I Love You, Beth Cooper (P.S.)

by Larry Doyle

[ibeforem]

It’s no surprise that Mr. Doyle is a former TV writer, or that this book was made into a movie, because it reads just like a teen mis-adventure movie, more Can’t Hardly Wait or Dazed and Confused than The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles (am I dating myself here?). I listened to this one weekend while painting my bathroom, and it was the perfect choice.

Denis and Rich (sometimes known as "Dick Munch and the Penis") are feeling fortunate to have made it out of high school relatively unscathed. . The book opens with Denis’s valedictorian speech, just before he utters the titular "I love you, Beth Cooper." Beth is the beautiful, popular cheerleader, already involved with a guy on leave from the Army who has more brawn than brains. During an awkward exchange after the ceremony, Denis manages to invite Beth to a non-existent party at his house, never truly imagining she would show up.

But she does.

What follows is possibly both the best and worst night of Denis’s life. Don’t expect any big life lesson here, unless you count "no one is as perfect as they seem", but do expect a lot of fun and unexpected adventures.

I’ve heard the movie wasn’t particularly good, but I’ll probably give it a watch anyway.