Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! 

4.25/5 ⭐️ 

Release Date: August 27th

📖: second chance, friends to lovers, dual timeline, and slow burn

Clara and Teddy started as summer camp friends in their preteens. After many years of friendship, they eventually fall out. Fast forward nine years, and they find themselves teaching together at the same institution. Their first encounter in years isn’t as awkward as you’d think, and both find themselves easily falling back into their familiar friendship. Will history repeat itself?

This was such a cozy, academic read! The dual time line gave us so much tension, and I was absolutely here for it. I gasped, I squealed, and I kicked my feet. Clara and Teddy were the perfect example of the right person at the wrong time. So happy they got their HEA.

Given Our History” by Kristyn J. Miller is a poignant, heartwarming slow burn novel that intricately explores the complexities of friendship, forgiveness, and the passage of time. The story follows the journey of two estranged friends who are forced to confront the lingering ghosts of their shared past.

“Second chance romance” is my favourite trope when it’s done well, and I found myself rooting for Clara and Teddy throughout this story. Miller done an incredible job of weaving in “The Past” and “The present” timelines, I loved reading about the main characters in each timeline.

This was a great friends to lovers and second chance story and it also was a quick read, it had me gripped right from the beginning. I would recommend this one to the romcom lovers out there.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It has been a hot minute since I have read a second chance romance. Let me regroup and think about what I want to say oof.

Okay, so this is done in a dual timeline like people we meet on vacation by EH and if you loved that book, you are bound to adore this one. The story really flowed seamlessly and I was surprised to find that this was the author’s debut novel. How amazing is that! The book is the perfect summer read (and it is coming out in the summer so watch out for that). All the characters stood out and shined in their own right.

I had a blast reading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for generously giving me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! I love a good second chance romance! The dual timelines were executed so well in this book because I am usually not a fan of them. This book is a reminiscent of Emily Henry's writing. I absolutely adored all the characters in this book, and the mentions of emo bands and mix CDs evoked a sense of nostalgia in me oh my goodness and that really touched me.

The story revolves around Clara and Teddy's 17-year-old friendship with a falling out that led to nine years of no communication. Clara applies for a tenor at the University and Teddy, a visiting professor, offers to help her with her project, raising questions about his intentions. The back and forth timelines help establish the depth of their relationship, although some parts of their past fallout are nerve-wracking. The protagonist dislikes Clara's parents for not noticing her lack of a social group even though she was homeschooled. However, I also had moments of disliking Teddy's behavior towards Clara, but enjoyed the parts where they reconnect and support each other's goals. The ending could have had a better epilogue to provide closure. Overall, it is a good second chance romance with likable characters. And I loved the romance as well too! The book explores the combination of uncertainty and familiarity when reuniting with a lost love. The author's prose and scene-setting are well done, and I am eager to read more of the author's works, having enjoyed this one!

I absolutely adored this book. It's the perfect cozy Fall read! Clara and Teddy are both just such likable characters, it was hard NOT to root for them. I initially thought that the alternating time line would end up bothering me, but it actually made the story line much more intriguing. I do wish there had been an epilogue of sorts, but I think the ending was perfect for the story as well. I highly recommend this novel!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book!

Clara Fernsby and Teddy Harrison were home-schooled, met at camp as teenagers and stayed in touch until their college years. After drifting apart and not speaking for several years, they end up as professors at the same university, presenting them with a second chance at love.

I’m usually not a big fan of dual timelines because sometimes they’re hard to follow but it didn’t bother me with this book. I was fully into both timelines at once. I always wanted to know what happened in the past and what was happening in the present.

I liked the history and the tension that was built up and I found the story to be realistic; I could see two people drifting apart for the reasons the characters did. I think this book was very well-written.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book, it is such a perfect warm cozy read, especially for the time it is going to be published. Second chance romance playing the extremely long game with a happy ending. I really liked how there are flashbacks with the following chapter giving you a present point of view. This book keeps you hooked till the very last page. I was surprised to see homeschooling being the founding plot of this book, I don't see that very often. As someone who was homeschooled, I really appreciated the views we get from someone who enjoyed being homeschooled along with someone who did not. The main female character was very retable! Also, for those of you wondering, yes there a few spicy scenes but it's towards the end and not that frequent. Over all I absolutely loved this book and I am comfortable in saying I will be recommending to my mother.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Clara loves her teaching position. She has dreamed of this her whole life. When an old flame. Is teaching at the same school it brings back memories. I enjoyed the different characters in this book.

I enjoy this author, which is what drew me to this title, but I really struggled to get into the story and ended up not finishing it. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller
Pub date: August 27, 2024
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I really loved this book. After being immediately drawn to the cover and very excited to read it, when I finally got an ARC, I worried the book wouldn’t live up to my anticipation. But it absolutely lived up to it.

First, dual timeline is usually not my thing. But it really worked in this book. I felt pretty much the entire way through that the “before” chapters were just as good as—and especially in the beginning, actually better than—the present day chapters. The dual timeline truly added depth to Teddy and Clara and their friendship and eventual love. By about the 25% mark I was desperate that these two would end up together happily, both romantically and professionally. The care that they have for each other was so evident, even when they were messing up.

In addition to loving Teddy and Clara (I don’t think I can talk more about that without going overboard and giving spoilers, but I really do love them!) I also really enjoyed the supporting and side characters.

The setting of this book and their jobs felt personally catered to my own interests as someone with a degree in history. It made me long for fall days on campus and history lectures and research. This book so perfectly captured that for me.

Very thankful I got to read an ARC of this book and would definitely purchase it and recommend it to friends.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

The beginning felt a little slow to get going, but once it started picking up I fell in love with the characters and the alternating timeline felt really well paced. Overall a great book, I definitely recommend!

I had high expectations for “Given Our History” since I was such a huge fan of books like, “Every Summer After” and, “Love and Other Words,” and it definitely did not disappoint.

I gravitate towards second chance romances (fiend for them really), so it was a no brainer to give this book five stars. The author did a great job of navigating the past and present timelines, and I loved Clara and Teddy in both of them.

A relatable tale of finding the right person at the wrong time, “Given Our History” is worth the wait to grab this August.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This book is my dream book! I adored it! All my favourite tropes in one.Academia and second chance .Say less! I am in absolute awe of this author's writing.Multidimensional characters and captivating storyline.Absolutely beautiful! Most definitely recommend! 10 stars.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This one was such a cozy read!

I really enjoyed this book. It's about love found and love lost and all that happens in between. Both the main characters, Clara and Teddy, are professors and I really loved what that added to the book. The long distance book club was so sweet and my millennial heart loved the MySpace parts.

I found Clara to be very relatable, and I totally understood why everything happened as it did. It was wonderful to see her grow throughout the book. Teddy I felt much less connected to, but he was still a very likeable character.

Thank you NetGallery and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! Definitely recommended for anyone looking for a quick, cozy, romantic, and lighthearted read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristyn J. Miller, and St. Martin’s Press for the early access copy of Given Our History.

Well now I have a reason to wish it was August. After not being able to put this book down, I am longing for a physical copy of this book to live in my library.

Given Our History tells the story of childhood friends, who after a decade of separation meet again as coworkers. This sweet, second-chance love story is told through dual timelines of the past and present, leaving the readers to experience firsthand the heartbreak of the falling out and the growth of the protagonists.

The musical references to My Chemical Romance, The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Hawthorne Heights (and many more) was refreshing and exciting to see.

This story is a great fit for anyone who loves second chance romances, with dual timelines; throwbacks to early 2000’s references like limewire, MySpace, and MSN; and who has an interest in academia.

Fantastic sweet and steamy romance told from alternating timelines. What started as a simple friendship between a boy and a girl at a summer camp for home schooled students grew into a first love, only to crumble under pressure. Fast forward about a decade and fate brings them back together, both teaching history at a small college.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book of what-ifs and winding paths. It's a quick and enjoyable read. Highly recommend adding to your "to read" list!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book!
This book!!!
Second chance romances! Friend-to-lovers-to-strangers-to-coworkers-to-lovers-again!
I really liked this book. I really liked these characters. They were messy and imperfect, but they were also mature and believable (which, as I delve more into the romance genre, I find is incredibly rare) adults trying to navigate their adult lives. It was tender and sweet, and reading it kind of gave me a heartache.
Normally, I don’t like romance books where they jump between earlier perspectives, especially when the protagonists were children. There is usually this weird, hyper-sexualized element to it, these adult characters revisiting their youth. This book could not be farther from that. Any mentions of sex from their younger selves felt appropriate for the age they were. Nothing was super explicit, and it was more about the emotions of tentatively exploring new feelings with someone they trusted. It felt very true and real. Probably helped that any mentions of the characters getting together in that way happened when they were in college/not minors.
I definitely enjoyed the present storyline more. I liked seeing characters still trying to figure out their lives and careers even into their late 20s/early 30s. I think out society and our media leans so hard on the coming-of-age moments that when you’ve come of age already, its hard not to feel like you should have had it all sorted out. Life is full of “coming-of-age” moments, and diversions from the “set” plan. I liked that the main character was struggling with differing options for her future.
Aside from the main characters, and the main romance, I particularly adored the relationship between the main character and her sister (shout out to the Sylvia Plath Fig Metaphor, I see you). As someone who often feels like she has to step in to help parent her sister, I understand how the main character feels, and what it’s like to see your younger sister grow up. You have to learn how to let them make their own choices, how to be their own person. It was a really sweet, genuine part of the book.
Also, spoiler, but girlie is going to Edinburgh with her “Clark-Kent-Knockoff” boyfriend. How can you be mad at that? That’s the dream, no?

I found this book enjoyable and cozy. Clara and Teddy are very relatable. Their romance is sweet in both timelines- bumbling and new as teens and, as it matures into adulthood, exploratory and full of character growth.

My only gripe with the story is that I found some of the breaking-up and making-up repetitive. I understand that this is a second-chance romance but after the third break-up, I began to wonder if the novel really would have a happily ever after. In the end, I stuck with it and adored the life lessons and academic elements throughout.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique romance featuring a couple of history nerds.

I LOVE a good academics romance and this one hit! This was so sweet and swoony. I love a childhood friends to lovers romance with my whole heart and it was done perfectly! I loved the dual timeline and the very realistic love story about how life just happens.

Given Our History by Kristen J. Miller is the story of Clara Fernsby, a young history professor at a Maryland college, who has spent most of her life working toward achieving academic and career success, often to the detriment of her personal relationships. Up until 9 years ago, one of the few exceptions to that had been Teddy Harrison, her best friend since they met at camp when they were 14. Although it was clear early on that they had mutual feelings for the other, the long-distance/timing never seemed to work out. And then a falling out in their 20s seemed to put an end to everything, until Teddy shows up as a visiting professor where Clara works. Can they reconcile the past and find a way forward in the future?

I love a childhood friends to lovers to strangers to lovers romance! I liked here that it was clear early on the these are two friends who always wanted to be more—it was just never the right time and they couldn’t get out of their own way. I thought the structure was effective—starting with the prologue that showed the final nail in their initial relationship and then alternating between the present and the past allowed us to see their relationship evolve in both timelines. I wish we could have had more of Teddy—either his POV or more conversation in the present in which he shared his perspective. We can see how he was hurt in the past by Clara’s decisions but he didn’t ever reveal much about how he handled the falling out and the confrontation/reconciliation seemed rather brief (I honestly can’t believe there was no discussion about the fact that he dated her college roommate after the falling out…that was pretty nuts/hurtful!). I also felt like the family dynamics which seemed to drive a lot of decisions for both Teddy and especially Clara (each have a parent that gave up a lot for their spouse leading to turbulent times in their childhoods) was a little underdeveloped. Clara in particular tells the readers that this led her to seeking financial and emotional security above all else, but it was a little more telling than showing. Overall, I thought this was a cute, low angst read right up my alley.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the e-ARC; all opinions are my own!