The beginning was practically perfect. No lie, either. The sophisticated writing style pulled me in quickly, and the characters were quite relatable and sounded just like any normal being that I might be friends with. I particularly liked the storyline - after all, I love the study abroad program and hope to participate once I'm in college - since the S.A.S.S series, which was about foreign exchange students and therefore practically the same, really sucked. I mean, there were a few mediocre books in the series, but I never found one that really interested me. Those characters were usually stereotypical, cliched, bland, or escaping from some movie-esque scenario. (Most of the time, I found myself just salivating over the mentions of exotic food, and that was the highlight of the novel already!) So I was really eager about this book, especially since the setting focused on Oxford. Oxford! Imagine that! So it seemed right that these characters would be smart and determined, exactly how I like my protagonists.
Because of the great start to the novel, I was quickly fascinated by the author. So imagine my surprise to read that Abby McDonald was a graduate of Oxford University! And that she's only twenty-four years old! Clearly, this is good writing, and I was fortunate to find something amazing, finally. BUT, and yes, there's that dreaded but.
BUT, the strong beginning quickly turned into an mediocre middle, and then a clump of disaster at the end. The dialogue became awkward, silly, and too fake. Half the time, I would pause just to think, "Seriously? Would I say something like that if I was in that situation?" And 99% of the time, the answer to my question was a solid NO. The ending seemed rushed and choppy. The characters lacked a steady road of development and the so-called "unexpected" twists were fairly expected. The only part I really liked at the end was that everything came crashing down on Tasha and it wasn't resolved. Because that's realistic; I mean, not everything in your life gets solved so easily. Most of the time, the problem's still there; it's just about how you choose to handle it, is all.
So no, I didn't hate the book. But after realizing that this was the work of an Oxford graduate, I just expected more. Well, naturally, not everyone from Oxford is destined to be the next Fitzgerald and whatnot, but my expectations just weren't answered.