Statement: We Should Hangout Sometime. Reaction: We Should… (Not).

We Should Hangout Sometime: Embarrassingly, A True Story (2014)

By: Josh Sundquist

It took me a while (a month or so) to finish this memoir by Josh Sundquist, entitled We Should Hangout Sometime: Embarrassingly, A True Story. I borrowed the book from one of my close guy friends, and prior to reading it, he said to me, “I have never done any of these things to you…BUT I have tried some of these things mentioned in this book to someone else.” I just laughed, but after reading this book, I get where my friend is coming from. There were some things that Josh Sundquist did, that I also can confess to doing. 

In this memoir, Josh Sundquist reflects upon his crushes and “girl experiences” in order to investigate the reason why he has never had a girlfriend. He ponders over whether or not there is something wrong with his personality or physical appearance (aside from being an amputee). Or is it really the girl’s fault for not noticing how great he is.

We should hangout sometime is so perfect because it’s nearly impossible to say no to. …If you ask a girl a yes-or-no question like Do you want to hangout sometime?, you are opening the door to rejection. But by making a statement instead of posing a question, you are just sharing an opinion. And any well-mannered person knows it’s rude to disagree with someone else’s opinion to his or her face.

Josh Sundquist, We Should Hangout Sometime

We Should Hangout Sometime is divided up into sections about each girl he ever liked. The sections are structured like a science experiment: he provides the background story of each girl, his hypothesis about why it didn’t work out between them, and the final results, where he interviews or contacts each girl he used to have a crush on a few years later. Through these encounters, Sundquist observes any signs that indicates why she doesn’t like him. In addition, Sundquist creates diagrams and graphs to further illustrate his relationships with girls. I found it clever and unique how Sundquist structures his memoir as a science experiment. He assumes that love could be analyzed through the scientific method. He seems to believe that there is a clear, logical answer towards why he is unable to find love. Yet in reality, love doesn’t work that way. It is all about feelings and emotions; hence, there is no logical answer to why a girl or boy doesn’t like you.

The adventures of Josh Sundquist is relatable to most readers. We can all recall a moment where we wanted to slow dance with a pretty girl or a handsome boy,  when we contacted a boy or girl on the phone, and even have experienced waiting for a phone call from a special someone. We all had those moments, and Sundquist easily describes his experiences through a hilarious written account. While reading this book, I found Josh Sundquist’s persona as a romantic guy, who makes an effort to swoon the girl he likes. I would often cheer for him when he tries to capture a girl’s attention as well as feeling utterly embarrassed about some of the romantic ideas he had in mind.

That’s the thing about us human beings; If we have a crush on someone, that person’s every behavior attracts us even more. But if we don’t like that person, the very same behavior will annoy us.

Josh Sundquist, We Should Hangout Sometime

Throughout the memoir, Sundquist talked about how being an amputee separates himself from the norm. Yet it is at the end, Sundquist discovers his own personal faults within himself, and thus, he is able to overcome these flaws and gain more self-confidence.

Josh Sundquist’s We Should Hangout Sometime is a memoir for awkward individuals who are trying to make their name in the dating world. If you like, Katie Heaney’s Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without A Date, you should definitely check out this memoir.

5/5