This was my most anticipated release and I am so thankful to have received an ARC of it from Swoon Reads. Shout out to Macmillan & Swoon Reads for their awesomeness and allowing me to read and review this for them!

Kyle and Gideon have been best friends since they were about the age of five. They have always been next-door neighbors and have created a close bond. Despite their opposite personalities; Kyle: basketball player/jock, Gideon: geek, brainiac they’ve become best of friends. Their friendship is one you’ll be envious of!

This book primarily revolves around exploring sexuality and coming to terms with it. Kyle is bisexual and has been out to his family and close friends. However, he hasn’t told his girlfriend Ruby because he didn’t feel comfortable. He deals with finding ways to finally tell her this big secret. While, Gideon is exploring his sexuality and coming to terms with “being gay” when he starts developing feelings for Kyle.

Sandy Hall is a writer who likes multiple POV. Similar to her sophomore novel, Signs Point to Yes this book focuses on the main characters, a sibling and Ruby - Kyle’s girlfriend. We get to know these other characters and see what they're struggling with as well as the boys.

I enjoy the way Hall writes because she has fluffy Contemporary with a hint of dark/important topics. Been Here All Along includes a parent losing a job, surviving in the real world/life after college and a learning disability. I enjoyed these topics being implemented into the story because they are real life events and need to be seen in YA more! Adding a learning disability really hit me because it was relatable to my life and rare to see in YA books.

Kyle and Ruby have a complicated relationship - there were times when it did feel toxic. Ruby isn't the nicest character and seems careless when it comes to others feelings. She gets jealous very quickly. However, she redeems herself in the end.

This book takes a turn when Gideon and Ruby start acting strange which causes Kyle to become suspicious. It changes the story and the characters turn on each other. This really makes the story :)

I loved Kyle and Gideon's story and how many strong messages were in this book. Gideon is a friend you'd love to have. He's super nerdy, kind and will force you to watch Lord of the Rings. Kyle is sweet and understanding, witty.

I think this became one of my favorite Sandy Hall books since A Little Something Different. I highly recommend to pick up this LGBTQIA book inspired by a fan edition of You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift! Kyle and Gideon will quickly become your new OTP and you’ll ship them as hard as I did! I would read more of these boys in a heartbeat. I love them so much. Please pick this book up, it deserves to be read :)

{4.5 stars} WOAH WOAH WOAH WHAT ARE WORDS

This is a Sherlock Holmes & John Watson retelling following their great-great-great grandchildren; Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson. They are being framed for a murder that happens on their boarding school campus in Connecticut. The murders and incidents that occur are being done based on the stories of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Someone is after Jamie and Charlotte but…who?

Fast paced and very mysterious!! The suspense is real. It’s very easy to get into because the first chapter throws you into the story. I really enjoyed that because it didn’t take me a long time to figure out where the story was headed. Mystery is one of my favorite genre’s that I don’t get to read a lot. The last mystery I read was We Were Liars by E.Lockhart – which I loved.

This is Brittany Cavallaro‘s debut novel and while reading I kept that in my mind. As a debut novel, this was outstanding! The transitions from chapter to chapter really stood out to me. They were very nice and enthralling, you definitely wanted to keep going on to the next chapter.

Imagery is another thing that I always look for when reading. Imagery was done very, very well in this book! I felt like I was following Jamie and Charlotte everywhere they went. Just the little details of where they were and what was around them really helped me to feel like I was there. I just had the feeling *throughout the whole book* that I was right next to them or in the room with them/on the scene.

Twists and turns are MAJOR in this story!! Everything that happened, I was not expecting! I always had a feeling when introduced to a new character of them being a suspect. I was definitely questioning a lot of the time trying to figure out “who done it?”. But, I was in shock when it was revealed.

Drug use is one focus in this story beside the mystery and murders. Charlotte has been doing various drugs (oxy, coke, etc.) since she was very young and we do see some of her outbreaks and mood changes. Charlotte is an interesting and complex character. I felt a love-hate-relationship with her. She’s a badass in a good and bad way.

Jamie also deals with some bitterness and anger toward his father who lives in Connecticut and lives somewhat of a different life now. We get to see him build his relationship with his father back and it’s very nice!

Holmes & Watson were a great team and I loved them! Romance isn’t too much of a focus in this book which was nice but some flirting and “aww” moments occur! Also, they are hilarious and witty with their banter!

I’m not used to reading series/trilogies so reading this it felt more of a standalone than a first book in a series. There was an epilogue at the end and so now I’m curious to see what the next two books are like.

Beware of all the feels that this book will give you along with a possible book hangover! Definitely need some time to breathe and compile your thoughts! Just WOAH!

If you’re a fan of the BBC show, Sherlock you’ll be a fan of this! Most of my friends who I have read this along with are fans of that show and they loved it as well! To sum it up: this was a modernized Sherlock & Watson retelling! Everyone needs to go grab this, it was awesome and a read you need in your life!

4.5 stars

Trigger warnings: bulimia, drug addiction *cocaine*, attempted sexual assault scene, homophobic scene, death of a loved one, depression, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, abortion

This was an amazing book. It reminded me of If I Stay, but this is way better. I loved all of the important themes the author intertwined. Mental health and reflection are a huge part of this book and I really enjoyed that. Liz was a very unlikable character and during her flashbacks, I felt so much hatred for her. Her actions were very cruel and malicious.

My only issue was the writing of POV. I really would've liked for this book to be written in first person. I was often confused on who the actual POV was at times and having finished the book, I am still unclear. There were many flashbacks especially the "snapshot" scenes where I was just super confused on who was talking. If the POV was different, this book is absolutely a five-star read.

This is an emotional and raw story that felt very realistic rather than a "typical" high school story, I could relate to some of the characters through seeing these stories play out during my time in high school. I highly recommend this for anyone seeking out a hard-hitting book that deals with many dark topics.

Rep: #ownvoices for OCD, anxiety
TW: grief, panic attacks, death

This book made me cry by the first chapter. I think this is a great novel that shows what it's like to have OCD. As a person with anxiety, I felt the anxiety representation was super relatable. This book has a really great take on grief and losing someone close to you. You see how all of the characters react and act out in their grieving process. Overall, I really enjoyed this book for all of that and it was written very well. I got so many great quotes out of this book. However, Griffin was my least favorite character and he just annoyed the hell out of me with all of the stuff he pulled...it was so unnecessary but I get it was apart of his grieving process. I just wish he could've handled some circumstances better and wasn't shitty to the other characters.

WADE DESERVED BETTER.

Now all I want is for Adam to write an AU (alternate universe) companion novel where Griffin dies and we see how Theo reacts. Hopefully, he would react/act better than Griffin did.

tw: panic attacks, sexual assault and harassment, heroin & addiction, alcoholism

I really loved the representation in this novel. It was really different from a storyline I have ever read. This follows the story of Savannah Sutton who has to go to a detention center because of an incident involving her and her ex-boyfriend at her past school. She takes care (she's his caregiver) of her little brother who has a disability since her mother left two years ago. Savannah struggles with living in poverty. There's also an emphasis on heroin addiction which I really enjoyed. Overall, this was a book I devoured because the story & writing were addicting.

Amazing book that portrays a girl coming to terms with her eating disorder, orthorexia. The aspect of "on the spectrum" is incorporated SO WELL. The character development is great, the whole book comes full circle in many ways and through several characters. Also, the setting of Paris and the descriptive writing of the food made me hungry and Paris is now on my bucket list just because of this book alone. Anna and the French Kiss, move over THIS is the book you need to be reading.

Rating: 4.5 stars

I was sent a copy of this book for review from the publisher, Swoon Reads in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book! It was so enthralling. I love the friends to lovers trope, so it was inevitable that I would enjoy Kiss Cam. Kiara London's writing is whimsical and easy to read. I loved the friend group of Jasper, June and Lenny. The story didn't just focus on romance, the reader was also able to see all of the relationships in June's life like with her dad, her friend Allison and Lenny.

As a vlogger myself, I related to some parts of We're Vlogging Here and VlogIt. I would've liked to see more of that side rather than just snippets of how they filmed their videos.

This would've been a full 5 star but I really was craving the POV from Lenny and Jasper! I also had some scenes I wanted, but didn't get.

Overall, a great contemporary and I want more of these characters!!

Another Kasie West book, another round of feels. I really liked how this book was a roller coaster, it didn't stay in one direction it had its twists and turns to the story. I really thought this was just going to be a story about a girl and boy who get stuck in a library for the whole story. But, nope! I really love the direction the story went and I was on the edge of my seat & as torn between Jeff and Dax as Autumn was. Ahh so good, probably my second favorite West book.

Also, this story deals with the MC and her struggle with anxiety. As well as a character who is in the foster system. Kasie West is adding more diverse elements to her stories and I love it.