Transition Reads

A bibliophile and YA addict stuck in the awkward stage of becoming an "adult"

We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a true story

We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a true story - Josh Sundquist On the surface, We Should Hang Out Sometime is a funny memoir of teenage and young adult heartbreak. However, with deeper reading, this book actually delivers much more--namely Sundquist's thought-provoking exploration of what shaped his identity and decisions from teenage to adult life and how we let our emotional baggage influence our lives.
To me, this was a realistic and, at times, nostalgic portrait of teenage thought. Dealing with attraction and dating in adolescence and early adulthood is hugely frustrating, with lots of conflicting emotions (optimism, pessimism, fear, courage, desire, awkwardness). Sundquist depicts these emotions honestly (and hilariously) with his retelling of failures and grand romantic gestures, and I often found myself giggling uncontrollably or grimacing in secondhand embarrassment. I followed his stories and feelings without second thought, and I think this proves his true talent for storytelling.

I was also touched by the deeper message of this book, showing how fear can blind you, disable you, control your mind, make your decisions for you. As something I've experienced often throughout my life, I easily related to Sundquist while reading, and I think teen and adult readers will as well. Finally, if I had to sum up this book in one sentence, I would choose the wise words of Rafiki from The Lion King: "The past can hurt. But you can either run from it or learn from it." I think everyone needs to hear this message, and so I highly recommend this book.

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