Books Like My Oxford Year

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Julia Whelan narrates her own novel with the kind of intimate authority that only an author- can bring — every comedic beat and romantic beat lands exactly as written, and the Oxford setting gives the 10-hour contemporary romance a specificity of place that elevates it above the generic. Whelan's voice is warm and self-aware, and the humor is consistently timed. Ten of the recommendations are by Whelan herself, a direct showcase of her range as a , with the full list built around the same smart, emotionally honest contemporary romance register.

10 books for fans of My Oxford Year

  1. 1
    Thank You for Listening cover

    Thank You for Listening

    Thank You for Listening

    by Julia Whelan

    3.99 Goodreads (100.9K ratings)
  2. 2
    Just for the Summer cover

    Just for the Summer

    Part of Your World • Book 3

    by Abby Jimenez

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    Two people cursed to watch their exes find true love immediately after breakups devise a scheme: date each other, break up, and cancel out their romantic jinxes.

    4.34 Goodreads (1.1M ratings)
  3. 3
    You Loved Me Once cover

    You Loved Me Once

    by Corinne Michaels

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    Doctor Preston maintains strict emotional boundaries to survive her demanding career, but fellow physician Westin Grant threatens to tear down every wall she's built. Michaels explores the cost of self-protection in both medicine and love.

    4.05 Goodreads (12.1K ratings)
  4. 4
    One True Loves cover

    One True Loves

    by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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    When Emma's husband returns from the dead after years of presumed drowning, she must choose between the life she rebuilt and the love she never forgot.

    4.02 Goodreads (745.8K ratings)
  5. 5
    After I Do cover

    After I Do

    by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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    What happens when a married couple agrees to separate for exactly one year—no contact, no rules except silence? Reid examines whether love can survive intentional distance and the terrifying freedom of rediscovering yourself.

    3.93 Goodreads (304.3K ratings)
  6. 6
    Evvie Drake Starts Over cover

    Evvie Drake Starts Over

    by Linda Holmes

    3.82 Goodreads (158.7K ratings)
  7. 7
    Remain cover

    Remain

    by Nicholas Sparks, M. Night Shyamalan

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    Sparks ventures into supernatural territory as grieving architect Tate learns his dead sister's gift for seeing trapped spirits has passed to him, forcing him to help souls find peace.

    3.81 Goodreads (48.7K ratings)
  8. 8
    Forever, Interrupted cover

    Forever, Interrupted

    by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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    Nine days of marriage, then widowhood at twenty-five — Elsie must navigate grief alongside in-laws who didn't even know she existed. Reid examines how love and loss intersect with devastating honesty.

    3.64 Goodreads (219.8K ratings)
  9. 9
    Funny Story cover

    Funny Story

    by Emily Henry

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    Henry crafts a story of unlikely friendship when two people abandoned by the same couple find healing and humor together in a small lakeside town.

    4.19 Goodreads (1.3M ratings)
  10. 10
    Happy Place cover

    Happy Place

    by Emily Henry

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    Henry explores the complexity of adult friendships when Harriet and her ex must fake their relationship during a group vacation, confronting what they've lost.

    3.94 Goodreads (1.5M ratings)