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The Sweet Life #6
Bittersweet
For Jessica and Elizabeth, the sweet life begins at 30…From Francine Pascal, creator of Sweet Valley High and author of the New York Times bestselling Sweet Valley Confidential, comes the sixth installment of the groundbreaking, six-part, E-original serial, The Sweet Life, continuing the adventures of beautiful blonde twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield and the gang from Sweet Valley.Three years after the events of Sweet Valley Confidential, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are back in Sweet Valley and inseparable once more. But Jessica, now a mother, finds herself in grave danger when a man she trusts betrays her. Lila Fowler's shocking secret comes to light. Elizabeth learns the dark origins of the scandal that's ravaged Bruce's life, but is it too late? Sweet Valley fans, new and old, will be shocked and scandalized by this full-throttle finale!
96 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2012
16 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,147 books1,852 followersFrancine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
August 21, 2012
This isn't great literature. It was never meant to be. It's supposed to be a fun, trashy, soapy read. And it was... right up until the end.
How they can end this serial on a cliffhanger this way is beyond fathomable. (According to Pascal, she isn't writing any more.) And just why does Francine Pascal HATE Elizabeth so much, that she must not only break her heart once, but rip it out of her chest, throw it on the floor, stomp on it, revive it and then do the same thing all over again? I want my freaking happy ending. I don't want to read something where the heroine I grew up with not only doesn't get her happy ending, but is tossed into a flaming pit of vipers with no rope to cling to.
I could handle her not ending up with Todd. I could accept that she has a different future ahead, albeit one I never imagined for her. What I cannot accept is being left hanging as to whether or not she and Bruce will come to their freaking senses and just settle down together. I'm sure this is some promotional gimmick and perhaps there will be more to the story when the entire collection is released as a single book this fall. But in the meantime, Ms. Pascal hasn't whet my appetite for more... she's just plain ol' pissed me off.
I think I may just go ahead and write my own addendum to this book and get the ending Elizabeth--as well as I and other Sweet Valley fans--deserve.
How they can end this serial on a cliffhanger this way is beyond fathomable. (According to Pascal, she isn't writing any more.) And just why does Francine Pascal HATE Elizabeth so much, that she must not only break her heart once, but rip it out of her chest, throw it on the floor, stomp on it, revive it and then do the same thing all over again? I want my freaking happy ending. I don't want to read something where the heroine I grew up with not only doesn't get her happy ending, but is tossed into a flaming pit of vipers with no rope to cling to.
I could handle her not ending up with Todd. I could accept that she has a different future ahead, albeit one I never imagined for her. What I cannot accept is being left hanging as to whether or not she and Bruce will come to their freaking senses and just settle down together. I'm sure this is some promotional gimmick and perhaps there will be more to the story when the entire collection is released as a single book this fall. But in the meantime, Ms. Pascal hasn't whet my appetite for more... she's just plain ol' pissed me off.
I think I may just go ahead and write my own addendum to this book and get the ending Elizabeth--as well as I and other Sweet Valley fans--deserve.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2013
What the hell did I just read?
This review contains spoilers for this and the preceding novellas.
The Sweet Life is a travesty and an insult, not only to the Sweet Valley series, but to fans as well. In the same vein as Sweet Valley Confidential, every character is destroyed, turned upside down, has their brain cells removed in lieu of constant texts and Tweets, and absolutely no one has integrity. These novellas make The Young and the Restless look classy and rational.
Let's see what's wrong with these books:
1) In a continuance from the original series, women are again thrust into danger and peril, too stupid to see a damn thing coming. In a change, however, the peril becomes non-stop. Everybody's being raped, lying about a rape, stalked, hit or abused, it seems.
2) Everyone is a complete idiot who, in spite of being 30, acts twelve when it comes to their love affairs. No one is capable of communication, everyone is easily foiled by scheming jerks, and everyone feels compelled to do the most illogical thing possible.
Bruce: is a rich guy, yet stupid enough to go bang on the door of a woman he has been accused of raping when a whole bunch of paparazzi are stalking him right now? Also, how does he not have call display to know Elizabeth has been calling Cannes? How is he not smart enough to figure out that the only person who could have doggedly sleuthed out the truth was his woman? How does he magically love another woman?
Jessica: is an idiot who can't see she's being stalked, can't be arsed to call her estranged husband or ever tell him the truth, can't possibly fathom that the paparazzi might find out she shagged a celebrity, and quits her job impulsively, only to whine about being demoted on her return.
Lila: fakes a pregnancy and doesn't consider that everyone goes to the same gyno in this town, including a gossip hoor. She then ends up actually pregnant, but will she confess? Oh, no! Why?
Elizabeth: Oh dear God, slap her. I believe you Bruce! Wait, maybe I don't. Hey, I'm an investigative reporter and I will totally pay this girl's rent and hide her and sign my damn name on a lease, because no one will ever find it! Oh hey, I saved the man I love's butt, but ZOMG no one tell him, okay? Because he's mad at me, and me demonstrating I still had enough faith in him to help him and lose my job over him (side note: these twins suck at employment)will somehow ANGER HIM.
Annie: Oh hi! It's totally fine to want to screw my client, whom I haven't remotely thought of for ages but now I rep him, I am suddenly magically in love with him!
Enid: Hey, did you know you can refuse to treat a patient? Why on earth would you still see Caroline? Oh, right, because you're too stupid to keep patient confidentiality around the town gossip with the lamest domain name possible.
3) Relentless unnecessary drama I just can't believe would really happen to one small group of people. The kidnapping of Emma is so blatantly a way to excuse the boring "ZOMG Aaron loves attachment parenting!" blurbs no one cares about. It's resolved in five seconds. A fake rape scenario to take Bruce down? I just... what?
Here's the message of Sweet Valley Confidential and The Sweet Life: everyone cheats, lies, breaks up, divorces, and can't keep a job if a woman. I feel like this book should be telling me to get in a kitchen, stop reading and make a sandwich, the way it subtly undermines every female character. These books are basically the equivalent of transplanting the "cast" of Jersey Shore into the places of the characters.
My head hurts. I'm going to go read something of substance now.
This review contains spoilers for this and the preceding novellas.
The Sweet Life is a travesty and an insult, not only to the Sweet Valley series, but to fans as well. In the same vein as Sweet Valley Confidential, every character is destroyed, turned upside down, has their brain cells removed in lieu of constant texts and Tweets, and absolutely no one has integrity. These novellas make The Young and the Restless look classy and rational.
Let's see what's wrong with these books:
1) In a continuance from the original series, women are again thrust into danger and peril, too stupid to see a damn thing coming. In a change, however, the peril becomes non-stop. Everybody's being raped, lying about a rape, stalked, hit or abused, it seems.
2) Everyone is a complete idiot who, in spite of being 30, acts twelve when it comes to their love affairs. No one is capable of communication, everyone is easily foiled by scheming jerks, and everyone feels compelled to do the most illogical thing possible.
Bruce: is a rich guy, yet stupid enough to go bang on the door of a woman he has been accused of raping when a whole bunch of paparazzi are stalking him right now? Also, how does he not have call display to know Elizabeth has been calling Cannes? How is he not smart enough to figure out that the only person who could have doggedly sleuthed out the truth was his woman? How does he magically love another woman?
Jessica: is an idiot who can't see she's being stalked, can't be arsed to call her estranged husband or ever tell him the truth, can't possibly fathom that the paparazzi might find out she shagged a celebrity, and quits her job impulsively, only to whine about being demoted on her return.
Lila: fakes a pregnancy and doesn't consider that everyone goes to the same gyno in this town, including a gossip hoor. She then ends up actually pregnant, but will she confess? Oh, no! Why?
Elizabeth: Oh dear God, slap her. I believe you Bruce! Wait, maybe I don't. Hey, I'm an investigative reporter and I will totally pay this girl's rent and hide her and sign my damn name on a lease, because no one will ever find it! Oh hey, I saved the man I love's butt, but ZOMG no one tell him, okay? Because he's mad at me, and me demonstrating I still had enough faith in him to help him and lose my job over him (side note: these twins suck at employment)will somehow ANGER HIM.
Annie: Oh hi! It's totally fine to want to screw my client, whom I haven't remotely thought of for ages but now I rep him, I am suddenly magically in love with him!
Enid: Hey, did you know you can refuse to treat a patient? Why on earth would you still see Caroline? Oh, right, because you're too stupid to keep patient confidentiality around the town gossip with the lamest domain name possible.
3) Relentless unnecessary drama I just can't believe would really happen to one small group of people. The kidnapping of Emma is so blatantly a way to excuse the boring "ZOMG Aaron loves attachment parenting!" blurbs no one cares about. It's resolved in five seconds. A fake rape scenario to take Bruce down? I just... what?
Here's the message of Sweet Valley Confidential and The Sweet Life: everyone cheats, lies, breaks up, divorces, and can't keep a job if a woman. I feel like this book should be telling me to get in a kitchen, stop reading and make a sandwich, the way it subtly undermines every female character. These books are basically the equivalent of transplanting the "cast" of Jersey Shore into the places of the characters.
My head hurts. I'm going to go read something of substance now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2012
Ahh, the conclusion to the greatest digital series of the summer. At least, it's being billed as the final novella in this six-part series, but so many questions are left unanswered and there is a cliff-hanger ending, so this better not be the end! I need more. Immediately.
In true Sweet Valley fashion, everything is wrapped up nice and easily... with the exception of some romantic entanglements (when is romance ever simple in Sweet Valley?). Liz is meddling up a storm, searching for any possible lead in order to prove Bruce is innocent, but she's feeling guilty for not believing him earlier and actually acting against him, behind his back, so she doesn't want him to know that she's now the one who's found the key to proving his innocence. I don't get it, but hey - it's Liz. She can't handle staying off to the side, she doesn't want to announce that she's in the middle of everything and the key to everything, but she also can't handle not getting recognized for her work. It's obnoxious and yet I love it. Very true to the girl she was in high school!
In other true-to-Sweet-Valley-High logic, this installment also features a drug counselor willing to completely ignore laws of patient confidentiality but a restaurant owner unwilling to give out employee phone numbers to random patrons. Somehow this makes sense... right?
Lila's plot line, about being a reality TV star and all the problems she and Ken are having, gets very little page time in this book, basically resolving the plot and that's it. This was definitely the most underdeveloped, yet most awesome, plot of the entire series. I wanted to see more of her reality show, more of her scheming, and more of her plotting alongside Jessica. I felt like this plot had a lot more potential than it actually reached; however, I enjoyed it tremendously despite its all-too-brief appearance, so I won't complain too much.
Jessica is busy working on Bruce's behalf, trying to give him good PR, and also trying to get to the bottom of problems in her own life. Her work-related problems were never really resolved, which I suppose is kinda fitting, considering how little "work" anyone in Sweet Valley does. Still, it was given ample page time and the characters involved were developed, so I expected more of a resolution to this. Her personal problems, involving her separation from Todd and her bad idea to use other dates as crutches to help get her feet back on the ground (and also Todd's poor decision to do the same, only he dated a fellow reporter who was fired for plagiarizing Jessica... oh, the drama!), got more of a resolution. Todd was largely absent from this book, which was too bad considering how much his plot line needed resolution, but let's face it: Todd's an idiot who likes to punch people. On that note, this book was a giant success! Todd gave someone a good ass kicking. I feel like "ass-kicking" is the proper phrase here because right before Todd starts throwing his infamous Todd Punches, he growls, "I do know how to kick your ass!" I actually shrieked with glee at this point and then had to reread the page a good half-dozen times to relive the moment. It was definitely the highlight of the book - and the series!
Anyway, for all the awesomeness this book - and entire six-part series - contained, each installment was too short and the final resolution at the end of this book didn't resolve everything. The very last sentence actually opened a whole new plot line, one that I need to read about immediately! I don't know if further books are planned, but I seriously hope so. I love the fact that despite all the characters now being 30, their lives are filled with exactly the same amount of drama as they were when they were only 16. This short digital series was brilliant. More, please!
In true Sweet Valley fashion, everything is wrapped up nice and easily... with the exception of some romantic entanglements (when is romance ever simple in Sweet Valley?). Liz is meddling up a storm, searching for any possible lead in order to prove Bruce is innocent, but she's feeling guilty for not believing him earlier and actually acting against him, behind his back, so she doesn't want him to know that she's now the one who's found the key to proving his innocence. I don't get it, but hey - it's Liz. She can't handle staying off to the side, she doesn't want to announce that she's in the middle of everything and the key to everything, but she also can't handle not getting recognized for her work. It's obnoxious and yet I love it. Very true to the girl she was in high school!
In other true-to-Sweet-Valley-High logic, this installment also features a drug counselor willing to completely ignore laws of patient confidentiality but a restaurant owner unwilling to give out employee phone numbers to random patrons. Somehow this makes sense... right?
Lila's plot line, about being a reality TV star and all the problems she and Ken are having, gets very little page time in this book, basically resolving the plot and that's it. This was definitely the most underdeveloped, yet most awesome, plot of the entire series. I wanted to see more of her reality show, more of her scheming, and more of her plotting alongside Jessica. I felt like this plot had a lot more potential than it actually reached; however, I enjoyed it tremendously despite its all-too-brief appearance, so I won't complain too much.
Jessica is busy working on Bruce's behalf, trying to give him good PR, and also trying to get to the bottom of problems in her own life. Her work-related problems were never really resolved, which I suppose is kinda fitting, considering how little "work" anyone in Sweet Valley does. Still, it was given ample page time and the characters involved were developed, so I expected more of a resolution to this. Her personal problems, involving her separation from Todd and her bad idea to use other dates as crutches to help get her feet back on the ground (and also Todd's poor decision to do the same, only he dated a fellow reporter who was fired for plagiarizing Jessica... oh, the drama!), got more of a resolution. Todd was largely absent from this book, which was too bad considering how much his plot line needed resolution, but let's face it: Todd's an idiot who likes to punch people. On that note, this book was a giant success! Todd gave someone a good ass kicking. I feel like "ass-kicking" is the proper phrase here because right before Todd starts throwing his infamous Todd Punches, he growls, "I do know how to kick your ass!" I actually shrieked with glee at this point and then had to reread the page a good half-dozen times to relive the moment. It was definitely the highlight of the book - and the series!
Anyway, for all the awesomeness this book - and entire six-part series - contained, each installment was too short and the final resolution at the end of this book didn't resolve everything. The very last sentence actually opened a whole new plot line, one that I need to read about immediately! I don't know if further books are planned, but I seriously hope so. I love the fact that despite all the characters now being 30, their lives are filled with exactly the same amount of drama as they were when they were only 16. This short digital series was brilliant. More, please!
August 13, 2012
....is this really the last installment of the series? Francine, you sly dog! You can't end on a cliffhanger unless you plan to bring out more stories from Sweet Valley! Here's hoping that's all but guaranteed by the ending, which leaves poor, dumb Elizabeth (never particularly dumb in the original series) heartbroken and shocked by the extremely foreseeable transfer of Bruce's affections (even though we all know he'll go back to Lizzie eventually).
Despite Lila ending up back with boring Ken, she had a very sweet and nicely done resolution here. I enjoyed Liam's crazy attack scene excessively, even though it made Todd a hero (he was cool for about 1.5 seconds in that scene, right up until we saw how it took his wife being sexually assaulted to make him concede that maybe she should be allowed to keep her job). Actually, aside from Todd's general Todd-ness, Jessica might have gotten the least thankless plotline of this series. It had a certain air of classic Sweet Valley stalker thriller about it that was fabulous.
Check out my blog: http://virginiamaeblog.blogspot.com/
Despite Lila ending up back with boring Ken, she had a very sweet and nicely done resolution here. I enjoyed Liam's crazy attack scene excessively, even though it made Todd a hero (he was cool for about 1.5 seconds in that scene, right up until we saw how it took his wife being sexually assaulted to make him concede that maybe she should be allowed to keep her job). Actually, aside from Todd's general Todd-ness, Jessica might have gotten the least thankless plotline of this series. It had a certain air of classic Sweet Valley stalker thriller about it that was fabulous.
Check out my blog: http://virginiamaeblog.blogspot.com/
September 7, 2012
Seriously??? This is your ending? How stupid do you think we are?? Yeah, yeah, I know--stupid enough to waste the time (though thank goodness, not the money) on this drivel, so obviously we deserve what we get.
August 27, 2012
I just finished the sixth and final installment of The Sweet Life, the new eSeries from Francine Pascal. Bittersweet wrapped up the tales of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield and their gang of friends. Pascal offered readers a glimpse into their lives at the age of thirty, and I enjoyed this series. Book six is tying up the loose ends. Readers will find out whether Bruce Patman is guilty or innocent of the charges being pressed against him, whether Jessica and Todd will be able to reunite, and how Lila’s fake pregnancy/real pregnancy works out. While I enjoyed the series, I was a bit confused by the ending of the sixth book. It ended in the cliffhanger fashion I had come to expect from the previous books but...what happens next? Will there be more books to help explain the cliffhanger, carry on the stories, or are readers just supposed to take a gander themselves at what happened? I’m not sure and I’m a bit confused. I was also thrown off by the Liam twist – I can’t say I could tell from the previous books that his tale would end the way it did, and I thought it came out of nowhere and was probably only used for shock value. So while I enjoyed the first five books, the sixth left me a bit unsettled. I wish as readers and loyal fans we could have seen more of a resolution.
August 13, 2012
This 1 star rating is strictly for the ending. Rushed and stupid. If there are no more books, then I would consider it a huge fail. If anyone deserves happy, it's Elizabeth. Screw Lila.
August 15, 2012
Welcome to "Hi kids, do you like violence?" or The Sweet Life #6: Bittersweet.
Well.
Lila has decided to keep her Totally Real and Not at All Fake Baby for several reasons. 1. It's the only part of Ken she'll have left (she still doesn't REALLY love him - only ALMOST) and 2. She'll never be alone. Sounds like solid reasoning to me. Somebody please explain why the two most selfish broads in Sweet Valley history have children. And why has Jessica yet to mess up as a mother? You know that if that crazy bitch really existed she'd be just like Britney Spears holding her child in her lap while she drives. Anyway, Lila is ready to make her big reveal to the Housewives about her Totally Real and Not at All Fake Baby. Thank god, too, because people will start to think she's just fat. "There is nothing worse than being fat," Lila intones. But really it was Francine saying this, and I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart for being such a good role model to teenage girls throughout the land. While Lila is revealing the Totally Real and Not at all Fake Baby, her pseudo-husband is watching in his new penthouse. He knows Lila must be up to her usual dirty tricks and that she has to be wearing padding this time. He gets in his Porsche and hustles on over to Lila's mansion. Lo and behold, her stomach really is bulging with Totally Real and Not at all Fake Baby instead of padding. Ken breathes a sigh of relief, sheds a few tears, and completely forgets the existence of Ashley Morgan. Lila and Ken are a couple once more. I'm glad that they learned from 90s sitcoms that it's best to resolve long-standing and festering issues in less than 30 minutes. Now that we have that out of the way, let's see how quickly another couple conundrum can be resolved.
In the last installment Jessica grew a pair and decided to break it off with Liam so that Todd would know she was serious about winning him back. It must have been a mustard seed of courage, because we open with Liam still bugging Jessica. She needs to speak with Elizabeth about developments in the Bruce case, but Liam insists that he see Jessica for lunch instead. I'm quite sick of Liam, though all I can picture every time his name comes up is Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus's arm candy fiance. Jessica agrees to see him and knows that this time she'll have to break things off for good. You think, Jess? When Liam comes over Jessica finds out that he's been watching a little too much Fatal Attraction. He tells Jessica he has given her nanny, Liza, a break for lunch. Jessica can't believe he would do this... although he's been acting like Edward Cullen this entire time, so I don't see what's so different about his behavior now. He tells Jessica that HE was the one who turned everyone against her. He created a fake Facebook account posing as her and managed to alienate Cal, Michael, and Lila. Jessica doesn't deny to herself that she WAS using him to boost her own ego, but if she were a normal human being she would have learned from the consequences of using someone a long time ago. Instead, she's faced with another stalker in love with her all because she just needed a little attention since she REFUSED to talk to Todd and work things out. Liam insists that Jake must be put down for a nap so that he and Jessica can make nasty. Or, rather, so that he can attempt to make nasty with Jessica. She's in a pickle since it's game day and not Todd's day to visit, but Jake has control of her phone and he accidentally calls his daddy and tells him that the "toy man" is there. Todd is seething with rage that Jessica let Liam into the house once again. He heads home immediately. Meanwhile, Liam is kissing Jessica while she stands there repulsed. He then drags her onto the couch and rips off her clothes. She has baby nail scissors, but it's not much of a weapon. Jessica starts crying and screaming at Liam to get off of her just as Todd storms in the door. It's been a while since a genuine Toddpunch, and Todd has been looking for the perfect excuse to whop this guy a new one. Liam knows martial arts, but Todd manages to rain down punches on his head anyway. Jessica ends it by hitting Liam from behind with a glass lamp. The Usually Incompetent Police become the Somewhat Competent Police when they storm in and arrest Liam. Jessica presses charges, and she and Todd gaze at each other and this somehow patches everything up. And what about Sarah? Well, I'm glad you asked. Todd never loved her. He just put his manhood in her. There's a difference. Jessica doesn't even ask, which is startlingly un-Jessica-like of her. So they go upstairs to find that Jake slept through everything, which is good, because now they want to sleep together. Whew. I'm so happy these two worked it out, you know. I wasn't ever certain of what true love was, but now I'm 100% positive. True love is Jessica Wakefield and Todd Wilkins who are all too happy to ignore each other for months and reunite only in the face of certain danger. This is absolutely ridiculous but, hey, Sweet Valley is at its best when it's worst. Now we're batting two for two. Can Liz and Bruce make up before the end of this e-serial?
Liz and Aaron find a break in the case. Previously, Aaron was caught by secretary Nola for having a picture of Mona Thomas aka Robin Platt on his phone. So he makes up a phony story about how Mona is suing Warner for damages and how he's one of the lawyers working on her case. Nola the daft seems to buy his story. So Robin is really Mona, embezzler of money in order to support her drug habit. Aaron sends this good news to Liz and Jess. Liz has been in Kentucky, investigating Robin's hometown of Richmond. She has made a last ditch effort in visiting the psychiatric ward but has come up with nothing. She poses as Robin's sister, saying that her sister really needs the help of a place like this. (*extreme snicker*) When she comes up short she heads to the airport only to receive the text from Aaron. She immediately heads back to the hospital and asks to see the director. The woman is busy, but Liz pulls a Jess and storms in there anyway. She makes up a phony story about her and Robin/Mona's mother dying of cancer and how her last dying wish was for Rachel Platt/Liz to find out more about Robin/Mona. The lady is a moron, so she tells Liz all that she knows. Liz gets back to her hotel and her brain starts working (for once). She looks up Robin Platt on the Internet and finds nothing. Then she looks up R. Platt and finds a Robert Platt. Remembering what friends said about her being a lesbian, Liz sees that Robert is a transsexual once known as Robin Platt. Wow, this is heavy stuff for a Sweet Valley book. I wasn't sure that Francine even knew what a transsexual was. The lady told Liz that Robin Platt was Mona's only visitor in the hospital. Eureka! So Mona stole Robin's identity because she knew that Robin planned to become Robert upon arriving in NYC. Liz tells everyone everything she has pieced together, but still refuses to let anyone tell Bruce that it was her who uncovered all of this information. This is because Liz is brain damaged and wants to continue hurting the only man she ever truly loved (besides Todd, whom she certainly hurt a lot, if you recall). Liz is able to confront Mona and coerces the information out of her by lying and saying that Robert Platt is dead and that Mona is being arrested for his murder. So Mona confesses that the whole thing was a set-up by Rick Warner. He blackmailed her into ganging up on Bruce so that Bruce would step down and a major deal would end up being sold to Warner. Liz wrangles evidence out of Mona in the form of a tape. Mona was sexually abused... by Warner, and not by Bruce. The tape shows him acting out on her exactly what he wants her to say that Bruce did. Liz eventually admits to Mona that she lied about Robert dying, and she convinces Mona to give her the tape and testify against Warner in court. Jessica doesn't give Bruce the details (why? and shouldn't Annie know?) but persuades him to come back to America. He arrives to find that he's been exonerated of all charges. Only he STILL doesn't know all that Liz found out. She's a freaking idiot. There is a celebration to toast Bruce's newfound freedom and Liz notes that she's the only single person at the party. She's also the dumbest by a mile. Bruce stands up to make a big speech about how he has one certain person to thank for all her hard work and dedication to his case. The person he truly loves the most. Liz smiles sideways at Jess, and she's certain that Jess went ahead and told Bruce after all. She couldn't be more grateful. That is, until she finds out that Bruce is really in love with Annie Whitman. And... THE END. Wtf?? This wasn't supposed to end with a cliffhanger!! Now I have to spend even MORE money on this nonsense.
Oh, who am I kidding? You've got me by the ovaries, Francine!
Well.
Lila has decided to keep her Totally Real and Not at All Fake Baby for several reasons. 1. It's the only part of Ken she'll have left (she still doesn't REALLY love him - only ALMOST) and 2. She'll never be alone. Sounds like solid reasoning to me. Somebody please explain why the two most selfish broads in Sweet Valley history have children. And why has Jessica yet to mess up as a mother? You know that if that crazy bitch really existed she'd be just like Britney Spears holding her child in her lap while she drives. Anyway, Lila is ready to make her big reveal to the Housewives about her Totally Real and Not at All Fake Baby. Thank god, too, because people will start to think she's just fat. "There is nothing worse than being fat," Lila intones. But really it was Francine saying this, and I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart for being such a good role model to teenage girls throughout the land. While Lila is revealing the Totally Real and Not at all Fake Baby, her pseudo-husband is watching in his new penthouse. He knows Lila must be up to her usual dirty tricks and that she has to be wearing padding this time. He gets in his Porsche and hustles on over to Lila's mansion. Lo and behold, her stomach really is bulging with Totally Real and Not at all Fake Baby instead of padding. Ken breathes a sigh of relief, sheds a few tears, and completely forgets the existence of Ashley Morgan. Lila and Ken are a couple once more. I'm glad that they learned from 90s sitcoms that it's best to resolve long-standing and festering issues in less than 30 minutes. Now that we have that out of the way, let's see how quickly another couple conundrum can be resolved.
In the last installment Jessica grew a pair and decided to break it off with Liam so that Todd would know she was serious about winning him back. It must have been a mustard seed of courage, because we open with Liam still bugging Jessica. She needs to speak with Elizabeth about developments in the Bruce case, but Liam insists that he see Jessica for lunch instead. I'm quite sick of Liam, though all I can picture every time his name comes up is Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus's arm candy fiance. Jessica agrees to see him and knows that this time she'll have to break things off for good. You think, Jess? When Liam comes over Jessica finds out that he's been watching a little too much Fatal Attraction. He tells Jessica he has given her nanny, Liza, a break for lunch. Jessica can't believe he would do this... although he's been acting like Edward Cullen this entire time, so I don't see what's so different about his behavior now. He tells Jessica that HE was the one who turned everyone against her. He created a fake Facebook account posing as her and managed to alienate Cal, Michael, and Lila. Jessica doesn't deny to herself that she WAS using him to boost her own ego, but if she were a normal human being she would have learned from the consequences of using someone a long time ago. Instead, she's faced with another stalker in love with her all because she just needed a little attention since she REFUSED to talk to Todd and work things out. Liam insists that Jake must be put down for a nap so that he and Jessica can make nasty. Or, rather, so that he can attempt to make nasty with Jessica. She's in a pickle since it's game day and not Todd's day to visit, but Jake has control of her phone and he accidentally calls his daddy and tells him that the "toy man" is there. Todd is seething with rage that Jessica let Liam into the house once again. He heads home immediately. Meanwhile, Liam is kissing Jessica while she stands there repulsed. He then drags her onto the couch and rips off her clothes. She has baby nail scissors, but it's not much of a weapon. Jessica starts crying and screaming at Liam to get off of her just as Todd storms in the door. It's been a while since a genuine Toddpunch, and Todd has been looking for the perfect excuse to whop this guy a new one. Liam knows martial arts, but Todd manages to rain down punches on his head anyway. Jessica ends it by hitting Liam from behind with a glass lamp. The Usually Incompetent Police become the Somewhat Competent Police when they storm in and arrest Liam. Jessica presses charges, and she and Todd gaze at each other and this somehow patches everything up. And what about Sarah? Well, I'm glad you asked. Todd never loved her. He just put his manhood in her. There's a difference. Jessica doesn't even ask, which is startlingly un-Jessica-like of her. So they go upstairs to find that Jake slept through everything, which is good, because now they want to sleep together. Whew. I'm so happy these two worked it out, you know. I wasn't ever certain of what true love was, but now I'm 100% positive. True love is Jessica Wakefield and Todd Wilkins who are all too happy to ignore each other for months and reunite only in the face of certain danger. This is absolutely ridiculous but, hey, Sweet Valley is at its best when it's worst. Now we're batting two for two. Can Liz and Bruce make up before the end of this e-serial?
Liz and Aaron find a break in the case. Previously, Aaron was caught by secretary Nola for having a picture of Mona Thomas aka Robin Platt on his phone. So he makes up a phony story about how Mona is suing Warner for damages and how he's one of the lawyers working on her case. Nola the daft seems to buy his story. So Robin is really Mona, embezzler of money in order to support her drug habit. Aaron sends this good news to Liz and Jess. Liz has been in Kentucky, investigating Robin's hometown of Richmond. She has made a last ditch effort in visiting the psychiatric ward but has come up with nothing. She poses as Robin's sister, saying that her sister really needs the help of a place like this. (*extreme snicker*) When she comes up short she heads to the airport only to receive the text from Aaron. She immediately heads back to the hospital and asks to see the director. The woman is busy, but Liz pulls a Jess and storms in there anyway. She makes up a phony story about her and Robin/Mona's mother dying of cancer and how her last dying wish was for Rachel Platt/Liz to find out more about Robin/Mona. The lady is a moron, so she tells Liz all that she knows. Liz gets back to her hotel and her brain starts working (for once). She looks up Robin Platt on the Internet and finds nothing. Then she looks up R. Platt and finds a Robert Platt. Remembering what friends said about her being a lesbian, Liz sees that Robert is a transsexual once known as Robin Platt. Wow, this is heavy stuff for a Sweet Valley book. I wasn't sure that Francine even knew what a transsexual was. The lady told Liz that Robin Platt was Mona's only visitor in the hospital. Eureka! So Mona stole Robin's identity because she knew that Robin planned to become Robert upon arriving in NYC. Liz tells everyone everything she has pieced together, but still refuses to let anyone tell Bruce that it was her who uncovered all of this information. This is because Liz is brain damaged and wants to continue hurting the only man she ever truly loved (besides Todd, whom she certainly hurt a lot, if you recall). Liz is able to confront Mona and coerces the information out of her by lying and saying that Robert Platt is dead and that Mona is being arrested for his murder. So Mona confesses that the whole thing was a set-up by Rick Warner. He blackmailed her into ganging up on Bruce so that Bruce would step down and a major deal would end up being sold to Warner. Liz wrangles evidence out of Mona in the form of a tape. Mona was sexually abused... by Warner, and not by Bruce. The tape shows him acting out on her exactly what he wants her to say that Bruce did. Liz eventually admits to Mona that she lied about Robert dying, and she convinces Mona to give her the tape and testify against Warner in court. Jessica doesn't give Bruce the details (why? and shouldn't Annie know?) but persuades him to come back to America. He arrives to find that he's been exonerated of all charges. Only he STILL doesn't know all that Liz found out. She's a freaking idiot. There is a celebration to toast Bruce's newfound freedom and Liz notes that she's the only single person at the party. She's also the dumbest by a mile. Bruce stands up to make a big speech about how he has one certain person to thank for all her hard work and dedication to his case. The person he truly loves the most. Liz smiles sideways at Jess, and she's certain that Jess went ahead and told Bruce after all. She couldn't be more grateful. That is, until she finds out that Bruce is really in love with Annie Whitman. And... THE END. Wtf?? This wasn't supposed to end with a cliffhanger!! Now I have to spend even MORE money on this nonsense.
Oh, who am I kidding? You've got me by the ovaries, Francine!
August 16, 2012
This review will be full of spoilers after the next paragraph. Consider yourselves warned.
I very much enjoyed this story, but it was completely ridiculous. Mostly it was ridiculous in the best possible way but there were plenty of times that I wanted to yell at the characters in the book for either (a) refusing to communicate like grownups, WHICH IS WHAT THEY ARE NOW or (b) having a complete lack of common sense.
Now spoilers.
Jessica/Todd/Liam. Jessica and Todd are married and have a two-year-old son, Jake. Except now they're separated. Jessica wants to be with Todd but since she thinks he doesn't want to be with her, she keeps dating Liam. Liam is creepy and possessive. And since he's also famous, their romance is covered in the tabloids, which makes Todd think Jessica doesn't want to be with him. Oh, those crazy kids.
Elizabeth/Bruce. Bruce is accused of nearly raping a former intern at his company. It seems plausible and Liz (who is a reporter) goes to check out the victim's story. Now here's the thing. Bruce is rich and very, very famous. As in TMZ covers these accusations famous. He and Liz have been together for years. Do we really, REALLY think that the alleged victim wouldn't recognize her? And maybe even if not wouldn't admit to it being a lie to a complete stranger?
Lila/Ken. Lila is on some True Housewives of Sweet Valley show. She decides that in order to be the star, she is going to play the bitch. Not surprisingly, Ken doesn't particularly like being treated badly and he leaves. In order to get him back, she pretends to be pregnant. It works, but then she fakes a miscarriage...and Ken finds out. Guess how well THAT goes over? (If you picked "not well," you're right.) But then she learns she really IS pregnant.
Aaron/Steven. They're parents to a five-month-old named Emma. In the most ridiculous subplot ever, the surrogate who carried Emma kidnaps her. I would've guessed that this would last for at least one installment of the book, but no. In the tradition of The Ransom of Red Chief, the surrogate returns her paragraphs later with a note that's basically, "You can have her; I don't want her."
So yeah, very over the top but so, SO fun.
I very much enjoyed this story, but it was completely ridiculous. Mostly it was ridiculous in the best possible way but there were plenty of times that I wanted to yell at the characters in the book for either (a) refusing to communicate like grownups, WHICH IS WHAT THEY ARE NOW or (b) having a complete lack of common sense.
Now spoilers.
Jessica/Todd/Liam. Jessica and Todd are married and have a two-year-old son, Jake. Except now they're separated. Jessica wants to be with Todd but since she thinks he doesn't want to be with her, she keeps dating Liam. Liam is creepy and possessive. And since he's also famous, their romance is covered in the tabloids, which makes Todd think Jessica doesn't want to be with him. Oh, those crazy kids.
Elizabeth/Bruce. Bruce is accused of nearly raping a former intern at his company. It seems plausible and Liz (who is a reporter) goes to check out the victim's story. Now here's the thing. Bruce is rich and very, very famous. As in TMZ covers these accusations famous. He and Liz have been together for years. Do we really, REALLY think that the alleged victim wouldn't recognize her? And maybe even if not wouldn't admit to it being a lie to a complete stranger?
Lila/Ken. Lila is on some True Housewives of Sweet Valley show. She decides that in order to be the star, she is going to play the bitch. Not surprisingly, Ken doesn't particularly like being treated badly and he leaves. In order to get him back, she pretends to be pregnant. It works, but then she fakes a miscarriage...and Ken finds out. Guess how well THAT goes over? (If you picked "not well," you're right.) But then she learns she really IS pregnant.
Aaron/Steven. They're parents to a five-month-old named Emma. In the most ridiculous subplot ever, the surrogate who carried Emma kidnaps her. I would've guessed that this would last for at least one installment of the book, but no. In the tradition of The Ransom of Red Chief, the surrogate returns her paragraphs later with a note that's basically, "You can have her; I don't want her."
So yeah, very over the top but so, SO fun.
August 13, 2012
This concluding segment of The Sweet Life #1: An E-Serial ties up the majority of the plot points. Yes, there are some predictable conclusions to be found here - after all, this is Sweet Valley - but there is plenty of excitement, too. And the ending! Wow - with an ending like that, it really feels like old times - though it would have been nice to have that bold, italicized text giving you the name of the next book! Still, I hope that information about the continuation of the series is released soon! Lila's portrayal is particularly harsh here - she may have also been jealous and manipulative, but she was never this heartless or cold, so hopefully she will be represented in a warmer fashion in the future. Oh, and I guess Sweet Valley does still hate fat people after all, since as Lila put it, it would have been better to be a single mother than to be fat... So there's some consistency there, I suppose. Either way, I really enjoyed this nostalgic return to my childhood - and I can't wait for the series to go on and on!
August 12, 2012
My two-star rating is admittedly based solely on the ending of this book. I was loving it... right up until the last sentence. WTF, seriously? How can you end this series that way? So pissed off.
August 16, 2012
Our tale opens on Super-Sleuth Elizabeth continuing her investigation of Robin Platt’s origins by checking out a rehab clinic in Lexington, Kentucky. Aaron has been found out by Nola and he’s got to do some quick thinking (and reminding us all that he’s married to Steven Wakefield, a successful and respected lawyer) to get out of that predicament. Annie is still trying to get Bruce back to Sweet Valley (is anyone else concerned that she hightailed it to Cannes and we have no idea where her kid is?) and fighting her feelings for him, while Bruce is trying to reconcile his burgeoning attraction to Annie with his Wakefield-induced broken heart. Jessica is lonely and confused. Throat Punch Todd is . . . somewhere. Ken is still a big, dumb softy, and Lila is still a mess.
But don’t worry! The mystery is unraveled, various truths come out, and everything ends happily-ever-after. Except, oh wait, it doesn’t. No, there is a crappy, predictable cliffhanger, which Elizabeth kind of deserves because she’s being such a weenie, but which also made me a little bit sad because I like new, sensitive Bruce and think he should end up with the person he belongs with (even if she is a weenie).
Perhaps the most exciting part of this book is that Throat Punch Todd beats the ever-loving crap out of someone. Yes! He just wails on this guy, who ends up “trying to defend himself against the dozens of blows Todd rained down on his head.” Earth to Sweet Valley! Todd has been senselessly violent since 1984. Why hasn’t anyone staged an intervention and urged him to attend anger management classes yet?
Now I have to wait probably another year to find out what happens next and that makes me cranky.
But don’t worry! The mystery is unraveled, various truths come out, and everything ends happily-ever-after. Except, oh wait, it doesn’t. No, there is a crappy, predictable cliffhanger, which Elizabeth kind of deserves because she’s being such a weenie, but which also made me a little bit sad because I like new, sensitive Bruce and think he should end up with the person he belongs with (even if she is a weenie).
Perhaps the most exciting part of this book is that Throat Punch Todd beats the ever-loving crap out of someone. Yes! He just wails on this guy, who ends up “trying to defend himself against the dozens of blows Todd rained down on his head.” Earth to Sweet Valley! Todd has been senselessly violent since 1984. Why hasn’t anyone staged an intervention and urged him to attend anger management classes yet?
Now I have to wait probably another year to find out what happens next and that makes me cranky.
August 26, 2012
In this final book in this six book mini series, Lila reveals her real pregancy. It is sweet justice that Lila was trying to win her husband back with a fake pregnacy but in the end she actually ends out to be really pregnant. Be careful what you wish for or I should say scheme for.
Elizabeth finds the missing link she was searching for in regards to the truth about Bruce. Jessica and Todd are back together and they are willing to try to work things out. Besides, makeup sex is so much more fun!
My suspicions were confirmed true. Although, I was disappointed that Elizabeth was not too bright to figure this out sooner. Although, she did try to redeem herself in the end. When the ending came, I was awaiting the happy news and to my shock, it did not come. Instead, I was left with my mouth hanging open in shock and yelling "No!" I blame this on Elizabeth and hoping that the ending is not truely the end and just a cliff hanger. While the writing for this whole series was not the greatest, it was still a fun mini series to read. Also, a nice revisit with the Wakefield twins and their friends.
Elizabeth finds the missing link she was searching for in regards to the truth about Bruce. Jessica and Todd are back together and they are willing to try to work things out. Besides, makeup sex is so much more fun!
My suspicions were confirmed true. Although, I was disappointed that Elizabeth was not too bright to figure this out sooner. Although, she did try to redeem herself in the end. When the ending came, I was awaiting the happy news and to my shock, it did not come. Instead, I was left with my mouth hanging open in shock and yelling "No!" I blame this on Elizabeth and hoping that the ending is not truely the end and just a cliff hanger. While the writing for this whole series was not the greatest, it was still a fun mini series to read. Also, a nice revisit with the Wakefield twins and their friends.
September 9, 2012
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS!
I'm going to go over the entire six e-serials in this review. Don't read if you don't want any spoilers from the six books. Because I can't touch on why I didn't like them without giving away plot devices and story arcs.
As a fan of the Sweet Valley High series, I was more than mildly disappointed in The Sweet Life novellas, although I couldn't stop reading them. I'm addicted to the shenanigans of Wakefield & Co. and stepping back into the lives of these characters was reminscient of tie-dye shirt, leg warmers and The Dairi Burger. But Francine Pascal is a creator, not a writer and her employ of ghost writers in all the previous series served her well, because between Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later and these six books, I can only surmise that she is a terrible author that uses ridiculous plot devices to bring the story arc from point A to point B.
I found it incredible (and not in a good way) that baby Emma was kidnapped, and when Steven and Aaron found out who kidnapped her upon her return, they brushed it off, simply because they had her back. Despite the fact that Steven Wakefield is a LAWYER, there was no pursuit of justice. And, in fact, the entire storyline could have been left out of the book, because it was inconsequential to the larger plot - Bruce's rape accusation - and maybe only took up three pages. Emma disappeared, people panicked, she was found. It really was as simple as that.
Lila is as superficial and crazy as ever. She gets a part as a True Housewife on a reality show, fakes a pregnancy to save her marriage and then really does wind up pregnant. Take that, bitch.
Jessica and Todd's relationship apparently took a wrong turn somewhere between Confidential and The Sweet Life....but it's never fully explained and expounded upon, except that Todd is a bit put out that Jessica is successful in her career and not a full-time wife and stay-at-home mother. Since when did Todd step back into the 1950s? He used to date Elizabeth, whose career goals strode five feet in front of her wherever she went.
Their (Jessica and Todd's) will-they-or-won't-they back and forth became irksome and tiring. I know this is typical Sweet Valley drama, but at some point, as a reader, I need resolution. And while I did get it, Pascal makes me wait until the very end of the e-serial series, where she uses near rape (again) as a plot device to bring them back together. Thanks for that.
Speaking of rape....while it's no surprise that Bruce Patman is accused of rape, it IS a surprise that Bruce Patman is accused of rape. Wait, what? Bruce is a changed man, after his parents died, he reflected on life, realized he was a big fucking douchebag and picked up the pieces, with Elizabeth's help. They fell in love and wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, they're living together for three years in his palatial mansion, living the surreal life (at least, to Elizabeth), when he gets accused of rape by a random intern he insists he's never met at his company.
This entire plotline spans the six e-serials and is frankly overdrawn and ridiculous. It brings in additional characters we know and love...like Enid Rollins, who is now a snobby OB/GYN and Annie Whitman. Remember Annie? Everyone remembers Annie...especially if that everyone was the entire male population of Sweet Valley. Except she isn't Easy Annie anymore. She's a successful divorcee attorney working for the best criminal law firm in SoCal and just-so-happens to take on Bruce's case.
Unfortunately for Elizabeth, who doubts Bruce's innocence and leaves him, Bruce and Annie nearly rekindle their old flame, much to Elizabeth's horror. Poor Elizabeth, first her twin betrays her, and then her best friend Annie betrays her. Girl can't catch a break.
There were more ridiculous plot lines, but I'd have to rewrite the novel for you to get them all. Most of them were simply filler and frankly, Pascal could have done without them. Except, no, she couldn't have, because the story was so banal and ridonkulous that she needed the fluff to flesh it out. I still didn't hate it...I'm a weak sucker for these characters and I sucked down the story like a kid sucks down kool-aid.
If you were a fan of Sweet Valley as a kid, I do recommend these books, if for nothing else than the walk down memory lane. Don't expect great writing, however, or your beloved characters. Everything has changed. And maybe that's a good thing.
I'm going to go over the entire six e-serials in this review. Don't read if you don't want any spoilers from the six books. Because I can't touch on why I didn't like them without giving away plot devices and story arcs.
As a fan of the Sweet Valley High series, I was more than mildly disappointed in The Sweet Life novellas, although I couldn't stop reading them. I'm addicted to the shenanigans of Wakefield & Co. and stepping back into the lives of these characters was reminscient of tie-dye shirt, leg warmers and The Dairi Burger. But Francine Pascal is a creator, not a writer and her employ of ghost writers in all the previous series served her well, because between Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later and these six books, I can only surmise that she is a terrible author that uses ridiculous plot devices to bring the story arc from point A to point B.
I found it incredible (and not in a good way) that baby Emma was kidnapped, and when Steven and Aaron found out who kidnapped her upon her return, they brushed it off, simply because they had her back. Despite the fact that Steven Wakefield is a LAWYER, there was no pursuit of justice. And, in fact, the entire storyline could have been left out of the book, because it was inconsequential to the larger plot - Bruce's rape accusation - and maybe only took up three pages. Emma disappeared, people panicked, she was found. It really was as simple as that.
Lila is as superficial and crazy as ever. She gets a part as a True Housewife on a reality show, fakes a pregnancy to save her marriage and then really does wind up pregnant. Take that, bitch.
Jessica and Todd's relationship apparently took a wrong turn somewhere between Confidential and The Sweet Life....but it's never fully explained and expounded upon, except that Todd is a bit put out that Jessica is successful in her career and not a full-time wife and stay-at-home mother. Since when did Todd step back into the 1950s? He used to date Elizabeth, whose career goals strode five feet in front of her wherever she went.
Their (Jessica and Todd's) will-they-or-won't-they back and forth became irksome and tiring. I know this is typical Sweet Valley drama, but at some point, as a reader, I need resolution. And while I did get it, Pascal makes me wait until the very end of the e-serial series, where she uses near rape (again) as a plot device to bring them back together. Thanks for that.
Speaking of rape....while it's no surprise that Bruce Patman is accused of rape, it IS a surprise that Bruce Patman is accused of rape. Wait, what? Bruce is a changed man, after his parents died, he reflected on life, realized he was a big fucking douchebag and picked up the pieces, with Elizabeth's help. They fell in love and wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, they're living together for three years in his palatial mansion, living the surreal life (at least, to Elizabeth), when he gets accused of rape by a random intern he insists he's never met at his company.
This entire plotline spans the six e-serials and is frankly overdrawn and ridiculous. It brings in additional characters we know and love...like Enid Rollins, who is now a snobby OB/GYN and Annie Whitman. Remember Annie? Everyone remembers Annie...especially if that everyone was the entire male population of Sweet Valley. Except she isn't Easy Annie anymore. She's a successful divorcee attorney working for the best criminal law firm in SoCal and just-so-happens to take on Bruce's case.
Unfortunately for Elizabeth, who doubts Bruce's innocence and leaves him, Bruce and Annie nearly rekindle their old flame, much to Elizabeth's horror. Poor Elizabeth, first her twin betrays her, and then her best friend Annie betrays her. Girl can't catch a break.
There were more ridiculous plot lines, but I'd have to rewrite the novel for you to get them all. Most of them were simply filler and frankly, Pascal could have done without them. Except, no, she couldn't have, because the story was so banal and ridonkulous that she needed the fluff to flesh it out. I still didn't hate it...I'm a weak sucker for these characters and I sucked down the story like a kid sucks down kool-aid.
If you were a fan of Sweet Valley as a kid, I do recommend these books, if for nothing else than the walk down memory lane. Don't expect great writing, however, or your beloved characters. Everything has changed. And maybe that's a good thing.
January 21, 2013
That's the ending? Francine Pascal, you troll.
I guess that means there's going to be more then, and this new era of Sweet Valley is here to stay? These characters lead totally ridiculous and implausible lives. Things like this don't actually happen to people, right? However, I enjoy them for what they are. They're entertaining and amusing, and I can read them while I'm pretty much half asleep. So, if there's more to come then I'm looking forward to that!
This series had a grown-up, yet still Sweet Valley, vibe to it that Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later didn't have so much. I don't remember much about it, but this series seemed way more action packed and gave more for characters other than Jessica & Elizabeth to do, which is good.
The resolutions to the various plot points were fairly easy to predict. Why it took Elizabeth (hell, anybody) so long to realise that is beyond me.
It feels like this is going to move forward in a more serialised manner, with actual continuity between books. There's quite a lot of references back to the SVH books too (although, none of the other SV universes seem to fit into this incarnation of the SV universe). The continuity is, I guess, a good thing - but part of me would love some one-off, self contained plots like the good old books. Can we have a Sweet Valley Confidential 'Super Special/Triller' please, because those were always particularly mental and entertaining!
I guess that means there's going to be more then, and this new era of Sweet Valley is here to stay? These characters lead totally ridiculous and implausible lives. Things like this don't actually happen to people, right? However, I enjoy them for what they are. They're entertaining and amusing, and I can read them while I'm pretty much half asleep. So, if there's more to come then I'm looking forward to that!
This series had a grown-up, yet still Sweet Valley, vibe to it that Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later didn't have so much. I don't remember much about it, but this series seemed way more action packed and gave more for characters other than Jessica & Elizabeth to do, which is good.
The resolutions to the various plot points were fairly easy to predict. Why it took Elizabeth (hell, anybody) so long to realise that is beyond me.
It feels like this is going to move forward in a more serialised manner, with actual continuity between books. There's quite a lot of references back to the SVH books too (although, none of the other SV universes seem to fit into this incarnation of the SV universe). The continuity is, I guess, a good thing - but part of me would love some one-off, self contained plots like the good old books. Can we have a Sweet Valley Confidential 'Super Special/Triller' please, because those were always particularly mental and entertaining!
August 19, 2012
The final conclusion to The Sweet Life collection of 6 novellas. In this book we read as Francine Pascal has revealed Liam's true colours , will Jessica accept his wedding proposal or will she prove to Liam that her heart no matter what still belongs to Todd ? Elizabeth with the help of Aaron was able to track down Robin Platt or should we say the truth about Mona Thomas . Will this help Bruce Patman off the rape charges ? Will he and Elizabeth finally be together or has she lost her chance as him and Annie got closer in Book #5 ? Lila decided to keep the baby and in doing this has she finally won the love of her husband Ken back ? What will Lila Fowler-Matthews be like as a mother ? Wonder if the next step will be a reality tv show called "The Life of the Sweet Valley Mummies". Bittersweet was an awesome way to finish the series but I do hope that their will be more books in her Sweet Life series as it has been great over the last couple of months to reconnect with the Sweet valley Characters after all these years.
September 4, 2012
LOVED this whole series. Kept leaving me wanting to read more - and even at the end - a cliff hanger!! All I have to say is that Francine Pascal better be writing more!
The series had both Jessica and Elizabeth going through struggles in their respective relationships. Jessica and Todd - separated, but wound up together (YAY!) and Elizabeth and Bruce... he was accused of raping an intern, she started having doubts about whether he was telling the truth, and in the end he WAS and she lost his love. Lila was on a desperate housewives series which was chuck full of ridiculous DRAMA, but hilarious to read. Fake pregnancy, then REAL pregnancy after her football star husband had already left her. Guess you shouldn't cry wolf!
All in all it was fun to follow the twins later into present day - they were 30 in this book (how old I am now). Sometimes you just need a little drama in your life that isn't real and isn't YOURS! Would definitely recommend this series to anyone that read the Sweet Valley series as a young adult.
The series had both Jessica and Elizabeth going through struggles in their respective relationships. Jessica and Todd - separated, but wound up together (YAY!) and Elizabeth and Bruce... he was accused of raping an intern, she started having doubts about whether he was telling the truth, and in the end he WAS and she lost his love. Lila was on a desperate housewives series which was chuck full of ridiculous DRAMA, but hilarious to read. Fake pregnancy, then REAL pregnancy after her football star husband had already left her. Guess you shouldn't cry wolf!
All in all it was fun to follow the twins later into present day - they were 30 in this book (how old I am now). Sometimes you just need a little drama in your life that isn't real and isn't YOURS! Would definitely recommend this series to anyone that read the Sweet Valley series as a young adult.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2017
I've finally come to the end of my excursion into the adult lives of the Wakefield twins. I feel dirty. I'm pretty sure Pascal recycled the plot from Two Boy Weekend for Jessica's story line. And ugh, Elizabeth's is unbearable. However, I hope all the other reviewers realized by now that she's posted an alternate ending on her Facebook to appease angry fans. I'm not sure why or how I became addicted to these books, but it's similar to being on meth. Gross and embarrassing, but you can't stop.
August 12, 2012
Nope. I refuse to believe that this ended the way it did. Although this final (?) little story wrapped up most things, there is still one large, gaping question that I have...and I'm not sure I can handle waiting. So, Ms. Pascal, chop chop.
August 12, 2012
After everyone carrying the idiot ball for so long, it was such a relief to have it all come together at the end. Go, Jessica! I loved her giving it to Liam where it hurt the most. Sucks to be you, Lizzie but you really were the world's worst girlfriend.
January 5, 2013
Loved the series because it was a throwback to the books I read when I was younger but the ending of this book ruined it for me. It was such an abrupt, unfinished ending that I actually went back to Amazon's site to see if there was a Part 7 that I didn't download. Worst ending ever.
May 18, 2016
That cliffhanger ending nearly made me hurl my ebook reader to the corner of my room. You don't make me go through all that and have that kind of ending! =_=
January 5, 2017
Poor Elizabeth, always the doormat.
March 14, 2021
They called it "Bittersweet" for a reason.
In this "stunning" conclusion to The Sweet Life saga, (which Francine Pascal claimed to be her last-ever words on all things Sweet Valley) happy endings were in abundance for our now-30 year old main characters. Mostly . . .
Bruce Patman was vindicated on charges of sexual assault. The entire debacle was ultimately proven by a super-sleuthing Elizabeth to be a result of the devious machinations of his business rival, who also happened to be an Actual Rapist.
Lila decided to keep the now-real baby she was carrying in her belly, and reunited with Ken on live reality television.
Jessica's placeholder beau Liam turned out to be the possessive, life-ruining, stalker everyone assumed him to be. His obsession with Jessica ultimately turned violent. Fortunately, Todd saved the day at the very last minute. And all the angst between the couple, not to mention Todd's caveman like ideas about a woman's place being quietly and obediently under her man in the home, just evaporated instantly, never to be addressed again.
Oh, and Elizabeth . . . she got pooped on at a press conference, where her erstwhile lover Bruce publicly declared his heart to another woman, namely his lawyer Annie.
And that was all Francine Pascal would say on the subject for an ENTIRE YEAR.
Longtime fans of the series were understandably furious. And eventually, Pascal's publishers and agents must have done some serious arm twisting of their golden goose. Because in 2013, Francine Pascal quietly posted a mea culpa on her Facebook page, along with 19 pages of what she titled, an "Alternate Ending" to Bittersweet. Those 19 pages were pretty much exactly identical to the last chapter of Bittersweet, except they contained about four extra sentences, in which Bruce says basically, "Did I say, Annie? I meant I love Elizabeth . . . THE END."
That's it. Just like with Todd and Jessica, none of the prior problems between the couple, the distrust, the wandering eye on the part of Bruce, were resolved. There was no swoony reunion for the pair. Just a hastily written footnote that was meant to imply they'd live happily ever after.
I find it interesting that Francine Pascal called this chapter an "Alternate Ending" as opposed to an "Epilogue" or "Addendum." That coupled with her statement that "I forgot, or just got too cynical" to give Elizabeth her final happy ending, and the year long wait time following the original publication, leads me to believe that Pascal never actually intended to reunite Elizabeth with Bruce at all. I honestly feel like she grew to strongly dislike this character, in particular, a character who just so happened to be one-half of the memorable twins that were her financial bread and butter for decades.
It's bizarre. It's disconcerting. It's also the most interesting thing about this series. And that's why I gave it three stars, in spite of myself. This is a rare situation in which the drama behind the series far exceeds the content of the story itself . . .
In this "stunning" conclusion to The Sweet Life saga, (which Francine Pascal claimed to be her last-ever words on all things Sweet Valley) happy endings were in abundance for our now-30 year old main characters. Mostly . . .
Bruce Patman was vindicated on charges of sexual assault. The entire debacle was ultimately proven by a super-sleuthing Elizabeth to be a result of the devious machinations of his business rival, who also happened to be an Actual Rapist.
Lila decided to keep the now-real baby she was carrying in her belly, and reunited with Ken on live reality television.
Jessica's placeholder beau Liam turned out to be the possessive, life-ruining, stalker everyone assumed him to be. His obsession with Jessica ultimately turned violent. Fortunately, Todd saved the day at the very last minute. And all the angst between the couple, not to mention Todd's caveman like ideas about a woman's place being quietly and obediently under her man in the home, just evaporated instantly, never to be addressed again.
Oh, and Elizabeth . . . she got pooped on at a press conference, where her erstwhile lover Bruce publicly declared his heart to another woman, namely his lawyer Annie.
And that was all Francine Pascal would say on the subject for an ENTIRE YEAR.
Longtime fans of the series were understandably furious. And eventually, Pascal's publishers and agents must have done some serious arm twisting of their golden goose. Because in 2013, Francine Pascal quietly posted a mea culpa on her Facebook page, along with 19 pages of what she titled, an "Alternate Ending" to Bittersweet. Those 19 pages were pretty much exactly identical to the last chapter of Bittersweet, except they contained about four extra sentences, in which Bruce says basically, "Did I say, Annie? I meant I love Elizabeth . . . THE END."
That's it. Just like with Todd and Jessica, none of the prior problems between the couple, the distrust, the wandering eye on the part of Bruce, were resolved. There was no swoony reunion for the pair. Just a hastily written footnote that was meant to imply they'd live happily ever after.
I find it interesting that Francine Pascal called this chapter an "Alternate Ending" as opposed to an "Epilogue" or "Addendum." That coupled with her statement that "I forgot, or just got too cynical" to give Elizabeth her final happy ending, and the year long wait time following the original publication, leads me to believe that Pascal never actually intended to reunite Elizabeth with Bruce at all. I honestly feel like she grew to strongly dislike this character, in particular, a character who just so happened to be one-half of the memorable twins that were her financial bread and butter for decades.
It's bizarre. It's disconcerting. It's also the most interesting thing about this series. And that's why I gave it three stars, in spite of myself. This is a rare situation in which the drama behind the series far exceeds the content of the story itself . . .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2016
With ‘Bittersweet’ we farewell the Wakefield twins for a good long while. Jessica gets to the bottom of what was going on with her PR company and why no-one wants to work with her, finds out the truth about crazy Liam, and makes headway with patching things up with Todd.
Elizabeth acts on a tip from her brother in law regarding the true identity of Bruce’s accuser, and in true investigative style, reveals the truth about the charges and clears Bruce’s name.
However there is a lot that is unresolved in this last book. Jessica hasn’t redeemed herself at work, and Elizabeth’s future is still looking less than bright. For a writer that has always delivered a nice clean wrap up at the end of her books, leaving these threads hanging is a bit of cruel torture for everyone that read all the way through this e-series.
I’m half inclined to think that perhaps not enough love was injected into these books in order to give a nice solid ending.
Reading these books is seriously nostalgic, but there’s nothing else holding these books together. The writing is repetitive and more aimed for the tween market that originally followed the Sweet Valley series, so it’s only with the youthful lens can you really appreciate the books.
Elizabeth acts on a tip from her brother in law regarding the true identity of Bruce’s accuser, and in true investigative style, reveals the truth about the charges and clears Bruce’s name.
However there is a lot that is unresolved in this last book. Jessica hasn’t redeemed herself at work, and Elizabeth’s future is still looking less than bright. For a writer that has always delivered a nice clean wrap up at the end of her books, leaving these threads hanging is a bit of cruel torture for everyone that read all the way through this e-series.
I’m half inclined to think that perhaps not enough love was injected into these books in order to give a nice solid ending.
Reading these books is seriously nostalgic, but there’s nothing else holding these books together. The writing is repetitive and more aimed for the tween market that originally followed the Sweet Valley series, so it’s only with the youthful lens can you really appreciate the books.
April 15, 2013
This final installment of this e-serial read as compulsively as the first five, but I have to say I was quite taken aback by the cliffhanger. This is a huge cliffhanger and it almost invalidates all the previous reading I did to get to that point. The Liam storyline was fine, I saw that coming from a mile away however I hate that it made things better with Todd and Jessica. In my opinion these two as a couple just plain stinks. And don't start me on the Lila storyline. It could have been the most fun, true to form of the stories and yet it ended too quickly and in a completelly unrealistic way. Sigh. What should I expect? This is Sweet Valley after all. Back to cliffhanger one moment. I am most bothered by the fact that in October the e-serial will be issued as a one volume novel. There are no promises of future books, though I think its quite likely. Leaving the story open like this is very dissatisfying. Still I am such a sucker for Sweet Valley that I know I will be there holding out my money whenever there are any future releases.
February 18, 2013
This e-series did exactly what I thought it would do. Provided mindless reading. I was looking for something light and easy after some difficult and emotional reads. I read the SVH series in Junior High (man I'm old) and I was excited for a bit of nostalgia and seeing what's happening in SV. Some characters remain the same, some are so different from where I would think they should be. The writing is bad and some plot lines were just crazy--crazy soap opera type plot lines. But I didn't have any high expectations, it was an easy read and that's exactly what I was looking for. The ending was not your typical "all wrapped up like a tidy bow" ending that SVH gave us in the past, that made me sad. But perhaps FP is just setting us up for another e-series.
October 31, 2013
Cannot believe how excited I was to see what my fave twins from Sweet Valley were up to and all their friends. I read Sweet Valley Confidential and then The Sweet Life e-series all six books in a matter of weeks. The ending was a good cliffhanger and I hope there is more to this story in Sweet Valley. I found myself saying, "No, it can't be the end!"
Spoilers if you have not read this book:
I'm curious to see how well Lila handles motherhood. If Todd and Jessica actually stay married and will Liz and Bruce find their way back to each other?
Typical Sweet Valley and I need more.
Spoilers if you have not read this book:
I'm curious to see how well Lila handles motherhood. If Todd and Jessica actually stay married and will Liz and Bruce find their way back to each other?
Typical Sweet Valley and I need more.
Read
October 18, 2013To review the whole series and not one book in particular -- it was quick. Each book took maybe half an hour and I could usually get two in lunch break. It's also exactly how the drama of sweet valley would have likely continued and very soap opera like, though expected. I could read these infinitely.
July 29, 2015
I loved getting to read about Elizabeth and Jessica all grown up. My rating is for the ending of this installment. How can can you have a cliffhanger like that and not have another installment?! If there's another one that I have just over looked then I will change my rating but if not, it stands at 1 star and that is being generous!
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