3.5 ⭐️“Given Our History” is a heartfelt, realistic romance begging the age old question: is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

I loved the cozy autumnal vibes and the realistic and imperfect relationship between Clara and Teddy. The combination of second chance and dual timeline (dating back to when they first met) was the perfect setting for their relationship.

On the other hand, I felt like the reasoning behind not being in a relationship (past and present) didn’t make much sense to me, so the conflict of their relationship was a little infuriating. Also, maybe it’s just because I don’t know much about academic careers, but the language surroundinf the different professor contracts lost me a little in the beginning.

Overall, a great, cozy read for the fall!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

If you enjoy seventeen years of slow burn then this might be for you. The book starts out with a chance encounter between former best friends verging on flames territory. Then through flashbacks you experience the history of their relationship. It takes forever to get to what actually pulled them apart but failed to convince that particular event was so devastating they wouldn’t have spoken for 10 years.

In the present, the two no-longer friends are forced to share an office at the same college. Maybe I missed it but I don’t actually recall any awkward encounters utilizing said shared office. There was no real tension or romance. Separately, both Clara and Theo lacked charisma, together they had zero passion and only seemed to share being nice and their careers in common

This book had a very difficult time capturing my interest.

Thanks to St. Martins Press for an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The whole time I was reading this, I was like wow, this author MUST be an academic because some of the little details were so realistic (a particular favorite of mine was when the main character, an assistant professor, complained about having to switch from Blackboard to Canvas - too real if you've worked in higher ed and gone through something similar). This is a second chance romance with some nice, cozy academic vibes. Clara Fernsby is an assistant professor of history at a small liberal arts college, and she learns at the start of this book that her mentor thinks she should go up for tenure early, compressing her planned timeline significantly. At the same time, she learns that she'll be sharing an office with a visiting faculty member who happens to be her first love/former best friend Teddy Harrison. The story is told in alternating timelines - then and now - with "then" mostly taking place at a camp for homeschooled kids that Clara and Teddy both attended as teens. As the past and present stories unfold, we understand the rift that occurred between the two of them and see how they've both changed in the ten years since they actually spoke to one another. I've been reading a lot of second chance romances recently, but I found myself particularly enjoying this one - both because I found the characters pretty compelling and because I found the academic setting so familiar.

Second chance romance is my favorite! This book is sweet with a cute love story and an easy, enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and Kristyn J. Miller!

I wanted so badly to love this book. I love the setting and the fall atmosphere but I can never seem to get into the professor/student storyline. I know that Theo and Clara had known each other prior to this encounter but I just couldn't fully get into the book

I love love love second chance romance, I think this book hits every mark for it. I honestly got in my emotions because of this book and I loved it,

Thank you so much for this arc!


Tropes:
-dual timelines
-second chance
-right person, wrong time
-childhood friends to lovers
-miscommunication



I am a sucker for second chance romances and this was so good! Clare felt really relatable and just like someone you know if that makes sense. I will say I wish we actually got teddys POV I would’ve rated the book higher I think !
Also lot a fan of miscommunication but I didn’t hate it here!

I loved the cover and wound up enjoying this one but, quite frankly, I wasn't initially sure. Not only did main character Clara strike me at times as more as as an angst filled school-girl in the throes of indecisive "do I love him or not" than an almost thirty-year old, but the flashbacks threw me more than I'd have expected. Once I settled into that, however, I was fine with it. Despite Clare being a hot mess much of the time, she seems to be a caring person, one who is trying to help her superficially flighty younger sister.... whether her sister wants her help or not. Clare definitely liked Teddy, Theodore Harrison, even to the point of turning him away to, in her mind, protect him. Sigh. Teddy was initially easier to like although his insecurities and issues played a role, too. Both Clare and Teddy have well-meaning, even loving parents but their ideas of success for their children don't always match what Clare and Teddy wanted or needed.

Well, actually, I'm not sure either of them knew what they really wanted, either, although Clare hanging onto the necklace (you'll discover it's meaning as you read) should have been a big hint. As romances go, this one was not just slow, but crawled along, veering off in different directions as they were distracted by this or that. For Clare, that seemed to be a career in academics. Not only had she always loved history but her love of the subject colored Teddy's career path, too. That aspect was, to me, one of the more interesting aspects of the book, showing how chance encounters and someone else's enthusiasm for a topic could change not just their world but the world for someone else.

How does it all turn out? Well, it's a romance, so I'm sure you can guess but it's how they get to the happily ever after that both intrigued and irritated me. Neither is exactly outgoing, with Clare's surface control seeming to zoom out of control at times. Miscommunication, as in most romances, plays a role, too. Honestly, we've all probably been there, hence I can't fault that as unusual in real life, but for two such long-time friends, it was surprising. I definitely liked the whimsy of the Long Distance History Book Club idea, one of the ways Clare won Teddy over to history. You'll be astounded at the first book she gives him to read.

Bottom line, despite some issues for me which, let's face it, may not impact your enjoyment of the book at all, I did ultimately enjoy the book, hence a 3.5 rounded to a 4 star. Loved how well the author nailed the time periods, music, books, and all. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - StMartin'sGriffin for introducing me to this new-to-me author. I'll definitely be looking for her next book (if not catching up on previous ones).

Thank you St Martins Press and Goodreads for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Second. Chance. Romance. I am a broken record but it’s my favorite. I love the angst, the apologies, and reading two people falling in love twice.

Teddy and Clara are two friends that have known each other for 17 years but haven’t spoken for 9. When they end up sharing an office at the college they’re both teaching in, the space is too small for old and new feelings to stay hidden.

Oh I loved these crazy kids. Yes some parts were frustrating. When the author goes back and forth from the past and the present, the past is like waiting for a car crash to come. The implosion of the relationship, while the present is how they’re already forming a new one. I love how both sides work together.

Thank you so much to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have learned that I don't like second chance romance and here is a classic case. I wanted to give this one a try but it wasn't for me.

I love the cover and the fall vibes.

However, I can never understand a person giving up love for her career? Maybe I just don't have that passion for a job lol but that just didn't work for me. I also didn't like the flashbacks that were happening either.

I don't like second chance romance typically because of the flashbacks and I never really feel like the reason they broke up is a good reason. (or if it is, they shouldn't be getting back together in the first place). Most of the time, they shouldn't have broken up in the first place and it just annoys me.

Anyways, I hope others love this one but it was not for me.

Very slow burn (like 17 years in the making), non linear timeline (jumps between past and present) story of two history buffs who just can’t quit each other.

Few standout items beyond the romance (which is quite good)that might be of interest:
- Learning about the world of academia and tenure track
- Both Teddy and Clara are home schooled and meet at an annual camp for homeschooled kids. That part I found fascinating. Also the idea that certain coping mechanisms that come with being homeschooled can be advantageous to adulting - like leading disparate lives and relationships not following consistent touch points but nonetheless being significant and profound.

I enjoyed that Clara realized that an employer who doesn’t know her value beyond surface and easily replaceable traits isn’t worth fighting for.

A small item: The premise of both characters not wanting to end up like their parents and this keeping them apart was not well justified- Was it the socio-economic limitations of the parents? Them marrying too young? Because everything else felt real and hard earned which is a good thing.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

I loved this book! Warm, emotional and brimming with hope, Given Our History is second chance romance at its finest.

📚 Given Our History
✍ Kristyn J. Miller
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4.5
🌶️ 🌶️

🙏 Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Kristyn J. Miller for the advanced copy of Given Our History. All opinions are my own.
◾
🎯 What I loved: I'm an absolute sucker for a second chance romance and I love dual timeline second chances that explore why the couple is right for each other but rationalizes why they couldn't be together previously. Clara and Teddy are complex characters that both struggle with trying to forge friendships after having been homeschooled but immediately jive with each other. Their chemistry with each other is evident and as a reader, I was easily pulled into their orbit, knowing that their connection was deep but that clearly, something had really driven them apart. Miller nailed her depiction of academia and the hoops professors must go through to gain tenure or entrance to a tenure track and I love the subtle ways she wove history into the book without making it feel like the primary subject.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: I was expecting something truly shocking to have wrecked Clara and Teddy's friendship (especially considering the buildup) but wasn't completely convinced that what initially pulled them apart would have created a 10 year rift. No matter, the reconciliation was worth the wait!
◾
Read if you love:
*dual timeline
*second chance
*academia setting
*summer camp connection
◾
See also: Love and Other Words, People We Meet on Vacation, Love, Theoretically

Clara Fersby is a passionate, driven assistant professor. She has worked hard at a private liberal arts college in order to obtain tenure, uncaring that she sacrificed love in order to get her goal.

Theodore Harrison is that love that Clara gave up in the pursuit of happiness - teaching. Ten years have passed since the breakup. This novel is set in the fall, a beautiful autumnal setting. Memories of the couple happy in the Blue Ridge Mountains camp stir, along with the bittersweet trading of books between the lovebirds.

Burned CDs were passed between the lovey dovey couple, listening to tracks as they fell in love. Once, she might have loved him. This new professor is nothing like tha man Clara had once known. The face is the same, the personality a cold reality from the lovesick boy of her dreams.

Of course, then the two enstranged had-been lovers are thrown together in a forced proximity project. Brainstorming at a bar, recalling memories and slowly fixing a broken thing. Clara is insistent that history will not repeat itself, it can't. A career is more import than love, right?

I think academic romance is a new trend I find myself gravitating towards. There is something intellectual and nostalgic about falling in love around an old, stone, beautiful architecture of a college campus. Falling in love between the stacks of an ancient library filled to the brim with textbooks and tales and endless stories.

I connected to this couple because they are both nerdy introverts, which I am, very much so. I remember loving studying. This couple is real, with real feelings, real problems. Painful memories. Mending a broken, fragile, beautiful, tender thing.

Both of our main characters are rife with family baggage. How one deals with stress has a very real impact on love and friendships and relationships. I felt that the emotions in this book were realistic. The burden of family troubles. All in love, lovely read! 🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book by Kristyn J Miller. It's my first time reading this author, but I will be searching out her first book. I believe this is her second. I might be partial to this one because I'm an academic librarian, who happens to have a degree in history, and, like the main character, studied Tudor history. Regardless, this second chance, friends to lovers romance was adorable, with just the right amount of spice.

Second chance romance is my favorite! I will admit that at times the tension between the two main characters got a bit annoying, especially in the beginning but I still found this book to be so adorable. Right person wrong time is now one of my favorite tropes

A heartwarming tale of parallel souls, love and second chances. The alternating timelines add depth and the characters come alive on the page. A beautiful story.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read this ARC.

This book had me obsessed by the prologue. The tension had me by the throat. Finding out that your ex best friend that you're still in love with is dating your old college roommate? Crazy.

I loved the academic setting of this book. It reminded me of an Ali Hazelwood but make it history instead of science. Romance books that are a little nerdy are just *chefs kiss*.

The flashbacks to their friendship before during their teenage years had me hooked to find out why they had a falling out. I read this book in a day to find out what happened.

This is the first book I've read from this author, and I can't wait to read more!

Thank you NetGallery for this amazing Arc!! I really enjoyed this one and as someone who went to overnight camp, loved that the characters met and went to an overnight camp! I enjoyed the plot and that there were two timelines going on. Some parts I did get bored at but it was a quick and easy read!

writing: loved it | plot: love a dual timeline | ending: yay

my opinion

I am quickly learning that I am a hoe for an academic romance. Nobody asked but my OG career dream was being a professor LMAOOOO. Anyways. The dual timeline had me up until 1:30 am. Usually I enjoy seeing how their relationship develops over the years in the flashbacks, but in this case, I was more tickled pink by how accurate the time period was depicted. Mall Madness? Yu-Gi-Oh? MSN? Secretly downloading Nelly Furtado, The Black Eyed Peas, and Akon songs to burn onto a CD and listen to via walkman???? I felt fully transported to the past. Loved the nostalgic vibes.

Okay, when you really deep it, their adult feelings were based on teenager feelings which were based on vibes and horniness, BUT I don't care. Kristyn somehow bamboozled me into feeling like they were soulmates who NEEDED to be together. I liked their dynamic together. Instead of an opposites attract situation that you usually see in books, Clara and Theo were both nerdy introverts, but Clara was slightly more extroverted. And while they both had family baggage, Theo definitely shouldered his differently. I like that they didn't have to become different people to be with each other.

Clara is the perfect example of how to do "quirky" without slamming on other women. She was supportive of her outgoing sister's lifestyle and never condescending about her behaviour or choices. TAKE NOTES PEOPLE. WE NEED MORE CLARAS.

Funny, well-written, and made me feel things... easy four stars. Looking forward to more from this author.

pros & cons

pros: love an academic romance, Clara and Theo were a great match, Clara was a fantastic FMC, FUNNYYYY, all the nostalgic vibes – she nailed the early 2000s, dual timeline!!!!!!! (not insta love for once)

cons: wish their connection had been a bit deeper during their college years but c'est la vie, great book overall

This was an adorable dual POV, dual timeline story about two homeschool kids rediscovering their love.
It's even better that they're two history professors who know the importance of the past.

Thank you so much Kristyn Miller, publishers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC!