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Sweet Valley High: Academic All-Star?
When Jessica falls in love with her Shakespeare teacher, she begins to act like her studious twin sister Elizabeth to impress him. Now it's up to Elizabeth to make sure that all's well that end well - but with Jessica playing her role, will anyone be able to tell which twin is which?
The treasured series that has entertained generations and sold over 60 million books returns! Fans of the over 600 classic novels and spinoffs and the TV show will adore this charming graphic novel from rising star writer Katy Rex (Charmed Magic School, Jade Street Protection Services) and artist Devaki Neogi (The Skeptics, Curb Stomp). Sweet Valley High is also in development as a major motion picture.
The treasured series that has entertained generations and sold over 60 million books returns! Fans of the over 600 classic novels and spinoffs and the TV show will adore this charming graphic novel from rising star writer Katy Rex (Charmed Magic School, Jade Street Protection Services) and artist Devaki Neogi (The Skeptics, Curb Stomp). Sweet Valley High is also in development as a major motion picture.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
29 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
August 3, 2019
[e-ARC received from Netgalley]
A little bit cliché but I like it.
A little bit cliché but I like it.
July 28, 2019
After spending much time, effort and money going through an ‘if I could turn back time’ phase several years ago collecting The Baby-Sitters Club books, I turned my attention to another set of childhood memories, those involving Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield. After more time, effort, money and an entire box full of Sweet Valley High books later I realised how impossibly large the task I’d set for myself really was.
It turns out Sweet Valley High series not only contained over 150 books, but it also had multiple Super Editions, Super Thrillers, Super Stars, Magna Editions and TV Editions. Then there were the plethora of spinoffs, which themselves oftentimes had their own special editions:
* Sweet Valley Kids with Super Snoopers, Hair Raiser Super Special and Super Specials
* Sweet Valley Twins with Super Editions, Super Chillers, Magna Editions, The Unicorn Club and Team Sweet Valley
* Sweet Valley Junior High
* Sweet Valley High Senior Year
* Sweet Valley University with Super Thrillers
* Elizabeth
* Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later
* The Sweet Life.
Eek! When I encountered these apparently never ending lists I reluctantly admitted defeat. I had to consider my sanity, budget and let’s not forget the need for magical, never ending bookcases. Then there was the fact that I hadn’t read a single SVH book since the 90’s so who knew if I’d even enjoy them as an adult!
So here we are, several years later and I still haven’t picked up my second hand copy of Double Love yet. Stumbling upon this graphic novel feels like cheating in a way but what a fun way to figure out if a SVH readathon will be in my near future or not.
I remember feeling so grown up reading the early books in the series on the beach as a pre-teen and having in depth conversations with friends about whether we were Jessica’s or Elizabeth’s. I always aspired to be like Elizabeth because she was the smart yet still gorgeous twin, the one who liked reading (what a surprise!) and I also aspired to find my own Todd. What was I thinking?! I don’t remember him being so vapid, whingey and clingy.
Meanwhile, Jessica is being typical Jessica. She missed too many English classes so she has to take a class at Sweet Valley University, where the boys are older and much more mature than high school boys. Naturally the one she’s interested in is a T.A. Never one to shy away from manipulating a situation for her own benefit, Jessica decides she needs to dress more like Elizabeth so she can appear smarter and get her man!
Jessica and her friends mention the Boosters several times, which is weird as this is Sweet Valley High. As far as I knew the Boosters were the Sweet Valley Middle School cheerleading squad from Sweet Valley Twins, not the high school one, whose name (if they had one) escapes me.
I wasn’t entirely sure about the introduction of modern technology in Sweet Valley but I didn’t mind after I got used to it. I even liked Jessica’s Instagram name: DEVILINABLUEJESS.
It may be due to the nature of the format or perhaps time has dampened my recollections but all of the characters’ personalities seem amplified in this graphic novel and it makes for a fun, dramatic read. When I was about halfway through the story I wasn’t sure I’d want to continue but with the introduction of a new boy (of course he’s cute! Isn’t that one of the prerequisites for living in Sweet Valley?) and some deviously unanswered questions dangling in the air I think I’ve accidentally gotten hooked. I’ll be there for the next installment and I expect to have as much nostalgic fun as I did during this one.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dynamite Entertainment and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
It turns out Sweet Valley High series not only contained over 150 books, but it also had multiple Super Editions, Super Thrillers, Super Stars, Magna Editions and TV Editions. Then there were the plethora of spinoffs, which themselves oftentimes had their own special editions:
* Sweet Valley Kids with Super Snoopers, Hair Raiser Super Special and Super Specials
* Sweet Valley Twins with Super Editions, Super Chillers, Magna Editions, The Unicorn Club and Team Sweet Valley
* Sweet Valley Junior High
* Sweet Valley High Senior Year
* Sweet Valley University with Super Thrillers
* Elizabeth
* Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later
* The Sweet Life.
Eek! When I encountered these apparently never ending lists I reluctantly admitted defeat. I had to consider my sanity, budget and let’s not forget the need for magical, never ending bookcases. Then there was the fact that I hadn’t read a single SVH book since the 90’s so who knew if I’d even enjoy them as an adult!
So here we are, several years later and I still haven’t picked up my second hand copy of Double Love yet. Stumbling upon this graphic novel feels like cheating in a way but what a fun way to figure out if a SVH readathon will be in my near future or not.
I remember feeling so grown up reading the early books in the series on the beach as a pre-teen and having in depth conversations with friends about whether we were Jessica’s or Elizabeth’s. I always aspired to be like Elizabeth because she was the smart yet still gorgeous twin, the one who liked reading (what a surprise!) and I also aspired to find my own Todd. What was I thinking?! I don’t remember him being so vapid, whingey and clingy.
Ugh! Run, Elizabeth, run! Run as fast as you can!
Meanwhile, Jessica is being typical Jessica. She missed too many English classes so she has to take a class at Sweet Valley University, where the boys are older and much more mature than high school boys. Naturally the one she’s interested in is a T.A. Never one to shy away from manipulating a situation for her own benefit, Jessica decides she needs to dress more like Elizabeth so she can appear smarter and get her man!
As usual, Jessica is in love with the idea of being in love but there’s more to this crush than meets the eye. I seem to recall boy trouble and twin swaps being fairly consistent plot points in the original series and they’re front and centre here as well.
Jessica and her friends mention the Boosters several times, which is weird as this is Sweet Valley High. As far as I knew the Boosters were the Sweet Valley Middle School cheerleading squad from Sweet Valley Twins, not the high school one, whose name (if they had one) escapes me.
I wasn’t entirely sure about the introduction of modern technology in Sweet Valley but I didn’t mind after I got used to it. I even liked Jessica’s Instagram name: DEVILINABLUEJESS.
It may be due to the nature of the format or perhaps time has dampened my recollections but all of the characters’ personalities seem amplified in this graphic novel and it makes for a fun, dramatic read. When I was about halfway through the story I wasn’t sure I’d want to continue but with the introduction of a new boy (of course he’s cute! Isn’t that one of the prerequisites for living in Sweet Valley?) and some deviously unanswered questions dangling in the air I think I’ve accidentally gotten hooked. I’ll be there for the next installment and I expect to have as much nostalgic fun as I did during this one.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dynamite Entertainment and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
April 24, 2020
| Reader Fox Blog |
Fun fact about me: though I loved and greedily read through the Sweet Valley University series when I was 8-10 years old, I never actually read the Sweet Valley High books. As a result, it should come as no surprise that I liked Tom far more than I ever liked Todd. The experiences that I shared initially with the Wakefield twins that prompted me to request the newly adapted graphic novel Sweet Valley High: Academic All-Star? by Katy Rex, Andres Genolet, and illustrated by Devaki Neogi from NetGalley were all their college ones. Therefore, getting thrown back into Jessica and Elizabeth's world with many characters I recognized but in completely different points in their lives was interesting. I was thrilled to see, though, that as always I still identified very strongly with Elizabeth, a girl whose name matched my middle one and resulted in that connection feeling even stronger.
The Wakefield twins are back, Elizabeth biting off far more than she can chew with all of her academic and philanthropic projects alongside trying to still make sure she has time for her boyfriend and Jessica acting like her usual boy crazy self and going after a guy far too old for her, her summer school teacher. Very quickly, as you enter this story, you feel like you're back in the world that you remember from before with characters you never really forgot. I was amazed by how brilliantly the characters were captured right from the get go. And the really brilliant thing about this graphic novel is that the world was updated for modern times.
We're not just reading about Elizabeth and Jessica, we're reading about them as they would be if they'd had smart phones and Instagram back when they were teenagers. Phones and texting is a constant piece and it should come as no surprise that Jessica is rather attached to posting her entire life online. And while this adapted piece wasn't the centerfold of the story, it was really fun to see how the lives of these two girls changed just a little bit with that technology. And as the Sweet Valley High series grows older, it's nice to see it modified to bring in a new generation of readers.
The artwork is pretty and accurate. It really does an amazing job of moving the story along and I loved seeing all these characters among the pages rather than just across the cover. The story is pretty typical for the characters, matching everyone quite well. I admittedly have moved far past these kind of stories, but it was nice to take a step back to remember what I did love way back when.
I did really enjoy this story. It definitely brought me back to the days of my childhood when I was reading books that were definitely discussing topics a bit too advanced for someone so young. It was a light and fluffy read that I'm really glad to have gotten the chance to read and does somewhat make me wish that I had all those books still--unfortunately, they were passed on to other readers through a thrift shop some time ago. Fun and quick, this is a book that anyone who loves the twins will enjoy reading. And as for new readers, I hope they enjoy it as well.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
| Twitter | Instagram | Reader Fox Blog | Bloglovin’ | Facebook |
Fun fact about me: though I loved and greedily read through the Sweet Valley University series when I was 8-10 years old, I never actually read the Sweet Valley High books. As a result, it should come as no surprise that I liked Tom far more than I ever liked Todd. The experiences that I shared initially with the Wakefield twins that prompted me to request the newly adapted graphic novel Sweet Valley High: Academic All-Star? by Katy Rex, Andres Genolet, and illustrated by Devaki Neogi from NetGalley were all their college ones. Therefore, getting thrown back into Jessica and Elizabeth's world with many characters I recognized but in completely different points in their lives was interesting. I was thrilled to see, though, that as always I still identified very strongly with Elizabeth, a girl whose name matched my middle one and resulted in that connection feeling even stronger.
The Wakefield twins are back, Elizabeth biting off far more than she can chew with all of her academic and philanthropic projects alongside trying to still make sure she has time for her boyfriend and Jessica acting like her usual boy crazy self and going after a guy far too old for her, her summer school teacher. Very quickly, as you enter this story, you feel like you're back in the world that you remember from before with characters you never really forgot. I was amazed by how brilliantly the characters were captured right from the get go. And the really brilliant thing about this graphic novel is that the world was updated for modern times.
We're not just reading about Elizabeth and Jessica, we're reading about them as they would be if they'd had smart phones and Instagram back when they were teenagers. Phones and texting is a constant piece and it should come as no surprise that Jessica is rather attached to posting her entire life online. And while this adapted piece wasn't the centerfold of the story, it was really fun to see how the lives of these two girls changed just a little bit with that technology. And as the Sweet Valley High series grows older, it's nice to see it modified to bring in a new generation of readers.
The artwork is pretty and accurate. It really does an amazing job of moving the story along and I loved seeing all these characters among the pages rather than just across the cover. The story is pretty typical for the characters, matching everyone quite well. I admittedly have moved far past these kind of stories, but it was nice to take a step back to remember what I did love way back when.
I did really enjoy this story. It definitely brought me back to the days of my childhood when I was reading books that were definitely discussing topics a bit too advanced for someone so young. It was a light and fluffy read that I'm really glad to have gotten the chance to read and does somewhat make me wish that I had all those books still--unfortunately, they were passed on to other readers through a thrift shop some time ago. Fun and quick, this is a book that anyone who loves the twins will enjoy reading. And as for new readers, I hope they enjoy it as well.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
| Twitter | Instagram | Reader Fox Blog | Bloglovin’ | Facebook |
January 29, 2020
I would like to thank Netgalley for my copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 29, 2019
Sweet Valley High is given a modern graphic novel make-over with booksmart Elizabeth and boy crazy Jessica.
Ehhh….so this wasn’t all that and a bag of chips.
Granted, I’m a couple years younger than the Sweet Valley High audience. While I did read the books, I want to say that I read them in fourth grade? Fifth grade? So I was a little younger than the target audience…and I haven’t read them since.
It’s summer and Elizabeth is juggling her volunteer work (so many!) and lifeguarding job and boyfriend, while said boyfriend is getting jealous over the little amount of time Elizabeth has reserved for him.
Meanwhile, Jessica is stuck in summer school at the local college, but is playing it up by pretending to be dating her hot TA. While this has been updated from the original (I can’t remember if she actually dated him or was just pretending), it was still really cringe-worthy in this year of Beyoncé 2019 for a 16-year-old to be dating her adult TA, even if Elizabeth calls out the attraction/potential dating for what it was—super creepy.
In addition to the dating the professor trope, I wasn’t bowled over by the illustrations. It felt very…80s. Which was nostalgic, but was a sharp contrast when they start talking about instagram and snapchat and there are these super dated illustrations. I dunno.
Finally, the nail in the coffin of my dislike were several blatant Mean Girls quotes that weren’t even credited back to Mean Girls!
Mean Girls aside, eeeeeeek.
Ultimately, I was not impressed by this—and I had been super excited to see Sweet Valley High updated!
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
Ehhh….so this wasn’t all that and a bag of chips.
Granted, I’m a couple years younger than the Sweet Valley High audience. While I did read the books, I want to say that I read them in fourth grade? Fifth grade? So I was a little younger than the target audience…and I haven’t read them since.
It’s summer and Elizabeth is juggling her volunteer work (so many!) and lifeguarding job and boyfriend, while said boyfriend is getting jealous over the little amount of time Elizabeth has reserved for him.
Meanwhile, Jessica is stuck in summer school at the local college, but is playing it up by pretending to be dating her hot TA. While this has been updated from the original (I can’t remember if she actually dated him or was just pretending), it was still really cringe-worthy in this year of Beyoncé 2019 for a 16-year-old to be dating her adult TA, even if Elizabeth calls out the attraction/potential dating for what it was—super creepy.
In addition to the dating the professor trope, I wasn’t bowled over by the illustrations. It felt very…80s. Which was nostalgic, but was a sharp contrast when they start talking about instagram and snapchat and there are these super dated illustrations. I dunno.
Finally, the nail in the coffin of my dislike were several blatant Mean Girls quotes that weren’t even credited back to Mean Girls!
Mean Girls aside, eeeeeeek.
Ultimately, I was not impressed by this—and I had been super excited to see Sweet Valley High updated!
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
July 21, 2019
I got this from netgalley for a fair and honest opinion. I must say I had hoped I would like this better than what I did but I didn't. Everything was just too cliche and eh for my taste and the drawings were not the best either. The only thing keeping this from a one star rating was the ending did pick up enough that I liked it and am interested to see what happens in the next part.
June 12, 2022
Enjoyable enough, but not really blowing my mind or making me want to read the next installment in the series. I did like the art, though.
July 2, 2019
I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.
I'm not going to lie, I LOVED Sweet Valley High books when I was in elementary school and junior high, so when I saw this on Netgalley I got SO excited. This is as good as the original with our twin sisters getting into trouble, however, this is definitely updated with the technology that is around today and how THAT can get you into trouble too. This was a fun troublesome twin adventure and I am excited what more is in store with Sweet Valley High coming back into my life!
I'm not going to lie, I LOVED Sweet Valley High books when I was in elementary school and junior high, so when I saw this on Netgalley I got SO excited. This is as good as the original with our twin sisters getting into trouble, however, this is definitely updated with the technology that is around today and how THAT can get you into trouble too. This was a fun troublesome twin adventure and I am excited what more is in store with Sweet Valley High coming back into my life!
July 30, 2019
I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who grew up reading and loving the Sweet Valley High books, I was super stoked to find out it was being rebooted into a modern day graphic novel, and after reading it, I honestly have mixed opinions on how I feel about it. I liked the graphics and artwork, the story was very cliche but still enjoyable and left me wanting to already pick up the next one in the series. I did however feel confused several times by the story line and trying to keep track of which one was Jessica and which one is Elizabeth, since they are twins and in my opinion this took away from the story.
As someone who grew up reading and loving the Sweet Valley High books, I was super stoked to find out it was being rebooted into a modern day graphic novel, and after reading it, I honestly have mixed opinions on how I feel about it. I liked the graphics and artwork, the story was very cliche but still enjoyable and left me wanting to already pick up the next one in the series. I did however feel confused several times by the story line and trying to keep track of which one was Jessica and which one is Elizabeth, since they are twins and in my opinion this took away from the story.
August 8, 2019
Let's get the obvious out of the way right now. I know my Sweet Valley. I probably know it far too well, if we're being honest.
This isn't Sweet Valley High.
This is Sweet Valley Twins goes to Sweet Valley High.
If you're new to SVH, that's not going to mean anything to you and welcome to the weirdness. But if you're reading this out of nostalgic curiosity there's a decent chance you get the distinction.
For one, the Boosters are mentioned a lot. That's a SVT thing. SVH just had the cheerleading squad. The Unicorns may or may not be the group of girls who descend on the Wakefield house at the start of the book to watch their favorite soap opera, but based on the comment Lila makes later about having Winston make her a Unicorn frap, it's a distinct possibility. Ellen's here but Enid is nowhere to be found? Why. Amy's a brunette, something I could see SVT Amy as being (her hair was turning darker as she grew up- I always assumed SVH Amy either spent just enough time outside to stave of the brown or that she dyed it) but she's a Mean Girls quoting (to the point of distraction when we first meet her) friend of Jessica's.
Elizabeth's only friends that we see are Jessica and Todd, and we skipped right to the Todd's a tool portion of Sweet Valley. It's damn near impossible for me to imagine the Todd most fans think of when discussing SV not knowing when to pause a conversation (like when Liz is being fussed at during her lifeguard gig) or entertaining the notion of the twin he sees making googly eyes at another guy being Jessica, no matter how she's dressed. Without Todd being new, there's no excuse for that. And he's not new- he and Liz have been dating forever at this point.
Which means we also skipped right to Liz being overwhelmed by her extracurricular activities and possibly cheating on Todd. Joy?
The biggest plus is that the storyline that made me full body cringe when I read the summary isn't played completely straight. Liz points out, repeatedly, how wrong it is if Jessica's T.A. really is dating her. Jessica pretends to humor her enough to stay out of trouble but still makes a fool of herself.
Lila being a beauty influencer makes sense and the social media updates work better than I imagined. Jessica's IG name is inspired, even.
But I'm not sure who this is for, as it doesn't smash the nostalgia buttons hard enough and the release was pushed around so much that I'm not sure there's going to be anyone just randomly finding this and falling in love with SVH for the first time. I'd like to be wrong, though.
And for the record, this is way better than The Book We Don't Mention and its sequels as well as the short-reboot from a few years ago.
This isn't Sweet Valley High.
This is Sweet Valley Twins goes to Sweet Valley High.
If you're new to SVH, that's not going to mean anything to you and welcome to the weirdness. But if you're reading this out of nostalgic curiosity there's a decent chance you get the distinction.
For one, the Boosters are mentioned a lot. That's a SVT thing. SVH just had the cheerleading squad. The Unicorns may or may not be the group of girls who descend on the Wakefield house at the start of the book to watch their favorite soap opera, but based on the comment Lila makes later about having Winston make her a Unicorn frap, it's a distinct possibility. Ellen's here but Enid is nowhere to be found? Why. Amy's a brunette, something I could see SVT Amy as being (her hair was turning darker as she grew up- I always assumed SVH Amy either spent just enough time outside to stave of the brown or that she dyed it) but she's a Mean Girls quoting (to the point of distraction when we first meet her) friend of Jessica's.
Elizabeth's only friends that we see are Jessica and Todd, and we skipped right to the Todd's a tool portion of Sweet Valley. It's damn near impossible for me to imagine the Todd most fans think of when discussing SV not knowing when to pause a conversation (like when Liz is being fussed at during her lifeguard gig) or entertaining the notion of the twin he sees making googly eyes at another guy being Jessica, no matter how she's dressed. Without Todd being new, there's no excuse for that. And he's not new- he and Liz have been dating forever at this point.
Which means we also skipped right to Liz being overwhelmed by her extracurricular activities and possibly cheating on Todd. Joy?
The biggest plus is that the storyline that made me full body cringe when I read the summary isn't played completely straight. Liz points out, repeatedly, how wrong it is if Jessica's T.A. really is dating her. Jessica pretends to humor her enough to stay out of trouble but still makes a fool of herself.
Lila being a beauty influencer makes sense and the social media updates work better than I imagined. Jessica's IG name is inspired, even.
But I'm not sure who this is for, as it doesn't smash the nostalgia buttons hard enough and the release was pushed around so much that I'm not sure there's going to be anyone just randomly finding this and falling in love with SVH for the first time. I'd like to be wrong, though.
And for the record, this is way better than The Book We Don't Mention and its sequels as well as the short-reboot from a few years ago.
July 6, 2019
When I was a kid it was the biggest treat when my Grandpa would take me out to the diner for pie and we would stop at the bookstore and he would buy me a Sweet Valley High book. My associations with this series are so tied into those memories that I can’t help feeling warm and fuzzy about it. This was about 30 years ago so I was curious how my deep love for SVH would hold up and how the stories would be updated. I was hoping for a diverse, feminist take on the Wakefield twins similar to the new Jem and Nancy Drew series.
The art style and colouring were just OK. It was nothing especially beautiful or interesting but it got the story across just fine. I appreciate that the girls weren’t overly sexualized. They are sixteen after all and I didn’t want to see a focus on T & A. Thankfully the depictions are age appropriate.
The storyline was a bit of a miss for me. It’s great that this tackles the perils of social media and the contrast between Instagram image and reality. It’s certainly a timely, relevant topic. I was a little squicked out by the “affair” between Jessica and her adult T.A. but Elizabeth was suitably vocal and outraged so it was not presented as an ordinary relationship. For both of the twins their relationships with boys seemed to be a defining feature of their lives. Yes, I remember what it was like to be sixteen and this was completely true but I guess I was hoping for something a little deeper from the story, not just “boy trouble.” Yes, Elizabeth has a lot of other things in her life and is kind of amazing but it feels like she is a bit of a failure because her boyfriend doesn’t feel that she makes time for him. When did Todd become such a jerk anyway? I remember book Todd as being the perfect boyfriend, and maybe for my ten year old self he was a dream but this Todd is far from ideal. He’s awful and I’m crushed!
I don’t know if my fond childhood memories glossed over the issues with SVH and if I went in to this with super high expectations that could never be met but I was disappointed. I think there was the potential to do so much more with these characters and the opportunity to be really modern and progressive was not taken. It wasn’t a terrible graphic novel by any means but it could have been so much more.
Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and Dynamite Entertainment for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
The art style and colouring were just OK. It was nothing especially beautiful or interesting but it got the story across just fine. I appreciate that the girls weren’t overly sexualized. They are sixteen after all and I didn’t want to see a focus on T & A. Thankfully the depictions are age appropriate.
The storyline was a bit of a miss for me. It’s great that this tackles the perils of social media and the contrast between Instagram image and reality. It’s certainly a timely, relevant topic. I was a little squicked out by the “affair” between Jessica and her adult T.A. but Elizabeth was suitably vocal and outraged so it was not presented as an ordinary relationship. For both of the twins their relationships with boys seemed to be a defining feature of their lives. Yes, I remember what it was like to be sixteen and this was completely true but I guess I was hoping for something a little deeper from the story, not just “boy trouble.” Yes, Elizabeth has a lot of other things in her life and is kind of amazing but it feels like she is a bit of a failure because her boyfriend doesn’t feel that she makes time for him. When did Todd become such a jerk anyway? I remember book Todd as being the perfect boyfriend, and maybe for my ten year old self he was a dream but this Todd is far from ideal. He’s awful and I’m crushed!
I don’t know if my fond childhood memories glossed over the issues with SVH and if I went in to this with super high expectations that could never be met but I was disappointed. I think there was the potential to do so much more with these characters and the opportunity to be really modern and progressive was not taken. It wasn’t a terrible graphic novel by any means but it could have been so much more.
Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and Dynamite Entertainment for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
July 24, 2019
Reading this is sort of a nostalgia trip, but not in as good as way as I thought. In trying to bring the sorts of stories that Sweet Valley High is known for, screaming and kicking into the 21st century, there are some odd moments, such as the use of social media, and the drumming into the story that under age girls should not have relationships with older men.
For those who never read the series, I'm not sure if they would be bothered by the updates, and think of this as a typical story, and have fun with the antics of the twins.
For me, I like better, how the Baby Sitters Club graphic novelization has been handled, keeping it firmly in the 1990s, from where it sprang.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
For those who never read the series, I'm not sure if they would be bothered by the updates, and think of this as a typical story, and have fun with the antics of the twins.
For me, I like better, how the Baby Sitters Club graphic novelization has been handled, keeping it firmly in the 1990s, from where it sprang.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Read
July 17, 2021I don't even know how to rate this. On one hand, the writer can't even keep track of her own story. For instance, Todd is so poor he needs a basketball scholarship for college but a few pages later, he and his mom are buying Elizabeth an Hermes scarf! Later, Elizabeth says she and Todd have been dating since 2nd grade, then a few pages later, it's 6th grade. What??
Jessica is perfect. Annoying, selfish, deluded, all the best worst traits of the OG series are in this iteration. Elizabeth is unbelievable--Todd says to her at one point, "Between lifeguarding, volunteering at the hospice, walking dogs for the shelter, and teaching horseback riding to blind children, it's like you don't have any time for me!" Liz is also knitting scarves for wounded veterans, helping with Model U.N., and a dozen other things. It's so over the top ridiculous that I bust out laughing every few pages.
Amy Sutton is tolerable here, as is Lila and some random girl named Ellen. This book pulls from SV canon to discuss Steven's relationship with Tricia Martin (and Jessica's disapproval). Bruce is referenced a few times (but not his car and 1BRUCE1). Classic twin confusion abounds. Todd is the worst.
There is an important discussion about crossing lines, power differentials, and Jessica's "fauxmance" with her TA--literally everyone tells Jess it's a bad idea to get in a relationship with him, but she doesn't understand why. Unfortunately, it's largely overshadowed by the rest of the plot's nonsense.
It's like the book was written as a fever dream. Or is a parody. Or satire. It's just so...funny.
Jessica is perfect. Annoying, selfish, deluded, all the best worst traits of the OG series are in this iteration. Elizabeth is unbelievable--Todd says to her at one point, "Between lifeguarding, volunteering at the hospice, walking dogs for the shelter, and teaching horseback riding to blind children, it's like you don't have any time for me!" Liz is also knitting scarves for wounded veterans, helping with Model U.N., and a dozen other things. It's so over the top ridiculous that I bust out laughing every few pages.
Amy Sutton is tolerable here, as is Lila and some random girl named Ellen. This book pulls from SV canon to discuss Steven's relationship with Tricia Martin (and Jessica's disapproval). Bruce is referenced a few times (but not his car and 1BRUCE1). Classic twin confusion abounds. Todd is the worst.
There is an important discussion about crossing lines, power differentials, and Jessica's "fauxmance" with her TA--literally everyone tells Jess it's a bad idea to get in a relationship with him, but she doesn't understand why. Unfortunately, it's largely overshadowed by the rest of the plot's nonsense.
It's like the book was written as a fever dream. Or is a parody. Or satire. It's just so...funny.
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March 31, 2023I think my biggest issue with this is that it just doesn't feel like Sweet Valley. I think it's partially the fact that it mostly uses SVTwins canon, with a touch of SVH thrown in (Tricia Martin) and some really weird changes (Mrs. Wilkins and her label obsession and that bizarre "hipping and hopping" line), but it's more than that. Elizabeth doesn't feel like Elizabeth at all, but rather a kind of caricature of someone who is a community minded good student. Jessica is more Jess-ish, but almost not extreme enough. You know the real Jess would've tried a lot harder to nab her TA!
The weirdest part for me is that you basically needed to already know who Liz and Jess are for this to make sense from the beginning, and the people who DO know them are the ones wishing this graphic novel had a better understanding of its ancestral roots.
I think it's time for the powers that be to stop trying to reboot Sweet Valley, and I say this as a huge fan of 30 years. For the people who are the right demographic for it, it's the series their parents read, which is a real turn-off when you're a teen. For those of us who still hold great love for it, the reboots don't hit the mark, because they're too focused on modernisation and not enough on the soul of the originals.
The weirdest part for me is that you basically needed to already know who Liz and Jess are for this to make sense from the beginning, and the people who DO know them are the ones wishing this graphic novel had a better understanding of its ancestral roots.
I think it's time for the powers that be to stop trying to reboot Sweet Valley, and I say this as a huge fan of 30 years. For the people who are the right demographic for it, it's the series their parents read, which is a real turn-off when you're a teen. For those of us who still hold great love for it, the reboots don't hit the mark, because they're too focused on modernisation and not enough on the soul of the originals.
December 11, 2020
It's Sweet Valley High and it's a graphic novel. OF COURSE I was going to read it. But it doesn't translate as well as I would hope, especially making it present-day. Teens now are far more aware of issues that would have been brushed under the rug in m y day, and thus, Elizabeth nd Jessica need to stay in the 80s to make sense.
October 6, 2021
This was a random impulse buy when I was building my Sweet Valley High collection-- apparently a few years ago, someone tried to make the Wakefield twins and their Sweet Valley world into a graphic novel for the Gen Z kids, and this (I THINK?) is the only one that was ever printed. The story is simple (I mean, its a comic book...)-- Jessica falls for the TA teaching the summer school class at the community college she has to take, while Elizabeth has overscheduled her summer with a million volunteer projects and extracurriculars and Todd feels neglected. Except that in MODERN DAY Sweet Valley, Elizabeth actually points out how super-problematic Jess trying to date an adult man is, and Jessica, rather than just sending herself fake flowers or something, makes an entire Instagram faux-mance saga about her and her teacher (who is kind to her, but not interested). And Elizabeth gets legitimately annoyed at Todd, and doesn't consider at all cutting back on her commitments because he and his only-interested-in-basketball-self doesn't get that she actually cares about these causes and that her life is just as important as their relationship- also, he's whiny AF. I enjoyed this little book for what it was, even if its disconcerting to think of the Wakefields in modern times because.... they don't fit. They're relics. Antiquated. Vaguely racist. Definitely ablist. Weirdly 1950s-ish. So it doesn't work for me in my head. Would I have read more of these if they'd actually been printed/ become a thing? Probaby. For the same reason why I watched all the weird Brady Bunch drama TV episdoes in the late 80s where they had Marcia going through a divorce and Bobby getting paralyzed and shit. Because I love my childhood fandoms. 3 stars. The art was ok? I'm not a good critic. Sometimes their faces looked weird to me, but the clothes were well drawn? I think? Recommended only for SVH nerds.
September 4, 2019
I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Diamond Book Distributors. Trigger warnings: supposed adult/teen romance.
When Jessica Wakefield falls for her summer English teacher, she begins imitating her more studious twin sister, Elizabeth, to get his attention. With her busy schedule, Elizabeth barely has time to spend with her boyfriend, Todd, this summer. When Todd spots Elizabeth with an older guy, tensions run high between him and the twins. Can Elizabeth set everything right before they all get in over their heads? This graphic novel revisits beloved characters in sunny Sweet Valley, California.
I have a long and fond history with the Sweet Valley series. When I was younger, it was all I wanted to read, and I still revisit my favorites every now and then as an adult. When I saw that it had been made into a graphic novel, I couldn’t pass it up, and it’s a pleasant read for fans of the characters. I recommend some familiarity with the universe, since it doesn’t spend a lot of time establishing place, characters, or backstory, and it probably doesn’t need to.
The artwork isn’t award-winning, but given the genre, there’s no reason it should be. It’s appropriate to the content in being fun, bright, and effective, and I enjoyed seeing characters I’ve been picturing for over a decade come alive on the page. The story has been updated to include newer technology like texting and more modern slang. Occasionally, it feels a little forced, more like what an adult thinks teenagers sound like than what they actually sound like–but since I’m not a teenager, I could be wrong. I also like the way Elizabeth directly calls out the issues with Jessica dating an older man and why it’s his responsibility, as the adult, to stop that from happening. Sweet Valley has never been what anyone would consider socially aware, and it’s a nice change.
The story is simple and classic, and it shows both twins behaving as we’ve always known them: free-spirited Jessica who’s quick to fall in love, consequences be damned, and responsible Elizabeth who helps clean up the mess and still has time to volunteer and go on a date with her steady boyfriend. I was a kid when I read most of these, so of course I thought Todd was the perfect dreamy boyfriend, but he comes over as a bit of a spoiled, jealous jerk in this story. Given my general feelings on love interests, it’s possible I would feel very differently about him now. In all, I enjoyed this a lot, and I’ll likely be continuing the series if it gains enough traction for sequels.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
When Jessica Wakefield falls for her summer English teacher, she begins imitating her more studious twin sister, Elizabeth, to get his attention. With her busy schedule, Elizabeth barely has time to spend with her boyfriend, Todd, this summer. When Todd spots Elizabeth with an older guy, tensions run high between him and the twins. Can Elizabeth set everything right before they all get in over their heads? This graphic novel revisits beloved characters in sunny Sweet Valley, California.
I have a long and fond history with the Sweet Valley series. When I was younger, it was all I wanted to read, and I still revisit my favorites every now and then as an adult. When I saw that it had been made into a graphic novel, I couldn’t pass it up, and it’s a pleasant read for fans of the characters. I recommend some familiarity with the universe, since it doesn’t spend a lot of time establishing place, characters, or backstory, and it probably doesn’t need to.
The artwork isn’t award-winning, but given the genre, there’s no reason it should be. It’s appropriate to the content in being fun, bright, and effective, and I enjoyed seeing characters I’ve been picturing for over a decade come alive on the page. The story has been updated to include newer technology like texting and more modern slang. Occasionally, it feels a little forced, more like what an adult thinks teenagers sound like than what they actually sound like–but since I’m not a teenager, I could be wrong. I also like the way Elizabeth directly calls out the issues with Jessica dating an older man and why it’s his responsibility, as the adult, to stop that from happening. Sweet Valley has never been what anyone would consider socially aware, and it’s a nice change.
The story is simple and classic, and it shows both twins behaving as we’ve always known them: free-spirited Jessica who’s quick to fall in love, consequences be damned, and responsible Elizabeth who helps clean up the mess and still has time to volunteer and go on a date with her steady boyfriend. I was a kid when I read most of these, so of course I thought Todd was the perfect dreamy boyfriend, but he comes over as a bit of a spoiled, jealous jerk in this story. Given my general feelings on love interests, it’s possible I would feel very differently about him now. In all, I enjoyed this a lot, and I’ll likely be continuing the series if it gains enough traction for sequels.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
August 3, 2019
So, the second panel in this book is like (paraphrasing) "Sweet Valley is welcoming of people from all walks of life" and then it's white people as far as the eye can see... I don't know if this set out to be diverse and then gave up or what. I don't think this was updated in any way. Just seemed like a graphic adaptation of one of the original books and it's not a good look for 2019.
August 9, 2019
Was waiting for this graphic novel for what felt like forever & it was worth the wait! What a fun and nostalgic trip with the Wakefield twins but set in modern times. I can’t wait until the next one!
September 4, 2019
Such a fun read for SVH fans! I grew up on this series and was SO excited to dive into this book. Such a fun new twist on the story and a wonderful trip to my childhood memories. Those who've loved Jessica and Elizabeth will devour this book!
September 18, 2019
3.5. This was...pretty much the novels. Which are corny and fun. I actually got into it in the last maybe eighth of it? I dunno, I might read the others just for the nostalgia, but I wouldn't tell anyone it was a must read.
November 9, 2019
Updated version of this classic version that includes Snapchat, Instagram and Mean Girls references so that was a little weird. Jessica Wakefield is still ridiculous for anyone wondering.
January 3, 2020
Cliche but reminded me of my younger years lol
July 3, 2025
very twee but i read the whole thing while sitting in class and it entertained enough to keep me occupied
January 10, 2020
Was very fun and good!
August 2, 2019
Graphic novels are a growing market and this cute, fun story will find a home there. The Wakefield twins have always been entertaining, and this updated version, where huge parts of the story are driven by text or Instagram, is perfect for children today. I hope I get to read the next installment, because it ends on a cliffhanger!
The art work is lovely in this, with right, attractive colours and distinct looks for everyone. Even Liz and Jess manage to look different enough to make it easy to follow. This is a lovely package and will hopefully do well enough to start a whole new series.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
The art work is lovely in this, with right, attractive colours and distinct looks for everyone. Even Liz and Jess manage to look different enough to make it easy to follow. This is a lovely package and will hopefully do well enough to start a whole new series.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
November 19, 2019
I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. I was a huge fan of SVH as a kid growing up and was thrilled to read this book. While it did feel different from the original, I found myself very nostalgic and had a great deal of fun meeting up with my favorite Wakefield twins once again. I can’t wait to see if any more are forthcoming. Thanks again to NetGalley.
December 29, 2019
What is this, and how am I just now hearing about it!?
UPDATE AFTER READING:
Well, that was pretty bad. I’m really not a fan of the art (Jess and Liz don’t look good at all, and poor Lila is just hideous) and the girls living in a modern world with things like Instagram and Snapchat just takes away from the campiness of the series. Also, what is Ellen doing in this, and why do they have the Boosters in high school?
I’ll admit that I chuckled at how outrageously Elizabeth’s do-gooder side is depicted, but overall this was just kinda weird. I may read the next one just for the fun of it, but I can’t see this new series lasting too long if this is the quality we’re getting.
UPDATE AFTER READING:
Well, that was pretty bad. I’m really not a fan of the art (Jess and Liz don’t look good at all, and poor Lila is just hideous) and the girls living in a modern world with things like Instagram and Snapchat just takes away from the campiness of the series. Also, what is Ellen doing in this, and why do they have the Boosters in high school?
I’ll admit that I chuckled at how outrageously Elizabeth’s do-gooder side is depicted, but overall this was just kinda weird. I may read the next one just for the fun of it, but I can’t see this new series lasting too long if this is the quality we’re getting.
May 5, 2022
I really want to give this one star, but don't think I disliked it *that* much. So I'll say 1.5, and round up to two. This was severely lacking, which surprises me considering how much it kept getting delayed. I thought the story was weak, though the plot felt like it would fit right into the Sweet Valley world, it still felt like there could have been more to it, like it could have been better fleshed out. And I wasn't overly impressed by the artwork. When I think of Jessica and Elizabeth, I think of the pinnacle of beauty: silky blonde hair, blue-green eyes, tanned skin, the perfect size six lol. And the art in this book... did not make anybody look beautiful, I'm sorry to say. I also thought the colours were too harsh, to add to this.
The book ends with a "find out next time" teaser, though I don't know if I would bother to read any more Sweet Valley High graphic novels from this series, unfortunately.
The book ends with a "find out next time" teaser, though I don't know if I would bother to read any more Sweet Valley High graphic novels from this series, unfortunately.
July 3, 2019
More like 2.5 I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I so desperately wanted to love this, I have been waiting for this graphic novel for what seems like ever, it has been pushed back and pushed back multiple times. As a fan of the original novels, there was way too many inconsistencies, why was Ellen there, why does Amy have brown hair, Todd's hair wasn't dark enough, where was Enid, why was the cheer leading squad called the boosters like it was when they were in middle school? With that being said, the artwork was cute, but I had hoped it was a little more like the original covers. I still enjoyed the story overall even though it was told in modern times and would read any more if they do come out.
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