Gut Feeling

by Victoria Browne

Ashleigh Lands is a twenty six year old dental nurse, who after meeting Dave Croft, a gorgeous twin, finds herself in an impossible dilemma. Living in the heart of London, Ashleigh and her group of friends find themselves in numerous situations, parties, traumas and sexual experiences. With Ashleigh's love cheat lawyer ex-boyfriend Lee Preston pulling on her heart strings Ashleigh goes on holiday to Ibiza with the girls; Rachel a buyer for a large child's clothing company and also Ashleigh's best friend. Beautiful Jules who works for a well-known magazine company. And Gemma a house wife who has just found out her husband was sleeping with his personal trainer. Ibiza brings the girls new friends along with love and loss. Whilst the girls are away Dave has an unwanted sexual encounter. Ashleigh returns home only to have her life thrown into turmoil. "But I heard it with my own ears". Must be true then? ? ?

"A gripping romantic chic-lit fiction novel at its best" - Independent Quote "Laugh out loud best seller"

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Ebooks, Womens Fiction

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Victoria was born and raised in south London and now lives in California. Victoria left school and qualified as a dental nurse, she worked in Harley Street London before moving into the world of real estate. During this time she qualified as a mortgage broker and eventually opened her own real estate agency which she sold in 2012 and published her first novel 'Gut Feeling.'

With a great deal of determination due to dyslexia Victoria progressed to where she is today, living in Santa Monica, with her Husband and dod Tango. Victoria enjoys reading Sophie kinsella, Cecelia Ahern, Danielle Steel, Sebastian Faulks, J K Rowling / Robert Galbraith, to name a few.

Twitter https://twitter.com/VixBrowneAuthor

Web site http://www.victoria-browne.com/

Fan page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victor...

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was scattered, and it at times leave me not really knowing what is going on in the book. I just never understand or follow the book. I did not feel anything for the characters. The main characters was Ashleigh and Dave. There is a lot of cheating and sexual experiences in the book. After, reading the whole book I still could not tell you anything really about any of the characters other then some cheated and they did some sexual things and there was a lot of parties. Why? I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Tiffany PSquared · Rating 2 out of 5]

❝She wasn’t pathetic; she was strong. She had stood up to Lee, had fallen in love again, and was sunning her new, empowered self in Ibiza. Life was on the up and up.❞

I can see where the author was trying to go with this story, but I can't say that it ever made it there. It felt... scattered. There were two main characters, Ashleigh and Dave (the story was told from both of their points of view); however, the story wasn't balanced between them. It was more "Ashleigh-heavy", which made Dave come off as more of a supporting character.

On top of that, Ashleigh wasn't all that relatable. She was a little annoying in her indecision and repetitive thought patterns (or was that just the repetitive writing?). He likes me. Does he like me? I like him. Do I like him? He's great. Wait, he's trash. I'm happy. No, I'm miserable.

There was a lot of action in the book that ultimately proved meaningless to the story as a whole. It left me feeling like certain events and conversations in the story were just used as filler to make the book longer. What could have actually helped that is for Browne to not have rushed through all the love scenes! Isn't this one of the reasons why we read chick-lit and romance books - to relish in the love scenes?! The longing looks, the tender kisses, the gentle caresses, the... well, you get it. But the love scenes here seemed rushed and not well thought out.

I also took issue with one key phrase: At one point, Ashleigh mentions that her sister has come back to England from New York with an "American twang". Really? A "twang"? Is she referring to a southern accent that someone from New York, in fact, would not have? Way to alienate and stereotype your North American readers Ms. Browne.

Finally, there were enough strings left dangling at the end of this book to make a french braid. We don't get to see her reunite with her friends at the end. What about her job? What happens with Issi - does she stay in the apartment & does she continue to date Peter? Etc., etc.

Whenever I write a review that is less than complimentary, I like to also say that this author has done something that I have not done - they have written a book. Although I personally didn't enjoy every aspect of it, I still recognize that writing is difficult work and I appreciate those who put forth the effort to share parts of themselves with us.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I downloaded this book on BookBub because it was free. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. This book reminded me a lot of Bridget Jones’ Diary, which is great because I love that movie/book. I’d have rated it five stars except it was written very simplistically, which annoyed me the whole book. However, I liked and could relate to all the characters and their situations. Two surprising thumbs up!

[Donna McLeod · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did no one preview this book

This was awful. I can't really blame the book, I knew it was chick-lit when I downloaded it. If I were the author I would be upset with my editor. Just about every page had a typo or incorrect grammar and punctuation. The overly predictable plot didn't help.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid hate/irritation read. Two and a half stars. Look no further if you want to be really irritated by the heroine, who has been cheated on before and completely doesn't trust her judgment when she meets a nice guy who seems too good to be true.

This is one of those books where, if the situation were reversed, I would be yelling at the hero, because the supposed cheating incident with the new guy was actually a case of sexual assault (he was asleep and woke up to the OW giving him a blow job, whereupon he pushed her off and threw her out -- he'd had no relationship with the OW, so it wasn't even a case of him leading her on). Meanwhile he feels guilty about how she's going to respond to this situation -- it's painful and an exact reversal of the standard bit where the H slut-shames the h for nearly being assaulted or raped. Instead, I'm yelling at the h for being so weak and awful.

Also, the H's brother is a jerk, and his girlfriend is awful. So much to dislike.

[J. Kahele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aw

I swear I read this book straight through, that was how amazing it was. It was mixed with a little of everything. It made me laugh a lot especially when the main character Ash went on a vacation with her friends. But mostly I loved the romantic story between Ash and Dave, it was one of those romances that made you feel all mushy inside and I found myself cheering them on. Wonderful read.

[Treacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it !!!!! Another brilliant read, would recommend this to anybody who enjoys chick lit.

[Marieke | Marieke's Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy. This in no way influenced my opinion.

Dit boek was lief, maar niet echt mijn ding. Er waren bijvoorbeeld problemen, doordat de hoofdpersonen niet cmgoed communiceren, dan worden ze opgelost en uitgesproken, maar ontstaan er meteen weer nieuwe problemen door miscommunicatie. Op den duur word ik daar wel een beetje moe van.. En Ashleigh zoekt echt overal iets achter. Super hinderlijk.
Daarnaast was het verhaal nogal voorspelbaar.

[Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was just so bored, i don`t know what i had hoped for but i didn`t like the story and ended up skimming the last pages because of it. None of the characters had much development, Dave had some development but his brother? ugh, don`t get me started on the arrogant pig. But i don`t know, this book didn`t interest me, sadly.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a Victoria Browne book and this one is no exception to the rule. Littered with feel good humour, wit and romance. This book has so many wonderful things going for it. Amazing characters, a great storyline and amazing settings I really enjoyed it.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love chick lit that leaves me with a happy heart. "Gut Feeling" is a fantastic coming of age, sweet, sometimes funny, and even relatable romance that had me turning pages (or swiping left) into the wee hours of the morning. Go with your gut, this is a satisfying read!

[Grace O'Callaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book sent by author for honest review

I rated this book as 3 stars. I enjoyed this book it was an easy read and perfect for a holiday break. I liked the introduction to ash's friends and getting to know their stories too. Dave was perfect for ash, Lee was awful. I thought Ash's character was a bit over dramatic towards the end and was acting a bit rash. Don't want to say to much in case give to much away. Overall was enjoyable would definitely read a book by Victoria again.

[Jo Linsdell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a story about learning to trust your on instinct AKA gut feeling. It does hit on a few topics that should have trigger warnings though; rape, and abusive relationships. I liked that these were included as it was done in a way that makes you think about the dangers, and highlighted related issues that aren't often mentioned in other books. e.g. male rape victims, and the dangers of sharing other people's information without their consent.

The main character Ashleigh was a bit too pathetic at times. I really wanted to grab her and give her a good slap to snap her out of it. I loved when she showed just how a good a friend she was though. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with her character. I also felt that more could have been done with Lee, especially considering what a big role he had in the plot of the book.

Dave was great, but the real stars were the extra characters. Strangely the "extras" were stronger characters than the main characters.

Over all it was a good read.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Gut Feeling is a great light and easy read. I finished it in two sittings even with small children at home. The story reminded me of the song "Begin Again" by Taylor Swift because the main character, Ashleigh, cannot stop herself from comparing her new Beau to her scummy ex, Lee. I thought that some of the scenes could have used more details to give the story more depth. Early on in the book, I wanted to know so much more about what the characters were thinking and why. In particular the first date scene could have had much more depth but just fell too short. In the end, I'm still giving a ⭐⭐⭐. 5/5 review because even though the writing was a little immature at times, I still couldn't put it down and between sittings, I couldnt wait to get back to it.

[Diane Michaels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashleigh's ex, Lee, destroyed her ability to trust her gut feelings. Her resolve to drink less and to stop relying on her big sister Kelly to solve her problems is weakened when Lee pops back into her life just as everything else becomes complicated. Dave, her new boyfriend, seems like the perfect guy. But when you can't trust your gut, how can you trust anyone else? Victoria Browne skillfully captures the emotional turmoil of a young woman eager to survive on her own and ready to love despite the fact that both goals prove to be more challenging than she thinks she can handle, even with the help of her friends.

[Joan]

dnf at 9%

The writing is clunky with changes of tense and careless punctuation. It doesn’t flow and there is little depth to the characters.

I stopped reading when Peter (who was in pain) was described as ‘rocking like a mental patient'

Not rating at this time.

[Cecily Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like chick lit, this is a don't miss title! What a fun ride through London, with some emotional ups and downs, all leading to a happy ending that left me smiling. This is a quick read that refreshes and entertains, with relatable characters and an engaging story. Definitely recommend!

[Sarah Briggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

It did take me a while to read this book, I did struggle at the beginning to be interested in it. I wanted something totally different after reading 4 crime thrillers back to back. I think doing it this way hampered my enjoyment of the book, I was waiting for something really good to happen and was left disappointed when it didn't. The plot was very predictable as is with a lot of chick lit books and there were a lot of spelling and grammar errors, but that wasn't the authors fault it was the editors. I did enjoy 'third time lucky the honey trap' more and I'm looking forward to reading Victoria's new book, which she has sent me already 'Notting Hill Gossip'

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I won a copy of Gut Feeling, I was delighted, as I had seen others tweeting about this author, but I hadn't had a chance to discover her for myself at that point. Now that I have read Gut Feeling I will certainly be on the look out for more Victoria Browne books.

Gut Feeling is a great story, about young people in their mid twenties, and their various experiences with men. It centres around a group of friends, who are all after different things. Ashleigh, is at the heart of this book, who is struggling to trust the new man in her life Dave, after her ex cheated on her. Although her ex is still trying to get her back, he sounds like a twit.

Then there is Rachel, who is Ashleigh's best friend, and she loves a good night out, and is enjoying the single life. Jules had been working abroad but is now back in the UK, and is finally having some luck with men, having started to date one that is different to her usual type. Then there is Gemma, who is a long time friend of Rachel and Ashleigh, but they had been out of contact for a while. Her husband was cheating on her, and now she's glad to reconnect with her friends, and to throw herself into her new life and circumstances.

Gut Feeling centres around how women really should use their intuition and gut feeling when it comes to people, as so often it turns out to be correct, and ignore it at your peril. I loved this as a message, as I tend to trust my intuition a lot, and it rarely fails me.

The girls decide to go on a holiday to Ibiza, and although Ashleigh was a bit reluctant to leave Dave, during the honeymoon phase of her new relationship, she enjoys herself on holiday. It's only when they return that things become a bit sticky.

Gut Feeling is 200 pages of fun, its light hearted chick lit and just what I was in the mood for, when I read it. I enjoyed the writing, the story, and wished I was friends with the girls too, as they sounded like a great group of friends.

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Book provided by author in exchange for an honest review*

Love the title of this novel and I’m so happy Victoria asked me to read and review it, because I loved it. Thanks sweetie, here’s your review xxx

Ash is such a lovely and charismatic character and I adored the way Victoria introduced her to us and began her story.
She has some great friends and every one of them had a special place in the story and also in Ash’s life.

Now, to the men in this story. There is Lee, her ex boyfriend. God, I hated him from the start! Why did he always have to turn up? Well, of course it made the novel fascinating and gripping and I liked the way he was integrated into the story, but still wasn’t present all the time.

Now, let’s talk about the other man and I just say this: BOOK BOYFRIEND ALARM!!! Dave is sexy, gorgeous, caring, funny, a good listener and much more. No wonder Ash was falling for him. Their chemistry was great, I felt that they belonged together. Whenever they were together it was so sweet and adorable, the scenes were described so well and real.

Ash has a holiday planned with her girls, but she doesn’t want to leave Dave, when she comes back her world is turned upside down.
A big misunderstanding and suddenly Dave is not in the picture anymore and Ash questions everything.
Will their true love overcome this?

At this moment I couldn’t put this story down anymore, I was so hooked. Dave and Ash were perfect together and I didn’t want that to change, EVER. Victoria’s writing is gripping, funny, real, honest and full of LOL moments.

The ending is so cute and adorable, I’d really love to read more about Ash and Dave, I feel like there is more to tell, much more…

A wonderful novel, written in such a fun, genuine and absorbing way. LOVED IT!

Rating: 4.5

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review*

How do you know that he is the one? How do you know that he is the one who is right for you and wanna spend a lifetime together? Do you trust your head, your heart, or your gut feeling?

Ashleigh works as a dental nurse and meets Dave at her workplace. Dave is such a nice person, so sensitive, so polite, with such great manners. Talking to him seems easy, and he understands everything. But one holiday with the girls changes everything for Ashleigh. Ash’s two best friends have so many troubles in their personal lives and she is always there to help them. That’s why they went on that holiday in the first place. But at the same time, Ash faces her own turnovers. Her ex-boyfriend tries to get back with her and Dave has a double date with his twin brother and two women. Can their relationship survive? Can Dave and Ash trust each other or will they trust the grapevine talks?

I must say that there were moments when I was wondering what was the main story here. Was it the romance between Ash and Dave or the friendship of the three best friends? The characters are ordinary, not too funny, not too quirky. Maybe I was expecting little bit more development on that side. As much as I tried to enjoy the story, I didn’t find many ups and down and pushing to the limits. Everything was so plain and ordinary, at least for me. I was expecting a bit more drama, more twists or laugh-out-moments.

The only character that I really loved was Dave. Dave is a full package and every woman’s dream. He is hot and total opposite of his twin brother, and is a real nice guy you’d like to spend the life with.

Overall, Gut Feeling is cute romance, a story about trusting your partner and having more trust in yourself.

Our opinion: 7/10

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gut Feeling by Victoria Browne is a contemporary romance. 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? Can she trust her gut feeling?

Gut Feeling left me with mixed feelings. I like that Ashleigh and Dave are each working towards being better people and opening themselves to each other, and that they both have issues to resolve. I liked the supportive friends and some of the intrigue brought on by the friends, ex's, and siblings. However, I quickly got annoyed with Ashleigh and her constant second guessing herself and putting herself down and equating having a man in her life as success. I understood some of it, and related to some of it. I hate conflict and confrontation too, but there are times when it is the best option for everyone involved- and the soon you do it the better. They do have heart to heart talks, but the majority of the worries that they each have do not get around to talking about. There were several times that I almost put the book down, but I still have trouble doing that.
Gut Feeling is a romance with plenty on introspection and good secondary characters.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore a good #ChickLit title and this one definitely fits the bill.

Ashleigh Lands has had a terrible run of luck with love. While her family has started a new, posh life in America, she stayed behind in England for a guy. A guy who turned out to be a cheating cad.

Through her work, she meets a new guy who turns her head and has her thinking maybe, just maybe, she will find true love. Dave seems like the real deal and the more she falls for him the easier it is for her to refuse her ex's advances.

But then the bubble bursts when she overhears Dave's roommate talking about a night while Ashleigh was on her girl's trip. She's now ready to call it quits for England and move to America where her family now resides.

Like all ChickLit, this one has a dash of romance and just enough tension to keep things interesting. If you are looking for a quick read that has a bit of fun, then check it out. Just don't expect deep character development (and some might say Ashleigh is a bit spoiled as Daddy still pays most of her bills!)

I received an advance reader copy via NetGalley in hopes of a review. All opinions are my own.

[Trix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable...
I rated this book 3 stars. I enjoyed it. Easy and light at heart, a poolside/beach book. I liked the getting the backstory and the deeper look at Ash's friends. Protagonist and Antagonist were very clear, and I really just wanted to tell off Lee! I didn't like how Ash's personality towards the end got rather....irrational. I'll be looking forward to another read from Victoria Browne in the future....hopefully the character doesn't turn into a drama queen again.

Update: Apparently you cannot buy this book on Amazon anymore....While I did download this book back in 2015 I just got around to reading it now.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve come to the conclusion that I love British writers. They have a way of bringing London to life that no one else can, and the cultural differences and slang words always make me smile. At the beginning of Gut Feeling, Ashleigh decides to make changes in her life. Her biggest hurdle is overcoming trust issues from a previous relationship that have caused her to doubt herself, and breaking off ties to unfulfilling friendships. Unlike so many stories where the main character stumbles throughout, Ashleigh’s resolve carries though. What’s more, she’s supportive of her friends who aren’t ready to make the same choices yet.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am on the fence with Gut Feeling there were parts that were really funny and others that were ok. I really liked Dave but Ashleigh was often just eh. There was too much fluff that distracted from the romance of the book. The friendships were more developed and explored than the the relationship between Ashleigh and Dave.

I received the book for free from Story cartel in exchanged of an honest opinion.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just what I needed. I read it while I was in the hospital with my dad undergoing surgery. It was a quick read and funny, which was perfect to keep my mind off worrying.

I enjoy Ashleigh and her friends. They were great fun to spend a little time with. And its always nice to have a good couple to root for.

*I received this book through the GoodReads First Reads Program.

[Sheila Carsins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Definitely an English Novel and it was Quite interesting.

It took me a while to get a grip on the cultural differences, and different language, and slang expressions. If you like happy endings, then this book was laid back, and worth the time that it took me to muddle through it.

[Nicole Bannister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Enjoyed everything about this book there was nothing I didn't like about the book. I Like the setting,the writing style,the plot,the plot twists and the characters in the book were amazing.I would gladly reread it again.

[Carlin]

No, no, no. I can't read this. It's terrible! Got to 15%.