I wish Amazon would give the actual original copyright date or some hint that a book was previously released under a different title. This is a big flaw in the system here and it needs to be fixed!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable Road Trip Novel Through England, December 23, 2011

By 

Laura's Reviews (Kewaunee, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carrie Goes Off The Map (Paperback)

Carrie Goes Off the Map is a very enjoyable road trip novel through England. Carrie is two weeks away from marrying her long-time boyfriend Huw, when he drops a bombshell; he is breaking up with her. Carrie had put aside her own dreams of becoming an actress for Huw and had spent the years since graduating from college helping Huw run his family dairy farm.

Suddenly, without a purpose in life, Carrie moves in with her friend Rowena and tries to determine what her next move will be. Rowena tries to cheer Carrie up by planning a European road trip in a vintage VW camper named Dolly. Unfortunately, Rowena is unable to go at the last minute and has found a new companion for Carrie, the handsome Dr. Matt Landor.

Matt is back from his work in Tuman after an unfortunate accident. Commanded to take four months off to rest and get himself back together, he is not sure what he is going to do with his time off. Matt was friends with Huw back at the University, and after meeting Carrie again at a bad moment (it's a classic moment in the book, I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't read it yet!) he is officially intrigued. Together they go on a tour of Southern England and learn how to move on with life. And also learn more about each other.

I really enjoyed this book. At one point, a barber cuts Matt's hair and says that he looks like a modern Mr. Darcy. There were indeed elements of that classic story in this book with Carrie and Matt meeting again after so many years and having a misunderstanding that sets the two at odds at first. Carrie was much more against Matt than he is against her. Their delightful friction kept me entranced throughout the book.

I also loved the description of the road trip in the campervan. It sounded like a lot of fun. Phillipa Ashley wrote a great guest post for my blog describing her travels in a campervan as part of the research process for this novel.

I also really liked an odd thing too, that Huw was a dairy farmer. The descriptions of the mega farm and life on the farm reminded me a lot of life around Wisconsin, aka Dairyland USA. It made me realize that things really are not that different between the United States and England. It was funny that Huw was considered quite a catch as he was a rich farmer, which is the same as some of the farmers in my county who are millionaires. Family farms are not the same as they used to be anywhere anymore it seems.

Overall, I found Carrie Goes Off the Map to be a delightful book with great characters, romance, and a wonderful journey. Phillipa Ashley has become one of my new favorite contemporary romance authors.