Reviewed by Stephen K
TITLE: Been Here All Along
AUTHOR: Sandy Hall
PUBLISHER: Swoon Reads
LENGTH: 242 Pages
RELEASE DATE: August 30th , 2016
BLURB:
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:
This is a story of young love, befuddlement, and coming out amid the barely legal. At least they’re legal for each other so don’t expect much more than a few kisses here. That said, this story is sweeter than you-tube puppy videos. The two boys are charming, the parentals are charming, even the older brother and the girlfriend are charming. This is perhaps the least angsty coming out story ever. I mean when Gideon tells his parents, his biggest fear is that his mom is gonna throw him a “surprise” coming-out party.
There are some of the usual high-school age mean girls shenanigans but just enough to make the story interesting. What was amazing to me is just how idyllic these boys’ comings out were. It gives me hope that just maybe, as a society, we’ve progressed over the last forty years or so. I know my coming out was much more worrying even after moving 1200 miles from where I was raised. I’m just hoping that things are easier for most kids today.
Of course I don’t think I’ve ever felt older than when the kids start talking about not being born yet when the Lord of the Rings movies were in theaters. If you’d like to read a nice, sweet coming out styled M/M romance , or are looking for one to gift to a teen you know, you could do much worse than choosing this one. Full disclosure: though I’ve tagged this one as friends-to-lovers, considering their age and how far their physical relationship goes, this is more like friends-to-likers.
RATING: 
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