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Sweet Valley High #57
Teacher Crush
Elizabeth Wakefield is surprised and worried when her friend, the pretty, talented Olivia Davidson, develops a crush on the handsome new art teacher
135 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1989
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,149 books1,883 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 4, 2024
Random thoughts:
1) RIP Francine Pascal 😭😭 She wanted to write a “Dallas for teens” and thanks to that awesome inkling of an idea, we have been blessed with many years of Sweet Valley hijinks, melodrama, shopping trips to Lisette’s, and Clam Specials at The Dairi Burger 😆 Long live Sweet Valley! 💖
2) Ok why are they so many 80’s YA books centering on a high school teacher crush?? And why is it always an English or Art teacher 🤣🤣🤣
3) Poor silly Olivia who falls hard for the young new art teacher and mistakes every word of encouragement and every kind smile to mean that he is in love with her 🤣🤣🤣 The jokes on her once she finds out he’s got a sophisticated and umm age-appropriate girlfriend! Although kinda inapropes that he invites her out to go shopping for “someone special”, and Olivia thinks it’s for her 🤣
Silly, ridiculous and fun. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Sweet Valley High 🥹💖
1) RIP Francine Pascal 😭😭 She wanted to write a “Dallas for teens” and thanks to that awesome inkling of an idea, we have been blessed with many years of Sweet Valley hijinks, melodrama, shopping trips to Lisette’s, and Clam Specials at The Dairi Burger 😆 Long live Sweet Valley! 💖
2) Ok why are they so many 80’s YA books centering on a high school teacher crush?? And why is it always an English or Art teacher 🤣🤣🤣
3) Poor silly Olivia who falls hard for the young new art teacher and mistakes every word of encouragement and every kind smile to mean that he is in love with her 🤣🤣🤣 The jokes on her once she finds out he’s got a sophisticated and umm age-appropriate girlfriend! Although kinda inapropes that he invites her out to go shopping for “someone special”, and Olivia thinks it’s for her 🤣
Silly, ridiculous and fun. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Sweet Valley High 🥹💖
May 5, 2026
Oh dear not another teacher crush story. I think a lot of books and TV shows from the 80s and 90s covered this. Stacey McGill had a crush on her math teacher cause of course she did. Also like the BSC short takes classes SVH is offering mini courses but you won't get the one you want which makes no sense but okay. Everyone ends up with what they want except Jessica who gets electronics. Olivia who at some point broke up with Roger, don't remember the book it happened in or reason why if it was even given. Now she's lonely and wants a boyfriend and sets her sights on the art teacher much like dear Stacey from the BSC. There's some inappropriate things happening, Olivia drives by his house, he invites her to shop for a special gift. Nothing too racy but probably would've gotten the teacher in big trouble in recent times. I feel like no one cared much about us in the 80s and 90s when I was a kid. Whether good or bad that was just the way things were. Anyway teacher has a girlfriend his own age, Olivia is embarrassed but has her art displayed at a fancy gallery so there's that. The b plot is Jessica using her electronics partner to do all the work on the lie detector test and something about Lila's dad dating a movie star and I can't remember if this comes up later on or not. She also learns that Todd is moving back to Sweet Valley and this leads us into the next book. Poor Jeffrey. I liked him better than Todd. Another theme that showed up in BSC also involving Stacey, she moved back to New York only to come back again after her parents divorced. Todd's dad randomly got promoted and sent back. But anyway he's back and there's going to be trouble. Overall a decent read, typical of this series.
December 1, 2019
Teacher’s Crush
It’s been a while since Olivia and Roger broke up (and now it’s gonna bug me because I don’t remember the book they broke up in) and (as it would any single female that didn’t want to be single and having this in her face all day long) it’s driving Olivia crazy that SWH is couple heaven. Elizabeth doesn’t understand why this bother’s her (because of course, she DOES have a boyfriend).
Coming up at SVH are some extra classes that aren’t taught there (electronics, dress design, painting, etc). Everyone gets their first choice except Jessica (Elizabeth and Enid get painting. Olivia gets paining. Lila gets dress design. Winston and Jeffry get electronics and so does Jessica). When she gets in the class, of course, it’s full of “nerds” and she gets partnered with (I think Randy Mason). But as I once found out she finds out that having a “nerd” for a friend can be VERY useful! At first, she can’t think of a project. She then gets the idea to do a lie decenter because Lila has been bragging that her father has been seeing a famous celebrity.
Olivia, Enid, and Elizabeth get a cool, artsy, guy that tells them to call him by his first name “Stuart” (the kind of teacher I’ve never had). Now I’m an art major. His first assignment. Paint a color without using that color? Ok, I get it. He wants them to paint the feeling you get *from* the color. But on first read, I was thinking -the hell-. Olivia chooses green. Anyway, hers is the best painting in the class and as classes go on he starts to give her paintings more and more praise. Since he’s already attractive Olivia starts to fall for him (yup another one of *those* books.). She switches up her look (which did kind of sound better than her other one but you shouldn’t be able to wear adult club attire to high school). She thinks in no time Stuart is gonna be here man.
Enid and Elizabeth see this and instead of pulling her to the side and saying “Girl that man is too damn old for you and he’s our TEACHER” Instead take bets and watch Olivia make a fool of herself and *wonder* if something other than a teacher-student relationship is going on.
Olivia pushes the boundaries WAY over the top and shows up at his apartment. He’s just as inappropriate. He lets her in and starts showing her his artwork (this would NOT fly in 2000). He then invites her to a school thing he’s speaking at (ok this wasn’t *too* bad). But then he invites her somewhere afterward to help him pick out a *special gift* and of course, she thinks it’s gonna be for her birthday (even though she’s heard someone ask him about another girl, she shrugs this off cause after all she’s the shit in her long, straight, hair and body dress. This chick ain’t got NOTHING on her!.
She tells her parents she doesn’t really want a party this year but they decide to give her one anyway. (I could comment on this but Olivia really did want one after all later).
Stuart invites her to a special event and she thinks *this is the night* Stuart will drop down on one knee and say “Olivia will you be my woman. I WANT you right here on the spot.” She even goes out and buys a new outfit.
At this point, everyone is talking about how absurd Olivia is acting (she’s one of those people who gets someone and they can’t say there name enough until your thinking OH GOD WOULD YOU SHUT UP. But this guy Rod has been attempting to talk to her. She kinda thinks he’s nice but he’s not the man Stuart is so she brushes him off.
On the big night, she gets to the Gallery, and who is there but .. Stuart’s lady and he’s wearing the earrings Olivia thought were gonna be her gift. BURN! But she’s actually mature about it. She’s gonna leave but Stuart shows her the special gift was then he’s featured one of her paintings at the museum. So she really can’t be *too* mad at him. Can’t she? (Debatable). But she realizes she was the one who took it too far. Jess’s lie detector works but not on Lila. George really *is* dating the celebrity.
My Thoughts: Another trope in teen series the young teen falls for the hot, older, teacher. Said teacher is lacking in the brain department thus leading the student on and then he drops the news I have a girlfriend. And it’s PAINFUL to read. Because 1 I don’t think I’ve EVER thought a teacher was that hot that I lost my mind and fell in love. They were my TEACHER which in my teenage mind made them OLD. Even if they might have been in their 20’s (just) they were still OLD.
Then you see this a MILE OFF, but the fictional teacher never seems to think “Oh this is WRONG! I shouldn’t have a student IN MY APARTMENT or IN MY CAR taking them to the mall to shop with me.” UNHEARD OF! Yet it *never* seems to knock them on the head that STUDENT isn’t just offering to help you clean up the classroom and stay after school because she’s just SUCH a dedicated artist and your SO motivating. REALLY? MEN JUST...
And this actually happens in real life too. I had a situation happen where the smartest man I know was just completely blindsided by signs that were almost so glaring they were blinding! There was a female that just decided to “check up on him”. Suuure!
But I did kinda feel Olivia in the beginning. It’s hard to be the only, single, female and your friends are all in couples!! DO I? So it does (and can) make you a little insecure even if you are considered strong and independent. There is no mental trap more self-destroying than thinking your gonna be single forever.
Rod really did NOT have to be thrown in and it would have been stronger to just have her realize she doesn’t really need Stuart or Rod Sullivan to be happy.
I can tell Olivia something that’s gotten me threw a lot of HARD days. Just cause you see these couples all in your face and flaunting their relationships most of the time it’s *show*. It’s not all just lovely dovey bs-y IG flicks. Don’t be fooled Olivia girl. (Or back then would it be My Space) No not even that. Olivia is lucky because today it’s WAY more all thrown up at you. You just kinda have to ignore it. But YES I got it!
Don’t set Olivia with Rod in these next books. Let her be STRONG, SINGLE, and SATISFIED. And Olivia was mature as hell wasn’t, she? She didn’t splash her champagne in Stuart's face and run out crying (dramatically). I kind of like Olivia.
And really, in the end, she might not have got the man, but she got the RECOGNITION. That’ll take her further than knowing Stuart ever will. Let’s say Stuart did want Olivia and make his move. Tops I give it maybe a year or so then she’d be alone again. With this, it could possibly get the attention of someone who’ll possibly pay her one day (and I pick MONEY over LOVE any damn day of the week) or it’ll get her a scholarship to a good school. So sometimes men might not give you want BUT instead, they give you what you need (which sometimes is MUCH better than the man himself).
And what's up with Elizabeth and Enid? Elizabeth is the WORST! She lets Olivia look dumb and leaves her out there looking crazy until much later but yet when you read descriptions (character) they always call her a "close friend". Slippery slope true. No matter when this discussion would have been had Olivia would have blown up earlier in the book or later. But maybe tell her "You might want to tone it down a little". And shouldn't a teacher have done the same with Stuart and pulled him in the teacher's lounge (cause you just know they had to be gossiping about this too). Roger Collins could have been like (clearing his throat) "Uh Stuart I know you're new here but.. we don't let students show up at our house. That's in violation of the student-teacher-policy
Rating: 8 Olivia really impressed me in this one. I didn’t think much of her character before (good or bad) but this girl has maturity beyond her years. It was slow getting there but it showed up and showed out by the end of the book.
It’s been a while since Olivia and Roger broke up (and now it’s gonna bug me because I don’t remember the book they broke up in) and (as it would any single female that didn’t want to be single and having this in her face all day long) it’s driving Olivia crazy that SWH is couple heaven. Elizabeth doesn’t understand why this bother’s her (because of course, she DOES have a boyfriend).
Coming up at SVH are some extra classes that aren’t taught there (electronics, dress design, painting, etc). Everyone gets their first choice except Jessica (Elizabeth and Enid get painting. Olivia gets paining. Lila gets dress design. Winston and Jeffry get electronics and so does Jessica). When she gets in the class, of course, it’s full of “nerds” and she gets partnered with (I think Randy Mason). But as I once found out she finds out that having a “nerd” for a friend can be VERY useful! At first, she can’t think of a project. She then gets the idea to do a lie decenter because Lila has been bragging that her father has been seeing a famous celebrity.
Olivia, Enid, and Elizabeth get a cool, artsy, guy that tells them to call him by his first name “Stuart” (the kind of teacher I’ve never had). Now I’m an art major. His first assignment. Paint a color without using that color? Ok, I get it. He wants them to paint the feeling you get *from* the color. But on first read, I was thinking -the hell-. Olivia chooses green. Anyway, hers is the best painting in the class and as classes go on he starts to give her paintings more and more praise. Since he’s already attractive Olivia starts to fall for him (yup another one of *those* books.). She switches up her look (which did kind of sound better than her other one but you shouldn’t be able to wear adult club attire to high school). She thinks in no time Stuart is gonna be here man.
Enid and Elizabeth see this and instead of pulling her to the side and saying “Girl that man is too damn old for you and he’s our TEACHER” Instead take bets and watch Olivia make a fool of herself and *wonder* if something other than a teacher-student relationship is going on.
Olivia pushes the boundaries WAY over the top and shows up at his apartment. He’s just as inappropriate. He lets her in and starts showing her his artwork (this would NOT fly in 2000). He then invites her to a school thing he’s speaking at (ok this wasn’t *too* bad). But then he invites her somewhere afterward to help him pick out a *special gift* and of course, she thinks it’s gonna be for her birthday (even though she’s heard someone ask him about another girl, she shrugs this off cause after all she’s the shit in her long, straight, hair and body dress. This chick ain’t got NOTHING on her!.
She tells her parents she doesn’t really want a party this year but they decide to give her one anyway. (I could comment on this but Olivia really did want one after all later).
Stuart invites her to a special event and she thinks *this is the night* Stuart will drop down on one knee and say “Olivia will you be my woman. I WANT you right here on the spot.” She even goes out and buys a new outfit.
At this point, everyone is talking about how absurd Olivia is acting (she’s one of those people who gets someone and they can’t say there name enough until your thinking OH GOD WOULD YOU SHUT UP. But this guy Rod has been attempting to talk to her. She kinda thinks he’s nice but he’s not the man Stuart is so she brushes him off.
On the big night, she gets to the Gallery, and who is there but .. Stuart’s lady and he’s wearing the earrings Olivia thought were gonna be her gift. BURN! But she’s actually mature about it. She’s gonna leave but Stuart shows her the special gift was then he’s featured one of her paintings at the museum. So she really can’t be *too* mad at him. Can’t she? (Debatable). But she realizes she was the one who took it too far. Jess’s lie detector works but not on Lila. George really *is* dating the celebrity.
My Thoughts: Another trope in teen series the young teen falls for the hot, older, teacher. Said teacher is lacking in the brain department thus leading the student on and then he drops the news I have a girlfriend. And it’s PAINFUL to read. Because 1 I don’t think I’ve EVER thought a teacher was that hot that I lost my mind and fell in love. They were my TEACHER which in my teenage mind made them OLD. Even if they might have been in their 20’s (just) they were still OLD.
Then you see this a MILE OFF, but the fictional teacher never seems to think “Oh this is WRONG! I shouldn’t have a student IN MY APARTMENT or IN MY CAR taking them to the mall to shop with me.” UNHEARD OF! Yet it *never* seems to knock them on the head that STUDENT isn’t just offering to help you clean up the classroom and stay after school because she’s just SUCH a dedicated artist and your SO motivating. REALLY? MEN JUST...
And this actually happens in real life too. I had a situation happen where the smartest man I know was just completely blindsided by signs that were almost so glaring they were blinding! There was a female that just decided to “check up on him”. Suuure!
But I did kinda feel Olivia in the beginning. It’s hard to be the only, single, female and your friends are all in couples!! DO I? So it does (and can) make you a little insecure even if you are considered strong and independent. There is no mental trap more self-destroying than thinking your gonna be single forever.
Rod really did NOT have to be thrown in and it would have been stronger to just have her realize she doesn’t really need Stuart or Rod Sullivan to be happy.
I can tell Olivia something that’s gotten me threw a lot of HARD days. Just cause you see these couples all in your face and flaunting their relationships most of the time it’s *show*. It’s not all just lovely dovey bs-y IG flicks. Don’t be fooled Olivia girl. (Or back then would it be My Space) No not even that. Olivia is lucky because today it’s WAY more all thrown up at you. You just kinda have to ignore it. But YES I got it!
Don’t set Olivia with Rod in these next books. Let her be STRONG, SINGLE, and SATISFIED. And Olivia was mature as hell wasn’t, she? She didn’t splash her champagne in Stuart's face and run out crying (dramatically). I kind of like Olivia.
And really, in the end, she might not have got the man, but she got the RECOGNITION. That’ll take her further than knowing Stuart ever will. Let’s say Stuart did want Olivia and make his move. Tops I give it maybe a year or so then she’d be alone again. With this, it could possibly get the attention of someone who’ll possibly pay her one day (and I pick MONEY over LOVE any damn day of the week) or it’ll get her a scholarship to a good school. So sometimes men might not give you want BUT instead, they give you what you need (which sometimes is MUCH better than the man himself).
And what's up with Elizabeth and Enid? Elizabeth is the WORST! She lets Olivia look dumb and leaves her out there looking crazy until much later but yet when you read descriptions (character) they always call her a "close friend". Slippery slope true. No matter when this discussion would have been had Olivia would have blown up earlier in the book or later. But maybe tell her "You might want to tone it down a little". And shouldn't a teacher have done the same with Stuart and pulled him in the teacher's lounge (cause you just know they had to be gossiping about this too). Roger Collins could have been like (clearing his throat) "Uh Stuart I know you're new here but.. we don't let students show up at our house. That's in violation of the student-teacher-policy
Rating: 8 Olivia really impressed me in this one. I didn’t think much of her character before (good or bad) but this girl has maturity beyond her years. It was slow getting there but it showed up and showed out by the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2020
I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.
In this book the SVH gang undertake a series of minicourses in addition to their regular classes, and they're all super excited about the prospect of these new skills. Jess is determined to make it into film making but ends up in electronics with Winston, Jeffrey and six other boys, while Lila ends up in dressmaking and Liz, Enid and Olivia end up in painting. It's in painting Olivia falls in love with their teacher Stuart, who seems to have a particular interest in her talent. It's this interest that makes Olivia fall more and more in love with him, and soon she's convinced he loves her too.
Maybe it's because I grew up in a very child protected and PC world, but did teachers really just let their students show up at their house on a Saturday in the 80s and think nothing of it? The vibes are so wrong with that. Luckily, Stuart wasn't being a nonce, just wanted to nurture Olivia's natural talent.
In this book the SVH gang undertake a series of minicourses in addition to their regular classes, and they're all super excited about the prospect of these new skills. Jess is determined to make it into film making but ends up in electronics with Winston, Jeffrey and six other boys, while Lila ends up in dressmaking and Liz, Enid and Olivia end up in painting. It's in painting Olivia falls in love with their teacher Stuart, who seems to have a particular interest in her talent. It's this interest that makes Olivia fall more and more in love with him, and soon she's convinced he loves her too.
Maybe it's because I grew up in a very child protected and PC world, but did teachers really just let their students show up at their house on a Saturday in the 80s and think nothing of it? The vibes are so wrong with that. Luckily, Stuart wasn't being a nonce, just wanted to nurture Olivia's natural talent.
June 4, 2020
2.5 stars, rounded up- a decent SVH book, about supporting character Olivia's stalkerish crush on a young art teacher who is at Sweet Valley to teach a two week elective painting class. Olivia is all moony and sad because she thinks all the other girls at SVH have boyfriends, and since she and Roger broke up for whatever reason (I no longer remember why), nobody has paid her any attention. When the school sets the students up with "mini classes" (really? like a public school system that has students like Lila Fowler and Bruce Patman doesn't have electives out the ass already?), she chooses painting, since she's into art- but apparently has never painted before? What? I thought that was always her thing... but I digress. She unsurprisingly turns out to be a gifted painter and then spends the rest of the book ingratiating herself to the teacher, obsessing over him enough to worry Elizabeth and Enid, and even showing up at his house. Even weirder is that the teacher seems cool with her stalking, and that alone is enough to convince Olivia that her feelings are reciprocated. Are they though? To avoid spoilers, will just say the ending is super... Sweet Valley. Sigh.
July 2, 2020
I’m trying to squeeze a few more of these in before my Kindle Unlimited subscription expires.
I didn’t remember this one very well, but Olivia was definitely cringe-worthy in it. However, I loved Jessica’s lie detector side plot!
I didn’t remember this one very well, but Olivia was definitely cringe-worthy in it. However, I loved Jessica’s lie detector side plot!
December 19, 2024
This was an uncomfortable one to read!! With the usual conveniently happy resolution they all had before it became a proper soap opera...and then a rather uncomfortable final page! Definitely one of the better ones.
June 25, 2017
The story is sooo goood
September 16, 2017
I always really liked this one. Olivia was an awesome character and I loved any SVH book focused on her.
December 15, 2021
Olivia Davidson develops a most inappropriate crush on a new art teacher convincing herself that he has feelings for her as well (spoiler, he's just into her art)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2025
🎶don’t stand so, don’t stand so close to me 🎶
Read
September 16, 2026all i could think of was the hot priest from derry girls
August 21, 2022
This was a good one! We all know what to expect when we're reading SVH. The campy,cheesey, and unrealistic story plot shone through in the best in this one. As noted in the title, we follw Olivia who is obsessed with her young (but still adult) workshop teacher. A bit disturbing since in my reading, the teacher never gave her a clear no-he gave her a bit of hope annnnnnnnd that's the 80s lol. Recommend!
October 24, 2010
Even the simple things of youth were captured in this series. I could not have gotten through pre-teen years without them.
November 19, 2013
SVH cheesiness at its finest. Olivia becomes a bit of a stalker, Jessica's master plan backfires, and Lila creates unnecessary drama.
June 21, 2013
I remember the cover just not the story.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews