The History of Us was a decent little read. Jennifer Bardsley combines a sweet second-chance romance with a mystery concerning stolen coins easily. Andrea Wint and Dustin Karlsson come face to face again as his brother-in-law not only goes missing but sends our couple on a wild goose chase to find him and the supposed stolen goods he has taken from Andrea.

There was great potential in a true showdown with the deadbeat BIL but that never happened. And the love story was too bland overall. I appreciate any person who puts their thoughts down for the world to read but unfortunately, this one simply fell flat for me.

Both Andrea and Dustin have their moments but he was a bit emotionally stilted to make himself standout. Andrea is very strong and I liked how she took care of her father and managed her life quite well without the help of any man.

If you are someone who doesn't want any steam and would enjoy a bit of a mystery, I'd say this book is for you. I need a bit more though to stay fully invested.

2.5 stars.

This was such a comforting and heartwarming read for me! It was also an intriguing plot and the romance tied in with the mystery kept me reading all night! (I finished in two days!)

Second chance is by far one of my all time favorite tropes and it was delivered in spades! This book was so close to five stars for me, but it just lacked that little bit of wow factor I guess. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to a friend!

I really enjoyed this! I ended up listening to the audiobook and can’t count how many times I found myself laughing. The relationship between Dustin and his siblings was fantastic. I love their close knit family and all that they do for each other. They stuck by Leanne even when she was resistant to help and didn’t believe her family about her husband. My heart also went out to Andrea and all that she was dealing with in her family. She felt so alone and it was nice to finally see things turn around for her despite the circumstances that led her there. Andrea and Dustin slowly made their way back to each other and it was nice that after so many years they finally communicated. They were perfect for each other. Their chemistry was off the charts and made for some swoony kisses. I love the drama hinted at between Heidi and Mack and I’m looking forward to (hopefully) their story!

Thanks for NetGalley and Montlake for an advance copy. My thoughts are my own.

So glad I chose this book. The title intrigued me, the blurb made me pick it and the writing convinced me that I made a great choice. I love when an author writes so well that I am immersed in the story. Well, Ms. Bardsley certainly accomplished that. Such a sweet, second chance romance with a touch of mystery that also touched on so many difficult family dynamics: dealing with illness, relationships between mother/daughter, siblings, denial of any wrongs done by a spouse. I especially appreciated how the author handled Andrea’s father having late-stage Alzheimer’s and the difficulties involved in their care and how it affects family members differently. The search for the missing coins and Andrea and Dustin’s journey to locate them and reconnect in the process was heartwarming.

If you enjoy a clean, well-written, can’t put it down book. Look no further, I’m sure you will find that this hits them all.

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Bardsley and Montlake for the ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is not your typical romance novel, where the main focus is the couple. There are many family dynamics at play, with the effects of tragedy, Alzheimer’s, miscommunication, secrets, and maturing, affecting how the characters related to each other. I found myself engaged in the story itself, where the romance was intertwined with the plot as opposed to being the entire point of it.

As an added bonus, there were interesting tidbits about the various Washington locations visited, and I kind of want to fly to Seattle now and take a road trip to see some of these sights.

A very cute small town, second chance romance with a dash of mystery. The relationships between characters felt very realistic and the chemistry between the FMC and MMC was great. A very enjoyable read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! It took me a little to get into, but once I did, I really enjoyed it! I liked the mystery of finding Andrea’s coins mixed with her second chance romance with Dustin. I would have liked a little more buildup of their relationship but overall I enjoyed it. I couldn’t wait to find out if and when they would locate Dustin’s thief of a brother in law and Andrea’s father’s coins. I appreciate that Andrea and Dustin both grew personally a little bit over the course of the story. I would definitely check out more books from this author!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This novel didn’t work for me as a personal preference. It leaned heavily in womens fiction and I was really hoping for a strong second chance romance based on the cover and synopsis.. The writing was fine but the coin storyline was not for me.

The History Of us by Jennifer bardsley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to netgalley and Jennifer Bardsley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was cute, I enjoyed it. But it didn't quite hit me in the emotions as much as it could have. That could entirely be down to me having an off day though and I think that anyone who connects so either of the main character situations would definitely appreciate it more. For this reason I gave it 3 stars. It wasn't by any means but there are other books I like more.

The scenes with the female MCs dad seemed (to me) to be well written. I loved the touch at the end when she speaks with her mam too. Often stories like this can focus too much on the main relationship and the drama but the author did a great job of keeping the side character front and centre here.

I'm glad we got the miscommunication about the break up trope out of the way quickly. I hate it when it gets dragged out for almost the whole book. I'm also glad that there was no steam in the book. I'm sure some would have appreciated but it would have felt out of sync with the rest of the book in my opinion.


The MCs were likeable and the relationship believable but its their relationships eith the side characters that make this book i think. I'd love a book about dustins siblings finding their own happy endings, especially leanne she deserves one.

A sweet, second chance romance set in rural Washington. I loved getting to know Dustin’s big family and a bit about numismatics from Andrea’s father’s collection. I also enjoyed the mystery element. Overall, the romance was a bit light, but I enjoyed the story.

I adore second chance romances. The History of Us is exactly the book I needed to read without knowing it. Emotional, thrilling, and well written.

I was introduced to Jennifer Bardsley last year with her Harper Landing series, which I thought was adorable. THE HISTORY OF US takes place in the same univers, although not in Harper Landing–these characters live across the channel in Port Inez, Washington. I loved the hints to the Harper Landing series, though–the Sweet Bliss yogurt shop is mentioned, as well as the Good Catch dating app.

THE HISTORY OF US somewhat moves away from the Hallmark feel of the Harper Landing series. There’s a bit of a mystery portion to the story, which I really enjoyed. Andrea and Dustin become amateur detectives hunting down Andrea’s stolen coins, and these were my favorite scenes.

Andrea and Dustin both have complicated family lives, but they were able to come together in a way to help each other out. Both characters were very well-written with a lot of depth. I enjoyed most of the side characters, with the exception of Leanne, who was annoyingly naive and not willing to do what it took to protect her children.

This story is an easy-to-read romance and made for a great palate cleanser between some grisly thrillers! I really enjoy Bardsley’s writing and will certainly continue to read her future novels.

Loving second chance at romance titles, I jumped at this one. It was cute. It was a fun book. It was more of a 'slammed door' rather than 'open door' romance and I kind of wanted more of a sexy read.

After breaking up in their senior year of high school, Andrea and Dustin come back into each others orbits to figure out who stole Andrea's dad's coin collection. It wasn't much of a stretch to figure out who did it, but, no spoiler so I won't say more about that. The 'mystery' of the stolen coins seemed to D.R.A.G. This reader was almost sure who did the crime very early on, so I really wasn't invested in the twists and turns to find out the culprit.

As a daughter helping to take care of elderly parents, I can relate to Andrea's issues regarding her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis. The way the author dealt with this situation was fabulous.

After a wonderful start and a middle of the book slump, the ending was great.

All is all, a sweet story of second chances.

This was such a cute read. I was hooked at the beginning, it did kinda slow in the middle and then picked up again at the end. I enjoyed chemistry between the main characters Dustin and Andrea and seeing how their relationship changed over the years. I liked the plot and was fully invested in seeing if Andrea got the coins back or not.

This book captivated me from the first page to the last. Warm, cozy feel good with romance, second chances and a lot of suspense. The characters feel like old friends, and I didn't want the book to end.
I enjoyed it so very much. Jennifer Bardsley knows how to write a captivating story that captures your emotions and leaves you feeling good at the end of the story. I also really liked the Epilogue at the end that wrapped everything up perfectly. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

The History of Us is a cute small town romance story about giving love a second chance. The character development was good. Especially when it came to feeling what they felt. There was a nice chemistry between Dustin and Andrea. It was a sweet, tender and heartwarming romance. The writing is great and I liked the touch of mystery! The pace is great in the beginning but it does slow a little in the middle but then it picks back up again and I really liked the ending. It was a good read! Thank you Literary Bound Book Tours and Jennifer Bardsley for sharing this book with me!

The History of Us is a sweet second chance story. I read a lot of this book in one sitting! I really liked the writing and fell in love with Andrea and Dustin. They seemed like such a natural couple and I loved seeing them come back together.

Andrea’s dad has Alzheimer’s, which is a bit of a tough topic for me because my grandma had Alzheimer’s and I’m terrified that it will continue on through the family. I thought that the storyline with her father was very well written and added a lot to the story.

The only complaint I have about this book is the miscommunication trope! Andrea and Dustin had a lot of issues in the first half of the story and I could not stand it. I just get way too frustrated and want to scream at the characters. Just talk to each other, people!!

I enjoyed reading this one and thought the author did a great job of developing the characters.

I received this book for free as part of an Instagram book tour. I’ve posted a review on my Goodreads and my IG account.

Andrea’s dad is in a care facility suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s, with her mother already moved on its down to Andrea to visit her dad everyday and take the brunt of his decline.

Andrea’s dad used to be a coin collector and everyday that she visits him she brings him a coin from his collection and it brings him back to her when he talks about his rare and valuable coin collection. Tragically her home is robbed and Andrea and her high school sweetheart go on a road trip to hunt them down and catch the person who stole them.

This story is like a cute episode of Virgin River or something like that , it’s just full of wholesomeness and the sweet small American town vibe that I love so much.

I truly hate to rate a book under three stars. I actually don’t know if I’ve ever even written a negative review. But this one was just not good. I’m going to give a generous two stars, because I did appreciate what the author was trying to do with the history of Washington State, even if it did seem awkwardly interjected in the story.

I was not engaged in this story at all. Major plot points were incredibly unrealistic. A failed actor and former locksmith turned handyman (yes all of this for one person) hears one conversation in which he learns a woman has a safe behind a painting, and next thing you know he has figured out who she is (his wife’s brother’s ex girlfriend from high school), and where she lives, and has broken into her home and stolen the safe right out of the wall along with her fathers coin collection worth thousands of dollars. Then two totally normal people, a builder and a graphic designer, those same high school exes, become amateur investigators and start looking for him. It was a too unbelievable to me. It was also really hard to get into the characters. The FMC, Andrea, seems very immature, even though she is 36, cares for her dad who now lives in a memory care facility, and has a successful career as a graphic designer. There were also several points brought up that didn’t really fit into the plot and were left hanging out there. The sheriff was an on-again/off-again boyfriend of Dustin’s sister/ Andrea’s best friend, but Andrea seems to dislike him or feel like he isn’t helping the investigation, but then it’s never mentioned again. Dustin’s brother’s ex girlfriend was included in one scene and brought up again later, but there was no resolution. The author makes a point of how dishonest Andrea’s was, which didn’t fit into the story at all, given Andrea mentions several times what great memories she has with her dad, how loving and kind he was to others, etc. And later out of the blue Andrea’s mom apologizes for not standing up to Tom when Tom tried to break up Dustin and Andrea (although Dustin broke up with her because she wanted to bring her pet hedgehog to prom and he thought it was another guy??). Character dialogue was… weird. There were several word choices that seemed like they were chosen from a thesaurus. And throughout it all, Andrea and Dustin display basically no chemistry but go from dating a little while in high school and breaking up after prom, not seeing each other for about 18 years, having dinner together like once, and then they’re making wedding plans. The whole book felt flimsy and unorganized, and it just didn’t work for me.

💞Adventure, romance & sweet family memories😊

4.5🌟 stars
I found The History of Us to be a fairly fast-paced, sweet read set in the Pacific Northwest with plenty of elements that to enjoy, including:

- Second chance romance for Andrea and Dustin;
- A touching daughter-father relationship affected by dad Tom's Alzheimer's;
- Two cute little girls for the mischief factor;
- An irresponsible villain to hate; and
- A poignant story of tragedy, grief, and surviving children hanging on to their parents' memory. I especially liked how Dustin consciously preserved the family home and memories and mementos of family life before his parents' deaths.

Family relationships feature almost as much as the central romance. They enriched the story. The road trip in search of stolen goods added some action and I thought the search for Dustin's missing brother-in-law added a good bit to the plot. And 36 year-old Andrea learns to really look at her mother and see the good along with the bad.

The end of the search was somewhat abrupt and anticlimactic, but otherwise a really great read. I would definitely read more by this author.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.