What do you think?
Rate this book
We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Humor (2015)A bright, poignant, and deeply funny autobiographical account of coming of age as an amputee cancer survivor, from Josh Sundquist: Paralympic ski racer, YouTube star, and motivational speaker.
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.
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.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published December 23, 2014
503 people are currently reading
27641 people want to read
About the author
Josh Sundquist
13 books977 followersJOSH SUNDQUIST is a Paralympian, author, motivational speaker, and Halloween enthusiast.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,073 reviews
March 23, 2015
I loved the concept here and the overall message of the book - but i do feel like the general storytelling cycle from crush to crush became little repetitive as the book went. It was a super quick entertaining read though and I did enjoy myself. More detailed thoughts here in my booktalk: https://youtu.be/UxlKTgOe0s4 . I'd rate it a 3.4 and an 85 on my percent scale.
March 28, 2015
This book was so great! If you're a fan of Josh Sundquist's YouTube videos (youtube.com/joshsundquist) you're sure to enjoy this book. The stories were awkward, hilarious, and at times relatable. The one thing that I felt would've improved this book was a stronger ending. Other than that, this book was on point the whole way through! I'm so happy I got the chance to read this book and I'll definitely be picking up more of Josh's books in the future.
December 4, 2021
Mr. Sundquist is immediately like-able….more than that, he’s embraceable. In no time I just wanted to scoop him up and carry around in my pocket. Later, “I wanted to be the parrot on his shoulder” (I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson).
His story is sweet, honest and little bit heart-breaking, on the one hand. On the other; it is brave, bold, and courageous. Wholly admirable and humorous, reading We Should Hang Out Sometime is absolutely one of the best ways I can think of to spend some time. Mr. Sundquist’s open honesty and sincerity make the book. I want to give a copy of this to everyone I know.
Mr. Sundquist’s “true story” is many, many things. Embarrassing should not be one of them. Quite the opposite. He should be filled with pride to actually do what so many of us fantasize about…..go back and ask “WHY?”
I believe that the answers he received surprised him and that he was able to learn from them to understand more about himself. As it turns out, he finally found the answer to the one question he couldn’t ask aloud. He was the only person that could truly answer the most relevant question. Finally, he did.
Well done.
Oh, and this is one of my all-time favorite books to introduce to "my" students.
His story is sweet, honest and little bit heart-breaking, on the one hand. On the other; it is brave, bold, and courageous. Wholly admirable and humorous, reading We Should Hang Out Sometime is absolutely one of the best ways I can think of to spend some time. Mr. Sundquist’s open honesty and sincerity make the book. I want to give a copy of this to everyone I know.
Mr. Sundquist’s “true story” is many, many things. Embarrassing should not be one of them. Quite the opposite. He should be filled with pride to actually do what so many of us fantasize about…..go back and ask “WHY?”
I believe that the answers he received surprised him and that he was able to learn from them to understand more about himself. As it turns out, he finally found the answer to the one question he couldn’t ask aloud. He was the only person that could truly answer the most relevant question. Finally, he did.
Well done.
Oh, and this is one of my all-time favorite books to introduce to "my" students.
January 23, 2015
"I wanted her to suffer through every bit of awkwardness possible as punishment for not liking me back." (pg. 241). This pretty much summarizes the grossly misogynistic vibes that this book gives off.
So once upon a time I was subscribed to Josh Sundquist on Youtube and he seemed like a nice enough guy (I have long since unsubbed for reasons I can't remember). However, a book blogger who I trust has spoken highly about this book, saying it reads like a hilarious YA fiction. That coupled with the fact that my library charged me 50 cents to ship this book over from a different branch are the only things that got me through this tedious book.
The first 25 or so pages were pretty good and well written, discussing Josh's amputation and how he's maintained a sunny disposition despite losing his leg to cancer. There's a lot of substance in those first few pages.
Sadly the book quickly goes downhill. 200+ pages were spent chronicling Josh's various instances of striking out with girls (it was like 4 or 5 girls). In these 200+ pages he goes into EXCRUCIATING detail on his failed attempts to get a girlfriend, excruciating in every sense of the word. I cringed as he described stalking and tracking down middle school crushes on Facebook 10 years later as well as his intense detail (Then she said this, then I said this, then she blinked. Oh and she had on a blue cardigan. NO ONE NEEDS TO KNOW ALL THIS). What turned me off the most was the fact that a 30 something man decided to write a book about how the 5 girls he's had crushes on in his life didn't reciprocate his feelings. He tries to sugarcoat it with humor, yet it comes off as very bitter at times. Newsflash, yeah, having your crush not like you back sucks, but no one owes anyone love, sex or affection and I'm sick of this mentality that they do (and even more tired of the idea of the friend zone, ugh).
This isn't cute or quirky or all that funny, it's creepy and weird and doesn't show any character growth. If it was a work of fiction I wouldn't be so troubled, but alas.
So once upon a time I was subscribed to Josh Sundquist on Youtube and he seemed like a nice enough guy (I have long since unsubbed for reasons I can't remember). However, a book blogger who I trust has spoken highly about this book, saying it reads like a hilarious YA fiction. That coupled with the fact that my library charged me 50 cents to ship this book over from a different branch are the only things that got me through this tedious book.
The first 25 or so pages were pretty good and well written, discussing Josh's amputation and how he's maintained a sunny disposition despite losing his leg to cancer. There's a lot of substance in those first few pages.
Sadly the book quickly goes downhill. 200+ pages were spent chronicling Josh's various instances of striking out with girls (it was like 4 or 5 girls). In these 200+ pages he goes into EXCRUCIATING detail on his failed attempts to get a girlfriend, excruciating in every sense of the word. I cringed as he described stalking and tracking down middle school crushes on Facebook 10 years later as well as his intense detail (Then she said this, then I said this, then she blinked. Oh and she had on a blue cardigan. NO ONE NEEDS TO KNOW ALL THIS). What turned me off the most was the fact that a 30 something man decided to write a book about how the 5 girls he's had crushes on in his life didn't reciprocate his feelings. He tries to sugarcoat it with humor, yet it comes off as very bitter at times. Newsflash, yeah, having your crush not like you back sucks, but no one owes anyone love, sex or affection and I'm sick of this mentality that they do (and even more tired of the idea of the friend zone, ugh).
This isn't cute or quirky or all that funny, it's creepy and weird and doesn't show any character growth. If it was a work of fiction I wouldn't be so troubled, but alas.
June 21, 2017
I’m not much of a non-fiction reader, that much is obvious from the titles I read. I’m definitely not a huge fan of autobiographies especially when celebrities write them but I took an exception with this book because the title alone already shouts, “READ ME! “ so read it I did.
Here we have a Youtube sensation, a cancer survivor, an amputee and a motivational speaker who decides to write an autobiography but guess what he writes about?! His hilarious, romantic (although mostly failed) quests! This is just so refreshing and I enjoyed every bit of it.
The entire account had me literally laughing out loud from page one although I must admit there are some parts that broke my heart just a bit. Mr. Josh Sundquist made sure though that the sadness wouldn’t linger through his creative and scientific analyses of his personal dating (or the lack of it). His definitions, scientific observations and diagrams are hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing at his dancing terms.
I love how he makes light of challenging situations and even of his own difficult experiences. He even makes a diagram comparing his odds at beating cancer being higher than his odds at winning Prom King. Just Lol! The book reads like a novel actually and it’s probably why I enjoyed it. In the end it manages to become inspirational without being preachy or without trying too hard. I’m looking forward to reading his debut novel.
Here we have a Youtube sensation, a cancer survivor, an amputee and a motivational speaker who decides to write an autobiography but guess what he writes about?! His hilarious, romantic (although mostly failed) quests! This is just so refreshing and I enjoyed every bit of it.
The entire account had me literally laughing out loud from page one although I must admit there are some parts that broke my heart just a bit. Mr. Josh Sundquist made sure though that the sadness wouldn’t linger through his creative and scientific analyses of his personal dating (or the lack of it). His definitions, scientific observations and diagrams are hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing at his dancing terms.
I love how he makes light of challenging situations and even of his own difficult experiences. He even makes a diagram comparing his odds at beating cancer being higher than his odds at winning Prom King. Just Lol! The book reads like a novel actually and it’s probably why I enjoyed it. In the end it manages to become inspirational without being preachy or without trying too hard. I’m looking forward to reading his debut novel.
July 16, 2020
It's oh so hard being a guy.
First of all, thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for an egalley of this book. Here is my honest review.
Even though this book is directed for Young Adults, I'm not sure actual YAs will enjoy it much. This is the reminiscing of 25? 30? year old man, who is trying to figure out why he's never had a girlfriend. I usually define YA as teenaged years, usually 12-18/20. Being at the end of the YA years, I could enjoy this book much more than a 16 or 17 year old could.
The first 30% of this book was enjoyable. The narrative is funny and the stories are awkward and weird as any middle school love story can be. It has a feel of Abundance of Katherine's by John Green when Josh retells the stories of his previous disasters with girls.
However, the last 70% of the book became repetitive and quite honestly annoying. While Josh struggled to figure out why the heck the girls weren't declaring their love for him, I was struggling with why I should care about it. Seriously. There is no lesson learned for me, and other than being occasionally amused with Josh's tales of woe, I didn't really care for his attempts at conquests.
The more I read, the more I got fed up with the need for a girlfriend. It felt like he had a sense of entitlement throughout the book. Like he deserved a girlfriend and shouldn't have been turned down for whatever reason. He couldn't be doing something wrong, no not at all. While this irritated me, I hoped that at the end, he would come to realize that 1. he is not entitled to have a girlfriend-girls aren't going to go out of their way to make his life easy, and 2. he really needed to get a grip...wait, did I mention that already? (***SPOILERISH*** He does. THANK GOD)
While I didn't hate the book, I didn't love it either. It just wasn't...life inspiring or life changing or something radically memorable. Just a guy talking about his need for a girlfriend that he can't get. Moving on.
Since Josh feels the need to tell us all about his 25-30 years of girlfriendless tragedies, I would like to share my 20 years of boyfriendless tragedies, or rather, my acceptance of not needing a boyfriend. So, as of this moment, I have never had a boyfriend, have never been kissed, but seem to be free of whatever possessed Josh to NEED a girlfriend. Maybe it's because I'm a girl.
And there you have it, my short (shorter than this book) story about my lack of love life. You probably didn't want to read about it. Just like I didn't want to read about Josh's.
First of all, thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for an egalley of this book. Here is my honest review.
Even though this book is directed for Young Adults, I'm not sure actual YAs will enjoy it much. This is the reminiscing of 25? 30? year old man, who is trying to figure out why he's never had a girlfriend. I usually define YA as teenaged years, usually 12-18/20. Being at the end of the YA years, I could enjoy this book much more than a 16 or 17 year old could.
The first 30% of this book was enjoyable. The narrative is funny and the stories are awkward and weird as any middle school love story can be. It has a feel of Abundance of Katherine's by John Green when Josh retells the stories of his previous disasters with girls.
However, the last 70% of the book became repetitive and quite honestly annoying. While Josh struggled to figure out why the heck the girls weren't declaring their love for him, I was struggling with why I should care about it. Seriously. There is no lesson learned for me, and other than being occasionally amused with Josh's tales of woe, I didn't really care for his attempts at conquests.
The more I read, the more I got fed up with the need for a girlfriend. It felt like he had a sense of entitlement throughout the book. Like he deserved a girlfriend and shouldn't have been turned down for whatever reason. He couldn't be doing something wrong, no not at all. While this irritated me, I hoped that at the end, he would come to realize that 1. he is not entitled to have a girlfriend-girls aren't going to go out of their way to make his life easy, and 2. he really needed to get a grip...wait, did I mention that already? (***SPOILERISH*** He does. THANK GOD)
While I didn't hate the book, I didn't love it either. It just wasn't...life inspiring or life changing or something radically memorable. Just a guy talking about his need for a girlfriend that he can't get. Moving on.
Since Josh feels the need to tell us all about his 25-30 years of girlfriendless tragedies, I would like to share my 20 years of boyfriendless tragedies, or rather, my acceptance of not needing a boyfriend. So, as of this moment, I have never had a boyfriend, have never been kissed, but seem to be free of whatever possessed Josh to NEED a girlfriend. Maybe it's because I'm a girl.
And there you have it, my short (shorter than this book) story about my lack of love life. You probably didn't want to read about it. Just like I didn't want to read about Josh's.
March 20, 2015
4.5/5 stars
I really really enjoyed this book. It was lovely! Full review to come soon :)
I really really enjoyed this book. It was lovely! Full review to come soon :)
December 15, 2014
And so ends my brief infatuation with non-fiction humor.
We Should Hang Out Sometime is cute and mildly rib-tickling, but what horrifies me is that the whole premise is based on a grown man hunting down his ex-girlfriends and demanding to know why they broke up with him.
No matter how you frame it, it's creepy and violating. At one point he mentions that it was really difficult to track down one of his past loves on Facebook, but because of his mad tech skills, he succeeded!
What commitment! What dedication! What a stalker!
That aside, I enjoyed the portrayal of disability. Often, I found myself nodding along as Sundquist narrated his life as an amputee (he lost his leg from thigh down due to cancer), like having to constantly ask his camp counselor what activity they're doing next, so he can decide to go prosthetic-leg-on or leg-off.
Being wheelchair-bound, I have my own set of rules, such as calling ahead to see a restaurant or theater has wheelchair access. Opting for trousers instead of miniskirts if I know I'll have to get up at one point. Arriving early every outing to locate elevators.
These tasks are second nature to me, and I'm glad Sundquist is getting word out on how it feels to be handicapped in a realistic manner.
The ending—ergo, the reason why he can't find a girlfriend—is supremely corny. The author is a motivational speaker, so that's probably where it stems from.
Not bad for non-fiction humor, but I've read better. Tentative recommendation.
ARC provided by Netgalley
We Should Hang Out Sometime is cute and mildly rib-tickling, but what horrifies me is that the whole premise is based on a grown man hunting down his ex-girlfriends and demanding to know why they broke up with him.
No matter how you frame it, it's creepy and violating. At one point he mentions that it was really difficult to track down one of his past loves on Facebook, but because of his mad tech skills, he succeeded!
What commitment! What dedication! What a stalker!
That aside, I enjoyed the portrayal of disability. Often, I found myself nodding along as Sundquist narrated his life as an amputee (he lost his leg from thigh down due to cancer), like having to constantly ask his camp counselor what activity they're doing next, so he can decide to go prosthetic-leg-on or leg-off.
"I had developed these rules during the three years since I'd lost my leg. It wasn't like I sat down one day and said, "What are some good rules I can write for myself?" Instead, they had taken root and sprouted with conscious attention..."
Being wheelchair-bound, I have my own set of rules, such as calling ahead to see a restaurant or theater has wheelchair access. Opting for trousers instead of miniskirts if I know I'll have to get up at one point. Arriving early every outing to locate elevators.
These tasks are second nature to me, and I'm glad Sundquist is getting word out on how it feels to be handicapped in a realistic manner.
The ending—ergo, the reason why he can't find a girlfriend—is supremely corny. The author is a motivational speaker, so that's probably where it stems from.
Not bad for non-fiction humor, but I've read better. Tentative recommendation.
ARC provided by Netgalley
April 19, 2015
HILARIOUS! Loved it!
February 28, 2015
4.5/5 stars
Prologue: I saw this was available from my library online, so I thought to myself, "What the heck. Why not?" And checked it out. What an absolutely pleasant surprise it was.
Background: I really had no idea what to expect going into this book, other than having watched Josh's videos for about 5 years now (oh, you aren't subscribed? Well then, SUBSCRIBE ALREADY!). I know his sense of humor, his use of graphs, his life story in general, and even some of the anecdotes that appear in this book because of his videos.
We Should Hang Out Sometime chronicles Josh's romantic escapades, or lack thereof, as he investigates what exactly went wrong in each relationship he had with the girls in his life. Since he never had a girlfriend until around twenty-five years old, he figured something was wrong, and he was determined to figure out what.
Hypothesis: By the premise of this book alone, I figured it would be humorous, relatable, and an overall entertaining read.
Investigation: I read it to find out what I thought. And if you can't tell, the way I'm structuring this review is exactly how Josh structures each section of the book according to each girl he had a fling with. It progresses chronologically from when he was about thirteen up until the present day. I loved each story for its balance of honesty and humor.
Josh is truthful. He bares his own shortcomings and never blames the people in his life, even when it seems that the world is against him. He takes ownership of his failure to be straightforward with the women he shows interest in. And I really appreciated that integrity. It shows in his videos, and it shows in his writing.
Prologue: I saw this was available from my library online, so I thought to myself, "What the heck. Why not?" And checked it out. What an absolutely pleasant surprise it was.
Background: I really had no idea what to expect going into this book, other than having watched Josh's videos for about 5 years now (oh, you aren't subscribed? Well then, SUBSCRIBE ALREADY!). I know his sense of humor, his use of graphs, his life story in general, and even some of the anecdotes that appear in this book because of his videos.
We Should Hang Out Sometime chronicles Josh's romantic escapades, or lack thereof, as he investigates what exactly went wrong in each relationship he had with the girls in his life. Since he never had a girlfriend until around twenty-five years old, he figured something was wrong, and he was determined to figure out what.
Hypothesis: By the premise of this book alone, I figured it would be humorous, relatable, and an overall entertaining read.
Investigation: I read it to find out what I thought. And if you can't tell, the way I'm structuring this review is exactly how Josh structures each section of the book according to each girl he had a fling with. It progresses chronologically from when he was about thirteen up until the present day. I loved each story for its balance of honesty and humor.
Josh is truthful. He bares his own shortcomings and never blames the people in his life, even when it seems that the world is against him. He takes ownership of his failure to be straightforward with the women he shows interest in. And I really appreciated that integrity. It shows in his videos, and it shows in his writing.
February 10, 2016
Definitely not for me. I honestly expected more than what I got from this. There were some lovely moments but for the most part, I found it REALLY hard to like Josh.
Reading about his interactions with 'pretty girls'/his SUPER HOT crushes and how his thwarted attempts to grind on girls (literally) hurt his feelings just really, really did not appeal to me. He definitely does not come across as 'adorable' to me. Maybe a little creepy though. Just wouldn't recommend, there are books with a lot less shallow lessons and revelations out there.
Reading about his interactions with 'pretty girls'/his SUPER HOT crushes and how his thwarted attempts to grind on girls (literally) hurt his feelings just really, really did not appeal to me. He definitely does not come across as 'adorable' to me. Maybe a little creepy though. Just wouldn't recommend, there are books with a lot less shallow lessons and revelations out there.
Read
January 23, 2015I couldn't give this book a star rating because my feelings about it are so complex. The writing was engaging, and it took me only two days to finish it. But I was disturbed by some of the content. If you are looking for a perfect illustration of the everyday misogyny of normal guys, this is it. The author uses and re-uses the term "friend zone," which is creepy. Some of Josh's actions in the book also imply that he doesn't see women as worthy of friendship. In the case of every single girl he talks about, he ends the friendship after the girl doesn't want to date him. He doesn't seem to view women as individual humans at all. He describes the girls without giving many details about their personalities. It's like, she was a girl, what else do you need to know? I'm sure the author didn't mean to come off this way. I think he accurately described how a lot of men in our society feel about women, and that really disturbed me. But what's most disturbing is that the book is supposed to be cute and funny, and we're supposed to relate to it. But it wasn't cute or funny to me, and I think a lot of other women would also find it sad and upsetting.
December 6, 2014
Have you ever had a defining moment in your life where certain insights about yourself that should have been obvious finally come into focus and you have that AH HA moment? That moment where it becomes clear to you why you made the decisions you did, everyone else knew this about you but you didn’t. Josh had a moment like that at 25, when he realizes that the relationship he thought he was currently in was less than he thought it was. Josh’s best friend has just told him that the girl he thought was his girlfriend was actually someone else’s girlfriend and Josh was the last to know.
Josh realizes then that he is 25 and never had a real girlfriend and in true High Fidelity (great John Cussack movie)fashion decides to revisit some of his prior near misses at coupledom to figure out why.
TOP FIVE things I liked about this book:
1. I Liked Josh as a narrator. He is funny and has interesting observations about the world. He sees things a little uniquely as he is missing 5 of something most people have, toes that is. He is also missing a foot, calf and femur all on the same side of his body luckily. But he keeps it pretty light and he has made some rules for himself.
2. Not only is Josh missing a leg he also was homeschooled until 9th Grade by some very Christian conservative parents. This totally leads to some funny dialogue on how to talk your parents into letting you go to public school or date before 16.
3. Some of the stories were funny and reminded me just how awkward I felt when I was in that middle school/high school age group. When you used your friends as go betweens for all of your critical information.
4. There are fun little charts and graphs along the way to illustrate a few key points in the stories. I totally liked these as almost all of them made me laugh a little.
5. Generally I like Josh’s life to date. I may even read his other motivational book and like it a little more. Josh had some great insights into people and how they react around those who are different. Sometimes avoiding and other times overcompensating.
Josh is an interesting person and while I liked the stories about dating and trying to date I think I would have like even more stories just about his life in general.
TOP FIVE minor issues:
1. I enjoyed the first 3 stories about Josh and him clearly not understanding the signals these girls were putting out for him or how just unsure we feel when we are younger and why. But by the time we got to the college years I really wanted him to clue in already. Still every story had really great moments in it.
2. Did every girl have to be spectacularly beautiful? Okay so maybe this is a case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that but still at least 3 girls seemed to be liked based solely on their looks more than who they actually were as people.
3. I would have liked just a little more resolution with a few of the girls in the book. I know that ‘that’ is not how real life plays out most of the time but there were definitely 2 stories that really had hoped for just a little bit more from the other party.
4. While I liked that Josh figured things out and had that AH HA moment followed by success in the realm of dating it did seem slightly tacked onto the end. I really hoped for a little more about his currently relationship perhaps. However I did like how it was shown that he grew to trust someone else with all of himself including that he too needs help sometimes.
5. I really don’t have a 5, but 5 is a really good number. It's prime, its the fifth Fibonacci number and its easy to count with since most people have 5 fingers and toes.
All and all Josh is a likable guy to spend a book with. He has some interesting stories and I think I’d check out his other book since with some variation of the story content I would most likely enjoy it more. Still it was an interesting take on dating, emotions and being truly comfortable with who you are.
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company via Netgalley for the ARC. All quotes were from an uncorrected proof and may not be in the final book.
Josh realizes then that he is 25 and never had a real girlfriend and in true High Fidelity (great John Cussack movie)fashion decides to revisit some of his prior near misses at coupledom to figure out why.
TOP FIVE things I liked about this book:
1. I Liked Josh as a narrator. He is funny and has interesting observations about the world. He sees things a little uniquely as he is missing 5 of something most people have, toes that is. He is also missing a foot, calf and femur all on the same side of his body luckily. But he keeps it pretty light and he has made some rules for himself.
1. Never be a burden.
2. Never be different.
2. Not only is Josh missing a leg he also was homeschooled until 9th Grade by some very Christian conservative parents. This totally leads to some funny dialogue on how to talk your parents into letting you go to public school or date before 16.
Mom and Dad weren’t so excited about the idea. Christian school, maybe. But public school? It was a well-known fact among Christian homeschoolers that public schools were bastions of gangs, drugs, teen, pregnancy, rap music, pop culture, secular humanism, witchcraft, and body piercings.
3. Some of the stories were funny and reminded me just how awkward I felt when I was in that middle school/high school age group. When you used your friends as go betweens for all of your critical information.
4. There are fun little charts and graphs along the way to illustrate a few key points in the stories. I totally liked these as almost all of them made me laugh a little.
5. Generally I like Josh’s life to date. I may even read his other motivational book and like it a little more. Josh had some great insights into people and how they react around those who are different. Sometimes avoiding and other times overcompensating.
And people never know what you’re supposed to do when the one-legged guy falls down. Are you allowed to laugh at him? Should you help him up? Maybe take him to therapy?
Josh is an interesting person and while I liked the stories about dating and trying to date I think I would have like even more stories just about his life in general.
TOP FIVE minor issues:
1. I enjoyed the first 3 stories about Josh and him clearly not understanding the signals these girls were putting out for him or how just unsure we feel when we are younger and why. But by the time we got to the college years I really wanted him to clue in already. Still every story had really great moments in it.
2. Did every girl have to be spectacularly beautiful? Okay so maybe this is a case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that but still at least 3 girls seemed to be liked based solely on their looks more than who they actually were as people.
3. I would have liked just a little more resolution with a few of the girls in the book. I know that ‘that’ is not how real life plays out most of the time but there were definitely 2 stories that really had hoped for just a little bit more from the other party.
4. While I liked that Josh figured things out and had that AH HA moment followed by success in the realm of dating it did seem slightly tacked onto the end. I really hoped for a little more about his currently relationship perhaps. However I did like how it was shown that he grew to trust someone else with all of himself including that he too needs help sometimes.
5. I really don’t have a 5, but 5 is a really good number. It's prime, its the fifth Fibonacci number and its easy to count with since most people have 5 fingers and toes.
All and all Josh is a likable guy to spend a book with. He has some interesting stories and I think I’d check out his other book since with some variation of the story content I would most likely enjoy it more. Still it was an interesting take on dating, emotions and being truly comfortable with who you are.
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company via Netgalley for the ARC. All quotes were from an uncorrected proof and may not be in the final book.
April 13, 2015
This book taught me a lot of life lessons. This book is about a 25- year old named Josh who realizes that he never had a real girlfriend before.Josh has cancer and his leg was amputated. But throughout his years in school, he had a lot of "almost-girlfriends." So, he either emails all of his almost girlfriends, or calls them and asks them what went wrong. Or why they were acting weird on a date.
Personally, I think that dating in high school isn't necessary because it feels like a joke. Coming from a high school student, I think that we don't take things as seriously until we get older. One of those things is dating.
Me and my friend had a huge conversation about how dating now is not important. I am not planning on dating any time soon because I am already happy in my life. One of my other friends think that life is only about boyfriends and girlfriends. I tried explaining that we don't need to have a romantic relationship in order to be "happy." But she would't listen and continued telling me her fantasies and dreams.
While reading this book, I went through parts where I was so embarrassed. I felt as if I was Josh because I had so many things in common with him. I dress differently from other kids my age because I braid my hair, wear neon colors and look like a little nerd girl. I love wearing animal sweaters and I wear a lot of pink. That's where I got my nickname, Pinky. :) I made a lot of friends at my school who don't care about how I dress.
Sometimes, people at my school would ask me if I am lost because they think I am at the wrong school. People glance at me for more than 2 seconds in the hallway. But it doesn't really bother me. My closest friend is one of the people who actually encouraged me to write reviews on Goodreads. I always thank her for encouraging me and making me feel confident. She is one of the friends who defend me when someone talks about the way I dress, or helps me gain courage.
When Josh went through embarrassing moments in his life or rejections, I would also feel embarrassed. I loved how he had a group of friends who shaved their heads for him. THEY ARE ALL AMAZING PEOPLE! Josh Sunquist is a YouTuber and I watch his videos. He is hilarious and some of his videos talk about these embarrassing situations. If you want to see Ashley, she is in a few of his videos. They are fiancees now and I think it is amazing.
I love this book and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read embarrassing stories. There were so many scenes that I felt I could relate to. I really liked this book and I am planning on rereading it later on.
Josh Sundquist's video about the book- https://youtu.be/4Zjij6Iyv8c
Josh Sundquist's video about his pick up line- https://youtu.be/Q_fN_ToDSRk
Quick Note: To anyone who read my status update, I went to the library with my closest friend and got a few books. My closest friend felt that I was going bonkers since I had no books and took me to the library at lunch! So I have a few books to read now!!!!!!
Personally, I think that dating in high school isn't necessary because it feels like a joke. Coming from a high school student, I think that we don't take things as seriously until we get older. One of those things is dating.
Me and my friend had a huge conversation about how dating now is not important. I am not planning on dating any time soon because I am already happy in my life. One of my other friends think that life is only about boyfriends and girlfriends. I tried explaining that we don't need to have a romantic relationship in order to be "happy." But she would't listen and continued telling me her fantasies and dreams.
While reading this book, I went through parts where I was so embarrassed. I felt as if I was Josh because I had so many things in common with him. I dress differently from other kids my age because I braid my hair, wear neon colors and look like a little nerd girl. I love wearing animal sweaters and I wear a lot of pink. That's where I got my nickname, Pinky. :) I made a lot of friends at my school who don't care about how I dress.
Sometimes, people at my school would ask me if I am lost because they think I am at the wrong school. People glance at me for more than 2 seconds in the hallway. But it doesn't really bother me. My closest friend is one of the people who actually encouraged me to write reviews on Goodreads. I always thank her for encouraging me and making me feel confident. She is one of the friends who defend me when someone talks about the way I dress, or helps me gain courage.
When Josh went through embarrassing moments in his life or rejections, I would also feel embarrassed. I loved how he had a group of friends who shaved their heads for him. THEY ARE ALL AMAZING PEOPLE! Josh Sunquist is a YouTuber and I watch his videos. He is hilarious and some of his videos talk about these embarrassing situations. If you want to see Ashley, she is in a few of his videos. They are fiancees now and I think it is amazing.
I love this book and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read embarrassing stories. There were so many scenes that I felt I could relate to. I really liked this book and I am planning on rereading it later on.
Josh Sundquist's video about the book- https://youtu.be/4Zjij6Iyv8c
Josh Sundquist's video about his pick up line- https://youtu.be/Q_fN_ToDSRk
Quick Note: To anyone who read my status update, I went to the library with my closest friend and got a few books. My closest friend felt that I was going bonkers since I had no books and took me to the library at lunch! So I have a few books to read now!!!!!!
June 4, 2016
4/5 Stars
Summary:
This is Josh telling us his adventures with dating, if you can call it that haha. He goes all the way back to his first crush, analyzing their past along the way with humor and wit in tow.
Dislikes:
Not necessarily a dislike, just was light fluffy content nothing life changing.
Likes:
I loved the humor of the book and the fact that he seemed to talk directly to the reader during the whole book. I felt like I was watching over his shoulder as he recanted his clumsy past. The lay out was humorous and made it so easy to read. Never wanted to put it down.
Overall:
Though this may be non-fiction, I highly recommend everyone to check it out. It is funny, lighthearted and witty. The writing just flows and feels as if you are talking to a good friend. :)
Summary:
This is Josh telling us his adventures with dating, if you can call it that haha. He goes all the way back to his first crush, analyzing their past along the way with humor and wit in tow.
Dislikes:
Not necessarily a dislike, just was light fluffy content nothing life changing.
Likes:
I loved the humor of the book and the fact that he seemed to talk directly to the reader during the whole book. I felt like I was watching over his shoulder as he recanted his clumsy past. The lay out was humorous and made it so easy to read. Never wanted to put it down.
Overall:
Though this may be non-fiction, I highly recommend everyone to check it out. It is funny, lighthearted and witty. The writing just flows and feels as if you are talking to a good friend. :)
March 22, 2017
I hardly ever read non-fiction. Extremely rarely do I read non-fiction. But everything about this book sounded great so I had to pick it up.
Once I bought this book, it sat on my shelf for a couple months. I had all but forgotten about it. But when I stumbled across Josh's YouTube channel and thought he was really funny, I remembered that I had his book sitting on my shelf. I picked it up a week or two later and I'm so glad that I did.
I really enjoyed We Should Hang Out Sometime. I was really surprised by how much I liked it. It's so well written and just a lot of fun. I think one of the reasons I liked it so much was I could relate to Josh in a lot of ways. I was also homeschooled and Josh's observations of homeschooling had me rolling with laughter.
All though out the book, I would be laughing at various situations.
Overall, I really liked this book. It's definitely one of my new favorites and one of the best books I've read in 2015.
Once I bought this book, it sat on my shelf for a couple months. I had all but forgotten about it. But when I stumbled across Josh's YouTube channel and thought he was really funny, I remembered that I had his book sitting on my shelf. I picked it up a week or two later and I'm so glad that I did.
I really enjoyed We Should Hang Out Sometime. I was really surprised by how much I liked it. It's so well written and just a lot of fun. I think one of the reasons I liked it so much was I could relate to Josh in a lot of ways. I was also homeschooled and Josh's observations of homeschooling had me rolling with laughter.
All though out the book, I would be laughing at various situations.
Overall, I really liked this book. It's definitely one of my new favorites and one of the best books I've read in 2015.
December 14, 2014
See, I feel weird about reading memoirs and autobiographies. And then reviewing them. I just do. It's like someone handing over their dissected brain and heart (mind you, I'm not even doing the dirty work) and asking me to judge them. I don't want to and yet I feel unable to not judge. I mean, seriously... I think your gray matter's a little too purplish for my tastes in that corner (just kidding, nothing can ever be too purplish for my taste) or your heart is over-bleeding on my carpet. What a sap.
Butttt... this is John Sundquist yo! And he's here trying to figure out why by the age of 25, he'd never had a single girlfriend for an entire day at the least.
We Should Hang Out Sometime has the delectable, deceiving smell of an inspiring story but it falls short at a stop several miles prior because the entire book, and more importantly, its conclusion has the feel of a guy trying to convince himself of the veracity of his own epiphany. But I get ahead of myself.
John Sundquist has met some awesome girls in his life, he and I admit, but they all soon became girls that got away: in eighth grade, in high school, in freshman year and throughout college, afterwards.
And here lies John, wondering what exactly went wrong. He gets there in the end, because obviously. However, before he does, in his monologue there is this sense of entitlement running that was annoying basically and you can build up on that however way you want.
But hey, you know what they say...
It got to me and it pissed me off, no matter how touching, teaching and funny his memoir could often be. Throughout the novel, he keeps pondering what went wrong with each of them, why they didn't have a happily-ever-after without pausing for a minute anywhere to recognize and criticize this entitlement. He does realize that the fault entirely rests with him, not the girls, but it's a different kind of fault.
(I do so wish that people would realize that just because you like someone, doesn't mean you'll end up with them regardless of what you do or don't do.)
Maybe by now, Sundquist has it all figured out - I wouldn't know - but from the writing style conveyed it, I'm leaning towards not. When !BOOM! in a parking lot, he senses the deep problem he should have faced long time ago (poignant scene, very) and has all this inner turbulence and tries to impart some lessons in the meanwhile as well, it simply became a mess, in terms of writing, and very fake.
And therein lies my second biggest problem with the novel: the prose.
And my biggest problem: the BORINGNESS of the prose, and consequently the story.
(THIS is why I don't like reviewing/reading memoirs because I basically said I don't like his life, when I haven't lived it.)
By the last page, it was a flat story that made me wonder why I should care, why I ever wanted to. Boohoo! you didn't get a girlfriend for a long time. That's basically what the entirety of novel conveys, regardless of the fact that Sundquist's intentions/experiences were different.
tl;dr: an uninspiring, monotonous, just-missed-it!, could-have-been!, repetitive story.
There WERE some pretty awesome graphs though. I really do love graphs.
You know what, though? He found the problem he found and his life is cooler now, so who cares? (Except maybe you and you and that mistress behind you who might buy this book and get bored. Problems for another day.)
Review copy provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Butttt... this is John Sundquist yo! And he's here trying to figure out why by the age of 25, he'd never had a single girlfriend for an entire day at the least.
We Should Hang Out Sometime has the delectable, deceiving smell of an inspiring story but it falls short at a stop several miles prior because the entire book, and more importantly, its conclusion has the feel of a guy trying to convince himself of the veracity of his own epiphany. But I get ahead of myself.
John Sundquist has met some awesome girls in his life, he and I admit, but they all soon became girls that got away: in eighth grade, in high school, in freshman year and throughout college, afterwards.
And here lies John, wondering what exactly went wrong. He gets there in the end, because obviously. However, before he does, in his monologue there is this sense of entitlement running that was annoying basically and you can build up on that however way you want.
But hey, you know what they say...
It got to me and it pissed me off, no matter how touching, teaching and funny his memoir could often be. Throughout the novel, he keeps pondering what went wrong with each of them, why they didn't have a happily-ever-after without pausing for a minute anywhere to recognize and criticize this entitlement. He does realize that the fault entirely rests with him, not the girls, but it's a different kind of fault.
(I do so wish that people would realize that just because you like someone, doesn't mean you'll end up with them regardless of what you do or don't do.)
Maybe by now, Sundquist has it all figured out - I wouldn't know - but from the writing style conveyed it, I'm leaning towards not. When !BOOM! in a parking lot, he senses the deep problem he should have faced long time ago (poignant scene, very) and has all this inner turbulence and tries to impart some lessons in the meanwhile as well, it simply became a mess, in terms of writing, and very fake.
And therein lies my second biggest problem with the novel: the prose.
And my biggest problem: the BORINGNESS of the prose, and consequently the story.
(THIS is why I don't like reviewing/reading memoirs because I basically said I don't like his life, when I haven't lived it.)
By the last page, it was a flat story that made me wonder why I should care, why I ever wanted to. Boohoo! you didn't get a girlfriend for a long time. That's basically what the entirety of novel conveys, regardless of the fact that Sundquist's intentions/experiences were different.
tl;dr: an uninspiring, monotonous, just-missed-it!, could-have-been!, repetitive story.
There WERE some pretty awesome graphs though. I really do love graphs.
You know what, though? He found the problem he found and his life is cooler now, so who cares? (Except maybe you and you and that mistress behind you who might buy this book and get bored. Problems for another day.)
Review copy provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
February 20, 2017
I almost died laughing! This book was hilarious. I loved it through and through. So much so, I'm adding it to my all-time favorites. I cant say enough. It is heartwarming and inspiring. I loved it!
February 24, 2017
Very endearing and laugh out loud funny!! I choked up a few times too. Josh is an inspiration!!!
January 30, 2015
I found this book weirdly creepy.
December 16, 2014
"Rejection is just pain, and fighting emotion with logic is like bringing a calculator to a knife fight".
Most of us have tried to solve emotional pain with mental understanding. What went wrong? Why didn't the person like me? What might I have done different? Its possible to learn a few lessons, but it does not take the pain away. Only time does that.
Josh Sundquist wrote a witty, quirky, entertaining true story which magnifies why logic does not erase what the heart feels.
From the first sentence to the last --the storytelling was wonderfully engaging.
Josh grew up as a Christian. He was home schooled until 9th grade. Josh wanted to go to public school to be on the newspaper staff, attend school dances and meet hundreds of pretty girls. It took much convincing his parents that the public school was a safe risk for him --against drugs, gangs, teen pregnancy, etc.
As a young boy he lost a leg--all the way to his hip from Cancer. He has three artificial joints at the hip, knee, and ankle. When he arrived at public school --he was clear he never wanted to be a burden or treated different. He didn't want to draw attention to his disability. Being in a school with hundreds of other students --its not always easy to hide that you are missing a leg. The stories Josh tells are pretty darn funny!
Josh was an excellent student -- gifted in Math and Science, but he completely lacked experience with 'girls'. He didn't understand why he was not successful with relationships, and that he never had a girlfriend. He tried to find out through logic.
The 'Josh-logic-relationship-ride', is hilarious-fun-reading!
Josh Sundquist is not only funny, charming, but incredibly inspiring! This book is a refection of who he is: FABULOUS!
Most of us have tried to solve emotional pain with mental understanding. What went wrong? Why didn't the person like me? What might I have done different? Its possible to learn a few lessons, but it does not take the pain away. Only time does that.
Josh Sundquist wrote a witty, quirky, entertaining true story which magnifies why logic does not erase what the heart feels.
From the first sentence to the last --the storytelling was wonderfully engaging.
Josh grew up as a Christian. He was home schooled until 9th grade. Josh wanted to go to public school to be on the newspaper staff, attend school dances and meet hundreds of pretty girls. It took much convincing his parents that the public school was a safe risk for him --against drugs, gangs, teen pregnancy, etc.
As a young boy he lost a leg--all the way to his hip from Cancer. He has three artificial joints at the hip, knee, and ankle. When he arrived at public school --he was clear he never wanted to be a burden or treated different. He didn't want to draw attention to his disability. Being in a school with hundreds of other students --its not always easy to hide that you are missing a leg. The stories Josh tells are pretty darn funny!
Josh was an excellent student -- gifted in Math and Science, but he completely lacked experience with 'girls'. He didn't understand why he was not successful with relationships, and that he never had a girlfriend. He tried to find out through logic.
The 'Josh-logic-relationship-ride', is hilarious-fun-reading!
Josh Sundquist is not only funny, charming, but incredibly inspiring! This book is a refection of who he is: FABULOUS!
March 24, 2015
(3.75 stars...) I don't normally read non-fiction and just from reading this, I can tell that its not my cup of tea.
Not to say this book wasn't enjoyable, it was, I was just expecting more humor from it.
From the way it was originally promoted I though "This guy is going to tell us about his past relationships in a comical way." Really, it had more satire to it than humor.
If you don't know who Josh Sundquist is, search him on YouTube and watch some of his videos. Basically this story tells us of his failed relationships and him trying to figure out why it never worked out. I got a John Green vibe when reading this because I thought "Damn, this is kinda like An Abundance of Katherine's"
So, as we go along we explore his relationships and I just though that the story got repetitive. Like he would like a girl, not say anything about his liking her, then they would never see each other again until that one day where he calls them up and asks "So, what happened during...."
Honestly, I could've gone without reading all that. However, his realization in the end where he was like "It was me, not them who ruined these relationships" I loved that. It really showed his growth with accepting his disability, finally because in the beginning where he is like 13, hes really self conscious about having a prosthesis.
Thats basically all I though about this book. With non-fiction, I find it hard to pick apart every single thing and explain what I did or didn't like because its true or based on true events. I thought it was enjoyable but it overall wasn't for me.
Not to say this book wasn't enjoyable, it was, I was just expecting more humor from it.
From the way it was originally promoted I though "This guy is going to tell us about his past relationships in a comical way." Really, it had more satire to it than humor.
If you don't know who Josh Sundquist is, search him on YouTube and watch some of his videos. Basically this story tells us of his failed relationships and him trying to figure out why it never worked out. I got a John Green vibe when reading this because I thought "Damn, this is kinda like An Abundance of Katherine's"
So, as we go along we explore his relationships and I just though that the story got repetitive. Like he would like a girl, not say anything about his liking her, then they would never see each other again until that one day where he calls them up and asks "So, what happened during...."
Honestly, I could've gone without reading all that. However, his realization in the end where he was like "It was me, not them who ruined these relationships" I loved that. It really showed his growth with accepting his disability, finally because in the beginning where he is like 13, hes really self conscious about having a prosthesis.
Thats basically all I though about this book. With non-fiction, I find it hard to pick apart every single thing and explain what I did or didn't like because its true or based on true events. I thought it was enjoyable but it overall wasn't for me.
May 16, 2018
“Nothing holds you back more than your own insecurities” -Susan Gale. We Should Hang Out Sometime is a Non-Fiction book about the “embarrassingly, true story” of the authors failed attempts at relationships throughout his life. Since the book’s written about such, I believe the book is intended for those having troubles with relationships as well. Those who are in middle school and above should most likely read this book. Not saying younger children couldn’t, but they may not understand some of the jokes. This book was written to help others, more likely than not, feel more confident when trying to go into relationships (or in general). Seeing as the author is an amputee, he was insecure about it. Everyone has something they are insecure about so the readers can relate and even learn from the books theme and purpose.
The theme that is most prominent throughout the book is finding love. In each section, Josh finds a girl he likes and attempts to date them. It’s not until you get towards the end of the book that you see the overall theme. Yes, Josh was trying to get a date but the only reason he failed so often is because he couldn’t accept himself. The overall theme is self acceptance and even self love. Josh was too worried about how he would talk, act or look that he couldn’t focus on the girl. This caused all of his failures. Seeing this, the themes are extremely effective, especially when you realize the overall theme.
Along with the theme, I believe the purpose is to help people accept themselves. All throughout the book we see Josh struggle with this and proceed to fail whatever he is attempting. Since he has troubles accepting himself, he worries he isn’t good enough then panic’s, therefore ruining whatever was going on. It may take a bit to understand this. Though you could understand earlier on, it isn’t until the end that the idea is stated. Josh says himself that he kept failing because he was so worried about how others would think of him.
When reading this book you see that Josh is very funny, open and smart. His humor is seen all throughout the book, though not many may think it’s funny. They may think it’s too rude or insensitive. With his humor, Josh is very open about how he had cancer and had to lose a leg because of it. This can be kind of startling to learn. He is also very smart, not just in general but with his humor. Combining “graphs” with his jokes throughout the book. It’s very entertaining. On whether or not this is accessible to all readers, I believe those in middle school and above could read this kind of style. I would think lower but younger kids may not understand some of the jokes, Josh makes.
When it comes to how the book is made up, it’s in several short sections with chapters of their own. Each section has a few chapters including a “background” at the beginning. There is also a “hypothesis” and “investigation” chapter at the end of each section. Each section is marked with a full page dedicated to the name of whatever girl Josh was trying to get with at that time. Towards the end there are also “results of investigation” chapters that help understand Josh and his underlying thoughts that eventually end the book in a good manner. Here you see Josh explaining how his insecurities lead to his failed (attempted) relationships.
Overall, I’d give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. With how clever Josh is, he was able to make this seemingly boring plot very interesting. Looking at the book at face value, a book about a boy, even man, having issues with relationships may not attract a lot of readers. It’s not until you see Josh’s clever jokes and “graphs” that you fall in love with the book. If you are worried this isn’t the type of thing you’d read, just jump in. You’ll at least get a few laughs.
The theme that is most prominent throughout the book is finding love. In each section, Josh finds a girl he likes and attempts to date them. It’s not until you get towards the end of the book that you see the overall theme. Yes, Josh was trying to get a date but the only reason he failed so often is because he couldn’t accept himself. The overall theme is self acceptance and even self love. Josh was too worried about how he would talk, act or look that he couldn’t focus on the girl. This caused all of his failures. Seeing this, the themes are extremely effective, especially when you realize the overall theme.
Along with the theme, I believe the purpose is to help people accept themselves. All throughout the book we see Josh struggle with this and proceed to fail whatever he is attempting. Since he has troubles accepting himself, he worries he isn’t good enough then panic’s, therefore ruining whatever was going on. It may take a bit to understand this. Though you could understand earlier on, it isn’t until the end that the idea is stated. Josh says himself that he kept failing because he was so worried about how others would think of him.
When reading this book you see that Josh is very funny, open and smart. His humor is seen all throughout the book, though not many may think it’s funny. They may think it’s too rude or insensitive. With his humor, Josh is very open about how he had cancer and had to lose a leg because of it. This can be kind of startling to learn. He is also very smart, not just in general but with his humor. Combining “graphs” with his jokes throughout the book. It’s very entertaining. On whether or not this is accessible to all readers, I believe those in middle school and above could read this kind of style. I would think lower but younger kids may not understand some of the jokes, Josh makes.
When it comes to how the book is made up, it’s in several short sections with chapters of their own. Each section has a few chapters including a “background” at the beginning. There is also a “hypothesis” and “investigation” chapter at the end of each section. Each section is marked with a full page dedicated to the name of whatever girl Josh was trying to get with at that time. Towards the end there are also “results of investigation” chapters that help understand Josh and his underlying thoughts that eventually end the book in a good manner. Here you see Josh explaining how his insecurities lead to his failed (attempted) relationships.
Overall, I’d give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. With how clever Josh is, he was able to make this seemingly boring plot very interesting. Looking at the book at face value, a book about a boy, even man, having issues with relationships may not attract a lot of readers. It’s not until you see Josh’s clever jokes and “graphs” that you fall in love with the book. If you are worried this isn’t the type of thing you’d read, just jump in. You’ll at least get a few laughs.
October 29, 2015
Disclaimer: I subscribe to Josh's channel. I first heard of him when I watched his video "John Green for Math Nerds". I was a nerdfighter back then.
I love Josh. He's adorable, really nice to look at. His eyes are beautiful. He's a really sweet guy.
I almost feel like I'm betraying Josh somehow by giving a so-so review of his book. I'm 28, maybe even more socially awkward than Josh, and I've never dated. So I should relate to a lot of the stuff in this book.
But I was very creeped out by a few parts.
Take page 149. "If I really want to find you on Facebook, no number of privacy settings is going to stop me. So it was with Francesca Marcelo. It required a lot of searching and no finding, and then searching for her and friends and friends of friends from high school, friending them, and then scrolling through their friends for their friends. Eventually, I found her: Francesa Marcelo."
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THAT WAS SO FUCKING CREEPY I CAN'T EVEN.
Okay, in all honesty, we all facebook creep. We all browse people we've met at school, who aren't really "friends", and we look at their page. The really shy and introverted people like me never really "friend" them, because we know that that would be creepy, we just look at what they have on their public page out of curiosity.
I can understand friending someone out of the blue because you want to catch up, because you're curious, etc... But going through as many channels as Josh did to find this girl? "FRIENDING FRIENDS OF FRIENDS OF FRIENDS" and then "FRIENDING THEIR FRIENDS" to find her? JFC. Josh does admit that that was the "creepiest sentence in this book" under a footnote, but I think he really thinks its funny. I think he finds how sad/pathetic he can be to be funny.
I get that Josh is a perfectionist, I am one too. He likes to make graphs and think about things scientifically, because that's how he rolls, and once he started this project, he had to keep going. But what he did was just really creepy.
Maybe he didn't think it was that bad because of what he went through with "Stella the stalker" but the fact that he had that much persistance to finding Francesca, really creeped me out.
And again, we have all "facebook-stalked" by browsing and viewing someone's public page (hopefully no one's gone through friending friends of friends of friends of friends to find someone), but I can guarantee you that if anyone on this site was that obsessive, they won't be telling that to anyone, much less writing a BOOK about it.
And the fact that none of this occurs to Josh and that he thinks it's a-okay to put that in a book, and he kind of acknowledges it's creepy, but he probably sees it as more "endearing", makes it even more troubling.
This kind of reminds me of how John Green "tricked" his wife into going out with him on their first date, by telling her they'd be going with a group to see a movie, but it was really just him and her.
Ultimately, John Green and Josh Sundquist didn't do anything bad to the women they tricked, or somewhat manipulated. They weren't sexual predators or anything.
But what creeps me out was the extent they went to circumvent the "friendzone". The extent they went to manipulate the women to get what they wanted from them, and the fact that they didn't see anything wrong with that, and probably thought that it would make a "cute" story years later.
This whole book is bullshit, because if a woman wants to be "just friends" with a guy, then that's HER choice. It is not up to the guy to manipulate the scenario, to ask questions she can't say "no" to, so she'll go on a date with him.
The more I write, the more this book is pissing me off.
The graphs were cute, but I would have loved them more if Josh made a book of cute anecdotes from his life with graphs in them (like maybe something to do with customers at Starbucks), rather than conduct these mini post hoc "investigations" by creeping girls on Facebook who, for the most part, didn't remember him!!!!
This book would have been better as a series in a magazine, or one long article in the editorial section of a newspaper.
Josh certainly did not mean to cause harm, and he didn't really. It's just the way he went about getting the information he wanted, is a little creepy.
I love Josh. He's adorable, really nice to look at. His eyes are beautiful. He's a really sweet guy.
I almost feel like I'm betraying Josh somehow by giving a so-so review of his book. I'm 28, maybe even more socially awkward than Josh, and I've never dated. So I should relate to a lot of the stuff in this book.
But I was very creeped out by a few parts.
Take page 149. "If I really want to find you on Facebook, no number of privacy settings is going to stop me. So it was with Francesca Marcelo. It required a lot of searching and no finding, and then searching for her and friends and friends of friends from high school, friending them, and then scrolling through their friends for their friends. Eventually, I found her: Francesa Marcelo."
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THAT WAS SO FUCKING CREEPY I CAN'T EVEN.
Okay, in all honesty, we all facebook creep. We all browse people we've met at school, who aren't really "friends", and we look at their page. The really shy and introverted people like me never really "friend" them, because we know that that would be creepy, we just look at what they have on their public page out of curiosity.
I can understand friending someone out of the blue because you want to catch up, because you're curious, etc... But going through as many channels as Josh did to find this girl? "FRIENDING FRIENDS OF FRIENDS OF FRIENDS" and then "FRIENDING THEIR FRIENDS" to find her? JFC. Josh does admit that that was the "creepiest sentence in this book" under a footnote, but I think he really thinks its funny. I think he finds how sad/pathetic he can be to be funny.
I get that Josh is a perfectionist, I am one too. He likes to make graphs and think about things scientifically, because that's how he rolls, and once he started this project, he had to keep going. But what he did was just really creepy.
Maybe he didn't think it was that bad because of what he went through with "Stella the stalker" but the fact that he had that much persistance to finding Francesca, really creeped me out.
And again, we have all "facebook-stalked" by browsing and viewing someone's public page (hopefully no one's gone through friending friends of friends of friends of friends to find someone), but I can guarantee you that if anyone on this site was that obsessive, they won't be telling that to anyone, much less writing a BOOK about it.
And the fact that none of this occurs to Josh and that he thinks it's a-okay to put that in a book, and he kind of acknowledges it's creepy, but he probably sees it as more "endearing", makes it even more troubling.
This kind of reminds me of how John Green "tricked" his wife into going out with him on their first date, by telling her they'd be going with a group to see a movie, but it was really just him and her.
Ultimately, John Green and Josh Sundquist didn't do anything bad to the women they tricked, or somewhat manipulated. They weren't sexual predators or anything.
But what creeps me out was the extent they went to circumvent the "friendzone". The extent they went to manipulate the women to get what they wanted from them, and the fact that they didn't see anything wrong with that, and probably thought that it would make a "cute" story years later.
This whole book is bullshit, because if a woman wants to be "just friends" with a guy, then that's HER choice. It is not up to the guy to manipulate the scenario, to ask questions she can't say "no" to, so she'll go on a date with him.
The more I write, the more this book is pissing me off.
The graphs were cute, but I would have loved them more if Josh made a book of cute anecdotes from his life with graphs in them (like maybe something to do with customers at Starbucks), rather than conduct these mini post hoc "investigations" by creeping girls on Facebook who, for the most part, didn't remember him!!!!
This book would have been better as a series in a magazine, or one long article in the editorial section of a newspaper.
Josh certainly did not mean to cause harm, and he didn't really. It's just the way he went about getting the information he wanted, is a little creepy.
December 6, 2014
All I really want to write about “We Should Hang Out Sometime” is a bunch of keyboard slamming with “EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS NOW” at the end of it. Oh, and a whole bunch of “lols”. It really is that good, and Josh Sundquist is a master storyteller.
The book is a somewhat scientific exploration of all of the author’s failed relationships and an attempt to find out where, exactly, they went wrong. He is a Christian homeschooled amputee with a nerdy side, making him atypical in many ways, but I dare anyone not to find parts of the story that they feel do not come straight out of their own lives. This is where Sundquist’s genius comes in: He can make us all relate to him, and therefore learn from him. I, by the way, fell (and still do) solidly in the “let me make a flowchart to minimize the pain of rejection during a social interaction” category. But I digress.
There are a lot of laughs in “We Should Hang Out Sometime”, including some of those uncomfortable “should I be laughing at this?” moments. My advice is to go with it, because trying to keep it in will hurt. It isn’t only words. There are hand-drawn charts graphs that are worthy of being made into posters illustrating many key points.
By the end of the book, the Josh Sundquist has shown remarkable growth as a person and managed to teach us some very good inspirational life lessons. An excellent, and important, read for middle readers through adults.
So, in closing: Mr. Sundquist, we should hang out sometime. (But not in that way.)
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The book is a somewhat scientific exploration of all of the author’s failed relationships and an attempt to find out where, exactly, they went wrong. He is a Christian homeschooled amputee with a nerdy side, making him atypical in many ways, but I dare anyone not to find parts of the story that they feel do not come straight out of their own lives. This is where Sundquist’s genius comes in: He can make us all relate to him, and therefore learn from him. I, by the way, fell (and still do) solidly in the “let me make a flowchart to minimize the pain of rejection during a social interaction” category. But I digress.
There are a lot of laughs in “We Should Hang Out Sometime”, including some of those uncomfortable “should I be laughing at this?” moments. My advice is to go with it, because trying to keep it in will hurt. It isn’t only words. There are hand-drawn charts graphs that are worthy of being made into posters illustrating many key points.
By the end of the book, the Josh Sundquist has shown remarkable growth as a person and managed to teach us some very good inspirational life lessons. An excellent, and important, read for middle readers through adults.
So, in closing: Mr. Sundquist, we should hang out sometime. (But not in that way.)
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2016
This book is everything that I thought it would be and more. So funny and relatable and overall a really good read. Please read this book.
April 14, 2017
This was a really funny and good book!! I loved it!!
November 13, 2014
First, the positive: I really enjoyed the first third of this book - the writing was clever, the embarrassing situations Josh got himself into were hilarious, and I liked the way he talked about religion being a big part of his life without being preachy. Josh is at times painfully self-conscious about his leg in the way that I think most teens (and most people, really) are self-conscious about various parts of their body, so it's definitely easy to relate to. I can see teens of both genders being interested in this book, and I actually think I'd really enjoy reading Josh's other memoir.
The negative: My problem with this book was that it focused solely on the (not-quite) romantic relationships of Josh's young life. After the first few failed attempts at romance I felt like it was just too repetitive: Josh meets some hot girl (they're all hot/sought after by other boys) who's "out of his league", gets a crush, hangs out with her a bunch, then never actually makes a move and they drift apart. Years later he looks her up and asks "Hey, what happened"...except that he still can't seem to have honest discussions with these women as an adult either, so the meetings don't offer much closure. On one of these visits he *still* can't work up the nerve to ask the girl if she liked him all those years ago!
The ending: This was my least favorite part, and felt tacked on. After all the years of never making a move, Josh meets a really hot (of course) girl in a bar, finds her on Facebook, works up the nerve to actually ask her out, and now he has a girlfriend! There's a little anecdote about her catching him when he was about to fall, but nothing about what makes her special (besides being hot), what makes them love each other...it was just disappointing.
The negative: My problem with this book was that it focused solely on the (not-quite) romantic relationships of Josh's young life. After the first few failed attempts at romance I felt like it was just too repetitive: Josh meets some hot girl (they're all hot/sought after by other boys) who's "out of his league", gets a crush, hangs out with her a bunch, then never actually makes a move and they drift apart. Years later he looks her up and asks "Hey, what happened"...except that he still can't seem to have honest discussions with these women as an adult either, so the meetings don't offer much closure. On one of these visits he *still* can't work up the nerve to ask the girl if she liked him all those years ago!
The ending: This was my least favorite part, and felt tacked on. After all the years of never making a move, Josh meets a really hot (of course) girl in a bar, finds her on Facebook, works up the nerve to actually ask her out, and now he has a girlfriend! There's a little anecdote about her catching him when he was about to fall, but nothing about what makes her special (besides being hot), what makes them love each other...it was just disappointing.
August 28, 2017
I purchased this book on a whim, mostly because it was only $3 and it was a signed edition. 30% into this book, I was thinking "Oh wow, the author really knows how to mix honesty with humor." It went downhill quite quickly, though. The book became repetitive, and his story started to bother me. His desperation to have a girlfriend seemed to be a bit weirder and became more desperate as he aged. And I hated the way he treated the one girl that did openly show interest towards him, all because he didn't feel the same way for her. This book turned out to be a huge disappointment.
November 13, 2015
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
This was such a cute, embarrassing, fun, and funny book! I really enjoyed my reading experience with this one and all of the great and creative graphs. One of my favorite parts was the ending. SO CUTE. <3
This was such a cute, embarrassing, fun, and funny book! I really enjoyed my reading experience with this one and all of the great and creative graphs. One of my favorite parts was the ending. SO CUTE. <3
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,073 reviews