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A review by sammceeee
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
3.0
“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?”
3.5 ⭐️s but rounded up!
I’m a big Julia Whelan fan (loved Thank You for Listening!), so I picked this up purely for her. I wasn’t ready for how deeply heartfelt—and honestly, sad—it would be, but I should’ve known better. Whelan always brings the heart, even in her audiobooks.
More than a romance, this is a coming-of-age story that deals beautifully with love and loss. Ella’s journey from casual to committed with Jamie felt so real. And Jamie—the posh prat? Loved him, though I wish we’d gotten more from his perspective. The raw father-son dynamic? It broke me and put me back together.
Justice for Connor, though—some real swoon-worthy moments there! As for the rest of the cast: Charlie was solid, Maggie was fine, and Tom was… well, Tom.
Whelan’s humor and some book cliches are there, but this is much deeper than a romcom.
The ending left me a bit unsettled with Ella’s career choice, but overall, this was an emotional, memorable read. Highly recommend if you are a fan of stories about women.
3.5 ⭐️s but rounded up!
I’m a big Julia Whelan fan (loved Thank You for Listening!), so I picked this up purely for her. I wasn’t ready for how deeply heartfelt—and honestly, sad—it would be, but I should’ve known better. Whelan always brings the heart, even in her audiobooks.
More than a romance, this is a coming-of-age story that deals beautifully with love and loss. Ella’s journey from casual to committed with Jamie felt so real. And Jamie—the posh prat? Loved him, though I wish we’d gotten more from his perspective. The raw father-son dynamic? It broke me and put me back together.
Justice for Connor, though—some real swoon-worthy moments there! As for the rest of the cast: Charlie was solid, Maggie was fine, and Tom was… well, Tom.
Whelan’s humor and some book cliches are there, but this is much deeper than a romcom.
The ending left me a bit unsettled with Ella’s career choice, but overall, this was an emotional, memorable read. Highly recommend if you are a fan of stories about women.