Carrie Brownhill lets her best friend talk her into a scenic European road trip as the perfect getaway from a nasty breakup with her fiancé. Unexpe...
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Apr 01, 2009
Rosy
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Phillipa Ashley's fourth and latest novel is a chip off the old block: her fans everywhere will love it. `It Should Have Been Me' tells the story of Carrie, battered and bruised by the breakdown of her ten year relationship with solid farmer fiancé Huw, to whom she had been about to be married. Her friend Rowena - fellow stalwart of the local am dram - decides that what she needs is a bracing girls-only road trip in a vintage VW camper van (known to the initiated as a `splitty' after the unusual
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Mar 14, 2009
Leah
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I hurt my arm this week and was in lots of pain. Fortunately, I had a copy of It Should Have Been Me close by. I forgot much of my pain when I got into this very delightful book. Although it has the traditional romance plot, Ashley always adds more. In each of her novels I've learned something--about "adventure tours" and the people who plan them, about emergency response teams in the Lake District, and now about classic VW vans. She also perfectly captures setting--in this case C
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Jan 01, 2012
Judy & Marianne from
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Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/...
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 pa More...
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 pa More...
Dec 19, 2011
SOS
rated it: 
As a card carrying Anglophile, I relish stories from British authors, both historical and contemporary. CARRIE GOES OFF THE MAP is a fun "road trip" story that begins with outrageous laughs and ends with heartwarming cheer.
Phillipa Ashley offers an older heroine in Carrie, who thought life was safe with her college ("uni") boyfriend, Huw. They have lived together and worked together on his family farm for 10 years. When Huw calls off the wedding days for the bl More...
Phillipa Ashley offers an older heroine in Carrie, who thought life was safe with her college ("uni") boyfriend, Huw. They have lived together and worked together on his family farm for 10 years. When Huw calls off the wedding days for the bl More...
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Dec 17, 2011
Jennifer
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Carrie Goes Off the Map by Phillipa Ashley is a contemporary romance.
Carrie Brownhill is hurt and angry when her fiance abruptly ends their relationship. Even worse is when she finds out that he's marrying another woman just a few months later. Carrie decides to go on a trip through the English countryside to clear her head and finds herself traveling with Matt Landor, a doctor who's trying to come to terms with an accident that he was involved in. Carrie and Matt don't exactly get alo More...
Carrie Brownhill is hurt and angry when her fiance abruptly ends their relationship. Even worse is when she finds out that he's marrying another woman just a few months later. Carrie decides to go on a trip through the English countryside to clear her head and finds herself traveling with Matt Landor, a doctor who's trying to come to terms with an accident that he was involved in. Carrie and Matt don't exactly get alo More...
Dec 23, 2011
Laura
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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 More...
Suddenly, without a purpose in life, Carrie moves in with her friend Rowena and tries to determine what her next move will be More...
Dec 14, 2011
Blodeuedd
rated it:
do love the English, all those words I do not hear that often when I read so many American novels. But here I get them all and I bloody love it.
Carrie is dumped by her fiancé (who I thought was an utter ass, but later I did change my mind. He was just a man after all.) Poor Carrie is hurt and angry and I like her, and I like her even more when she has a little revenge. Her new leading man is Matt, but things move slowly along and that is a good thing. I really like how it works out More...
Carrie is dumped by her fiancé (who I thought was an utter ass, but later I did change my mind. He was just a man after all.) Poor Carrie is hurt and angry and I like her, and I like her even more when she has a little revenge. Her new leading man is Matt, but things move slowly along and that is a good thing. I really like how it works out More...
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Mar 27, 2009
Nell
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Another lovely entertaining read from Phillipa Ashley full of interesting personalities and charm
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Dec 01, 2011
Jana (That Artsy Reader Girl)
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Review originally posted at my blog: http://thatartsyreadergirl.blogspot.com/...
This book was lovely for several uncommon reasons: 1. The characters are my age! I'm so used to reading about tweens, teenagers, and middle-aged adults. I rarely read about characters who are mid-to-late twenties. It was refreshing. 2. This book is an amazing book to help you feel better after a nasty break-up. I wish I'd had this book a few years ago when I went through one of those. 3. Traveling!!! More...
This book was lovely for several uncommon reasons: 1. The characters are my age! I'm so used to reading about tweens, teenagers, and middle-aged adults. I rarely read about characters who are mid-to-late twenties. It was refreshing. 2. This book is an amazing book to help you feel better after a nasty break-up. I wish I'd had this book a few years ago when I went through one of those. 3. Traveling!!! More...
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Dec 19, 2011
Becky
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Phillipa Ashley has a fun, lively style to her writing that keeps the tempo moving in her stories, and her characters progressing. I'm always struck by writers who can get me to care about the main character quickly, and I always seem to feel that way with Ashley's heroines. In this case, Carrie could be any woman who has been dumped by her man/fiance. However, her situation seems compounded by feelings of all the time she lost and for being played a fool. It's not as if the relationship fiz
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Jan 09, 2012
Alexa Loves Books
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(This review was originally posted on Alexa Loves Books.)
Overall Review:
After reading so many paranormal and dystopian books, I wanted something a bit more fun to read. When I saw the cover for the novel, I was instantly intrigued. And then my blogger friend Jana reviewed the book and I decided I wanted to read it too.
I got exactly what I wanted - Carrie Goes Off the Map, a light, heartwarming and very fun read. You really cannot go wrong with a road trip, a hot guy More...
Overall Review:
After reading so many paranormal and dystopian books, I wanted something a bit more fun to read. When I saw the cover for the novel, I was instantly intrigued. And then my blogger friend Jana reviewed the book and I decided I wanted to read it too.
I got exactly what I wanted - Carrie Goes Off the Map, a light, heartwarming and very fun read. You really cannot go wrong with a road trip, a hot guy More...
Dec 28, 2011
donna
rated it:
When Carrie's fiance suddenly breaks off their engagement, her whole world is turned upside down. Luckily, her best friend Rowena has her back and plans a trip for them to drive around Europe in a VW camper van. But when Rowena has to cancel at the last minute, she finds a sexy replacement - a doctor on leave from his charity work. Much like Elizabeth Bennet and her Mr. Darcy, Carrie and her doctor's relationship gets off to a rocky start with plenty of bickering and misunderstandings, but you c
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Mar 13, 2009
Elizabeth
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A wonderful book which contained all the trademarks of a Phillipa Ashley novel - great characters, humour, verve and page-turning romance.
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Dec 18, 2011
Mary (BookHounds)
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SOURCE: PUBLISHER
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Carrie is asked by her best friend, Rowena, what she would ever do if she caught her fiance cheating on her. Never thinking that Huw would ever do such a thing, she makes up clever ideas about what she might do. Neither one could even imagine that he could ever cheat on her, but right before the big church wedding, he calls it off after a ten year relationship. Rowena rescues Carrie from their shared home and decid More...
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Carrie is asked by her best friend, Rowena, what she would ever do if she caught her fiance cheating on her. Never thinking that Huw would ever do such a thing, she makes up clever ideas about what she might do. Neither one could even imagine that he could ever cheat on her, but right before the big church wedding, he calls it off after a ten year relationship. Rowena rescues Carrie from their shared home and decid More...
Dec 08, 2011
Laura
rated it:
This book was billed as Romance, but it read like Chick Lit to me, and I found it very enjoyable as such.
It delivers on the premise of a crazy cross-country trip, with a fun main character and a sexy leading guy.
Of course, Carrie is on as much of a mental journey as a physical one. I can't say she goes particularly deep on her path to discovery, but it isn't that kind of book. It's the kind where she (and Matt) sleep with other people while not making all that much effo More...
It delivers on the premise of a crazy cross-country trip, with a fun main character and a sexy leading guy.
Of course, Carrie is on as much of a mental journey as a physical one. I can't say she goes particularly deep on her path to discovery, but it isn't that kind of book. It's the kind where she (and Matt) sleep with other people while not making all that much effo More...
Jan 14, 2012
Pam
rated it: 
I don't know how to explain this book except that it definitely has a "Beginning" - Carrie's fiancee cheats on her; "Middle" - Carrie tries to find herself by having one-night stands; and "End" - Carrie finally realizes she loves Matt. Yes, all books have these elements; however, I've never come across one that is so evident. Considering this book's plot is about Carrie and Matt getting to know each other and falling in love, the book skirts around and around, zig-z
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Jan 21, 2012
Charlotte
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http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot.com...
Carrie Goes Off the Map was the first novel that I have read by Phillipa Ashley. It is a Chick Lit novel set in the UK, which are usually my absolute most favorite. Carrie Goes Off the Map while a bit long in parts, was a decent read. I thought the British slang was fun to read, but might be a bit confusing to some readers. Overall Carrie Goes Off the Map was a fun escape from my mundane life, worth the read if you are looking for a Chick More...
Carrie Goes Off the Map was the first novel that I have read by Phillipa Ashley. It is a Chick Lit novel set in the UK, which are usually my absolute most favorite. Carrie Goes Off the Map while a bit long in parts, was a decent read. I thought the British slang was fun to read, but might be a bit confusing to some readers. Overall Carrie Goes Off the Map was a fun escape from my mundane life, worth the read if you are looking for a Chick More...
Feb 18, 2012
Danielle
rated it:
Life was set, planned and charted for Carrie Brownhill. The love of her life, Huw, and her were set to be married but only four weeks before their wedding date he calls it off to suddenly be married to someone completely different only a few months later. Shocked and confused Carrie decides the perfect solution is a caravan trip with her best friend Rowena, but that falls through as well. Faced with the option of sulking around for the next month or taking along the handsome yet annoying Matt La
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Jan 30, 2012
Jen (Almost Grown-up)
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Posted to Almost Grown-up:
Romantic comedy and chick-lit used to be my genres of choice, so I’m not sure exactly how I let it become so long since reading my last one. I’m not about to hop off the Young Adult train, but Carrie Goes Off the Map was a nice change from the usual.
Carrie is all set to get married to her fiance, Huw. He, unfortunately, has different ideas and dumps her on the night of his stag party. Months later, Carrie hears that Huw has rebounded quite easily More...
Romantic comedy and chick-lit used to be my genres of choice, so I’m not sure exactly how I let it become so long since reading my last one. I’m not about to hop off the Young Adult train, but Carrie Goes Off the Map was a nice change from the usual.
Carrie is all set to get married to her fiance, Huw. He, unfortunately, has different ideas and dumps her on the night of his stag party. Months later, Carrie hears that Huw has rebounded quite easily More...
Feb 20, 2011
Signe
rated it:
Can I just state the obvious? This book was filled with clichés, lame sexual undertones and.. Basically it's everything you think a chick-flick will be, but.. It's also.. Really really awesome..
I loved it..
Maybe it's just because of my own pathetic love-life or something, but I seriously couldn't put it down.. Even though I knew how it would end all along, I just.. Adored it..
So.
If you're a girl, or.. A really gay boy, you should read this.
I loved it..
Maybe it's just because of my own pathetic love-life or something, but I seriously couldn't put it down.. Even though I knew how it would end all along, I just.. Adored it..
So.
If you're a girl, or.. A really gay boy, you should read this.
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Dec 26, 2011
Faith
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This book started off well. The premise was kinda cool: I think just about anyone would live to set off around the country side in a camper. However, I felt like things became rather rushed in the end. I actually wondered if Ashley had a deadline to meet because of the incompleteness of the story for the last 100 pages. Carrie and Matt's realization that they loved each other came rather forced in the end. Still, Carrie and Matt are both so likable that you can't help but to root for them and fe
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Aug 01, 2011
Yasmin
rated it:
Very nice story about Carrie who gets dumped unexpectedly by her fiancé (who's more of an A**hole), they've been together for ten years but he suddenly feels that he doesn't want to be with her anymore so he acts like a typical Jerk and ... well, he tells her to basically move out of the farm ( that she helped him manage for many years) .OK , Moving on , she has her best friend with her who suggested that Carrie should go on a road trip to heal and forget about her Ex who so happens to get ma
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Nov 16, 2011
Stevie
rated it:
This was a bit of a slow burner where the central relationship was concerned, even when viewed as not quite a romance. It didn't grab me as much as Fever Cure, possibly because I'd read that first (ie out of order), but I keep finding myself wanting to reread it sooner rather than later regardless.
Dec 30, 2011
Staci
rated it:
~ I love Phillipa Ashley's writing style! It never gets old and she always delivers a fun, cheeky, and sometimes steamy British Chick lit with more depth than realized at first glance. Her characters seem so real to me and oftentimes I have found myself wanting to be friends with them. I love learning British slang and there's so much of it in this one. I would love to try it out at work but I think a few of them would get me sent to the Principal's office!! If you're looking for a getaway book
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Dec 01, 2011
Angela
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Loved this book although I have to wait until Decmeber to post my review!
Dec 01, 2011
This is the US edition of It Should Have Been Me published on December 1st.
