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Review: Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall



Blurb from Goodreads:
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…
My Review:
 
This was really sweet and, honestly, had it just been a bit more straightforward about discovery and first love, I probably would have rated it higher.  The problem was that the conflict in this was centered around the possibility of outing someone against their will; I can't even imagine such an awful fate let alone in high school.  It was so painful to imagine this and the character more of or less responsible for this got on my serious SHIT list pretty quickly.  I just felt so overwhelmed with empathy. which I know is a something real that happens but it was so hard to read.  All that being said, I love love loved Gideon and Kyle-- their friendship just felt so real, so genuine and I wanted to wrap them both up in a blanket of comfort so neither would have to ever deal with anything bad.  I felt so protective of them both! 

This is definitely a fun YA version of the boy next door trope -- Kyle and Gideon were such amazing friends without giving more away and this book was, ultimately, a really sweet read.  Been Here All Along comes out next week on August 30, 2016, and you can purchase HERE.
He chews his lip, and all I can think about is kissing him.  It's been building up inside of me for months, and I just know I need to get it out of my system.  I need to go for it.  I want to sig next to him on the couch, and I want our knees to touch.  I want to remember that everything that happened last night and everything we said was real.   
I put my hand on the back of his neck and pull him close, standing on my tiptoes to press my lips to his.  It's quick and dry and maybe not the most romantic or centered kiss that has ever passed between two people.   
But it's our first, and I immediately know that I don't want it to be our last.

Comments

  1. This genuinely sounds so wonderfully cute and lovely! And re: being outed -- god yes. That's such an awful violation IMHO.

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  2. It was so cute and I really loved it. Gideon and Kyle were the best ♥ Great review!!

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  3. This does sound like it would be quite emotional. So glad you did like it despite all the harsher emotions attached to what was happening to the MC.

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  4. Ohh great review. This sounds cute, and the cover reminds me of Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me music video!

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  5. OMG I thought I was the only one! It reminds me of that song too :) and honestly that might be one of the reasons I want to read this book so far. Great review! It's sounds as cute as I'd hoped.

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  6. OMG I thought I was the only one! It reminds me of that song too :) and honestly that might be one of the reasons I want to read this book so far. Great review! It's sounds as cute as I'd hoped.

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  7. Oh, I always get stressed when a character threatens something like this, and yes it does happen but ugh...Gideon and Kyle do sound cute!

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  8. All the reviews I've read for this seem to have the same kind of rating and they all say the book was cute and/or sweet. I like cute and sweet sometimes but lately I have been looking for deeper contemporary books. Like I'll Meet You There :)

    Nereyda│ Nick & Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist

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  9. Been curious about this one. Wow, can't imagine someone having that kind of power over me and wanting to reveal my secret. Damn. It's good they had a nice friendship though. Seems like an interesting story. Thanks for your honest review and glad you liked it for the most part.

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  10. I hate it when you can't connect with a book or the characters. That's when it's time to say BYE BYE, to that world. Sometimes I like to hang on to the book, JUST for the sake of not wanting to quit something once I start it. But, I feel you. I FEEL YOU GIRL.

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  11. Oh this one sounds good! I've only read one of Sandy's books before, but I really enjoyed it. I might have to check this one out.

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  12. As much as I love the sound of Giedeon and Kyle and exploring their relationship, I'll probably give this one a pass. Someone being forcibly outed... ugh. And if it's a character that plays any decent size part in the book, I'd be spending all my time annoyed and feeling all stabby. I'd much rather just focus on Gideon and Kyle.

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  13. Every time I read the description, I laugh at the name Gideon. I know, totally different stories, but I can't help but think of the CF series. I do have this one on my list to read, so I hope it goes well.

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  14. This sounds like I would feel overly bad for Kyle, its always bad when other people can decided to reveal something so huge. Glad you liked it!

    Tori @ In Tori Lex

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  15. I keep reading that this book is cute. I wasn't huge fan of Signs Point to Yes so I've been skeptical on reading a book by this author again.
    Lovely review!

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