Background: Josh is a YouTuber, whom I didn't really know about before listening to the Ear Biscuit with Rhett & Link where I discovered his YouTube channel. Both of which I recommend listening to/watching prior to reading the book just so that you have a little background on who he is and his sense of humor, just to see if this book is for you. So after doing a little digging, I knew that I had to pick up this book. I just had to because I connected with Josh's sense of humor, something that is a rarity for me to come across in humorous books.
Hypothesis: Upon looking at all of the "research" compiled, I figured that I would think the book was pretty okay. After all, March hasn't been the best of reading months, so I figured I would just pin it as an average YouTuber's biography.
Investigation: This book is a fun time. If you are not really in a reading mood, but still want to read something: you should read this book. If you've never really ventured into nonfiction, but you kind-of-maybe-sort-of want to: you should read this book. For me, I don't really connect to a lot of YouTubers on a personal level because on a personal level, we are polar opposites of each other. Josh's story, on the other hand, I really connected with because of how he talks about his home life: Christian parents, youth group, Young Life (the terror that it is), homeschooling (I'm not, but so many of my friends are), and being the one that doesn't drink at the frat party because Oh, hey, I'm not 21.
Results of the Investigation: As you might have noticed (or not, no offense taken) I set up my review to mimic the way Josh set up his book. To be honest, if I hadn't known that there was a happy ending (kind of SPOILER ALERT??: Josh has a fiancée) I might have put the book down just because the repetitive rejection kind of put me down. But the end of the book, while vague and left more to be desired, was sweet and heartfelt, truly bringing the story full circle. While this very much is a book about Josh's mess-up-kind-of relationships, it's also a story that says: just because you are different (e.g. missing on leg due to a battle with cancer) doesn't mean you don't deserve love.
Quotes:
"Side benefit of dating me: free motivational speeches. It's like friends with benefits where the benefits are inspirational."
"I prefer to say that I dress like a model for Goodwill, thank you very much."
"So now I was taking the Whole Foods approach to finding a girlfriend: I was going to let it happen organically."
Overall, if you really enjoy getting a glimpse at people's personal lives and seeing how someone matures through relationships (or the lack thereof) and maybe want to learn a lesson or two about yourself, you should definitely pick this one up.
Published: 23 December 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format - Pages: Hardback - 336 pages
Source: School Library
Genre: Nonfiction - Memoir
Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble
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.
Have you read Josh's memoir? What did you think about it? If not, do you want to pick it up?
Tell me down in the comments!
Happy Reading!
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