kimveach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this book. Julia Whelan is one of my favorite narrators, and I also like her writing. The beginning of the book seemed like a typical romance, but it had so much more than that. It was a delightful "listen."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Vomit
Moderate: Car accident and Bullying
daniiiileighhhh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I really really enjoyed this book. I think I went into it expecting something light and fun, so I was a bit taken aback when things switched to a heavier topic. It didn't stop me from enjoying the book but
Spoiler
Jamie's cancer reveal really took me off guard and entirely changed the vibe of what I was wanting to read at the time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Cancer
Minor: Death
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book surprised me by switching halfway through from a comedy about an American’s adventures in Oxford to a romantic tragedy. I loved it, I loved the couple and the friends, I burst out laughing and their very literary conversations and cried through the confessions. I highly recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Sexual assault
sofia_marie's review
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Cancer
amiefw's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, and Cancer
megbooks02's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
“Maybe, once you come to realize that there are no answers, you learn to live with the questions.”
I have conflicting feelings about My Oxford Year. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t necessary appreciate the twist that occurred halfway through the story. I think the writing was great, but I struggled with the storyline in the second half of the book.
I have conflicting feelings about My Oxford Year. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t necessary appreciate the twist that occurred halfway through the story. I think the writing was great, but I struggled with the storyline in the second half of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, and Cancer
kb33's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
That. Hurt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Death
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
theespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I’m so, so sad to say that this book bummed me out!
After reading (and adoring) Thank You for Listening, I picked this up with excitement, wanting to delve into the author's work even more. However, where TYFL brought immense amounts of joy and hope, My Oxford Year was really quite sad and frustrating.
The beginning was really enjoyable! I loved Ella's somewhat chaotic introduction to Oxford and the lifestyle there. Her rag-tag group of friends was fantastic and even the start of her "relationship" with Jamie was filled with humor, awkward moments, and sweetness. Around the halfway point, however, everything took a depressing nosedive.
It all left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. What could have been a really creative and cute romcom turned into something melancholy and heavy. I walked away from it feeling drained rather than refreshed, which is not what I prefer after reading this kind of book. Definitely not my ideal style, unfortunately.
After reading (and adoring) Thank You for Listening, I picked this up with excitement, wanting to delve into the author's work even more. However, where TYFL brought immense amounts of joy and hope, My Oxford Year was really quite sad and frustrating.
The beginning was really enjoyable! I loved Ella's somewhat chaotic introduction to Oxford and the lifestyle there. Her rag-tag group of friends was fantastic and even the start of her "relationship" with Jamie was filled with humor, awkward moments, and sweetness. Around the halfway point, however, everything took a depressing nosedive.
Spoiler
Jamie’s illness was so miserable, but also felt forced, uncomfortable, and handled somewhat terribly. While I would've anticipated for Ella to be angry about him not telling her sooner, the initial reaction was awful and from there on out, I felt a heaviness to the entire story. There were all of the issues with his father, the really icky feeling of never knowing if he would live or not, and then finally, a very open ending. I’m sure this was meant to provide hope for the reader so they can make the assumption that there was a HEA, but I would’ve just preferred an on-paper HEA rather than one I had to make up for myself.It all left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. What could have been a really creative and cute romcom turned into something melancholy and heavy. I walked away from it feeling drained rather than refreshed, which is not what I prefer after reading this kind of book. Definitely not my ideal style, unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Classism and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident and Sexual content
rosierosereads's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
lightn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness
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