This was such a sweet book! I loved the characters, and their love story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable.

Ooh Clara and Teddy! What a sweet romance they have. I really enjoyed the college setting, the development of their friendship at dinner camp for home schooled kids to young love, and the challenges they were hit with over the years. I sometimes feel sad for those who miss out on years together due to stubbornness or misunderstandings, but I feel that these two had some growing to do before they were ready for each other. Supporting characters were there, not overly memorable, but I bet Izzy has quite the story to tell! PS the cultural references brought back all the memories! So fun!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me the enjoyment of reading this ARC!

Given Our History is a cute second chance romance. Clara and Teddy first met seventeen years ago at camp and became best friends. We see this story told along two timelines, in the past and then in the present as they see each other again teaching at the same university.

This is beautifully written and really shows the complexity of relationships. After having a falling out many years ago, will Clara and Teddy forgive and forget or will they continue avoiding one another?

Overall I’d definitely recommend this book when it releases in August if you’re looking for a cozy, slow burn romance that takes place in an academia setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins Press for providing me with an early copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good. I really enjoy the second chance/friends to lovers tropes and this book has both. The alternating timelines really helped build the tension and made me desperate to see this couple finally figure it out. Definitely a must read when it comes out in August!

This book is the closest I’ve gotten to replicating how Happy Place made me feel.
The timelines pulled me so deep into the story.
I loved the hurt and growth these two went through.
My heart clenched during so many moments because I could feel what the characters were feeling.
Sometimes the story felt a little long and inner monologue heavy since it’s just one pov, but I still really loved it. I’ll definitely read more from this author.

A beautiful read. An incredible love story. Read if you liked: Love and Other Words (Christina Lauren), Swear on This Life (Renee Carlino), and Every Summer After (Carley Fortune).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was solid. Well written, good balance of flashback and present day. I guess my only gripe is that I didn’t really understand the point of all of the back and forth. I feel like there could have been a bit more to the plot than that.

I am a sucker for Hallmark movies. This story is basically a Hallmark Movie in novel form. It’s a win!

Is cozy romance a thing in the book world? Because that is exactly what this fast paced read is with a tiny bit of spice.

The main character Clara is a professor on the tenure track at a college and comes face to face with her past when an old friend and crush comes as a visiting professor to her University and surprise, she is asked to share her office.

The book is told from the present day goings on as well as flash backs to a 7 year period starting 17 years previous to the present.

The flipping back is a little jarring rather than a fluid transition. I would have enjoyed it more if it utilized splitting the books into two parts of the past all laid out at once and then the present day but it wasn’t overly distracting or souring.

You like the characters and definitely want to root for them as they navigate life.

So if you’re looking for a fluffy or cozy romance with a little bit of academia and spice thrown in, this is a great read.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Given our History by Kristyn J. Miller was a great second chances novel.

The flashbacks of Clara and Teddy's relationship were so sweet and relatable - those first moments of attraction were perfectly written and the way their friendship bloomed made me incredibly nostalgic and hopeful for their present relationship.

I'm not going to lie, I always wanted to go to co-ed sleep away camp and love reading about them, so this book had me from the beginning.

When Clara and Teddy reconnect and have to face their past mistakes and move forward, I was all in. The author captures their relationship in realistic ways and made me want more.

I really hope Izzy and Bel get their own book. They were terrific secondary characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in lieu of an honest review. 4.5 stars.

What a heartfelt novel. As a fan of second chances, I devoured this. I could understand both Clara and Teddy and the reasoning behind their actions pretty well. This will make a wonderful cozy read for the late summer/early autumn,

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

THIS WAS SO CUTE! I need more professor love stories. The more eye-catching quality is how it talked about home-schooling and the reasoning behind it. A lot of the times it's just associated with being a religious reason, but seeing a more developed arguement interwoven in a romcom was a great idea. A quick and easy read, nothing too irritating about the tropes. I can't believe this is her debut novel, I'm so excited to see what she has planned for her sequel!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this book. It looked cute, especially since I used to be a history teacher and I love academic books, but when I started reading, I didn't think I'd love it as much as I did. The dynamic between the FMC (Clara) and MMC (Teddy..which, by the way, LOVE that name for a MMC) reminded me of Poppy and Alex from People We Meet on Vacation (in a good way). There were some points where Teddy drove me a little crazy, but in all, I just loved this book, especially since it was one that got away. Second-chance romances always tug at my heart, but this book has the right strings. Sidenote: I normally don't like dual timelines however, for this book, it helped immensely.


Tropes: 
Second Chance Romance
Friends to Lovers

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! 

4.25/5 ⭐️ 

Release Date: August 27th

📖: second chance, friends to lovers, dual timeline, and slow burn

Clara and Teddy started as summer camp friends in their preteens. After many years of friendship, they eventually fall out. Fast forward nine years, and they find themselves teaching together at the same institution. Their first encounter in years isn’t as awkward as you’d think, and both find themselves easily falling back into their familiar friendship. Will history repeat itself?

This was such a cozy, academic read! The dual time line gave us so much tension, and I was absolutely here for it. I gasped, I squealed, and I kicked my feet. Clara and Teddy were the perfect example of the right person at the wrong time. So happy they got their HEA.

Given Our History” by Kristyn J. Miller is a poignant, heartwarming slow burn novel that intricately explores the complexities of friendship, forgiveness, and the passage of time. The story follows the journey of two estranged friends who are forced to confront the lingering ghosts of their shared past.

“Second chance romance” is my favourite trope when it’s done well, and I found myself rooting for Clara and Teddy throughout this story. Miller done an incredible job of weaving in “The Past” and “The present” timelines, I loved reading about the main characters in each timeline.

This was a great friends to lovers and second chance story and it also was a quick read, it had me gripped right from the beginning. I would recommend this one to the romcom lovers out there.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It has been a hot minute since I have read a second chance romance. Let me regroup and think about what I want to say oof.

Okay, so this is done in a dual timeline like people we meet on vacation by EH and if you loved that book, you are bound to adore this one. The story really flowed seamlessly and I was surprised to find that this was the author’s debut novel. How amazing is that! The book is the perfect summer read (and it is coming out in the summer so watch out for that). All the characters stood out and shined in their own right.

I had a blast reading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for generously giving me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! I love a good second chance romance! The dual timelines were executed so well in this book because I am usually not a fan of them. This book is a reminiscent of Emily Henry's writing. I absolutely adored all the characters in this book, and the mentions of emo bands and mix CDs evoked a sense of nostalgia in me oh my goodness and that really touched me.

The story revolves around Clara and Teddy's 17-year-old friendship with a falling out that led to nine years of no communication. Clara applies for a tenor at the University and Teddy, a visiting professor, offers to help her with her project, raising questions about his intentions. The back and forth timelines help establish the depth of their relationship, although some parts of their past fallout are nerve-wracking. The protagonist dislikes Clara's parents for not noticing her lack of a social group even though she was homeschooled. However, I also had moments of disliking Teddy's behavior towards Clara, but enjoyed the parts where they reconnect and support each other's goals. The ending could have had a better epilogue to provide closure. Overall, it is a good second chance romance with likable characters. And I loved the romance as well too! The book explores the combination of uncertainty and familiarity when reuniting with a lost love. The author's prose and scene-setting are well done, and I am eager to read more of the author's works, having enjoyed this one!

I absolutely adored this book. It's the perfect cozy Fall read! Clara and Teddy are both just such likable characters, it was hard NOT to root for them. I initially thought that the alternating time line would end up bothering me, but it actually made the story line much more intriguing. I do wish there had been an epilogue of sorts, but I think the ending was perfect for the story as well. I highly recommend this novel!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book!

Clara Fernsby and Teddy Harrison were home-schooled, met at camp as teenagers and stayed in touch until their college years. After drifting apart and not speaking for several years, they end up as professors at the same university, presenting them with a second chance at love.

I’m usually not a big fan of dual timelines because sometimes they’re hard to follow but it didn’t bother me with this book. I was fully into both timelines at once. I always wanted to know what happened in the past and what was happening in the present.

I liked the history and the tension that was built up and I found the story to be realistic; I could see two people drifting apart for the reasons the characters did. I think this book was very well-written.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book, it is such a perfect warm cozy read, especially for the time it is going to be published. Second chance romance playing the extremely long game with a happy ending. I really liked how there are flashbacks with the following chapter giving you a present point of view. This book keeps you hooked till the very last page. I was surprised to see homeschooling being the founding plot of this book, I don't see that very often. As someone who was homeschooled, I really appreciated the views we get from someone who enjoyed being homeschooled along with someone who did not. The main female character was very retable! Also, for those of you wondering, yes there a few spicy scenes but it's towards the end and not that frequent. Over all I absolutely loved this book and I am comfortable in saying I will be recommending to my mother.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Clara loves her teaching position. She has dreamed of this her whole life. When an old flame. Is teaching at the same school it brings back memories. I enjoyed the different characters in this book.