Title: We Should Hang Out Sometime
Author: Josh Sundquist
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: Decembver 2014
Who Read It: E. Spencer Kyte, AmongMen Associate Editor (Sports and Entertainment)
Everyone has spent at least one night wondering about the one that got away. Most people have spent several nights, wondering about the various ones that got away, trying to figure out if any of those ones were The One and the relationship they hoped to have with said person never materialized.
Most people just wax poetic about these things sporadically, drain their glass, and never think about it again until the next time their affections are denied or another friend announces they’re moving in with their partner or getting married.
Author Josh Sundquist actually went back and tried to figure why, after 25 years on the planet, he’d never had a girlfriend. Technically, he and Sarah Stevens “went out” for 23 hours in the eighth grade, but they didn’t really speak to each other during that time and Sundquist got dumped the following day. Over instant messager. By her best friend. Ouch.
Sundquist – a cancer survivor, amputee, Paralympic ski racer, motivational speaker and avid YouTuber – takes readers on a quasi-scientific journey through his crushes, laying out the backstory, offering up a hypothesis for why his feelings of affection were not reciprocated and then sits down with the girls he was ga-ga over to find out what went wrong.
The book was included in the December 2014 edition of The Primer, carrying the following description:
Our New Favourite Book
Rather than listening to us tell you about Josh Sundquist’s new book, We Should Hang Out Sometime, we think you should just check out this video Sundquist made about the book back in May. It’s a 25-year-old trying to figure out why he’s never had a girlfriend in a semi-scientific, sure-to-be-hilarious manner. What’s not to love?
A month and change later, having read the book cover-to-cover in one sitting, it’s safe to say that December description is pretty accurate.
We Should Hang Out Sometime is 326 pages of easy-to-read, familiar feelings and experiences, with a few simple, but effective charts dropped in along the way. There are pieces of the book that are laugh-out-loud funny and moments that trigger that sick-to-your-stomach feeling that comes with getting shot down by a girl you really, really like.
There are times where you might find yourself wanting to shout at Sundquist – either out loud or in your head – during his recollections of the times he spent with the various girls that populate the book, but all is forgiven because he includes a Venn diagram showing that a rooftop picnic is the perfect combination of danger and romance and yelling at an author while you’re laying in bed reading their book in complete silence would make you a weirdo.
If you’re looking for a light read that is charming and funny and familiar all at the same time, pick up We Should Hang Out Sometime.
