So I was not at all excited to read another second chance romance. I have read so many of them this year. I was even less excited to read a second chance romance where they met at summer camp. This has been THE summer of camp books and whew. It's a lot of camp.

However, I gave this my regular 5 chapters and fell right into their story. I needed to know what happened and why they didn't talk for so long. I wanted to know how it would all work out and what would change to make it work for both of them. It was worth the initial reluctance to get to that HEA.

4.5 ⭐️ I can’t express how happy I am that this book exists, so thank you Kristyn for creating such a wholesome book! As someone who studied history, Given Our History was a pleasure to read from start to finish. The characters - PERFECT. The writing - BEAUTIFUL. The vibes - STELLAR.

For fans of Emily Henry, read if you like:
♡ light academia
♡ best friends to lovers
♡ dual timelines
♡ second chance romance
♡ summer camp kids turned history professors
♡ men who smell like pencil shavings and earl grey tea


Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins for this e-ARC.

A dual timeline romance, I enjoyed this. It was a fun quirky academic romance. The two main characters, Clara and Teddy, met as homeschoolers at summer camp 17 years ago. They were best friends until their adult life then they had a fall out and didn't speak for years.

They meet again at the college where Clara is a history professor and Teddy is coming in as a guest professor. It's a shock to Clara seeing him again after all these years. They end up being assigned an office together and from there things go both wonderful and haywire at the same time.

I loved the romance that bloomed. Sort of a second hand romance.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kristyn Miller and Griffin publishing for this arc e-verson in exchange for my opinion. The review above is mine alone.

This was a solid romance. It's friends to lovers, which isn't my favorite trope, but I still enjoyed this one. It kept my interest and I liked the love interest. I also liked that the author created sexual tension instead of just halfway through the book they are having sex every other scene. Boring. This is a perfect book for the fall because it is very academic centered. But you can also read it in winter as it ends around Christmas time 😉

Given Our History follows Clara who is a history professor who is up for tenure. Things are finally starting to look up in her career. But then Teddy shows up. Teddy and Clara used to be best friends. But they had a falling out. Teddy is a visiting professor for the semester. Clara has always had feelings for Teddy. Soon the two reconnect and realize they might have feelings for each other.

I was excited to read this one because one of my majors in college was history. But I didn’t love this. It was very predictable, kind of slow, and boring. This is the second book I have read by this author and I didn’t like the first one I read by her. So I don’t think this author is for me.

It felt like a history book in the way it was written. I'm not always a fan of friends to lovers and this book is why. There was just so much unnecessary drama between the two, and I'm not sure if it was the drama itself or how it was executed.

The FMC annoyed me a lot, and I'm all for a self-driven person and I understand having family impact your decisions but add how slow it felt and I was like okay nice story anyway....

Because I am a nerd I did like the tidbits or history

I liked it! It was a very heartwarming story, and the university setting was fantastic. I love stories about professors! But I didn't really connect with the characters, nor did I felt their chemistry. I was more invested in the storyline of their younger selves than the one in present day. It was still really well-written and engaging.

this story was unlike anything ive ever read!! my first from this author and will not be my last. wonderful story that tugged at your heart strings. likeable characters and great pacing! would recommend this one!!

While I enjoyed a previous book by Kristyn Miller, I struggled to connect with this one. I absolutely love her writing but I definitely have come to realize with this book and other books that the scholarly/educational plot is not my favorite.

I gave it 3.5 stars - I didn’t feel the love for the second chance romance (which is one of my favorite tropes) and I struggled with feeling the chemistry between the characters.

It’s definitely a me thing because when speaking with friends who read it, they loved it and spoke very highly.

However, huge thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Griffin for providing this book in advance for an honest review.

This was a cute book overall! I did really enjoy the flashbacks throughout. Clara and Theo were so good together.

I wanted to love this more than I did but it just wasn’t for me. I would have loved to have seen Teddy’s POV. Overall cute second chance romance. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I had a hard time getting into this one. I typically love second chance, but this wasn’t working for me.

Publication: August 27th, 2024

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story revolves around Clare and Teddy, two deeply complex characters whose lives are intricately intertwined by a shared history and the memories that come with it

Clare is a strong-willed woman whose journey through life with Teddy has been intermittent. They first met at a camp 17 years ago, and being homeschooled, the camp became a way for them to make friends. It's there that their story began. Now a history professor at a university in Maryland, Clare has aspired to be a history teacher since she was fourteen. She is determined not to let anything get in the way of her path to achieving her dreams.

Teddy, a visiting professor at the same university as Clare, has not spoken to her since their fallout a decade ago. Despite this, Clare is constantly reminded of their intertwined past, from sleepaway camp to exchanging books and burned CDs, to the time she fell in love with him.

I loved the dynamic between Teddy and Clare and their relationship throughout the book


Past and present timelines and so much more!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars


Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc!

A cute and cozy second chance romance! I loved the academic and fall vibes. Duel timelines were nice and I was all for the perfect nostalgic drops during her teenage/college years. I am not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope and the way it was handled by Clara with Teddy. I loved their friends to lovers and really wish we saw more of that when there were in college. Also would have loved more tension and relationship between the two of them after they meet back up and are coworkers. I just felt like for the first half of the book we did not see much of that. Maybe even a few chapters with Teddy's POV. I feel like it would have been an easy 4 star read for me if more of that was in the story. Overall I enjoyed it and it was the perfect vibes for my current mood.

YESSSSSS

Delicious east coast fall vibes, the sweetest second chance romance, and a stunning cover! I absolutely loved this, and devoured it in two sittings.

GIVEN OUR HISTORY is a dual-timeline story of history academics Clara Fernsby and Theodore (Teddy) Harrison, who met at homeschool summer camp years ago and after a painful falling out are now forced to share an office when Teddy is a visiting professor at the university Clara teaches at.

Clara has always stuck to her goals, even when it cost her the love of her life. Now up for tenure, Clara must face the blast from her past that is quiet, curly-haired Teddy Harrison, who she hasn't spoken to in a decade. Now that they're sharing space, Clara's reminded of their shared history at every autumns spent at a sleepaway camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she traded battered books and burned CDs with a quiet, dark-haired boy—and fell in love with him.

Soon they're working together on an upcoming gala to raise scholarship funds and spending time re-learning what brought them together in the first place. Over drinks and trivia nights at a local bar, they realize that given their history, reimagining their futures -- together -- might be the biggest and best goal of all.

This book is so incredibly tender and will both hurt and heal you in the best ways. I loooooove a parallel timeline within a second chance romance and I was so invested in Clara and Teddy's romance. Plus, this book has such a cozy setting that you won't want to leave. This book will make you FEEL things -- it's just a gorgeous reading experience.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the e-ARC (and St. Martin's for the physical ARC) in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. GIVEN OUR HISTORY is out 8/27.

This book was such a cozy slow burn. It is set at the beginning of fall semester and gave me all the college vibes. Clara and Teddy used to be best friends but now hardly know each other. They met as teenagers at a sleep-away camp for homeschooled kids and clicked immediately as friends, and later thought they could be more to each other but just couldn’t make it work. Now, they are now history professors at the same college and the forced proximity makes them confront everything that happened in the past.

I thought this book was a very realistic second chance romance. Both characters take it slowww with each other. Neither wants to jeopardize the fragile friendship they are re-forming, and they each still have scars from how it ended the first time. It is told in single POV but dual timelines, so the reader learns about the past while watching the present story play out. I really connected to Clara and thought both characters were well developed. This is a beautifully written romance that I highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Kristyn J. Miller, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First of all thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review.

GIven Our History is a sweet romance about Clara and Teddy, two homeschooled friends that meet at summer camp and grow up together. I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and this was story was so easy to fall into. I loved the dual timeline and getting to know both Clara and Teddy as awkward pre-teens and seeing their friendship grow slowly over the years into more. The author did an amazing job of capturing the nostalgia of their teen years too! (There was nothing more exciting than getting a burned CD from your crush) There was even a little spice, done well, and I was surprised that Miller kept it so realistic. Teddy and Clara are both good characters with depth but the story still stayed light hearted. And there was no third act break up!! Always a plus for me.

Dual time line
Friends to lovers
Second chance romance
Academic setting
Fall vibes

4.25/5 stars for me! It you loved Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren then you'll really enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author for the ability to read an ARC of this fun academic based novel!

I adored the fall academia settling of this novel and was instantly pulled into the story as I really felt a connection with Clara! I loved that she knew she wanted to teach and was a person who didn’t let anyone stand in her way even someone she held close to her.

I loved Theodore as well and I felt that it was so fun that he came to teach at the school where Clara was despite their past. I really loved the second chance trope that was utilized in this novel.

Kristyn has me in my emotions and cheering these two main characters on! I loved this book and definitely will reread it after its release this fall!

There’s so much to love about this book: the dual timeline, academia setting, playful banter, childhood best friends, a mysterious falling out, spice… I had a feeling I was going to love this book and I am so glad I was right. The author’s writing style flowed so naturally, and I loved the way the dialogue felt realistic and enjoyable. There was so much emotion, from frustration and sympathy to passion and thoughtfulness. I loved that we followed Clara’s ideas of herself evolving as someone who doesn’t have to be defined by her career and take care of everyone else. I adored her and Teddy’s childhood memories from summer camp and talking over the phone while being homeschooled. Overall, this really blew me away and was a great read that I’d recommend to anyone!

4! Given Our History was an absolute delight from start to finish! Clara and Teddy's story is captivating, with their genuine love and heartfelt dynamic drawing me in from the very beginning. Both characters are incredibly well-developed and relatable, making their journey from childhood friends to potential lovers feel authentic and meaningful. The story follows their initial bond, formed at an annual camp, and the challenges they face as life pulls them in different directions. Despite their deep connection, the pressures of distance and Clara’s academic ambitions lead them to drift apart.

Years later, fate brings them back together as history professors at the same college. As they navigate their shared past and unresolved feelings, they must decide whether their history will keep them apart or bring them closer than ever. Clara's fear of Teddy resenting her if he sacrifices his career for her adds a layer of complexity to their relationship. This beautifully written friends-to-lovers story is both poignant and compelling, and I found myself relating to Clara in many ways.

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