I absolutely loved this book!! at first i was a little iffy but i completely fell in love with these two!!

‘Given Our History’ is a moving story about second chances and a love that spans decades. Set across two timelines, we learn how Clara and Teddy fell effortlessly in love as teens, only to spend years hiding it from themselves and each other. When luck has them working in the same history department at the same college, after 9 years of being apart, Clara and Teddy slowly learn to open their hearts once again and let go of all the ‘what ifs’. Because after 19 years, they finally deserve their chance at love.

With a colorful cast of characters, a small university town, and a story full of longing, Kristyn Miller delivers a fantastic second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance. Trust me, you will not be able to put this book down!

They were once inseparable, but then life got complicated. Now, the two main characters must figure out how to interact with each other as they deal with their feelings and pasts.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a charming friends to lovers, second chance romance set against an academic backdrop!! With its dual timeline and slow burn romance, I was completely captivated and invested in Clara and Teddy's story. I absolutely loved this book and found myself smiling, laughing, and swooning throughout. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The plot was cute and the characters were likable. I will say that I felt like nothing really happened. It switched back and forth between the past and present which was fine but I just don’t feel like much was going on and that it needed more information and story.

If you are looking for a fast pace, cute romance then I’d recommend this to you.

3 stars

A tender, quiet story about second chances with your first love. Clara leads a low key life as an assistant professor in a university town. Which would probably be less interesting without her younger sister around. Things become even more interesting when Teddy pops back into her life. An unhurried romance.

Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller is a delightful second chance romance that takes place in an academic setting. The dual timeline explained Clara and Teddy's relationship from when they met as homeschooled kids at camp, to their split and to meeting again as adults. It flowed, fleshed out the characters and was a great novel! Don't miss this one! 🩷

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Given Our History is a second chance, dual storyline book that I had no strong feelings for. It is infrequent for me not to get strong emotions about any book genre, and it is even rarer for that book to be a romance. I love romance in all shapes and forms. So, when I got the widget for this book, it was going to be something that I enjoyed. Instead, I was “meh” about it.

Don’t get me wrong; I thought the storyline for Given Our History was interesting. It tracks Teddy and Clara’s friendship from their early teens attending a camp catered towards homeschooled kids in the Blue Ridge Mountains to the event that caused them to stop talking to each other and eventually work at the same college. The author covered everything perfectly, with the main storyline split between the past and present.

I did like Clara. She was a quirky person trying her hardest to be considered for a tenured position at the college. Clara also had a lot of baggage; some centered around Teddy, but the rest centered on her home life. I loved that she was a history nerd, and the random facts that the author integrated into Teddy and Clara’s conversations (when they were teens) had me googling them. But, at the same time, I felt that Clara was too stuck on Teddy and didn’t allow anyone else in her life. The beginning scene in the prologue is where she bumps into Teddy and his girlfriend at a deli (where she is meeting a professor) and acts like a child. That theme repeated throughout the book and wasn’t a good look for a character that I otherwise liked.

I also liked Teddy. The author wasn’t as forthcoming with his life and issues as she was with Clara’s. In some spots, getting any information about Teddy other than what she shared was almost painful. Like Clara, he was a huge history nerd and had a home life that wasn’t the best.

The romance angle of the book was very slow-moving. There was a point in the book where I was mentally urging them to go faster because it was starting to bore me. I also raised an eyebrow at how old-fashioned Clara was around her younger sister (who was super spoiled). But the romance did eventually heat up, but even then, it was lukewarm.

The secondary storyline about Clara trying to get tenure made me see red when it was wrapped up. I did agree with Clara and her immediate actions after that meeting, but still, it made me so angry.

The end of Given Our History was your typical HEA. I liked that Clara and Teddy finally got together.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Kristyn J. Miller for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Given Our History. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

There is something so cozy about a romance set in an academic setting during the fall which sets the vibe for the story to play out. In Given Our History, Clara Fernsby is achieving her dreams as a History Professor at a Liberal Arts College. But as the school year opens, the new visiting scholar in her department, turns out to be someone with whom she has romantic history. The story unfolds in a dual timeline and we get to see the missed chances that this couple have had in the past. Both Clara and Teddy are introverted and likeable. Their personalities play into the story a great deal. The story in the past is filled with references to the 2000s which made the time period feel authentic and a bit nostalgic. While the story has a great fall romance feel, it is also perfect for anyone who likes and academic romance.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy.

Clara, a history professor, finds herself again in close quarters with her high school sweetheart/best friend Teddy. Theirs is a long history of pull and push. Through flashbacks we get a full timeline of their lives together and why they were meant to have their HEA.

I know it’s the middle of the summer but this sweet read had me thinking of falling leaves and fresh romance! I loved this book, I loved the chemistry, I loved the character building, it was the best cozy fall romance.

The first thing you need to know about me is that I'm a former tenured faculty member, and as a result, I am extremely pedantic about books that take place in academia. There are plenty of seemingly decent books that I've cast aside because I cannot willfully suspend disbelief. I add this preface because this book does play fast and loose with how higher ed works, but...it only briefly took me away from the story. For those of you without the PTSD of getting a Ph.D., you'll probably have no issue with the setting or storyline!

This book reminds me a lot of Love and Other Words, which also pairs a then-and-now approach to growing childhood love and second chances. I loved that book and I liked this one a bit less, but still found it to be enjoyable. I wasn't annoyed with the way that the back story played out (slowly yes, but you get hints of what happened in the present) and I found both the main characters to be worth rooting for.

I also appreciate that the drama of the third act wasn't overdone. Second-chance romances are about the path to getting back together, so there's no need to throw a ton of unneeded complications at the couple in the waning pages of the book. Is there some tension? Of course. But, do they largely resolve it with some communication? Also yes.

* Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

Childhood friends to lovers? Dual timelines? Wrecking me emotionally and putting me back together? All boxes checked. Loved the writing, the pacing, the dual timelines connected in just the right way, and I was rooting for Teddy and Clara from chapter 2 honestly. It’s always been my life goal to be a history professor, so reading a book about TWO?! Chefs kiss.

This was a solid second-chance romance. Teddy and Clara were best friends but after a falling out, they haven't been in contact for ten years. Now, Teddy is a visiting scholar at the university Clara works as an assistant professor. This is Clara and Teddy's chance to mend their friendship and confess their feelings.

While I did enjoy this romance, it was a bit slow for my taste. The story is told in dual timelines and I felt we spent too much time in the past and I would've liked to read more of their relationship development in present day. We also only get Clara's perspective. Because of both the lack of present day scenes and Teddy's POV, I felt the story was missing something and I did not feel connected to either character, especially Teddy.

This was not my favorite romance but was by no means "bad." I look forward to reading more from Kristyn J. Miller as this was an overall easy and enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It’s Love and other words meets academia. Second-ish chance romance and you get a fall gala too. Teddy is just perfection and Clara grew as the story went along. I’m so happy that I was able to get an arc (thank you, netgalley and the publisher).

His story starts out with Clara and Teddy meeting each other at a special camp for kids who are homeschooled. It follows the ark of their lives together and alternates between present day and reviewing their 16+ year friendship. In present day, Clara works at a university and is assigned a new roommate for her office. It’s not hard to guess her new office mate is Teddy. This is a wonderful love story and would definitely make a great beach read. I couldn’t put it down.

Given Our History
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This cover gives such fall in New England vibes and fits perfectly with the small college setting!

Clara is a driven history professor at a small college in New England. When she’s asked to share an office with a visiting professor, she has no idea it will be her childhood and young adult best friend, who she hasn’t spoken to for years.

The dual timelines fit pretty well together but I found myself wanting to shake these two characters in both timelines. I liked the academic setting but the miscommunication made this one feel really slow, especially when the main character couldn’t make up her mind!

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed reading this book. I love a good timeline jumping book that tells a full complete story through multiple timelines.

Clara Fernsby is nothing if not driven. She's wanted to teach history since she was 14 and hasn't let anything stand in her way. Finished this book in one day. Theodore Harrison is brought on for the fall semester as a visiting scholar. They knew each other years ago, but haven't spoken in ten years due to a falling out. That boy might have been her best friend, but the man teaching Hist-322 is a total stranger. But as they spend evening working on a shared project and brainstorming over drinks at a college bar, Clara realizes she's at risk of falling for him all over again.

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers/second chance romance. I wanted to shake Clara and Teddy a few times throughout this book though. This is a clear right person/wrong time book. Can they communicate to right the wrongs and reach that happily ever after or are they destined to repeat history.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book & felt so excited to read it. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, the love story, and the characters we got to meet. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing. I felt like there were so many words to get to a simple point & that I could skip sentences and paragraphs and not miss anything for the actual story.