Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall

To be published by Swoon Books
on August 30, 2016

Source: ARC for review from publisher

Synopsis 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… 

Review of  Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall

This was my first Swoon Reads book, and overall I thought it was cute. It's the story of a bunch of people realizing different things about themselves, but mostly a story about two guy best friends who (slowly) realize that they're in love. 

Gideon and Kyle put the Q in LGBTQ and I think that's a great thing in a YA book with teen characters who are just figuring stuff out. Gideon and Kyle were very sweet together and I was rooting for them.

However, I had some minor issues with the writing style and narrative choices. 

First off, I'm skeptical of the need for too many first person POVs, especially in a story that's primarily romance.  

I think Kyle's girlfriend's POV and Gideon's brother's POV just cluttered up the story and kept us from our happy couple. Plus, Ruby (understandably) came off a little bitter about being ditched. I think these two could have been given their own story in a spin-off book.

In addition, there was something about the story that seemed a little too simple. The blurb talks all about Gideon's goals, but those aren't a big part of the story. Everyone was going through stuff, but everyone was also super-supportive of one another, which seemed a little too good to be true. 

But that could just be me - if you like your stories on the sweeter side, you won't mind. And those critiques aside, this is a quick, cute read for those in the mood for a sweet LGBTQ romance.