Tyler Oakley’s first memoir, Binge, hits shelves today as the YouTuber-turned-author embarks on an international book tour. Oakley is one in a long line of YouTubers who’ve turned to the publishing industry in the past year, telling tales of their lives to passionate fanbases who turn out in droves to push them up the charts. If you’re clamouring for a copy but wondering what you’ll find in its pages, we’ve compiled seven things you’ll learn about Oakley, from his sex life to his driving record, when you pick up Binge.
1) Tyler Oakley is R-rated
Well, not totally, but definitely more than his other LGBT YouTuber counterparts. Openly gay from the get-go in his YouTube career, Oakley’s made no secret of his life as a sexually active adult. The book definitely goes there, from covering his first major relationships to his “ten cummandments” learned living in San Francisco after college. He lets fans in on unexpected fetish moments, Grindr hookups gone wrong, and everything in between.
2) Tyler Oakley has a lot of feelings on holidays
An entire chapter, “Unnecessary Holiday Traditions,” is dedicated to Oakley’s opinions on events from St. Patrick’s Day (no green, please) to how “Happy Birthday” is completely insufferable.
3) Tyler Oakley is not a safe driver
A fan might think they’re super lucky to get into a car with Oakley, but if he’s behind the wheel, he warns for disaster. The book details several car crashes and roadway accidents—as well as the surprising link between his vehicular mishaps and his love life.
4) Tyler Oakley has a full-on Beyoncé life plan
No, not a plan to live life like Queen Bey, but plans for what he’d do if he someday woke up in his glittering bodysuit. He lays out a clear plan of action in one chapter about how he’d go through his 24 hours for maximum Beyoncé time. It’s a good reminder that everyone should have a body swap game plan in their back pocket.
5) Tyler Oakley should be your date to a wedding
If you need a plus one, Oakley proves in the book that he’s game for anything and happy to roll with the punches. Even if the entire situation he’s landed in is a lie.
6) Tyler Oakley is extremely open
He may have broadcast his life on YouTube for the past eight years, but Oakley goes in depth in his book on several sensitive topics, including domestic abuse and depression. In a book with a lot of laughs, his weightier sections stick with the reader.
7) Tyler Oakley trusts you
He kicks off the book explaining that he’s letting his fans in on his life by talking about the distinction between Mathew, his legal first name, and Tyler, the name he started going by in childhood. He describes Mathew as his more private identity, and introduces the book by explaining that he’s telling those stories, the Mathew stories, as his sign of trust to his readers.
Illustration by Max Fleishman
