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

Kristyn J. Miller's "Given Our History" is a short, slow-burning, second-chance academic romance story. I appreciate how a dual chronology reflects the past and present. Kristyn had the ideal balance between the two. Theodore Harrison, an assistant professor at Clara Fernsby's private liberal arts institution, has been away from her for ten years. I enjoyed watching them get their second chance, as well as the ups and downs that came with it. I wish to read more writing by this new author that I have discovered.

The strongest element of the book is Clara’s characterization as a fiercely determined academic. Her struggle for tenure, a rarely explored theme in romance novels, adds depth and realism to her character. The tension between Clara and Teddy, rooted in their shared past, starts off strong but begins to feel repetitive as the story progresses.

While the plot holds promise, the pacing falters. The back-and-forth between Clara’s academic ambitions and her unresolved feelings for Teddy drags in places, and their rekindled relationship lacks some of the emotional impact I hoped for. The flashbacks to their summer camp days are nostalgic and sweet, but the contrast between past and present isn’t as nuanced as it could have been.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable read with a fresh academic setting, but I found myself wanting more depth in both the romance and the characters' emotional arcs. It’s a solid, if predictable, read—perfect for fans of slow-burn second-chance romances.

I had a feeling this book was going to be a favorite as soon as My Chemical Romance and Twilight were mentioned, and I was definitely not wrong.

It was such a pleasure reading about Clara and Teddy’s love story from their teenage years to adulthood. I loved how the flashbacks mirrored the present and to see how they have both grown and evolved over the years. I love the relationships they both have with other family members and friends. And I loved seeing the two nerds come back together after years apart.

This book was so cute! I’ll definitely be on the lookout for future books from this author.

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

3.5 Stars I love books with the second chance trope and that have cozy fall vibes, which is what initially drew me in to this book. I also like reading books about academia since I too work in higher education. This was a fun second chance, friends to lovers story. Slight deduction for a dual timeline, which is just something I personally am not a huge fan of and I wish I had realized that before going in. Either way, it was a great read for fall!

Given Our History by Kristyn J Miller
Contemporary romance, dual timeline. Second chance troupe. NA.
Clara Fernsby and Theodore Harrison became friends when they were at a summer camp. They had a lot in common including home schooling but eventually a falling out caused them to go their own ways.
Clara is now an Assistant Professor at a private liberal arts college on the tenure track. Exactly where she planned to be. She’s shocked when the person she’s to share an office with is none other than Teddy. But he’s not the same person. He’s cold and unemotional and Clara misses her friend. The more they work together, the more Clare believes old feelings are emerging but her life is on track. Will falling for Teddy again just be a repeat or loss?

A lot of reveals and story telling is done by a look back on Clara’s memories.
I’m not a fan of miscommunication or conflict because of not talking to each other. Fortunately they get it right and their childhood friendship is the basis for a new relationship. And while we get to know the sister only a little, she really has an impact on Clara.
Loved the cover. Loved the second chance and Teddy is a dream. I didn’t connect with Clara like I wanted to. I admired her ambition, her dedication to helping her sister but she doesn’t seem to be enjoying her life. Im glad she got a second chance with Teddy.

I received a copy of the from NetGalley.

2.5 stars
It took me a long time to get through this book. I actually wound up waiting for the audio copy from Libby as I wasn’t enjoying it as a read. I think the prelude ran me off and it was hard to connect after that. I also found the constant jumping around the timeline to be difficult to follow at times. If it had been two timelines, that would have been easier but it was back and forth and up and down the whole time. The premise very much appealed to me but the execution didn’t quite match.
*Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ebook copy

A sweet, charming romance perfect for Fall that gives back to school vibes. Lovely writing and lots of chemistry between the two main characters.

Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller is a beautifully layered second-chance - childhood friends to strangers to lovers romance that follows assistant professor Clara Fernsby, a woman driven by her love for history and her larger career goals.

When her old friend—and first love—Theodore Harrison returns as a visiting scholar at her college, Clara is forced to confront the memories of their shared past. Years ago, they spent autumns at a sleepaway camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, bonding over books and music, until Clara’s academic ambitions came between them. Now, as they work on a shared project, Clara finds herself falling for him all over again.

I absolutely loved the alternating timelines, which gave us a glimpse into Clara and Teddy’s friendship as it grew over the years, only to fall apart when their romantic feelings clashed with Clara’s career-focused ambitions. It added depth to their connection, making their reunion even more heartfelt. If you’re looking for a sweet fall romance set in academia with themes of second chances and friends-to-lovers, this book will definitely tug at your heartstrings.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a sweet friends to lovers, second chance, academia novel. It wouldn't say it was one of my favorites, but it was a pleasant enough read except I could've done with a little less miscommunication. That's always been one of my least favorite tropes.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! The love story between Clara and Teddy was incredibly engaging and warm. I can definitely see myself buying the hard copy of this book so I can read it again!
Special thank you to NetGalley, Kristyn J. Miller and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

REVIEW✨
Given Our History
By Kristyn J. Miller
••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• •••
I loved this book so much! It gave me all the feelings of being on a university campus in Autumn. Also, I’m a sucker for a second chance romance that leads into adulthood. This book also deals with the complexity of being home schooled and not being taken seriously in the academic world. This story follows Clara and Teddy from them meeting in summer camp to their friendship and the events that lead to their friendship ending. The current storyline follows Clara as a professor in history trying to get tenure, when Teddy happens to be a visiting professor… Clara’s life gets flip up side down and all her memories over the last 14 years come rushing back to her.

I loved this book, I thought it was done so well. I love when books have flashbacks, I find that it helps move the plot along. I couldn’t stop reading it and loved everything about it! I highly recommend it.

Included in this book…
🍂 Right Person Wrong Time
🍁 Single POV
🍂 Friends to Lovers
🍁 Flashbacks
🍂 Autumn on Campus
🍁 Second Chance Romance

Romance: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️
Plot points: 💥💥💥💥💥
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Teddy and Clara have history. A long, a lot, and a tumultuous history. When they are paired together to share an office at the university Clara teaches at, she doesn't know if she's ready to confront Teddy about the past. She doesn't know if she's ready to confront her own feelings about the past.

With a dual timeline offering past perspective and backstory to these their lives, Clara and Teddy come back together and discover that perhaps it is finally time for their love to grow together.

This was a deeply emotional novel about finding the right one at the wrong time - several times over. Teddy and Clara had several chances to love one another, however, generational trauma gets in the way each time. They confided in one another that they didn't want to end up how their mother's ended up, putting their dreams and aspirations on the backburner for the one they love. Thus they embark on an educational journey around the world, living completely separate lives, only to find one another again.

I was expecting a sweet, fun novel about second chance lovers, but what I found was a confounding novel about two people deeply in love with one another, struggling to make their love a priority in their lives. We also see Clara at a crossroads in her career, realizing she has been stagnant and new opportunities being prompted that shakes her life up. This was a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. I enjoyed the author's writing, the dual timeline kept the novel interesting and fresh. I felt that aside from Clara, her characters lacked a bit of depth, with Teddy's development being a little shallow, and boring. Her friend Izzy was an interesting side character that was largely present in description instead of dialogue, until the end where Miller almost creates a cliffhanger, perhaps setting her readers up for a companion or follow up novel. The comic relief that was Raegan was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise serious novel, one that was welcomed and enjoyed very much.

Overall I enjoyed my reading experience with this book. Recommended for romance readers looking for a more serious reading experience, not a rom-com.

What a perfect fall read!! I loved everything about Given Our History by Kristyn Miller. It was the perfect book to cozy up with on a cool evening with a cup of tea! I thoroughly enjoyed the banter and relationship between Clara and Teddy, 2 college professors with an intertwined past who randomly find their way back to each other. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Clara is up for early tenure. Her application needs some TLC and she reluctantly agrees to join forces with her former best friend and visiting professor, Theodore Harrison, with whom she also has to share an office. But avoiding him should be relatively easy otherwise as there is no way history is going to repeat itself in their case.
I love when a dual timeline mirrors past and present. Kristyn's balance of both was perfect as I saw both MCs connect and interact in past and present. The title is so clever with their mutual love of "dead people" (a Teddy phrase that made me laugh) and their teenage friendship-to-more. The academic setting, embracing of all things history, MC's chemistry, supporting cast, and sentimentality makes this a book I will come back to!
Biggest thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

3 stars.

"Given Our History" by Kristyn J. Miller is a quick but simple slow-burning, second-chance academia romance read. I have to be honest, I was a bit disappointed by this story. As a millennial, I loved all of the nostalgia from my youth about specific bands, Limewire, Urban Dictionary, burning CDs, AIM and MSN messenger, etc. The narrative switches between the present day and 14 years ago when Teddy and Clara first met and developed their friendship. The friendship and relationship between the two of them are cultivated well because we get so much context into their relationship. Because of this, though, the prose feels a little long in the tooth and slow to unfold. I understand why Clara did what she did, but I absolutely hated the ensuing miscommunications that follow throughout the book. Because of the constant miscommunications, it was hard for me to root for Clara and Teddy. It turned me off from them as a couple, and I was a little bored with their love story. Clara also acts a lot younger than she really is, which is off-putting. Don't get me wrong, this story is sweet and eventually has a good resolution, but I can't help that I was unfulfilled and a little bored here and there. I did like all of the history talk, though!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristyn J. Miller, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

“Given Our History” is a charming story that combines friends to lovers and second chance love tropes into an entertaining, heartwarming romance. So often, as a reader I get disappointed in stories like this because instead of keeping the story simple, authors try to dial up different aspects of the story like drama or steaminess, and in turn we lose some of the character development that allows the reader to become invested in the couple. In this book, KM doesn’t try to hard and instead let’s the characters tell their own story. Nothing felt forced, and in the brief snippets we got of Clara and Teddy’s past, we see how their relationship forms and grows into something more. There was a level of anticipation as the story went to see what would happen, how would happen and at no point did I feel disappointed regarding the pace or the storyline. When I finished the book, I wanted more and kind of wish we got an epilogue that gave us a future glimpse of everyone’s lives. A good story always leaves you wanting more, and “Given Our History” certainly did that for me…if you’re a fan of romance you should give this book a try.

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I appreciate the opportunity!**

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.75)

This book was such a cute fall romance! Every once in a while I love some good academia vibes and this one perfectly sated my craving for that as we enter the fall season. I am usually not the hugest fan of second chance romance, but I ate this one up. I’m a sucker for friends to lovers, and Teddy and Clara had my heart from the very beginning. I loved the back and forth and how details from the past were revealed as the story went on. The chemistry was definitely there and their relationship was so sweet. The obstacles and bits of miscommunication were frustrating but realistic, I understood the characters motivations and they made sense. Overall I really enjoyed this book and it was the perfect cozy vibe to welcome in fall!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Griffin for proving an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Given Our History is a second chance romance between Clara and Teddy, 2 people who fell in love with each other at the wrong time when they were teenagers and who are now forced to work together as adults. Teddy comes to Clara’s school, where she is a professor, as a visiting professor. They have to learn to rekindle their friendship they had when they were younger. You learn their history through chapters that are set in the oast. I liked the writing in this and I also listened to the audiobook which is good too. I personally like second chance romance and it gave me all the cozy feels.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for the ARC!

This was a quick read for me and while I enjoyed the story line and that there was no third act break up but Clara’s character really frustrated me. Her reasons for not wanting to be with Teddy is what really got on my nerves.

3.5 stars

This was an insanely quick read for me and I really enjoyed it! As a history major it was validating to see a subject be talked about by a female character. And seeing real books mentioned was super cool!

I enjoyed Clara and Teddy's story, and while it was short, seeing their relationship develop throughout the years was nice. Teddy felt quite plain to me as a character. I would have liked to see him have a stronger personality or quirks that set him apart. He seemed just to be there to agree with Clara or help drive her plot and allow us to see what made her take the journey she did.

Clara's relationship with her sister was super genuine to me and watching her juggle being an older sister, a mother figure and act as a professor as well, was fun.

I liked that there was no third-act breakup or big fight. The third-act breakup always takes me out of the magic of a story, and I could stay invested in Clara and Teddy because there wasn't this sense of them coming to an end. Overall, I good read!