Although I liked the setting and main character, I found myself getting bored with Given Our History. My biggest issue with this book was Clara and Teddy's relationship. I just didn't feel the butterflies with them. I thought their reunion was weird. I found it strange that they didn't immediately discuss their history after seeing each other again after so many years. I wanted to see more of their current relationship before they got back together. I liked the past chapters; however, I wanted them to paint more of a picture of who Teddy was. Teddy read one-dimensional to me. I also thought a lot of the side characters fell under that umbrella. There were a few times where I forgot about Izzy. I wanted more character development with everyone, especially Clara. Besides being an academic, I didn't get a good sense of Clara's personality. Overall, I found myself bored 2/3's of the way through. Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

Set in academia - we meet Clara and Teddy.
Who met as children, loved one another, and as adults kept missing out on dating.
.
This is perfect for those who love:
Dual timelines
Second chance romances
Right person / Wrong time
Miscommunication
And the cutest meddling college aged sister
.
Overall this is a solid romance with some swoony moments that romance readers enjoy. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.
.
Negative: I loved Kristyn’s book Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts and I wanted more from this story. Also, why would a new faculty member go for tenure within a year?! Does that happen anywhere?
.
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced reader copy.
.

This is the second book I've read by Kristyn J. Miller, and I enjoyed it. It's a nice, quick romance novel. The only thing I don't love is the miscommunication between the two main characters, Clara and Teddy. The story is told between the present day and flashbacks to summer camp where Clara and Teddy met. When they're younger, the miscommunication makes sense, but the present-day characters still struggle with communication, and I hate that lack of growth.

Clara and Teddy meet at summer camp, and part of the story is told through flashbacks that take place at the camp. We get to watch their friendship grow and how they eventually realize/act on their mutual attraction. This part was so wonderfully angsty, and it felt so realistic to me. When they run into each other as adults, they still have that spark of at least friendship between them. Clara and Teddy rekindle their friendship while, of course, wondering if their romantic spark is still there.

As a current emo kid, I absolutely love the music choices and Teddy making mix CDs for Clara. It made me so nostalgic. There were so many sweet little pieces of their relationship. I would have liked to see Teddy try to woo adult Clara a little bit more. I think Teddy was supposed to come off as stoic, but it felt more wooden to me.

I didn't like this book as much as the first book I read by Kristyn J. Miller, but it is a fun romance read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Griffin for the advanced reader copy; all opinions are my own.

This was the first book I’ve read by Kristyn. I was an ok read. I loved a second chance romance more than anyone but the storyline didn’t and draw me in. The time jump from the past to present did give more insight on the relationship between Clara and Teddy.

This book deftly straddled a lot of tropes and felt like a realistic will they or won’t they. I didn’t expect it based on the blurb.

I loved this. The vibes were immaculate. I’m a sucker for academia in the fall. My only qualm was that most of the main characters’ time together was spent as kids, and that’s what they’re basing a lot of feelings on. Was it perfect? No. But it checked off a lot of boxes for me.

This cozy cute romance was a beautiful story of second chance love. Clara and Teddy met at a camp for homeschooled teens and quickly developed a friendship where they stayed in touch through phone calls, emails and eventually text messages. While they develop feelings for one another, the timing is never quite right and they eventually drift apart in college. 10 years later, they find themselves sharing an office, teaching in the same department and serving on a fundraising committee together. Could this be the time for a second chance at love?

I loved the dual timeline of this story, as well as the early 2000’s references (I could hear the dial-up internet). The author was able to convey so much character growth in both Teddy and Clara over the course of a decade and I grew to love them while they were reconnecting.

Read this book if you love second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, and a strong FMC.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Kristyn J Miller for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was all set to give this book 5 stars, until the ending. It fell flat for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love getting a HEA. But the action that the main character, Clara, takes to bring it about, didn't seem emotional enough for me to get too excited. It seemed very methodical. There was emotion, but it wasn't strong and did not satisfy. I am disappointed, because up until then I WAS REALLY ENJOYING THE STORY!

Things I enjoyed about the story and things I thought could have been better:

I did enjoy the characters. Clara was invested in her career, but still harbored very strong feelings for her best-friend and camp-mate, Teddy. And when he shows up at her small college and she has to share an office with him, she is unsure of everything. She doesn't want to repeat past mistakes. Through working together on a committee and exploring their still strong connection, they learn that they both miss what they once had and that they could possibly have again. Teddy is much more convinced, in my opinion, than Clara is at first, but she comes to believe in them too, but is that enough for her?

I also enjoyed the dual timeline from past to present and it was very easy to follow. It helped me as a reader to understand the characters more, especially Clara. But, I would have loved to have gotten some chapters from Teddy's point of view. He is quiet, sweet, and handsome. And it is obvious that he is, and always has been, in love with Clara! So, I would have enjoyed getting my heartstrings pulled by hearing his part of the story. It would have made me more emotionally invested as a reader.

You may enjoy if you like:
2nd chance romance
Tasteful, but hot open door scenes
Women in STEM or academic romance
Dual timeline stories

Overall, I feel that this story was well-written, but could have been stronger if a more emotional connection between the main characters and the reader had been established. I think it all boils down to how they came together at the end. It was soft and quiet, when I would have loved to have gotten more of a strong, emotional ending.

**Thankyou to NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and the author for providing a DRC in exchange for my honest review**

This book has some of my absolute favorite things as a reader history (no pun intended) between the characters, second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers and a slow burn. This book has a back and fourth time line that spans seventeen years of friendship. I believe the author does an excellent job of making sure the reader knows where we are in the story. The only time the time jump threw me was the scene in the prologue was six years prior and then we get a scene late into the book that happens right after that moment in the sandwich shop and it took me a while to figure out what was happening in that scene.
Overall though I enjoyed the.love story and the look at being a woman in academia and some of the struggles that she had to face.

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - February 21, 2024
Publication Date - August 27, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @kristynjmiller, @stmartinspress and @netgalley!

I found this book to be very descriptive and relatable, especially as a current University student. I also loved reading the MySpace messages! I enjoy when authors add pictures, handwriting, messages and other fun extras within their books because it breaks up all the lines of text and feels more engaging and immersive. Also, there are some classic romance movie moments that you can't help but love! While there is an alternating timeline from past to present, it is always clear when timelines change. Given Our History has all the end of summer/start of school/Fall vibes. Overall, this is such a cozy read! I can picture reading this book curled up in a blanket in front of a fireplace.

If you like friends to lovers, second chance and academia vibes, this is the book for you!

Get excited to read Given Our History, available August 27! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

Honestly the hype of this book didn’t deliver. I wanted to love it for the cozy academia fall vibes, but I struggled to finish it. In reflection, the characters come off as either incompletely developed or really immature. There is a dual timeline, which I normally don’t enjoy, and maybe this reinforced the immature perceptions of the MCs. It didn’t carry the complexity, both in the love relationship and in the characters’ inner lives, that I expect now from a well done contemporary romance. The spice was really lack luster to me. There were several very well written bits of prose, but not enough for me to recommend this.

Given our History follows Clara, a history professor, and Teddy, who is brought on as a guest lecturer at the university Clara teaches at.

This is a sweet second chance romance, and was a good read with tons of cozy fall vibes!

This was such a cute read! I kicked my feet, giggled like a little girl and loved so much about this story!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Given Our History is the cleverly titled second chance romance told from the POV of Clara Fernsby, professor of history at Irving. She’s forced to share an office with a visiting professor, who also happens to be a former best friend/crush/flame and thus is forced to confront their history together.

The story moves back and forth in time, making it almost a coming of age story as you learn more and more about Clara’s relationship with Teddy. I found these characters to be so interesting and absolutely relatable. The evolution of communication from late night phone calls to dial up to MySpace to WhatsApp, for example. This was like a walk down memory lane for me in an often hilariously charming way. Present day Clara transported me to my university days and trends and cultural references presented during both time periods truly resonated with me.

I love this story cover to cover. It’s relatable and clever, swoony and heartfelt. And there’s some delightfully spicy bits! The writing is descriptive, but relaxed - homey and intelligent. The story is so beautifully and smartly crafted. I’m looking forward to finding more by Kristyn J Miller.

This was a very quick and easy read. I was so eager to know what happened between Clara and Teddy.I enjoyed both timelines and setting. Just throughout the book I wish there was tension.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.
I really wanted to like this book but the main characters just frustrated me so much. I am not sure if it was because they were supposed to be homeschooled teens but they were bad friends to each other and terrible communicators. Clara barely kept up with her friend Izzy and the fact that she made no friends in college made me feel a type of way about her. And how do you have a “best friend” and never meet or speak to their parents/mom? Clara’s life seemed like such a bummer until we meet her in present day. I enjoyed Clara and Teddy’s adult relationship and the second chance romance aspect but they did feel like strangers after all that time apart. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy the flashbacks. And although there’s a nice HEA ending, I still think Teddy & Clara need some couples therapy stat if they expect to have a strong relationship going forward. Those 2 have hardly spent any extended amount of time together. Good luck to them!!

This was super sweet. It was a great childhood friends to lovers story. It also just felt really relatable as well. I think a lot of people will connect to it.

The only thing that turned me off a little bit is the past/present timeline got confusing at times. Like when we would bounce back and forth I would often forget where we left off.

Also, the atmosphere/scenery was giving “Rory at Yale” vibes and I loved it. This is going to be the perfect fall read!

✨childhood friends have a falling out to lovers
✨forced proximity
✨second chance
✨past present timeline

I like to start by thanking the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book. Good book, easy to read, and I would recommend!

3.75/5 🌟🍂🎃🧡

A sweet second-chance, friends-to-lovers, academic partners romance. What was unexpected was the seamless dual-timeline that led up to the prologue of this story. Clara and Teddy’s story came full circle with each chapter, the events in each timeline lining up in the most satisfying way. I love when authors do that. Miller’s second published romance novel does not disappoint and it should surely be an immediate buy for any who pines for lost lovers finding their way back to each other.

*Two scenes that are worth skipping for those who prefer clean reads.

Academia setting, flashbacks, friends to strangers to lovers, second chance, slow burn

I love books set in an academia setting. I will read it no matter what. This book will be such a good fall read, and such a cute love story!

While I enjoyed this book, the flashbacks made it a little hard to read. They were very important to the book and the characters growth in finding each other again, but sometimes I wanted to just skip them to get to the present day events. Ultimately, I don’t have much to say. It was enjoyable, but a little slow and hard to focus on until halfway through.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early read of this book. All thoughts are my own, I do not receive money for reviews.