It was a cute, cozy, funny romance, a little cringe for me tho. I liked the character, Clara and Theo are great together, I also like the background of their story and how the second chance was done. But I would have love to have Theo's POV, I think it would have added more to the story and understand what he felt. Loved the dual timeline, it is well done which makes it very catchy.

I really really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of People We Meet on Vacation with the flashbacks and the will they/wont they trope. It’s friends to lovers which is not normally a favorite of mine, but I enjoyed this one very much. Second chance romance is another trope of this book and it played out well.

I will definitely read this author again.

3.5 🌟

Augh, I wanted to love this more than I did.

I enjoyed the two main characters on their own and I actually really enjoyed their friendship. Two homeschooled nerds who are semi awkward that find a deep friendship in each other? 😍 But I didn't understand Clara's reasoning for not dating Teddy the first time around and then to almost do it a second time?! 😫 Also, could we please get an epilogue to the book, please?!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I'm not usually someone who likes second chance romance, but I loved Given Our History! It was so much fun, and I thought their relationship was realistic. I really think that the character's history made their chemistry believable. If you like:

- Cozy reads
- Friends to lovers
- Second Chance Romance
- Small university towns
- Well developed characters with great chemistry
- Flashbacks of their past interwoven into their present

Then you will want to read this book ASAP. Perfect for early fall vibes. If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls, this will be right up your alley!

P.s. if you have read this, are you also dying for an Izzy and Bel spinoff???!!

This book was so sweet! I absolutely loved the academia setting and dual timeline. I’ve been on a real enemies-to-lovers streak lately, but it turns out friends-to-lovers/second-chance romance can be just as great! Easy 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favourite romances of this year! This book is definitely perfect for fans of Love and Other Words, The Love Hypothesis, and People We Meet on Vacation. I really enjoyed the second chance romance aspect of the book and watching Clara and Theo work out their differences. The convicts in the story felt real and played out realistically. This book is the perfect cozy, academia read for the fall season.

The perfect cozy, academia-based romcom! It's perfect for this end of summer/back-to-school time of year!

A beautiful story of second-chances and never giving up. I think I was just the perfect audience for this book because I loved every second of it. There are bits of nostalgia in the flashbacks throughout the story that made me feel so cozy, and the characters are easy to root for. This is definitely a friends-to-lovers, but with a whole lot of life held in between. It was so beautifully written and made me smile and laugh along the way.

There are a few side characters that I wish had been flushed out more, but that's only because they're so lovely. I also wish I'd gotten an epilogue, but again, it's because I'm greedy and I want more of these characters! :)

Overall, this is a really sweet, cozy story - best enjoyed with a cup of coffee on the porch!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Given Our History has the feel of books by KA Tucker and Carly Fortune. As a history teacher and lover, I was excited to read this story. I thought the use of the dual timeline helped develop both Clara and Teddy as characters but I also wish it had helped create more of a relationship. At times it felt like maybe their firatblove was more first lust given how long they wouldn't talk. I enjoyed more of their interactions in the present then some from the past. While, this was definitely at 3.5 to 4 star book, I think overall it could have benefited from developing character relationships more overall. For example, I never really felt like I understood the tension between Teddy and his parents but it was constantly discussed. Overall a fun read that I connected to that could do with some more connections between the characters

Given Our History is a second chance/ right person, wrong time romance between two college history professors. Clara and Teddy were best friends in their teens, after meeting at a summer camp for homeschooled children but had a falling out in their early twenties. When the book starts they haven’t been friends in a decade. Clara is trying to get approved for a tenure position when she is asked to share her office with a visiting scholar for the semester. She thinks it would be unprofessional to decline, so she agrees then discovers that this person is Teddy, the man she once loved.

This one packed a punch! Both Teddy and Clara have so much baggage from their respective childhoods and from the hurt they both caused each other. The dual timeline was very well done and the glimpses into the (the very nostalgic) past upped the tension in the present. Getting to see them choose each other in the end was special. I enjoyed this one a lot. I really wish we got an epilogue though!

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although I liked the setting and main character, I found myself getting bored with Given Our History. My biggest issue with this book was Clara and Teddy's relationship. I just didn't feel the butterflies with them. I thought their reunion was weird. I found it strange that they didn't immediately discuss their history after seeing each other again after so many years. I wanted to see more of their current relationship before they got back together. I liked the past chapters; however, I wanted them to paint more of a picture of who Teddy was. Teddy read one-dimensional to me. I also thought a lot of the side characters fell under that umbrella. There were a few times where I forgot about Izzy. I wanted more character development with everyone, especially Clara. Besides being an academic, I didn't get a good sense of Clara's personality. Overall, I found myself bored 2/3's of the way through. Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

Set in academia - we meet Clara and Teddy.
Who met as children, loved one another, and as adults kept missing out on dating.
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This is perfect for those who love:
Dual timelines
Second chance romances
Right person / Wrong time
Miscommunication
And the cutest meddling college aged sister
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Overall this is a solid romance with some swoony moments that romance readers enjoy. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.
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Negative: I loved Kristyn’s book Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts and I wanted more from this story. Also, why would a new faculty member go for tenure within a year?! Does that happen anywhere?
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Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced reader copy.
.

This is the second book I've read by Kristyn J. Miller, and I enjoyed it. It's a nice, quick romance novel. The only thing I don't love is the miscommunication between the two main characters, Clara and Teddy. The story is told between the present day and flashbacks to summer camp where Clara and Teddy met. When they're younger, the miscommunication makes sense, but the present-day characters still struggle with communication, and I hate that lack of growth.

Clara and Teddy meet at summer camp, and part of the story is told through flashbacks that take place at the camp. We get to watch their friendship grow and how they eventually realize/act on their mutual attraction. This part was so wonderfully angsty, and it felt so realistic to me. When they run into each other as adults, they still have that spark of at least friendship between them. Clara and Teddy rekindle their friendship while, of course, wondering if their romantic spark is still there.

As a current emo kid, I absolutely love the music choices and Teddy making mix CDs for Clara. It made me so nostalgic. There were so many sweet little pieces of their relationship. I would have liked to see Teddy try to woo adult Clara a little bit more. I think Teddy was supposed to come off as stoic, but it felt more wooden to me.

I didn't like this book as much as the first book I read by Kristyn J. Miller, but it is a fun romance read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Griffin for the advanced reader copy; all opinions are my own.

This was the first book I’ve read by Kristyn. I was an ok read. I loved a second chance romance more than anyone but the storyline didn’t and draw me in. The time jump from the past to present did give more insight on the relationship between Clara and Teddy.

This book deftly straddled a lot of tropes and felt like a realistic will they or won’t they. I didn’t expect it based on the blurb.

I loved this. The vibes were immaculate. I’m a sucker for academia in the fall. My only qualm was that most of the main characters’ time together was spent as kids, and that’s what they’re basing a lot of feelings on. Was it perfect? No. But it checked off a lot of boxes for me.

This cozy cute romance was a beautiful story of second chance love. Clara and Teddy met at a camp for homeschooled teens and quickly developed a friendship where they stayed in touch through phone calls, emails and eventually text messages. While they develop feelings for one another, the timing is never quite right and they eventually drift apart in college. 10 years later, they find themselves sharing an office, teaching in the same department and serving on a fundraising committee together. Could this be the time for a second chance at love?

I loved the dual timeline of this story, as well as the early 2000’s references (I could hear the dial-up internet). The author was able to convey so much character growth in both Teddy and Clara over the course of a decade and I grew to love them while they were reconnecting.

Read this book if you love second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, and a strong FMC.

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

I was all set to give this book 5 stars, until the ending. It fell flat for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love getting a HEA. But the action that the main character, Clara, takes to bring it about, didn't seem emotional enough for me to get too excited. It seemed very methodical. There was emotion, but it wasn't strong and did not satisfy. I am disappointed, because up until then I WAS REALLY ENJOYING THE STORY!

Things I enjoyed about the story and things I thought could have been better:

I did enjoy the characters. Clara was invested in her career, but still harbored very strong feelings for her best-friend and camp-mate, Teddy. And when he shows up at her small college and she has to share an office with him, she is unsure of everything. She doesn't want to repeat past mistakes. Through working together on a committee and exploring their still strong connection, they learn that they both miss what they once had and that they could possibly have again. Teddy is much more convinced, in my opinion, than Clara is at first, but she comes to believe in them too, but is that enough for her?

I also enjoyed the dual timeline from past to present and it was very easy to follow. It helped me as a reader to understand the characters more, especially Clara. But, I would have loved to have gotten some chapters from Teddy's point of view. He is quiet, sweet, and handsome. And it is obvious that he is, and always has been, in love with Clara! So, I would have enjoyed getting my heartstrings pulled by hearing his part of the story. It would have made me more emotionally invested as a reader.

You may enjoy if you like:
2nd chance romance
Tasteful, but hot open door scenes
Women in STEM or academic romance
Dual timeline stories

Overall, I feel that this story was well-written, but could have been stronger if a more emotional connection between the main characters and the reader had been established. I think it all boils down to how they came together at the end. It was soft and quiet, when I would have loved to have gotten more of a strong, emotional ending.

**Thankyou to NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and the author for providing a DRC in exchange for my honest review**

This book has some of my absolute favorite things as a reader history (no pun intended) between the characters, second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers and a slow burn. This book has a back and fourth time line that spans seventeen years of friendship. I believe the author does an excellent job of making sure the reader knows where we are in the story. The only time the time jump threw me was the scene in the prologue was six years prior and then we get a scene late into the book that happens right after that moment in the sandwich shop and it took me a while to figure out what was happening in that scene.
Overall though I enjoyed the.love story and the look at being a woman in academia and some of the struggles that she had to face.

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - February 21, 2024
Publication Date - August 27, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @kristynjmiller, @stmartinspress and @netgalley!

I found this book to be very descriptive and relatable, especially as a current University student. I also loved reading the MySpace messages! I enjoy when authors add pictures, handwriting, messages and other fun extras within their books because it breaks up all the lines of text and feels more engaging and immersive. Also, there are some classic romance movie moments that you can't help but love! While there is an alternating timeline from past to present, it is always clear when timelines change. Given Our History has all the end of summer/start of school/Fall vibes. Overall, this is such a cozy read! I can picture reading this book curled up in a blanket in front of a fireplace.

If you like friends to lovers, second chance and academia vibes, this is the book for you!

Get excited to read Given Our History, available August 27! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

Honestly the hype of this book didn’t deliver. I wanted to love it for the cozy academia fall vibes, but I struggled to finish it. In reflection, the characters come off as either incompletely developed or really immature. There is a dual timeline, which I normally don’t enjoy, and maybe this reinforced the immature perceptions of the MCs. It didn’t carry the complexity, both in the love relationship and in the characters’ inner lives, that I expect now from a well done contemporary romance. The spice was really lack luster to me. There were several very well written bits of prose, but not enough for me to recommend this.