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I Love You, Beth Cooper

3.3 of 5 stars 3.30 · rating details · 5,119 ratings · 1,028 reviews

Denis Cooverman didn't want to give a typical graduation speech, cherishing memories and embracing challenges and crap. So, instead, he stood up in front of his 512 class-mates and their 3,000 relatives and said some-thing really important:

"I love you, Beth Cooper."

It would have been such a sweet, romantic moment. Except that:

Beth, the head cheerleader, has only the vagues...more

Hardcover, 253 pages

Published May 8th 2007 by Ecco

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Mar 10, 2008 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

It started off promising... really, it did. I'll admit it, I was a nerd in high school, so I can relate to Denis Cooverman a little bit. He uses his time at the podium during his high school graduation ceremony (valedictorian, of course) to criticize some of his classmates before professing his love for popular girl Beth Cooper.

The promising beginning didn't really go anywhere, unfortunately. Denis, who was repeatedly beaten up and made fun of during his school career, continues to be beaten up...more

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May 04, 2008 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who likes a funny book

Shelves: undergrad

When I read this book, I had no idea that the author, first-time novelist Larry Doyle, was an established television writer, with writing credits for "Daria," "Beavis and Butthead," and "The Simpsons," but I easily could have guessed. I Love You, Beth Cooper has the frantic pace and zany, unrealistic plot points that are necessary to keeping a television audience (especially the youthful ones of the aforementioned shows) interested for the whole half-hour. It is full to bursting with cliches of...more When I read this book, I had no idea that the author, first-time novelist Larry Doyle, was an established television writer, with writing credits for "Daria," "Beavis and Butthead," and "The Simpsons," but I easily could have guessed. I Love You, Beth Cooper has the frantic pace and zany, unrealistic plot points that are necessary to keeping a television audience (especially the youthful ones of the aforementioned shows) interested for the whole half-hour. It is full to bursting with cliches of high school and suburbia and the scenes all feel like they are cut and pasted from less than average teen movies, but damn it, it works. This novel reads like a movie; if all the creative people behind Superbad could merge into one and create a novel, this would be that novel. The humor is very similar, and I think it works even better on the page. Indeed, the laughs-per-page ratio found in Beth Cooper is one of the highest I've ever encountered (I suppose the only close competition here would be America: The Book and Good Omens).

Like Superbad, the main thrust of the action in I Love You, Beth Cooper takes place within a single evening in the lives of a pair of geeky high school boys. Denis and Rich have just graduated from a suburban high school in Illinois and are making a lame attempt to make the most of their graduation night after Denis's extremely unconventional valedictorian speech: in "the stilted manner of adolescent public speakers throughout history," Denis Cooverman stood in front of the entire assembled audience and declared his love for hyper-popular, uber-pretty, head-cheerleading Beth Cooper, the blond goddess who has sat in front of him in alphabetical order for a dozen years of public education.

Shortly after, Denis and Rich are the only guests at Denis's graduation party (the first of two teenage parties featuring alcohol and totally unsupervised: this one is a nice twist as the only alcohol is a warm bottle of champagne left by Denis's parents for a bit of modest celebration). The pair are stunned when unlikely plot point no. 1 brings Beth and her interchangeable best friends to Denis's house. The mishaps and the cliches escalate at an exponential rate as Beth drags Denis into her party girl lifestyle for the evening. A second house party (this one with copious amounts of alcohol and, again, no parental supervision), an angry and extremely violent boyfriend, a cabin in the woods, a shower scene, a chase, a heroic rescue, multiple fist fights and a few brushes with death leave Denis completely disillusioned; the girl he has idealized for his entire adolescence is nothing more than human, and very flawed at that. This is a girl who comes only a hair's breadth from performing sex acts to get alcohol, a girl who sleeps around, a girl who hasn't planned for her future, a girl who is, in all likelihood, already past her peak.

I Love You, Beth Cooper is, in a lot of ways, a sad story about growing up and the changes that everyone faces in that time surrounding high school graduation; the extended adolescence provided by American culture is over and the real world beckons. It's this juxtaposition of innocence and maturity that provides such a wealth of material for all of the many, many books and movies and television shows centered on it. Beth Cooper, for all of its emotional heft, is still primarily a screamingly funny and excessively entertaining read; it would be a mistake to pass it by, especially if your memories of high school graduation are still fresh.(less)

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Aug 15, 2011 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, age-adult, humor

I wanted to read this book before seeing the movie and I'm glad I did (not because I've seen the movie yet and am making comparisons, but because I can't imagine the movie can translate half the humor of this book).

Denis Cooverman, aka "The Coove", aka "The Penis", decides that his valedictorian speech at his high school graduation is the perfect time to announce that he is in love with Beth Cooper, the head cheerleader, in addition to insulting several of his classmates. To his surprise, Beth a...more

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Sep 19, 2007 Scott Benjamin rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

The beginning of this book has some of the funniest writing I have seen in a very long time. Although, as I noted to my friend, Amy, some of the humor might be lost on someone who was never an adolescent boy.

The middle does kind of drag on a bit, as the "main character constantly getting the crap kicked out of him" theme gets a bit overplayed. But it does end nicely.

I think every guy, at some point in high school, had a Beth Cooper. That's why it is so funny.

Mine was Christina Bianchi. But, inst...more

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Jul 30, 2008 Jason Hough rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jason by: Ken Bibb

This book is all about making you laugh. The story is shallow, as are most of the characters.
While there were probably more moments in this that made me laugh aloud than any book since Hitchhikers Guide, it completely lacked any of the emotional or philosophical satisfaction Hitchhikers brought.
And, in an odd way, it's almost too funny. It's like the author kept going back and trying to make sure every single sentence had a joke in it. In that sense, although there are plenty of extremely funny...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Tintin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

I have no doubt that Larry Doyle can be a humorous writer (how else could he have credits in Beavis and Butthead and The Simpsons?), but he has no business writing a novel and should have stuck to writing for the screen.

Maybe saying 'no business' is too harsh. Let me rephrase: he should have honed his novel-writing first and not just ported his script to the novel format, bugs and all.

It may not look it but my favorite genre is comedy and I Love You Beth Cooper being tagged as a romance-comedy (...more I have no doubt that Larry Doyle can be a humorous writer (how else could he have credits in Beavis and Butthead and The Simpsons?), but he has no business writing a novel and should have stuck to writing for the screen.

Maybe saying 'no business' is too harsh. Let me rephrase: he should have honed his novel-writing first and not just ported his script to the novel format, bugs and all.

It may not look it but my favorite genre is comedy and I Love You Beth Cooper being tagged as a romance-comedy (romance being another favorite), it should have been easy to please me. A story only has to make me laugh with mirth a few times and I'll gladly give it a four star rating. Instead all I got was a big disappointment.

The plot involves nerdy, geeky Denis Cooverman, high school valedictorian, and his unrequited love for the hot and popular cheerleader Beth Cooper. It's like a John Green plot with zany turns and crazier characters. Only John Green writes about nerdy boys ten times better.

The first thing that disconcerted me within the first few pages is the writing style. Full of noticeable scene transitions (with the first words of each new scene in comic book font), sudden flashbacks, detailed mental mental movies and even an actual sitcom-style script complete with song references for background music, it reads like like a big fat screenplay jammed into an 8 oz. coke bottle of a novel. The 3rd-person omniscient POV prevents any self-identification and feels like a camera changing shots and panning across the screen.

Even the characters come straight from a bad sitcom or cartoon: they're one-dimensional, unsympathetic, and unlikeable. High school is one big cliche. Developments are exaggerated and over-the-top unrealistic, which is why I think Doyle's brand of slapstick comedy would work better on a visual medium (cartoon, comic book, film, television). All the absurd antics, beatings, and humiliation are supposed to be humorous, but I found them too unfunny.

Feeling no commitment at all to the characters or story, I dropped it a third of the way through and only forced myself to finish last weekend. Characters finally begin to show some depth at the last quarter of the book, but by then I was far too removed to care.

One star for the occasional laugh, another for the belated gain of depth and the high note ending. A generous 2 stars.(less)

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May 24, 2010 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, fiction

Larry Doyle knows he's funny and here his sense of humor is on full display. Denis Cooverman concludes his high school career as valedictorian, declaring his love for head cheerleader Beth Cooper during his graduation speech. The night following is full of fighting, partying, breaking and entering, larceny, and all other kinds of trouble teenagers could possibly get into in one crazy night, with Denis following along with any of Beth's scheming.

My husband attended Buffalo Grove High School and...more

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Jun 17, 2009 EAK rated it 1 of 5 stars

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!

I am ashamed to admit that I suggested that my book club read this book as "a fun, summer read," since we seemed to be reading a lot of depressing books lately. I assumed that it would be a high school dork story in the vein of Freaks and Geeks. Instead, it was one of the worst books I have ever read. Yes, I gave it ZERO stars. And Larry Doyle, if you are reading this review, please contact me so I can give you my address so you can write me a check fo...more

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Dec 23, 2008 Ben Babcock rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-library, favourites, humour, 2008-read, 2008-best10, deliciously-quotable

I finished this book in three hours. From page one, Larry Doyle creates an eerily familiar depiction of high school, specifically that moment when you look back during your graduation and realize you're finally free and have your whole life ahead of you--and it's scary.

Doyle's wit sets us off on a one-night odyssey that originates from the single question, "What if, instead of delivering an average graduation speech, the valedictorian head of the debate team confesses his love for the head cheer...more I finished this book in three hours. From page one, Larry Doyle creates an eerily familiar depiction of high school, specifically that moment when you look back during your graduation and realize you're finally free and have your whole life ahead of you--and it's scary.

Doyle's wit sets us off on a one-night odyssey that originates from the single question, "What if, instead of delivering an average graduation speech, the valedictorian head of the debate team confesses his love for the head cheerleader? What happens then?" Such a question has many answers, so Doyle takes a fresh path.

This is a book that reads like a movie. It's epic and cinematic and paced like it has scenes rather than chapters. Doyle smartly confines himself to a single night (with a short epilogue) and, with a few digressions, a single storyline. I've tried watching Superbad twice and couldn't get through it. This book succeeded for me where Superbad failed because, unlike that movie, this book employs an intelligent, honest-because-it-hurts sort of humour. Each sentence jabs at one's brain, dredging up specific memories of youth and high school.

I Love You, Beth Cooper could be, at first glance, a typical coming-of-age story about the nerdy smart guy who falls for the popular cheerleader (or for his construction of who the popular cheerleader is). To some extent, it is such a story. But it's not only such a story, and that isn't the aspect of this story that makes it awesome. Rather, it's the fact that in spite of employing such a major trope, the story is never trite, and it never tries to force a redeeming theme on the reader. Instead, anything and everything that could possibly go wrong for the protagonist does. And when things go right, they don't always go right in the way one would expect.

If you're seeking some sort of original umbrella wisdom on the truth about graduating high school and entering the world of adulthood, your mileage may vary with this book. But if you just want to be entertained, then I'll agree with Dave Barry's review: "I'm not saying it will make you laugh out loud. But I am saying that if it doesn't, something is wrong with you."(less)

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Mar 10, 2009 Staci rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teens

Shelves: 2009-reads

Honestly, reading this book is like jumping on a roller coaster, forgetting to buckle your seatbelt, and you didn't have enough time to pull the bar down. So now you're flying all over the place, screaming your damn head off, swooping over the hills, feeling like you're going to throw up, ducking your head so you don't get decapitated, and then finally you pull back into the station, look at your partner that rode next to you and say..."Dude, that was one freakin' awesome ride. Let's do it again...more

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Mar 26, 2008 Meagan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those classic teen movies that is quoteable and funny, but it also is making fun of those movie while throwing back omages to them. The best part: It's a novel, not a movie.

High School Graduation speech Denis Cooverman, debate team captin, total nerd, and validictorian declares his love for Beth Cooper head cheerleader, most popular girl in school. He also throws in a few nameless aqusations and how he feels about everyone else in their class.

Besides the upset principle and parent...more This is one of those classic teen movies that is quoteable and funny, but it also is making fun of those movie while throwing back omages to them. The best part: It's a novel, not a movie.

High School Graduation speech Denis Cooverman, debate team captin, total nerd, and validictorian declares his love for Beth Cooper head cheerleader, most popular girl in school. He also throws in a few nameless aqusations and how he feels about everyone else in their class.

Besides the upset principle and parents, he oesn't seem to of made an effect. Everyone is ignoring him, like usual and Beth Cooper has disappeared. Well, until she suddenly shows up and tells him it was "sweet, so I'll have to let you live." Then her crazy military boyfriend shows up and wants to kill Denis. He invites Beth over to his party, which he justmade up, anyway.

What follows is an incrediblly crazy night that is perfectly befitting. The book is pretty hilarious and the charecters are beleivable. Doyle makes fun of these types of stories while also respecting them and of course, the book IS one. Every Chapter page has a quote from said movies. It kind of tests your knowledge in a way because it says who the charecter is who said, but not the movie it came from.
I was able to identy a few, but here's some examples.

"Just once I want to do something right" Jim Stark
"She's going to show her boobs. Thank you Jesus!" Roland Faye
"He's just doing it to get a rise out of you. Just Ignore him." Claire Standish
"That was way harsh, Tai." Cher Horowitz
"love makes room for fault." Gidget Lawrence
"it's really human of you to listen to all my bullshit"Samantha Baker
and even
"I;ve just had the best summer of my life and now I have to go away. It's not fair." Sandy Olsson

The night is crazy and according to Denis's counth they break at least 10 laws. I particulary like the supporting charecters of Denis's supposedly gay friend Rich and Beth's smart but reserved friend Cammy. Treece plays almost too much like the slut from mean girls, even in the way she looks and dresses, but it's forgivable.

I definately recomend this. It's a pretty quick read. And it is funny, which is hard to find.(less)

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Dec 29, 2007 Devin Bruce rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: former high school nerds, current high school nerds, fans of The Simpsons

Shelves: library, fiction, humour

On the day of his high school graduation, debate captain Denis Cooverman makes his valedictorian speech. He stands up in front of the podium, and it starts off typical and boring enough. Until he says the following five words: "I love you, Beth Cooper." This declaration of love for the head cheerleader - as well as a few other choice statements - stuns the crowd, and sets into motion a series of events that turns Graduation Night into the craziest, most dangerous, and exhilirating night of Denis...more

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Nov 21, 2008 Trin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, american-lit

Rather than deliver the usual platitudes, dorky Denis decides to lay some honesty on his high school graduating class during his valedictorian speech. Among other things, this involves outing his best friend and declaring his love for head cheerleader Beth Cooper—who unfortunately has no idea who he is. What follows is pretty much a lesser Judd Apatow movie in book form. There is Zaniness. And Shenanigans. And—quite a few funny moments, too. I came to like this book more as it went along—toward...more

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Jun 26, 2008 Kerry rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a wacky, goofy book about a sweltering graduation and the long evening which follows. Take...one nerdy valedictorian who professes his love to a popular cheerleader (Beth Cooper) in his graduation speech. Well, what if the universe conspired to let these two get to know one another in the course of some strange, crazy events that transpire in the course of the night and pepper the entire books with movie quotes and some odd sort of scary looking sketches....voila! There you have it.

This...more

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Mar 20, 2009 Jenny Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult-fiction

WHAT HAPPENED?!! I wanna know what happened at the end of the summer. Darn you Larry Doyle! This book was fun. More laughs, more good story. I want to know what happens next!

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Apr 05, 2009 Jenna rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is HILARIOUS! I am sure I know every character from my own high school days, and I'm hoping that at least one of my friends had this amazing night's experience. Peppered with quotes from all the best movies, this book will make you believe in the underdog.

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Mar 15, 2009 Terry rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Lloyd Dobler and Napoleon Dynamite

Shelves: brought-to-rhs-library

I picked this one up without any expectations because the cover looked good and Dave Barry blurbed it. I did enjoy it, and there are moments of brilliance as Doyle revisits territory covered in all teen comedy coming of age movies - which he quotes from at the beginning of each chapter.

There are some problems with the book, but it moves fast enough to roll past most of them. Now that I'm done, I don't remember too much of it: few lines stand out as quotable essentials, like the ones Doyle paid t...more

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Dec 13, 2008 Perryville Library added it

Shelves: megan, fiction

Larry Doyle wrote for MTV's Beavis and Butthead, and his writing style reflects his biography. I love you Beth Cooper is about Denis, a tragically unpopular valedictorian of an Illinois high school who, in his speech at graduation, confesses the truth about his classmates to an auditorium of hot cranky students and their loved ones. After outing his gay best friend, our main character confesses his love for Beth Cooper, the social queen of the high school. This lands him in trouble with her beef...more

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Apr 19, 2013 T. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Denis is the nerdiest of nerds, and Beth, the cheerleader and popular girl, is his unrequited love. During Denis’s graduation speech, he has the audacity to make this stunning confession, and over the course of the night, Denis and Beth, with friends along for the ride, traverse the night from one disaster to the next in a story that at times can be hilariously and entertaining, albeit that awkward, cringe worthy, can’t-watch-can’t-look-away kind of entertaining.

That being said, its awkward sit...more Denis is the nerdiest of nerds, and Beth, the cheerleader and popular girl, is his unrequited love. During Denis’s graduation speech, he has the audacity to make this stunning confession, and over the course of the night, Denis and Beth, with friends along for the ride, traverse the night from one disaster to the next in a story that at times can be hilariously and entertaining, albeit that awkward, cringe worthy, can’t-watch-can’t-look-away kind of entertaining.

That being said, its awkward situations can grow tiresome, especially since the momentum of the novel seems to run solely on putting Denis in humiliating situations. From beginning to end, Denis isn’t given much rest, and I couldn’t help wondering why someone who has been shy and timid his entire high school career doesn’t just turn around and go home at some point. Of course one might say, Beth the girl of his dreams, and in most coming of age stories, I’d go along, but in this novel, it seems a bit much, and to be frankly honest, repetitive to the point that it became predictable.

Given proper motivation, I can always buy anything, even a repetitive plot, and most times I’d find this motivation in the way the characters evolve. Problem is, from Denis and company all the way to his torturous bullies, pretty much every character in the book is kind of shallow and one dimensional. Other than Denis’s confession during his graduation speech, Denis is extremely nervous, anxious, socially awkward, and overly geeky. Beth and all other popular girls are either stuck up, vapid, condescending, or impish sex kittens nothing more. Kevin, Beth’s boyfriend/ex-boyfriend, is in the army dumb, bulky, short tempered, and solves all problems with violence. Worse yet, Greg, another high school bully, seems so slow that he comes off as mentally challenged. Of course, all coming of age stories are based on these foundations, but the characters generally grow as the story unfolds not so much here. In any case, it all tends to border on being insulting on all accounts. I’ll be the first to admit to being a bit geeky and a loner in school, and even I, thought that none of these characters were as simple as they were presented.

But not is all rotten, I Love You, Beth Cooper is consistently hilarious and jammed packed with teenage song titles and pop culture references that make a great guessing game. Rich, Denis’s totally-not-gay best friend, is quirky in a pretty interesting way and makes a great side kick. Doyle, our author, also has a keen and sharp eye for high school moments and places. Insane driving, parking down on secluded gravels roads, scoring booze, and crashing parties all feel authentic, even when they dive into cliché territory.

Part of me wonders if Doyle meant this to be a young adult novel. It certainly lacks the sophistication of an adult novel, but seems a bit sexually graphic at times for the standard young adult novel. Maybe, Doyle underestimates our current youth and sees them as shallow and predictable. In the end, I Love You, Beth Cooper simply leaves the reader wanting something better.
(less)

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Jan 17, 2013 Beth S rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the book I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle, main character Denis and his best friend Rich take one last high school adventure the night of graduation that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

This novel can be compared to the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Although in the book Speak, Melinda is not the same age and is in a very different situation that Denis is, I can still find similarities in the books. Both take place inside a high schooler's mind where you can see e...more In the book I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle, main character Denis and his best friend Rich take one last high school adventure the night of graduation that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

This novel can be compared to the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Although in the book Speak, Melinda is not the same age and is in a very different situation that Denis is, I can still find similarities in the books. Both take place inside a high schooler's mind where you can see everything from their point of view and, especially being in high school myself, easily relate the situations to my own. While I was reading I Love You, Beth Cooper, one of the big important scenes took place at a high school party. This was comparable to the book Speak, because one of the most important scenes through the novel also takes place at a high school party. There are no dominant themes that are carried throughout both books besides that fact that both of the main characters are in high school, but there are many things built into each book that sound similar. High school gossip and drama isn’t a major theme throughout either book, but they are present in both of the books, making me realize that to create a high school surrounding throughout a book, you need gossip and drama. In high school, many people over-exaggerate because of these two things, and they are perfect ingredients to a book that is supposed to take place in a high school. It really allows you to better picture the characters surrounding the main characters in the book.

I really like how the author makes each character. When you’re introduced to the main characters in the book, they sound extremely stereotyped. Denis and his best friend Rich are nerds. Beth is the popular head cheerleader. But as the story continues, more information is revealed about each character and they seem to be different than the story introduced them to be. I like that because it’s realistic. You can’t judge a book by its cover. I like that the characters are all very different in personality. It provides the reader with enjoyment throughout the book when different characters are present.

After Denis admits his love for Beth Cooper in his graduation speech, Beth’s boyfriend, Kevin, is after Denis throughout the rest of the book and is the main conflict. Beth takes Denis to protect him from her vicious boyfriend, and he makes appearances throughout the book multiple times in an attempt to beat up Denis and teach him not to mess with his girlfriend. But Denis keeps escaping the grasp of Kevin. The conflict throughout the book keeps you very interested because even though they always escape from Kevin, he gets a hold of Denis when he catches up and gets a few punches in, so Denis keeps getting worse throughout the book. You want to see how far Kevin will go before he literally would kill Denis.

I Love You, Beth Cooper is the first comedy book I’ve ever read, and I really enjoyed it. I honestly never thought that anyone could write a book that would be funny. I think it would be very hard to write a book and actually make it funny. I will definitely read more comedy books now that I know that they’re actually funny, especially if they’re by Larry Doyle. I know now that he is a very good author and I am looking forward to finding more of his books.

I really liked this book, and I would definitely recommend it to others. This book has an excellent storyline and characters. At first it seems like an average book about an average high school, but once you start reading, it’s hard to put this book down. All of the characters and the way they interact provide you with amusement. The way the characters interact also help you understand the theme of the book, which is “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. Beth’s real personality is slowly revealed as the book goes on, and she ends up being a completely different person than Denis was expecting.

I gave this book 5 stars because it was amazing. I loved it! I barely ever find any books that are so good I can’t put them down. Most books have at least one point where they get really slow and boring and you read chapters waiting for things to start speeding up again, but I never once had this problem while I was reading this book. Every chapter was exciting! For anyone out there who hasn’t read this book yet, I would go pick it up now, because it was one of the best books I’ve ever read. I’m considering reading it a second time.(less)

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Oct 30, 2012 Derek added it

This book was extremely dramatic with some romantic and some drunken mishaps. This book being a extreamly inappropriate ill try to keep it reasonable. This book starts off with a typical Highschool graduation. Hot gym, a bunch of proud moms and dads, and hundred of graduating seniors thinking about the party they are going to go to after the graduation. First off. Denis cooverman, your typical nerd smart kid. Beth cooper. Prettiest girl in school, popular, a hundred friends. Denis is the valid V...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Glen Moss rated it 1 of 5 stars

I am the first to admit that I am a Simpsons junkie, so whenever I find out that a writer from the show writes a book, I usually go out and find it. That is the case with Larry Doyle's: I love You Beth Cooper. This does pain me to say it but the book starts with a train wreck and does not improve from there.

The basic story is this, one unpopular boy who pined after a girl for all his high school years decides to announce his love for her during his Valedictorian speech. This just opens the stor...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Brian H rated it 3 of 5 stars

“I Love You Beth Cooper” is a book about an absolute nerd. It’s graduation day and Denis Cooverman is making a speech. He admits his biggest secret in front of everyone: he loves Beth Cooper. (Hence the title) Denis is pretty much a nobody to Beth, who is dating a huge guy named Kevin. Did I mention Kevin was huge? As the night goes on, Beth meats Denis. They become...friends? Maybe. Long story short, it’s the classic story of Nice Nerd vs Mean Jock to win over the girl, or is it?
I liked this b...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Jia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 12th-grade-advisory-books

I Love you, Beth Cooper
by Larry Doyle

Have you ever had a crush on a special someone during your high school years? Denis Cooverman had a crush on Beth cooper since the first day they had went to public school together and he had kept that in him for 12 years until his graduation night. That night, Denis had decided to confess her love for Beth Cooper in front of all the high school graduates in the school. It would've been a romantic idea to confess in front of 512 classmates and 3,000 relative...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Paul.zhu added it

“I love you, Beth Cooper” book review
Paul Zhu
“Today we look forward, but I also would like to look back, looking back not with anger, but with no regret. No regrets for what we wanted to say but could not. And so I say here today the one thing I wish I had said, the one thing I know I will regret if I never say.” “I love you, Beth Cooper.” It is a special speech for graduation, and it is the beginning of the whole story.
This novel is written in 2007 by Larry Doyle. And it is a wickedly funny...more “I love you, Beth Cooper” book review
Paul Zhu
“Today we look forward, but I also would like to look back, looking back not with anger, but with no regret. No regrets for what we wanted to say but could not. And so I say here today the one thing I wish I had said, the one thing I know I will regret if I never say.” “I love you, Beth Cooper.” It is a special speech for graduation, and it is the beginning of the whole story.
This novel is written in 2007 by Larry Doyle. And it is a wickedly funny story. The main character, Denis Cooverman is a nerd boy; he falls in love with a girl when he is Grade 6. At that moment, he was assigned to sit behind her all the time, not only biology, history, practical science, but also literature class. He knew her a lot, but she never noticed him, and they hadn’t any connect to each other. The right now, the boy, Denis, is as a debate team captain and the girl, Beth Cooper, is becoming the head of cheerleader. The distance is further and further between them. Then, Denis knows this is the last opportunity for him to show his heart to Beth, in order to have not regretted in the future. The beginning is weird, but the effect is not bad, during this speech he invites Beth to go his party, also both Denis and his friend Kevin try to entertain the ladies but don’t work. I have to say Denis is a nerd; he does not how to communicate with girl and how to make them happy. But he is honest. Under Beth’s boyfriend pursued, they have a crazy graduate night. During this night all of them are becoming mature and better know each other, and then they have a totally different lifestyle. Sometime, I believe people can grow up in one minute or one case. I want to say not matter Denis or Beth, they change a lot during this night, Denis looks like more confidence, and Beth is more and more mature and know what is she need, I really like this novel, the most impress to me is Denis’ speech, is it also have something you want to do but could not? Do you will regret something for your high school life? It is the high school life story; the time is the same as us. So we should do any thing what we want, courage yourself, have a try, if you will try, you may have a wonderful future and without regret any more.

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Oct 25, 2010 Kreplan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Denis is your average teenager, but a lot more geeky. The beginning of the novel he is a nerdy valedictorian who was the captain of the debate team and all he wants is for this one popular “out of his league” cheerleader Beth Cooper to notice him. When I read this I could tell that something was going to go wrong. The lead up on Denis’s speech was unbearable and by some miraculous forced kept me reading, and it was worth it. The speech was hilarious; the way Larry Doyle explains the class while...more Denis is your average teenager, but a lot more geeky. The beginning of the novel he is a nerdy valedictorian who was the captain of the debate team and all he wants is for this one popular “out of his league” cheerleader Beth Cooper to notice him. When I read this I could tell that something was going to go wrong. The lead up on Denis’s speech was unbearable and by some miraculous forced kept me reading, and it was worth it. The speech was hilarious; the way Larry Doyle explains the class while denies mocks then the pinnacle of teenage stereotypes. The bully who was unloved as a child, the eating disorder girls, the stuck up worthless girl, and the classic gay best friend. But through all of that it was Denis’s first regret that he let out, about him self, the regret of never telling the popular “out of his league” head cheerleader Beth Cooper, that he “I love you Beth Cooper” (page 5).
discomfiting moments like these are funny, to almost everyone, yet Larry had to drag it out which at some points made it funnier but yet was pulled through the novel like a rubber band, it starts off good, but then it stretches on, and on, and on, and on throughout the entirety on the novel until it snaps, but it does start funny again. An example of these constant awkward moments and painful humiliation, we have Denis’s painful beatings buy Beth’s coke addict army boyfriend (another stereotype) and his constant humiliation.
This book is not for kids, it is inappropriate, not because of Denis’s constant beatings and therefore constant nosebleeds but the language and certain chapters. The contrast of Beth’s character and the person Denis’s character created in his mind is shown through Beth’s language, he constant swearing and also her general personality is disturbing, the ways she drives her car, or deathmobile, the clothing and her attitude towards certain scenarios. But for the readers, us getting to know the real Beth and figuring out the differences between Denis’s Beth and Beth is a fun journey that’s not suitable for younger readers. But the language isn’t the only problem that this book has on maturity restrictions; Beth’s character has “slept around” during high school, and that is shown through her interactions with Denis, especially in the shower chapter (chapter 17) and the chapter where Denis gets his wish (chapter 21).
This book is also not a book, it looks and sounds like a screenplay, it is written in a way that makes me feel like in watching a movie, not in it, not controlling it, but watching it. But most of all this book is a journey, that everyone can relate to in some way, and we really get to know the characters no matter how cliché, but yet, it is still a fantastic book that is worth the read.
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Oct 21, 2010 Jeffreyyyy L rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A Story of a geeky kid in high school having a crush on a hot cheerleader is a classic. It’s not original and has been explored numerous times by many different authors. However, Larry Doyle, a former Simpson’s writer knows how to change a classic high school story into something extraordinarily funny. This book is completely different from the other high school books, it will crack you up, hard. The story focuses on the main character Denis Cooverman, a nerd, geek or just one of those unpopular...more

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Sep 02, 2010 Brandon Will rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chicago-authors, fiction, first-novels

I don't know. I was a dorko too, I went to high school in America, and I wanted to like this book. Some people with good taste had recommended it to me -- and they weren't wrong. This book is incredibly funny. I guess my problem enjoying it was that that's just all there is. It feels exactly like a book written by a writer for the Simpsons. And I'm not trying to put down the Simpsons here either, but, the show did lose a lot of it's depth as it went on.

I found this book incredibly stereotypical...more

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Mar 10, 2010 Peterzhao added it

Response review of “I love you Beth Cooper”
The book I have read is “I love you Beth Cooper”. This book is about the funny things happened on a high school graduate. He is the protagonist, named Denis. He decided to do a “creasy” thing that he have never did before. He shows his love to a girl during his graduation speech. And that probably mess up his speech. Anyway, he did that. He did that because his best friend, Rich encourages him to catch the last chance without regret. He will never see h...more Response review of “I love you Beth Cooper”
The book I have read is “I love you Beth Cooper”. This book is about the funny things happened on a high school graduate. He is the protagonist, named Denis. He decided to do a “creasy” thing that he have never did before. He shows his love to a girl during his graduation speech. And that probably mess up his speech. Anyway, he did that. He did that because his best friend, Rich encourages him to catch the last chance without regret. He will never see her after graduate. But obviously, the speech is awkward. There are five hundred students at that ceremony. At the beginning of his speech, he got nervous, after his speech, the students got nervous. He not only speaks his love out, but also blames a lot of students who he hates before. Denis got trouble because of the speech.
The whole story is just happened in one night after the graduation ceremony. The protagonist Denis has a “date” with the girl he loved—Beth. Denis and Beth with their friends go to another party, they go camp, and they have a lot of interesting things during that night. At this night, Denis found the Beth with him is not the Beth in his imagination. She is creasy, drink and drive, she is kind of scared him. And the most important gap between them is their future. Denis is going to Stanford University, but Beth is going to a community college. However, with the story developed, Denis found he is getting to know a new Beth Cooper. Those differences are not important. They can start a new relationship. The novelist creates a pure love between them, Denis love Beth, he did not want to get something from her, and he is different with her ex-boyfriend. In this novel, many elements recall readers’ own memories. They have the same feeling with these characters. So that they thought the elements and what does Denis did are funny. However, in my opinion, I do not think this story is perfect. The novelist gives us a message that young people could do everything, because they are young, even though that is a silly thing. In some situations, that could bring you more regrets. That is good for a novel, because is a conflict of a story, writer could create an interesting scenes. But in the real life, I guess nobody will do that, even though they will regret. This story is just in book, we can not expect we have the same experience like Denis’s. The story is good, it makes reader laugh, but is not real.
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Mar 09, 2010 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story starts off with the nerdy protagonist discussing his long-lived unannounced love for head cheerleader and uber-pretty Beth Cooper; whom he had sat behind in practically every single class. Right away you relate to the teen heart-felt feelings that Denis Cooverman confesses, and personally sympathize with him considering any of us girls could’ve been that “Beth Cooper” for some lonely, underdeveloped band geek. I think there is a great disappointment when you realize there isn’t much de...more

The story starts off with the nerdy protagonist discussing his long-lived unannounced love for head cheerleader and uber-pretty Beth Cooper; whom he had sat behind in practically every single class. Right away you relate to the teen heart-felt feelings that Denis Cooverman confesses, and personally sympathize with him considering any of us girls could’ve been that “Beth Cooper” for some lonely, underdeveloped band geek. I think there is a great disappointment when you realize there isn’t much depth with the story following the main profession of affection, considering Denis doesn’t even know the real Beth since he has yet to converse with her.
However, the story is written in a style perfect for television. With each chapter in the book representing a scene in a movie, which has got me to wonder if Larry Doyle wrote this novel to be later produced into a silver screen. Laughter is extremely contagious throughout the course of the story, it has the far fetched, wacky humour that attracts your attention and can make you burst out in hilarity. The humour in this novel I can see to be stimulating for fan viewers of comedy shows like “The Simpsons, “and “Beavis and Butthead,” since the author had also been credited to writing for them.
This story is filled with stereotypes and movie references, with the concepts and the individual characters. Like the smart nerd who likes the popular cheerleader, Denis’ gay best friend, and the loyal band of slutty popular girls. So if you’re a movie buff and enjoy clichéd high school humour, this is the novel for you. There aren’t many pages in the paperback, so seeing the theatrical version won’t help to exclude multiple hours of bed reading. The movie version of this story really leaves out the raw comical mentions that are countless on each page of the novel. So for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie, don’t. The book is far more entertaining and paints a much better mental picture for you.
Overall, I enjoyed the narrative and would recommend this book to anyone in need of a good laugh, and offer it 4 out of 5 stars.
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About Larry Doyle

Larry Doyle, a former writer for The Simpsons, works in showbiz and writes funny things for the New Yorker. He lives outside Baltimore with his wife, Becky, their three children, and one dog, until it dies, and then no more dogs, according to the wife.

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Books by Larry Doyle

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Quotes from I Love You, Beth Cooper

“I'm sorry I'm so pathetic," he thought, and then realized he had also said it.

Beth laughed, so lightly and so kindly that Denis felt it in his chest, not his stomach.

Can I tell you a secret?"

Yes, tell me all your secrets Denis kept to himself.

Beth leaned in, whispered: "All boys are pathetic.” — 23 people liked it

“Denis could think of no logical reason why he should not attempt to mate with Beth Cooper.

There were no laws explicitly against it.

They were of the same species, and had complementary sex organs, most likely, based on extensive mental modeling Denis had done.” — 4 people liked it

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