What a swoony fall read. If you love educational settings, history and second chance romance this is the book for you!

This book was sweet and I loved the journey from childhood best friends to adult partners, but the female MC was a bit immature in my opinion, and could definitely work on her communication. Still 4 stars but miscommunication is my least favorite trope. I'd definitely give this author another try though!

I found myself a bit bored with Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller. The characters, Clara and Theodore, lacked the chemistry needed to keep me engaged. Their interactions felt forced, and I struggled to connect with their story. While the parts of the book set in the present were more enjoyable, the chapters that delved into the past felt unnecessary and often out of sync with the rest of the narrative.

The flashbacks to Clara and Teddy's youth at the sleepaway camp did little to enhance the plot and seemed to drag the pacing down. I didn't care for the characters, making investing in their journey or rooting for their rekindled romance difficult. This book had potential, but it fell short of delivering a compelling and cohesive story.

Thank you Net Galley and Publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did, but it just wasn't for me unfortunately. It has childhood friends turn lovers, second chance romance, professors, slow burn, small town cozy vibes, everything I love but the main couple just didn't have that spark/connection I felt. It was slow, like really slow and dragged for most of the book only kinda picking up in the last couple of chapters.

Things I liked about the book:
*Clara finally figures out what she wants in life from work, love, family instead of trying to please everyone.
*everyone got their happy ever after even the side characters.
*how supportive Teddy was of Clara's goals overall and never told her to change them.

Things I didn't like about the book:
*the back and forth from past to present. I felt like the past could have been summed up all at once then go to the present. It felt disconnected to go back and forth so much.
*the communication between the main couple. they really didn't know what they wanted and it felt like that never got resolved.
*the ending. it felt kinda rushed and almost incomplete, like I guess that's everything so cheers to whatever happens next.
*we never really got a pov from Teddy or his long relationship with Mindy, like that was almost irrelevant to the story.

I love women with brains, so I loved Clara. It was a sweet, second-chance romance. Also, it was a friends, to strangers, to colleagues, to lovers. Another of my favorite tropes!

“Given Our History” is a second chances romance book by Kristyn Miller. In this book we follow Clara and Teddy over two timelines - then and present day. Both Clara and Teddy were homeschooled as kids and meet at a camp and become friends. They break up then a number of years later reconnect when Clara is asked to share her office with a visiting professor - who turns out to be Teddy. There’s some under tension of Clara wanting tenure at her current school. The positives - if you like books with academia, a summer camp, and second chance romances - this book may be one you want to pick up. And the cover - look how adorable that cover is! If you like history facts and trends of almost two decades ago, this book has mentions of music, internet, and trends from that time tossed through it. The negatives - I never felt like there was actual tension in this book (or if there was, was it Clara trying to get tenure - that didn’t seem like tension for both characters) and while this book was sweet, it was slow paced. As someone who did homeschool her child, I felt some of the homeschooling was off, for lack of a better word. The section with the advisor seemed okay - but I’m surprised that Clara didn’t try a local junior college first then transfer - opposed to aiming to get into Ivy schools directly - but that’s a minor point. Overall, probably a 3.5 star read for me, but as I (sadly) figure I’ll forget this book in a few days, it’s rounded down to 3 stars.

3.5 ⭐️“Given Our History” is a heartfelt, realistic romance begging the age old question: is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

I loved the cozy autumnal vibes and the realistic and imperfect relationship between Clara and Teddy. The combination of second chance and dual timeline (dating back to when they first met) was the perfect setting for their relationship.

On the other hand, I felt like the reasoning behind not being in a relationship (past and present) didn’t make much sense to me, so the conflict of their relationship was a little infuriating. Also, maybe it’s just because I don’t know much about academic careers, but the language surroundinf the different professor contracts lost me a little in the beginning.

Overall, a great, cozy read for the fall!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

If you enjoy seventeen years of slow burn then this might be for you. The book starts out with a chance encounter between former best friends verging on flames territory. Then through flashbacks you experience the history of their relationship. It takes forever to get to what actually pulled them apart but failed to convince that particular event was so devastating they wouldn’t have spoken for 10 years.

In the present, the two no-longer friends are forced to share an office at the same college. Maybe I missed it but I don’t actually recall any awkward encounters utilizing said shared office. There was no real tension or romance. Separately, both Clara and Theo lacked charisma, together they had zero passion and only seemed to share being nice and their careers in common

This book had a very difficult time capturing my interest.

Thanks to St. Martins Press for an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The whole time I was reading this, I was like wow, this author MUST be an academic because some of the little details were so realistic (a particular favorite of mine was when the main character, an assistant professor, complained about having to switch from Blackboard to Canvas - too real if you've worked in higher ed and gone through something similar). This is a second chance romance with some nice, cozy academic vibes. Clara Fernsby is an assistant professor of history at a small liberal arts college, and she learns at the start of this book that her mentor thinks she should go up for tenure early, compressing her planned timeline significantly. At the same time, she learns that she'll be sharing an office with a visiting faculty member who happens to be her first love/former best friend Teddy Harrison. The story is told in alternating timelines - then and now - with "then" mostly taking place at a camp for homeschooled kids that Clara and Teddy both attended as teens. As the past and present stories unfold, we understand the rift that occurred between the two of them and see how they've both changed in the ten years since they actually spoke to one another. I've been reading a lot of second chance romances recently, but I found myself particularly enjoying this one - both because I found the characters pretty compelling and because I found the academic setting so familiar.

Second chance romance is my favorite! This book is sweet with a cute love story and an easy, enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and Kristyn J. Miller!

I wanted so badly to love this book. I love the setting and the fall atmosphere but I can never seem to get into the professor/student storyline. I know that Theo and Clara had known each other prior to this encounter but I just couldn't fully get into the book

I love love love second chance romance, I think this book hits every mark for it. I honestly got in my emotions because of this book and I loved it,

Thank you so much for this arc!


Tropes:
-dual timelines
-second chance
-right person, wrong time
-childhood friends to lovers
-miscommunication



I am a sucker for second chance romances and this was so good! Clare felt really relatable and just like someone you know if that makes sense. I will say I wish we actually got teddys POV I would’ve rated the book higher I think !
Also lot a fan of miscommunication but I didn’t hate it here!

I loved the cover and wound up enjoying this one but, quite frankly, I wasn't initially sure. Not only did main character Clara strike me at times as more as as an angst filled school-girl in the throes of indecisive "do I love him or not" than an almost thirty-year old, but the flashbacks threw me more than I'd have expected. Once I settled into that, however, I was fine with it. Despite Clare being a hot mess much of the time, she seems to be a caring person, one who is trying to help her superficially flighty younger sister.... whether her sister wants her help or not. Clare definitely liked Teddy, Theodore Harrison, even to the point of turning him away to, in her mind, protect him. Sigh. Teddy was initially easier to like although his insecurities and issues played a role, too. Both Clare and Teddy have well-meaning, even loving parents but their ideas of success for their children don't always match what Clare and Teddy wanted or needed.

Well, actually, I'm not sure either of them knew what they really wanted, either, although Clare hanging onto the necklace (you'll discover it's meaning as you read) should have been a big hint. As romances go, this one was not just slow, but crawled along, veering off in different directions as they were distracted by this or that. For Clare, that seemed to be a career in academics. Not only had she always loved history but her love of the subject colored Teddy's career path, too. That aspect was, to me, one of the more interesting aspects of the book, showing how chance encounters and someone else's enthusiasm for a topic could change not just their world but the world for someone else.

How does it all turn out? Well, it's a romance, so I'm sure you can guess but it's how they get to the happily ever after that both intrigued and irritated me. Neither is exactly outgoing, with Clare's surface control seeming to zoom out of control at times. Miscommunication, as in most romances, plays a role, too. Honestly, we've all probably been there, hence I can't fault that as unusual in real life, but for two such long-time friends, it was surprising. I definitely liked the whimsy of the Long Distance History Book Club idea, one of the ways Clare won Teddy over to history. You'll be astounded at the first book she gives him to read.

Bottom line, despite some issues for me which, let's face it, may not impact your enjoyment of the book at all, I did ultimately enjoy the book, hence a 3.5 rounded to a 4 star. Loved how well the author nailed the time periods, music, books, and all. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - StMartin'sGriffin for introducing me to this new-to-me author. I'll definitely be looking for her next book (if not catching up on previous ones).

Thank you St Martins Press and Goodreads for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Second. Chance. Romance. I am a broken record but it’s my favorite. I love the angst, the apologies, and reading two people falling in love twice.

Teddy and Clara are two friends that have known each other for 17 years but haven’t spoken for 9. When they end up sharing an office at the college they’re both teaching in, the space is too small for old and new feelings to stay hidden.

Oh I loved these crazy kids. Yes some parts were frustrating. When the author goes back and forth from the past and the present, the past is like waiting for a car crash to come. The implosion of the relationship, while the present is how they’re already forming a new one. I love how both sides work together.

Thank you so much to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have learned that I don't like second chance romance and here is a classic case. I wanted to give this one a try but it wasn't for me.

I love the cover and the fall vibes.

However, I can never understand a person giving up love for her career? Maybe I just don't have that passion for a job lol but that just didn't work for me. I also didn't like the flashbacks that were happening either.

I don't like second chance romance typically because of the flashbacks and I never really feel like the reason they broke up is a good reason. (or if it is, they shouldn't be getting back together in the first place). Most of the time, they shouldn't have broken up in the first place and it just annoys me.

Anyways, I hope others love this one but it was not for me.

Very slow burn (like 17 years in the making), non linear timeline (jumps between past and present) story of two history buffs who just can’t quit each other.

Few standout items beyond the romance (which is quite good)that might be of interest:
- Learning about the world of academia and tenure track
- Both Teddy and Clara are home schooled and meet at an annual camp for homeschooled kids. That part I found fascinating. Also the idea that certain coping mechanisms that come with being homeschooled can be advantageous to adulting - like leading disparate lives and relationships not following consistent touch points but nonetheless being significant and profound.

I enjoyed that Clara realized that an employer who doesn’t know her value beyond surface and easily replaceable traits isn’t worth fighting for.

A small item: The premise of both characters not wanting to end up like their parents and this keeping them apart was not well justified- Was it the socio-economic limitations of the parents? Them marrying too young? Because everything else felt real and hard earned which is a good thing.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

I loved this book! Warm, emotional and brimming with hope, Given Our History is second chance romance at its finest.

📚 Given Our History
✍ Kristyn J. Miller
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4.5
🌶️ 🌶️

🙏 Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Kristyn J. Miller for the advanced copy of Given Our History. All opinions are my own.
◾
🎯 What I loved: I'm an absolute sucker for a second chance romance and I love dual timeline second chances that explore why the couple is right for each other but rationalizes why they couldn't be together previously. Clara and Teddy are complex characters that both struggle with trying to forge friendships after having been homeschooled but immediately jive with each other. Their chemistry with each other is evident and as a reader, I was easily pulled into their orbit, knowing that their connection was deep but that clearly, something had really driven them apart. Miller nailed her depiction of academia and the hoops professors must go through to gain tenure or entrance to a tenure track and I love the subtle ways she wove history into the book without making it feel like the primary subject.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: I was expecting something truly shocking to have wrecked Clara and Teddy's friendship (especially considering the buildup) but wasn't completely convinced that what initially pulled them apart would have created a 10 year rift. No matter, the reconciliation was worth the wait!
◾
Read if you love:
*dual timeline
*second chance
*academia setting
*summer camp connection
◾
See also: Love and Other Words, People We Meet on Vacation, Love, Theoretically

Clara Fersby is a passionate, driven assistant professor. She has worked hard at a private liberal arts college in order to obtain tenure, uncaring that she sacrificed love in order to get her goal.

Theodore Harrison is that love that Clara gave up in the pursuit of happiness - teaching. Ten years have passed since the breakup. This novel is set in the fall, a beautiful autumnal setting. Memories of the couple happy in the Blue Ridge Mountains camp stir, along with the bittersweet trading of books between the lovebirds.

Burned CDs were passed between the lovey dovey couple, listening to tracks as they fell in love. Once, she might have loved him. This new professor is nothing like tha man Clara had once known. The face is the same, the personality a cold reality from the lovesick boy of her dreams.

Of course, then the two enstranged had-been lovers are thrown together in a forced proximity project. Brainstorming at a bar, recalling memories and slowly fixing a broken thing. Clara is insistent that history will not repeat itself, it can't. A career is more import than love, right?

I think academic romance is a new trend I find myself gravitating towards. There is something intellectual and nostalgic about falling in love around an old, stone, beautiful architecture of a college campus. Falling in love between the stacks of an ancient library filled to the brim with textbooks and tales and endless stories.

I connected to this couple because they are both nerdy introverts, which I am, very much so. I remember loving studying. This couple is real, with real feelings, real problems. Painful memories. Mending a broken, fragile, beautiful, tender thing.

Both of our main characters are rife with family baggage. How one deals with stress has a very real impact on love and friendships and relationships. I felt that the emotions in this book were realistic. The burden of family troubles. All in love, lovely read! 🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book by Kristyn J Miller. It's my first time reading this author, but I will be searching out her first book. I believe this is her second. I might be partial to this one because I'm an academic librarian, who happens to have a degree in history, and, like the main character, studied Tudor history. Regardless, this second chance, friends to lovers romance was adorable, with just the right amount of spice.