My Oxford Year by Julia WhelanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
🌅 From the outside, My Oxford Year looks like a classic “study abroad rom-com.” The novel begins as an ambitious young American woman earns her long-dreamed-of Rhodes Scholarship, arrives in Oxford, and then promptly collides (literally) with the infuriatingly attractive Brit who turns out to be her class tutor. But Julia Whelan’s debut quickly reveals itself to be something more profound: a story about ambition, grief, love, and the choices that shape who we become when life refuses to follow our carefully written plans.
"She realizes in that moment that love has a cost. And she knows that she's going to have to figure out what that cost is."
Ella, a rising political star from Ohio, is balancing coursework with her dream job on a U.S. presidential campaign, until she falls for Jamie Davenport, the brilliant and rakish tutor she first dismissed as a “posh prat.” What begins as witty banter and undeniable chemistry gradually opens into something richer, layered with secrets from Jamie’s past that force Ella to reevaluate everything she thought she wanted. The Oxford setting shines, from the pub nights and tutorials to the centuries-old rituals of the university, which give the story texture and atmosphere. What I loved most were the personalities of Ella’s circle of friends, which added warmth and levity to the story.
Whelan, best known as one of the audiobook world’s most beloved narrators, brings her signature voice to this novel, both in the audiobook and through her prose. She excels at capturing the messy in-between spaces of relationships, the uncertainty, the laughter, and the ache of wanting more than life may allow. Favorite lines linger, like:
“If you don’t ever open yourself up, how can you ever be surprised by life? And if you’re not surprised, what’s the bloody point?”
That said, the novel is not flawless. Ella sometimes reads older or younger than her stated age, making her voice feel inconsistent. The story relied heavily on rom-com clichés and predictable challenges. Still, even with its clichés and predictable beats, the second half of the novel lands hard. Whelan is not writing fluff—she is writing about loss, vulnerability, and the courage it takes to let someone in, even when the future is uncertain.
Readers who loved Emily Henry’s brand of heartfelt contemporary romance will find a lot to savor here. Just know going in: this isn’t light escapism. It’s funny, charming, and romantic, yes, but it’s also poignant and unexpectedly heartbreaking.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 / 5 stars ________________________________________
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