A cute, fun romance. I liked how the fake-dating trope was handled and how it added to the second-chance romance. It forced our leads to finally confront their differences. I also really enjoyed the body positivity and mental health rep. All in all a good read!

I really loved this book and read it super quickly, kicking myself for not picking it up sooner! I love a second chance romance and throw in enemies to lovers and we have ourselves a real winner! I really enjoyed the academic setting mixed with rockstar romance, it added such a fiery element to the story. The characters were perfect and I loved their chemistry and banter.

I went in blind to this book and I'm kinda glad i did. I really enjoyed it, the law student x space nerd/rockstar was a really nice touch!
I quite liked the second chance aura in it and the enemies to lovers!

I'm so glad of how carefully the anxiety of the characters was written!

cute and cozy book to read after a heavy reading it was cute and you can remmeber it of the plot piece by piece

I could not finish this book in the end sadly. I adore Laura Bradbury's other books, but I found these characters to be whiney in a way. I normally don't get annoyed with characters, but these two rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall review:
Sweet. Cute. ADORABLE.
OMG, this was such a sweet ride.
When I started with this book, I wasn't sure how the plot would go ahead, but this book covered all the amazing and enjoyable tropes. From forced proximity to fake dating, it had everything! The characters were so lovely and well-written.

Star rating:
I'm giving this one four stars because the writing at some points felt a bit slow-paced but other than that it was just wholesome.

Characters:
--> Side characters: yes, I'm taking them first because they deserve it. They made the story so much better and more enjoyable. Alfie, Cedar, and Shaun, all have my heart and played a good role in making the story the way it is.
--> Jake: THIS. GUY. PLEASE. He was so good. So well written and his POV was the one I genuinely looked forward to. It was really nice to go through his head. The way he always made clear what he wanted and what he thought was amazing. Not to ignore the fact that he loved spoiling Lucy which just made him all the better.
--> Lucy: I loved her sense of pragmatism. The fact that her self-esteem came before anything else and she always stood by her family. She had strong faiths and opinions and she stood by them. The best thing was her allowing herself to not care about anything that didn't really matter and give things a go. Pursue what she wanted to.
--> Overall: The interpersonal as well as the intrapersonal developments of the MCs were amazing, and calming to read. All of them were well written and there were no unrealistically drastic personality changes in any of them which was great.

Second chance romance is a great trope and this one didn't disappoint. I think I will definitely be reading more from Bradbury in the future.

"Oxford Star" by Laura Bradbury is a delightful escape into the world of academia and romance that left me utterly charmed.

Bradbury's writing is elegant and evocative, transporting you to the storied halls of Oxford with vivid descriptions and atmospheric prose. The setting itself feels like a character, imbued with history and tradition that adds depth to the story.

The characters are well-drawn and relatable, each with their own hopes, dreams, and flaws. Our intrepid heroine's journey of self-discovery is both heartwarming and empowering, and her budding romance with the enigmatic star of Oxford's literary scene is a joy to behold.

What I appreciated most about "Oxford Star" is its exploration of themes like ambition, identity, and the pursuit of happiness. Bradbury tackles these complex topics with sensitivity and nuance, adding depth and dimension to the narrative.

While the pacing is generally steady, there were moments when the plot felt a bit predictable, and I found myself wishing for more surprises to keep me on my toes.

Overall, "Oxford Star" is a charming read that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance and academic fiction alike. With its engaging characters, richly drawn setting, and heartfelt storytelling, it's a book that's sure to leave a lasting impression.

This book is part of a series and I haven't read any of the others but this didn't detract from the story. i received an arc of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This book was a nice palette cleanser and I loved how it felt like a rom com I would definitely recommend it; it was quick and easy to get through

I received this book from Grape Books through NetGalley and this review is based on my own opinion.

Oxford Star was an adorable romance set in college. I love boyband/rockstar/celeb romances and this one had such an original take on the life of a boyband member struggling with anxiety and a girl who went to college to support her mom and little sister but who doesn't really belong in the law department.
While the summary of the book may suggest this will be a rockstar romance, the majority of the book is set in Oxford College which made it fall more into the college romance category for me but I still loved this book.

All characters were so lovely and I loved how Jack and Lucy immediatly became friends with Alfie and Cedar and their group of friends.
I also really adored nerdy Jack with his NASA outfits.

This book is perfect if you're into; enemies to lovers, fake dating, rockstar/boyband, second chance, college romance.

Lucy and Jack are THE cutest! A rock star wanting a break from stardom goes to college for 8 weeks, realizing his lost love is also in the same program!
Cue make ups, make outs and a couple you will root for from page one!
With twists (like crazy fans, paparazzi, a stiff manager) this book was So fun!

I eat the fake dating plot up everytime, unapologetically. I also do adore second-chance romances so this book combined both in a really engaging way. I also think the representation in this book was really well done (plus-size and mental health representation). Overall, a really enjoyable read.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

I love the premise of this story and it is such an intriguing plot line!

Due to time I will not be giving a full review here.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

.5 stars

Jack and Lucy haven’t been in each other’s lives since the day he betrayed her, shooting him to stardom and smashing her dreams to pieces. Now, they’re both attending Oxford University. He wants a break from being in the spotlight, especially for his mental health. Lucy isn’t happy that he managed to so easily get into Oxford, and she’s cold toward him. But she needs help, and he offers to help her if she helps him by fake dating him.

I loved the plus-size representation. But more than that, I loved that Lucy didn’t hate her body; she accepted and loved herself the way she was. It was also nice seeing Jack’s struggles with anxiety and panic attacks because he was famous, yet he still struggled with mental health “problems.” It just showed that he was human.

It was great seeing the passion reignite between these two as they fake dated. They had so much chemistry and such a great connection.

This was a great second chance romance between two lovers turned enemies (well, it was mostly a one-sided dislike) to lovers again. And there’s just something about this being set in the UK that makes it seem more charming.

This book did struggle to to start flowing in the beginning.
i did struggle with sides stories because i did not read previous books :(
Nice back story but some parts unbelievable (astronomy course without maths and phisics pre studies)
some parts too slow some rushed
Nice dual POV
Thank you netgalley and Laura Bradbury for allowing me to read this book.
3 stars

What a strange book. I wanted to love it, especially give the plus size FMC but it was just not good. The plot and choices the MCs made was confusing. I didn’t believe in their love at all and the MMC was weirdly horny too often.

Definitely a slower paced romance. Was hard to get into. I really felt the betrayal that Lucy felt from Jack and the anxiety Jack faced.

Such a cute romance, appreciated the plus-size, mental health (anxiety) and LGBTQ+ representation in this book.

Jack and Lucy had such a great connection and it really showed through in Laura Bradbury’s writing.
Would definitely recommend this book and read again.

This was such a cute romance but still with so much emotion and depth. This is a very well written romance with such a charming backdrop and characters