Julia Whelan - My Oxford Year

American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day.
When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.
Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for.

Comment: This book was released last year and when I read the blurb I was immediately interested in reading it. If you haven't, please read the blurb so just you might have an idea. I admit I focused more on some elements of the blurb and not others but as a whole, does it not give the impression this will be a dramatic but sweet romance story? For me it definitely seemed like it.

In this story we meet Ella Durran, she is a young overachiever woman, who has gotten a Rhodes scholarship to study in Oxford. This has been her dream since she was a young girl but she also knows she got it because of her student achievements and what she really plans on doing with her life is to work in politics. As soon as she arrives in England, she is told she will get her dream job working for a candidate to the presidency of the US but still she is allowed to stay and complete her Oxford year with the promise to return the day it ends and she already has a return ticket bought.

In her first day in Oxford she also finds a cozy pub where she, sadly, has a not so encounter with a stranger. Ella then gets quite embarrassed because he will be her new tutor but they mutually apologize and start a quiet but quickly developing friendship until they give in to their attraction.

However, things are not that simple because her tutor, Jamie, has a secret...

When I read about the "life-changing secret" mentioned in the blurb I imagined everything but what the secret actually is. When that came out, I was really surprised! Sadly for me, though, this didn't end up being one of those easy secrets to overcome and the positive aspects of the novel certainly don't compensate when it comes to my general appreciation of the story because of this detail.

I persist in complaining about blurbs, I know. I'm also aware it's probably not easy if one wants to keep them spoiler free. In this case, I was lead to believe the story would be sweeter and cuter because of how the premise was presented and also because of the cover, which was colorful and cartoon-styled and quite charming.

Of course everyone might have wrong expectations on anything but I did think this story would be a lot more romantic than it was and, even contemplating the drama, I just imagined everything would end up as happily as I hoped for.

Should I just alert I'll have spoilers? I don't know if I can write what I felt reading if I don't include details that would make anyone immediately guess what I'll be talking about. I better...

Minor spoilers ahead!

The book started really well. I liked seeing Ella's experience, the fact she had doubts about how she felt about everything, I liked seeing her slow start in Oxford, the friends she made, I really liked all the conversations on literature and poetry and the secondary characters seemed well portrayed. The Oxford atmosphere sounded appealing even if, realistically, it probably isn't that easy to just fit in as it happened with Ella because of the lucky circumstances of where she went and who she initially met.

The beginning of her relationship with Jamie was perfect. They had a bit of a confrontation before they even knew who they were, professionally speaking, and that was quite an indication this would be a bit of enemies to lovers kind of plot. Well, I thought so, but in reality they talk when they realize they'll be tutor and student and their grown up conversations and chemistry felt refreshing. Still, soon after they agree on a sexual relationship for the time being. I was a bit disappointed. I confess I thought things would go more on the romantic path, that their connection would build up a lot more before they got intimate but well, they did discuss this so... and they are adults...

This small disappointment aside, then I thought they would quickly recognize their connection as a strong one and the plot would move on to Ella's decision to stay with the man she loves or go back to her political aspirations. Since this was also in the blurb I felt pretty convinced things would go this way...but no. The "trial" Jamie has to go through had nothing to do with practical stuff like a clingy ex or a formal negative financial situation or an academic problem or any of the likely complicated but certainly solvable issues he could have to face with Ella by his side.

Had I read more comments before reading the book - I didn't because I didn't want any influence in how I'd love the book on my own - I'd have seen the comparisons some readers did with a specific book. In the blurb there is the mention of two authors whose work is clearly emotional, heavily set on the characters' lives and experiences but both have written things that don't always end well.

However, when I saw their names I thought the comparison was with their writing style, not the fact they made you cry endlessly in some books.

Obviously this means anyone can now guess where the plot went with Ella and Jamie and I must say: why? Why did this have to go this direction? What's the purpose of doing this, of making the characters go through it? Wouldn't they prove their love for one another anyway? Wouldn't they still cherish they were in love if the issue had been another?

I felt the last pages were a roller coaster and so unnecessarily it was so. Everyone knows the problem is realistic, it's as complicated and unfair as portrayed for countless people in the world but this is a romance story, it's labeled as such, come on! While another previous similar story was a trailblazer in how to make the readers feel anguish over the unfairness of it all, here I just felt it was not necessary faced with the family life Jamie had before his problem.

Then, when I'm already ready to read the dreadful conclusion to this, the author gives us something and finds a little line of hope which makes me breathe rather deeply with relief.

I thought this was it, what a overly dramatic story, not having to be so, totally unlike what I imagined when I started the first page and completely opposite what I expected with a blurb like that.

Finally, only the epilogue is left and.... we have an HFN. They don't end up happy forever, we don't get to read they had a quite but happy life at the end of the "trial". We are told they only had a "while" but that it was worth it, it was magical on its way and many other blah blahs of the kind.

I felt deceived. I felt wronged. I invested in this emotional read but I thought things would still end in a positive way. Although it didn't end bad, it was a temporary situation.

It makes me think WTF?

So, all this considered, between my (apparent) misguided expectations and the blurb and the fact we can't just have what we think it's best, this ended up being a disappointment. It's just not as low as I feel about it because the writing was appealing and many Oxford related details still shone through. But plot wise... argh, disappointing, disappointing.

Grade: 5/10