Cute romance between nerdy history buffs. Teddy and Clara are both homeschooled, they meet at camp and develop an instant friendship. Both being very future career driven and not the most socially sophisticated they have serious communication issues. Back and forth over the years they try and deny any chance of romance.
Changing jobs, family and self doubt keep them stuck in what if!
Fun back and forth, quirky friends, colleagues and family.
Have to admit it dragged a bit, but good second chance romance story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

I truly don't say this often, but the prologue of this book won my heart. The set-up of the coffee shop, the judgmental professor, the awkward run-in from the past. It was so well done and made me excited to start this book.

Told in dual timelines, Given Our History follows Clara Fernsby, a history professor who is asked to share her office with a visiting professor. Clara is doing almost anything to please her higher-ups as she is being considered for early tenure, so she agrees. The visiting professor ends up being Teddy, Clara's "one that got away". As we explore both their present relationship and the years that led to the dissolution of their younger relationship, Miller does a masterful job of threading a beautiful love story. Interspersed with the rigors of tenure, the politics ofhigher education, and the trials of teaching, Given Our History is a book I would recommend to anyone looking for their next favorite read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So many millennial Easter eggs. I enjoyed the emo culture callbacks. Kristyn promised history teachers with history and she delivered. All the angst. The drama. The assuring people were not together even though we definitely still have feelings. This book is for people looking for duo timelines and friends to lovers to strangers(?) to something really complicated.

Super late on this one. Absolutely loved this book. The characters were well written and the plot was paced perfectly. There aren’t enough books set in autumn and I am so thrilled this one was. Recommend!

I enjoy the occasional romance, especially when there’s great banter and laughter—but this one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I can see how fans of slow burns would really enjoy it, but it didn’t hold my attention. I found myself starting and stopping it several times.
That said, I’m still glad I finished it, and I think many readers will love it. For me, though, the back-and-forth felt a bit drawn out, and it took a long time to get to the romance.

3.5 stars! This book started out strong for me. I love seeing the flashbacks so we know how Teddy and Clara got to where they are today. I was definitely rooting for them. I’m not sure where the story lost me exactly. Maybe I just wanted them to forgive each other and get together sooner? I felt disconnected from the time period when their friendship/relationship dissolved. Perhaps it came too far into the story when I was already happy things were working out for them in the present. Overall a good story and would recommend!

This story is set in the cutthroat world of academia. Assistant professor Clara Fernsby has wanted to teach history since she was fourteen. All her hard work has almost paid off - Clara's finally up for a tenure position. When Theodore Harrisson is brought on as a visiting scholar, it's an unwelcome blast from her past. It's been ten years since Teddy and Clara have spoken, following a messy falling out. Their childhood friends-to-lovers relationship, built over summers at camp for homeschooled kids and long-distance phone calls, broke down as they entered college. Now they are spending evenings working on a shared project. Clara knows she's at risk of falling again, but given their history, she knows there is every chance that Teddy is not interested in rekindling their connection. But history all's down to interpretation, and she has no intention of allowing it to repeat itself.

Clara's narration is so engaging, and the way the friend-to-lover relationship unfolds through flashbacks is so sweet. The friends-to-lovers arc unfolds with a quiet sweetness that feels authentic and heartfelt. Both Clara and Teddy are complex characters, and it’s rewarding to see how much they’ve grown from the stubborn, idealistic teens they once were. While the first half of the book was a slow burn that took some time to fully capture my interest, the second half more than made up for it. The tension, romance, and emotional depth all intensified, pulling me in completely. By the final chapters, I was fully invested in Clara and Teddy’s journey.
Given Our History is a thoughtful, tender story about second chances, emotional growth, and the courage to confront the past in order to move forward. If you enjoy slow-burn academic romances with rich character development and a touch of nostalgia, this one’s worth picking up.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

A sweet second chance story that gives you hope in love and all that comes with it! I liked the story and the characters. Even the flashbacks, so we could see how they got to where they were. It was all well done!

Second Chance Romance? Friends to Lovers? ACADEMIA?! Sign me up.

I found this to be totally, totally delightful. My literal only complaint is that the flashbacks to Teddy and Clara's past got excessive after a while. It felt kinda beating a dead horse - we get it! Let's get to the good part! BUT, overall - just a total delight.

Thank you for letting me read this! I looooovee the dual POV that was in this book. It was so well done. The cover is so pretty and it made me so excited to open it.

Second chance romance is hit or miss for me. By the end, I'd say this was a hit, but getting there was a test in endurance. You get a lot of Clara and Teddy's history in flashbacks, and I wasn't expecting so many. While I get it, it's there to establish things, it was a bit too much back and forth along the way. Ultimately, it works. But getting there, it's a bit tiring. However, if you're a masssssive fan of second chance romance, I think you will enjoy this.

The cover? Immaculate. The play on words in the title? Fantastic (they're history professors & have a past where they were *almost* in a relationship). The beginning? Really fun and intriguing.

However, there were too many flashbacks, which messed with the flow of the current story. I wasn't expecting so many flashbacks, and I wanted more growth from the characters as they were now. Basically, I became bored. The story was sweet overall,

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Solid 3 star romance. Second chance isn't my favorite romance trope, but I did enjoy this one. I liked the academia backdrop and the shifting timeline.

I love an academic setting, second-chance romance, and nostalgia - which were all present in this book. It felt low stakes and lighthearted, and I enjoyed this book and thought it was sweet, and a fun read. I would recommend reading this in the fall for ultimate vibes! 3.5/5

This cozy, star-crossed lovers tale was entertaining from beginning to end! I resonated with Clara, the main character who dives head-first into her career as an academic historian in search of safety and security. While many moments were light-hearted and fun, it was nice to explore the depths of a relationship that starts when both of the main characters were in their teens. Clara and Teddy know each other inside and out - and that made for an excellent and realistic tension. An extremely satisfying read!

what a solid debut!
the flashback chapters were SO fun and chockfull of nostalgia - mentions of My Chemical Romance, jelly bracelets, Twilight, chatting on MSN, etc etc.
it was such a realistic romance which I appreciated, but I think I would have liked a littttle bit more fun, fantasy, unrealistic expectations, super witty banter, etc.

As someone who is not the biggest of second chance romances if a book uses second chance as its main trope I need it to be phenomenal.
This book had so much potential but was unfortunately just ok and not for me.

What I think a lot of people will enjoy about this book-
Second chance romance
Miscommunication
Academic setting
Then and now alternating chapters
Wrong time right person
Friends to lovers to strangers

If you’re a fan of second chance then this one might be for you!

I cannot believe it took me this long to get around to reading this book. I am a mood reader so I wanted to wait until I was in my "second chance" romance phase and it did not disappoint.
We follow Clara and Teddy throughout the years with a focus on the present story mixed with flashbacks. We get to watch their story from the first introduction to the ending and I wish the book was a bit longer just to get more flashbacks.
I enjoyed the history talk and the little inside jokes they kept throughout the years. Without any spoilers, beginning of chapter 2 was my favorite because it feels like the exact point where their past and present intertwine into the people they have become and what they represent to each other in a bitter sweet manner.

Given Our History
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Author: Kristyn Miller

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Assistant professor Clara Fernsby is nothing if not driven. She’s wanted to teach history since she was fourteen, and she hasn’t let anything stand in her way—not even the love of her life. And it all paid off in the end, because she landed a well-paid position at a private liberal arts college fresh out of grad school, and this year, she’s finally up for tenure.

When Theodore Harrison is brought on for the fall semester as a visiting scholar, it’s an unwelcome blast from Clara’s past. She hasn’t spoken to Teddy since a falling out ten years ago. Now that he’s here, she’s reminded of their shared history at every autumns spent at a sleepaway camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she traded battered books and burned CDs with a quiet, dark-haired boy—and fell in love with him.

That boy might’ve been her best friend, but the man teaching HIST-322 is a total stranger. But as they spend evenings working on a shared project and brainstorming over drinks at a college bar, Clara realizes she’s at risk of falling all over again. Given their history, she knows there’s every chance he’s not interested. But history’s all down to interpretation, and this time around, she’s got no intentions of repeating it.

My Thoughts: What drew me initially was the beautiful cover art to this story. Clara Fernsby has always had a soft spot for history. She loves to research it and loves to instill it into the young minds of tomorrow, as a college history professor. She fought and clawed to get here, even giving up the love of her life, Theodore Harrison. She is up for tenure after blood, sweat and tears. She hasn’t thought of Teddy in a decade until he shows up as a visiting scholar teaching a history class. She is reminded of their time from over a decade ago, how much they were in love. Now having to work on a special project together, will the feelings resurface and they begin to fall in love again? Or will he hurt be too much to bear? This follows the tropes of second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, miscommunication, and right person, wrong time.

The chapters are intertwined with past and present. The story is narrated by Clara, in her POV only. Clara gives all to her career but did not want to try with Teddy again. She even seemed immature for being her age, almost reading as a YA. When they split, they were kids, they grew up, things change. Teddy’s character could have been explored deeper, such as why did his long term relationship of 6 years end; how has his feelings evolved for Clara? I loved how their relationship was explored initially but finding the reason for the fallout was way too deep in, that should have been revealed right after they realized they were teaching at the same college. Now I love academia romance and normally it is not boring for me, but this one just fell a little flat here too. The characters just fell a little flat for me, they were not fleshed out as much as they could have been. Now I loved the witty banter, the chemistry, and there were intriguing to a point. The author’s writing style was contemporary, closed door, swoony, and flowed mostly well. There is some that could be cut, or even exchange for further character arc.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I think some of the pages/chapters could be removed, there are chapters where the story is not really moving along and is just stagnant. I personally prefer dual narration romance novels, this one from her POV only. I think adding his would have really elevated this story from 3 ⭐️ to 4 ⭐️ for me. Having said that, I would still recommend this story to other readers a good contemporary romance read. I have read other Miller books and loved them so I will not give up on this author. 😊

This book was sooo cute. I’m all for second chance romance book. It’s one of my favorites and this one was definitely chefs kiss.

I fell in love with Clara. The present and past POV’s are something that I am not a fan but with this book it made me enjoy it because I was able to understand the main characters more. Teddy and Clara being childhood best friends you can only feel the love they had each other and how it brewed up to the ending.

It was such a heartwarming book. I enjoyed it so much. Fall is my favorite season and the fact that this book is set in the fall is the perfect for those Fall TBR’s . Fall read 100%🧡