Nerds Heart YA: My Most Excellent Year vs. Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before
vs. 
Aren’t you excited? Today I am about to advance a book to the final round of the Nerds Heart YA Tournament.
I’m a little bit surprised with the outcome. I read the first book and had only just started the second, and I clearly thought that book number two might be the winner. I really loved reading the first book, but my attention started to wane a bit toward the end. I thought for sure it would be lovable but easily knocked out of its default position as the winner- being the only book that I had read at the time. That turned out to be wrong, really wrong. But it was a decision that took quite a bit of thinking to come to ultimately.
I read My Most Excellent Year, by Steve Kluger first. I really enjoyed the characters and their stories. The dialogue was fun and witty and the the teenagers had these really interesting lives and voices, and it was just fun. There were several story lines going on in this multi-narrator novel which caught my attention. It’s got a lot of love and fairytale elements. TC wants Ale to be his girlfriend and he comes off a little too cocky for her taste- setting up the drama of the will they or won’t the relationship that will be played out through out the rest of the book. Augie is TC’s fabulous and larger than life best friend who discovers that he is gay long after the rest of his family and friends have figured it out. They also know before he does who is is the boy of his dreams. When he figures it out as well, he has to see if he can get the guy while taking care of his best friends and staging the school talent show. Over the year chronicled these kids go through lots that show how loved and supported they are by their parents and how they are able to love and support each other and all help one another accomplish dreams that are close to their heart.
Next up was Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before, by David Woo. I really liked this book and its characters too. Albert Kim is funny, witty and suffering from severe social alienation which he has instigated himself after having such a hard time making and maintaining friendships. The plot here is familiar as Albert meets and wins the heart of one of the most popular girls in the school while working a summer job at a local hotel. True to form he isn’t able to enjoy that for very long before Mia’s ex-boyfriend is diagnosed with cancer and starts demanding a lot of time and attention. The suspense was wonderful/awful and had just the right intensity. There are very relatable themes of alienation, the struggle to fit in and finding and keeping love throughout this novel. Albert struggles to interact with his peers and Mia’s efforts to establish an identity outside of her boyfriend were engaging for a time, but the book dragged a bit faltered under Albert’s frustrating inability to connect, and what felt like a rushed ending marred a promising start.
That being said, it was hard for me to pick between these books. There were things that I loved about each of them while recognizing that they were both flawed. I loved that they both had diverse characters and/or featured and discussed alternative lifestyles. Both were comedies, but David Yoo’s book definitely had more angst going on. I think both lost their way a little in being a bit longer than they needed to be. Lack of compelling conflict slowed the story in My Most Excellent Year- , and plausibility issues did the same for me with Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before. The ending was also rushed and didn’t resolve or acknowledge any of the issues which came before. My Most Excellent Year did the better job of bringing the story to an end, and was more coherent. Things happened in Stop Me which I just didn’t believe.
And so there you have it, My Most Execllent Year has duked it out and made it to the final round! I am definitely more surprised than anybody.
How exciting! I can’t wait to see what it’s going up against.
19 Responses to “Nerds Heart YA: My Most Excellent Year vs. Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before”
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Oh I’m so bummed for Stop Me (which I loved) but I haven’t read My Most Excellent Year Yet…I’m going to read it soon and see if I agree with you.
This was such a tough decision for me to make and I wondered whether Most Excellent Year would be able to make it all the way. It was just so happy and positive and great but not really realistic. But then I just couldn’t see Albert as realistic. He was a little bit over the top for me. I was a little surprised that Most Excellent Year won.
Yay, I’ve been looking forward to seeing what you would pick! This was a great match-up, I thought.
The funny thing is, I think I had the same criticism when I read My Most Excellent Year that you did of Stop Me–I found certain things unbelievable. It reminded me of the plot of a musical in that way (which I think is what he was going for). The characters in Stop Me rang truer for me, so I would have probably picked it for the next round, but it’s a tough call. So many people adored My Most Excellent Year.
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I think that both books had similar weaknesses and it was really hard to choose. Albert was more realistic that the gang for me Most Excellent Year, but he was just so over the top for me hat I didn’t believe him and I think I liked him less by the end. That might have been the deciding factor.
I’m so excited to know what I’m reading!! I already went and ordered this one
Can’t wait to get it now. I’m so nervous because I’ve actually read both of the books in the other bracket and they’re both some of my favorites of the year!! We’ll see how they fare against this one!
Chris´s last blog ..The Sunday Salon – Closing July, Onto August!
I still need to read My Most Excellent Year. Even though I too thought Stop Me was overlong, I still chuckle when I think about Albert.
Lenore´s last blog ..Where I’ve Been (US edition)
It sounds like you had a tough decision to make!
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You have made my day! I am SO HAPPY to see My Most Excellent Year go through to the next round! Sounds like you had the same trouble I did; my books were so evenly matched, so alike, yet so different. It was a hard pick for me too.
I can’t wait to see what Chris and Nymeth think!!
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I am really surprised that Most Excellent ended up winning. I thought it was super cute, but I was sure that the other book was going to be a stronger book. It was a very hard decision. I felt that the books had similar flaws, but I just liked the people in Most Excellent a little bit more.
They both sound good, but the winner might be more up my street.
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Ahhhh I can’t believe the third round is already half decided! What will go on to fight it out with ‘My Most Excellent Year’ I wonder?
They both sound like good reads – what a tough decision to have to make! I haven’t read either one yet. I think I’d better rectify that!
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Wow! 2 very great books, what a tough choice!! excellent thoughts on both of them!
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This was definitely one of my favorite books of last year. I love you, Steve Kluger! I completely broke down at the scene where TC takes Hucky to NYC.
Now I’m going to check out Woo’s book. Damn you, NHYA folks, you’re adding too much to my TBR pile.
OMG I can’t believe how excited I am that My most excellent Year made it to the final round! whatever happens now, I’m satisfied! I read it in the first round and really hoped it went far..and it did! so thank you for making my day!
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Then you must have been so happy to see that it made it all the way. Congratulations! I must admit that I had my doubts.
I haven’t read either, but I just picked up My Most Excellent Year from the library so I can’t wait to dive in!
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My Most Excellent Year did the better job of bringing the story to an end, and was more coherent.
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