Given our History
The author immediately drew me into the story. Not many books are able to do that, especially in the first couple pages. I think that really had to do with obviously the plot but also the writing style. This was my first KJM and definitely won’t be my last. Clara & Teddy clearly had something about them from the beginning. So what more can you ask for?
Highly, highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher & Author for this wonderful ARC!

Clara Fernsby has wanted to be a history professor for most of her life and has succeeded, despite a few challenges related to having been homeschooled. But things seem to be going her way, when her department chair encourages her to apply for tenure ahead of schedule. At the same time, he drops the bombshell that she will be sharing her office with a visiting professor. Sounds like it shouldn't be a big deal, until she learns the visiting professor is Teddy, with whom she has a lot of history, beyond a shared profession.

They're hesitant around each other at first, but Teddy volunteers to help with a fundraising gala Clara is leading. They cannot deny their long-ignored attraction to each other.

This story has a great premise--appealing to this quasi-historian, but portions of the setting didn't really work. Teddy has been an adjunct in Pittsburgh, my hometown, and the author should have done more research on Pittsburgh. Nobody calls Carnegie-Mellon University "Carnegie" (unless that's a new thing). Really minor, but grating to this reader. But it's a fun and easy read that romance fans will enjoy. #GivenOurHistory #NetGalley

Clare and Teddy are 14 year old homeschooled students who meet at a camp designed just for homeschoolers. Teddy admits to not having many friends and finding it difficult to talk to people so Clare immediately declares them friends.

Over the years, Clare and Teddy maintain their friendship through letters, phone calls, and IM’s. But when they’re 18, Teddy admits to wanting to be more than friends. While Clare loves him as a friend, she’s determined not to make the same mistakes as their parents - pushing dreams and ambition away for their partner.

Clare is now a university history professor and her advisor informs her that a visiting professor will need to share her office due to construction at the university. Clare never would have believed she would be sharing her office with Teddy whom she’s not spoken to in six years. And before a random run-in six years ago, she hadn’t spoken to Teddy in three years.

Now adults, well established in their careers, Clare can’t help but wonder if their history could become their future. But Clare has been recommended for tenure while Teddy is just a visiting professor. Is she still determined not to compromise her own path? Or will she find a love with Teddy that is worth rethinking her path?

This was an engaging read that I didn’t want to put down. I was totally invested in both Clare’s independence and sense of responsibility to her family and Teddy’s more laid back nature who is fine taking chances. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a love story that stretches over the decades!

I loved Kristyn J. Miller's first book and fell in love with this one as well! It is such a cute friends to lovers, second chance romance story and the light steam was perfectly done. I was rooting for these main characters and really enjoyed every second of this sweet story. Plus, with its academia setting, it's the perfect romance to transition from summer to fall!

What happens when the person who has always held your heart decides you're the right one but it's the wrong time for you? When the decisions you make seem so right for yourself at the time, based on not wanting to make the same mistakes your parents made (from your point of view). Clara is working towards what she wants in her life and chooses not to let anyone in. A series of chance meetings with her childhood best friend and crush always seem to solidify her choices. But...has she been making all the right choices. This wasn't all warm and gushy, but it was a satisfying friends to something to nothing to maybe something story. 3.5 stars.

Assistant professor Clara Fernsby is driven. At fourteen, she knew she wanted to teach history. Her hard work paid off, landing her a well-paid position at a private college, and now ,she is on track for a tenure. Nothing or no one will stand in her way-not even the love of her life. Theodore "Teddy" Harrison is a visiting scholar, and a blast from Clara's past. Both Clara and Teddy were home-schooled kids who met at sleepaway camp. Once upon a time, they were best friends, trading books and burned CDs. But then, they had a falling out and have not spoken to each other since.

After meeting as teens at sleepaway camp, Clara and Teddy had an instant connection. Clara's passion for history was contagious, and socially-awkward Teddy was more than happy to be passionate about the subject with her. They had many shared experiences as long-distance best friends. However, as they grew into young adulthood, their plans began to no longer align and their relationship became blurry as romantic feelings upset the balance. They were an example of "right person, wrong time." In the present time, Clara and Teddy are not the same people they were from the past, but their feelings for each other never wavered.

What to expect:
> Friends to lovers
> Second chance
> Workplace romance
> Academia setting
> Dual timeline/ 2000s nostalgia

Clara Fernsby is goal oriented and driven. She is on the tenure track at work and has been given the opportunity to apply. Trying to make a good impression, she agrees to share her office...with Teddy Harrison, whom she has not talked to for ten years, which brings up all the history that Clara has tried to forget.

This is a second chance slow burn open door romance that occurs over the course of more than two decades. They have been friends since they were 14, but the timing has never been right. I did like the heart of the relationship but struggled with the ease with which the conflicts resolved and the relationship rekindled despite not speaking for ten years. It made for a relatively easy quick read as it did not require a lot of emotional investment on my part, which also made it easy to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and St. Martin's Griffith for this advanced copy! You can pick up Given Our History now.

This was a super cute second chance, friends-to-lovers romance! I loved how the dual timeline showcased the gradual build of Clara and Teddy's relationship, and the way they slowly grew closer once again in the present. I thought the romance was sweet, but I do wish the book had moved a bit quicker. This is definitely a slowburn book, but I thought it was done well!

It's also perfect for the fall season, set on a college campus with a Halloween ball and big academia vibes.

These darn second-chance romances get me every time. The dual timelines kept me gripped and I found myself deeply invested in the current timeline as well as the way the characters’ relationship built. The setting and backgrounds felt unique compared to similar setups and true to the struggles of academics. My rating might be a bit high because I just liked it so much - there were a few gaps and unresolved plot points, but I had too much investment in the story to care.

4.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much. Reading it felt like a cozy sweater on a brisk fall day. Clara is truly a woman after my own heart and I connected with her deeply. I loved the dual timeline style. I'm a huge fan of flashbacks, especially if they're well placed and add to story. Also, give me every second chance, right person-wrong time romance novel out there. I absolutely love those tropes, so Given Our History was a perfect read for me. Also, I think everyone deserves a friend like Teddy. He's loyal to a fault.

Autumn vibes, nostalgia, academia- the perfect recipe for a Fall read! Given Our History released yesterday and I’m so excited for you all to devour it. This cutie released yesterday!

This was so cute and fluffy, exactly what I needed to end August with in preparation for my upcoming seasonal reads. This story spans 17 years, proving timing really can matter in a relationship. Clara and Theodore proved to me that I can in fact like a second chance romance book 😆

A big thank you to netgalley and griffin books for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review 🖤

Given Our History, a second chance romance, follows the main character, Clara, in an alternating timeline narrative. Between her adolescent years trying to balance her heart and what she thinks she needs to do to prioritize herself and her adulthood as an assistant professor continuing to yearn and push for the milestone that will tell her she made it and provide her the security she’s been searching for. Her past comes back to haunt her when her childhood best friend who she hasn’t spoken to in at least an decade accepts a position in her department.

This romance pulled at some cynical heart strings while being incredibly wholesome and heartwarming. This truly felt like someone’s real love story. Reading this felt like it could happen to any of us were we in Clara and Teddy’s shoes.

While portions of this story left a deep ache in my chest, the recurring theme of strong friendships that can outlast conflict and silence hit really close to home and created such a comforting and hopeful emotional experience. I see so much of myself in Clara. What a delightful read.

This was a refreshing friends-to-lovers, second chance romance. I loved the Fall vibes that it gave and felt really cozy whole reading.

Clara & Theodore had a lot of history; along with some miscommunications, some missed connections / right person, wrong time situations were involved too.

Although I could sense the 3rd act conflict from afar, I still enjoyed the plot!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A “right person, wrong time” second chance romance. One of those books that I’m glad it was told in single POV cause it had me wondering what exactly happened between the two of them in the past. Chapters alternate between present and the past leading up to the moment their friendship / almost relationship comes to an end… or should I say pause. Most of the time with second chance romances there’s this big moment that causes them to not speak to each other again, but in this one there wasn’t anything big. It was truly just not the right moment for them. I found the fmc pretty relatable and loved the academia setting. In another life I imagine myself to be a professor, though not in history. One thing I would have liked more of is dialogue between Clara and Teddy. I needed more moments between them where they were talking things out.

🫶🏻 second chance
🏫 academia setting (both professors)
🥰 childhood best friends to lovers
💭 flashbacks

single POV
4/5 stars ⭐️
1/5 spice level 🌶️

"But it occurs to me that I am very much in danger of the thing I've been most afraid of: loving a man who knows better than to open his heart to me again."

This one really hit the mark for a history nerd and romcom lover like myself. A lighthearted second chance romance set in the world of academia.

Thanks to St. Martin's and Netgalley for the eARC.

Thank you SMP for the review copy of Given Our History.

As a professor with years of experience in academia, I found much of this book missing the mark in terms of plausibility. For instance, professors aren't typically tasked with planning galas—that's the job of professional staff in alumni and fundraising departments. And no online teaching job would realistically require references from three different institutions. However, there were moments when the academic minutiae landed well, and I did find myself laughing a few times.

From a broader perspective, outside my insider lens, this book felt like a slow burn with a sluggish plot that lacked the necessary chemistry, banter, and payoff to keep me hooked. The sweet backstory and YA elements were more engaging and felt more fleshed out, while the present-day storyline felt choppy, underdeveloped, and poorly paced. Secondary characters—like the adolescent friend who was barely present and one-dimensional, the intriguing but unnecessary sister, and the work colleagues who failed to add depth or drive the story—never fully came to life.

And honestly, the whole vibrator scene? I just couldn’t buy into it. It’s hard to imagine a pre-tenure female professor casually carrying something like that around. It just didn’t ring true.

Given Our History was a nice light academia read. I didn't love how so much of the story was in the past timeline without bringing much of it into the present. I felt like it took me out of the story more than added to it, but that might just be a personal preference. A nice read for the fall season!

A perfect second chance romance, the dual timeline tied the whole story together. I was rooting for the MCs to become more than friends from the beginning, they had great chemistry.

I love to see nerds in love - add in second chance with a dual timeline, I’m totally sold.

📖 Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller
📅 08/27/2024

⭐️ rating: 4.75/5
🌶️: open door, a few scenes, some description

💭 overall thoughts:
I had a bit of a slow start with this one, but then I fell so hard for Clara & Teddy and their love story.

I especially loved the past timeline, YA vibes & summer camp 🏕️
Super cute first love moments 🥰

In the present we get to see them find their way back to each other 🥹
I really loved the way Teddy never truly gave up, and the support he had for Clara & her dreams 🥰

read if you love:
🥈 second chance with dual timeline
🏫 workplace as history professors
🌳 homeschoolers at camp (past timeline)
⏰ right person, wrong time
🐢 slow burn
💖 single 1st person pov

Thank you to St Martin’s Press & NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

In Given Our History, a history professor is reunited with her first love many years later when he becomes a visiting professor at the university where she teaches. Full blown second chance romance here. The story unfolds with alternating chapters between past and present to give the full detail of their teenage courtship (both homeschooled and met at a camp for homeschool kids) and the various events in their young lives that kept them apart. The present time is of course the obviousness that they will get back together but I enjoyed their back and forth and seeing them reconnect. It was a sweet book and gave me all the fall vibes.