Absolutely loved this book! Was immediately hooked and stayed captivated throughout the whole thing.
Often times I get frustrated with characters in contemporary romances or romcoms because their personalities or flaws will be over the top, but I found everyone in Given Our History to have really good balances of strengths and flaws without making it boring.
The chemistry and dynamics were slowly built in detailed ways that allowed the reader to really FEEL how and why Clara made/makes the choices she makes even when I am someone with very different personality and priorities than her.

I look forward to reading more from Kristyn!

DNF @ 42%

while the premise of given our history held promise, clara and theo's connection wasn't deep enough to carry the weight of this story, a second chance romance. by including past and present timelines, the longing has to feel palpable to the reader for the trope to be its most effective. sadly, there was little chemistry or movement of the plot that felt intentional. as I neared the halfway point, I assumed things would begin to take shape, but it never happened. once the desire to skim hits, it's hard to recover interest after that.

DNF @ 48%. This one had a promising start and premise that unfortunately fell flat. The main characters chemistry simply did not exist, and the supporting characters left much to be desired. Dual timeline can be tricky, and I feel the author wasn’t successful with it here. The huge gap in time between the main characters last interaction just further made for a disconnect between them. In the 48% I read, the past timeline friendship blossoming didn’t give me any of the feels, and present timeline nothing was happening, nor have the two characters shared any real moments, leaving me underwhelmed and choosing to quit the read.

Cute book that is the equivalent of putting on your comfy clothes and settling in by the fire. Clara and Teddy met at summer camp years ago and fell out of touch but are forced back together when Teddy unexpectedly takes teaching job at the college where Clara is also a professor. It was a quick read that hit all the expected marks; a solid 4 stars for me

Thank you Kristyn for sending me a copy of this magnificent book and thank you to Netgalley for inviting me to read the ARC.

Given Our History is the story of two best friends who’ve lost and found each other multiple times throughout their lives. This time, Clara and Teddy make sure they never lose each other again. It’s a story of familiarity and discovery–in all sorts of ways. It’s about falling in love with your best friend all over again just to realize you’ve actually never stopped loving them.

I’m fairly certain that everyone who knows me knows how much I love Kristyn & literally everything she writes. She’s one of my “I’d read a grocery list from her” authors. I already had high expectations for Given Our History knowing this book had all of my favorite tropes, and knowing how much I loved Kristyn’s debut book & her writing style. I was in fact correct, and I ended up loving this book so much that I didn’t even know where to start when writing my review. I actually think this review can be pages long so I’m going to try to keep it short as I can literally talk about it forever.

I’m going to start with Clara. It’s crazy how much of myself I see in Clara. She’s such a special character for me. One thing about Kristyn is that she always creates such real characters that you either find a piece of yourself in or understand and connect so deeply. In this case, it was both for me. Clara’s ambition and indecision at the same time is something I relate to a lot– so much so that I literally had to take a moment after I read the paragraph about the Bell Jar metaphor about how Clara’s left with nothing because she was too scared to choose. That scene with Reagan really stuck with me. Another scene that was really beautiful was the scene with her dad, when they were talking about love. Clara had her doubts about her parents’ marriage, and that scene with her dad talking about how love is the hard road was a very important moment in Clara’s life, guiding her to fight for her love instead of trying to push it away. Her doubts, her fears, and every emotion and complicated family relationships throughout the book were so raw and just real.

Teddy. This man is literally perfect. I literally had to stop reading to just breakdown over his quotes throughout the book. I really loved the way he loved Clara. I loved how after all those years, he still found his way back to Clara and didn’t let Clara have any doubts about what was going on between them. I adored how supportive he was at literally every single scene. Also him just being ready to go to anywhere in the world if it means they can be together… that’s a real man! God I love them so much. I have to mention the scene of Clara, Teddy, and Teddy’s mom. That scene was so beautiful, I loved every second of it.

I really loved the dual-timeline, going back to past to discover their history as their future unfolds. I think this is a good time to say I actually cried during one of the flashback scenes. The last few chapters especially were my favorites because the love confessions were just written so perfectly (as in I was screaming “Me when?” every other page). I loved how it wasn’t sugarcoated or anything. Every single sentence was so carefully chosen, honest, and intended. Truly one of the best love confessions I’ve read. Kristyn really executed the best friends to lovers second chance agenda in the best way possible.
Yet another thing I loved was the female friendships. Clara and Izzy, you two are so loved. The academia rooted friendships were also very cute to read, and I loved how supportive Julien was. That last chapter was excellent with everyone sitting together, and I loved watching certain friendships (Bel) get stronger as the book progressed.

I mean, Given Our History had literally everything. I cannot wait for everyone to read it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the arc. This story is about Clara Fernsby, a history professor in a small liberal arts university in Maryland, finishing up her life goals of securing tenure in the same university. But before she can accomplish her final goal, Clara is informed that she is to share her office with a visiting scholar, Theodore (Teddy) Harrison, someone from Clara's past. The story, all told from Clara's POV, flashes back (17 years) to the time Clara and Teddy meet, and goes back to the present to show where their relationship currently stands. The story does these flashbacks quite a bit, which I feel dragged it down for me. I thought it was interesting to see how their relationship evolved, and cratered, and came back again, but it was too much. I did appreciate the glimpse into the academia world, i.e. tenure track, fundraising efforts, inter-department politics, etc., but the story could have been more streamlined. I really liked Clara, Teddy, and all the side characters.

Overall, I liked the story, and I look forward to reading future works from Kristyn Miller.

How can you not love two history professors that are into each other? Plus a tenure battle. And an epic misunderstanding. This one hit so many good notes. It was a bit of a slow burn but I loved the payoff at the end. The idea that they were friends first and the flipping back and forth with the timeline worked well. The author could have done a little less with her dysfunctional family but overall well done.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute and cozy read. I’m a sucker for second chance romances if they’re well done, and I couldn’t put this down once I started. I liked that Teddy and Clara were both imperfect characters and you could see their growth in both the current timeline and flashbacks.

The dual timelines definitely added to the angst factor, and while it wasn’t too high, my heart definitely did break a bit for them a points. And I wanted to shake them both to get their act together, which I think is key to a good second chance romance. If things are TOO easy for the characters getting back together it doesn’t work, but I thought it really did here.

The writing was great, and the story pulled you in almost immediately. Would definitely read this author again!

Clara has devoted her life to seeking security in her career as a tenured professor of history. Her love for history is lifelong and mostly self-taught. When Clara’s boss asks her to share her office with a visiting scholar, she is not anticipating it will be her former best friend, Teddy.

I liked that the book was set in academia, and I related to Clara’s vision for her career. The women in this book are smart, ambitious, and center stage. There is an alternating timeline that gives Clara and Teddy some depth and backstory.

Who should read the book: Academics Who Need a Break, Romance Trope Lovers, Eldest Daughters

This is super sweet.
If you’re in the mood for fall cozy academic vibes this book is going to give you that. A second chance romance told through alternating timelines, readers will root for these two characters to rekindle their love.
I will admit, some of the miscommunication did seem silly but that’s part of the second chance trope sometimes.
The friends to lovers aspect of the relationship will give you butterflies. It’s wholesome and so cute!
Recommend if you want a cozy read.

Given Our History is a second chance, friends to lovers, alternating timeline about the love story of Teddy and Clara. I really wanted to love this one, the premise sounded great- 2 old friends in a long term will they or won't they, who lost touch then suddenly meet back up? Fantastic!
Then I started reading it.
I couldn't get behind this book unfortunately. Given that childhood romance is a trope i love, this one kind of fell flat.

First off thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC. I loved it. I always love when there are multiple time lines and part of me actually really liked the use of the right person wrong time trope which usually isn't one of my favourites. I really hope that we're able to see more of Clara and Teddy's story because part of me feels like that ending leaves room for a sequel? Either way I thought this was a beautiful story.

Wholesome and enjoyable with cozy autumnal academia vibes! This is the story of Teddy and Clare, who becomes friends at camp when they're both two trivia and history enthusiastic nerds. Their story is one of friendship primarily, and we move through a few different timeline jumps before we as readers see it become anything else!

I'm not a particularly enthusiastic romance reader and I really enjoyed this! The characters were so richly fleshed out and so likable. I was rooting for them, both as a couple and as individuals. As a plus, the academic setting kept me tuned in throughout the novel - what a great environment!

Would highly recommend this one.

This was a cute and cozy second chance romance for sure! It was a bit of a slow start for me..but other than that I enjoyed it. I loved the characters and I was rooting for these two the entire time. I was completely invested in them by the end. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

This second chance romance is heartwarming. Given Our History really captures the meaning of right person, wrong time. Clara and Teddy are likeable and the writing just flows. I really enjoyed the character and how they communicated.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. I really enjoyed reading Given ‎Our History by Kristyn J Miller.‎
I could not put the book down. It jumps back and forth between two different timelines, the past ‎and the present. The story of Clara and Teddy is a heartwarming romance book with excitement ‎and disappointment. A great look at love having a second chance. ‎
This was my first time reading Kristyn J Miller's work, and I look forward to reading more.‎
‎ Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

I loved that this book was a friends to lovers, second chance romance between history professors. How perfect that Given our history had so much history between our two main characters. This is one of those books where you are just yelling at the main characters saying "get together already!" I really enjoyed how the author went back and forth between the past and present timeline. I enjoyed the flow of the story in that way. I also thought it was clever how as the story progressed, the seasons were changing. There were a lot of unique elements in this romance that made it stand out to me. For example, our main character had a sister with a huge age gap and me and my sister are also age gap sisters, so it was fun being able to read about sisters not close in age like we are. Super cure read and I'd definitely recommend!

A really sweet second chance romance that I breezed right through thanks to its tight writing and well developed characters, I adored this book and the characters. Told in dual timelines, historians Clara and Teddy were a case of 'right person, wrong time', having fallen in love with each others as teens on summer camp.

The campus setting was well fleshed out with its departmental politics (some of which made me laugh). Clara and Teddy were characters you just wanted to root for and felt their heartbreak along with them. I also understood why Clara rejected Teddy's proposal to be together (after spending years waiting for Teddy to prioritise her) and was angry on her behalf when he dated Mindy and then stayed with her for years (which was never fully explained why he did).

While I understand the book is about learning from your history, the issue I have with dual timelines is it takes away from the present day to show how they have learned from their time apart and they'll be much stronger now. While the past chapters were short and sharp, a lot of those scenes, while enjoyable, were redundant as it was already explained in present day dialogue and should've remained as dialogue. Clara and Teddy needed more bigger conversations about their time apart and the decisions they made on page.

I do love a good second chance and this book had all the hallmarks of why I love it - the pining and that special chemistry between two long loves - Given Our History had this in spades. It will tug at your heartstrings while making you swoon.

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

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Given Our History is a past and present telling of the friendship/friends with benefits/friends to lovers story of Clara and Teddy. Clara and Teddy met at camp when they were teenagers. When we pick up with them it's six years ago and we learn that something drove Clara and Teddy away from each other, though their real reconnection does not start until six years later when Teddy takes a visiting professor position at the school where Clara is currently pursuing tenure.

I love book with academic settings so that was one of the first things that drew me into this second change story. Let's also acknowledge how perfect an academic setting was to setting up forced proximity & second chances tropes. At first I’d been too drawn in to the story unfolding at the present that I was anxious to get through the flashbacks to the past, but after a few of those, I was completely enthralled in both the past and present. I think the back and forth really did help build up the story. At the time we got to the end I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these two. I absolutely loved Given Our History. I cannot wait for its release and to get my hands on a physical copy of this book. It's definitely one of my top reads so far this year. This was the first book I’ve read by Kristyn J. Miller and I’m so excited for future works!

Given Our History is a slow burn friends to lovers/second chance romance. The duel timeline covers when the two teens met as homeschoolers at camp through present day when they meet again as college professors and all the sweet and messy in between,

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.