Binge

There are very few YouTube channels I follow and Tyler Oakley's isn't one of them. It's not because I don't like him though...I just never heard of him before. I know, where have I been hiding??? While waiting for my next library hold, I saw Binge was readily available via audio. It was categorized as humor so why wouldn't I read something mood lifting? I ended up really liking it...and really liking Tyler. From my reading experience, I can honestly say Tyler's book is enjoyable whether you are familiar with him or not. Regardless, I feel like I know him now and I might even consider checking out his channel, so if that was an underlying reason behind this book then it worked. Tyler writes with substance as well as plenty of humor. He discusses his experiences with eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, abusive relationships, coming out to a religious parent, advocacy, and his slow rise to fame in the world of social media. Tyler shared that he wrote Binge with the wish to demonstrate "the value of taking chances, pushing beyond our comfort levels, dusting ourselves off after our inevitable humiliations, and remaining open to the life and feelings and possibilities that are happening while we are busy either chasing phantoms of success or trying to outrun our fears." Personally, I think he succeeded. The audiobook version of Binge was a fun experience for me. Tyler self-narrated and spoke directly to the listener, even letting the reader know if there was a screenshot or something they were visually missing in which case he tried to summarize/describe it the best he could. The audio was well-done in my opinion and I would recommend it. Check it out! My favorite quotes: "A good mom is supportive of you but the best moms are supportive of your growth. Even when it doesn't seem like they're on your side, great mothers are on the side of your becoming a better person and you'll be so much better off in the long run. So pull out your flip phone and text a quick thank you to your mom. She has your best interest at heart even if you are sometimes a dick." Note: So who is Tyler Oakley? He is a strong presence on YouTube and all of the social media outlets. At the time of this review, he has 7,737,335 YouTube subscribers, 5.3m Instagram followers, 4.75M Twitter followers, 2,811,812 Facebook likes, and an impressive number of Snapchat and Tumblr fans. He has this book (obviously) as well as an upcoming documentary titled Snervous set to release December 2015. After some research, I learned that Tyler is not only a social media obsession but he is also an advocate for LGBT rights and The Trevor Project, an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth ages 13-24. I have to admit, I find it impressive that Tyler uses his popularity and influence to do good. Keep up the good work Tyler! (less)

Despite being 23-years-old, I'm not ashamed to admit I love Tyler Oakley. In fact, I'm a big fan of a lot of Youtuber's and whilst I'm not the typical screaming fangirl, I do look forward to hearing more about my faves so when Tyler announced he was writing a tell-all memoir, I couldn't wait to pre-order it. Tyler has always been one of those people whose personality just radiates - whether that be through a screen or off a page, so reading Binge was just like having a nice conversation with a friend over a glass of wine. Binge features stories that we've never heard before, photographs from his childhood and exclusives that we never expected (PS. His name's not really Tyler!) I loved reading each and every page and learning more about a man I've grown to really admire - and it was all told in a voice that was very "Tyler" using his catchphrases and terminology, I could hear his voice reading the lines as I read them. The one aspect I had a slight issue with was that the stories switched from one to another very quickly and it all felt very rushed. I'm not a fan of comparing books, but I can't help but draw a comparison to Shane Dawson's I Hate My Selfie. In Shane's book, he had a chapter for each story - so you knew where each started and ended. I liked that. It was clear, concise and I didn't need to pause and think "oh, this is a different story now" as I felt myself doing whilst reading Binge. Tyler would finish one story and move onto another within the next paragraph, with very little separating the two. I found this to be a little disjointed whilst reading but understand that he had a lot he wanted to share, and only one book to share it in. I really enjoyed reading Binge and I feel as though people who don't know Tyler would enjoy it too. His comedic way of speaking is portrayed really well through text and his witty humour is one of the main things I love about him. Reading this book made me happy and whether you're a fan of Tyler or not, I'd strongly urge you to pick up Binge.

Binge is honestly a master piece from the dedication to the last word i sobbed my heart out.From reading about poop to learning how tyler has dealt with breakups, this book is something i will never ever forget. Binge absolutely emphasises how Ty is just like you and me: he may have a huge following on social media and accomplished so many amazing things but he's gone through his own bumps in his life and has decided to share them with the world and i think thats absolutely amazing.This book filled me with hope, it made me laugh and cry and face palm but not once did i ever put it down. Each page in the book oozes out his personality and i honestly couldn't put it down from the moment that it was delivered. Whether or not you watch tyler this book is a must read for everyone, if i could i'd promo it at every chance but i think tyler does that enough already. Everyone needs to read this book, it's extremely well written and heartfelt and you can just tell how much emotion has been put into it. This book is everything i've ever needed. I've been watching tyler on youtube for years ( youtube.com/tyleroakley ) and the moment i held his book was un real, i am so proud of how far he's come and the dedication he puts into everything for his people is astounding. Binge is my all time favourite book and i'm sure everyone else feels the same. - moonbun zo, @BADLANDSIVAN on twitter

I really like this book! Even though I have only read the first few pages, it's already made me laugh so much about Tyler's Adventures. [The one thing that has made me a little upset was that the book was 1 day late which made me believe that something happened to it, but it got here in the end.] Also it's signed! Wow! :)

I have been watching Tyler Oakley on YouTube for a while now and I have never been so proud of him as I am now. This book was beyond amazing and exceeded all my expectations. It threw me in an emotional roller coaster and I've never cried, laughed, cringed and smiled so much in the three hours I spent reading this book. I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction books but wow, this has quickly become one of my favourite books in all time. You can practically hear Tyler in the book (it's also available on audible.com, gotta get that promo) and it's very easy to fall in love with the humorous, casual way he writes. His thoughts are a blessing to the universe. I've never thought that anyone could write about fecal matters or rage in cheesecake factories in a way that is so entertaining that your clutching your sides in laughter. But, although this book is extremely funny, there are sad, heart-warming moments in the book like the chapter in which Tyler writes about one of his relationships. Those moments are when you realise that, despite being a celebrity and experiencing so many things that the average human being can only dream about, Tyler is still also human and has ups and downs in his life just like anyone else. I'm so in love with this book and I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you're not a fan, it's still an entertaining, one-of-a-kind book that tugs at your heartstrings and brightens your day.

Binge Signed Edition Binge Signed Edition I start by bluntly admitting that I am not an obsessed Tyler’s fan, and neither I am a teenager anymore. I’m actually a recent PhD graduate in Science in my early thirties, and I watched for the first time a video from Tyler’s channel this year, meaning 2015. So when I get home I indulge myself watching Tyler’s new videos, as I find him cute, funny, and admirably unapologetic for who he is, and for how he lives his life, which I tremendously envy. In that framework, if you by accident find this, what I can guarantee you will find here is a honest review of what I consider a (very) much personal and truly touching bunch of stories, that perhaps you are not expecting to read. I am just writing this review just minutes after finishing his book, which I received today (I could not put it aside till finishing reading it). Whereas I sometimes cringed at his narcissism, and shameless self-promotion, I came to realize with his book that he is very well aware of this appreciation many might have of him (as he literally has millions of viewers and millions of comments everywhere); however, there is more than that. Behind any person’s success, popular or not, there are always stories you might never know, so Tyler is basically offering these stories with this book, and I really appreciated the gesture. You might wonder why: i) Despite his popularity, he remains a sensitive human being with many things working on in his life, and I praise for more public figures on internet to emulate him, as he is teaching a lesson on humility I was not expecting at all. This Tyler I just read seemed to me the human being behind the videos, the post teenage guy who struggles as anyone else, but keeps a positive view on things and aims at advancing on his own persona. ii) Without giving too much (not spoilers here), I consider many of his stories as life lessons for people suffering from a wide and unfortunately common health issues among young (and not that young) people such as eating disorders, self-hate, depression, anxiety, addiction to success, etc. Despite his different life path and age gap as compared to myself, I felt very identified with some of his own struggles, and I applaud his idea of sharing also this other side of himself to us, as a way for us to be alert, identify in ourselves unhealthy habits, and seek for help. iii) I particularly found beautiful the way he portrayed real life characters who are important for him in his book. His mom Jacky, his best friend Korey, and other YouTubers who were supportive on him in his lowest points. We would not know this other side of them, if not thanks to Binge. After all, these are the family and friendship values I also relate to a lot, who doesn’t? By the way, I also want a Korey in my life! iv) Finally, what I learnt overall from this book is a sense of acceptance to myself firstly, and then to others. The truth is we can’t please everybody, and that is alright, as soon as we respect them. Being aware of our own best and worst features is very important. But also learn to see over those not that flattering aspects of ourselves, getting to know better the person you probably do not like that much, and allowing oneself to enjoy and learn from the company of those. What a best place would it be if instead of hating people and pointing out at their not so pleasant aspects of their personalities, we could focus on what we like, admire, enjoy? So I do not know exactly what your expectations are regarding binge, but I can tell you, if you want to get to know personal aspects from Tyler, you won’t be disappointed. I laughed, I cried and I laughed again, and then cried. Such is life! Enjoy and show Tyler some love, he has genuinely rocketed as a true inspiration and I wish I could once meet him in person and grab a coffee, so we could chat about life as the friends in my mind we are after sharing so much. @ElOswi

I wasn’t too sure about books by YouTubers when they first starting appearing on the shelves but after being subscribed to Tyler Oakley for only a few months, I knew I had to have his book. His videos never fail to make me smile and laugh so I had high hopes for his book too. Binge is a collection of anecdotes about Tyler’s life starting from when he was a small child struggling with an eating disorder, to his recent success and how it affects him emotionally and mentally. I found this to be a really honest and open book and I think it’s a great insight into what makes Tyler, Tyler. You can see his sense of humour in his writing but he also covers a lot of serious topics as well. There isn’t a lot that you can say about this book really. Tyler shares the journey he has taken to get to where he is now through a collection of short anecdotes about his life – everything from his dorky days at school and his parents’ divorce to losing respect for someone he admired and meeting Michelle Obama! If you are a fan of Tyler Oakley’s – new or old – this book is a new way to get to know him. If you’re not a fan, this book gives you an insight into a talented and hilarious young YouTube star. Well worth picking up and this is one that I would recommend to anyone.

Binge is a amazing book and it came early. The only thing is that it charged me 10,00 when it said it was only 7 pounds. But apart from that I totally recommend this book!