My Oxford Year

by Julia Whelan

She could never have guessed what the year would hold…

‘A pure delight . . . will stay with you long after you’re done’ TAYLOR JENKINS REID

Gazing up at the dreaming spires of Oxford, American student Ella Duran can’t believe it: she has finally arrived at Oxford University.

A new life starts, and not even Ella’s handsome lecturer Jamie Davenport can distract her from her classes. But, as the term goes on, Ella can’t deny the growing attraction between them – an attraction that soon turns to love.

And when Ella learns of Jamie’s life-changing secret, their relationship becomes deeper than Ella could have ever anticipated.

As Ella’s Oxford year draws to a close, she must decide whether the dreams she arrived with are the same ones with which she will leave…

• ISBN13: 9780008278724
• Publish Date: 1 December 2018 (first published 24 April 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

I laughed, swooned, smashed things, cried and adored this complicated story about life and the curveballs it throws you when you least expect it.

“The hardest thing is love, with no expiration date, no qualifiers, no safety net. Love that demands acceptance of all things I cannot change. Love that doesn’t follow a plan.”– My Year at Oxford

When the mood strikes, I enjoy women’s fiction. While this has a romantic element and a coming of age new adult feel that fans of Me Before You and The Fault of Our Stars will enjoy, it also focuses on a young woman who is driven in her pursuit of education and career. She has a plan and love isn’t in the equation but sometimes life happens and it makes you reevaluate everything.

Whelan pulled me in with these complex, flawed characters and talks of poets, politics and family. Spending a year abroad at college spoke to my younger-self. Ok, who am I kidding. I would pack my bags to spend a year at Oxford at fifty. The books, the streets, the pubs…the HISTORY! Oh my!

I could talk about the friends, the romantic arrangement and the secrets or perhaps the pubs, countryside and life lessons, but this book like I suppose Oxford is best experienced first hand. So instead I will encourage you to grab your headphones, a box of truffles and a glass of wine. Then lose yourself in this story. It is one that will stay with you. As someone who listens and reads over two hundred books a year, I love when that happens.

Normally I get nervous when an author chooses to narrator, but Whelan is already an established narrator and a favorite. So naturally she nailed the characters, emotions and tone of the story. I recommend listening. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Sam@WLABB]

Trigger Warning: Cancer, death of parent

I am embarrassed to say, I have had a copy of this book for over a year. I kept putting it off, because I have to be in the mood for women's fiction. When I saw the audiobook available at the library, I thought, "why not?". I am SO glad I finally picked up this book, because it was magnificent.

It was Ella's lifelong dream to study at Oxford, and she was fortunate to win a Rhode's scholarship, which allowed her to fulfill this dream. Once there, she meets the "pretentious prat". When what she began as a fling turns into a LOT more, Ella begins to think there may not be an expiration date on her time in England.

I loved so many things about this book. Whelan does an amazing job immersing us in the setting. She filled Ella's days there with fun and incredible friends, and worked poetry beautifully and meaningful into the story. But, for me, this was all about Ella and Jamie. I can hardly get my thoughts out about this book, because I was so touched by their story. Their journey together was so meaningful, and I really loved seeing Ella's emotional growth.

It was a such a beautiful story of love and valuing the time you have with those you love. My heart exploded while reading it, and yes, I am crying right now just thinking about it. But, don't worry. There are happy, heartwarming, and funny parts to go along with the heartbreaking parts, and I was left with full heart at the end.

This quote from the book really encompassed the impact this book had on me:

"I came to Oxford looking for a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience. I chose to experience a lifetime."

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[jeannamichel]

I was expecting a sexy romance while the protagonist studies abroad. However, we got so much more than that! Also, Whelan is a screenwriter and this book is adapted from her screenplay that is currently in the works.

[Lynn]

When a book inspires you to pause, mull over and digested the narrative as the final words are read. My Oxford Year is a revelation and far exceeded any expectations beyond my initial brief thoughts after quickly reading the blurb before I began reading.

Ella Durran has been working towards her personal goal since she was fourteen years old; to go to Oxford. With her jet-lagged head filled with cliché ideas and thoughts about what to expect, she quickly realises she's doomed to fail after a catalogue of disasters within the first twenty-four hours in the spiral city. However, after an eventful introduction to life in Magdalen College, life becomes more intriguing when the man she'd rather forget after an embarrassing encounter is to be her new professor.

Jamie Davenport oozes intellectual charm and is quite the dapper heart-breaker as his reputation precedes him at every turn between Oxford and Cambridge. When his mentor suddenly requests he teach one of her classes, he's unexpectedly drawn to the new American student in his class.

Ella and Jamie are physically drawn to each other, yet try to fight their attraction because their first impressions of each other are discouraging. However, it's respecting each others intelligence which brings them together in an intellectual meeting of minds.

Aside from enjoying the protagonists complex relationship blossom, I developed a new respect for poetry...it's unforeseen and I appreciate the unexpected inclusion which adds a fitting dimension to an already multifaceted narrative. Ella's quirky friends and associates play the part of secondary characters and complement the protagonists perfectly providing plenty of humorous moments. An eye-raising and laughable moment for me is the description of a British Christmas dinner, eaten for Thanksgiving by Ella. We traditionally eat turkey with Brussels Sprouts...I've never known anyone to eat it courgettes with turkey and I've never heard a Yorkshire pudding described as a bubble before...incongruous or not.

The ending is thought-provoking and very fitting for Jamie and Ella. Some readers may prefer a more defined conclusion but for me, it was a chance to ponder their life events and wonder how it may have all turned out. Any writer who engages me after the final words have been read is a fan of mine.

***arc generously received courtesy of William Morrow paperbacks via Edelweiss+***

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

Cocktails and Books received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.Ella, a Rhodes scholar, up and coming consultant in the political world, comes to Oxford to fulfill a promise made to herself as a young girl.  Immerse herself in everything Oxford and then come back home to her career.  But Ella discovers a side to herself while in Oxford, which includes an affair with her frustratingly handsome TA and discovering something much more important than politics and Tennyson.

Every once in awhile I find a book that blows me away. My Oxford Year was one of those finds. Ella and Jamie could be frustrating, but understanding these complex characters and following the ups and downs of their non-relationship made this hard to put down. 

I wanted Ella to forget about hitching her star to a potential presidential candidate and focus on herself.  Focus on developing relationships with her crazy friends.  And most of all helping Jamie understand that even if what they had was for a short time it would be worth everything.

This is a book that stays with you long after you've finished it and I'm so very happy to discover this author and her refreshing voice.  A Top Read for 2018 and a book I will highly recommend for a long time to come.