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Sweet Valley High Super Editions #12
Aftershock
Time to move forward...
Olivia Davidson is dead. Friends and relatives lie in the hospital, homes have been reduced to rubble, and Elizabeth Wakefield and Ken Matthews must lay Olivia to rest. Will they have the strength to pull together and pay tribute to Olivia's memory?
Enid Rollins is sure Devon Whitelaw saved her life, and will do anything to repay the debt. But Enid has the wrong guy... and only Devon knows who the real hero is. How far will Devon go to keep the shocking truth from coming out?
Olivia Davidson is dead. Friends and relatives lie in the hospital, homes have been reduced to rubble, and Elizabeth Wakefield and Ken Matthews must lay Olivia to rest. Will they have the strength to pull together and pay tribute to Olivia's memory?
Enid Rollins is sure Devon Whitelaw saved her life, and will do anything to repay the debt. But Enid has the wrong guy... and only Devon knows who the real hero is. How far will Devon go to keep the shocking truth from coming out?
227 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 1998
1 person is currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,139 books1,850 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 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 21, 2026
*sobs uncontrollably*
September 23, 2021
Just finished reading the ENTIRE Sweet Valley High series!!!! These books changed my life in so many ways!!
June 16, 2017
As I sit here crying, and laughing at myself for doing so, I know that I have accomplished quite the feat- rereading all of the sweet valley high books in publication order- around 180 books. I think I'll leave sweet valley for a bit but I'll be back- I must find out what happens senior year and beyond!
January 22, 2025
Aftershock
Jessica wakes up from a nightmare about Alyssa, She doesn’t want to bother Liz whose injuries were minor but the doctor told her to rest. So, she goes to Lila’s room. The Fowlers are letting the Wakefields stay with them until their house is rebuilt. Lila tries to help by telling Jessica a story about how she sat a movie star by a computer Greek with a studio that the movie star was suing. Lila felt really bad about this but her father gave her credit for trying. It’s not exactly the same but Jess gives Lila a hug for trying. Liz also wakes up from a nightmare featuring electric eels. She finds Jessica next to her. Liz does her best to console Jess but she knows that her realizing the accident isn’t her fault will have to come from her. Liz doesn’t remember the details after the earthquake and why she has burns and scratches on her knees and ankles. She asks Jessica but she says she doesn’t know. She was too busy thinking about how she killed Alyssa. Liz thinks it might be Devon who saved her, but then why didn’t he stick around afterward? Unless he went back home to check on his guardian. She also thinks about Olivia and what Ken must be going through.
Ken thinks about how he failed Liv as he looks at the portrait she did of him. He turns it away to face the wall. He doesn’t deserve to enjoy her talent. He thinks of when he saw her in El Carro but didn’t know she was Freeverse and compares it to the image of her laying crushed under the refrigerator and berates himself for not doing enough. Devon after riding all night ends up at Miller’s Point. He can’t believe he’d left Liz to die, but he convinces himself he did what he had to do to survive (and it was the right thing). Lila and Jess drive to see the aftermath. Sweet Valley High is untouched but the Dairi Burger is no longer (along with some other places they have memories). They both recall bad memories at the Dairi Burger (for Lila it was first confronting Joh as a rapist. For Jessica it was all the times she shared with Sam), Even trying to remember good times after football games, makes her remember how Olivia was there and Jessica tears up.
While out doing the same thing Enid and Liz come across the houses of Ronnie and Patty that are completely destroyed. Maria (Slater)’s out of town because her basement flooded. They come across Maria (Santanali) whose looking for volunteers to help set up a refugee camp and Red Cross will be helping with the supplies. Enid and Liz agree eagerly to help. Lila struggles to find the right thing to say to Jessica to make her feel better. Nothing works! She sees Todd in the lot of a store and asks to speak with him privately. She wants to tell him she wished they’d finished the kiss but she just thanks him. He brushes it off (and her) and says he has to get back to helping with the store. She tells him if he tells anyone about what almost happens she’ll kill him. But as she goes back to her car it’s clear she’s a little hurt. As Lila thinks his life is crazy enough right now without adding Lila too it. He’ll be leaving for b-ball camp soon and he’s still not over Liz. So it’s not gonna happen!
Liz attempts to lift Jess’s spirits by taking her for a walk on the beach, but this fails when she sees the Beach Disco in ruins. Liz attempts to make a joke about at least they didn’t have the party there, but this just upsets Jessica and she says she wishes she were dead like everything else that isn’t there anymore.
The Wakefields go back to their house to see what can be saved. Ned and Jess aren’t as happy about it as Alice and Liz pretend to be. Jessica finds Christian’s surfboard and Sam’s helmet intact, but her Phi Beta pin and her cheerleading outfit are burnt. She realizes she doesn’t know who she is anymore without them. In her room, Liz finds some clothes (including the shirt Dee Dee made her) undamaged, and some of her diaries. Seeing her backpack and chemistry book charred make her think of Devon and she tells herself she’s waited to long to thank him. Lila and Amy are out hitting up Sweet Valley Mall (which didn’t get destroyed) and they see Bruce in Casey’s. They talk briefly about Bruce getting ready for college, but after a few minutes, Lila is ready to get back to shopping. Amy teases Lila about her and Bruce having a spark, but Lila fiercely denies this. She then sees Todd and she goes over to him. They end up arguing when Lila calls him out on his fake “it’s good to see you” and he calls her shallow. Lila throws up Liz choosing Devon in his face and Todd offends her by saying she’s nothing like Liz. As Lila leaves, Todd thinks why he has a thing for women that bring him pain. He wants to chase after Lila and kiss her like he’s been thinking about for days, but he tells himself to focus on getting a new bag for camp. He can not WAIT to get out of Sweet Valley and leave all the drama behind.
Devon allows Liz and Enid to think he saved them when they come by to thank him seeing the look in Liz’s eyes (even though he knows it’s based on a lie). As Liz thanks Devon she gets flashes. She hears herself calling Devon’s name and the eels seem more like snakes that power lines. She asks Devon if he knows how she got the scratches on her ankles and knees but he says he doesn’t. As they’re about to leave she asks him if they can go to the movies and he says he’d like that. Alice gets Jessica to say she’ll help Maria out with her refugee camp.
Liz is given the job by Maria of matching up families who lost their homes with families who have agreed to take them in temporarily. She’s proud of the way the people in SV have stepped up. One of the first people is Mr. Collins and his son Teddy. She pairs them with the Bacons. Maria gives Jessica an eight-year-old boy named Marcus to watch whose only parent is in the hospital unconscious. On the way back from the center Liz is happy to see Jess in better spirits. Both twins are emotionally drained. They notice Devon’s bike at the Wakefield's house. Devon says he’s there checking to see if his memories line up. Liz notices Enid is way too “grateful” to Devon and gets jealous when Enid tells him she needs a ride home.
Enid is trying to chat Devon up but he’s pretending not to hear her. He’s thinking about how he came to the Wakefields to see if there was something he could find that meant something to Liz, but they got there first. Again he thinks about how he did what he had to do by saving himself. When they get to his house there are tv people and they start to pile on questions. Enid is hyping them on. Devon considers telling them the truth but as we’ve seen he’s a coward. Later Liz his with Lila and her parents and her own parents and she sees the news coverage of Devon and Enid. Liz sees them hugging as the clip ends and has to tell herself it’s her that Devon loves. Jessica has a nightmare that another aftershock hits and swallows up Marcus. She decides she needs to get out of Fowler Crest. Ken gets a call from Mrs. Davidson who is planning a memorial and wants him to give the eulogy. He tells her he doesn’t know because he feels like he’s the one that killed her. He agrees to meet with her the next day. He decides he needs to get out of the house.
Ken and Jessica both find their way to SVH’s football field. They see each other and embrace. Even though Jessica says she sees Alyss’s death as a warning that she’s wasted her life on meaningless ish, they both agree they have to find a way to forgive themselves and move on. How is the question. Jessica suggests she wishes it was her that died and this infuriates Ken because how dare he compare her grief over a kid she didn’t know to what he felt for Olivia. She doesn’t even know love is. She cheated on him. He storms off. Jessica thinks after he leaves it doesn’t matter that she didn’t know Alyssa long. What happened still had an impact on her. If Ken didn’t see that screw him.
Maria tells Liz that she heard Devon refusing to help her, but Liz doesn’t believe her. Jessica takes Marcus to Secca Lake. Memories fill her mind of good times and bad. She considers suicide by waking to the lake and drowning. Marcus then asks her if she can take him to see his daddy (who isn’t expected to wake up). Jessica knows she can’t let Marcus down like she did Alyssa. So she agrees. Ken visits the Davidsons and tells them he won’t be speaking at the funeral. It just doesn’t feel right. They try to get him not to blame himself but Ken has it in his head that he could have done more. So, they suggest he spend some time in Olivia’s studio. He tells them he will but they have to accept his decision whatever it is after he’s done. Marcus and Jessica arrive at the hospital and find Mr. Pontil is up, smiling, and going to be ok. She thinks maybe just maybe miracles do exist.
Maria gets Liz to try hypnosis. While under she recalls the memory of Todd coming to save her and Jessica at Kelly’s. She also mumbles something about the snake. She talks about a pool of water and complains how heavy Enid is. But she still doesn’t want to believe Devon didn’t have a thing to do with saving the,. At first inside Olivia’s studio, Ken is turned off by all the reminders of her exes, but then he sees a picture of him on the beach that really captures who he was inside. It’s then he decides to keep living and that he will give the eulogy at her funeral. Alyssa’s mother and father come to see Jessica and do their best to make her see that the accident wasn’t her fault. Brian tho doesn’t hide the fact that he *does* blame Jessica. Later, he comes up to her room and says his parents won’t let him leave until they talk so he says they can just sit there and not talk and he’ll back down and say they’re cool. But during the wait, Jessica apologizes but says he was there too (if she’s too blame he is too) and he breaks and says he knows. He apologizes to her and says it IS his fault. He just blamed her so he didn’t have to blame himself. Then Jessica holds him as he cries. They both agree it was the EARTHQUAKE.
At Olivia’s memorial, all Elizabeth’s memories come back when she sees a cuff Dana has on that looks like a snake. Liz looks at Devon and he knows she knows. Liz confronts Devon who even now that her memories are back, tries to pretend that he saved her. Liz can not believe she feels for this guy. Todd finally kisses Lila and feels absolutely NOTHING! They start to argue and Lila tells him it’s the worst kiss she’s ever had and no wonder Liz dumped him. Todd realizes that Lila really is cold-hearted and after that kiss, he realizes Liz is the only one for him. When Ken hears Liz and Devon he tells her what he saw. He saw a stranger rescue, Liz and Enid. Then finally Devon confesses and tries to get Liz’s sympathy. No one sees his point of view. She says they were all terrified but they also weren’t coward enough to not try to save their friends. Liz says he never wants to see him again. Devon sadly turns to leave. Devon decides to leave SV and maybe take Nan with him. He first thinks he’s glad SV got destroyed but he knows that’s a lie. He loved SV and would miss it, but he knows he was a liar. He rejected everyone and let Liz down. He says goodbye to SV because he’s never coming back.
Jessica receives roses from Marcus and his father because she gave them hope. Liz goes to talk to Todd and they end Todd tells her he’ll miss her but he doesn’t know if he can ever trust her again. Todd doesn’t want to let her go but he does and Liz leaves. Olivia’s ashes are scattered on the beach and all her friends attend the ceremony. Ken and Jessica make up. As they go home, to eat the breakfast Lila’s new chief makes. Jessica realizes she will never be the same. She’s not sure who she is now but at least she has her family and friends to understand.
My Thoughts:
I pretty much thought the same things I thought in the last review. Mostly this one had to do with Jessica and Ken thinking they were the reason behind Olivia and Alyssa’s deaths. I guess I can feel a lil bit bad for Jessica. I still think she and Brian wasted a lot of time. I don’t think that Jessica should have attempted to save Alyssa on her own. Any sane professional would have told her to leave it to them. Again SHE could have fallen into the crack herself. BUT she TRIED!
Ken however, I just rolled my eyes when people tried to make him feel better by telling him “Well you did the best you could?” DID HE THO?! If the love of my life was laying there crushed by a refrigerator do you think I’d be wasting time recapping gushy moments while the life drained out of them in front of me?
He DID go for help, but look how much time it took him to do that. If he didn’t want her to be left alone then he could have told Maria or Winston to sit WITH her while he went for help HIM SELF. But he sat there like an IDIOT while she bleed out because he didn’t want to leave her side.
I was thinking I KNOW the Wakefields have a phone somewhere. Maybe it was buried in the rubble. Did he even make an ATTEMPT to find it? He could have been doing *that*. So you don’t find the phone. Ok? Where can you find another one? I’d have been going door to door to door until I found SOMEONE who I could have called the fire department from their house. Then again Winston got to the fire department and came back. Why couldn’t Ken have done the same?
All throughout the book we hear how much he loves Olivia. Then he should have been doing everything humanly possible. So YES Ken you SHOULD feel guilty. This girl died because you DEFINITELY did not do enough and you KNEW IT all throughout this book.
Devon was a jerk. No big loss he’s gone so I won’t have to read about him and his bs excuses anymore. Then what was up with Enid? Maybe Jessica was right about her being a loser. You don’t come on to your friends.. uh love interest? Ex? And your best friend has saved your life and this is how you repay her? SMH. AGAIN I really can’t say I blame this earthquake for trying to swallow all of these characters up and wipe them off the face of the Planant. I’m not even sure why all these girls find Todd so alluring. I’ve never liked Todd and from what I’ve read he seems wishy washy. But then then he’s just like the twins so..
Rating: 5
Jessica wakes up from a nightmare about Alyssa, She doesn’t want to bother Liz whose injuries were minor but the doctor told her to rest. So, she goes to Lila’s room. The Fowlers are letting the Wakefields stay with them until their house is rebuilt. Lila tries to help by telling Jessica a story about how she sat a movie star by a computer Greek with a studio that the movie star was suing. Lila felt really bad about this but her father gave her credit for trying. It’s not exactly the same but Jess gives Lila a hug for trying. Liz also wakes up from a nightmare featuring electric eels. She finds Jessica next to her. Liz does her best to console Jess but she knows that her realizing the accident isn’t her fault will have to come from her. Liz doesn’t remember the details after the earthquake and why she has burns and scratches on her knees and ankles. She asks Jessica but she says she doesn’t know. She was too busy thinking about how she killed Alyssa. Liz thinks it might be Devon who saved her, but then why didn’t he stick around afterward? Unless he went back home to check on his guardian. She also thinks about Olivia and what Ken must be going through.
Ken thinks about how he failed Liv as he looks at the portrait she did of him. He turns it away to face the wall. He doesn’t deserve to enjoy her talent. He thinks of when he saw her in El Carro but didn’t know she was Freeverse and compares it to the image of her laying crushed under the refrigerator and berates himself for not doing enough. Devon after riding all night ends up at Miller’s Point. He can’t believe he’d left Liz to die, but he convinces himself he did what he had to do to survive (and it was the right thing). Lila and Jess drive to see the aftermath. Sweet Valley High is untouched but the Dairi Burger is no longer (along with some other places they have memories). They both recall bad memories at the Dairi Burger (for Lila it was first confronting Joh as a rapist. For Jessica it was all the times she shared with Sam), Even trying to remember good times after football games, makes her remember how Olivia was there and Jessica tears up.
While out doing the same thing Enid and Liz come across the houses of Ronnie and Patty that are completely destroyed. Maria (Slater)’s out of town because her basement flooded. They come across Maria (Santanali) whose looking for volunteers to help set up a refugee camp and Red Cross will be helping with the supplies. Enid and Liz agree eagerly to help. Lila struggles to find the right thing to say to Jessica to make her feel better. Nothing works! She sees Todd in the lot of a store and asks to speak with him privately. She wants to tell him she wished they’d finished the kiss but she just thanks him. He brushes it off (and her) and says he has to get back to helping with the store. She tells him if he tells anyone about what almost happens she’ll kill him. But as she goes back to her car it’s clear she’s a little hurt. As Lila thinks his life is crazy enough right now without adding Lila too it. He’ll be leaving for b-ball camp soon and he’s still not over Liz. So it’s not gonna happen!
Liz attempts to lift Jess’s spirits by taking her for a walk on the beach, but this fails when she sees the Beach Disco in ruins. Liz attempts to make a joke about at least they didn’t have the party there, but this just upsets Jessica and she says she wishes she were dead like everything else that isn’t there anymore.
The Wakefields go back to their house to see what can be saved. Ned and Jess aren’t as happy about it as Alice and Liz pretend to be. Jessica finds Christian’s surfboard and Sam’s helmet intact, but her Phi Beta pin and her cheerleading outfit are burnt. She realizes she doesn’t know who she is anymore without them. In her room, Liz finds some clothes (including the shirt Dee Dee made her) undamaged, and some of her diaries. Seeing her backpack and chemistry book charred make her think of Devon and she tells herself she’s waited to long to thank him. Lila and Amy are out hitting up Sweet Valley Mall (which didn’t get destroyed) and they see Bruce in Casey’s. They talk briefly about Bruce getting ready for college, but after a few minutes, Lila is ready to get back to shopping. Amy teases Lila about her and Bruce having a spark, but Lila fiercely denies this. She then sees Todd and she goes over to him. They end up arguing when Lila calls him out on his fake “it’s good to see you” and he calls her shallow. Lila throws up Liz choosing Devon in his face and Todd offends her by saying she’s nothing like Liz. As Lila leaves, Todd thinks why he has a thing for women that bring him pain. He wants to chase after Lila and kiss her like he’s been thinking about for days, but he tells himself to focus on getting a new bag for camp. He can not WAIT to get out of Sweet Valley and leave all the drama behind.
Devon allows Liz and Enid to think he saved them when they come by to thank him seeing the look in Liz’s eyes (even though he knows it’s based on a lie). As Liz thanks Devon she gets flashes. She hears herself calling Devon’s name and the eels seem more like snakes that power lines. She asks Devon if he knows how she got the scratches on her ankles and knees but he says he doesn’t. As they’re about to leave she asks him if they can go to the movies and he says he’d like that. Alice gets Jessica to say she’ll help Maria out with her refugee camp.
Liz is given the job by Maria of matching up families who lost their homes with families who have agreed to take them in temporarily. She’s proud of the way the people in SV have stepped up. One of the first people is Mr. Collins and his son Teddy. She pairs them with the Bacons. Maria gives Jessica an eight-year-old boy named Marcus to watch whose only parent is in the hospital unconscious. On the way back from the center Liz is happy to see Jess in better spirits. Both twins are emotionally drained. They notice Devon’s bike at the Wakefield's house. Devon says he’s there checking to see if his memories line up. Liz notices Enid is way too “grateful” to Devon and gets jealous when Enid tells him she needs a ride home.
Enid is trying to chat Devon up but he’s pretending not to hear her. He’s thinking about how he came to the Wakefields to see if there was something he could find that meant something to Liz, but they got there first. Again he thinks about how he did what he had to do by saving himself. When they get to his house there are tv people and they start to pile on questions. Enid is hyping them on. Devon considers telling them the truth but as we’ve seen he’s a coward. Later Liz his with Lila and her parents and her own parents and she sees the news coverage of Devon and Enid. Liz sees them hugging as the clip ends and has to tell herself it’s her that Devon loves. Jessica has a nightmare that another aftershock hits and swallows up Marcus. She decides she needs to get out of Fowler Crest. Ken gets a call from Mrs. Davidson who is planning a memorial and wants him to give the eulogy. He tells her he doesn’t know because he feels like he’s the one that killed her. He agrees to meet with her the next day. He decides he needs to get out of the house.
Ken and Jessica both find their way to SVH’s football field. They see each other and embrace. Even though Jessica says she sees Alyss’s death as a warning that she’s wasted her life on meaningless ish, they both agree they have to find a way to forgive themselves and move on. How is the question. Jessica suggests she wishes it was her that died and this infuriates Ken because how dare he compare her grief over a kid she didn’t know to what he felt for Olivia. She doesn’t even know love is. She cheated on him. He storms off. Jessica thinks after he leaves it doesn’t matter that she didn’t know Alyssa long. What happened still had an impact on her. If Ken didn’t see that screw him.
Maria tells Liz that she heard Devon refusing to help her, but Liz doesn’t believe her. Jessica takes Marcus to Secca Lake. Memories fill her mind of good times and bad. She considers suicide by waking to the lake and drowning. Marcus then asks her if she can take him to see his daddy (who isn’t expected to wake up). Jessica knows she can’t let Marcus down like she did Alyssa. So she agrees. Ken visits the Davidsons and tells them he won’t be speaking at the funeral. It just doesn’t feel right. They try to get him not to blame himself but Ken has it in his head that he could have done more. So, they suggest he spend some time in Olivia’s studio. He tells them he will but they have to accept his decision whatever it is after he’s done. Marcus and Jessica arrive at the hospital and find Mr. Pontil is up, smiling, and going to be ok. She thinks maybe just maybe miracles do exist.
Maria gets Liz to try hypnosis. While under she recalls the memory of Todd coming to save her and Jessica at Kelly’s. She also mumbles something about the snake. She talks about a pool of water and complains how heavy Enid is. But she still doesn’t want to believe Devon didn’t have a thing to do with saving the,. At first inside Olivia’s studio, Ken is turned off by all the reminders of her exes, but then he sees a picture of him on the beach that really captures who he was inside. It’s then he decides to keep living and that he will give the eulogy at her funeral. Alyssa’s mother and father come to see Jessica and do their best to make her see that the accident wasn’t her fault. Brian tho doesn’t hide the fact that he *does* blame Jessica. Later, he comes up to her room and says his parents won’t let him leave until they talk so he says they can just sit there and not talk and he’ll back down and say they’re cool. But during the wait, Jessica apologizes but says he was there too (if she’s too blame he is too) and he breaks and says he knows. He apologizes to her and says it IS his fault. He just blamed her so he didn’t have to blame himself. Then Jessica holds him as he cries. They both agree it was the EARTHQUAKE.
At Olivia’s memorial, all Elizabeth’s memories come back when she sees a cuff Dana has on that looks like a snake. Liz looks at Devon and he knows she knows. Liz confronts Devon who even now that her memories are back, tries to pretend that he saved her. Liz can not believe she feels for this guy. Todd finally kisses Lila and feels absolutely NOTHING! They start to argue and Lila tells him it’s the worst kiss she’s ever had and no wonder Liz dumped him. Todd realizes that Lila really is cold-hearted and after that kiss, he realizes Liz is the only one for him. When Ken hears Liz and Devon he tells her what he saw. He saw a stranger rescue, Liz and Enid. Then finally Devon confesses and tries to get Liz’s sympathy. No one sees his point of view. She says they were all terrified but they also weren’t coward enough to not try to save their friends. Liz says he never wants to see him again. Devon sadly turns to leave. Devon decides to leave SV and maybe take Nan with him. He first thinks he’s glad SV got destroyed but he knows that’s a lie. He loved SV and would miss it, but he knows he was a liar. He rejected everyone and let Liz down. He says goodbye to SV because he’s never coming back.
Jessica receives roses from Marcus and his father because she gave them hope. Liz goes to talk to Todd and they end Todd tells her he’ll miss her but he doesn’t know if he can ever trust her again. Todd doesn’t want to let her go but he does and Liz leaves. Olivia’s ashes are scattered on the beach and all her friends attend the ceremony. Ken and Jessica make up. As they go home, to eat the breakfast Lila’s new chief makes. Jessica realizes she will never be the same. She’s not sure who she is now but at least she has her family and friends to understand.
My Thoughts:
I pretty much thought the same things I thought in the last review. Mostly this one had to do with Jessica and Ken thinking they were the reason behind Olivia and Alyssa’s deaths. I guess I can feel a lil bit bad for Jessica. I still think she and Brian wasted a lot of time. I don’t think that Jessica should have attempted to save Alyssa on her own. Any sane professional would have told her to leave it to them. Again SHE could have fallen into the crack herself. BUT she TRIED!
Ken however, I just rolled my eyes when people tried to make him feel better by telling him “Well you did the best you could?” DID HE THO?! If the love of my life was laying there crushed by a refrigerator do you think I’d be wasting time recapping gushy moments while the life drained out of them in front of me?
He DID go for help, but look how much time it took him to do that. If he didn’t want her to be left alone then he could have told Maria or Winston to sit WITH her while he went for help HIM SELF. But he sat there like an IDIOT while she bleed out because he didn’t want to leave her side.
I was thinking I KNOW the Wakefields have a phone somewhere. Maybe it was buried in the rubble. Did he even make an ATTEMPT to find it? He could have been doing *that*. So you don’t find the phone. Ok? Where can you find another one? I’d have been going door to door to door until I found SOMEONE who I could have called the fire department from their house. Then again Winston got to the fire department and came back. Why couldn’t Ken have done the same?
All throughout the book we hear how much he loves Olivia. Then he should have been doing everything humanly possible. So YES Ken you SHOULD feel guilty. This girl died because you DEFINITELY did not do enough and you KNEW IT all throughout this book.
Devon was a jerk. No big loss he’s gone so I won’t have to read about him and his bs excuses anymore. Then what was up with Enid? Maybe Jessica was right about her being a loser. You don’t come on to your friends.. uh love interest? Ex? And your best friend has saved your life and this is how you repay her? SMH. AGAIN I really can’t say I blame this earthquake for trying to swallow all of these characters up and wipe them off the face of the Planant. I’m not even sure why all these girls find Todd so alluring. I’ve never liked Todd and from what I’ve read he seems wishy washy. But then then he’s just like the twins so..
Rating: 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2016
This book is darker than any of the other SVU books I've read so far. I didn't quite like how repetitive it was but it was interesting to see how the death of a beloved friend, Olivia, could draw out the "beauty" and the "beasts" within the involved characters of this book.
The storyline also reveals each individual's coping mechanism (SPOILER: e.g. Jessica blaming herself while the girls' (who she failed to save) brother blames her for his sister's death) and how they deal with the aftermath of the earthquake.
As Elizabeth regains her memory near the ending of the book, the outcome of Devon Whitelaw's decision slowly evolves him into another character. His perspective and thoughts change over time. But so does Elizabeth. I mean... time did evolve her for she is getting smarter for her own good while Devon is just getting... shallower. (He was just a guy who told a lie which eventually leads him down the "jerk" path.)
Overall, as stated above, this book shows the contrasts between all its characters. So, I've got to give the author credit for that. It shows readers the experiences of natural disaster victims (although I think in reality it could be more complicated than what is suggested in the book).
Umm... so, I've got to say, it's not-that-bad a read. But it's not absolutely good either. And weird as it sounds I felt pretty sad at one point (I can't really remember which part now, thus, not memorable?) Minus a few points: everything went too smoothly in this book.
The book also consists of both slow and fast-pace elements in a few sections.
Oooh... and the thing between Lila and Todd? It ended after all with the "I want you but I can't" theory. Aah... the classical drama. Sad, but it has a rash ending. Since, the story is written in a true Sweet Valley fashion, there is always room for a little heated up drama during or after a crisis/disaster. Thumbs up!
The storyline also reveals each individual's coping mechanism (SPOILER: e.g. Jessica blaming herself while the girls' (who she failed to save) brother blames her for his sister's death) and how they deal with the aftermath of the earthquake.
As Elizabeth regains her memory near the ending of the book, the outcome of Devon Whitelaw's decision slowly evolves him into another character. His perspective and thoughts change over time. But so does Elizabeth. I mean... time did evolve her for she is getting smarter for her own good while Devon is just getting... shallower. (He was just a guy who told a lie which eventually leads him down the "jerk" path.)
Overall, as stated above, this book shows the contrasts between all its characters. So, I've got to give the author credit for that. It shows readers the experiences of natural disaster victims (although I think in reality it could be more complicated than what is suggested in the book).
Umm... so, I've got to say, it's not-that-bad a read. But it's not absolutely good either. And weird as it sounds I felt pretty sad at one point (I can't really remember which part now, thus, not memorable?) Minus a few points: everything went too smoothly in this book.
The book also consists of both slow and fast-pace elements in a few sections.
Oooh... and the thing between Lila and Todd? It ended after all with the "I want you but I can't" theory. Aah... the classical drama. Sad, but it has a rash ending. Since, the story is written in a true Sweet Valley fashion, there is always room for a little heated up drama during or after a crisis/disaster. Thumbs up!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2024
So I did it- have now, after several years, finished reading this entire series, in publication order- years that spanned the early 80s to 1999. The last 3 books (another final trilogy, a format that basically made up the last 30 or so books) turned kind of dark, with the twins finally turning 17 (after like 9 summer vacations, 5 or 6 springs, and 7 winter breaks- numbers are guesstimated, but probably close), and a giant earthquake leaving Sweet Valley in ruins, with some of the twins classmates dead, all of them traumatized,their home on Calico Drive destroyed, and their lives in turmoil. I had a lot of fun reading these, and I'm now left trying to decide what to do with my complete collection of used and ragtag books- do I keep it forever, or try to sell it to another Gen Xer with a hankering for childhood memories? I also have a handful of the Senior Year books and about two dozen of the SVU books that all came in lots that I bought while trying to get various SVH books. From what I can tell, the SVU books were published first, so I suspect I'll continue read those while I have them for my mindless/pre-sleep books. Three stars for the ending of an era.
August 3, 2022
This is a pretty rough story. The earthquake seems to be getting near its end, leaving behind a massive amount of destruction and death. This even includes the Wakefield's home. One dies and others could end up dying depending on just what happens.
Jessica ends up having a horrifying experience for which she blames herself. There's nightmares and PTSD. Todd and Lila have something to work out. Her parents were not at home but at a movie theater (they really should have been at home and supervising the party.)
There's a significant liar who doesn't count on Elizabeth getting her memory back. There's a refugee center that can use help and a bad case of miss-reporting reality.
It's definitely not a happy volume but a lot of what happens seems to be rather realistic considering the strength of the earthquake.
Jessica ends up having a horrifying experience for which she blames herself. There's nightmares and PTSD. Todd and Lila have something to work out. Her parents were not at home but at a movie theater (they really should have been at home and supervising the party.)
There's a significant liar who doesn't count on Elizabeth getting her memory back. There's a refugee center that can use help and a bad case of miss-reporting reality.
It's definitely not a happy volume but a lot of what happens seems to be rather realistic considering the strength of the earthquake.
August 30, 2020
Jessica is understandably depressed after watching a young girl fall to her death but her whole family thinks she should be over it (even supposedly sympathetic and understanding Elizabeth?) Get. This. Girl. To. Therapy. The whole Lila and Todd storyline continues from the previous book and just did not need to exist. This book verged on actually addressing the many traumatic experiences the twins experienced, including acknowledging just how many dead boyfriends Jess had, but didn't quite get there. Still, fun trip down nostalgia lane.
August 25, 2020
Well, I have finally reread my entire collection of SVH books! The journey was fun, the books absolutely ridiculous, and the memories from childhood were priceless. I have such a different perspective of the plot lines and characters than my younger self, but the series still brings me such joy. Now onto the best part...organizing my SVH shelf in publication order!
January 14, 2026
This is the SVH I know and love! Much different vibe than the previous book. Still reeling from the Earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, the gang is dealing with issues of loss, guilt, trauma, lies, betrayal, love, and friendship. A wonderful distraction from the real world. Long Live SVH!
February 12, 2022
These books are so comfortingly familiar. Absolutely ridiculous, but that's part of their nostalgic charm for me.
August 15, 2023
Nostalgia.
January 24, 2016
This book is darker than any of the other SVU books I've read so far. I didn't quite like how repetitive it was but it was interesting to see how the death of a beloved friend, Olivia, could draw out the "beauty" and the "beasts" within the involved characters of this book.
The storyline also reveals each individual's coping mechanism (SPOILER: e.g. Jessica blaming herself while the girl's (who she failed to save) brother blames her for his sister's death) and how they deal with the aftermath of the earthquake.
As Elizabeth regains her memory near the ending of the book, the outcome of Devon Whitelaw's decision slowly evolves him into another character due to his mental characteristics which then differs to how he thought before that. But so did she. I mean... time did evolve her for she is getting smarter for her own good while Devon is just getting... shallower. (He was just a guy who told a lie which eventually lead him down the "jerk" path.)
Overall, as stated above, this book shows the contrasts between all its characters. So, I've got to give it credit for that. It shows readers the experiences of natural disaster victims (although I think in reality it could be more complicated than what is suggested in the book). Umm... so, I've got to say, it's not-that-bad a read. But it's not absolutely good either. And weird as it sounds I felt pretty sad at one point (I can't really remember which part now, thus, not memorable?) I think I will have to say that I'll have to minus a few points, as everything went too smoothly in this book. I know it has two books and this is the second part so... I guess things will have to go smoothly?
The book also consists of both slow and fast-pace elements in a few sections.
Oooh... and the thing between Lila and Todd? It ended after all with the "I want you but I can't" theory Aah... the classical drama. Sad, but it had a rash ending to it.
Since... the story is written in a true Sweet Valley fashion, there is always room for a little heated up drama during a crisis or a disaster or after it. Thumbs up!
The storyline also reveals each individual's coping mechanism (SPOILER: e.g. Jessica blaming herself while the girl's (who she failed to save) brother blames her for his sister's death) and how they deal with the aftermath of the earthquake.
As Elizabeth regains her memory near the ending of the book, the outcome of Devon Whitelaw's decision slowly evolves him into another character due to his mental characteristics which then differs to how he thought before that. But so did she. I mean... time did evolve her for she is getting smarter for her own good while Devon is just getting... shallower. (He was just a guy who told a lie which eventually lead him down the "jerk" path.)
Overall, as stated above, this book shows the contrasts between all its characters. So, I've got to give it credit for that. It shows readers the experiences of natural disaster victims (although I think in reality it could be more complicated than what is suggested in the book). Umm... so, I've got to say, it's not-that-bad a read. But it's not absolutely good either. And weird as it sounds I felt pretty sad at one point (I can't really remember which part now, thus, not memorable?) I think I will have to say that I'll have to minus a few points, as everything went too smoothly in this book. I know it has two books and this is the second part so... I guess things will have to go smoothly?
The book also consists of both slow and fast-pace elements in a few sections.
Oooh... and the thing between Lila and Todd? It ended after all with the "I want you but I can't" theory Aah... the classical drama. Sad, but it had a rash ending to it.
Since... the story is written in a true Sweet Valley fashion, there is always room for a little heated up drama during a crisis or a disaster or after it. Thumbs up!
April 29, 2009
Sweet Valley High special #2, where the earthquake happened in #1... I was never as into SV High as I was when they were in middle school, but I like the drama of earthquake books! Combine that with the drama of Sweet Valley and you have a natural winner ;)
December 11, 2010
I was OBSESSED with Earthquake and Aftershock when I read these books in HS
June 21, 2013
I remember the cover just not the story.
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