Larry Doyle (1) (1958–)

I came across this book by accident, and I am very glad that I did. I was aware that this was a movie, I saw some of it, then found the book. This author is hilarious, there is no question about it. He takes a complete nerd, Denis, and makes him declare his love for the head cheerleader, Beth Cooper, during his valedictorian speech. This might have been endearing if Beth Cooper had known who Denis was, thus, the evening unfolds. Beth, and her two sidekicks, Cammy and Treece, decide to join Denis and his best friend Rich (who may or not be gay) for a bit of a laugh. Beth's boyfriend, Kevin, a rather large member of the U.S. Army who does coke for fun and likes to beat up people for entertainment, doesn't quite find Denis' declaration of love very funny or sweet. Horrible driving, cow-tipping, party crashing, breaking and entering, consummation of alcohol, various beat downs, lose of clothing, many one liners from every movie possible, kissing, possible sex, hopes for the future, and something like friendship ensues.

The characters may start as stereotypes but they are quickly (and realistically) brought to fully fleshed out characters that you root for. The entire novel is just hilarious and worth it for a laugh, but the author is smart, and you will enjoy the ride.… (more)

In the bio, it mentions Larry Doyle was a former writer for the Simpsons. That info was handy when I thought about my review. Like the Simpsons, I Love You Beth Cooper seems on the surface that it's for young teens, but it's really not. Unlike the Simpsons, this book leans more toward (and maybe a little past here and there) South Park's level of appropriateness. So, it's a book for juvenile adults I guess? I found it entertaining and a fast read. I also appreciated how each chapter showed the main character's face change as different things occurred to him/it. It was a little attention to detail that added to the book. I haven't seen the movie, but reading the book it's obvious that it would become a teen movie. It's in the same vein as American Pie type of story.… (more)