REVIEW✨
Given Our History
By Kristyn J. Miller
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I loved this book so much! It gave me all the feelings of being on a university campus in Autumn. Also, I’m a sucker for a second chance romance that leads into adulthood. This book also deals with the complexity of being home schooled and not being taken seriously in the academic world. This story follows Clara and Teddy from them meeting in summer camp to their friendship and the events that lead to their friendship ending. The current storyline follows Clara as a professor in history trying to get tenure, when Teddy happens to be a visiting professor… Clara’s life gets flip up side down and all her memories over the last 14 years come rushing back to her.

I loved this book, I thought it was done so well. I love when books have flashbacks, I find that it helps move the plot along. I couldn’t stop reading it and loved everything about it! I highly recommend it.

Included in this book…
🍂 Right Person Wrong Time
🍁 Single POV
🍂 Friends to Lovers
🍁 Flashbacks
🍂 Autumn on Campus
🍁 Second Chance Romance

Romance: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️
Plot points: 💥💥💥💥💥
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Teddy and Clara have history. A long, a lot, and a tumultuous history. When they are paired together to share an office at the university Clara teaches at, she doesn't know if she's ready to confront Teddy about the past. She doesn't know if she's ready to confront her own feelings about the past.

With a dual timeline offering past perspective and backstory to these their lives, Clara and Teddy come back together and discover that perhaps it is finally time for their love to grow together.

This was a deeply emotional novel about finding the right one at the wrong time - several times over. Teddy and Clara had several chances to love one another, however, generational trauma gets in the way each time. They confided in one another that they didn't want to end up how their mother's ended up, putting their dreams and aspirations on the backburner for the one they love. Thus they embark on an educational journey around the world, living completely separate lives, only to find one another again.

I was expecting a sweet, fun novel about second chance lovers, but what I found was a confounding novel about two people deeply in love with one another, struggling to make their love a priority in their lives. We also see Clara at a crossroads in her career, realizing she has been stagnant and new opportunities being prompted that shakes her life up. This was a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. I enjoyed the author's writing, the dual timeline kept the novel interesting and fresh. I felt that aside from Clara, her characters lacked a bit of depth, with Teddy's development being a little shallow, and boring. Her friend Izzy was an interesting side character that was largely present in description instead of dialogue, until the end where Miller almost creates a cliffhanger, perhaps setting her readers up for a companion or follow up novel. The comic relief that was Raegan was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise serious novel, one that was welcomed and enjoyed very much.

Overall I enjoyed my reading experience with this book. Recommended for romance readers looking for a more serious reading experience, not a rom-com.

What a perfect fall read!! I loved everything about Given Our History by Kristyn Miller. It was the perfect book to cozy up with on a cool evening with a cup of tea! I thoroughly enjoyed the banter and relationship between Clara and Teddy, 2 college professors with an intertwined past who randomly find their way back to each other. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Clara is up for early tenure. Her application needs some TLC and she reluctantly agrees to join forces with her former best friend and visiting professor, Theodore Harrison, with whom she also has to share an office. But avoiding him should be relatively easy otherwise as there is no way history is going to repeat itself in their case.
I love when a dual timeline mirrors past and present. Kristyn's balance of both was perfect as I saw both MCs connect and interact in past and present. The title is so clever with their mutual love of "dead people" (a Teddy phrase that made me laugh) and their teenage friendship-to-more. The academic setting, embracing of all things history, MC's chemistry, supporting cast, and sentimentality makes this a book I will come back to!
Biggest thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

3 stars.

"Given Our History" by Kristyn J. Miller is a quick but simple slow-burning, second-chance academia romance read. I have to be honest, I was a bit disappointed by this story. As a millennial, I loved all of the nostalgia from my youth about specific bands, Limewire, Urban Dictionary, burning CDs, AIM and MSN messenger, etc. The narrative switches between the present day and 14 years ago when Teddy and Clara first met and developed their friendship. The friendship and relationship between the two of them are cultivated well because we get so much context into their relationship. Because of this, though, the prose feels a little long in the tooth and slow to unfold. I understand why Clara did what she did, but I absolutely hated the ensuing miscommunications that follow throughout the book. Because of the constant miscommunications, it was hard for me to root for Clara and Teddy. It turned me off from them as a couple, and I was a little bored with their love story. Clara also acts a lot younger than she really is, which is off-putting. Don't get me wrong, this story is sweet and eventually has a good resolution, but I can't help that I was unfulfilled and a little bored here and there. I did like all of the history talk, though!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristyn J. Miller, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

“Given Our History” is a charming story that combines friends to lovers and second chance love tropes into an entertaining, heartwarming romance. So often, as a reader I get disappointed in stories like this because instead of keeping the story simple, authors try to dial up different aspects of the story like drama or steaminess, and in turn we lose some of the character development that allows the reader to become invested in the couple. In this book, KM doesn’t try to hard and instead let’s the characters tell their own story. Nothing felt forced, and in the brief snippets we got of Clara and Teddy’s past, we see how their relationship forms and grows into something more. There was a level of anticipation as the story went to see what would happen, how would happen and at no point did I feel disappointed regarding the pace or the storyline. When I finished the book, I wanted more and kind of wish we got an epilogue that gave us a future glimpse of everyone’s lives. A good story always leaves you wanting more, and “Given Our History” certainly did that for me…if you’re a fan of romance you should give this book a try.

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I appreciate the opportunity!**

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.75)

This book was such a cute fall romance! Every once in a while I love some good academia vibes and this one perfectly sated my craving for that as we enter the fall season. I am usually not the hugest fan of second chance romance, but I ate this one up. I’m a sucker for friends to lovers, and Teddy and Clara had my heart from the very beginning. I loved the back and forth and how details from the past were revealed as the story went on. The chemistry was definitely there and their relationship was so sweet. The obstacles and bits of miscommunication were frustrating but realistic, I understood the characters motivations and they made sense. Overall I really enjoyed this book and it was the perfect cozy vibe to welcome in fall!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Griffin for proving an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Given Our History is a second chance romance between Clara and Teddy, 2 people who fell in love with each other at the wrong time when they were teenagers and who are now forced to work together as adults. Teddy comes to Clara’s school, where she is a professor, as a visiting professor. They have to learn to rekindle their friendship they had when they were younger. You learn their history through chapters that are set in the oast. I liked the writing in this and I also listened to the audiobook which is good too. I personally like second chance romance and it gave me all the cozy feels.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for the ARC!

This was a quick read for me and while I enjoyed the story line and that there was no third act break up but Clara’s character really frustrated me. Her reasons for not wanting to be with Teddy is what really got on my nerves.

3.5 stars

This was an insanely quick read for me and I really enjoyed it! As a history major it was validating to see a subject be talked about by a female character. And seeing real books mentioned was super cool!

I enjoyed Clara and Teddy's story, and while it was short, seeing their relationship develop throughout the years was nice. Teddy felt quite plain to me as a character. I would have liked to see him have a stronger personality or quirks that set him apart. He seemed just to be there to agree with Clara or help drive her plot and allow us to see what made her take the journey she did.

Clara's relationship with her sister was super genuine to me and watching her juggle being an older sister, a mother figure and act as a professor as well, was fun.

I liked that there was no third-act breakup or big fight. The third-act breakup always takes me out of the magic of a story, and I could stay invested in Clara and Teddy because there wasn't this sense of them coming to an end. Overall, I good read!

Clara has always had a passion for history and when she is up for tenure at her college there seems to be an unexpected hurdle Clara must overcome. She must share an office with her old camp crush Teddy. Their history full of almost moments that never come to fruition. Clara is determined to keep Teddy at arms length and professional. But as Teddy volunteers to help Clara with her tenure goal, old feelings resurface. Can the two finally get their timing right? Or will academic achievement once again keep them apart?

I absolutely loved this second chance romance and could relate to the adult pressures of feeling like you should do what is expected and have everything figured out. Perfect fall read!

Given our History is a cute fall second chance romance. Former high school best friends get a seond chance at love when our mmc is takes a visiting history professor position at the small liberal arts college our FMC is currently working and up for tenure, also in history.

This romance is fun, has some pretty good banter and some great chemistry. As an academic I usually love college set stories with nerdy academic types. There is a lot here to enjoy, but some of it was a bit off in terms of the plot structure and how tenure works that bugged me. Because it was a bit too close to home it took me out of the story. That is just me though.
Also, both main characters are home schooled in high school and come from a rather strict backgrounds that might be all too familiar to someone raised in a purity culture churched home. Again, if this wasn't you it's easy to gloss over and it'a not at all held up as a good thing just present in the past storyline (plus there is some mild spice), but if you are sensitive to that vibe this may not be for you.

I enjoyed it overall and it got me in the mood for fall!

Clara and Theodore used to be best friends when they were teenagers. Sixteen years later they are not even speaking anymore for a couple of years. Clara is completely focused on her job as a history professor at university, trying to have tenure when she receives the news that Teddy is going to her university for a semester as a visiting scholar and he is sharing her office.

Clara is frustrating as a main character. I understand their falling out when they were younger considering everything that they've been through around that age. I understand the miscommunication that took place and the choices that she thought she had to make. But in the present timeline she is a 32-year-old. The fact that she keeps having the same impulses and the same thoughts as her younger self (we follow her in the present and in the past) is frustrating. Especially because she keeps having the same revelations and insights over and over again and forgetting them and going back to how she was. The fact that she has such an idolized and naive version of love, marriage, and relationship as a grown woman is once again frustrating. She didn't and doesn't develop as a character. Teddy is fine, there isn't much to say about him - he is there just to be the other part of the couple. Their relationship starts sweet; their history long distance book club was pretty cute.

The book is fine. But in these stories, I'm looking for engaging characters since the story is only about them and mainly about their romance.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Assistant professor Clara Fernsby and Theodore Harrison have not seen each other in ten years now he is at the private liberal arts college she teaches at. I enjoyed seeing them get their second chance along with the ups and downs they went through to do so. This is a new Author to me and I want to read more by her. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A delightful light academia romance that is absolutely perfect for fall! A must add to your fall tbr!

I would recommend this book to fans of a good slow burn, and to fans of friends to lovers. I would also recommend to any former emo kids who would be delighted to see My Chemical Romance pop up more than once in a romance novel. I don't know that the love story here will ultimately stick with me forever, but I thought it was cute and charming while I was reading. I would definitely say I got wrapped up, almost the same way I do when reading a thriller, as we went between past and present to slowly find out what caused their falling out.

4.75/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶

Two history professors get a second chance at love while one is working towards tenure and the other is really just trying to find what makes him happy.

Given Our History was the first Kristyn J. Miller book I've read, and it turned out to be the most perfect book for fall! I read it in a single day, nearly in a single sitting. I loved the college campus setting and dual timeline, seeing how the two became best friends, then drifted apart, and finally found their way back to each other.

Clara Fernsby (FMC) is trying to get tenure at her university, she is applying early but soon finds out she has to share an office with Theodore (Teddy) Harrison (MMC) while one of the buildings is under construction. Teddy is a visiting professor at the university, after his father passed and his mother got settled in Pittsburgh, he decided to explore other opportunities and see what was out there. This has landed Teddy and Clara in the same office, seeing each other frequently -- OH! And Clara's sister is in one of Teddy's classes!

I loved a lot about this book, but I especially loved seeing the forgiveness for past hurt on the page. Clara and Teddy were able to work through their past and move forward. I'm wondering if there will be a second book since the ending was good but more open than not, but I also love the possibilities there for the characters to choose from so many options!

Tropes:
- Second Chance
- Workplace Romance
- Dual Timeline
- HEA for Now (ends on a somewhat open-ended note, but the characters are together and happy)

"Love is the hard road. The person you're meant to be with is whoever you choose to be with. And you'll have to fight for it and make sacrifices for it every step of the way. You just have to choose someone who's worth all that trouble, and then you have to keep on choosing them, every day."

THIS, my friends, is how to do a second chance romance. You highlight how decision making when you're young isn't perfect, you highlight the importance of growth and how it can be the right person at the wrong time, and you make sure that the previous timeline is period-accurate.

Miller does a wonderful job of establishing the early aughts, with teenage Teddy and Clara relying on dial-up and phone calls to form the basis of their relationship. They progress through time, with texting overtaking their relationship before their eventual falling out. Her strength is certainly in the seventeen years of time passing, the rise and fall of young love. I also appreciated the look at homeschool culture and how much community is involved in it (though I'm not sure why her high school education was then brought up at her tenure meeting?? Who's to say, I'm not in academia).

This wasn't a perfect book by any means. The spicy scenes didn't do anything for the reader (in an alumni house on campus where it's established how old it is? Really?), and the secondary characters aren't given much agency, besides Clara's sister Reagan. Yet this book is still a winner in my book, with many beautiful quotes.

Other quotes I enjoyed:
"There's no bad guy in our story, no one person who wronged any more than the other. There's just...life."
"Maybe a love like that is wasted on me. I never sat around dreaming about meeting my soulmate, falling in love. Maybe that's because I met the only person for me when I was fourteen. Love never had to be added to my list of never-ending goals because it was just...already there."
"Fate that our birthdays were a day apart, as though Teddy was born and the universe realized the next day that it had almost forgotten his twin flame."

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Sorry that I ended up writing this a couple of weeks after publication day.

This is a very cute romance told in the present with many flashbacks. It’s a quick easy read. Clara and Teddy are darling, if for most of the book immature and somewhat frustrating. The relationship is well developed and relatable. I just wished for a little… more? More twists in the story, better secondary character involvement?

This dual pov tells the love story about 2 friends who get the chance for love again. Growing up Clara wanted everything to do with Teddy the first time she met him at camp. Being a history nerd gave them both the common interests but over years Clara just felt that she'd rather not pursue anything than to get her heartbroken.

Now that Teddy has walked back into her life, her feelings are doing back flips. Would their friendship be the same like they had at camp or is it the last time they saw each other not the best memory they have for each other.

This second change, friends to lovers was the perfect start for fall.
Childhood friends to lovers, say no more. second chance romance, say no more!!
Both Clara and Teddy were quirky, cute and they understood each other like no one else did.
Their dual pov definitely showed some miscommunciation but their present pov made alot of sense once both were able to explain every situation themselves.
(This was also a older sister syndrome book and my heart burns for the older sister syndrome since I love my big sister and know how hard she works to keep things going no matter what. Hug your big sister and tell her you're proud of her and thank you!)