Book Review: Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall

Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
Source: Borrowed

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 neighbour, 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 . . . 

If I had to describe Been Here All Along in one word, that word would be “cute.” This is a book with cute characters who do cute things. Even the main conflict of the book is barely a conflict. Add to that the fact that this book is basically the m/m version of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” and, you know what? CUTE. I want to be absolutely clear when I say that my rating of three stars is because of the cuteness and because this book is incredibly easy to read.

The actual plot, though? To be completely honest, it doesn’t really exist. It’s really just about two friends who realize they’re in love with each other. There’s a smidgen of coming out drama, which is barely even a thing, and a kind of random aside about a side character’s financial situation. For some reason, there are four POVs in this book, which is a little much for a book that’s only 200ish pages and made it difficult to fully connect with the characters. (Also odd since two of the POVs are not main characters.) Aside from all of that, everything develops fairly predictably and with the least amount of drama possible.

I read the majority of this book over about an hour while I waited at my local library. It’s so easy to read and such a quick read that I’d definitely recommend it if you’re trying to get out of a reading slump. If you’re looking for something with a lot of depth, though, I’d steer clear.

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Have you read Been Here All Along? What’s the last light, fluffy romance you read?
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