I really like second chance romances and loved the setting of this at a small liberal arts college. That being said, I struggled staying engaged with this book. I found that I just wasn't invested in the characters and did not really care about their romance. I felt like by the end I knew Clara, but didn't really have a connection to Teddy. On top of that, literally nothing happened. I should have flown through this book, but could barley get myself to read more than a couple chapters at a time.

Ok look at this cover. It has everything we love. The leaves are falling. It’s sweater weather. Autumnal colors. Cozy academia. Perfect fall romcom- right?! *le sigh* If only the story lived up to the cover. And yeah, I’m being a tad dramatic, but it’s such a damn good cover. It deserves epic. Alas, it gets *pretty good*. Will you remember it? Maybe? Probably not?

We follow Clara and Teddy, who have a history. A boring one. They went to summer camp together as kids and I guess crushed on each other. Sooooo this translates to almost dating tension later in life?! Cut to later in adulthood (prologue) and Teddy is dating Clara’s former college roommate. Flash forward again where the two find themselves both professors sharing an office at the same college.

What was the conflict here? Like, ever? Why couldn’t they just be together? Seriously- did I miss something? I went back and couldn’t find anything. They just didn’t communicate and tell each other they wanted to date?!
This is my main complaint of the entire book. Although it’s dual timeline, I didn’t feel the earlier timeline built groundwork for a relationship or connection of any kind. Other than a youthful crush based on liking the same *awesome* music. And the modern timeline is only in the POV of Clara, who mildly annoyed me at times. Teddy was quite the cinnamon roll, but the lack of communication- can we all agree to please just stop using that as a trope now?! Overall the book is just fine. 2.5 ⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(4.5)

Assistant professor Clara Fernsby’s career is on track, but when Theodore Harrison returns as a visiting scholar, her past resurfaces. Once childhood friends and more, Clara and Teddy’s relationship fractured a decade ago. Now, collaborating on a project, Clara grapples with old feelings and a chance to rewrite their history—if she dares.

“Everything about him is always so nostalgic and sticky-sweet.”

The story is sweet and the romance tender, but it’s the overall nostalgic feeling that truly makes this book special. The dueling timelines of the autumn homeschool camp they met at and their rekindling on an east cast college campus echos the sentiment of the personal history they hold. Friends to lovers is always delicately endearing, but their kindred love of learning and wanting their romantic relationships to hold greater substance than their parents’ creates a unique emotional stuffiness. It’s like a prolonged strained lump in the throat before a cathartic cry- the very best kind of deep-feeling love.

The nostalgia also has a unique ‘realness’ to it. While the emo music references and MySpace messages developed the early timeline’s authenticity, it also deepens the characters but contrasting their nerdy, homeschool stereotypes. As Clara laid awake at night reminiscing on every award social interaction, I couldn’t help but resonate with her sentiments.

I also just randomly loved the detail of her mom’s Bath & Body Works uniform—the black or white t-shirt with blue jeans—as I reminisced on my time working there through high school and college. xD

Thank you @smpromance @netgalley for the eARC I loved the feel and warmth of this tender couple.

Perfect for you if you like:
Dual timeline nostalgia
Academic, nerdy characters
Romanticized hesitant angst

Similar to:
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

⛔️chapters 21 & 25 contain explicit romance scenes (open-door, low explicit), chapter 19 contains brief paragraph
⚠️explicit language (infrequent, primary usage references coming of age), previous death of parent

Happy Pub Day to Given Our History!

Clara met Teddy over seventeen years ago at camp. They became best friends and knew everything about each other. She has always been in love with him, but nothing more could ever happen between them due to timing and distance always getting in the way.
And after a falling out almost a decade ago, they haven’t spoken to each other since.
Clara is now a college history professor. She has just been informed that there will be a visiting professor for the semester and she must share her office space with him. Can you guess who it might be?!
None other than Theodore Harrison himself! Or better known as ‘Professor Hottison’ according to his students 😏

I looove second chance romances and a friends to lovers trope 🥹
This is the perfect early fall romance book!
Written in Clara’s POV, but includes flashbacks from the last seventeen years. You are guaranteed to fall in love with Clara and Teddy!

Thanks you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this early release!

🍂 right person, wrong time
💜 history professors / University setting
🍂 dual timeline
💜 open door scenes

This second chance romance is available today! While it didn't end up being as cute as its cover, I liked it enough to finish even though the middle really dragged on. With the dual timeline, it felt like a Love and Other Words / Every Summer After but the main characters in this one didn't feel as developed. There was also a particular scene that made me uncomfortable as not only were they in a very public place, but FMC Clara pulls something out of her purse that I personally would never carry around 🫣 Call me old-fashioned but I think there's some things that shouldn't leave the bedroom... or at least your house 😂 Anyway, I think I would have liked it more if I had felt more chemistry between the two main characters.

All that to say, I am pretty picky about romances so I do think many will enjoy this one more than I did. Overall it was cute so I still recommend if you're looking for a love story with Fall and academia vibes.

Thanks to SMP for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes:
- Childhood friends to lovers
- Close proximity
- Second chance romance
- Dual timeline
- Right person, wrong time.

Recap:
Given our History is a second chance romance between two childhood best friends that exemplify the saying "right person, wrong time." It takes you on a journey between past and present, where you can see what went wrong between them, and how they could potentially do better this time around.

Review:

I find the book to be so cute and very well written (although at times, in my opinion a little bit too "telling instead of showing.), with characters that felt raw and authentic. Both Clara and Teddy were flawed, protagonists that needed to grow up in and become their own persons individually to actually learn how to be in a relationship with each other. No doubt they were soulmates and each others "love of their lives", but they needed to work a lot of things through to get to the point were they could both live their love in a healthy matter.

The reason I give this book 3.5 stars, is because I would've love to have Teddy's POV. He had a lot of things going on and I would've love to fully understand his decisions and the way he was dealing with his growing love for Clara and his fear of failure. I also think the romance was not that well developed, while I understand they always had feelings for each other, they have spent so much time apart that I wish I could've seen more of they relationship and getting to know each other all over again. Now that I think about it, Teddy's POV was very needed.

Other than that I am glad I picked this up, and will be looking forward to more of this author's work in the future.

This one was a cute second chance/ friends-to-lovers romance and a case of right person/wrong time for Clara and Teddy.

What I liked:
- I liked that book spans decades and we get past and present chapters to see how their relationship developed.
-I liked the academic setting.
-I liked Clara’s sister and the levity she brought to many scenes.
-I liked how much chemistry our MCs had when they finally figured it out!

What I didn’t like:
-I didn’t LOVE either MC. There wasn’t anything wrong with them, I just didn’t feel super connected as they both seemed a bit boring?
-I thought the reason they stopped being friends seemed so small for how long they had been each others lives
-Overall the pace is cozy but a little bit slow.

I’m going to chalk my feelings on this one to Like but not Love. It was sweet and cute but not one that I’ll keep thinking about long now that I’m finished!

Given Our History is out today! Thank you @stmartinspress for my advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this dual timeline second chance friends to lovers romance between two History professors. Told through flashbacks we get to see how Teddy and Clara first met as two homeschool kids at a summer camp, how they grew close and eventually how their relationship broke down.

In the present they are reunited when Teddy takes a visiting scholar position at the college where Clara works and where she's up for tenure. This was full of emotional depth and great on audio narrated by Erin Bennett. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a frustrating novel about a couple who meet as kids in camp and are obviously meant for each other but don't get together until years later for stupid reasons. Although at first when they were young it made sense that Clara would be reluctant to start a deeper relationship with Theodore, even though she clearly always loved him, because she didn't want to change anything. He was her best friend and she feared losing him if things didn't work out. However, as they got older, her reasons for pushing him away were just pigheaded and stubborn. It made her a kind of annoying character even though the pair made a cute couple, and he was a great guy. It was evident that he always cared for her even though she kept pushing him away. If you love a book with a big payoff in the end and don't care what it takes to get there, you may enjoy this book. However, if you are interested in unique stories with original conflicts that don't seem artificial or overused, maybe not so much.

Such a sweet romance! I really enjoyed Clara and Teddy's story and that angst! Shows that sometimes things that are meant to be have a funny way of coming back. I thought the pace of the book was perfect and I really enjoyed reading it!

If you’re looking for a second chance romance with academia vibes that feels like a warm hug… THIS IS IT!! Super cute story that you will not be able to put down. I was super intrigued to learn all about the character and their stories. I don’t always love book where the reader jumps between timelines unless is done well. Kristyn did an amazing job and I never felt lost! Really really enjoyed my time reading this book.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the eARC

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Okay, so I’m usually not a fan of second chance romance. It’s just not my things and a trope I usually don’t enjoy. But childhood friends to lovers? Love that trope so this evened things out a little:

I enjoyed the premise of this. Meeting as children, drifting apart, meeting again as adults. There are some of my childhood friends I still think about in my adult life and wonder about reconnecting so this was relatable in that way.

Loved the aspect of a woman dreaming of a life of academia and teaching history as it’s not something you see often.

Found the story a little slow in that not a ton happened during parts of it and I was distracted by that. Also, the bringing a vibrator to a party? Just not something someone does. Gave me the ick.

In any case, this was cute!

Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller releases Tuesday, Aug 27.

Infinite thanks to netgalley and st Martin’s for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cozy to me. It was nostalgic with all the refrences to my childhood…msn, summer camp, the snail mail days. And as someone has embarked on the homeschool journey with her kiddos I loved getting to read about it from the other side. Teddy and Clara were inevitable. And I absolutely loved their second chance romance even tho it took them a bit to get there.

Read if you like
Summer camp
Dual timeline
Second chance romance
Camp vibes

Clara and Teddy (Theo) meet as teens at sleep-away camp. They form a friendship that becomes very important in both their lives even though they only saw each other each year at camp initially. Clara is working at a college and is hoping to get a full-time position, possibly even tenure. Theo comes to the college as a visiting professor. He's going to be sharing Clara's office which is awkward because the once best friends haven't spoken in years. This was very enjoyable read!

I liked this one in the end - but it was a harder one for me to get into. I’m definitely not a fan of any book told in flashbacks… especially entire chapters of past and present, and the whole storyline done that way. Tell the background, move to the present and perhaps give one quick flashback for whatever the reveal is that split up the couple back then.

In the end, I enjoyed this sweet home schooled couple, Clara and Teddy, and their past tale of meeting annually at summer camp for home schooled kids, their awkward socializations and teens years, and moving into a relationship to discover this together, then having their falling out … just to meet up again years later as adults in their professional lives.

It is a sweet story and certainly worth a read! A solid 4-star right here.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and this is my honest feedback.

This had such lovely, transportive writing! After finishing, I was honestly surprised to recall that it was still summer outside my window, rather than the closing scene's snowy, December evening.

Usually, I'm not a big fan of dual timelines, but it worked well here. There were even some points where I enjoyed the flashbacks a bit more than the present storyline.

BUT, I have a gripe. Second chance romances are ripe with opportunity to capitalize on the angst and hurt of the couple's shared history, but I never really felt all of it like I wanted to. They only had like two conversations about their past, and they were super short and never really addressed anything?? Like just TALK, I NEED ALL THE FEELS. So, I'm kind of frustrated that it took so long to reveal why they had their falling out, because holding out on it kind of killed the tension and angst. AND it didn't enable them to have a good talk about their past at a point in the story where it would have had a ton of emotional impact.

That gripe aside, the cozy, academic, fall/winter vibes were top-notch with this one, so this gets 4 stars instead 3. Also, autumn needs to get here ASAP.

omg this was such a sweet book! loved the cozy autumn vibes and light academia setting! 🍂☁️🧸

i also loooveee a second chance romance, so i really enjoyed the past & present timelines and don’t even get me started on the nostalgia trip!! i think this would be a great book if you’re in your mid/late 20s to mid 30s. Anyone can enjoy this, but if you were like right in that age range, you’re really really gonna love this even more!

teddy and clara were too cute together, i almost with is was longer and more in depth, but i still loved the story and the side characters too! it was nice to have some diversity!

thank you netgalley and st. martin’s griffin for this arc! 🩵🩵🩵

“𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚: 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.”

people always say that kids that are homeschooled never receive enough socialization with kids their own age. clara’s parents solution to that was sending her to a summer camp with other homeschooled kids. during a rainy day at camp clara meets teddy and unbeknownst to her, her life is forever changed when clara declares that she wants to be his friend. years pass, their friendship and connection continues to grow. as they navigate their teenage years they find that they both have feelings that go beyond being just friends. attempting to navigate the waters of a romantic relationship leads to the downfall of their friendship. 10 years pass without speaking to one another, clara has followed her dreams and became a history professor. clara finds out there is going to be a visiting history professor for the upcoming semester and will be forced to face all of her unresolved problems because that visiting professor? it’s teddy and she agreed to share an office with him.

𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:
this book was SUCH a cute, fluffy fall romance. the setting, the overall aesthetic of the story was just *chefs kiss* 🤌🏻. the author nailed it. it wasn’t necessarily a “women in STEM” romance, it was interesting to get more of an in depth look into the world of higher academia.

i usually don’t read a lot of second chance romance, but this book had me questioning why I don’t read more books with this trope. the second chance romance was incredibly unique. it was refreshing for there not to be a cataclysmic problem that lead to them not working out, but simply individual aspirations and life just getting in the way. i appreciated the commentary of following your own dreams and aspirations, and not allowing what you want to fall to the wayside because of your love for another person.

there were only really two things i didn’t necessarily like about this book, and it did knock down my rating by a star. the spice was great but one of the situations was entirely unrealistic. i mean really, who brings their vibrator with them to a party? especially with the reason being “I thought something might happen” after they had a fight? like WHAT? it just took me out of the story when that happened. the other thing i struggled with was the lack of depth when it comes to the side characters. some of them seemed to serve no purpose to the overall story, and felt like they could have been removed all together.

overall it was a fun, light read that’s great as a pallet cleanser and i would definitely be interesting in reading some of her future books.

————————————————————

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Kristyn Miller and the publisher St. Martins Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏻

This was such a perfect romance full of amazing banter (it was FUNNY!), the perfect setting (hi, academia, always please), dual timeline (with all the nostalgia vibes for the early 2000s), and the best friends to lovers second chance. I loved Kristen’s first book and really really enjoyed this one, too. I can’t wait to read more.

First, let’s take a moment to appreciate this cover because she is GORGEOUS.

Okay, second chance romance is definitely becoming a favorite romance trope and Given Our History does it SO WELL. I loved the dual timelines of how Teddy and Clara became friends to more as teenagers against the present timeline of two professors who end up working together after not seeing each other or speaking for nine years. A lot of times in a book like this, the reason for the rift seems unnecessary or something really ridiculous, but I felt like this book handled the conflict perfectly. It made sense for it to cause no contact for a few years and it also fit with the vibes of the characters. Also, THE CHEMISTRY. I loved the friendship chemistry they had as kids and seeing it grow into something more, especially as adults was fantastic. I really enjoyed this one and I’m so happy I read it.
CW: death of a parent

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review