Clara Fernsby is on the brink of achieving her dream of becoming a tenured professor when her past intervenes and creates havoc. This second chance, friends to lovers romance is a great Fall read as it takes place on a northeastern campus. When Clara's former best friend Theodore Harrison gets a visiting professor spot at her college, fate pushes them together as they are required to share an office (of course). Although the ending seems obvious, the way Kristyn J Miller gets the two history teachers together is a fun romp.

I received this ARC from Netgalley, and this was my first book from Kristyn J. Miller.
This book does reflect past and present time lines. I recommend this book to people who love a second chance romance!

They say if you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it belongs to you. What do you think? I loved this book so much!

Clara Fernsby is an assistant professor of history who is finally up for tenure. It’s time to make sure she has all of her ducks in a row to submit her files for review. What she doesn’t need is the blast from the past when the visiting history professor turns out to be her best friend from her teenage years. Things between Clara and Teddy ended badly years ago and it’s been awhile since they’ve seen each other, now they’re sharing an office. Unable to avoid her past and the memories that come with it, Clara realizes she in the precarious position of falling in love with Teddy all over again, but that’s the last thing she needs. Isn’t it?

The premise of this story pulled me in and I couldn’t resist the cover. I really enjoyed parts of this book and didn’t connect with others. This story is told between present day and flashbacks to the past so that we can see Clara and Teddy now and then. The present day story and romance really pulled me in and worked, but it was something in the flashbacks that didn’t work for me. I don’t know if it’s because I wasn’t interested in their past too much or that this scenes just didn’t do it for me, but something was what I was looking for. I didn’t really have an interest in either of the main characters, they weren’t terrible to read, but they were just okay. I did enjoy the second chance romance aspect of this book, just wish I had connected with it a little better. If you like second chance romances and enjoy stories flip between the past and present this might be a good read for you.

This was a cute second chance romance which takes place in an academic setting. Overall, it was fine but did not blow me away. It never really grabbed me. I feel like it would have been beneficial to have Teddy's POV.

I'm not sure I would call this a contemporary romance more just contemporary or perhaps woman's fiction. While there is some romance in it, it is more about the growth of the characters. Once they reconnected I didn't feel that much romance between them. It was more like we missed a chance at this when we were younger and had a connection lets try it again. It was ok and I love a dual timeline, and the throwbacks were great!, but it just was missing a bit for me.

Thank you to Kristyn J. Miller, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book and the writting did keep me enrages, however, I ended up wishing I had not read the book.

Why do so many romance authors keep making women in their 30’s act like they are outdated old ladies? I felt like the MFC was an elderly lady not a young 30 something year old. I think she was on the younger side of 30, too? At one point the sister is telling the FMC how she is basically going to be doomed to a life of no marriage because its almost impossible for women above a certain time in their 30's to be able to either get married or stay married. The FMC is confused about technology to th point of ridiculousness. She talks about clothes an fashion as if she's an older woman. It just felt cliche and weird.

There were really no cozy or fall vibes. There was a costume party, but it fell flat. The cover and the setting really alluded to a cozy vibe, but I got none of that. This could have taken place anytime of year,

I didn’t like either of these characters. The academia setting did not feel real, it felt very forced and written just to make the plot work but very surface and shallow and even inaccurate. It felt very, very shallow. I'm not sure the author has worked in academia and if she has I wish she would have made it feel a little more authentic or created a setting that felt more substantial.

Most of the characters felt flat, and very two dimensional. I found them either annoying, or pointless.

The MMC feels almost codependent. There wasn't any chemistry between them. He was annoying, and I'm sick of men with a sob story doing the bare minimum and being looked at as some dream boat catch. Honestly, throw this many back.

Women, please don’t ever feel like you are wrong for prioritizing your education or career over a man!

When history professor Clara is assigned to share an office with a visiting lecturer for the fall semester, she never expects it to be her former best friend, Teddy—the one she had a painful falling out with nearly ten years ago. Hoping to keep her distance, she's forced into close quarters with Teddy when they're tasked with organizing a gala to raise money for a scholarship. The more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to deny the rekindling of old feelings and the spark that never quite went out.

Maryland! Baltimore! Old Bay! Tennessee! I was primed to like this novel based on the locations referenced in this book. The vivid descriptions of Maryland, more specifically Baltimore, and the cozy academic atmosphere made me feel right at home. But what really stood out was the slow burn romance between Clara and Teddy. They’ve been friends since childhood, and it’s clear that their love for each other has simmered quietly through the years. A few reviewers were not a fan of what originally tore the two apart in their twenties, however I found the conflict to be reflective of the miscommunication and life changes that naturally occur with the growth and life at that age.

Watching Clara and Teddy navigate their complicated past to find each other again was both heartwarming and emotionally satisfying. Pick up this book if you are a reader who appreciate romance with a bit of an emotional journey, where love isn’t easy but worth fighting for.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin's Griffin for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author and SMP for an e-arc on this book

I rated this book 2.5 stars - I felt like it was really slow and the romance aspect just lacked for me. Also the roommate situation just felt like it didn’t fit into this book? Like there was so many options and Teddy fell for her roommate? It was just so ick and not like him? He doesn’t seem like the type to just settle and then he does - with boring ole Mindy the roommate? It just didn’t add up to me

I enjoyed the dual timeline - I felt like overall this part was well done.

What you can expect
- dual timeline
- women in STEM
- childhood friends to lovers
- light spice

This book was really cute! I loved the setting of a college campus, but I found this book to be super unique as the main relationship was between two professors as opposed to two students. The dual timelines in this novel were done really well and provided necessary context to the formation of the relationship. It was necessary in the development of the current timeline and current relationship. The friends-to-lovers trope is a favorite of mine, and it was done so so well in this book! I loved seeing the formation of their relationship. Overall, I would really recommend this book!

I wanted to love this one, I really did. The flashbacks to childhood were charming, but the present day story was a little confusing. I fully admit to reading this over the course of several days, so maybe I missed some details, but the ending seemed to wrap up without giving romance..

I liked the mixture this book provided of present day and the past, it wasn't confusing at all. The academia content was nice as well. The romance was heavier towards the end. I wish it included an epilogue.

Cute, hopeful, and romantic!

Given Our History is a playful, lighthearted, second-chance romance featuring the intelligent, handsome Theodore Harrison, who broke his best friend’s heart when he never seemed to be interested in being anything more, and the spirited, driven Clara Fernsby, who is too busy trying to obtain her professorship and keep her life moving forward to ever open herself up for more heartache from the visiting scholar who once upon a time owned her heart.

The prose is fluid and warm. The characters are lovable, kind, and empathetic. And the plot is an uplifting, engaging tale about life, love, family, friendship, awkward situations, tender moments, self-discovery, happiness, community, and new beginnings.

Overall, Given Our History is a heartwarming, entertaining, enjoyable treat by Miller with oodles of endearing characters and small-town charm.

I loved this book. As someone who is a fan of history, it was really cute to see this relationship blossom and for the main characters to get a second chance!

I am a sucker for a second chance romance and this one was no different! I loved the academic setting vibes and enjoyed these characters together (but maybe didn't love them separately?). The one downfall of second chance romance is usually finding out that there's a "not-so-deep" reason for the initial separation, which is the case for this story. I also wanted a little more development of the character arcs. I didn't feel connected to them individually, but was able to root for them together anyway.

Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller
lighthearted reflective medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5

Cute, second chance romance. Perfect for fall with the academic setting. The pacing was a little slow and I felt like it took too long to reveal the conflict from the past. Also, this needed Teddy’s POV. And the ending was left too open for me to feel settled. (Clara is a details gal and we get none?? No epilogue?!)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my review!

Given Our History is a super cute, childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance. I adored Teddy as a character and thought the dual timeline storytelling was the perfect choice. At very beginning of the story was a little slower than I would’ve liked, but once Teddy and Clara started planning the gala, I was hooked! I could see from early on how much love there is between Clara and Teddy. He’s literally only a history nerd (self proclaimed) because Clara shared her own passion for history with him - IT WAS JUST SO CUTE!!!! The ending was everything I could’ve wanted for them and I loved how Teddy finally was ready to fight for Clara. I just love them so much and think there should be more hype around this book.

Thank you to Griffin, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

3.5 stars, round down

A quick and enjoyably cute contemporary romance. Dual timeline, childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance. I wish it would have been dual POV, I think that would have pushed it up to a 4 star rating for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this. I enjoyed that the main characters were slightly older than most contemporary romance characters are (late twenties/early thirties rather than early to mid twenties). I found that this added more depth as them being adults allowed for more character development in the present and not letting miscommunication be their demise as it had been in the flashbacks. I won't say there wasn't miscommunication, but they handled it like adults and talked through it to save their relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to be completely honest - I was expecting full blown fall aesthetic vibes based on the cover of this book, and it unfortunately did not deliver on that front. Even with the academia setting and the second chance vibes of Clara and Teddy meeting again after 17 years and falling in love... I was bored? I dunno. Maybe it was my slump that contributed to this, but at least for this round it wasn't for me. :(

Quick Summary: A second chance to get it right

My Review: Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller is a cute and cozy romance set on the academic stage. Released in August 2024, it is a perfect read for the season.

About the Book: "That boy might’ve been her best friend, but the man teaching HIST-322 is a total stranger."

Clara Fernsby and Theodore (Teddy/Ted) Harrison had been friends once upon a time. Unfortunate circumstances, however, caused them to disconnect. When a professional reunion of sorts happens upon them, they cannot avoid one another. What happens going forward will be all up to them.

My Final Say: I knew this book would be amazing, and I was not wrong! I absolutely loved it. It's the kind of book that tugs at your heart and causes all the feels. I liked Clara and Teddy so much. From the moment they met until the end of their story, I was wishing, hoping, cheering for them to get it together.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: 💖

Most sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin), and to NetGalley. Thank you so very much for granting access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. It was an absolute pleasure to read this work. I look forward to reading more from this writer.