2.25 stars. I didn’t really believe the connection between Teddy and Clara, and I didn’t feel like there was enough growth for their relationship to be healthy and last in the long term. There was also a narrative inconsistency (about vibrators lol) that really bothered me. Overall, this book is fine, but it just wasn’t for me.

This will make a good choice for fall romance reads. Told in alternating timelines we followed the romance of Clara and Theo through the past and present. Second chance is a favorite trip of mine but theirs was only okay. These two had great chemistry but the miscommunication was just too much for me.

What an absolutely perfect romcom just in time for fall. I love an academia setting and a camp setting, so between present day and the flashbacks, this book had my heart immediately. Watching Teddy & Clara’s friendship develop from childhood was so sweet and their homeschool background was unique. I also felt like their conflicts throughout the book were realistic and understandable. There’s so spice but not like blushing, uncomfortable amounts, which made for great balance between the intellectual dialogue and witty banter. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to everyone come fall. Kind of a When Harry Met Sally but in Baltimore with professors vibe. So sweet and a must-read for romcom fans.

4.50 stars
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TW: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Death of a parent
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I'm a sucker for an academic romance. Assistant Professor Clara is driven in life and has always felt the need to prove herself. All that drive has paid off over the years, she has her dream job teaching at a liberal arts college and is up for tenure this year. When Clara is asked to share her office with a visiting professor during the fall semester, she has no problem helping out - that is until she realizes that her officemate is also the man she hasn't spoken with since a fallout 10 years ago.

I loved Teddy and Clara - these two introverts (with Clara being a tad more extroverted) have the perfect relationship. We learn the two of them meet at an autumn camp and from there the friendship blooms. From weekly phone calls, a long-distance history book club, and burnt CD's these two form a close bond. I loved watching them fall in love with each other without even realizing it. There are also a lot fo nostalgic vibes that I couldn't help but love in this book! It brought me back to the 00s.

If anything, I disliked how stubborn the two of them were - their fallout was due to a miscommunication which could have been easily avoided if they had both talked out their feelings. When the two of them reconnect years later, they immediately fall back into a friendship when Teddy agrees to help throw a gala that year in the fall. For characters that are supposed to be sharing an office - Teddy is never around, I think I would have liked to see them share the office a bit more and perhaps add a steamy scene or two!
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I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, and Kristyn J. Miller for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinons are my own. Given Our History will publish on August 27th, 2024. Pre-order your copy today!

3.5 stars. It was cute, it was sweet, it was a little too long.

This follows two estranged former friends over the course of their lives, from childhood to early adulthood. In the present day, they’re history professors tasked with sharing an office, in the past we see when they met at camp and how their lives progressed.

It’s second chance, first person, single POV, with then/now timelines.

This feels like if you mixed “When Harry Met Sally” with “People We Meet On Vacation” but set it in a workplace. The first 60ish% was great, then I started to lose interest. The way Clara reacted to seeing Teddy at the beginning of the book had me thinking he did something terrible. Once I got into the "why" chapters of the past I was somewhat underwhelmed.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

Clara and Teddy were camp friends when they were homeschooled kids, now as history professors they are temporarily assigned to share an office while Teddy lectures for a semester at the college where Clara is trying to get tenure, and her younger sister is am undergraduate student. A sweet but believable love story with fully realized characters, this is will appeal to fans of alternating timelines/flashbacks, friends-to-lovers, workplace romance. I will recommend to readers of Ali Hazelwood and Sarah Adams. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for digital review copy.

I wanted to love this book, but it just moved so slowly. I was bored several times throughout the book. Overall, it was a cute story idea, but the execution was just average for me. There was too much talk of academia. I know that they are both professors and super smart, but it just made parts of the story boring. Overall, a 3 star read.

WOW! I really enjoyed this book! I think it’ll be the perfect fall read when it comes out in August.

Clara is a burgeoning history academic up for tenure in a “boys club” type department. When she’s asked to share her office space with a visiting professor, she quickly learns said scholar is her ex-best friend, Teddy. Estranged for nearly a decade, the two form a tentative friendship as they learn to navigate their new shared space (campus), responsibilities (fundraising committee), and their long-shared history. Will Clara and Teddy rekindle what they had, or will their history remain in the past?

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book! I particularly liked the chapters that took place in the past, which I felt really gave depth to the characters. I could feel the two fall in love over two separate timelines and I swooned the entire time. Plus, the writing was so beautifully done, I couldn’t help but binge read the entire book.

I had not read anything by Kristyn J. Miller before, but she is definitely on my radar now! If you loved Love and Other Words, Every Summer After, and Same Time Next Summer, you’ll definitely love Given Our History.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This is a cute second chance romance which is probably my favorite trope out there. The dual timeline keeps things interesting and gives us an idea of the past history of Clara and Teddy versus the current. I liked the way it was laid out and feel that the dual timelines helped reveal details of their relationship which made it more intriguing. The characters had a ton of personal growth which is always a huge plus for me. Minus one star because I would have liked the connection of the two main characters to be deeper than it was portrayed at times. Still a very enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Clara and Teddy met at a camp and they easily nerd out together as homeschool kids with similar quirks. They see each other almost every year at the camp and stay in touch in between. They have clear goals and they’re both hyper focused. It’s what makes them so similar but also so cautious about asking each for anything more.

They have a falling out and meet again in the present, in their 30’s, as professionals.

I enjoyed reading their friendship slowly grow since age 14 but there were a lot of time jumps as they grew older that I found not as enjoyable. I grew attached to the younger versions of these characters but I didn’t really understand where the older versions were coming from.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read

Second chance romance is everything to me and Ive been looking forward to this for so long. I loved it. The pain, the connection. I wish there was a bit more conflict but its okay.

It was a cute, cozy, funny romance, a little cringe for me tho. I liked the character, Clara and Theo are great together, I also like the background of their story and how the second chance was done. But I would have love to have Theo's POV, I think it would have added more to the story and understand what he felt. Loved the dual timeline, it is well done which makes it very catchy.

I really really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of People We Meet on Vacation with the flashbacks and the will they/wont they trope. It’s friends to lovers which is not normally a favorite of mine, but I enjoyed this one very much. Second chance romance is another trope of this book and it played out well.

I will definitely read this author again.

3.5 🌟

Augh, I wanted to love this more than I did.

I enjoyed the two main characters on their own and I actually really enjoyed their friendship. Two homeschooled nerds who are semi awkward that find a deep friendship in each other? 😍 But I didn't understand Clara's reasoning for not dating Teddy the first time around and then to almost do it a second time?! 😫 Also, could we please get an epilogue to the book, please?!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I'm not usually someone who likes second chance romance, but I loved Given Our History! It was so much fun, and I thought their relationship was realistic. I really think that the character's history made their chemistry believable. If you like:

- Cozy reads
- Friends to lovers
- Second Chance Romance
- Small university towns
- Well developed characters with great chemistry
- Flashbacks of their past interwoven into their present

Then you will want to read this book ASAP. Perfect for early fall vibes. If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls, this will be right up your alley!

P.s. if you have read this, are you also dying for an Izzy and Bel spinoff???!!

This book was so sweet! I absolutely loved the academia setting and dual timeline. I’ve been on a real enemies-to-lovers streak lately, but it turns out friends-to-lovers/second-chance romance can be just as great! Easy 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favourite romances of this year! This book is definitely perfect for fans of Love and Other Words, The Love Hypothesis, and People We Meet on Vacation. I really enjoyed the second chance romance aspect of the book and watching Clara and Theo work out their differences. The convicts in the story felt real and played out realistically. This book is the perfect cozy, academia read for the fall season.

The perfect cozy, academia-based romcom! It's perfect for this end of summer/back-to-school time of year!

A beautiful story of second-chances and never giving up. I think I was just the perfect audience for this book because I loved every second of it. There are bits of nostalgia in the flashbacks throughout the story that made me feel so cozy, and the characters are easy to root for. This is definitely a friends-to-lovers, but with a whole lot of life held in between. It was so beautifully written and made me smile and laugh along the way.

There are a few side characters that I wish had been flushed out more, but that's only because they're so lovely. I also wish I'd gotten an epilogue, but again, it's because I'm greedy and I want more of these characters! :)

Overall, this is a really sweet, cozy story - best enjoyed with a cup of coffee on the porch!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Given Our History has the feel of books by KA Tucker and Carly Fortune. As a history teacher and lover, I was excited to read this story. I thought the use of the dual timeline helped develop both Clara and Teddy as characters but I also wish it had helped create more of a relationship. At times it felt like maybe their firatblove was more first lust given how long they wouldn't talk. I enjoyed more of their interactions in the present then some from the past. While, this was definitely at 3.5 to 4 star book, I think overall it could have benefited from developing character relationships more overall. For example, I never really felt like I understood the tension between Teddy and his parents but it was constantly discussed. Overall a fun read that I connected to that could do with some more connections between the characters

Given Our History is a second chance/ right person, wrong time romance between two college history professors. Clara and Teddy were best friends in their teens, after meeting at a summer camp for homeschooled children but had a falling out in their early twenties. When the book starts they haven’t been friends in a decade. Clara is trying to get approved for a tenure position when she is asked to share her office with a visiting scholar for the semester. She thinks it would be unprofessional to decline, so she agrees then discovers that this person is Teddy, the man she once loved.

This one packed a punch! Both Teddy and Clara have so much baggage from their respective childhoods and from the hurt they both caused each other. The dual timeline was very well done and the glimpses into the (the very nostalgic) past upped the tension in the present. Getting to see them choose each other in the end was special. I enjoyed this one a lot. I really wish we got an epilogue though!

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