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Reviews
"So what elevates Yoo’s novel above other underdog-gets-the-girl-in-the-end fare? First, his writing is laid-back, chatty, funny, and disarmingly frank. Second, he really gets inside Albert’s head, believably channeling the thoughts and emotions of a second-generation Korean-American teenage boy." Horn Book
I laughed so hard I had to keep some ChapStick handy to keep my lips from cracking."
– Gene Luen Yang (author of Printz Award-winning
American Born Chinese)
"Subtly, delightfully subversive. David Yoo has a rare talent: he's able to make you laugh, sigh, wince, and cheer--all at the same time."
– A.M. Jenkins (author of Printz Award Honor book
Repossessed and Damage)
"Albert is one of the most unique characters I've ever encountered in fiction or in life. His absurd and deeply romantic fall into first love is funny, heartbreaking and surprising. David Yoo is a major talent."
– E. Lockhart (author of The Boyfriend List and
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks)
"David Yoo's voice is so witty and charming it only seems fair to give warning: he'll break hearts of teenage readers of all ages with this bittersweet love story."
– Jonathan Lethem
Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before – Synopsis
If Albert Kim has learned one thing in his tragic adolescence, it's that God (probably a sadistic teenaged alien) does not want him to succeed at Bern High. By the end of sophomore year, Al is so tired of humiliation that he's chosen to just forget girls and high school society in general, and enjoy the Zen-like detachment that comes from being an intentional loser.
Then he meets Mia Stone, and all the repressed hormones come flooding back. Mia, his co-worker at the Bern Inn, is adorable, popular, and most intimidatingly, the ex-long-term girlfriend of Ivy-bound, muscle-bound king of BHS and world class jerk, Ryan Stackhouse. But -- chalk it up to the magic of Al's inner beauty -- by the end of a summer vacuuming hotel rooms and goofing off together, he and Mia are officially “something.”
Albert barely has time to ponder this miracle before the bomb drops: Ryan has been diagnosed with cancer, and he needs Mia's support, i.e. constant companionship. True, he's lost weight and he’s getting radiation, but that doesn’t make him any less of a jerk. And to Albert, it couldn't be more apparent that Ryan is using his cancer to steal Mia back.
With the whole town rallying behind Ryan like he’s a fallen hero, and Mia emotionally confused and worried for Ryan, Al’s bid for love is not a popular campaign. In fact, it's exactly like driving the wrong way on a five-lane highway.
In this desperately funny novel, David Yoo tells an authentic story of first love, and therein captures the agony, the mania, the kicking and screaming that define teenage existence.
For more information, visit Hyperion Books For Teens
Product Details
ISBN: 1423109074
ISBN-13: 9781423109075
Hardcover, $16.99, 384 pages
ages 13 & up |
