Monday, December 22, 2014

Review: We Should Hang Out Sometime

WE SHOULD HANG OUT SOMETIME
Josh Sundquist
Non-Fiction/Humor
336 pages
Little, Brown BFYR
Available Now
Source: BEA

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Josh Sundquist only ever had one girlfriend.
For twenty-three hours.
In eighth grade.

Why was Josh still single? To find out, he tracked down the girls he had tried to date and asked them straight up: What went wrong?

The results of Josh's semiscientific, wholly hilarious investigation are captured here. From a disastrous Putt-Putt date involving a backward prosthetic foot, to his introduction to CFD (Close Fast Dancing), to a misguided "grand gesture" at a Miss America pageant, this story is about looking for love--or at least a girlfriend--in all the wrong places.


MY THOUGHTS
We Should Hang Out Sometime is a fun foray into the dating history of Josh Sundquist, a man who lost his leg to cancer at the age of nine and has since gone on to be a paralympic ski racer, motivational speaker and more. The setup of this book is analytical in nature, an experiment Josh sets up wherein he
methodically reviews his encounters with girls from his young teens through early twenties in order to better understand why he's never had a girlfriend. His recounting of these interactions is charmingly self-deprecating, and his writing style is so beautifully smooth and flowing that we suddenly find ourselves two hundred pages in before we even realize we’ve read a chapter.

In addition to the endearing conversational-style quality to his writing, Mr. Sundquist excels at bringing choice moments to vivid life, perfectly capturing they type of social ineptitude we’ve all experienced time and again as we’ve attempted to navigate the emotionally treacherous labyrinth that is interacting with the object of our affection. His younger self obsesses over every small gesture or word spoken by the girl he’s interested in, constantly questioning the meaning behind them and then running through every possible response to those various meanings in his head before deciding to move forward with one. His fear of rejection with the young women detailed in the book is palpable and more than understandable, memories of our own experiences causing us to stress on his behalf and then smile in knowing sympathy when his courage fails him and he puts self-preservation ahead of open communication.

We Should Hang Out Sometime is perfect for those looking for a little something different, something that will make them laugh and relate completely to a young man in search of acceptance from others when the acceptance he really needs is from himself. Josh’s story imparts a beautiful message when our time wandering through his embarrassingly cute and sometimes-sour experiences comes to an end, leaving us with a strong desire to see where his motivational speaking career will take him next so we can enjoy what he has to say in person.

Rating: 4/5


Find Josh:


This book was given to me by the publisher at BEA free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

30 comments:

  1. I'm glad to hear the book is as hilarious as his YouTube videos! I can only recommend his channel, by the way. He is hilarious and my favorite feature are probably his graphs and charts videos (often, but far from always called "... For math nerds").

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll definitely have to check out his videos, I so enjoyed his sense of humor in this book:)

      Delete
  2. This sounds quite intriguing and entertaining and fun!
    Thank you for putting this one on my radar Jenny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome Pili! It was a nice change of pace for me:)

      Delete
  3. I've not heard of this book before Jenny, but I really do like the sounds of it, also books which have several laugh out loud moments I've really been in the mood for!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This time of year I always need lighter reads that just make me smile:)

      Delete
  4. This book definitely sounds different! I like that it's a weird combo of funny and inspirational. I wouldn't have picked this novel out for myself, but after reading your review I find myself strongly considering adding it to my TBR. Way to teach an old dog new tricks! ;)

    Carmel @ Rabid Reads

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I probably wouldn't have either Carmel, non-fiction typically is not for me, but it got a lot of hype at BEA this past year and I'm really glad I gave it a try!

      Delete
  5. This sounds so humourous and relatable, Jenny. I'll see if a copy is available at the library.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This sounds like an inspirational story, Jenny! I like that the author used his experience to make a humorous book! It's not my typical genre, but I'll have to check it out from the library.
    Beautiful review, Jenny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nor mine Nick, but I was looking for something outside my paranormal YA comfort zone, and this just made me happy:)

      Delete
  7. This definitely sounds like a great read when you want something totally different! Great review Jenny!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's always nice to switch things up a bit and this sounds like a very motivational read! Glad you enjoyed it Jenny : )

    ReplyDelete
  9. This one sounds different and interesting. I didn't know about it but I'm intrigued and I'm curious about the character, I hope he finds acceptance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He did Melliane:) The whole book was sweet and fun and I so enjoyed it.

      Delete
  10. This looks like a good book. Am I in the minority to find that the backward foot to be endearing? Well, I guess as long as you knew he had a prosthetic foot. ;) This sounds like a sweet and relatable book. Brilly review!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Replies
    1. I did too and this definitely fit the bill:)

      Delete
  12. This sounds like such a cute read! I initially thought it was a YA based on the cover. I rarely read nonfic but thus sounds too good to pass up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't typically read non-fiction either, but I was lucky enough to snag a copy at BEA and I'm so glad I did:)

      Delete
  13. I've taken on a completely new appreciation for novels that can make me laugh. It's so much harder to read something funny than it is to watch or listen to something funny so you've definitely got me intrigued by this one. It's out of my comfort zone but I'm too curious to not give it a shot. Thanks for putting this on my radar, Jenny! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a quick read Keertana, full of fun charts and graphs that help illustrate his various points. I hope you give it a try:)

      Delete
  14. I would love to see him speak in person Heidi!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I had no idea it was nonfiction! I'll need to remember this title when I'm in the mood for a humorous read.

    ReplyDelete