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Gut Feeling by Victoria Browne
Blurb
Ashleigh Lands has given up the chance for a new life in America with her family, choosing to stay in London with her boyfriend, Lee Preston. When Lee cheats on her and quickly becomes an ex-boyfriend, Ashleigh loses herself in work and alcohol. Five months later, however, she’s ready for change and decides to reach for a new, empowered self.
When window glazier Dave Croft shows up for a job at the dental practice where Ashleigh works, the two hit it off immediately. Ashleigh is elated—has her luck in love finally changed? Lee has been harassing her in an attempt to get her back, but the more she falls for Dave, the more she leaves Lee in her past. With life looking up, Ashleigh heads to Ibiza for a girls’ holiday with her three best friends.
Ashleigh looks forward to reuniting with Dave after her trip, but reports of an encounter Dave had while she was in Ibiza makes her question his integrity—and her life choices. Should she believe his story, or is he a lying cheater like Lee? Is it time to join her family in America, or should she stay in England and give love one more chance?
Can she trust her gut feeling?
Review
This wasn't your quintessential Brit lit/rom com, in that it felt rather more cosmopolitan than most books set in the UK, especially since there were several American spellings and Americanisms dotted through it, which I found did detract from the story a little. The blurb does say it was edited in American English, though, so as long as you're not a stickler for a novel in a British setting with British characters using British English, then you probably won't notice.
Ashleigh is a rich girl, who lives in an expensive part of London (her parents pay), but is down to earth enough to have a job as a dental nurse. She also has an ex who causes her trouble, and a new boyfriend, Dave, who is a bit of a hunk. There is a great deal of soul-searching and some distressing events during the book, as apart from the love interest, the story was backlit with some serious issues concerning non-consensual sex, intimidation and harassment.
I found it hard to take to Ashleigh, but she did grow on me at the end and I found I was rooting for her to achieve her HEA.
About the Author
Victoria was born and raised in south London. Her love for writing blossomed in 2012 when she published her first novel 'Gut Feeling' after a log struggle with dyslexia. With a great deal of determination, Victoria has not let anything hold her back.
Today, Victoria lives in sunny, California, with her Husband and rescue dog Tango. She enjoys reading, Cecelia Ahern, Danielle Steel, Sebastian Faulks, J K Rowling / Robert Galbraith, to name a few.
