Before My Oxford Year was a book or a movie, Whelan was originally hired to work on a screenplay that Burnett had started. However, as she began assisting on the screenplay, Whelan thought the story needed a longer version, so she transitioned from writing a script to writing the novel.

New Netflix movie, My Oxford Year, is based on a novel of the same name by Julia Whelan. The film, which hit Netflix Friday, changes its ending from the book, giving a more definitive conclusion to the love story. Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest explain why they feel the more tragic ending is what the film needed.