Been Here All Along: He's in Love with the Boy Next Door Kindle Edition

I chose this book as part of a 30 Days of Pride Book Review project. This is that review:Gideon has been best friends with Kyle almost as long as he can remember. So when Kyle and his girlfriend are having a fight, Gideon really has to examine why he feels somewhat giddy. He’s definitely not attracted to Ruby… but could he really be attracted to Kyle?This is a lightweight, cutesy story about wanting a friendship to blossom into romance. The writing is simplistic. The conflict and eventual story arc is pretty obvious. The resolution is what one would expect. I mean, there is nothing too innovative or surprising happening here.Still, at the end of the day, it's a feel-good story. It delivers what the genre promises. It is a schmoopy teen romance. So, you get what you pay for here. The boys are good friends, and you want to root for them through the genre requisite misunderstandings and blunders. They also don't make the girlfriend character a throw away person whose feelings don't matter… or ultimately a monster so the audience doesn't have to feel so bad if her feelings get hurt…. Which I appreciated.All and all it was a quick and pleasant read.There were a few things that didn't quite do it for me, however. I didn't find the characters to be totally consistent from one scene to the next. For instance, in one scene Ruby is the point of view character and even in her internal monologue she is totally cool with the information she just learned. Than 3 days later she expresses that she is totally not okay with it. And while she could have simply changed her mind, I think we should have seen a glimmer of misgiving, while we were in her head, if she really felt so strongly about it later. And another instance was, in the beginning of the book Gideon has just no clue that his being gay was even a possibility. It catches him totally off guard to be attracted to a guy. Then much later in the book, someone asks him how long he's known he is gay, and he replies, “I guess I always sort of knew, but didn't know how to deal with it.” That was not at all what was expressed in his thoughts when we were in his point of view. It just feels like clumsy characterization.Also, the “up until right this moment I thought I was straight but I was secretly totally in gay denial this whole time” trope seems to just be over represented as a story device for straight authors writing gay stories. I don't know, and maybe I'm not being fair, because I'm not saying this never happens in real life, but.... and maybe this is just me... it can feel almost fetishy(?) sometimes. I've seen it too many times with fanfiction authors writing two characters who have been established heterosexual in canon, because those characters just don't know any better and really they are meant to be together.Do I recommend it? If you like schmoopy romances? If you like light manufactured drama that wraps up neatly, ala’ Degrassi or Teen Nick? If you really want a best friend hoping for romance story? Sure. Go ahead. Read this one. It is lightweight, Fluffy, Harmless faire.So how does it do on this project's scales?The Queer Counterculture Visibility Scale is first, which determines how much light I thought this book shed on less prominent queer stories. I liked that we had a POV character that identified as bisexual. I also liked that there were some class issues being pointed out by a non-queer POV character. A handful of points there.2 out of 5 starsThe second scale is The Genre Expectation scale, which rates how the book compares to other books in its genre. Like I said above, it is a fine example of the genre. Nothing too surprising but nothing too disappointing either.3 out of 5 stars

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 :)

This is a great book. It's a wonderful coming of age, coming out, gay love story. It's heart felt and endearing. The author writes wonderfully and captures an essence within the characters she creates that makes the reader want to keep reading and reading and not put the book down! This is one of the best coming of age love stories I've ever read.Unfortunately, this is the authors ONLY gay romance novel. Her other few novels concern only straight characters, and although they are probably well written and good stories, in a world dominated by heterosexual imagery depicted in every and all genre's, I'm only inclined to give my time to reading gay fiction.

I'm a sucker for Sandy Hall and her books. I had misplaced this one while on vacation and I was halfway through...I was dying to find out what would become of Gideon, Kyle and Ruby.I enjoyed the sweet romanticism of this book, and even though it was predictable, it was like watching your favorite ABC Family drama...it goes down like dessert...sweet and satisfying.My only regrets are that I felt Ruby's story could have been a bit more finished and I want to know more about Ezra, too. I feel like there was more depth there to be explored.Overall, it's a fast, cute book.

This is the kind of novel where I absolutely looove the idea of it more than the actual novel. For this novel to reach its full potential it would have to be twice as long.I'm a queer guy who was looking forward to reading a cute book about two best friends who fall in love, though it went too fast and was too unrealistic. I feel like this novel was written by a straight woman for a straight female audience without any real research about what it means to be lgbtq+. I'll give some examples:1. you're gay before you realize it.What I mean with this is that even if you don't know your sexuality, you still are it. You don't sit next to your attractive best friend and think about kissing him only /after/ you realized your sexuality, you do it before, too. There were no indication that Gideon liked guys or was attracted to Kyle before he watched the picture in the changing rooms and imagined kissing his best friend.2. coming to terms with identityOkay, honestly, if anyone in this world accepts and comes to term realizing their sexuality this fast, I'm really really happy for you but it's soooooooooo unbelievable. I mean, those lists that Gideon made about whether or not he was attracted to Kyle and thus if he was gay was just crap. It took him a few hours to think about kissing his best friend and then coming to terms with his sexuality and soon he's telling his brother that he's gay. If that was the first time he thought of kissing Kyle then the realistic thing to happen was him brushing it off as being tired or something's messing with his head. It's like the saying goes, if it happens once then it's nothing.I'll leave lgbtq+ alone now, I feel like I've made my point. However, another thing I feel like this novel is lacking is characterization. I have a lot of questions in this regard.1. Why the hell did Kyle's girlfriend text Gideon the pictures of his lists?2. Why the hell did Gideon leave his lists under the living room couch after WEEKS???? He has a room for goodness' sake!!!!!3. Why did Kyle go from 0-100 in terms of his feelings for Gideon? From seeing him as just a friend and then "I might be in love with him."4. Why did Gideon go from 0-100 in terms of his feelings for Kyle????5. Who even are the characters?? I mean where's the depth?6. Does all Kyle's and Gideon's friendship and humor only involve Lord of the Rings??? Don't they watch any other movies together but those??7. Where's the background story?? The build-up?? And then I don't mean a one-liner like "He comes from X, his parents, X and X, are working as X and X and he and his neighbor has been best friends since they were kids."8. Why didn't Sandy HAll make any of the characters round and relatable?Trust me, I have more but I'm sure I've already made my point.Dear Sandy Hall,I hope you're reading this because even though this review wasn't very positive, it is good to know what the flaws are so they can be changed in future novels. I admire that you had the guts to publish this, I really am, but go through my notes and try avoiding those things in future projects.//: Reviewer

I really enjoyed this book. It was a short read which was nice as it was quick but entertaining. I really felt for the characters as they all went through certain struggles. I especially felt for Kyle as I related to him on such a personal level. However, there are a couple of disappointing things I found in this book. One of the disappointing things was the lack of depth to some of the characters; especially Ruby. Another point is more of a personal preference, but there wasn’t as much romance between Kyle and Gideon as I hoped. There were a few kisses and hugs but no deep connections in their relationship which I would have loved to see. I think it just came down to time as the book was so short that it lacked detail and intimacy which is a shame considering that the idea of the book had so much more potential. I would still recommend this book though as it is a heart warming book that many people; especially people from the LGBTQ+ community, or someone suffering with Dyslexia or similar learning disabilities.

This book was recommended to me and I'm so happy that I decided to get it.I love the writing style. First person head hopping is my favourite, and Sandy manages to write the voices of teenagers so well they feel like real people.I like that the story touched real life issues like with Ezra not knowing what to do with himself, Gideon and Kyle coming out in their own ways and Kyle’s struggles with school.This was a really enjoyable read. Light, humorous and full of feels.I'll definitely read more from Sandy.Here is one of my favourite moments from the book;‘I have—I hate myself even as I think the word—a crush. I have a crush on my best friend. I have become a teen romcom cliché. There is no hope for me.’

Loved the characters, I love that you can feel yourself falling for the characters as the book goes on. The major plot point was very reminiscent of Ross and Rachel in Friends but otherwise I really liked it.

It has potential. But as it is it is like a faceplant into blancmange. Worse, it is shorter than it seems. Another book which has a lot of padding at the end.