I don’t often read young adult autobiographies. This may be because the majority lately are by bloggers or YouTube sensations and, quite frankly, I couldn’t give two hoots about those people. Luckily for Josh Sundquist I didn’t realise he was a YouTube sensation when I was given this book to review. Or maybe it was lucky for me as this turned out to be a great read.

Sundquist opens with the statement, ‘When I was twenty-five years old, it came to my attention that I had never had a girlfriend’ and proceeds to explain that at the time of said epiphany, he actually thought he was in a relationship, making the realisation come as quite a shock to him. And so from this one statement we go back in time and reminisce with him about the different girls in his life he has courted, and with whom nothing eventuated. To try to get some answers, Sundquist seeks these past almost-flames and asks them the question, ‘Why did we never go out?’ Was it his looks? His missing limb? Was there something wrong with him? As he asks the questions, the girls respond in all sorts of ways. But will it help him discover the truth?

Sundquist, even though he is a YouTube star, has managed to turn a somewhat embarrassing story into a funny, touching book about the anxieties that come with fancying someone and not knowing how to tell them, or getting up the courage to tell them and facing rejection. Overall, he has written a heartwarming story, taking a good look at himself and the insecurities he internalises, as well as at his projects. This is a great read for young adults who want a romance without the romance, but with many laughs. Ages 13 and up.

Katherine Dretzke