Published by Swoon Reads on August 30th 2016
Source: Author Review Copy
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, LGBT, Contemporary
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Gideon always has a plan. His plans include running for class president, becoming head of the yearbook committee, and having his choice of colleges. They do NOT include falling head over heels for his best friend and next door neighbor, Kyle. It’s a distraction. It’s pointless, as Kyle is already dating the gorgeous and popular head cheerleader, Ruby. And Gideon doesn’t know what to do.
Kyle finally feels like he has a handle on life. He has a wonderful girlfriend, a best friend willing to debate the finer points of Lord of the Rings, and social acceptance as captain of the basketball team. Then, both Ruby and Gideon start acting really weird, just as his spot on the team is threatened, and Kyle can’t quite figure out what he did wrong…
A couple adjectives to describe this book would be adorable, quick, fluffy, and light. It almost played out like a high school movie. We have very authentic characters dealing with various real life situations that influence the way they act. Even though the short length of the book means that these situations aren’t fleshed-out as much, there’s no denying that they were great additions to the story. I’ve been reading this author’s books since her debut A Little Something Different, and I find that her books always deliver on sweet, short stories that may be fleeting but certainly makes a reader feel warm and fuzzy inside for a while.
Told in the first person perspective of multiple characters, Been Here All Along follows two best friends: Gideon and Kyle. I love the way Hall wrote these two seemingly different characters who became friends at a young age, shortly after becoming neighbors. They’re both on their junior year of high school and going through realistic things during that age. Let me just say Gideon is pretty much me: he’s organized, efficient, and has clear goals set in mind. We open the book up with him thinking about making SAT vocabulary cards to use during a boring school pep rally.
My request to use the wasteful pep rally time to study SAT vocabulary was quickly shot down by the vice principal. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to have a pile of flash cards in my pocket. The administration can’t stop me from becoming more than my monosyllabic classmates could ever imagine.
Kyle, on the other hand, is a bit more slow at catching up with school work. He’s tall and plays basketball, while Gideon is short and running for student council. Hall does a great job in creating this foil that sets these characters apart. Despite it all, they’re still great friends who geek out to Lord of the Rings. How freaking cute is that? However, not everything is what it seems. For one, in the beginning of the book Kyle comes out as bisexual to his girlfriend of six months, Ruby. This in turn makes Gideon start questioning his own feelings to Kyle, which spurs him to do things that will have consequences later in the book.
I have – I hate myself even as I think the word – a crush. I have a crush on my best friend. I have become a teen rom-com cliche. There is no hope for me.
Hall delivers creative characters that certainly reflect characterizations that can be found in the real world. Ruby’s vindictive actions are not that uncalled for, and Kyle also deals with surprising problems along the way. The book is set in a very authentic feel of life, high school, and relationships. My only complaint I guess would be the fact that even though the author presents all these great aspects of life – positive and negative – none of them gets explored in the book. Like I said, the short length makes it very difficult, but these situations just end up being touched upon and never examined in-depth. I feel like that would help me in liking some of these characters more. Suffice it to say I just ended the book with warm feels for Gideon and Kyle.
Okay but seriously, you’re really going to need to read this book to feel how adorable it is. It played out rather like one of those romcom high school movies (think: The Duff, 10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls, She’s All That, etc) ((I JUST LOVE HIGH SCHOOL MOVIES OKAY *sobs*)) that deal with all aspects of life with adolescent characters. And a cute love story to mix it all in. I can’t say I like the fact that certain moving issues aren’t really attacked, but again, it is a shorter book that does a great job instead of delivering a sweet story. I found this to be a contemporary YA that I could really connect to, even though I didn’t have everything in common with the main characters. It was super easy to empathize with these well-written characters. On the other hand, the plot was extremely predictable and I pretty much knew what was going to happen from page 20. I’m glad the book was just a little over 200 pages long, so I could get through everything that I already knew would happen. I would totally recommend this book to YA readers that are looking for a quick, quirky, and qute escape from real life.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Thank you Swoon Reads for the review copy, in exchange for an honest review!
Aila J.
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Thanks Zoe! 🙂 Yes, this short and fluffy read is definitely worth your while when looking for something light and cute. So glad I could direct this book to you!
I haven't read this one but I really like her debut book! I'm glad that this book is fluffy and light contemporary, it's just something I need! I'm also a sucker for high school movies, they're just fun to watch, but also relateable! 😀
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If you really liked her debut book Tasya, you'll really enjoy this one! I didn't like A Little Something Different as much as I liked this one, so I'm sure you'll also adore this!
I just read this one and honestly I wasn't too impressed with it. Maybe it was because Kyle and Gideon's chapters sounded so much alike. Or maybe it's because I despised Ruby. Oh well. I'm glad you enjoyed it though.
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Lol Cynthia! I despised Ruby as well but thought that her actions were justified to an extent. I mean, who wouldn't have been salty? I'm sorry to hear that you weren't impressed! Truth be told, that was my reaction to the author's previous works. 😛
This sounds awesome! I’m definitely going to have to give this a try when I’m in the mood for something light and cute. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! ❤
This does sound VERY cute! I am kind of hit or miss with "cute", but I like that this one is at least a little different from the usual, and I also like short books so… I think if I am in the mood for cute and fluffy, this would be a good choice! Plus come on, you had me at Mean Girls and 10 Things I Hate About You 😉 Great review!
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OMG YES, if those movies are up your alley, then this book would be perfect for you Shannon 😀 Oh and it's also pretty short (I finished it in a couple of hours without sweat) so again, another reason why you should ever pick it up when you have the time.
This sounds like a good one! I like it when the characters feel realistic and authentic. And it seems fun how different these two characters are. Too bad there wasn't a bit more depth to it at times though.
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That was the most disappointment I had Lola, because there were SO MANY GREAT topics the author could have chosen to delve into, rather than mentioning them once and never again. But it was great to read about this variety of characters!
This one sounds super cute and relatable and I love how there's a bisexual character who comes out. Too bad that the short length didn't give too much character development. Lovely review Aila!
Yeah I was a bit disappointed by that fact too Jeann, but overall the story did leave all the cute feels!
I recently finished this book and I absolutely loved it! It was one of the most adorable, sweet romances that I've read in a very long time, and it has instantly become a favorite book of mine. The characters were well written and it wasn't boring in the slightest…I think the shorter length helped keep the story line on track instead of just going off and rambling the way some books do. Great review!
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Thanks Kelly! That is very true, it was very focused on the main characters – it would have been nice to see some exploration of the important issues that the book touches upon though. I think I could have connected better to the characters that way!
I'm really liking the sound of this one. It seems light and cute and fluffy and not too serious at all. Sometimes I'm not looking for anything too heavy in my books, and I just want to enjoy something light hearted and a breeze to read. When a time like that comes around, I'll be turning to a book like this one.
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This is definitely one of the times where you would pick up a light and fluffy book, Olivia!
I LOVE your picture with the cute little Pineapple! <3 And you're totally not the only one that loves high school comedy romance movies! THEY ARE DA BOMB. And so is Amanda Bynes, but that is a story for another day.
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YESSS AMANDA BYNES – can't go wrong with her old movies. :'D (now though, I'm not sure…)
This book reminded me so much of one, which is why I enjoyed it!
I agree this book was super cute. It didn't go heavy into any of the issues but glad i touched on them. Loved it for quick summer read. Great review!
It's definitely a good summer read Grace! Quick, sweet, and to the point.