Review: We Should Hang Out Sometime

WARNING: The following blog post contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

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HELLO, FRIENDS! I've been considering turning these into weekly reviews, but this is something that has yet to be decided--on the one hand, I have been reading a fair bit lately. (I finished today's reviewed book on April 9th, and I have since read two other books that I will be reviewing on future Wednesdays.) One the other hand, this comes in spurts--I started today's reviewed book on March 23rd. If I did them every week, eventually I'd run out of previously prepared reviews.

Who knows, maybe I'll be able to manage it in the future. We'll see.

In the meantime, enjoy today's review of We Should Hang Out Sometime, a memoir / experiment by Josh Sundquist.

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Josh thought he had a serious girlfriend, until one day: SURPRISE! She's actually dating someone else. What he thought was a serious relatinoship turned out to be...well, whatever you call that awkward period of time between meeting and "officially" dating.

Then Josh realized something: he's never had a serious girlfriend. Plenty of those awkward time periods, sure, but never an exclusive relationship. So where has he been going wrong?

In a series of hilarious flashbacks, somewhat plausible hypotheses and incredibly awkward reunions, Josh sets out to discover why those delightful beginnings of love never really turned into the real thing. From a super awkward, 23-hour relationship in eigth grade to his most sincere attempts for a grand gesture at a Miss America pageant in his 20's, Josh begins looking for a problem to fix--only to discover that, maybe, there isn't really anything wrong with him at all.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

First off, this story was extremely comforting. As someone who has never been involved in any romantic relationship (I, myself, have never made it past the "we should hang out sometime" stage), I've had those moments, those, "Is there something wrong with me?" questions more times than I can count. The fact that someone else not only feels the same way, but planned a whole investigation around it, is comforting to me. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my feelings and experiences (or lack thereof).

The writing style was a pleasure. Sundquist took no shame in the utter awkwardness that accompanies teenage relationships, instead choosing to put it in the spotlight. Reading it almost felt like he was standing right in front of me and telling me the story himself. The writing was humourous and the storytelling style was super natural.

I liked the way his stories were laid out and told, as though he were actually performing a science experiment. (Which, depending on the way you look at it, he kind of was.) His graphs and pie charts doodled throughout the book were absolutely charming, and only added to the appeal.

That being said, the "Investigation" section of every relationship he revisited was a little disappointing after reading the hilarity of his initial encounters with these girls. I mean, I get that he can't really change what he found out (or didn't find out with each girl), but I wish there had almost been...a little more of a conclusion for each story. It almost felt like he didn't really finish off each investigation--I was just kind of left to wander on to the next section, without really feeling like the last one was properly finished.

Overall, though, while I may be a stranger to the world of nonfiction, I definitely enjoyed reading his story.

THE STAR-Y BIT (previously known as THE RATING-Y BIT)

Four stars. Completely relateable, charmingly awkward, but I'm not 100% sure if there's much reread value in this.

Until later,

- Justyne