Review

This one received a lot of attention because not only is it now a Netflix movie (I haven’t watched it), it’s also written by well-known and award winning audiobook narrator, Julia Whelan. My leisure reading is usually not “coming of age” or “romance” or basically anything that is not some sort of thriller so I was a little worried that I wouldn’t get into it.

When Ella and Jamie first meet I did feel like “I hope it’s not like this for half the book” and it’s not. Sigh of relief.

I laughed and I cried and I honestly didn’t want it to end.

Synopsis

Set amidst the breathtaking beauty of Oxford, this sparkling debut novel tells the unforgettable story of a determined young woman eager to make her mark in the world and the handsome man who introduces her to a love that will irrevocably alter her future. 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. But when she meets Jamie Davenport, her English literature professor, she finds herself facing an 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