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Sweet Valley High #40
On the Edge
Headed for trouble...
Regina Morrow and Bruce Patman have been going together for months. But when beautiful, devious Amy Sutton is paired up with Bruce on a school project, she schemes to steal him away from Regina. Little by little Bruce's resistance to Amy's charm begins to crumble.
Regina is furious when she discovers that Bruce has been seeing Amy behind her back. Hurt and betrayed, she turns to Justin Belson, a troubled senior at Sweet Valley High. Regina's friends are worried. They think Justin and his crowd are bad news - it's rumored that some of them are drug users. Is Regina on a dangerous course?
Regina Morrow and Bruce Patman have been going together for months. But when beautiful, devious Amy Sutton is paired up with Bruce on a school project, she schemes to steal him away from Regina. Little by little Bruce's resistance to Amy's charm begins to crumble.
Regina is furious when she discovers that Bruce has been seeing Amy behind her back. Hurt and betrayed, she turns to Justin Belson, a troubled senior at Sweet Valley High. Regina's friends are worried. They think Justin and his crowd are bad news - it's rumored that some of them are drug users. Is Regina on a dangerous course?
150 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1987
56 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,139 books1,844 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 60 reviews
August 3, 2012
This is where the deaf girl dies after snorting one line of coke for the first time. Things just got REAL! Seems so wrong since poor Regina Morrow was just held hostage (see: Hostage!). And I don't think she even got to sleep with Bruce! When I think of this book, I also think of Martika's 1989 anti-drug hit "Toy Soldiers."
September 28, 2021
NOoooooo not Regina!! 😭😭💔💔💔
Francine Pascal, you are savage for killing this poor girl!! Kind and beautiful Regina Morrow has already gone through the proverbial wringer by being deaf all her life (until "specialized treatments" in Switzerland cured her), held hostage by gun point, and then having douchebag Bruce Patman cheat on her with bitch face Amy Sutton. I MEAN, COME ON. Give this girl a break!! But nooo, after breaking up with Bruce when he cheats on her, she gets caught up in the wrong crowd, gets suckered into going to a bad kid's party and drinking BEER and doing COKE, and them DIES from an OD/heart attack 😭😭😭😭
Not gonna lie, this book made this typically cynical and snarky girl cry. Regina deserved better and I BLAME EVERYONE: Bruce and Amy for cavorting in the bushes at a party while Regina was close by...Liz for not telling her what's up...loser Justin for taking her to the bad kid's party, Molly for encouraging her to snort it all up. The book ends with a short preview of the next book to come: "Will anyone in Sweet Valley ever talk to Molly Hecht again?" UHH, I HOPE NOT. Justice for Regina!!
P.S. OKAY I know it was ultimately Regina's choice to imbibe in DRUGS and DRINKING but just let me blame everyone else while I grieve, alright? 😭😭😭
Francine Pascal, you are savage for killing this poor girl!! Kind and beautiful Regina Morrow has already gone through the proverbial wringer by being deaf all her life (until "specialized treatments" in Switzerland cured her), held hostage by gun point, and then having douchebag Bruce Patman cheat on her with bitch face Amy Sutton. I MEAN, COME ON. Give this girl a break!! But nooo, after breaking up with Bruce when he cheats on her, she gets caught up in the wrong crowd, gets suckered into going to a bad kid's party and drinking BEER and doing COKE, and them DIES from an OD/heart attack 😭😭😭😭
Not gonna lie, this book made this typically cynical and snarky girl cry. Regina deserved better and I BLAME EVERYONE: Bruce and Amy for cavorting in the bushes at a party while Regina was close by...Liz for not telling her what's up...loser Justin for taking her to the bad kid's party, Molly for encouraging her to snort it all up. The book ends with a short preview of the next book to come: "Will anyone in Sweet Valley ever talk to Molly Hecht again?" UHH, I HOPE NOT. Justice for Regina!!
P.S. OKAY I know it was ultimately Regina's choice to imbibe in DRUGS and DRINKING but just let me blame everyone else while I grieve, alright? 😭😭😭
April 14, 2017
Title: On the Edge
Series: Sweet Valley High #40
Author: Francine Pascal // Kate William
Genre: Young Adult
Overall Rating: 3 stars
Sometimes I forget how ridiculous these books are, and I love them! I don't know why I continue to keep reading them, it's like this inner urge to finish every single Sweet Valley book ever, which is some feat to be honest. But this is one that I read as a kid, I found it in a charity shop and have long since lost my copy.
Basically, Bruce is back to being a sleaze and his love for Regina isn't strong enough for him to forget his lust for Amy. SO he's banging Amy behind some trees and poor Regina doesn't find out until she's in front of everyone, then she goes to a party with the "bad crowd" and she snorts cocaine. AND YOU GUESSED IT. She dies.
And nobody blames Amy or Bruce.
Typical rich kid privilage at it's finest.
Series: Sweet Valley High #40
Author: Francine Pascal // Kate William
Genre: Young Adult
Overall Rating: 3 stars
Sometimes I forget how ridiculous these books are, and I love them! I don't know why I continue to keep reading them, it's like this inner urge to finish every single Sweet Valley book ever, which is some feat to be honest. But this is one that I read as a kid, I found it in a charity shop and have long since lost my copy.
Basically, Bruce is back to being a sleaze and his love for Regina isn't strong enough for him to forget his lust for Amy. SO he's banging Amy behind some trees and poor Regina doesn't find out until she's in front of everyone, then she goes to a party with the "bad crowd" and she snorts cocaine. AND YOU GUESSED IT. She dies.
And nobody blames Amy or Bruce.
Typical rich kid privilage at it's finest.
October 12, 2023
And the moral of the story is:
Which totally reminded me of the Mean Girls health teacher's approach to teaching teens to avoid the Bad Stuff:
This method of course works every time, just super effective shit. So good job SVH, way to go! You have undoubtedly saved exactly as many lives as Coach Carr did. Keep fighting the good fight 😂
Which totally reminded me of the Mean Girls health teacher's approach to teaching teens to avoid the Bad Stuff:
This method of course works every time, just super effective shit. So good job SVH, way to go! You have undoubtedly saved exactly as many lives as Coach Carr did. Keep fighting the good fight 😂
September 28, 2007
I know this is weird, but I still remember the cocaine scene in this book.
April 15, 2018
Amy is a cunty cunt in this book. I mean a CAPITAL K KUNT.
At the end everyone is like, “Let’s not blame anyone for this. We know we aren’t responsible..... except Molly. Let’s blame her because it was her house and her party.”
Nope nope nope. You guys aren’t getting off THAT easily.
Bruce and Amy are cunts because they parade around in front of Regina without a care in the world about her feelings. Amy clinging to Bruce is what drives Regina to the arms of Justin Belson... and to Molly Hecht’s wonderful cocaine party.
Saint Liz is a Saint who always does the right thing, except when she doesn’t. Like now. She knows that Amy wants Bruce and that she is going to steal him away from Regina, but after talking with Jeffrey she decides not to say anything to Regina at all.
Jessica is always a cunt, but particularly now, because she wants Amy and Bruce’s drama to shake up her barbecue so that her life will remain interesting (read: as empty and black as her soul).
Jeffrey encourages Liz not to say anything, so he’s definitely to blame too.
And Jan, what’s your damage? Why is everyone pissed at Molly whenever Jan was the one who sent Regina over the edge wanting to shed her good girl image?!
Does anyone know anyone who has died from snorting two lines of cocaine? Even with a heart murmur?
That’s literally why I’ll never hit the hard stuff though. I have the tiniest of murmurs, but I’m terrified that one snort or shot up my arm and I’d end up like Regina.
In all seriousness, guys, addiction is real and scary and life ruining. But there are resources to help those addicted and those who know someone who is addicted or a family effected by addiction. You are never alone. I encourage you to reach out to a nonjudgmental person and try and seek help. Too many people end up like Regina every year.
At the end everyone is like, “Let’s not blame anyone for this. We know we aren’t responsible..... except Molly. Let’s blame her because it was her house and her party.”
Nope nope nope. You guys aren’t getting off THAT easily.
Bruce and Amy are cunts because they parade around in front of Regina without a care in the world about her feelings. Amy clinging to Bruce is what drives Regina to the arms of Justin Belson... and to Molly Hecht’s wonderful cocaine party.
Saint Liz is a Saint who always does the right thing, except when she doesn’t. Like now. She knows that Amy wants Bruce and that she is going to steal him away from Regina, but after talking with Jeffrey she decides not to say anything to Regina at all.
Jessica is always a cunt, but particularly now, because she wants Amy and Bruce’s drama to shake up her barbecue so that her life will remain interesting (read: as empty and black as her soul).
Jeffrey encourages Liz not to say anything, so he’s definitely to blame too.
And Jan, what’s your damage? Why is everyone pissed at Molly whenever Jan was the one who sent Regina over the edge wanting to shed her good girl image?!
Does anyone know anyone who has died from snorting two lines of cocaine? Even with a heart murmur?
That’s literally why I’ll never hit the hard stuff though. I have the tiniest of murmurs, but I’m terrified that one snort or shot up my arm and I’d end up like Regina.
In all seriousness, guys, addiction is real and scary and life ruining. But there are resources to help those addicted and those who know someone who is addicted or a family effected by addiction. You are never alone. I encourage you to reach out to a nonjudgmental person and try and seek help. Too many people end up like Regina every year.
May 6, 2011
I am almost embarrassed to admit to how many SVH books I have read over the years. These books are really pretty cheesy (although, I wanted to be Lila Fowler when I was in middle school--I thought she was awesome)
This particular SVH edition was a little different. One of the characters tries cocaine for the first time and dies of heart failure. (apparently the kid has some sort of un diagnosed heart defect to begin with) This book seriously kept me from ever doing drugs. I was always convinced that I would be that one person who would die. Gold star for saving kids from drug addiction!
This particular SVH edition was a little different. One of the characters tries cocaine for the first time and dies of heart failure. (apparently the kid has some sort of un diagnosed heart defect to begin with) This book seriously kept me from ever doing drugs. I was always convinced that I would be that one person who would die. Gold star for saving kids from drug addiction!
May 16, 2019
This is the one Sweet Valley High book that actually has a genuinely impactful message; don’t do drugs!
I will never forgive Amy and Bruce for the way they treated Regina. She was one of the characters who seemed like an actually nice girl, despite her beauty and wealth she wasn’t a jerk like everyone else is her town!
Her association with the “bad crowd” serves as a warning to all, and the ultimate ending is one I have remembered vividly for the last 24 years! 😂😭
Regina’s story is a cautionary tale which is so, so sad!
I will never forgive Amy and Bruce for the way they treated Regina. She was one of the characters who seemed like an actually nice girl, despite her beauty and wealth she wasn’t a jerk like everyone else is her town!
Her association with the “bad crowd” serves as a warning to all, and the ultimate ending is one I have remembered vividly for the last 24 years! 😂😭
Regina’s story is a cautionary tale which is so, so sad!
August 6, 2008
This book used to make me cry [for obvious reasons] but when I re-read it the other day, I just wanted to strangle Amy Sutton. I will never understand how she got away with breaking up Regina/Bruce and no one at that school blamed her, instead they went after the people who met her all of once or twice. Oh, logic and SVH... you were never destined to meet.
October 31, 2017
29 years later....I still remember that cocaine scene!! Made me feel sad at the time.
January 6, 2011
So yesterday when I thought I had remembered the book where Regina dies after doing cocaine JUST ONCE (thanks to the Forever Young Adult blog), I was wrong. I was reading some older Sweet Valley High reviews/drinking games on that blog and found that THIS was the book where Regina dies. #41 is just the one where everyone blames Molly for Regina's death. However, I'm pretty sure I read both of them.
February 29, 2008
I can't possibly add all of the SVH books I devoured in middle school, but I truly loved this one! Poor Regina! poor Bruce! Bad drugs!!!!!
December 1, 2022
On the Edge
Everyone at SVH seems to be talking about the latest scandal. The feelings brewing between Bruce and Amy. The only one in the dark is Regina herself (Bruce’s long-term girlfriend). But it all comes out at a BBQ the Wakefield’s throw.
Elizabeth wants to warn Regina, but Jeffery tells her it’s best to stay out of it. At the party Amy and Bruce sneak off to “make out” (that is have sex) behind a tree. Elizabeth sends Jeffery to run interference, but it’s too late. Regina sees them, goes off on not only them but everyone at the party, then leaves.
She starts spending time with “bad boy” Justin Bentley whose taken an interest in her. Only she’s not so sure he isn’t over his old girlfriend Molly Hect-whose runs with a bad crowd.
Molly invites them to a party -she has one yearly when her parents are out of town-, and it’s rumored that a famous drug dealer Buzz (Lightyear?) will be there.
Amy and Bruce are working on a project about drugs and Amy’s cousin has been giving them information (which is how they started to get close). She tells them about the infamous Buzz and Molly’s party. Bruce tries to warn Regina, but she blows him off. Elizabeth tries to warm Regina. She blows her off. So Elizabeth tells her brother Nicholas who rushes to the party to get Regina. But on the way he’s pulled over by the cops.
Regina tries to tell Justin she’s uncomfortable with going to the party, but he persuades her to go anyway. Molly coochie cuts Regina and starts to dance with Justin. So Regina starts to drink (beer). Only she’s a lightweight and gets “lightheaded” after a few sips of the stuff. Jan and Molly taunt her about trying to steal Justin. So when Buzz shows up and they get in her grill again about her being a good girl she’s fed up and decides to try a line of cocaine. Then she tries another line. Immediately she starts to get pale and her heartbeat quickens.
The police show up with Nicolas, Buzz dips out the back door, and they call an ambulance to take Regina to the hospital. She asks for Bruce and Elizabeth. But when they get there it’s too late and she’s gone. Turns out she had a bad reaction to a heart condition she had as a baby.
Later Elizabeth finds a letter that Regina wrote to her before the party apologizing to her and saying she understood about Bruce growing away from her and she doesn’t blame him or Amy.
There’s a memorial at the school. Elizabeth speaks and Nicolas reads one of her favorite poems. We see Justin leaving. Molly tries to say something to him, but he brushes her off.
My Thoughts:
SAD! So many things disturbingly wrong with this one. Seriously you don’t know whether to scream in frustration or cry over how tragic this was-and didn’t have to happen-.
First of all, I didn’t know in this which character I hated the most. Bruce, who could have avoided ALL this if he’d have 1 not cheated in the first place? I’m curious to see if he even stays with Amy after this. I guess Peter DeHaven got tired of her and ditched her. Why can’t men see that the “hot, shallow, dumb one” isn’t always the best one? Bruce gave up substance for easy. That’s the first thing that makes me scream in frustration.
By the end of the book, he’s blaming himself and Elizabeth tells him not to. Regina tells him she doesn’t blame him, but guess what. YES, BRUCE IT IS YOUR FAULT! Don’t kid yourself. Regina never would have turned to the bad crowd if you hadn’t have embarrassed the hell out of her at that party. Even if choosing Amy was in my opinion STUPID, you ain’t have to do the girl like that and have sex with another girl while she’s there WITH YOU! Bruce is a heartless ASSHOLE and I was never (NEVER) convinced he’d so call “changed”. Could you not have just (I don’t know) TALKED TO HER and told her your feelings were changing? No one likes to be the deliver of a heartbreak but this could have been better handled. I don’t know maybe the results would have been the same. But Bruce just should have stayed his behind where he was.
Then there’s Amy. AMY, this is also YOUR FAULT. You are the WORSE kind of woman! You are a woman that goes after a man KNOWING damn well, he’s taken because “you can’t help it”. And I cannot WAIT until Bruce plays you for the next piece of behind, he can get. Yeah, I get it feelings happen unexpectedly. HOWEVER, Amy how did you feel when Peter DeHaven was sneaking around behind your back with Joanna? But I guess that does matter to a “Amy” when she sees a man she wants. But I really wanna see Amy get dumped in the next few books.
ELIZABETH oh you get no sympathy from me. NOW you wanna mind your business and its book 40. REALLY? Cause you minded everyone else at SVH the last 39. But you wanna stress how good a “friend” Regina is too you, but you’ll let her show up and let her get made a fool out of in front of the junior class of SVH. I guess there was something wrong with your telephone that you couldn’t call up Bruce and Amy and tell them they were *not* on the guest list. Or maybe just Amy herself. Jessica might have pouted. Amy might have got pissy but yal aren’t all that great friends anyway like you like to remind us. I would have stopped her at the door, pulled to the side, and we would have had words. I would have stepped in front of her before she even got to Bruce and told both of em they weren’t bringing that mess up in my house!
And then Justin. ITS YOUR FAULT TOO! Regina told you a couple of times how she felt. She told you she wasn’t comfortable with Kelly’s. She told you she didn’t want to go to the party. She told once you got there she wanted to leave. Then she told you she needed to go outside and you did NOTHING! You even sat there and watched them taunt her and you didn’t do a damn thing. Not once did I hear Justin say “Regina you don’t have to do this.” Or “Regina let’s go.” Or “Regina NO! I can’t let you do this.” After seeing what it did to Molly. I kinda wanted Nicholas to punch Justin in the face. He deserved it. I can hear him yelling “WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU BRING HER HERE?”
Regina is WAY to forgiving at the end. All these people had a part to play in her death. Molly certainly did because she and Jan goaded her into doing the drugs and they also knew it wasn’t her scene. I definitely would NOT have asked for either Bruce or Elizabeth to be the last people I saw.
Jessica is just as much at fault as the rest because as always she’s an instigator. She doesn’t care about anyone but her own selfish *** and that some drama will pop off for HER entertainment at this party and then is right there crying with the rest of these phonies when she’s gone. PLEASE!
This book does teach a lesson though about how real peer pressure is and the seriousness of substance abuse. And it also teaches people that you have to be REALLY careful about what you do to people because you don’t know what the carless ish you do can lead to and do to another person. If it hadn’t have been drugs, it might have been suicide. You just NEVER know. F**king people over can have some SERIOUS consequences and damage that you’ll be stuck with the rest of your life!
Rating: 7
Everyone at SVH seems to be talking about the latest scandal. The feelings brewing between Bruce and Amy. The only one in the dark is Regina herself (Bruce’s long-term girlfriend). But it all comes out at a BBQ the Wakefield’s throw.
Elizabeth wants to warn Regina, but Jeffery tells her it’s best to stay out of it. At the party Amy and Bruce sneak off to “make out” (that is have sex) behind a tree. Elizabeth sends Jeffery to run interference, but it’s too late. Regina sees them, goes off on not only them but everyone at the party, then leaves.
She starts spending time with “bad boy” Justin Bentley whose taken an interest in her. Only she’s not so sure he isn’t over his old girlfriend Molly Hect-whose runs with a bad crowd.
Molly invites them to a party -she has one yearly when her parents are out of town-, and it’s rumored that a famous drug dealer Buzz (Lightyear?) will be there.
Amy and Bruce are working on a project about drugs and Amy’s cousin has been giving them information (which is how they started to get close). She tells them about the infamous Buzz and Molly’s party. Bruce tries to warn Regina, but she blows him off. Elizabeth tries to warm Regina. She blows her off. So Elizabeth tells her brother Nicholas who rushes to the party to get Regina. But on the way he’s pulled over by the cops.
Regina tries to tell Justin she’s uncomfortable with going to the party, but he persuades her to go anyway. Molly coochie cuts Regina and starts to dance with Justin. So Regina starts to drink (beer). Only she’s a lightweight and gets “lightheaded” after a few sips of the stuff. Jan and Molly taunt her about trying to steal Justin. So when Buzz shows up and they get in her grill again about her being a good girl she’s fed up and decides to try a line of cocaine. Then she tries another line. Immediately she starts to get pale and her heartbeat quickens.
The police show up with Nicolas, Buzz dips out the back door, and they call an ambulance to take Regina to the hospital. She asks for Bruce and Elizabeth. But when they get there it’s too late and she’s gone. Turns out she had a bad reaction to a heart condition she had as a baby.
Later Elizabeth finds a letter that Regina wrote to her before the party apologizing to her and saying she understood about Bruce growing away from her and she doesn’t blame him or Amy.
There’s a memorial at the school. Elizabeth speaks and Nicolas reads one of her favorite poems. We see Justin leaving. Molly tries to say something to him, but he brushes her off.
My Thoughts:
SAD! So many things disturbingly wrong with this one. Seriously you don’t know whether to scream in frustration or cry over how tragic this was-and didn’t have to happen-.
First of all, I didn’t know in this which character I hated the most. Bruce, who could have avoided ALL this if he’d have 1 not cheated in the first place? I’m curious to see if he even stays with Amy after this. I guess Peter DeHaven got tired of her and ditched her. Why can’t men see that the “hot, shallow, dumb one” isn’t always the best one? Bruce gave up substance for easy. That’s the first thing that makes me scream in frustration.
By the end of the book, he’s blaming himself and Elizabeth tells him not to. Regina tells him she doesn’t blame him, but guess what. YES, BRUCE IT IS YOUR FAULT! Don’t kid yourself. Regina never would have turned to the bad crowd if you hadn’t have embarrassed the hell out of her at that party. Even if choosing Amy was in my opinion STUPID, you ain’t have to do the girl like that and have sex with another girl while she’s there WITH YOU! Bruce is a heartless ASSHOLE and I was never (NEVER) convinced he’d so call “changed”. Could you not have just (I don’t know) TALKED TO HER and told her your feelings were changing? No one likes to be the deliver of a heartbreak but this could have been better handled. I don’t know maybe the results would have been the same. But Bruce just should have stayed his behind where he was.
Then there’s Amy. AMY, this is also YOUR FAULT. You are the WORSE kind of woman! You are a woman that goes after a man KNOWING damn well, he’s taken because “you can’t help it”. And I cannot WAIT until Bruce plays you for the next piece of behind, he can get. Yeah, I get it feelings happen unexpectedly. HOWEVER, Amy how did you feel when Peter DeHaven was sneaking around behind your back with Joanna? But I guess that does matter to a “Amy” when she sees a man she wants. But I really wanna see Amy get dumped in the next few books.
ELIZABETH oh you get no sympathy from me. NOW you wanna mind your business and its book 40. REALLY? Cause you minded everyone else at SVH the last 39. But you wanna stress how good a “friend” Regina is too you, but you’ll let her show up and let her get made a fool out of in front of the junior class of SVH. I guess there was something wrong with your telephone that you couldn’t call up Bruce and Amy and tell them they were *not* on the guest list. Or maybe just Amy herself. Jessica might have pouted. Amy might have got pissy but yal aren’t all that great friends anyway like you like to remind us. I would have stopped her at the door, pulled to the side, and we would have had words. I would have stepped in front of her before she even got to Bruce and told both of em they weren’t bringing that mess up in my house!
And then Justin. ITS YOUR FAULT TOO! Regina told you a couple of times how she felt. She told you she wasn’t comfortable with Kelly’s. She told you she didn’t want to go to the party. She told once you got there she wanted to leave. Then she told you she needed to go outside and you did NOTHING! You even sat there and watched them taunt her and you didn’t do a damn thing. Not once did I hear Justin say “Regina you don’t have to do this.” Or “Regina let’s go.” Or “Regina NO! I can’t let you do this.” After seeing what it did to Molly. I kinda wanted Nicholas to punch Justin in the face. He deserved it. I can hear him yelling “WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU BRING HER HERE?”
Regina is WAY to forgiving at the end. All these people had a part to play in her death. Molly certainly did because she and Jan goaded her into doing the drugs and they also knew it wasn’t her scene. I definitely would NOT have asked for either Bruce or Elizabeth to be the last people I saw.
Jessica is just as much at fault as the rest because as always she’s an instigator. She doesn’t care about anyone but her own selfish *** and that some drama will pop off for HER entertainment at this party and then is right there crying with the rest of these phonies when she’s gone. PLEASE!
This book does teach a lesson though about how real peer pressure is and the seriousness of substance abuse. And it also teaches people that you have to be REALLY careful about what you do to people because you don’t know what the carless ish you do can lead to and do to another person. If it hadn’t have been drugs, it might have been suicide. You just NEVER know. F**king people over can have some SERIOUS consequences and damage that you’ll be stuck with the rest of your life!
Rating: 7
March 25, 2018
lmao this is a SVH classic
April 14, 2025
A much more effective anti-drug message than anything else that was around in 1987.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2012
When Regina Morrow finds out that her boyfriend Bruce is seeing another girl, she is devastated. Amy is doing everything she can to separate the two, and it is actually working. Only too well since Regina caught the two of them literally embracing and she goes home crying.
Consequently, Regina cuts herself off from her old crowd and begins hanging around with a group known for using drugs. One couldn't blame her for feeling betrayed by her friends since apparently everyone at school knows about Amy and Bruce fooling around under the pretense of working on their school project.
What made this book have such an impact on the 80s generation was of the literally deadly consequence that occurred when one takes drugs. A heartbreaking story all in all and one that raises that flag for the anti-drug campaign. I would admit that it was one of those stories that definitely scared me off from ever trying any drugs and not giving in to peer pressure concerning that particular vice. Kudos to Pascal!
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title: On the Edge (Sweet Valley High, #40)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie
Consequently, Regina cuts herself off from her old crowd and begins hanging around with a group known for using drugs. One couldn't blame her for feeling betrayed by her friends since apparently everyone at school knows about Amy and Bruce fooling around under the pretense of working on their school project.
What made this book have such an impact on the 80s generation was of the literally deadly consequence that occurred when one takes drugs. A heartbreaking story all in all and one that raises that flag for the anti-drug campaign. I would admit that it was one of those stories that definitely scared me off from ever trying any drugs and not giving in to peer pressure concerning that particular vice. Kudos to Pascal!
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title: On the Edge (Sweet Valley High, #40)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie
September 5, 2015
I'm pretty sure I knew, even when I read this novel as much younger girl, that it was very unlikely that someone would die from snorting cocaine ONE time. Having said that, this book, even knowing that it was melodramatic, has always stayed with me. I feel like a childhood without a deaf girl dying because she did one bad thing and she wasn't Elizabeth Wakefield might have resulted in a very different, and probably less melodramatic, me. Having said that, I highly recommend this book. Because it is hilarious. #SVH
July 11, 2016
Poor old Regina. After being pitied all her life for being profoundly deaf, (yet somehow knowing what people were saying to her even when she was looking away) she had a miraculous operation to give her the gift of hearing, and with that came perfect speech and a perfect set of perfect friends. Who does she think she is? Fate must come and knock her down a peg or two. Let her boyfriend cheat on her so she gets in with a bad crowd. They take drugs, you know! If Regina tries drugs, I bet she'll die on the first go. Anything else would be a bad example to the rest of perfect Sweet Valley.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2008
These books are like junk food...you know you shouldn't but sometimes you can't resist. I often read the Sweet Valley books when I was younger and felt like a trip down memory lane. This one did have a surprising twist near the end though.
October 24, 2010
The covers sucked me in, the books were entertaining and I could not put them down....I loved that the book covers looked so much like the romance novels from Harlequinn that you were not supposed to read at age 10, but these were okay!!
March 30, 2011
One of the two Sweet Valley High books I read as a youngster. I thought it was pretty terrible at the time, but it certainly has stuck with me, and definitely did it's job of making me absolutely terrified of ever taking drugs of any kind! So there's that...
August 9, 2013
3.5 I'm basing it on my first reading when I was in 6th grade. I remember that I rather teared up on this and introduced me to now one of my favorite poets in the world.
May 26, 2021
It’s not a good sign when I close the book more annoyed at Liz than sad about Regina’s death. And yet here we are...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2024
This one seems to come out of nowhere. It's shockingly serious, after the hilarity of the previous few. It hit me hard, as a kid. I'm not sure how many times I read it - a LOT. It's stayed with me all these years. As an adult / mother, that party scene made me cry because I was thinking what her parents will go through later. It's pretty horrible.
Some reviews question the realism of overdosing on just two lines of cocaine. I guess the point of the book was that you just never know - your body might not even be able to handle that (they did specify she transpired to have a heart hiccup no one had really been aware of before).
I wanted to give this 5 stars but I just can't forgive them for letting Amy off the hook in the end. Why isn't she in some asylum getting intensive therapy?? It's true that you can't break up a couple truly in love, but it didn't need to be as brutal as it was. Literally ALL Amy lives for is destroying other people. She's just a nasty bully, through and through. How do her parents think this is okay? Who's putting her or Bruce in their places?? Why is anyone still friends with them? And why isn't Jan getting taken away to prison? She's the one who physically forced Regina's face onto that mirror. Nope, blame it all on Molly. That really outraged me. It undoes all the good work of the message of the book.
Some reviews question the realism of overdosing on just two lines of cocaine. I guess the point of the book was that you just never know - your body might not even be able to handle that (they did specify she transpired to have a heart hiccup no one had really been aware of before).
I wanted to give this 5 stars but I just can't forgive them for letting Amy off the hook in the end. Why isn't she in some asylum getting intensive therapy?? It's true that you can't break up a couple truly in love, but it didn't need to be as brutal as it was. Literally ALL Amy lives for is destroying other people. She's just a nasty bully, through and through. How do her parents think this is okay? Who's putting her or Bruce in their places?? Why is anyone still friends with them? And why isn't Jan getting taken away to prison? She's the one who physically forced Regina's face onto that mirror. Nope, blame it all on Molly. That really outraged me. It undoes all the good work of the message of the book.
May 24, 2020
I didn't expect anything from this book. It started as many others, the typical story of the perfect high school couple which is not so perfect after all. So we have the typical white blondie chick that comes into Bruce and Regina and break them apart. So Regina is very, very heartbroken. She starts hanging out with Justin, a guy that everyone says is bad influence (he's not. He's sweet). Okay so at this point of the book I wasn't impressed but then, at the last 40 pages this goddamn book gives such a plot twist OMFG. WHY, FRANCINE PASCAL, WHY? it left me speechless. It's that what makes this story different from the others. I want to pay respects to the character that died, because she deserved so much freaking more. F for her. In conclusion, read this little book. It's really entertaining since page 1 and you'll take a big, big surprise when the plot changes so out of the blue. Shout out to the author, whose prose is amazing and I really want to read more from her🖤
December 2, 2019
One of my favorite SVH books of all time, this is the one where Regina finds out that Bruce was cheating on her and dumps him and immediately falls into a "bad crowd" of kids who *gasp* do drugs. Better than DARE programs, I'm pretty sure this book scared me off from ever trying cocaine throughout my adolescence, as Regina actually winds up dying just hours after snorting 2 lines at a party and the book doesn't really even show if she liked it, just how fucking sad it makes the whole school (except maybe Amy Sutton, the boyrfriend stealing superwhore). At any rate, the 40th book in the series is high on the drama and cheese and I enjoyed it way more than the book itself merits, but this is my review and this book was rad. 3.5 stars rounded up.
July 12, 2017
I was visiting my younger sister last week, and she'd had the great luck of finding the SVH series at a used bookstore. Of course she bought them because of the nostalgia factor. Anyway, we'd been talking about the riveting cocaine scene and I decided to re-read the book since it's been something like 20-30 years since I first read it. Needless to say, it did not disappoint.
December 15, 2021
In which Tragically Deaf Regina dies from a line of coke.
After Bruce brutally cheats on her with turbo slut Amy Sutton, Regina goes a bit off the rails and starts hanging with the druggy kids, she does one line of coke and has a rare fatal allergic reaction and dies (don't do drugs kids!)
It's all very sad
After Bruce brutally cheats on her with turbo slut Amy Sutton, Regina goes a bit off the rails and starts hanging with the druggy kids, she does one line of coke and has a rare fatal allergic reaction and dies (don't do drugs kids!)
It's all very sad
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2024
I guess I had blacked out in my mind about this particular title. As the memories came flooding back, I just knew that it was going to be difficult to get through this one. Regina Morrow is one of my favorite characters from the series. Perhaps one of the heaviest titles in the series as it does discuss drug use among teenagers. A subject that was very much a concern in 1980s USA and is still relevant today.
I think I have to take some time before reading anymore titles in the series to ease my broken heart.
Goodreads review published 09/08/24
I think I have to take some time before reading anymore titles in the series to ease my broken heart.
Goodreads review published 09/08/24
February 1, 2025
I forgot what happens to Regina. So this was the moment... Sheesh... emotional overload and then that... This book has a bit of a punch to it that one may not see coming. Not common in this series. But I am also annoyed. They had a great opportunity to have this ending mean something but they downplayed it and even add a uplifted twist. I wanted to get in Bruce's head in the end. And her brothers... This should have had a bigger impact. I get not everyone will can but some should have more.
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