The first thing you need to know about me is that I'm a former tenured faculty member, and as a result, I am extremely pedantic about books that take place in academia. There are plenty of seemingly decent books that I've cast aside because I cannot willfully suspend disbelief. I add this preface because this book does play fast and loose with how higher ed works, but...it only briefly took me away from the story. For those of you without the PTSD of getting a Ph.D., you'll probably have no issue with the setting or storyline!

This book reminds me a lot of Love and Other Words, which also pairs a then-and-now approach to growing childhood love and second chances. I loved that book and I liked this one a bit less, but still found it to be enjoyable. I wasn't annoyed with the way that the back story played out (slowly yes, but you get hints of what happened in the present) and I found both the main characters to be worth rooting for.

I also appreciate that the drama of the third act wasn't overdone. Second-chance romances are about the path to getting back together, so there's no need to throw a ton of unneeded complications at the couple in the waning pages of the book. Is there some tension? Of course. But, do they largely resolve it with some communication? Also yes.

* Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

Childhood friends to lovers? Dual timelines? Wrecking me emotionally and putting me back together? All boxes checked. Loved the writing, the pacing, the dual timelines connected in just the right way, and I was rooting for Teddy and Clara from chapter 2 honestly. It’s always been my life goal to be a history professor, so reading a book about TWO?! Chefs kiss.

This was a solid second-chance romance. Teddy and Clara were best friends but after a falling out, they haven't been in contact for ten years. Now, Teddy is a visiting scholar at the university Clara works as an assistant professor. This is Clara and Teddy's chance to mend their friendship and confess their feelings.

While I did enjoy this romance, it was a bit slow for my taste. The story is told in dual timelines and I felt we spent too much time in the past and I would've liked to read more of their relationship development in present day. We also only get Clara's perspective. Because of both the lack of present day scenes and Teddy's POV, I felt the story was missing something and I did not feel connected to either character, especially Teddy.

This was not my favorite romance but was by no means "bad." I look forward to reading more from Kristyn J. Miller as this was an overall easy and enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It’s Love and other words meets academia. Second-ish chance romance and you get a fall gala too. Teddy is just perfection and Clara grew as the story went along. I’m so happy that I was able to get an arc (thank you, netgalley and the publisher).

His story starts out with Clara and Teddy meeting each other at a special camp for kids who are homeschooled. It follows the ark of their lives together and alternates between present day and reviewing their 16+ year friendship. In present day, Clara works at a university and is assigned a new roommate for her office. It’s not hard to guess her new office mate is Teddy. This is a wonderful love story and would definitely make a great beach read. I couldn’t put it down.

Given Our History
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This cover gives such fall in New England vibes and fits perfectly with the small college setting!

Clara is a driven history professor at a small college in New England. When she’s asked to share an office with a visiting professor, she has no idea it will be her childhood and young adult best friend, who she hasn’t spoken to for years.

The dual timelines fit pretty well together but I found myself wanting to shake these two characters in both timelines. I liked the academic setting but the miscommunication made this one feel really slow, especially when the main character couldn’t make up her mind!

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed reading this book. I love a good timeline jumping book that tells a full complete story through multiple timelines.

Clara Fernsby is nothing if not driven. She's wanted to teach history since she was 14 and hasn't let anything stand in her way. Finished this book in one day. Theodore Harrison is brought on for the fall semester as a visiting scholar. They knew each other years ago, but haven't spoken in ten years due to a falling out. That boy might have been her best friend, but the man teaching Hist-322 is a total stranger. But as they spend evening working on a shared project and brainstorming over drinks at a college bar, Clara realizes she's at risk of falling for him all over again.

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers/second chance romance. I wanted to shake Clara and Teddy a few times throughout this book though. This is a clear right person/wrong time book. Can they communicate to right the wrongs and reach that happily ever after or are they destined to repeat history.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book & felt so excited to read it. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, the love story, and the characters we got to meet. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing. I felt like there were so many words to get to a simple point & that I could skip sentences and paragraphs and not miss anything for the actual story.

This had potential but unfortunately the story was a miss for me. The jumping back and forth with the timeline wasn’t my favorite. I get the intention, especially with the title of the book, but it became disjointed for my liking.

Given Our History is the coziest, most endearing autumn romcom. I adored this book, and I would absolutely reread it. If you love any of the following books/shows/movies, you will love Given Our History: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry; Gilmore Girls; A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn; You, Again by Kate Goldbeck; and Anyone But You.

Given Our History follows Clara and Teddy, who met in middle school at summer camp and have been best friends for nearly two decades; that is, until a falling out caused them to stop talking altogether for three years. They are reunited when Teddy gets hired as a visiting scholar at the private, liberal arts college where Clara works. Not only will Teddy be a visiting scholar, he will also be sharing an office space with Clara, making his presence there unavoidable.

Told in a split timeline very similar to that in People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, Given Our History spans two decades of tender moments between Teddy and Clara. Kristyn J. Miller has done an absolutely fantastic job in structuring the story. Each flashback chapter is clearly placed with such intentionality so that is has the maximum impact on the present-day chapter that follows and emphasizes the small details of Clara and Teddy’s story.

I absolutely adored Given Our History, and I cannot recommend it more highly!

Review will be posted to my Bookstagram (linked below) on July 7th and is already live on my Goodreads profile.

4 ⭐️

Right person wrong time, second chances.

Beautifully captures young love and the enduring power of second chances. Clara and Teddy's journey, starting from a fateful meeting at 14. Despite the timing never quite aligning, Teddy's steadfast love and Clara's personal struggles create a compelling narrative of growth and resilience. I found myself frustrated with Clara's choices but empathized deeply with her journey to overcome familial expectations.
If love is meant to be, it will find a way even if it takes 17 years. Hoping for a sequel to witness how their relationship continues to grow. Heartfelt and engaging read, perfect for those who appreciate stories of love, perseverance, and personal growth.

This was a new author to me and I was intrigued by the writing style. The characters were developed well but the pacing was too slow for me. Really enjoyed this romance and would recommend to fellow romcom lovers!

What a delightful romance book about 2 history professors. I don't know much about the profession, but the author did a good job of describing things and helping me visualize how it works at smaller universities. The flashbacks to the history between the 2 characters was well-written & incorporated into the story in a good way. Overall, a good friends to lovers romance with a few spicy scenes.

What a swoony fall read. If you love educational settings, history and second chance romance this is the book for you!

This book was sweet and I loved the journey from childhood best friends to adult partners, but the female MC was a bit immature in my opinion, and could definitely work on her communication. Still 4 stars but miscommunication is my least favorite trope. I'd definitely give this author another try though!

I found myself a bit bored with Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller. The characters, Clara and Theodore, lacked the chemistry needed to keep me engaged. Their interactions felt forced, and I struggled to connect with their story. While the parts of the book set in the present were more enjoyable, the chapters that delved into the past felt unnecessary and often out of sync with the rest of the narrative.

The flashbacks to Clara and Teddy's youth at the sleepaway camp did little to enhance the plot and seemed to drag the pacing down. I didn't care for the characters, making investing in their journey or rooting for their rekindled romance difficult. This book had potential, but it fell short of delivering a compelling and cohesive story.

Thank you Net Galley and Publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did, but it just wasn't for me unfortunately. It has childhood friends turn lovers, second chance romance, professors, slow burn, small town cozy vibes, everything I love but the main couple just didn't have that spark/connection I felt. It was slow, like really slow and dragged for most of the book only kinda picking up in the last couple of chapters.

Things I liked about the book:
*Clara finally figures out what she wants in life from work, love, family instead of trying to please everyone.
*everyone got their happy ever after even the side characters.
*how supportive Teddy was of Clara's goals overall and never told her to change them.

Things I didn't like about the book:
*the back and forth from past to present. I felt like the past could have been summed up all at once then go to the present. It felt disconnected to go back and forth so much.
*the communication between the main couple. they really didn't know what they wanted and it felt like that never got resolved.
*the ending. it felt kinda rushed and almost incomplete, like I guess that's everything so cheers to whatever happens next.
*we never really got a pov from Teddy or his long relationship with Mindy, like that was almost irrelevant to the story.

I love women with brains, so I loved Clara. It was a sweet, second-chance romance. Also, it was a friends, to strangers, to colleagues, to lovers. Another of my favorite tropes!

“Given Our History” is a second chances romance book by Kristyn Miller. In this book we follow Clara and Teddy over two timelines - then and present day. Both Clara and Teddy were homeschooled as kids and meet at a camp and become friends. They break up then a number of years later reconnect when Clara is asked to share her office with a visiting professor - who turns out to be Teddy. There’s some under tension of Clara wanting tenure at her current school. The positives - if you like books with academia, a summer camp, and second chance romances - this book may be one you want to pick up. And the cover - look how adorable that cover is! If you like history facts and trends of almost two decades ago, this book has mentions of music, internet, and trends from that time tossed through it. The negatives - I never felt like there was actual tension in this book (or if there was, was it Clara trying to get tenure - that didn’t seem like tension for both characters) and while this book was sweet, it was slow paced. As someone who did homeschool her child, I felt some of the homeschooling was off, for lack of a better word. The section with the advisor seemed okay - but I’m surprised that Clara didn’t try a local junior college first then transfer - opposed to aiming to get into Ivy schools directly - but that’s a minor point. Overall, probably a 3.5 star read for me, but as I (sadly) figure I’ll forget this book in a few days, it’s rounded down to 3 stars.