I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle

Denis Cooverman is your typical high school nerd. He’s extremely smart, socially awkward, and not too great with the ladies. He also happens to be graduating as valedictorian of his class. When the big day rolls around, he decides to take a risk with the speech and in the middle of it says, “I Love You, Beth Cooper.” Everyone is shocked. They never expected Denis Cooverman to do something so….daring. Yet he did.

          After graduation is over, Beth Cooper, the blond hair, blue eyed cheerleader that Denis is absolutely in love with comes up to him, angry with him for proclaiming his love for her in front of the entire senior class, their parents, and the teachers. She found the speech embarrassing, yet at the same time extremely sweet. So, Denis decides to invite her to the graduation party he was having at his house that night.

            As Denis is preparing with his best friend Rick, Beth and her two friends Treece and Cammy, decide to show up. From the moment the trio steps in the door, chaos takes place. First it’s Beth’s crazy boyfriend Kevin going after Denis, to traveling all across the city in one wild night of fun. Denis gets to see Beth in a way he had never seen before and it only took four little words...

            I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle was a hilarious book that I tore through in just a few days. Personally, I thought the story line was great, a little bit unrealistic at times, but absolutely hilarious nonetheless. The idea was extremely creative and the story was crafted very well. The build up to his speech was so suspenseful. Everyone knew that he was going to say, “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” but no one expected that he would go on and on about it or that she would even show up to his party. The characters were great. A bit cliché, considering the nerd falls for the cheerleader, but I think that’s what made the story so funny. She was completely out his league, yet, as she spent the time getting to know him, she realized that he was more than just brains. One of my favorite parts of the book was the fact that at the beginning of each chapter, there would be a cartoon drawing of Denis. Each time, it was worse and worse because of everything that he kept going through. It was an intelligent touch. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had my laughing out loud so much, even in public, that people would give me weird looks. Still, I recommend this book for a light hearted and fun read. I think it’s good for teens both male and female. Definitely have to check this one out!

            The book was also turned into a movie which I just so happened to see. I actually read the book because I wanted to see the movie, which I usually don’t do. I hate reading books, then seeing the movie, then being disappointed because it wasn’t nearly as good as I hoped it would be. However, that wasn’t the case with this movie. For the most part, the movie stayed pretty close to the book, which surprised me. I hadn’t expected it to stay as close as it had. The end was definitely changed, but up to those last moments, it was nearly word for word. Okay, so I’m probably exaggerating a bit there, but it was extremely close. So if you enjoyed the book, you should see the movie and if you’ve seen the movie, then read the book! Either way, if anyone reads it or sees it, let me know what you think!