How Many Times Can I Say The Word Cute? – Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall {Book Review}

Title: Been Here All Along
Author: Sandy Hall
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Release Date:  August 30th, 2016
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary

Goodreads link

My rating in stars: 3 stars
My rating in words: It was ok

What it’s about:

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 thoughts:

I picked up this book because after finishing More Happy Than Not, I was in the mood for a short, cute, sweet and fluffy LGBTQ romance. And that was exactly what I got with Been Here All Along.

I finished this book in about a day – so it really is perfect if you’re looking for a short read. There are lots of things to like about this book:

Two super adorable main characters. Gideon and Kyle are two completely different characters and it’s always clear whose POV you’re reading from. But the one thing they have in common is that they’re both adorably nerdy in their own way. I loved both of their POV’s.

A nice slow-burn friendship-turning-into-romance. I can’t help it. It’s one of my favorite tropes and I once again love it in this little book. The friendship between Kyle and Gideon especially is super cute. I mean, writing notes in Elvish, holding Lord of the Rings marathons? Screams adorable to me.

Realistic secondary characters. I actually really liked both the character of Ruby and Ezra. Ruby, as the popular chearleader and girlfriend could have been painted as your typical high school bitch, but she really wasn’t. She’s a flawed character that made some mistakes, but she still always felt sincere and relatable. I also really loved the relationship between Gideon and his older brother Ezra. While the parents are not super present int he story, it’s nice to see some familial support in the form of Ezra.

Even though I liked the book, I am afraid it’s not gonna be an all-time favorite for me. I had a few issues and most of that is that I didn’t get invested enough into the story. It all was a little too easy and predictable for me. Sure there’s some high school drama, but nothing you can’t see coming from a mile away and nothing that isn’t easily resolved either. Also, the book just feels like it’s written for a way younger audience – I think if I was 14 I would have enjoyed this book way more.

So even if I didn’t think it was a super memorable book, it was still a nice, cute little read. If you’re in the mood for an easy, read-in-a-day LGBTQ story, this will definitely fit.