I had so much fun reading Given Our History. It has been awhile since I read a true second chance romance. Let alone one that spanned over 17 years! As someone with little interest in history, I was worried I would not be the intended audience of this book. I couldn't never have been more wrong! I ended up reading this book in two sittings. When my heart wasn't aching for Teddy or Clara, I was giggling at their small sweet moments. This book also has the perfect balance of "spice" and plot where the "spice" was not distracting. I look forward to reading more of Kristyn Miller's books as they (hopefully) come out!

Thank you to author Kristyn J. Miller and NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m just speechless and need 5 to 10 business days to recover. I’m completely obsessed with both the story and the characters.

Kristyn has a gift for creating characters. They feel so real as if I know them in real life rather than reading about them. Just like her previous book, these are characters that can exist outside of a book’s pages with their flaws and decisions and mindsets.

The story is just so beautiful. I have trouble following storylines with constant flashbacks most of the time with how it keeps cutting it in the middle of it, but it’s not the case with this one. Everything feels perfectly balanced out and not overwhelming. I could feel them fall for each other through every single page, become friends and something more. It was a long and slightly painful of a process, but it was a joy to read about. Even though they had the struggles of early 00s and distance, and their own minds in present, you could still feel the feelings they had for one another.

Clara deserves her own paragraph. She’s everything. I could relate to her in many ways and even the parts I couldn’t, I could reason with her. It’s so easy to get into her head and see things through her eyes, Kristyn had such a nice way of telling it. We all have some bits of Clara in us and she both made me feel seen and also gave me hope. She feels like someone I can meet any day, she’s so easy to feel connected to.

I felt like I was seeing it all happen next to them while reading. Kristyn already had a great writing but it’s an absolute honor to see how much she improved just since her first book. One of the sweetest humans and nicest authors out there.

In her debut novel, Kristyn J. Miller delivers a heartwarming and poignant tale of second chances, love, and the enduring power of history. Given Our History follows the story of Clara Fernsby, an ambitious assistant professor whose life is turned upside down when Theodore Harrison, a blast from her past, arrives as a visiting scholar at her college. Clara and Teddy were inseparable as teenagers, spending idyllic summers at a sleepaway camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They shared a love of literature, music, and each other. But a decade ago, they had a falling out and went their separate ways. Now, as adults, they are forced to confront their shared history and the lingering feelings that still exist between them. As they work on a shared project and spend time together outside of work, Clara realizes that she is falling in love with Teddy all over again. But she is hesitant to pursue a relationship with him, fearing that he is not interested or that they are doomed to repeat the mistakes of their past. Given Our History is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel that explores the complexities of love, loss, and forgiveness. Miller's characters are well-developed and relatable, and her prose is lyrical and evocative. The novel is also a thoughtful exploration of the role that history plays in our lives, both personal and collective. One of the strengths of Given Our History is Miller's ability to create a strong sense of atmosphere. The novel is set in a small college town in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Miller's descriptions of the landscape are both vivid and evocative. The reader can feel the cool mountain air and smell the pine trees. Another strength of the novel is Miller's exploration of the relationship between Clara and Teddy. Their relationship is complex and nuanced, and Miller does an excellent job of capturing the emotional ups and downs of their journey. The reader is rooting for Clara and Teddy to find happiness together, but Miller never makes their path easy. Overall, Given Our History is a well-written and enjoyable novel that is sure to appeal to fans of contemporary romance and women's fiction. Miller is a talented writer with a bright future ahead of her.

I'm a professor and I've read a lot of RomComs that feature academia, and this one is the best one I've read so far. It wasn't perfect in terms of realism, but it was damn close, and moreover, it was extremely entertaining and adorable.

I had the pleasure of reading this book for a blurb, and wow!!! Kristyn made me fall in love with these two, both then and now. If you’re looking for a sweet, romantic, and smart contemporary romance, this is it!

I am loving second chance romances lately and this was a great one! I loved reading this couple’s whole story from when they met until the present day when they reconnected. I was very satisfied by the way things ended up for them. I would love a bonus chapter from the MMC’s POV!

-childhood friends
-forced proximity
-professors
-flashbacks to childhood


Teddy and Clara met at sleep away camp when they were teens. They kept in touch throughout the years and saw each other each summer. Teddy wanted more from Clara but it was the never the right time. Fast forward to when they are in their thirties and they're brought back together again.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

Oh my goodness. I've never been a fan of second chance romance but this book changed my mind.

The main characters were so cute and the story was literally the definition of Right Person Wrong Time.

If you are looking for a wholesome, kinda spicy, romance read. This book is for you.

This was such a sweet book! I loved the characters, and their love story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable.

Ooh Clara and Teddy! What a sweet romance they have. I really enjoyed the college setting, the development of their friendship at dinner camp for home schooled kids to young love, and the challenges they were hit with over the years. I sometimes feel sad for those who miss out on years together due to stubbornness or misunderstandings, but I feel that these two had some growing to do before they were ready for each other. Supporting characters were there, not overly memorable, but I bet Izzy has quite the story to tell! PS the cultural references brought back all the memories! So fun!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me the enjoyment of reading this ARC!

Given Our History is a cute second chance romance. Clara and Teddy first met seventeen years ago at camp and became best friends. We see this story told along two timelines, in the past and then in the present as they see each other again teaching at the same university.

This is beautifully written and really shows the complexity of relationships. After having a falling out many years ago, will Clara and Teddy forgive and forget or will they continue avoiding one another?

Overall I’d definitely recommend this book when it releases in August if you’re looking for a cozy, slow burn romance that takes place in an academia setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins Press for providing me with an early copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good. I really enjoy the second chance/friends to lovers tropes and this book has both. The alternating timelines really helped build the tension and made me desperate to see this couple finally figure it out. Definitely a must read when it comes out in August!

This book is the closest I’ve gotten to replicating how Happy Place made me feel.
The timelines pulled me so deep into the story.
I loved the hurt and growth these two went through.
My heart clenched during so many moments because I could feel what the characters were feeling.
Sometimes the story felt a little long and inner monologue heavy since it’s just one pov, but I still really loved it. I’ll definitely read more from this author.

A beautiful read. An incredible love story. Read if you liked: Love and Other Words (Christina Lauren), Swear on This Life (Renee Carlino), and Every Summer After (Carley Fortune).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was solid. Well written, good balance of flashback and present day. I guess my only gripe is that I didn’t really understand the point of all of the back and forth. I feel like there could have been a bit more to the plot than that.

I am a sucker for Hallmark movies. This story is basically a Hallmark Movie in novel form. It’s a win!

Is cozy romance a thing in the book world? Because that is exactly what this fast paced read is with a tiny bit of spice.

The main character Clara is a professor on the tenure track at a college and comes face to face with her past when an old friend and crush comes as a visiting professor to her University and surprise, she is asked to share her office.

The book is told from the present day goings on as well as flash backs to a 7 year period starting 17 years previous to the present.

The flipping back is a little jarring rather than a fluid transition. I would have enjoyed it more if it utilized splitting the books into two parts of the past all laid out at once and then the present day but it wasn’t overly distracting or souring.

You like the characters and definitely want to root for them as they navigate life.

So if you’re looking for a fluffy or cozy romance with a little bit of academia and spice thrown in, this is a great read.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Given our History by Kristyn J. Miller was a great second chances novel.

The flashbacks of Clara and Teddy's relationship were so sweet and relatable - those first moments of attraction were perfectly written and the way their friendship bloomed made me incredibly nostalgic and hopeful for their present relationship.

I'm not going to lie, I always wanted to go to co-ed sleep away camp and love reading about them, so this book had me from the beginning.

When Clara and Teddy reconnect and have to face their past mistakes and move forward, I was all in. The author captures their relationship in realistic ways and made me want more.

I really hope Izzy and Bel get their own book. They were terrific secondary characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in lieu of an honest review. 4.5 stars.

What a heartfelt novel. As a fan of second chances, I devoured this. I could understand both Clara and Teddy and the reasoning behind their actions pretty well. This will make a wonderful cozy read for the late summer/early autumn,

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

THIS WAS SO CUTE! I need more professor love stories. The more eye-catching quality is how it talked about home-schooling and the reasoning behind it. A lot of the times it's just associated with being a religious reason, but seeing a more developed arguement interwoven in a romcom was a great idea. A quick and easy read, nothing too irritating about the tropes. I can't believe this is her debut novel, I'm so excited to see what she has planned for her sequel!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this book. It looked cute, especially since I used to be a history teacher and I love academic books, but when I started reading, I didn't think I'd love it as much as I did. The dynamic between the FMC (Clara) and MMC (Teddy..which, by the way, LOVE that name for a MMC) reminded me of Poppy and Alex from People We Meet on Vacation (in a good way). There were some points where Teddy drove me a little crazy, but in all, I just loved this book, especially since it was one that got away. Second-chance romances always tug at my heart, but this book has the right strings. Sidenote: I normally don't like dual timelines however, for this book, it helped immensely.


Tropes: 
Second Chance Romance
Friends to Lovers