Official Synopsis:
Gideon always has a plan. His plans include running for class president, leading 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…
Author Sandy Hall’s signature wit and charm is back with Been Here All Along, an LGBT young adult romance from Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review:
I really liked that although it seemed like Gideon and Kyle were polar opposites in many ways, they worked so well together. Kyle being great at sports and getting thrust into a position of popularity contrasted with Gideon’s non-popular status at school, but I loved how they were both nerds at heart and how they’d stayed friends for so long.
I also liked that Ruby wasn’t a stereotypical ‘mean, popular girlfriend’ like is seen in a lot of books/movies when the main character has a crush on somebody else, so that was very refreshing. All of the characters felt developed and I loved the dynamics and relationships between them. I also appreciated that Kyle being bisexual and Gideon coming out as gay was seen as normal, and was accepted immediately, so that was really cool to have a community of characters that were super accepting.
This book switches POVs often. At various points, we get to see the story from Gideon, Kyle, Ruby, and Ezra. Personally, I felt the story still would’ve worked without the story from Ezra’s POV.
Overall, this is a cute, quick read, and readers who love YA contemporary LGBTQ romance will enjoy it.
BUY ‘BEEN HERE ALL ALONG’ HERE:
Connect with the author! You can find Sandy Hall on twitter and Instagram at @iamsandyhall !!
buried in a bookshelf 