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The Sweet Life #1
The Sweet Life: A Novel
For Jessica and Elizabeth, the sweet life begins at 30…
Beautiful blonde twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back in The Sweet Life, now available in one volume!
Three years after the events of Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are back in Sweet Valley and inseparable once more. Things are looking up for both twins: Elizabeth is a star reporter at the LA Tribune, and Jessica’s PR career is on the fast-track. But while the professional lives of the Wakefield sisters are secure, their personal lives may be in jeopardy. Jessica, now a mother, finds that managing parenthood, marriage, and a job is harder than she expected, while Elizabeth and Bruce must face a scandal that could strengthen their bond…or tear them apart forever.
Meanwhile, life goes on in Sweet Valley. Families are made, hearts are broken, and . . . Lila Fowler is a reality TV star? Some things never change.
The Sweet Life, first published serially as digital originals chronicling the continuing adventures of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, is now available to read in one volume!
Beautiful blonde twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back in The Sweet Life, now available in one volume!
Three years after the events of Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are back in Sweet Valley and inseparable once more. Things are looking up for both twins: Elizabeth is a star reporter at the LA Tribune, and Jessica’s PR career is on the fast-track. But while the professional lives of the Wakefield sisters are secure, their personal lives may be in jeopardy. Jessica, now a mother, finds that managing parenthood, marriage, and a job is harder than she expected, while Elizabeth and Bruce must face a scandal that could strengthen their bond…or tear them apart forever.
Meanwhile, life goes on in Sweet Valley. Families are made, hearts are broken, and . . . Lila Fowler is a reality TV star? Some things never change.
The Sweet Life, first published serially as digital originals chronicling the continuing adventures of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, is now available to read in one volume!
131 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2012
79 people are currently reading
831 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,113 books1,847 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 218 reviews
August 12, 2012
LOL you wouldn't believe how things are popping off in Sweet Valley now that everyone is grown. There is so much delicious drama, poorly written prose, melodramatic nonsense, and everything we've grown to love about SVH over the years. Also, Elizabeth is still the worst worst worst ever. She has no loyalty at all. TEAM JESSICA 4 LYF.
July 15, 2020
Just..no..
I am sure many women on GR read the sweet valley high books as a kid..I know I sure did..almost all of them. I am also sure many do not know that a whole new "reunion" series was started..Jessica and Elizabeth all these years later..what fun! I could not wait to embark on this new journey with the twins.
And the books were so bad. I am sorry..hate to be that blunt..but..but..like..like..really awesomly wonderfully beautifully bad.
What is worse is after reading book one, and despising it, I went on to read book two!
I cannot count how many times Jessica says the word "like". I am sure valley girls everywhere will be offended. It will be to much for them too. Not to mention how SAD and virtually unrecognizable the whole cast is.
I'd say forget it because I would like to. Elizabeth is now in love with her almost rapist Bruce Patman while her ex boyfriend has realized he loves Jessica..his arch enemy. Does that make any sense to anyone ?
This one is part two and is one point better then part one, mainly because Jessica has toned it down and doesn't say "like" every five seconds. So I guess there is a silver lining.
Not recommended.
I am sure many women on GR read the sweet valley high books as a kid..I know I sure did..almost all of them. I am also sure many do not know that a whole new "reunion" series was started..Jessica and Elizabeth all these years later..what fun! I could not wait to embark on this new journey with the twins.
And the books were so bad. I am sorry..hate to be that blunt..but..but..like..like..really awesomly wonderfully beautifully bad.
What is worse is after reading book one, and despising it, I went on to read book two!
I cannot count how many times Jessica says the word "like". I am sure valley girls everywhere will be offended. It will be to much for them too. Not to mention how SAD and virtually unrecognizable the whole cast is.
I'd say forget it because I would like to. Elizabeth is now in love with her almost rapist Bruce Patman while her ex boyfriend has realized he loves Jessica..his arch enemy. Does that make any sense to anyone ?
This one is part two and is one point better then part one, mainly because Jessica has toned it down and doesn't say "like" every five seconds. So I guess there is a silver lining.
Not recommended.
July 15, 2012
Well, here it is, gals. When the last Sweet Valley book was published (Sweet 18, SV Sr. Year), Francine wrote a note in the back promising that she would one day revive the series ten years later. That time has come. I was a hot mess today, absolutely glued to my phone and sucking this first installment up. It was like what I imagine the experience of taking crack cocaine to be. Assuming I would get addicted to crack cocaine. I probably would. I must say I think this time around SV will only be about relationship drama. This is pretty much what Degrassi has become as well. Here's hoping for a John Marin, Margo Black, or William White!!
I normally do not put up disclaimers that I spoil books. But I do not see the point in writing a review without spoiling something. Since this just got released today, however, I feel it very necessary to tell you that I WILL BE SPOILING THESE E-SERIALS EVERY WEEK!! Next Sunday I will actually be celebrating my birthday, so the next day, the 23rd (my actual birthday), I will be spoiling next week's installment a day late. Nonetheless, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS TO BE SPOILED!!!!
Diving back into the world of Sweet Valley since that putrid Sweet Valley Confidential book, I am sure many of you have the same questions as I do. Such as:
Is Jessica still a raging sociopath?
Is Elizabeth still a raging codependent?
Is Bruce still a raging rapist who is ragingly rich?
Is Lila still ragingly spoiled?
Is Todd still ragingly angry all the time? (Because he did seem angry quite often in SVH, didn't he?)
Is Enid still a bitch?
Is Winston still dead?
Are the twins still ragingly celibate and without genitals?
Is Francine still ragingly obsessed with weight?
The answers, my friends, are blowing in the wind. Joke! But the answer is pretty much yes to all of the above, with the exception of Jessica (so far) and the twins being celibate, which they totally aren't (!!!).
The best way to do this is to break down the plot of this e-serial by character. Without further hullabaloo:
Jessica is a WORKING WOMAN. I know. Shock!! She didn't give up on this after a few days. She works at a green-friendly company called vertplus.net. She and Todd have been separated for almost five months. Not a shocker. This is, after all, Jessica's third marriage. Somewhat of a shocker is that Jessica and Todd have a son named Jake. He's two-years-old. I'm still shocked that Jessica and Todd were ever thrown together by Francine in the first place as a legitimate item. Whatevs. Apparently the reason for the split was in the neighborhood of Jessica works too much and doesn't care about her family. Sounds like Jessica to me! I'm not buying it, though. I feel like there are deeper reasons for this separation. There is also some steamy secret mentioned that Liz didn't learn about Jess & Todd in the last book... namely a hook-up between Jess & Todd in their senior year of college. Was this mentioned in SVC? Oh, who cares? You know they won't be able to hide it for long. Now that they are separated, Todd has a girl named Sarah after him, and Jessica has TWO guys after her, natch. One is Liam from SVC, the famous movie star. One day Todd stops by and he and Jessica have a war of words. It ends with Todd saying, "I'll fuck whomever I like." Jessica takes this to mean he's already sealed the deal with Sarah (or will soon, at any rate). However, she's not ready to give up. Soon a scandal breaks with Liz and Bruce, and she opts to help them out. She keeps expecting to find Todd at her doorstep, but he never shows up. One night, the baby-sitter sees Jessica go out with Liam to one of his premieres. Jessica forgets her cellphone along the way and freaks out (she'll be out of touch with Jake), but Liam convinces her not to go back. Though her heart isn't in it (the way sociopath Jess's heart would be - come on, Francine!), she ends up sleeping with Liam that night. When she gets home she sees that her phone has twelve missed mea culpas from Todd. Ruh roh. This is the perfect segway back into sociopathic, without a conscience Jess. The next book is called Lies & Omissions, where I'm sure Jess conveniently forgets all that just happened with Liam. The short-term memories in Sweet Valley are awful, I'm telling you. Must be all the pollution from LA, of which SV is now "just a suburb."
Liz now works for the LA Tribune (and, in an ironic twist of fate, so does Todd). Liz and Bruce are in Happy Sex Land pretty much around the clock. They have sex in his office AND the shower in this book. Liz is batting two for two compared to how prudish she used to be. Even if Todd doesn't love her anymore, wouldn't he fly off in a rage if he knew this? Their junior year lasted 130+ books, and not once did she ever put out. If I were Todd and learned that Liz gives it up here, there, and yon for Bruce, I'd be hella pissed. Talk about wasted time in high school! Speaking of high school, you might remember that Bruce was once a would-be rapist to both Jess & Liz, if I'm not mistaken (#7, Dear Sister, which I've reviewed on here, being but one great example). A scandal has just broken out that Bruce forced sex on an intern. This would be a good time for doubts on the part of the twins for the sake of continuity, but Francine isn't having it. Jess doesn't doubt him, and, being that she's been sleeping with him for the past three years (consensually), Liz doesn't either. Yet. Jess immediately jumps in to take charge with one of her "brilliant plans" to help save Bruce's rich ass. Only this time Jessica is making some sense. I'm actually surprised she's not a PR rep for celebrities or something. She knows all about damage control. Liz has been less dependent in this book (she rejects Jessica's request to stay over!), but she still believes herself a stellar investigative journalist. With Jess handling Operation Rebuild Bruce's Reputation, Liz takes off on digging up the dirt on the scandal (which Bruce never told her about, since he had food poisoning that night). First up is Alan Bloom, who Bruce claims he was meeting that night at the Charm Club. Alan says he never contacted Bruce at all. Okay, but he could be lying. So Liz moves on to contacting the bartender. He DOES remember Bruce, only he remembers Bruce hitting on the intern that was there. Ruh roh. Next comes the priest that the accuser turned to in her time of need. He is not forthcoming at all, so Liz goes where she should have started: with Bruce's actual interns. After a day spent talking to "gorgeous" interns (nope, Francine hasn't changed a bit), Liz is losing faith in herself. But then she hits the jackpot when she nails Robin Platt, the accuser. This time she decides it's not wise to tell Robin who she really is if she expects to get the dirt. Wise move. She shows up at Robin's house and tells her that she is a therapist sent by the priest to help her. Robin is all rough edges and frowns, but she finally lets Liz inside. Robin's story pretty much matches up with the bartender's, and Liz's dread continues to grow. Bruce had told Liz that Robin had a father, so Liz asks her about it. Robin says that her father is dead. Liz is stunned, because she knows it's such an easy fact to check, so somebody has to be lying (no shit). She wants desperately to leave Robin's house now, investigative journalism be damned. Robin won't let her. She says that she really she needs Liz's help. Cliffhanger!
Andddd Miss Lila Fowler. She doesn't contribute a lot to this e-serial, but she does have one big chapter. Naturally, she leaves her mark. She has auditioned for and landed the role of a Housewife on Real Housewives of Sweet Valley. I think this should become an actual show on television. Lila is still married to Ken (on-again, off-again and such), but the only time I found him interesting was when he dated Jessica. He's back to having no personality. Similarly, Awesome Lila that emerged while dating Bruce has pretty much been buried. All that fleshing out done by the ghostwriters was put to rest by Francine in this one e-serial. The first day of filming takes place at Lila's mansion. She has Ken on a short leash, and soon learns that she'll have to keep the other girls that way as well. Particularly Ashley, a size-12 knockout. She is described as being full-figured but "in all the right places. There was no room for any weight to come off." What is this? Francine not hating on the curvacious? Not quite. She does make Ashley a man-stealer. The stealer of Lila's man, to be exact. Throughout filming, Ashley makes not-so-subtle plays at Ken. That's when Lila takes her little white gloves off. She decides that she will play the spoiled rich bitch part to the hilt. She is relentless, even to Ken. Needless to say, he doesn't enjoy that so much. Lila believes that she can explain later and that this will be worth the sacrifice to secure her a role on the show. She can't afford to lose and be a nobody. Ken doesn't quite see it that way. After filming wraps, he basically says, "Fuck you, I'm done." Lila pleads and whines like a little girl (or Scarlett O'Hara), but Ken just glares at her and walks out, slamming the door in her face. Now Lila has to worry about securing a spot on the show AND saving her seriously failing marriage. This is not the Awesome Lila I was expecting.
I think the best part of the book is when Jessica asks Liz if her blog for the LA Tribune is ghostwritten. What a beautiful nod back to old Sweet Valley (that actually was much more well-written than this). Francine still has the "like" problem she had going on in the first book, but not enough to reduce this to one star. The next book (I already checked) has her writing "with" somebody, so I sincerely hope they told her to lose the "like" and "so" thing she has going on for Jessica and a bunch of other characters. Every time it happened I scratched my head. Who told Francine this was acceptable writing?
So, to be continued, my friends...
I will start on Lies & Omissions tonight! How can I resist Jess & Liz being back in town??
I normally do not put up disclaimers that I spoil books. But I do not see the point in writing a review without spoiling something. Since this just got released today, however, I feel it very necessary to tell you that I WILL BE SPOILING THESE E-SERIALS EVERY WEEK!! Next Sunday I will actually be celebrating my birthday, so the next day, the 23rd (my actual birthday), I will be spoiling next week's installment a day late. Nonetheless, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS TO BE SPOILED!!!!
Diving back into the world of Sweet Valley since that putrid Sweet Valley Confidential book, I am sure many of you have the same questions as I do. Such as:
Is Jessica still a raging sociopath?
Is Elizabeth still a raging codependent?
Is Bruce still a raging rapist who is ragingly rich?
Is Lila still ragingly spoiled?
Is Todd still ragingly angry all the time? (Because he did seem angry quite often in SVH, didn't he?)
Is Enid still a bitch?
Is Winston still dead?
Are the twins still ragingly celibate and without genitals?
Is Francine still ragingly obsessed with weight?
The answers, my friends, are blowing in the wind. Joke! But the answer is pretty much yes to all of the above, with the exception of Jessica (so far) and the twins being celibate, which they totally aren't (!!!).
The best way to do this is to break down the plot of this e-serial by character. Without further hullabaloo:
Jessica is a WORKING WOMAN. I know. Shock!! She didn't give up on this after a few days. She works at a green-friendly company called vertplus.net. She and Todd have been separated for almost five months. Not a shocker. This is, after all, Jessica's third marriage. Somewhat of a shocker is that Jessica and Todd have a son named Jake. He's two-years-old. I'm still shocked that Jessica and Todd were ever thrown together by Francine in the first place as a legitimate item. Whatevs. Apparently the reason for the split was in the neighborhood of Jessica works too much and doesn't care about her family. Sounds like Jessica to me! I'm not buying it, though. I feel like there are deeper reasons for this separation. There is also some steamy secret mentioned that Liz didn't learn about Jess & Todd in the last book... namely a hook-up between Jess & Todd in their senior year of college. Was this mentioned in SVC? Oh, who cares? You know they won't be able to hide it for long. Now that they are separated, Todd has a girl named Sarah after him, and Jessica has TWO guys after her, natch. One is Liam from SVC, the famous movie star. One day Todd stops by and he and Jessica have a war of words. It ends with Todd saying, "I'll fuck whomever I like." Jessica takes this to mean he's already sealed the deal with Sarah (or will soon, at any rate). However, she's not ready to give up. Soon a scandal breaks with Liz and Bruce, and she opts to help them out. She keeps expecting to find Todd at her doorstep, but he never shows up. One night, the baby-sitter sees Jessica go out with Liam to one of his premieres. Jessica forgets her cellphone along the way and freaks out (she'll be out of touch with Jake), but Liam convinces her not to go back. Though her heart isn't in it (the way sociopath Jess's heart would be - come on, Francine!), she ends up sleeping with Liam that night. When she gets home she sees that her phone has twelve missed mea culpas from Todd. Ruh roh. This is the perfect segway back into sociopathic, without a conscience Jess. The next book is called Lies & Omissions, where I'm sure Jess conveniently forgets all that just happened with Liam. The short-term memories in Sweet Valley are awful, I'm telling you. Must be all the pollution from LA, of which SV is now "just a suburb."
Liz now works for the LA Tribune (and, in an ironic twist of fate, so does Todd). Liz and Bruce are in Happy Sex Land pretty much around the clock. They have sex in his office AND the shower in this book. Liz is batting two for two compared to how prudish she used to be. Even if Todd doesn't love her anymore, wouldn't he fly off in a rage if he knew this? Their junior year lasted 130+ books, and not once did she ever put out. If I were Todd and learned that Liz gives it up here, there, and yon for Bruce, I'd be hella pissed. Talk about wasted time in high school! Speaking of high school, you might remember that Bruce was once a would-be rapist to both Jess & Liz, if I'm not mistaken (#7, Dear Sister, which I've reviewed on here, being but one great example). A scandal has just broken out that Bruce forced sex on an intern. This would be a good time for doubts on the part of the twins for the sake of continuity, but Francine isn't having it. Jess doesn't doubt him, and, being that she's been sleeping with him for the past three years (consensually), Liz doesn't either. Yet. Jess immediately jumps in to take charge with one of her "brilliant plans" to help save Bruce's rich ass. Only this time Jessica is making some sense. I'm actually surprised she's not a PR rep for celebrities or something. She knows all about damage control. Liz has been less dependent in this book (she rejects Jessica's request to stay over!), but she still believes herself a stellar investigative journalist. With Jess handling Operation Rebuild Bruce's Reputation, Liz takes off on digging up the dirt on the scandal (which Bruce never told her about, since he had food poisoning that night). First up is Alan Bloom, who Bruce claims he was meeting that night at the Charm Club. Alan says he never contacted Bruce at all. Okay, but he could be lying. So Liz moves on to contacting the bartender. He DOES remember Bruce, only he remembers Bruce hitting on the intern that was there. Ruh roh. Next comes the priest that the accuser turned to in her time of need. He is not forthcoming at all, so Liz goes where she should have started: with Bruce's actual interns. After a day spent talking to "gorgeous" interns (nope, Francine hasn't changed a bit), Liz is losing faith in herself. But then she hits the jackpot when she nails Robin Platt, the accuser. This time she decides it's not wise to tell Robin who she really is if she expects to get the dirt. Wise move. She shows up at Robin's house and tells her that she is a therapist sent by the priest to help her. Robin is all rough edges and frowns, but she finally lets Liz inside. Robin's story pretty much matches up with the bartender's, and Liz's dread continues to grow. Bruce had told Liz that Robin had a father, so Liz asks her about it. Robin says that her father is dead. Liz is stunned, because she knows it's such an easy fact to check, so somebody has to be lying (no shit). She wants desperately to leave Robin's house now, investigative journalism be damned. Robin won't let her. She says that she really she needs Liz's help. Cliffhanger!
Andddd Miss Lila Fowler. She doesn't contribute a lot to this e-serial, but she does have one big chapter. Naturally, she leaves her mark. She has auditioned for and landed the role of a Housewife on Real Housewives of Sweet Valley. I think this should become an actual show on television. Lila is still married to Ken (on-again, off-again and such), but the only time I found him interesting was when he dated Jessica. He's back to having no personality. Similarly, Awesome Lila that emerged while dating Bruce has pretty much been buried. All that fleshing out done by the ghostwriters was put to rest by Francine in this one e-serial. The first day of filming takes place at Lila's mansion. She has Ken on a short leash, and soon learns that she'll have to keep the other girls that way as well. Particularly Ashley, a size-12 knockout. She is described as being full-figured but "in all the right places. There was no room for any weight to come off." What is this? Francine not hating on the curvacious? Not quite. She does make Ashley a man-stealer. The stealer of Lila's man, to be exact. Throughout filming, Ashley makes not-so-subtle plays at Ken. That's when Lila takes her little white gloves off. She decides that she will play the spoiled rich bitch part to the hilt. She is relentless, even to Ken. Needless to say, he doesn't enjoy that so much. Lila believes that she can explain later and that this will be worth the sacrifice to secure her a role on the show. She can't afford to lose and be a nobody. Ken doesn't quite see it that way. After filming wraps, he basically says, "Fuck you, I'm done." Lila pleads and whines like a little girl (or Scarlett O'Hara), but Ken just glares at her and walks out, slamming the door in her face. Now Lila has to worry about securing a spot on the show AND saving her seriously failing marriage. This is not the Awesome Lila I was expecting.
I think the best part of the book is when Jessica asks Liz if her blog for the LA Tribune is ghostwritten. What a beautiful nod back to old Sweet Valley (that actually was much more well-written than this). Francine still has the "like" problem she had going on in the first book, but not enough to reduce this to one star. The next book (I already checked) has her writing "with" somebody, so I sincerely hope they told her to lose the "like" and "so" thing she has going on for Jessica and a bunch of other characters. Every time it happened I scratched my head. Who told Francine this was acceptable writing?
So, to be continued, my friends...
I will start on Lies & Omissions tonight! How can I resist Jess & Liz being back in town??
April 28, 2013
This is more like it. If you're a Sweet Valley fan from way back who was disappointed with Sweet Valley Confidential, The Sweet Life is for you. The main problem with Sweet Valley Confidential was the Jessica/Elizabeth relationship. If the twins aren't getting along then they obsess over each other, all we hear about is how they feel like they've lost half of themselves and everything and everyone is geared towards reuniting the best twins ever. It's sorta dull. However if they're friends like they are in The Sweet Life, they're free to get on with their lives and the side characters are allowed a bit of page-time.
Jessica has got it pretty good, she has a son she occasionally notices, a fabulous career and is apparently an ethereal goddess (Elizabeth's words!), but none of it means anything because she and Todd are separated. Her part of the story is about her trying to get back with Todd. There's a stalker, Todd's scheming, androgynous co-worker and her own career standing in the way of her reconciliation with the dullest man in the universe. I do not get the Todd thing. He has never been appealing.
Elizabeth's story revolves around Bruce Patman being accused of assaulting someone. She thinks he did it because she maybe kinda remembers a time when they were kids when he plied her with wine and grabbed her boob while she had a concussion? Nevertheless she investigates tirelessly to prove his innocence, pulling out all the stops and reaching out to place a condescending hand on someone's shoulder at least twice. Easy Annie Whitman makes a triumphant comeback in this storyline as a super-lawyer with a taste for the finer things. One of the annoying things about Elizabeth is that she's developed a weird insecurity where she feels she's somehow less attractive than her identical twin sister. Elizabeth, you're so endlessly slappable.
Lila has her own farcical storyline involving fake pregnancies and reality TV that was in quite poor taste even for Sweet Valley. The best thing about it is that she's dyed her hair back to its original colour and she and Jessica seem to be closer than in Sweet Valley Confidential.
These characters are so ingrained in my psyche at this point that Francine Pascal could just release a pamphlet that simply says, "Jessica and Elizabeth something something" and my mind will fill in the blanks with a masquerade ball and a murder-suicide, so The Sweet Life was very enjoyable for me and highly recommended for fans of Sweet Valley.
Jessica has got it pretty good, she has a son she occasionally notices, a fabulous career and is apparently an ethereal goddess (Elizabeth's words!), but none of it means anything because she and Todd are separated. Her part of the story is about her trying to get back with Todd. There's a stalker, Todd's scheming, androgynous co-worker and her own career standing in the way of her reconciliation with the dullest man in the universe. I do not get the Todd thing. He has never been appealing.
Elizabeth's story revolves around Bruce Patman being accused of assaulting someone. She thinks he did it because she maybe kinda remembers a time when they were kids when he plied her with wine and grabbed her boob while she had a concussion? Nevertheless she investigates tirelessly to prove his innocence, pulling out all the stops and reaching out to place a condescending hand on someone's shoulder at least twice. Easy Annie Whitman makes a triumphant comeback in this storyline as a super-lawyer with a taste for the finer things. One of the annoying things about Elizabeth is that she's developed a weird insecurity where she feels she's somehow less attractive than her identical twin sister. Elizabeth, you're so endlessly slappable.
Lila has her own farcical storyline involving fake pregnancies and reality TV that was in quite poor taste even for Sweet Valley. The best thing about it is that she's dyed her hair back to its original colour and she and Jessica seem to be closer than in Sweet Valley Confidential.
These characters are so ingrained in my psyche at this point that Francine Pascal could just release a pamphlet that simply says, "Jessica and Elizabeth something something" and my mind will fill in the blanks with a masquerade ball and a murder-suicide, so The Sweet Life was very enjoyable for me and highly recommended for fans of Sweet Valley.
November 6, 2012
When I was a kid, I lived a very sheltered life in a very rural area and liked to imagine that most of the bigger world around me was accurately reflected in pop culture. I wanted to go to school in what I saw as the idealistic world of TGIF, TNBC, and, yes, Sweet Valley. Something about the relative autonomy of the teenagers, the constant excitement of even the most mundane activities, and the easy access the teens had to almost anything was very romantic to me.
That's probably why I also got swept up in soaps operas as an adolescent. Something about the world they were in struck me as very romantic, even though I could, by that point, acknowledge that the ways in which the characters approached that world – and each other – was batshit. Days of Our Lives was fun to watch, dammit. I knew I shouldn't take it seriously even as I was perusing Geocities fan sites describing in detail stories of devil possession, amnesia-ridden royalty, and Swamp Girl.
Falling somewhere between Desperate Housewives and Real Housewives, you'll find the grown-up reincarnation of Sweet Valley. The stories that sprang from that simultaneously quaint-yet-opulent LA suburb contained the same philosophies as my beloved soap operas - you've always gotta be strategizing but destiny always wins out. The books were campy, trashy in a harmless way, rooted in who-likes-whom gossip. While they weren't attempting satire, they certainly weren't mean to be taken seriously.
Remembering that balance is important to approaching this book - a series of six e-book follow-ups to the original follow-up strung together in long-form. The truth is, you are only going to enjoy this is you were a fan of the original series or if you understand it's not meant to be taken seriously. There's nothing unique or revolutionary about it. It's not even particularly well-written and it seems evident that Pascal was making it up as she went along. It's just over-the-top, campy fun. It literally (literally!) takes the world of a classic teen series and turns it into The Real Housewives of Sweet Valley. And yet - somehow - that never really feels like a ridiculous turn of events.
That's probably why I also got swept up in soaps operas as an adolescent. Something about the world they were in struck me as very romantic, even though I could, by that point, acknowledge that the ways in which the characters approached that world – and each other – was batshit. Days of Our Lives was fun to watch, dammit. I knew I shouldn't take it seriously even as I was perusing Geocities fan sites describing in detail stories of devil possession, amnesia-ridden royalty, and Swamp Girl.
Falling somewhere between Desperate Housewives and Real Housewives, you'll find the grown-up reincarnation of Sweet Valley. The stories that sprang from that simultaneously quaint-yet-opulent LA suburb contained the same philosophies as my beloved soap operas - you've always gotta be strategizing but destiny always wins out. The books were campy, trashy in a harmless way, rooted in who-likes-whom gossip. While they weren't attempting satire, they certainly weren't mean to be taken seriously.
Remembering that balance is important to approaching this book - a series of six e-book follow-ups to the original follow-up strung together in long-form. The truth is, you are only going to enjoy this is you were a fan of the original series or if you understand it's not meant to be taken seriously. There's nothing unique or revolutionary about it. It's not even particularly well-written and it seems evident that Pascal was making it up as she went along. It's just over-the-top, campy fun. It literally (literally!) takes the world of a classic teen series and turns it into The Real Housewives of Sweet Valley. And yet - somehow - that never really feels like a ridiculous turn of events.
July 18, 2012
I have been eagerly awaiting this for YEARS! After Sweet Valley Confidential was released last year, featuring the Wakefield twins as 26 year olds fighting over Todd, I was unsure what to expect from this. After all, it's a Sweet Valley book, so what's not to love? But then again, while SVC featured the twins and their friends as adults and it was entertaining to see how they'd grown up and turned out, it also didn't have the same "feel" to it as the original Sweet Valley High novels. This, the first of a 6-part e-serial featuring the twins as 30 year olds, was awesome!
Jessica's married to Todd and they have a 2 year old son, but they're separated because of their very different expectations. Todd, always a winner, seems unhappy that Jess has a stellar career and isn't just staying at home. Liz lives in a mansion with Bruce and things are going well until a former intern claims Bruce attacked her a year ago. Bruce denies it, Liz thinks it's a business rival trying to smear Bruce... but then Liz - always quite the meddler - decides she needs to investigate the claims and suddenly isn't sure who to believe. Lila's married to NFL quarterback Ken Matthews and is basically a rich, beautiful, trophy wife until the day she decides to audition for a reality show (think Real Housewives of Sweet Valley) and play the role of Rich Bitch, but she plays the part so well that it drives Ken away.
More characters from the original SVH series are featured in here, and they all had the same sort of "feel" to them as they did in high school, only older and with new problems. This was so trashy and such a quick read, and yet it was so addicting because I loved the characters and how ridiculous everything was. Just like SVH books, this featured plenty of drama and over-the-top characters. I even loved what a busybody Liz was (as usual), getting up in everyone's business in the name of "journalism" or whatever.
Although some of the plot maybe would have irritated me if it hadn't been happening in the world of Sweet Valley, the fact that this did take place in Sweet Valley and brought back the same drama and nostalgia that those books provided made this a total winner. Yeah, it's ridiculous and crazy, but what would a Sweet Valley book be without that?
Jessica's married to Todd and they have a 2 year old son, but they're separated because of their very different expectations. Todd, always a winner, seems unhappy that Jess has a stellar career and isn't just staying at home. Liz lives in a mansion with Bruce and things are going well until a former intern claims Bruce attacked her a year ago. Bruce denies it, Liz thinks it's a business rival trying to smear Bruce... but then Liz - always quite the meddler - decides she needs to investigate the claims and suddenly isn't sure who to believe. Lila's married to NFL quarterback Ken Matthews and is basically a rich, beautiful, trophy wife until the day she decides to audition for a reality show (think Real Housewives of Sweet Valley) and play the role of Rich Bitch, but she plays the part so well that it drives Ken away.
More characters from the original SVH series are featured in here, and they all had the same sort of "feel" to them as they did in high school, only older and with new problems. This was so trashy and such a quick read, and yet it was so addicting because I loved the characters and how ridiculous everything was. Just like SVH books, this featured plenty of drama and over-the-top characters. I even loved what a busybody Liz was (as usual), getting up in everyone's business in the name of "journalism" or whatever.
Although some of the plot maybe would have irritated me if it hadn't been happening in the world of Sweet Valley, the fact that this did take place in Sweet Valley and brought back the same drama and nostalgia that those books provided made this a total winner. Yeah, it's ridiculous and crazy, but what would a Sweet Valley book be without that?
August 12, 2012
Oh dear. This is just bad.
July 28, 2012
As I understand it, this edition encompasses all six books. As such, here is my review of the six edition series as a WHOLE. It includes a lot of the material I included in the review I wrote for the first portion of the serial, with some added commentary. I do expect to publish separate reviews for each of the six novellas. This review is for the entire mini-series. I hope you enjoy!
You Can't Go Home Again
I am a major Sweet Valley fan from way back (think 1988 and no I am not revealing my age here) and when I found out about Sweet Valley Confidential and the ensuing six part miniseries, I was beyond excited... despite how weird my friends and family find it, I never stopped reading Sweet Valley, from the time I was 10 until it's sad ending in 2002. That's 20 or so years of Sweet Valley so the promised update on the lives of the twins was, for me, a present of EPIC proportions. Unfortunately, these books failed to live up to my expectations. As soon as I cracked the page of Confidential, to find former virgin-for-life Lizzie bawling during sex (oh, btw, this proves Pascal totally watches Grey's Anatomy) I realized this was not going to be the Sweet Valley I remembered. The miniseries does a slightly better job, but overall I found this return to my idealistic youth a sad disappointment and a shadow of its former glory.
It's three years after the events of Confidential and Elizabeth and Jessica are back to being best friends and living in good old Sweet Valley Heights, which has become a suburb of Los Angeles. Jess is still married to Todd, with a two year old child, and Lizzie is (gasp!) living in sin with her lover/boyfriend, Bruce Patman. Life is relatively calm and happy for the twins and friends, though resentment is brewing in the Wakefield/Wilkins home. Boring, conservative Todd can't stand it that his beautiful, successful wife is managing to be both a successful advertising executive AND a great mom to little Jake. Jessica's reluctance to leave her job and stay at home with the baby causes trouble for the happy couple. But scandal and intrigue REALLY erupt when Jessica suspects Todd of sleeping with a coworker, and Bruce is accused of raping one of his interns. Elizabeth's initial refusal to believe in his potential guilt made me giggle a bit... did she simply forget when he once tried to force himself on her? Apparently not. She DOES remember that night and that memory, coupled with the media's mud-slinging, and Bruce's inability to remember the events of the night in question, shake Lizzie's once solid confidence in her man. Will they weather this storm and stay together or will Lizzie lose her faith in the man she loves and lose him forever? Will Jessica be able to forgive Todd for his liaison with another woman? And can Todd forgive Jess for a similar betrayal? The answers will astound you. Scandalous!
Another thing I really liked was the attempts at continuity, like Lila's immediate reaction to the alleged rape, when she remembers John Pfeiffer's attack on her at Miller's Point in high school. It seems the new writer got her hands on a copy of the Sweet Valley Bible and (in the words of Jessica "you know, like, actually memorized it." Or at least read the series, before taking on this job. Speaking of which, could any Sweet Valley fan be luckier than to land a ghost writing job on this series? I would have so. much. fun with that.
But anyway. The book has a lot of problems. It doesn't feel like Sweet Valley should. It doesn't come close to resembling the world we 30-Something fans grew to love. For one thing, the F-word is thrown around a lot and despite the fact that these girls are now 30, foul language, much like graffiti and fat people, are not supposed to exist in this world. I also understand that people grow and change, but moralistic Elizabeth as a shady journalist that lies and cheats to get the story is not something I can wrap my head around. And... I know I should have gotten over it by now since Sweet Valley Confidential was published almost a year ago and I've had ample time to process it. But... Jess and Todd. JessandTodd, ToddandJess=TLA? I still don't buy it. Those two always hated each other, and not in the "we secretly wanna do the horizontal mamba" kind of way. Jess considered him totally dullsville and Todd thought her a selfish shrew. Putting those two together for the sake of drama literally smacks of an author looking for an easy way to stir up trouble and hurt Elizabeth. There must be a ton of other ways to accomplish the same ends without a ridiculous plot contrivance that makes absolutely no sense. If I wasn't OCD enough to need all the gritty details, I'd simply skip the parts about them. Sadly, Sweet Valley has always had me twisted around it's beachy little Pleasantville-like finger , and I can't seem to tear my eyes away from the page. Even when it's a TRAIN WRECK of a story, as most of this is truly is. Speaking of, I'm amazed the world of Sweet Valley never did a story like that...but between all the shipwrecks, plane crashes, earthquakes (two, wait no THREE of them!) and crazed murderer's on the loose, I guess they thought they had enough disasters to contend with.
However, if there is one thing that does make sense to me, it's Lila Fowler as a True Housewife of Sweet Valley. (I guess they couldn't call it Real Housewives due to stupid trademark laws.) Lila is truly fabulous and sensational and I can TOTALLY see her diva-ing it up on reality TV; reveling in the attention and fab swag afforded her by the producers.
Unfortunately, the fabulous Lila we all remember as the foil to Jessica's antics has become less of a foil and more of a, well, flat out bitch. The scheming tricks she pulls on her husband (Ken Matthews!) throughout the series really don't seem Lila's style. First of all, Lila is far too much of a snob to marry a lowly, new money FOOTBALL player. Especially one she went to high school with, momentarily dated, and then dumped because of his crush on the French teacher, Ms. Dalton. But what I really fail to believe is that she'd even let Ken touch the tip of one of her Christian Louboutins, much less put his hands all over her perfectly toned and waxed body. It just doesn't ring true, especially when you consider her first marriage was to an Italian count. The Contessa Fowler deigning to lower herself to a sweaty, muscle-head, who she clearly realises has muscles where his brain is supposed to be? I don't think so. The Lila I know would either be married to someone with the last name of Patman or Kennedy... or finding herself another royal to up her blue-blood ante - perhaps a prince this time? Princess Lila certainly has a ring to it.
Second, Lila has way too much class to slut it up and fake a pregnancy just to keep her dimwitted second string husband, whose head has taken way too many tackles. No real love (or even chemistry) is ever shown between these two, nor is a back story ever given that gives us a reason for us to root for them in the first place. No mention is ever made of the fact that Ken dated not just Jessica, but BOTH twins in high school, and if there is one thing I know about Lila Fowler, it's that she does not take anyone's sloppy seconds.
And speaking of sloppy seconds - what's with all the partner switching in this series (and it's predecessors?) Let's take a look at all the incestuous facts, shall we?
Todd dated both Wakefield twins AND shared an illicit kiss with Lila in high school. Ken also dated both twins in high school, disappeared during the college years, and somehow ended up marrying Lila Fowler, the widow of an Italian count, who also dated Steven Wakefield (as did one of her best friends, Cara.) Bruce not onlyplayed dated Jessica in high school, but he also slept with Annie Whitman in the back of 1Bruce1 and got all hot and heavy with Lila in University... oh and let's not forget his attempt to date rape poor Lizzie, who was suffering the personality altering effects of a hit on the head. Despite this, he somehow ends up falling in love with Elizabeth who returns his affection. As a sexual assault survivor, this story line positively INFURIATED me, as it not only tolerates but GLORIFIES the coupling of a victim and her attacker. To forgive him is one thing, but to let him ever touch her again is positively disgusting. Also I can't help but say this... I totally resent the implication (given in Confidential) that the relationship between Lila and Bruce in SVU was nothing more than a fling. I do realize that this series cleared up a lot of canonical mistakes, but it did not make mention of this particular one, so my rant remains. Excuse me, but Lila and Bruce were the longest running and most stable couple in Sweet Valley University. The two richest, brattiest, most selfish characters decided to give up MONEY for each other, vowing to live in poverty if that's what it took to prove to their parents that their love was real. I am sorry, Ms. Pascal, but that is not a fling that is a relationship that SHOULD have led to marriage - even if it ended in divorce. Alas, Bruce falls in love with Elizabeth (because who doesn't, right?)who eventually returns his affections. And then he somehow, out of the blue ends up with at the end of this series? DoubleU. Tee. Eff.
And then there is Aaron who was Jessica's first kiss and occasional, casual date in high school... and now he's happily married to her brother?!?! Steven Wakefield, the straightest whitest most conservative character in the series? I AM SO CONFUSED. Please note: I have no problem with gay people whatsoever; in fact, 90% of the performing arts school I went to was at least bi and most of these people were my friends... but if my brother ended up married to my FIRST KISS, I might have, you know, a conversation, a feeling, or at least a THOUGHT about it!!! But that little tidbit is never even mentioned... not once in this six part miniseries, and not in Confidential when the scandalous reveal is first made. Both Aaron and Steven seemed like two of the straightest straight men I've ever met, at least in high school and college. I can buy Aaron as gay (especially in The Sweet Life where he is depicted as practically a gay male cliche) but STEVEN WAKEFIELD - the very same one whose first true love died of leukemia, second true love moved to London (after a near elopement) and third love he ALSO nearly married and had a baby with? Yes, I know that there are gay men who spend 20 plus years in the closet but there is usually at least a HINT of it before the "coming out." IMO, Pascal did this just to be politically correct and appeal to all readers. Okay fine, I get that. But it would have made much more sense for Tom McKay (McGay?) to make an "out and proud" appearance... but of course then, Francine would be accused of only allowing one gay person to live in her town, so I guess she can't win. But heh, that's Sweet Valley for you!
And that's another thing.... Why didn't any of these supposedly bright and successful people ever move on from high school? Why are they all still dating and marrying each other and living in the same town? I know it's not TECHNICALLY incestuous but it sure does feel like it. And for the record, why did none of them (especially LILA FOWLER of all people) ever move away from the small town they grew up in? Yeah, okay so whiny Lizzie spent a year or so moping in NYC but we all know she came back to the land of perfect tans to reunite with her sister, whose manipulative clutches she just can't seem to escape. Writers, it's London Calling, they want their plot back.
I guess part of the problem with these books is that the author tries to make Sweet Valley seem grittier and more realistic than it did in the earlier series'. Simply put, Sweet Valley is not SUPPOSED to be realistic, it's supposed to appear perfect and idealistic and far, FAR away from anything even resembling normalcy. Forget simply fighting over boys, this is a series that not only featured but EMBRACED the supernatural. Jess and Liz have dated not only the most popular boys in school, but Princes and Dukes, vampires and werewolves! They have encountered mad-women intent on stealing their mother's face. They have been kidnapped AND shipwrecked, hijacked by modern day pirates in the desert, and even gone on a "Thelma and Louise" type adventure with a Brad Pitt lookalike hot on their trail: hoping to either sleep with Jessica or kill both twins- honestly, it was hard to tell.
All that said, I am glad to see that Francine Pascal and company took to heart the words and comments of fans who were sorely disappointed by Sweet Valley Confidential. Glaring errors were fixed in the follow up books (like Mr. Fowler's name - its George, not Richard) and Jessica no longer utters the words "like" and "so" every other sentence. I suspect that Ms Pascal realizes her talents laid elsewhere, and handed the reins to a ghostwriter to put her ideas onto the page. Good choice. The writing is still on a fifth grade level, but at least it doesn't make you want to tear your eyes out like Confidential did. If you aren't expecting The Sweet Life to resemble the old series in any ways except the superficial, then it's not a bad read. But for the old fans looking for a bit of nostalgia, I recommend curling up with an old SVH paperback. Because the saying is true - you really CAN'T go home again.
P.S. There is nothing like picking up an old Sweet Valley paperback and admiring the glossy, oft-ridiculous, covers. e-books just aren't the same, convenient or not.
Merged review:
You Can't Go Home Again
I am a major Sweet Valley fan from way back and when I found out about Confidential, and the ensuing six part miniseries, I was beyond excited. Unfortunately, these books failed to live up to my expectations.
Elizabeth and Jessica are back to being best friends and living in Sweet Valley Heights, which has become a suburb of Los Angeles. Jess is still married to Todd, with a two year old child, and Lizzie is living with boyfriend, Bruce Patman. Scandal and intrigue erupt when Jessica suspects Todd of sleeping with a coworker, and Liz discovers that her lover might be a rapist. Her initial refusal to believe in his possible guilt made me giggle, seeing as how the events of Dear Sister prove that he does have it in him... did she simply forget when he tried to force himself on her? Apparently not. The writer smartly allows Liz to remember the events of that night and it shakes her confidence in Bruce. Will they weather this storm and stay together or will Lizzie lose her faith in the man she loves? Scandalous!
Another thing I really liked was Lila's immediate reaction to the alleged rape, when she remembers John Pfeiffer's attack on her at Miller's Point in high school. It was nice to see a bit of continuity - seems the new writer got her hands on a copy of the Sweet Valley Bible. Or at least read the series, before taking on this job. Speaking of which could any Sweet Valley fan be luckier than to land a ghost writing job on this series? I would have so. much. fun with that.
But anyway. The book has a lot of problems. It doesn't feel like Sweet Valley should. It doesn't come close to resembling the world we 30 something fans grew to love. For one thing, the F word is thrown around a lot and despite the fact that these girls are 30, foul language, much like graffiti and fat people, are not supposed to exist in this world. I also understand that people grow and change, but Elizabeth as a shady journalist that lies and cheats to get the story is not something I can wrap my head around. And... Jess and Todd in "twu wuv always" mode? I still don't buy it. Those two hated each other, and not in the secret "we really wanna screw each other" kind of way. Jess thought he was totally dullsville and Todd considered her a selfish shrew. Putting those two together for the sake of drama and hurting Elizabeth smacks of an author taking the easy way. There must be a ton of other ways to accomplish the same ends without a ridiculous plot contrivance that makes no sense. If I wasn't OCD enough to need all the gritty details, I'd simply skip the parts about them. However, if there is one thing that makes sense to me, it's Lila Fowler as a Real Housewife of Sweet Valley. Lila is truly fabulous and sensational and I can TOTALLY see her diva-ing it up on reality TV.
I guess part of the problem is that the author tries to make Sweet Valley seem grittier and more realistic than it did in the early series. Simply put, Sweet Valley is not supposed to be realistic, it's supposed to be perfect and idealistic and far FAR away from anything even resembling normalcy. Forget simply fighting over boys, this is a series that not only featured but EMBRACED the supernatural. Jess and Liz have dated not only the most popular boys in school, but Princes and Dukes, vampires and werewolves! They have encountered mad-women intent on stealing their mother's face. They have been kidnapped AND shipwrecked, and even gone on a "Thelma and Louise" type adventure with a Brad Pitt lookalike hot on their trail: hoping to either sleep with Jessica or kill both twins- honestly, it was hard to tell.
All that said, I am glad to see that Francine Pascal and company took to heart the words and comments of fans who were sorely disappointed by Sweet Valley Confidential. Glaring errors were fixed in the follow up books (like Mr. Fowler's name - its George, not Richard) and Jessica no longer utters the word "like" every other sentence. I suspect that Ms Pascal realizes her talents laid elsewhere, and handed the reins to a ghostwriter to put her ideas onto the page. Good choice. The writing is still on a fifth grade level, but at least it doesn't make you want to tear your eyes out like Confidential did. If you aren't expecting The Sweet Life to resemble the old series in any ways except the superficial, then it's not a bad read. But for the old fans looking for a bit of nostalgia, I recommend curling up with an old SVH paperback. Because the saying is true - you really CAN'T go home again.
You Can't Go Home Again
I am a major Sweet Valley fan from way back (think 1988 and no I am not revealing my age here) and when I found out about Sweet Valley Confidential and the ensuing six part miniseries, I was beyond excited... despite how weird my friends and family find it, I never stopped reading Sweet Valley, from the time I was 10 until it's sad ending in 2002. That's 20 or so years of Sweet Valley so the promised update on the lives of the twins was, for me, a present of EPIC proportions. Unfortunately, these books failed to live up to my expectations. As soon as I cracked the page of Confidential, to find former virgin-for-life Lizzie bawling during sex (oh, btw, this proves Pascal totally watches Grey's Anatomy) I realized this was not going to be the Sweet Valley I remembered. The miniseries does a slightly better job, but overall I found this return to my idealistic youth a sad disappointment and a shadow of its former glory.
It's three years after the events of Confidential and Elizabeth and Jessica are back to being best friends and living in good old Sweet Valley Heights, which has become a suburb of Los Angeles. Jess is still married to Todd, with a two year old child, and Lizzie is (gasp!) living in sin with her lover/boyfriend, Bruce Patman. Life is relatively calm and happy for the twins and friends, though resentment is brewing in the Wakefield/Wilkins home. Boring, conservative Todd can't stand it that his beautiful, successful wife is managing to be both a successful advertising executive AND a great mom to little Jake. Jessica's reluctance to leave her job and stay at home with the baby causes trouble for the happy couple. But scandal and intrigue REALLY erupt when Jessica suspects Todd of sleeping with a coworker, and Bruce is accused of raping one of his interns. Elizabeth's initial refusal to believe in his potential guilt made me giggle a bit... did she simply forget when he once tried to force himself on her? Apparently not. She DOES remember that night and that memory, coupled with the media's mud-slinging, and Bruce's inability to remember the events of the night in question, shake Lizzie's once solid confidence in her man. Will they weather this storm and stay together or will Lizzie lose her faith in the man she loves and lose him forever? Will Jessica be able to forgive Todd for his liaison with another woman? And can Todd forgive Jess for a similar betrayal? The answers will astound you. Scandalous!
Another thing I really liked was the attempts at continuity, like Lila's immediate reaction to the alleged rape, when she remembers John Pfeiffer's attack on her at Miller's Point in high school. It seems the new writer got her hands on a copy of the Sweet Valley Bible and (in the words of Jessica "you know, like, actually memorized it." Or at least read the series, before taking on this job. Speaking of which, could any Sweet Valley fan be luckier than to land a ghost writing job on this series? I would have so. much. fun with that.
But anyway. The book has a lot of problems. It doesn't feel like Sweet Valley should. It doesn't come close to resembling the world we 30-Something fans grew to love. For one thing, the F-word is thrown around a lot and despite the fact that these girls are now 30, foul language, much like graffiti and fat people, are not supposed to exist in this world. I also understand that people grow and change, but moralistic Elizabeth as a shady journalist that lies and cheats to get the story is not something I can wrap my head around. And... I know I should have gotten over it by now since Sweet Valley Confidential was published almost a year ago and I've had ample time to process it. But... Jess and Todd. JessandTodd, ToddandJess=TLA? I still don't buy it. Those two always hated each other, and not in the "we secretly wanna do the horizontal mamba" kind of way. Jess considered him totally dullsville and Todd thought her a selfish shrew. Putting those two together for the sake of drama literally smacks of an author looking for an easy way to stir up trouble and hurt Elizabeth. There must be a ton of other ways to accomplish the same ends without a ridiculous plot contrivance that makes absolutely no sense. If I wasn't OCD enough to need all the gritty details, I'd simply skip the parts about them. Sadly, Sweet Valley has always had me twisted around it's beachy little Pleasantville-like finger , and I can't seem to tear my eyes away from the page. Even when it's a TRAIN WRECK of a story, as most of this is truly is. Speaking of, I'm amazed the world of Sweet Valley never did a story like that...but between all the shipwrecks, plane crashes, earthquakes (two, wait no THREE of them!) and crazed murderer's on the loose, I guess they thought they had enough disasters to contend with.
However, if there is one thing that does make sense to me, it's Lila Fowler as a True Housewife of Sweet Valley. (I guess they couldn't call it Real Housewives due to stupid trademark laws.) Lila is truly fabulous and sensational and I can TOTALLY see her diva-ing it up on reality TV; reveling in the attention and fab swag afforded her by the producers.
Unfortunately, the fabulous Lila we all remember as the foil to Jessica's antics has become less of a foil and more of a, well, flat out bitch. The scheming tricks she pulls on her husband (Ken Matthews!) throughout the series really don't seem Lila's style. First of all, Lila is far too much of a snob to marry a lowly, new money FOOTBALL player. Especially one she went to high school with, momentarily dated, and then dumped because of his crush on the French teacher, Ms. Dalton. But what I really fail to believe is that she'd even let Ken touch the tip of one of her Christian Louboutins, much less put his hands all over her perfectly toned and waxed body. It just doesn't ring true, especially when you consider her first marriage was to an Italian count. The Contessa Fowler deigning to lower herself to a sweaty, muscle-head, who she clearly realises has muscles where his brain is supposed to be? I don't think so. The Lila I know would either be married to someone with the last name of Patman or Kennedy... or finding herself another royal to up her blue-blood ante - perhaps a prince this time? Princess Lila certainly has a ring to it.
Second, Lila has way too much class to slut it up and fake a pregnancy just to keep her dimwitted second string husband, whose head has taken way too many tackles. No real love (or even chemistry) is ever shown between these two, nor is a back story ever given that gives us a reason for us to root for them in the first place. No mention is ever made of the fact that Ken dated not just Jessica, but BOTH twins in high school, and if there is one thing I know about Lila Fowler, it's that she does not take anyone's sloppy seconds.
And speaking of sloppy seconds - what's with all the partner switching in this series (and it's predecessors?) Let's take a look at all the incestuous facts, shall we?
Todd dated both Wakefield twins AND shared an illicit kiss with Lila in high school. Ken also dated both twins in high school, disappeared during the college years, and somehow ended up marrying Lila Fowler, the widow of an Italian count, who also dated Steven Wakefield (as did one of her best friends, Cara.) Bruce not only
And then there is Aaron who was Jessica's first kiss and occasional, casual date in high school... and now he's happily married to her brother?!?! Steven Wakefield, the straightest whitest most conservative character in the series? I AM SO CONFUSED. Please note: I have no problem with gay people whatsoever; in fact, 90% of the performing arts school I went to was at least bi and most of these people were my friends... but if my brother ended up married to my FIRST KISS, I might have, you know, a conversation, a feeling, or at least a THOUGHT about it!!! But that little tidbit is never even mentioned... not once in this six part miniseries, and not in Confidential when the scandalous reveal is first made. Both Aaron and Steven seemed like two of the straightest straight men I've ever met, at least in high school and college. I can buy Aaron as gay (especially in The Sweet Life where he is depicted as practically a gay male cliche) but STEVEN WAKEFIELD - the very same one whose first true love died of leukemia, second true love moved to London (after a near elopement) and third love he ALSO nearly married and had a baby with? Yes, I know that there are gay men who spend 20 plus years in the closet but there is usually at least a HINT of it before the "coming out." IMO, Pascal did this just to be politically correct and appeal to all readers. Okay fine, I get that. But it would have made much more sense for Tom McKay (McGay?) to make an "out and proud" appearance... but of course then, Francine would be accused of only allowing one gay person to live in her town, so I guess she can't win. But heh, that's Sweet Valley for you!
And that's another thing.... Why didn't any of these supposedly bright and successful people ever move on from high school? Why are they all still dating and marrying each other and living in the same town? I know it's not TECHNICALLY incestuous but it sure does feel like it. And for the record, why did none of them (especially LILA FOWLER of all people) ever move away from the small town they grew up in? Yeah, okay so whiny Lizzie spent a year or so moping in NYC but we all know she came back to the land of perfect tans to reunite with her sister, whose manipulative clutches she just can't seem to escape. Writers, it's London Calling, they want their plot back.
I guess part of the problem with these books is that the author tries to make Sweet Valley seem grittier and more realistic than it did in the earlier series'. Simply put, Sweet Valley is not SUPPOSED to be realistic, it's supposed to appear perfect and idealistic and far, FAR away from anything even resembling normalcy. Forget simply fighting over boys, this is a series that not only featured but EMBRACED the supernatural. Jess and Liz have dated not only the most popular boys in school, but Princes and Dukes, vampires and werewolves! They have encountered mad-women intent on stealing their mother's face. They have been kidnapped AND shipwrecked, hijacked by modern day pirates in the desert, and even gone on a "Thelma and Louise" type adventure with a Brad Pitt lookalike hot on their trail: hoping to either sleep with Jessica or kill both twins- honestly, it was hard to tell.
All that said, I am glad to see that Francine Pascal and company took to heart the words and comments of fans who were sorely disappointed by Sweet Valley Confidential. Glaring errors were fixed in the follow up books (like Mr. Fowler's name - its George, not Richard) and Jessica no longer utters the words "like" and "so" every other sentence. I suspect that Ms Pascal realizes her talents laid elsewhere, and handed the reins to a ghostwriter to put her ideas onto the page. Good choice. The writing is still on a fifth grade level, but at least it doesn't make you want to tear your eyes out like Confidential did. If you aren't expecting The Sweet Life to resemble the old series in any ways except the superficial, then it's not a bad read. But for the old fans looking for a bit of nostalgia, I recommend curling up with an old SVH paperback. Because the saying is true - you really CAN'T go home again.
P.S. There is nothing like picking up an old Sweet Valley paperback and admiring the glossy, oft-ridiculous, covers. e-books just aren't the same, convenient or not.
Merged review:
You Can't Go Home Again
I am a major Sweet Valley fan from way back and when I found out about Confidential, and the ensuing six part miniseries, I was beyond excited. Unfortunately, these books failed to live up to my expectations.
Elizabeth and Jessica are back to being best friends and living in Sweet Valley Heights, which has become a suburb of Los Angeles. Jess is still married to Todd, with a two year old child, and Lizzie is living with boyfriend, Bruce Patman. Scandal and intrigue erupt when Jessica suspects Todd of sleeping with a coworker, and Liz discovers that her lover might be a rapist. Her initial refusal to believe in his possible guilt made me giggle, seeing as how the events of Dear Sister prove that he does have it in him... did she simply forget when he tried to force himself on her? Apparently not. The writer smartly allows Liz to remember the events of that night and it shakes her confidence in Bruce. Will they weather this storm and stay together or will Lizzie lose her faith in the man she loves? Scandalous!
Another thing I really liked was Lila's immediate reaction to the alleged rape, when she remembers John Pfeiffer's attack on her at Miller's Point in high school. It was nice to see a bit of continuity - seems the new writer got her hands on a copy of the Sweet Valley Bible. Or at least read the series, before taking on this job. Speaking of which could any Sweet Valley fan be luckier than to land a ghost writing job on this series? I would have so. much. fun with that.
But anyway. The book has a lot of problems. It doesn't feel like Sweet Valley should. It doesn't come close to resembling the world we 30 something fans grew to love. For one thing, the F word is thrown around a lot and despite the fact that these girls are 30, foul language, much like graffiti and fat people, are not supposed to exist in this world. I also understand that people grow and change, but Elizabeth as a shady journalist that lies and cheats to get the story is not something I can wrap my head around. And... Jess and Todd in "twu wuv always" mode? I still don't buy it. Those two hated each other, and not in the secret "we really wanna screw each other" kind of way. Jess thought he was totally dullsville and Todd considered her a selfish shrew. Putting those two together for the sake of drama and hurting Elizabeth smacks of an author taking the easy way. There must be a ton of other ways to accomplish the same ends without a ridiculous plot contrivance that makes no sense. If I wasn't OCD enough to need all the gritty details, I'd simply skip the parts about them. However, if there is one thing that makes sense to me, it's Lila Fowler as a Real Housewife of Sweet Valley. Lila is truly fabulous and sensational and I can TOTALLY see her diva-ing it up on reality TV.
I guess part of the problem is that the author tries to make Sweet Valley seem grittier and more realistic than it did in the early series. Simply put, Sweet Valley is not supposed to be realistic, it's supposed to be perfect and idealistic and far FAR away from anything even resembling normalcy. Forget simply fighting over boys, this is a series that not only featured but EMBRACED the supernatural. Jess and Liz have dated not only the most popular boys in school, but Princes and Dukes, vampires and werewolves! They have encountered mad-women intent on stealing their mother's face. They have been kidnapped AND shipwrecked, and even gone on a "Thelma and Louise" type adventure with a Brad Pitt lookalike hot on their trail: hoping to either sleep with Jessica or kill both twins- honestly, it was hard to tell.
All that said, I am glad to see that Francine Pascal and company took to heart the words and comments of fans who were sorely disappointed by Sweet Valley Confidential. Glaring errors were fixed in the follow up books (like Mr. Fowler's name - its George, not Richard) and Jessica no longer utters the word "like" every other sentence. I suspect that Ms Pascal realizes her talents laid elsewhere, and handed the reins to a ghostwriter to put her ideas onto the page. Good choice. The writing is still on a fifth grade level, but at least it doesn't make you want to tear your eyes out like Confidential did. If you aren't expecting The Sweet Life to resemble the old series in any ways except the superficial, then it's not a bad read. But for the old fans looking for a bit of nostalgia, I recommend curling up with an old SVH paperback. Because the saying is true - you really CAN'T go home again.
August 1, 2024
What genre is this? Cliffhanger?
I was so excited to read this after finding it on Hoopla. I used to read Sweet Valley books in middle school and was obsessed with Jessica and Elizabeth. As soon as I started this one, I quickly realized it is not the same. It had sex and cursing. They are also now 30 or in their 30s (can't remember). This book had a lot of drama that I was not prepared for. I didn't want my favorite twins going through it! LOL.
I was so excited to read this after finding it on Hoopla. I used to read Sweet Valley books in middle school and was obsessed with Jessica and Elizabeth. As soon as I started this one, I quickly realized it is not the same. It had sex and cursing. They are also now 30 or in their 30s (can't remember). This book had a lot of drama that I was not prepared for. I didn't want my favorite twins going through it! LOL.
August 21, 2017
Jessica Wakefield-Wilkins is the vice president of VERTPLUS.NET, a green marketing and promotion company. Jessica's latest campaign is for Revlon. Jessica and Todd Wilkins are currently seperated. They have a two year old son named Jake. Jessica and Todd's relationship did not start off on the right foot with Jessica up to her usual schemes and tricking Todd. If Jessica has any plans of hanging on to Todd, she better watch herself as she has competition. Her name is Sarah Miller and she is the new writer for the L.A. Tribune.
Elizabeth and Bruce Patman are in a relationship and they live together in Bruce's mansion. Elizabeth and Todd both work for L.A. Tribune. Todd as a sports columnist and Elizabeth as a "Foibles of life" colmnist of sorts and she maintains her own a blog as well. This made things difficult between Elizabeth and Tood before Elizabeth was able to work more from home. No one wants to see their ex-boyfriend and the current husband of their sister's every day at work. Bruce and Elizabeth's relationship is going strong until a scandal hits a personal note. Will Bruce and Elizabeth be able to stay by each other's side?
Meanwhile, Lila Fowler Matthews. Yep, Lila found someone to love her and marry as well. Lila is currently interviewing to be a "True Housewife" Yep. A True Housewife of Sweet Valley.
To be honest, I had not heard about this new ebook mini series following up on Sweet Valley's famous twin sisters, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield. This mini series takes place after Sweet Valley Confidential. So those that read Sweet Valley Confidential will be familiar with the story line meaning the couples and where they are with their lives. For those who have not read the book but loved this series growing up, then this new mini series will be a sweet blast to the past (kind of). Jessica and Elizabeth are all grown up and they are still fighting like sisters, only this time the relationship between them is a rocky road.
Reading this book did bring be back in time. I can remember reading all of the Sweet Valley books including the Sweet Valley University books and watching the short lived television series as well. My favorite is Elizabeth. She is like me in ways. She is smart, a good friend, and is shy but once you get to know me and her, you realize that we are both fun to be around.
I did not read Sweet Valley Confidential, so I do not have all of the back story but I do have a good idea of what happened in the lost years. Crazy that Jessica and Todd got married and Elizabeth and Bruce are together. Seeing how much Bruce loves Elizabeth and she the same, I am rooting for them. I hope that the scandal does not tear them apart. I actually felt bad for Jessica in this book. She is trying to be a good mother, wife and sucessful business woman. Not easy to juggle all three. Not so much interested in Lila's story. I can not wait to continue this story and find out what happens with everyone in book two.
Elizabeth and Bruce Patman are in a relationship and they live together in Bruce's mansion. Elizabeth and Todd both work for L.A. Tribune. Todd as a sports columnist and Elizabeth as a "Foibles of life" colmnist of sorts and she maintains her own a blog as well. This made things difficult between Elizabeth and Tood before Elizabeth was able to work more from home. No one wants to see their ex-boyfriend and the current husband of their sister's every day at work. Bruce and Elizabeth's relationship is going strong until a scandal hits a personal note. Will Bruce and Elizabeth be able to stay by each other's side?
Meanwhile, Lila Fowler Matthews. Yep, Lila found someone to love her and marry as well. Lila is currently interviewing to be a "True Housewife" Yep. A True Housewife of Sweet Valley.
To be honest, I had not heard about this new ebook mini series following up on Sweet Valley's famous twin sisters, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield. This mini series takes place after Sweet Valley Confidential. So those that read Sweet Valley Confidential will be familiar with the story line meaning the couples and where they are with their lives. For those who have not read the book but loved this series growing up, then this new mini series will be a sweet blast to the past (kind of). Jessica and Elizabeth are all grown up and they are still fighting like sisters, only this time the relationship between them is a rocky road.
Reading this book did bring be back in time. I can remember reading all of the Sweet Valley books including the Sweet Valley University books and watching the short lived television series as well. My favorite is Elizabeth. She is like me in ways. She is smart, a good friend, and is shy but once you get to know me and her, you realize that we are both fun to be around.
I did not read Sweet Valley Confidential, so I do not have all of the back story but I do have a good idea of what happened in the lost years. Crazy that Jessica and Todd got married and Elizabeth and Bruce are together. Seeing how much Bruce loves Elizabeth and she the same, I am rooting for them. I hope that the scandal does not tear them apart. I actually felt bad for Jessica in this book. She is trying to be a good mother, wife and sucessful business woman. Not easy to juggle all three. Not so much interested in Lila's story. I can not wait to continue this story and find out what happens with everyone in book two.
March 25, 2017
That ending was awful!
April 13, 2025
This was all over the place! I'm actually over the twins now—they sucked as teenagers and as adults, too.
February 10, 2014
Okay, I know when you read these little book-lets (hardly a full book, more like an extended short story) you should set the bar low. It IS Sweet Valley and not meant to be some life-altering story. With that being said, I am still disappointed. (Spoiler Alert - Some ahead)
The book opens up with Jessica apparently being wildly successful. Ironic given what a failure and schemer she always was in the high school and college series. Suddenly she's a savvy business woman?
That really sets up this idea that you can suck at everything school related and common sense related but as long as you have "ideas", then you're golden. Okay. Sure.
Ironically Elizabeth's career isn't all that fabulous. She's kind of become more of a Jessica with 90% of the story about her and the rich boyfriend. She might as well still work for the school paper. Kind of a let down considering how hard she worked through her teenage years.
Then the story shifts to Lila, who wasn't the most deep character but... WOW. She's basically working for a slot on a housewives reality show and her angle is she's a brunette. Which, according to the book, are an endangered species? REALLY?!?! Only in this story could that even be true.
Getting to the heart of the story, Elizabeth's work on theschool paper paper comes into play just long enough to remind you that she is still a writer. Todd is delightfully and insanely dumb. The new Sweet Valley apparently has to be do-gooding and green above all else. Which, in real life is nice. In a book, it's super boring and a waste of print.
Then, you'll find there is a plot in this story, you just had to wade through everyone's unrealistic lives first! Elizabeth is determined to investigate whether her boyfriend is a sexual predator or not. The book ends leaving you "wondering" which pretty much guarantees that you'll buy the next in the series even though it sucks!
The book opens up with Jessica apparently being wildly successful. Ironic given what a failure and schemer she always was in the high school and college series. Suddenly she's a savvy business woman?
That really sets up this idea that you can suck at everything school related and common sense related but as long as you have "ideas", then you're golden. Okay. Sure.
Ironically Elizabeth's career isn't all that fabulous. She's kind of become more of a Jessica with 90% of the story about her and the rich boyfriend. She might as well still work for the school paper. Kind of a let down considering how hard she worked through her teenage years.
Then the story shifts to Lila, who wasn't the most deep character but... WOW. She's basically working for a slot on a housewives reality show and her angle is she's a brunette. Which, according to the book, are an endangered species? REALLY?!?! Only in this story could that even be true.
Getting to the heart of the story, Elizabeth's work on the
Then, you'll find there is a plot in this story, you just had to wade through everyone's unrealistic lives first! Elizabeth is determined to investigate whether her boyfriend is a sexual predator or not. The book ends leaving you "wondering" which pretty much guarantees that you'll buy the next in the series even though it sucks!
August 7, 2012
Oh wow.
I read Sweet Valley Confidential a while back and it was pretty terrible. And then I found out about the Sweet Life e-serial and for some reason I decided to pay Francine Pascal for her efforts to rape and pillage my childhood memories.
My biggest concern is that Francine Pascal thinks people actually talk like this, in conversations peppered with "like" and "so totally" and, worst of all, "like so totally." I'd be afraid to have a conversation with her, honestly, lest I kick her in the teeth.
Anyway, The Sweet Life is really more of the same as in SVC, with a completely lack of continuity and the sinking feeling that Pascal never actually read a single Sweet Valley book. So "it was ok" is the best I can give this book, but I am like so totally going to read the rest of them because this one was the very definition of brain candy and I like that, sometimes.
I read Sweet Valley Confidential a while back and it was pretty terrible. And then I found out about the Sweet Life e-serial and for some reason I decided to pay Francine Pascal for her efforts to rape and pillage my childhood memories.
My biggest concern is that Francine Pascal thinks people actually talk like this, in conversations peppered with "like" and "so totally" and, worst of all, "like so totally." I'd be afraid to have a conversation with her, honestly, lest I kick her in the teeth.
Anyway, The Sweet Life is really more of the same as in SVC, with a completely lack of continuity and the sinking feeling that Pascal never actually read a single Sweet Valley book. So "it was ok" is the best I can give this book, but I am like so totally going to read the rest of them because this one was the very definition of brain candy and I like that, sometimes.
March 19, 2017
It's impossible for me to rate these books. They're terrible. However, I'm totally going to read the next one. so there's that...
March 12, 2024
I liked the high school series more. There was a bit TOO much drama for me in this one.
October 28, 2016
Wow. Wow. I somehow managed to read the entire "Sweet Valley High" series--as an adult--with a minimum amount of stomach upset, but at last I draw the line.
The twins are rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome. Did you know they're rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome? And their best friends are rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome. Do you want to know how rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome? The majority of what I read was an over-explanation of all the ways they're so rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome. Readers get details about the expensive cars they drive and that they can afford nannies to better ignore their young children so they can devote time to fulfilling careers they're all excelling at.
The exception is, of course, any character from the "SVH" series who was kind and imperfect: They're conveniently dead or assholes now. Instead I'm left struggling to care about Bruce Patman being accused of being a rapist ("OMG!" gasps everyone. "That's so unlike him!" Except it isn't. But he's just so beautiful, he has to be framed for sexual assault!) and Lila Fowler being obsessed with being a "True Housewife" (for real) and Jessica just being TOO good at her job. GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK. Even the euphemism-filled act of Liz and Bruce boning was disgusting. I made it to page 60 before I realized what a complete waste of my life and time this arrogant, bland, insulting-to-anyone's-intelligence piece of crap was.
The twins are rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome. Did you know they're rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome? And their best friends are rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome. Do you want to know how rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome? The majority of what I read was an over-explanation of all the ways they're so rich and gorgeous and talented and awesome. Readers get details about the expensive cars they drive and that they can afford nannies to better ignore their young children so they can devote time to fulfilling careers they're all excelling at.
The exception is, of course, any character from the "SVH" series who was kind and imperfect: They're conveniently dead or assholes now. Instead I'm left struggling to care about Bruce Patman being accused of being a rapist ("OMG!" gasps everyone. "That's so unlike him!" Except it isn't. But he's just so beautiful, he has to be framed for sexual assault!) and Lila Fowler being obsessed with being a "True Housewife" (for real) and Jessica just being TOO good at her job. GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK. Even the euphemism-filled act of Liz and Bruce boning was disgusting. I made it to page 60 before I realized what a complete waste of my life and time this arrogant, bland, insulting-to-anyone's-intelligence piece of crap was.
August 4, 2012
I'd like to rate these higher, but I'm afraid "It was ok" is about the best I can say about it. I can't say it truly felt like a waste of time, but it definitely would have felt like a waste of money if I'd had to pay for it, especially considering the whole book is going to end up costing you $12. (Thanks again, Barnes & Noble Read In Store!! You're awesome!) At $.99 apiece, or if there were to be fewer episodes, maybe you wouldn't feel ripped off, but definitely not six volumes at $1.99 each.
Like Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later, it suffers from that fact that Pascal still writes as though her target audience is no smarter than your average 12 year old. Sure, she adds in bad language and sex, but that doesn't mean the reading level's any higher than in her original books. At this point she's just banking on our SVH nostalgia, and obviously I can't blame her since I'm reading it, but I also can't truthfully rank it any higher.
I'll finish out the series (for free), but I don't expect anything to be comment worthy until possibly the end.
Like Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later, it suffers from that fact that Pascal still writes as though her target audience is no smarter than your average 12 year old. Sure, she adds in bad language and sex, but that doesn't mean the reading level's any higher than in her original books. At this point she's just banking on our SVH nostalgia, and obviously I can't blame her since I'm reading it, but I also can't truthfully rank it any higher.
I'll finish out the series (for free), but I don't expect anything to be comment worthy until possibly the end.
August 13, 2012
The first installment of The Sweet Life e-serial starts three years after the events of Sweet Valley Confidential. Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield's lives remain laughable, yet oddly compelling to me as a long-time fan. I guess you can't escape Sweet Valley. I laughed out loud several times at the ridiculous descriptions of Jessica's new "green" career, fueled by her "idea gene." Yet I read the first two installments quickly on a recent plane trip to Portland, so something about it makes me unable to turn away. The story revolves around 1) Jessica and her estranged relationship with her husband Todd Wilkins (!!!) and 2) Elizabeth and her estranged relationship with Bruce Patman (!!!). Twilight zone! The twins themselves are close again, as they were able to repair their closeness after the events of Sweet Valley Confidential. A tertiary plot involves Lila Fowler's quest to become a "True Housewife" (like the Real Housewives, I guess), and her rocky marriage to Ken Matthews. I won't share any other details for fear of spoilers. This new series is pretty ridiculous, but fans of the classic series may get a kick out of it. I'm definitely hooked and will keep reading all 6 e-books.
August 4, 2012
I grew up with these girls. Collected just about every single Sweet Valley High book ever in existence so when this book and it's predecessor Sweet Valley Confidential came out I was ECSTATIC! I felt like my childhood was coming back to me. And really, it has, but in a form that at the age I'm at now I can truly appreciate and relate to. Francine Pascal was able to do that when I was a kid as well. I love that she is bringing the twins back to us!! Anyone who has grown up with these two characters will truly appreciate and enjoy this... now, on to the next book!
August 17, 2012
Great, trashy, brainless fun. Can't believe I read all 6 in this E-series in 48 hours. Loved the ending- I love Liz, but glad that she might finally realize that being a spineless wimp and just hoping that everyone realizes that you are Such! A! Great! Girl! doesn't always work out. (don't tell Bruce! But I hope Bruce knows! But I don't want him to know that I want him to know!) Perfect cliffhanger, and hoping that another E-series comes out soon.
September 4, 2012
The Wakefield twins are no strangers to scandal. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they attract it. The Sweet Life is better than Confidential, but still terribly written. I wish Pascal would go back to ghost writers. She's good at coming up with story ideas, but executing them? No.
Still...these characters are my guilty pleasure and have been since I was 8 years old. I'll read the next one, of course *grin*
Still...these characters are my guilty pleasure and have been since I was 8 years old. I'll read the next one, of course *grin*
July 16, 2012
Much better than "Sweet Valley Confidential," but that's not saying much. I feel like it is the author's goal to make the reader hate every character. However, it was a fast read and I can't give up on SV. I'll be sure to read the rest of the series.
July 23, 2012
Growing up, I had several favorite series, but nothing held a candle to Sweet Valley. I read every single one, from Kids to Twins to High to University to even the semi-boring historical Sagas. I grew up with these characters, and I love that they're back.
July 21, 2012
You best believe I am reading the e-serial.
It's basically like your old SVH books, but now they're in their 30s.
Same ridiculous plots and same ridiculous characters, but now since they're 30 we can read about their sex life and marital problems! HOORAY!!!
It's basically like your old SVH books, but now they're in their 30s.
Same ridiculous plots and same ridiculous characters, but now since they're 30 we can read about their sex life and marital problems! HOORAY!!!
July 28, 2012
To say I loved the Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High books while I was growing up would be the understatement of the decade(s). I'm loving the opportunity to read about them again now that they're nearly the same age as I am.
July 17, 2012
Guilty pleasure. Awesomely horrible!
August 9, 2012
Addictive. I grew up with the Sweet Valley twins and I'm so glad to have become reacquainted.
January 24, 2018
Pure guilty pleasure. I loved these books when I was a kid and I love them now.
October 28, 2025
I’m not proud I read this. It’s categorically brain rot.
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