Clara is all about stability. She's seeking tenure at the college she's taught at for years. Everything is going along smoothly, until Teddy arrives. He's a visiting professor who was once the love of Clara's life. They didn't end on good terms, but now they have to work together. Will they rekindle the love that bloomed when they were teens, or will having this unexpected this blast from the past prove explosive to every aspect of Clara's life?

This was a solid dual timeline story about friendship, first love, and how "right person, wrong time" can damage the best people with the best of intentions. I enjoyed the flashbacks to summer camps in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where we first see these awkward teens fumble towards a relationship. It was set in the mid-2000s, and nostalgia abounds! The autumn setting in present day was refreshing as well. There were many highlightable lines, brief scenes of well-written spice, and terrific closure.

This story attempts to tell us two stories at once, alternating between Clara and Teddy's teen years and their lives as 30 year-olds. I found the choices of when we jumped between timelines a little confounding. Personally, I found the last third of the book a little tedious because we were still needlessly visiting the past. Some events intended for tension were better at building frustration on the part of this reader. Some of the academia was a little humdrum, but readers who teach will likely find themselves in many of the pages.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed this book. I was glad to see our mostly likable characters find their happily ever afters. It was a pleasant read that makes for a great fall escape.

Trigger warnings: father having a heart attack/stroke, father sustaining a debilitating injury, difficulty paying one's bills/financial stress

I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

THE NOSTALGIA OF THIS BOOK IS UNMATCHED. Limewire mentioned??? I was cackling.

This had everything I needed in a romance including:
- second chance
- good MC's
- Fall vibes
- lol moments

Okay, this is a cute little love story. Friends to strangers to friends to lovers? Recommend it for fans of People we Meet on Vacation and academics that find history, twilight, and my chemical romance romantic.

(Actual: 3.75⭐, rounded up) Academia-centric [love] stories (my underrated fave) paired with the "Second Chance Romance" x "Friends-to-Lovers" x "Sliding Doors" drops = YASSSSSS ╰(*°▽°*)╯Speak to me louder!!! Haha. While this book is not without its imperfections, I did find it to be really cute overall. The nostalgia vibes RE: the early 2000s featured here we so on point, it really took me back in the best (and maybe worst lol) of ways 😅 Our two MCs - Clara and Theo - did have good chemistry and a solid basis for their friendship, which I think is what ultimately saved/elevated this book for me because, otherwise, there were instances where I felt like they fell a little flat and the plot was doing more of the heavy lifting. Again, as a pair I found them to be adorable.... but as individuals, they could be a bit lacking in personality. Still a nice, breezy read (perfect for ~cozy Autumn season~) so I would still recommend it out to others!

This one didn't do it for me. So bummed because I LOVED the premise and the cover, but the plot fell a bit flat.

I love a story that toggles between past and present, and Kristyn J. Miller’s latest novel, Given our History does just that. This is a story about two former best friends who meet at a summer camp. Clara and Theodore spend summers together during the childhood and eventually develop feelings for each other in their late teens. But circumstances tear them apart and after years of distance, they are forced together when Theodore is brought on for the Fall semester at the college Clara teaches at.
I really loved the dynamic between the two characters and the story just flowed. If you’re looking for a heartwarming Fall read, this book is a must read.

Second chance romances are my favourite trope... which may make me a harder critic of them since I read them a lot. Combine my fav trope with a fall cover, a college setting and childhood camp memories - I was all in. Unfortunately, it felt a bit drawn out and I yearned for more passion and true love feelings. I ended up giving it 3 stars.

I enjoyed the dual timeline, autumn vibes of this second chance romance. Also loved the university setting and fundraiser that drove them coming back together. Fun book!

This academic romance wasn't for me, but I do think that it is a strong read for anyone who loves a dual timeline romance that is both funny and nostalgic in a way that doesn't feel cheesy. It's well-written, the characters are likeable, and it's perfectly positioned for the fall (especially with that stunning cover)!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great fall read that follows the typical trope of friends/lovers fall out of touch and reunite. The story follows Clara and is told through alternating timelines through her life as a homeschooled teen who meets her best friend and love of her life, Teddy, while at a sleepaway camp for other homeschooled kids. She is a lover of history and wants to teach at the college level. After falling out of touch with Teddy (no spoilers), he suddenly reappears in her life while working the college she teaches at for a semester as a visiting professor. The two are thrown back together and must work through their issues and decide where they take their relationship.

This would make a cute Hallmark movie!

If your looking for a nice fall academia book this one will check those boxes. I really enjoyed this book. I did feel like it took me a few chapters to really get into it but then it was really good and picked up quickly. I loved the setting, it made the perfect back drop for a fall romance.
The two main characters hadn't spoken in years and their initial meets were so inconvenient but set the story up for a good friends to lovers, second chance romance.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this during the fall months! And I would recommend it!

4.5 rounded to 5
this was such a cute second chance, best friends to lovers romance. I loved Carla and Teddy together. I loved that they understood each other and even if they don’t talk for a long time, they bounce right back to how it was before naturally. The academic setting was great and I loved the dual timelines as well. Another thing that was refreshing was the homeschool rep. it was nice to see that someone who is homeschooled can make it very far in their profession just as public/private school taught kids.

This is just as cozy of a romance as the cover led me to expect! I loved the university setting with the political machinations of academia as complicating factors. Teddy and Clara were a sweet couple and I loved how things worked out in the end. That being said, this was a little slow, and there wasn’t much payoff for the teasing of what happened between them in the past. It was very low-key and real life.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Given Our History. I loved the chapters that went in the past. Teddy and Clara were both great characters.
It was my first book by Kristyn J. Miller but it won’t be my last.

I loved this book. Teddy and Clara were a delight to read. I loved how the book hopped between time periods and showing how their relationship had developed and how their previous friendship shaped their adult interactions. I enjoyed that this was focused around professors and was not the normal teacher / student trope.

ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clara Fernsby and Theodore (Teddy) Harrison met at summer camp when they were just fourteen years old. One game of trivia and a failed three-legged race resulted in the two strangers becoming fast friends. Years later the pair struggled to maintain a platonic friendship when they each began to form romantic feelings. Not wanting to cross the line, Clara’s rejection of Teddy marked the beginning of the end. Will an unexpected job opportunity bring the two back together, or will it confirm some relationships aren’t meant to last?

Kristyn J. Miller’s, Given Our History, beautifully executes the dual timeline format. While the book starts off in the present, Miller sprinkles in glimpses of the past. In doing so, she is able to let readers into both the highs and lows that made/ make up Clara and Teddy’s relationship.

I love being able to traverse back and forth through timelines. I feel it is a key component in creating well rounded characters. Not only does it provide essential information, it helps me to relate and sympathize with them.

If you are in the mood for light academia, second chance romances and all the fall, cozy vibes this is the book for you.

Special thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press (Griffin), and Kristyn J Miller for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love a second chance romance and this one was cute with great fall vibes! I always love a dual timeline that shows their relationship at both points in their lives.

I enjoyed this book and thought it had an original premise.

I usually like things set in a collegiate area and with the teachers/professors involved. This book gave that "trope" a fresh feel by being based more around two professors instead of a professor and student. In the case of Clara and Teddy, they have a history which leads them both to pre-judge the other person and make ignorant assumptions.

I did find the fact that Clara and Teddy had been apart for so long to be a bit frustrating. If only they'd stepped out and addressed the rumors. If they'd cleared the air, it would have been obvious that neither of them truly moved on.

“Given Our History” 4/5⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! First of all, it was a perfect, fall read. Secondly, I am a sucker for second-chance romance! The chapters alternate between past and present. I adored all of the love, pining, and tension throughout this book. 🥹

I felt so invested in Clara and Teddy’s story. The plot was incredibly well crafted. Clara especially felt like a real person, who was making decisions and experiencing emotions in the moment.

I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a lovely, romance read! 🫶🏻

3 stars- cute fall vibes, cute academia vibes, but I just didn’t connect with this one for some reason? Childhood friends to lovers is my fave trope, but I think I just didn’t connect with the main character, I still enjoyed the atmosphere though.