It took me a few tries to start this book and actually get to finishing it. It has a dual timeline and is a second chance romance which I usually really enjoy both of those. But this was just okay for me. I found myself liking the last chapters more than the present as they fell flat for me.
Loved the cozy vibes. Didn’t love it but didn’t hate it.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Assistant Professor Clara Fernsby is driven, dedicated, and she hasn’t let anything stand in her way—not even the love of her life. And it's paid off as she's landed a well-paid position at a private liberal arts college fresh out of grad school...and she’s up for tenure. When Theodore Harrison is brought on for the fall semester as a visiting scholar, it’s an unwelcome blast from Clara’s past. Now that he’s here, she’s reminded of their shared history of autumns spent at a sleepaway camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains; where she fell in love with him. That boy might’ve been her best friend, but the man teaching HIST-322 is a total stranger. Given their history, she knows there’s every chance he’s not interested. But history’s all down to interpretation, and this time around, she’s got no intentions of repeating it.

I almost always enjoy a woman in a STEM romance novel, and I enjoyed this one specifically! With main characters that you love and simultaneously want to grab around the arms and shake and a love encompassing over a decade of missed chances, readers will love Clara and Teddy's story! My only gripe is that this is a lot of miscommunication trope and stubbornness. But I enjoyed the glimpses into their past mixed with the present. And the academic setting is fun and makes for good banter and forced proximity.

**Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own.

“Sometimes people drift apart because the timing’s not right, but if they’re meant to be together, they find their way back to each other in the end."
•

former-best-friends and almost-lovers, Clara and Teddy haven’t spoken in almost a decade. but when they unexpectedly find themselves sharing an office as college professors, they reach an unspoken agreement to have an amicable working relationship. however, being around Teddy after so many years apart brings back all the happy and hurtful memories they shared together, including her regrets, and Clara has to decide if she’s going to let history repeat itself.

Given Our History is a sweet novel with heaps of potential. I just wish it had more palpable angst and tension. unfortunately, the romance never really had a grip on me and felt a little one-note. this is an instance where I genuinely believe having a second point of view would have significantly elevated the story. that being said, if you gravitate toward friends-to-loves, second chance romances, this is one you should consider!
•

this and that:
♡ 00s emo music
♡ academia
♡ book mail
♡ flashbacks
♡ forced proximity
♡ friends-to-lovers
♡ he’s obsessed
♡ light open-door spice
♡ playlists
♡ right person, wrong time
♡ second chances
♡ sleepaway camps
♡ trivia night
♡ workplace romance
•

triggers:
☞ life-altering accidents
•

notable quotes:
・We’d gone three whole years without speaking. But that day, the day I walked away and he chose not to follow—that was the day I finally realized that I’d lost him for good.

・ “Do you think it’s possible that you’re meant to meet someone?”

・“Sometimes people drift apart because the timing’s not right, but if they’re meant to be together, they find their way back to each other in the end.”

・“I’ll put on whatever song you like,” he says. “It doesn’t matter to me as long as I get to dance with you.”

・“I want to watch you come undone.”

・“You’re always there, Clara. In everything I do. You’ve always been it, for me. Tell me you don’t feel the same.”

・“love is the hard road. The person you’re meant to be with is whoever you choose to be with. And you’ll have to fight for it and make sacrifices for it every step of the way. You just have to choose someone who’s worth all that trouble, and then you have to keep on choosing them, every day.”

・“And what are you to me?”

・I know our own history is imperfect, but I’m glad it eventually led me back to you.
—

thank you to SMP Romance and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted early copy of Given Our History!

Not for me. It had so many things in it that I usually love in a story, but somehow it fell flat. Teddy was an incredibly flat character. Clara was infuriating. Bel and Izzy were the characters I was most curious about and they did not get much screen time. Overall, it was a super cute romance, just not for me.
More details to come closer to publication.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read an ARC of Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller.

Assistant Professor Clara is going about her days dutifully and responsibly performing her job and doing her best to care for her sister who is about to go to college, when her "say yes to everything so I can get tenure" attitude goes awry as she accidentally agrees to share an office with the one who got away. Enter Teddy, the tall and nerdy boy from her past, now a visiting lecturer, and sharing Clara's office, but it'll be totally fine...right?

This was a really great cozy romcom, so when you are in the mood, this is a great choice. If you're big on reading based on vibes, you can't go wrong putting this second chance romance set on a college campus on your Fall TBR.

Given our History was another great read! This story is perfect if you are a fan of the following tropes: second chance, and friends to lovers. What I especially liked was the fact that there were two timelines in the book; past and present. If done poorly then the story suffers. In this story, the switch between timelines was clear, well written and interesting. Teddy and Clara were relatable and likable. I sailed through the book in 2 days. It kept my interest and even had me looking for other books by Kristyn Miller when I was done. I would recommend this book!

The second I read the synopsis for this book I was all in. Second chance romance? Childhood best friends to lovers? And it all takes place in an academic setting? Yeah I’m all in. I devoured this in one sitting and never wanted it to end.

This books follows Teddy (a visiting professor at Clara’s university) and Clara (an assistant professor of history). It is told in various timelines bouncing between the present and the past. They meet as childhood friends at a camp for homeschooled teens and develop a friendship that tentatively turns into love before they fall out of touch. In the present, they are learning how to work together as colleagues and office partners while also coping with their shared history. It’s a slow burn but I loved every second of it. I’d highly recommend for people that like a slow burn where the spice is more minimal (which is right up my alley!)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the e-ARC!
Clara is an introverted, socially awkward history adjunct professor. Teddy is her ex-best friend. They had a falling out 9 years ago and now he’s scheduled to be a visiting professor at her university. More than that, they must share an office! Awkward situations and an emotional roller coaster follows.
The book flips back and forth between the past and present, unraveling what led to this state of their relationship. Both were homeschooled and met at a summer camp when they were young. Their love of trivia and (honestly) lack of social interactions made them quick friends. As they grew up and emotions were mixed in, things got messy. Clara is practical and refuses to let anything stand in the way of her goals. Is this a horror story or serendipity?
First off, I thought this was a YA. It is decidedly NOT young adult. So, be prepared people. I truly loved the back and forth. Seeing the *history* between the main characters and piecing everything together as I read was just a real treat. I loved seeing the evolution. Clara was a bit too pragmatic, and it drove me up the wall. Teddy was adorable and a well fleshed out character. It was wonderful to see a male main character who was vulnerable and in touch with his emotions. The writing was well done, and the side characters were increasingly charming as you read on. I went from hating Clara’s sister to loving her.
There were a few points throughout that felt like they dragged on. I wanted to slap Clara more than once for getting in her own way. It took me a few weeks to read the first half of the book. I then rocketed through the last half in 2 days.
So, if you are patient and don’t mind a slow burn, this book could be just right for you! It’s witty and emotional, while still maintaining an overall light-hearted air to it. Quintessential rom/com.
I'm holding out hoping the author does a sequel with Izzy and Bel!

Professor Clara is trying to earn tenure when her department chair asks if she’ll share her office with a visiting professor, who turns out to be her past love, Teddy. They have to work out the complications of their past to fall in love. This story flashes back and forth between Clara and Teddy as teenagers and young adults to Clara and Teddy in present day.

This story took me a little to get into, but once I did, I looked forward to reading it every day. I loved all of the flashbacks to their time as teenagers in homeschool summer camp and the way that their friendship felt natural and real. It was an enjoyable read - especially perfect to read in the fall!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Kristyn J. Miller for the ARC!

2.5 rounded up because it was all about history professors. In a market that’s awash with STEM romances, it was refreshing to see liberal arts get a spotlight for once. And as someone who get her degree in history, I was all the more thrilled to see history have its chance to shine.

Too bad the story was completely uneventful and the characters boring as all get out. Like…nothing happened in this book. It was all incredibly low stakes and low stakes to its detriment. If the characters have, at the very least, a spark or some chemistry in something low stakes, then it would be readable. This turned into a slog and with the flipping back and forth on the timeline, I skimmed through the chapters that didn’t take place in the present day timeline.

I wanted to like this book. Instead, it was just disappointing.

Appreciative of the the publisher and NetGalley for providing this free eARC to review.

This was such a feel-good read! I enjoy when an author takes me between the past and the present. I like a little back history of the characters as they are interacting in present time. I also enjoy a love story that was meant to be, but one of the characters just didn't know it yet! Reading this book while saying "just get there.....you love each other....realize it please" was actually very enjoyable. Seeing how each character developed throughout the story and where they ended up in the end was exactly what I was hoping for in this book.

(I received a complimentary ecopy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley, Kristyn J. Miller and St Martin's press.)

This book was okay. I didn’t connect too deeply to the MC, Clara all that much. She came across as bland and her chemistry with Teddy was pretty lukewarm. The flashbacks provided more feelings between the two MCs but none of that was palpable in the current timeline. This made it hard to care whether they got together or not. The side characters also didn’t stand out much and sort of made the story move along slow. It’s not a bad story and I would still encourage other to read it, but the storyline and the characters aren’t memorable.

I love these kinds of romances, one of my favorite tropes. I won't tell you what trope that is, because I think it's a bit of a spoiler, but this is a beautiful book, and would be perfect to read in the fall.

Estranged former best friends, Clara Fernsby, a driven professor, and Theodore "Teddy" Harrison, a visiting scholar, find themselves reunited at the same university after a decade apart. Forced to confront their past and the reasons behind their heartbreaking fallout, the story unfolds through a dual timeline. As they work on a shared project, present day awkward interactions reveal lingering feelings. Memories of their close childhood bond and the events that tore them apart surface, challenging them to navigate unresolved emotions and the possibility of a second chance at love.

Hitting a personal milestone with "Given Our History" as my 100th book this year feels fitting, considering it's also my first ARC review! A big thank you to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The dual timeline structure beautifully weaves between Clara and Teddy's heartwarming childhood friendship and their awkward present day reunion as estranged adults. The writing is undeniably lovely, and the Allentown, PA, shoutout was awesome since I live about an hour away.

However, despite the strong foundation, I was left wanting a little more. While the exploration of unresolved emotions and second chances is captivating, there were a few loose ends that remained unaddressed. An epilogue would have been greatly appreciated to provide closure and a glimpse into their future.

Overall, "Given Our History" is a sweet read about reconnecting with a lost love. The beautiful writing and the exploration of first loves and second chances are sure to resonate with readers. However, those seeking a more definitive resolution might find themselves wanting a bit more.

I’m not normally a second chance romance girlie but I will make an exception for this one. From the first page I was hooked and couldn’t stop until the very end. I felt like the pacing and story structure was excellent—sometimes with second chances it can feel off, like I don’t know enough about them to care, but this was set up very well. I kept wanting more from them and loved seeing their story progress.

If it's a second chance, you can bet I'll give it a read. The premise of the story really caught my eye, but the execution left me a bit disappointed. I couldn't connect with the story as much, and although the flashbacks added more depth, the conflict between them left me frustrated. Also, I wish we could've known more about Teddy.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and the publisher, for sending me this ARC.

Second chance romance is my favorite trope, even if it's not usually done right. This book was disappointing and ended up being okay. This book follows Clara and Teddy, who are suddenly sharing an office and working together, after not seeing each other for 9 years. It spans their 17 year relationship.

My biggest issue starts with the prologue, which is set 3 years into their 9 year separation. Clara runs into Teddy at a coffee shop with his new girlfriend... her old college roommate (this was really weird to me). He knows at this time that she had feelings for him and yet, he continues to date this woman for 4 years. You can't sell me on "he never stopped loving her" when he chose another woman over her. I thought maybe this would explored later, at least to give insight to his relationship with her, but nope. He mentions they broke up, but that's it. They never have a real conversation about it. My other issue was there was a lot of miscommunication between the two. The reason they wound up not talking was disappointing.

I did enjoy it even with those issues. Again, I love second chance romances and academia in romance. I was happy that Clara and Teddy got their HEA.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC of Given Our History. I loved many things about this book, the academia setting, different timelines and the second chance trope is a favorite. However, I did not feel the connection with either of the main characters, in either timeline. This book has gotten many positive reviews, I enjoyed Miller's writing style but overall the story fell flat. 2.5

Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller 📚
Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐
Release Date: August 27 2024

I really enjoyed this book! It was so cute and I found the characters relatable and likeable. The characters are both professors so I was a bit nervous it might get too detailed on history references but that didn't happen and it was easy to understand and follow along with.

I enjoyed the flashbacks and how the story slowly unfolded for the reader. At some points it was a tad repetitive, but other than that it was a solid romance read.

I will be watching for more books from this author!

3.5 Stars/5

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I love second chance romances! This one was pretty good. I found had trouble engaging in the story due to the constant, almost jarring timeline shifts. Almost chapter to chapter the timeline would shift either forwards or backwards and I found that difficult to stay engaged with the story as it felt like any emotion built in the story was stunted due to the constant shifting.

I enjoyed Clara and Teddy as the MCs and their ex-friends to coworkers to lovers dynamic. I did feel that Clara had a huge internal monologue that slowed the story down a lot as well. I enjoyed the addition of her sister and the lovely dynamic between her and Clara.

This was my first book by Kristyn J. Miller and I'll definitely read another one of her books again!