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Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later

Francine Pascal (Goodreads Author)

2.50 · Rating details · 7,127 ratings · 1,939 reviews

What terrible secret has torn Jessica and Elizabeth apart?

Sweet Valley is back...

Ten years after graduating from Sweet Valley High, the Wakefield twins have had a falling-out of epic proportions. When Jessica commits a complete and utter betrayal, Elizabeth flees to New York to escape the pain and immerse herself in her lifelong dream of becoming a journalist.

Jessica r ...more

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Hardcover, 293 pages

Published April 2011 by St. Martin's Press

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Mar 05, 2011 graveyardgremlin rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Those who want their beloved childhood series stomped on, given a swirly&then flung into a dung heap

Shelves: brain-damaging-fluff, chick-lit, brain-candy, author-made-deal-with-the-devil, fiction-literature, young-adult-fiction, humor, waste-of-time, sweet-valley-high, library-loan

"What a stupid book."

That was my initial thought after turning the final page of Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later.

As a pre-teen, I was addicted to the Sweet Valley High series, and then later, the Sweet Valley University series as well. Before that even, I had read some of the Twins and Kids series, so when I heard this was coming out last year, I just knew I had to read it. I was excited beyond compare and went into full geek-out mode. Where are the perfect size-six Wakefield twin ...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Jennifer Ross rated it it was ok

Shelves: chick-lit

To say I was disappointed in this book is an understatement. To say that I felt my childhood was dragged out, beaten and raped and then set aflame would be more accurate. These are not the characters I loved. (view spoiler) I just...can't even begin to explain.

Above and beyond the falsification of my childhood, was the manner in which this book was writte ...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Erika rated it did not like it

I don't care, laugh, but I am going to read this. I loved SVH books when I was young! Now if they would only give us "Trixie Belden: The Adult Years" I'd be set.

I downloaded the first chapter for free yesterday on iBooks! Just got a gift card for my bday, can't wait for 3/29...

April 2011: Sad to say this was GOD AWFUL. Not even nostalgia could make it tolerable. If you insist on reading it, do yourself a favor and borrow it from someone. Although that would not leave you the option to burn after ...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Alex rated it liked it

I am possibly more excited about this book than ANY other coming out in the next few years. What does that say about me...

UPDATE:

So the library was taking entirely too long to get this in, and the reviews (and spoilers) were all over the Internet and hard to avoid. So I actually went and bought it this weekend, which I haven't done since the BSC prequel. How I love my childhood books, I guess.

This book is kind of impossible to rate. It was not very good, but come on, it's a Sweet Valley book. Wh ...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Stacia (the 2010 club) rated it did not like it

Shelves: drama-llama, contemporary-romance, frustrating, adult

*Additional note 06/12* For whatever reason, the subject of this book has ended up in a couple of conversations of mine this week. Apparently, people aren't aware that the book was so extremely far off from the original Sweet Valley High series. Maybe it won't be a big deal to some people but I wanted to say again to those who didn't know : If you feel like you wouldn't be able to handle major character/personality changes from your beloved childhood book friends, keep your memories intact by av ...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Maggie rated it did not like it

Shelves: reviewed, 2011

I finally understand what nerdboys felt towards George Lucas after the release of Episode 1. In fact, I'd rather Francine Pascal had written about Jar Jar Binks than this. But here's the thing -- I still would've read it. Sweet Valley High is...was such a fond childhood memory for me that no amount of 1 or 2 star reviews would've deterred me from getting it right when it came out. And I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way. Maybe because I read SVH when I was so impressionable and youn ...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Trish rated it did not like it

Now I grew up with Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. Being a pre-teen in the late 80's, who didn't? Now by the time Sweet Valley High the Senior Year or Sweet Valley University came along I was well into high school and much too cool so this series, but what can I say? When you hit the mid-thirties you look back on the things that are associated with our youth- at least I do.
I was very excited to see this available and downloaded it quickly to the Nook. I began reading and was prepared to meet m ...more

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Jul 13, 2016 Jess The Bookworm rated it did not like it

I read this book a few years ago, but I never got around to adding it to my Read list.

I was the ultimate Sweet Valley fan growing up. I mean, I was *obsessed* with the entire series, from Sweet Valley Kids, to Twins, to High, etc. I worked out the other day that I have read 250 of the Sweet Valley books. I mean, that's crazy. I'm a little bit sad that I didn't hang onto my collection, and that I ended up donating them.

So when this came out a few years ago, I was really excited to see where ever ...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Vrinda Pendred rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: no-no-no-no-no, sweet-valley

Absolutely terrible. Where do I start?

Elizabeth's character has changed so much that she is unrecognisable. And I appreciate that people change and develop in life, but this book gave no indication of how such a change came about. I refuse to believe that just being betrayed would suddenly turn her into the sort of woman who has constant one-night stands.

There really wasn't much to the story at all, and it was written really badly. You hardly 'saw' anything, but instead were subjected to endless Absolutely terrible. Where do I start?

Elizabeth's character has changed so much that she is unrecognisable. And I appreciate that people change and develop in life, but this book gave no indication of how such a change came about. I refuse to believe that just being betrayed would suddenly turn her into the sort of woman who has constant one-night stands.

There really wasn't much to the story at all, and it was written really badly. You hardly 'saw' anything, but instead were subjected to endless boring narration about things you really don't care about.

It decided to pretend the SV University books never existed (e.g. Steven marries Cara, despite him ending up with Billie at university and having quite a solid relationship with her, it marries Lila off to Ken Matthews despite her ending up with Bruce at university and again having quite a good relationship with him and never ever seeing Ken again) - YET it then referenced the SVU books too (e.g. it refers to Elizabeth's 'fling' with Tom Watts and Jessica's brief romance with Mike McAllery - in each circumstance watering these scenarios down as if they didn't matter, despite them being so emotional when I first read those SVU books as a child). I wanted to shake Francine Pascal and scream, 'YOU CAN'T DO BOTH! PICK ONE TIMELINE AND STICK WITH IT! SVU EITHER HAPPENED OR IT DIDN'T!'

I feel Steven's sudden homosexuality was done unrealistically and without any sensitivity. If I were gay, I would find it verging on offensive - not to mention it just comes completely out of the blue with NO foundation in any of the old series.

The ending is ridiculous, with its 'in case you were wondering, this is what happened to everyone from SVH' wrap-up - and why did half the characters end up dying or ending up being horrible people?

I was furious with what they did to Winston's character. This again totally disregarded the SVU books. Supposedly he grew so bitter by being so unloved by women that when he became a dot com millionaire and got lots of women after him for his money, he used them until one of them finally pushed him off a balcony and killed him. This is completely ridiculous, particularly considering that at university Wintson became the number one hit with the girls and wound up dating the beautiful Denise Waters - which I feel is more realistic, because people DO change when they leave high school.

That was got me most of all: this book made none of the characters progress in life. At Jessica and Todd's wedding, they even invited Caroline bloody Pearce! Despite them both saying they hated her! Why would anyone do such a thing in real life!? What about Isabella and Danny and Nina and all those people from university? People change when they leave high school, they meet new people, they move on with their lives. SVU took account of this, but this book just forgets all of that.

And then, if we want to nitpick a bit more, this book tries to 'update' things, which basically means it throws in references to Facebook and Twitter all over the place in such a way that it's so obvious Francine Pascal was only trying to make it sound modern - except this is the quickest way to date a book I can think of. In two years this book will already be old sounding and corny. Hell, it's corny to me NOW. Furthermore, she throws in sex and swearing in such a forced way that it sounds like the characters are just learning how to do it. It's just so unnatural. Example: Liz shouts at Todd, 'You - you - you SHITHEAD!' Really?? A 27-year-old woman is saying these things? Are we meant to take this seriously?

It was just bad bad bad. And I resent it all the more because of how excited I was when I learned this book existed. It's tempting to go write my own 'Ten Years On' book. I daresay I know the characters better than their creator herself.

The only reason I've given this book even half a star is because it's SO bad it's actually quite entertaining sometimes - particularly Liz and Bruce's sex scene at the end ('she pulled down his jeans and revealed his desire'). Just try reading this book on a train and keep from laughing hysterically.

...more

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May 01, 2011 Alicia rated it did not like it

OK, even when I read these at age eleven, I had no illusions about the quality of SVH. I remember my fourth grade teacher saying they were akin to fast food, but I would say that's an insult to fast food. This book is akin to a shit sandwich. It makes Twilight look like The Sound and the Fury. The writing was waaaaay worse than I remember. Feast your eyes on the dreadfulness:

"He fell in love for the first time. But he wasn't ready for that kind of exclusive love, and he screwed up. He hadn't los OK, even when I read these at age eleven, I had no illusions about the quality of SVH. I remember my fourth grade teacher saying they were akin to fast food, but I would say that's an insult to fast food. This book is akin to a shit sandwich. It makes Twilight look like The Sound and the Fury. The writing was waaaaay worse than I remember. Feast your eyes on the dreadfulness:

"He fell in love for the first time. But he wasn't ready for that kind of exclusive love, and he screwed up. He hadn't lost the habit of other girls, and she found out. He never got a second chance. She went to that party with the drugs, tried some cocaine, and it killed her." Uh oh, that party with the drugs.

"First sight of her is always overwhelming. She's in a haze like a painting. Exquisite. A Monet. Sometimes I'm so hopeless about her, it makes me laugh at myself. Imagine when technology finds a way to read your mind. No one will ever be able to leave the house." This is a terrifying thought Pascal has posed, and I hope technology doesn't find a way to do this.

"But the passion was there, and once the love had been established, the excitement took over and spun them out into the wild reaches of the glorious. At last Elizabeth knew the splendid, the marvelous, the amazing, the spectacular! The over the top!" The Wild Reaches of the Glorious = new band name?

"Todd made an annoyed gesture with his head and sat down a little too hard. Heads turned to see what had made that sound, and it was immediately obvious that a drama was building." Pascal's use of the passive voice is a continual surprise.

"Not nearly as handsome as Bruce, Roger was a champion runner in high school and hasn't gained a pound since. He looks pretty much today as he did then, boyish, with friendly gray eyes somewhat obscured by thick-framed glasses that keep slipping down his nose. He was so poor in high school that he couldn't afford to take the regular bus. There were no school buses in his neighborhood. He had to walk--except he didn't, he ran. That's how he became a track star." This paragraph is just awesome!

I was certain the last line of the book was going to be, "And then Elizabeth woke up and realized it was all a bad dream." It should have been. But then again, who's the best-selling author who divides her time between homes in New York and the south of France? And who's the idiot who wasted half a day reading this hilariously bad book? ...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Michelle rated it liked it

I've had just one personal day from the office forever. I've been holding on to it and just dreaming of when to use it. You see, the fiscal year doesn't start until April 1, and I used up all my other vacation days by last July. I have been so patiently waiting...

Meanwhile, my planner since mid-2010 has marked in red ink on March 29th, "SVC comes out."

Did I dare take my last personal day to use solely for a book release?

I did, and it was delicious.

Sure, I did other things--grown-up, responsibl I've had just one personal day from the office forever. I've been holding on to it and just dreaming of when to use it. You see, the fiscal year doesn't start until April 1, and I used up all my other vacation days by last July. I have been so patiently waiting...

Meanwhile, my planner since mid-2010 has marked in red ink on March 29th, "SVC comes out."

Did I dare take my last personal day to use solely for a book release?

I did, and it was delicious.

Sure, I did other things--grown-up, responsible errands that most people would do on a personal day off from work--I went to the library, ran to Target, got new tires at the auto center, got my eyebrows done, and did two loads of laundry, sheets and towels at that. But it was all an elaborate ruse. I went to the library to see if I could score this book for free (I would have been #13 in the queue), since I couldn't get it, I ran to Target and nearly cursed out everybody when I didn't immediately see the book (found it, whew). I only went to the auto center today so I could have quiet time in the waiting room to READ THIS BOOK (I read about half of it while I waited). My eyebrows? Just to frame my eyes better as I READ THIS BOOK. Laundry--gave me an excuse to stay at home to READ THIS BOOK. *Gleefully, hysterically laughs*

Verdict on the book? Good! It felt like old times with Jessica and Elizabeth. A bit...far-fetched (that's probably to be expected, but still, I felt like that). I know Jessica was always doing crazy, selfish things, and she's even gone behind Elizabeth's back before, but man, I didn't really think she would take Todd. And want to marry him. After years and years with Elizabeth and close to their own engagement. Oof. Todd, by the way, has always been such a drip. And Elizabeth...ending up with who she does (don't want to spoil things), meh, don't know if I quite believe it, but maybe I need to reread some Sweet Valley High to pick up on that. Steven--I don't believe that, but fine, Francine obviously wanted to get that out there for her own agenda so that's fine. The writing was mainly fine--sometimes too much inner turmoil for me and I would find myself skimming and force myself to reread it all. Sometimes I think Francine tries to be too fancy but it makes me roll my eyes ("He heard her and turned to look but almost without recognition, so frantic was he." Um...really? That sounds ridiculous. There were more instances like that, but I can't find them right now.) Thinking and talking like Jessica apparently only requires that you throw in some "like"s and "so"s, to the point of distraction ("I'm thinking about Steven and how I can help him. I'm the only one who knows and he so needs me now.") I didn't think the wrap-up of all the characters at the end of the book was necessary, but I'm sure some other fans loved it.

I'm glad Francine tried to show us at the end of the book that Elizabeth and Jessica had both changed. I don't quite believe it, but I want to believe it because YOU CAN'T JUST KEEP BEING AN ENABLER, ELIZABETH. AND YOU CAN'T KEEP BEING SUCH A SELFISH COW, JESSICA.

A good read for nostalgia's sake. And now I want to reread some of the other books (remember the Evil Twin arc? And the Super Editions? The Magna editions, especially the Wakefields of Sweet Valley? OMG. Honest to God, I wish I had written those.).

P.S. Went out to dinner after writing this review and drank a dirty martini in honor of Elizabeth. Sweet Valley Forever! ...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Jennifer Jensen (Literally Jen) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: gift-from-friend

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Just like thousands of other women, I grew up reading the Sweet Valley books. So when I learned that a brand spankin' new Sweet Valley book was coming out--and that the twins were all grown up--I was ecstatic! I wasn't a religious fan of the series and haven't read every single book in the various series; I chose the ones to read based on their individual story arcs. The Elizabeth and Jessica Secret Diaries were a quick and easy way to know about the events of previous books all mashed into one Just like thousands of other women, I grew up reading the Sweet Valley books. So when I learned that a brand spankin' new Sweet Valley book was coming out--and that the twins were all grown up--I was ecstatic! I wasn't a religious fan of the series and haven't read every single book in the various series; I chose the ones to read based on their individual story arcs. The Elizabeth and Jessica Secret Diaries were a quick and easy way to know about the events of previous books all mashed into one nifty volume.

I was also excited about this book because the series creator, Francine Pascal, was writing this one herself. But after reading Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later, I think the writing should have been done by those who have done it best all these years.

Where to start on the writing...the structure of this book is all over the place. It begins in 3rd person past tense, then switches to a flashback in 3rd person past tense, and then to a 1st person POV in present tense. We get to hear from Elizabeth, Todd, Jessica, and even Bruce and Steven. I wasn't really a fan of the flashbacks because it seems like they were just summaries from the last books in the SVU series. I didn't read those, so I can't say for certain if that hunch is correct or not. Additionally, there was too much repetition; first we'd get Elizabeth's thoughts on a specific situation, and then a few pages later we'd get the same situation rehashed from from someone else's perspective. There just wasn't enough "new" material to make this a truly satisfying read.

The writing style. I hope that we can all agree that we didn't read the Sweet Valley books because we thought the writing was top notch. This book could definitely have used some more editing. Pascal tried a little too hard to be hip on things like Facebook, Twitter, and emailing, but they are just thrown into the story to give it a more "modern" feel. I didn't really get the impression that Pascal understands how Facebook and Twitter are used.

Dialogue. I do not remember Jessica throwing a "like", "so", or "totally" into her speech in the old series. Why would she start doing this now at the age of 27? It didn't flow very well, and anytime I came across a "like" it was very out of place in the sentence. She also didn't consistently speak like this throughout the book.

And what was the point of the epilogue? It seemed like it was Pascal's character outlines thrown together just to add some more "meat" to the book. If you're reading this book right now, seriously skip the epilogue because it adds nothing to the rest of the book; it's just more of what we're already told throughout the rest of it.

I was really hoping for a more mature take on the Sweet Valley world, but all I got was a ton of disappointment. Pascal doesn't seem to "know" these characters at all. And why would she, since she didn't even write the books? There were a lot of things that should have been fact checked that weren't, even though Pascal credits someone in the acknowledgements with finding that information out for her. When Jeffrey French is mentioned the first time, he is married with some kids. When he's mentioned in the epilogue, he went to The Wedding as Lila's date and had moved back to Sweet Valley single and unattached. Sorry, but that is a really HUGE mistake! Even if the editor (if there was one) wasn't familiar with the Sweet Valley books, this mistake still should have been caught.

So even with all the flaws and no mention whatsoever of Amy Sutton (how on earth did she get left out of this, but Steven's and Bruce's dead girlfriends get mentions?), it was still nice to visit Sweet Valley again and get reacquainted with the twins. I can't say I won't read future Sweet Valley books, but I hope the publisher is paying attention to the critical reviews and gives Sweet Valley the respect it deserves. ...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Marian rated it did not like it

Shelves: readit, sweetvalley, 2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Is there a "kill it with fire" option? Because that's really what's called for. If you haven't read SVC and you actually were looking forward to it for something other than it being incredibly awful do yourself a favor and avoid it. Avoid it like the plague. RUN. Run now. Because this book is bad.

To attempt to be fair, the first chapter was posted long enough ago that we were warned. And I did expect it to be bad, but I didn't expect this. I cannot for the life of me figure out who this book was Is there a "kill it with fire" option? Because that's really what's called for. If you haven't read SVC and you actually were looking forward to it for something other than it being incredibly awful do yourself a favor and avoid it. Avoid it like the plague. RUN. Run now. Because this book is bad.

To attempt to be fair, the first chapter was posted long enough ago that we were warned. And I did expect it to be bad, but I didn't expect this. I cannot for the life of me figure out who this book was released for. It's not likely to appeal to anyone who hasn't heard of Sweet Valley before, and given how miserable everyone in the book is, I can't imagine it was really meant to appeal to those of us who still think fondly of Sweet Valley.

Really. Everyone is unhappy. None of these people are friends anymore, and I don't mean that after enough time has lapsed you realize that certain friendships are exceptionally one-sided. I mean these people do not like one another. I... I just don't understand why it was published. Who said, "Yes! THIS is what we were looking for!"? It's not like the book wasn't pushed back for years, so obviously they had to do some work on it. I'm guessing, based on Caroline's write-up in the epilogue, that she was set to play some big role in the scrapped Sweet Valley Heights. But she's given an inordinate amount of screentime for someone who was pretty much hated then and isn't meant to be any better now.

I don't get why everyone is so unhappy and hateful towards one another. I loathed high school and most of the people I went to school with (and at the time I was pretty sure the feeling was mutual), but every time I run into someone who made my life miserable back then, they at least attempt to pretend to be civil at the absolute -worst.- Is this just some bizarre thing in my life, or is SVC the odd one?

The use of the word 'like' used in Jessica's chapters is painful. It would be one thing if she was just full on Valley girl, but the word is inserted at the wrong time for it to flow naturally. How do you bungle that?

I don't think Francine Pascal had any idea of who any of the characters beyond the Wakefield twins were. AJ Morgan makes an appearance, only he's not really AJ in anything but name. AJ in SVH was soft-spoken, nice, and a little too normal for Jessica's tastes. He was also a new transplant from the South (Georgia, to be exact) during their junior year. So how could he be the bad boy with long, dirty blond hair who apparently felt Jessica up in seventh grade? Yeah.

Or how Cara Walker comes back to marry Steven Wakefield but Billie, Steven's longest relationship in the SV universe (spanning SVH and SVU) is never mentioned, even in a "it didn't work out" sort of way? Originally I thought that maybe FP was ignoring SVU, which would be one way of avoiding the extra work... only Mike, Jessica's first husband, is mentioned. As are Neil and the inferior Sam (who does not share a name with Mr. Collins' son, FP! What the hell?) and quite a bit of Todd's storyline is drawn from his stint in SVU.

The writing is painful to read, the characters are miserable, and unless you were dying for Todd and Jessica to get married, or Bruce and Liz to hook up (again), I'd advise skipping this.

That said, there's a moment when Alice Wakefield finally blows her top and it is absolutely priceless. ...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Lyndsie rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As someone who owned many Sweet Valley High books, I got ridiculously excited when I heard this book was coming out. I expected it to be a throwback to my early years; some sort of guilty pleasure. Uh, no.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I even read it all in one evening. Probably because I knew if I stopped I wouldn't finish. Yep, it's that bad. Okay, where to begin....hmm.

Clearly, Francine Pascal wanted this book to sound hip and modern. Unfortunately, adding "like" and "so" to practi As someone who owned many Sweet Valley High books, I got ridiculously excited when I heard this book was coming out. I expected it to be a throwback to my early years; some sort of guilty pleasure. Uh, no.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I even read it all in one evening. Probably because I knew if I stopped I wouldn't finish. Yep, it's that bad. Okay, where to begin....hmm.

Clearly, Francine Pascal wanted this book to sound hip and modern. Unfortunately, adding "like" and "so" to practically every paragraph is not the best way to do this. It is, like, sooo annoying and unnecessary. See what I did there? That happens a LOT. Grr. And what's with all the "F bombs?" Unnecessary, but probably there to "be edgy."

The flashbacks. Oh, the flashbacks. I don't even know what to say about them. Too many, and told by too many points of view. I really don't need two characters to tell me the same story with the same dialog. I got it the first time.

There are contradictions in this book that should have been caught (ie what happened to Jeffrey French, Mr. Collins' kid's name, when certain characters appeared in Sweet Valley...really I could keep going)...if I remember this crap after 15 years or so, I really think the creator of this series should know it, too. Especially if she's going to include this information in the book.

Everyone is miserable in this book. Marriages are busting up left and right, people are cattin' around, you can't trust anyone, etc. It's off-putting, really.

Elizabeth's story line is BORING. I don't CARE about the Off Broadway scene in New York.

I get this book is about THE BETRAYAL. But oh my hell, enough. I get it. Jessica's evil. Liz can do no wrong. Blah blah blah. We don't need to drag this out for 300 pages only to have a quick fix in a page and a half, do we? Oh, yes, apparently we do. Completely unbelievable, by the way.

I'm supposed to believe that Todd and Jessica are in love. Really? And Liz and Bruce Patman (you know, the same Bruce Patman that tried to date rape her) are not only besties but eventually hook up? REALLY? That's the thing about this book. Nobody is even remotely who they used to be. I get that people change and all, but this is ridiculous. Oh wait. Caroline Pearce is still the annoying gossip. This book doesn't let us forget that (it's mentioned over and over again).

The sad lack of characters. Make no mistake about it. This book is about Elizabeth, Jessica, Bruce and Todd. A few others make the cut here or there, but...if you were holding out hope to read more than a few passages about Enid, Lila, or pretty much anyone else, let go of that dream. The epilogue does catch you up on several of the Sweet Valley gang, but like I said, there are inconsistencies.

Overall, I knew I was going to read this book despite the bad reviews. But I'm glad I checked it out from the library instead of buying it. I was disappointed how this turned out, simply because SVH was such a big part of my childhood. If you have your own thoughts or theories about how the characters turned out, do yourself a favor and hold onto those. It's bound to be better than what Francine Pascal wrote for them. ...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Angelc rated it liked it

I didn't think this book was as awful as the other reviews are making it out to be. However, the author makes really bold choices about her beloved characters, and some of the choices are bound to make long time fans angry. While the book isn't rocket science, it's the equivalent of a juicy soap opera. Lots of fluff, and all the drama you need for a relaxing afternoon read.

It's hard to say that the Wakefield twins have "grown up" but it is ten years later. Elizabeth and Jessica are still caught ...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Melissa rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, books-i-own, books-i-regret-reading, meh, series, read-in-2011, nostalgia

Originally posted at Sweet Treats & Thrilling Tales

Let me begin this review by saying that I am an 80′s child. I started reading The Babysitter’s Club, Fear Street and Sweet Valley High when I was about 7. I grew up on Sweet Valley books. From SVH to Sweet Valley Twins to Sweet Valley University (released when I was about 14). So yes, when I saw that Sweet Valley Confidential was coming out, I had to have it. Even though I had to read SVC, my expectations were not high and that was definitely a ...more

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May 03, 2012 Karen rated it liked it

If ever I had a guilty pleasure, it would be this book. Yes, I was a Sweet Valley High fan back in the day, and when I saw this for $5 in the bargain section of Barnes and Noble, I just couldn't resist. I'm almost embarrassed to have this on my list, but then again I'll bet some of my GoodReads buddies secretly would want to read it too! Something tells me this is going to be a piss-poor disappointment, but I'll give it a go anyway.

Review as of May 10, 2012 - OK, I've finished the book, and des ...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Meg rated it did not like it

Shelves: don-t-bother, normalsauce

This book. At one point I actually threw the book on the floor and fumed for a bit before picking it up and forcing myself to finish. I haven't done that since I wasted my time on two Phillipa Gregory novels. I didn't think there was anything as bad as Phillipa Gregory, but this book is.
I knew that it was going to be bad, because I'd read other reviews. But I was hoping it would be funny-bad, like watching Twilight movies when drunk. It was not. My eyes hurt from rolling them so hard at Elizabet ...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Nana Kessie rated it did not like it

I remember reading SVH and SVU as a middle school student, somewhere between my baby-sitters club phase and my anne rice phase. I was looking forward to reading this book like I look forward to seeing old friends. Sweet Valley Confidential was a slap in the face to nostalgic fans of old. It read like a parody...Francine Pascal obviously has her issues with the sweet valley series and went out of her way to ruin it by making her characters unrecognizeable and unlikeable (even elizabeth!). The plo ...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Lindsey rated it did not like it

Shelves: adult-fiction, first-read-in-2011

Someone needs to tell Francine Pascal that she shouldn't write about things she obviously despises because there is no doubt in my mind after reading Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later that there is no love left in her heart these days for Elizabeth, Jessica, or anyone else from the Sweet Valley world she created.

This book reads like a poorly done Jackie Collins novel. It's badly written (should have let the ghostwriters write this one too, Pascal) and changes the characters personaliti ...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Samantha Hodge rated it did not like it

Shelves: adult-fiction, did-not-finish, no-brain-cells-required

I can't do it. It breaks my heart, but I don't think I will be able to finish this book. I have forced myself to page 138, but to be honest, that was only because I was stuck at the hospital with nothing else to do while I waited for my mother to come out of surgery. This is, quite possibly, the worst book I've ever read. And I've read a lot of crap.

I can sum up the majority of my distaste for this book in one annoying little word. "Like." This series was like written in the like 1980's and lik I can't do it. It breaks my heart, but I don't think I will be able to finish this book. I have forced myself to page 138, but to be honest, that was only because I was stuck at the hospital with nothing else to do while I waited for my mother to come out of surgery. This is, quite possibly, the worst book I've ever read. And I've read a lot of crap.

I can sum up the majority of my distaste for this book in one annoying little word. "Like." This series was like written in the like 1980's and like 90's and the girls who like read it are now like in their like 30's and 40's. We do not like speak like this like. I found myself skipping entire passages of Jessica's in order to escape this word. I feel as though Pascal woke up one morning as said, "Hey, this is how kids talk now, so let's throw a like here... and a like here... and oh wait, a like here..." As an avid teen fiction reader, I am even more apalled by the fact that this book is specifically for adult fans, as I've never read a teen novel where the character's inner dialogue is so abysmally childish. (view spoiler)

It also felt to me that Pascal's sentence structure was choppy throughout. For instance:

"Jessica squeezed his hand and smiled, but she said nothing.
Until they got to the house, and then miraculously, she turned back into Jessica the adorable."

Is it just me, or should that all have been one sentence that was poorly broken into two for unsuccessful dramatic effect?

On top of all this, the timeline is horrendous. I understand the need for flashbacks, but they just don't work if they aren't placed properly. (view spoiler)

And seriously, did Pascal do any research for this book??? (view spoiler) Ugh.

I'm just going to stop here, because I can sense I am entering a deep depression following the loss of such fond memories of my childhood friends, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. Once I have recovered, I am certain I will have to read at least the first five books of the original series in order to forget the despair this piece of literary garbage has brought upon me. ...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Lindsay rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Listen, y'all. I love me some Steinbeck as much as the next bookworm. But sometimes, you have to fluff everything up with some pure, unadulterated shit. As soon as this horrible book came out, I had it on my eReader.

And I burned through it in one evening.

I should clarify - I grew up with Jessica and Elizabeth. They made me want to be blonde, to have a twin, to be the bubbly, vivacious girl (Jessica) while inside I was really the nerdy one (Elizabeth). I desperately wanted to be friends with Lila ...more

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May 05, 2011 Kelly rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2011, on-kindle, girly-books

I owned practically all the Sweet Valley High books when I was a teenager, so of course I had to read this. Was it terrible? Yes. Did I expect it to be good? Nope. Is that ok? Definitely. Just please, tell me SVH wasn't this bad (who am I kidding, of course it was!) ...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Tina rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, romance, ebooks, chick-lit

Original post at One More Page

If there was a book that I could blame for my being a bookworm, it is definitely Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley. I didn't start with SVH like most people (and I hardly read them, now that I think about it) -- I started with Sweet Valley Kids after I saw my classmate reading it back when I was in 3rd grade. When I grew older, I started on Sweet Valley Twins, and read so much more Sweet Valley after that. I remember even getting random Sweet Valley books from Book Sal ...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Ella rated it did not like it

Can I give this "book" less than 1 star? No? OK. This "book" is an insult to my Sweet-Valley-loving soul. Sweet Valley stands for Quaint-Wholesome-Inclusive-Warmth to me, and none of that is here. I have been reading Sweet Valley High since I was 9, and many years later I still read them every year, (books #1-A Night to Remember, the series pretty much went to pot after that, excluding #115 and #116 and Murder in Paradise.)
Anyhoo, how could the creator of Sweet Valley NOT know the original stor Can I give this "book" less than 1 star? No? OK. This "book" is an insult to my Sweet-Valley-loving soul. Sweet Valley stands for Quaint-Wholesome-Inclusive-Warmth to me, and none of that is here. I have been reading Sweet Valley High since I was 9, and many years later I still read them every year, (books #1-A Night to Remember, the series pretty much went to pot after that, excluding #115 and #116 and Murder in Paradise.)
Anyhoo, how could the creator of Sweet Valley NOT know the original story? The series was written by Kate Williams even though Francine got all the credit, well if this "book" is an example of Francine's skills, well no wonder she didn't write the originals. I've never read a book with so many inaccuracies regarding prior stories. It was painful.

Francine says that back in the day Bruce asked or wanted to ask Elizabeth to their junior class dance. Bruce was a SENIOR when Elizabeth was a junior, there was no "their" junior class dance. Much was made about Bruce being one grade higher all through the series.

Francine says that Steven always had an inkling in the locker rooms that he might be gay. He fooled me. Aaron Dallas and Steven are a couple now, fine, but why not pair him with Tom McKay? They wrote a pretty big gay story about Tom McKay with Enid's cousin in the series. That would have been nice and better than Aaron, but Tom McKay was not even mentioned in this "book". Also, Steven was NOT a friggin' senior when Elizabeth and Jessica were juniors, he was a freshman in college as everybody but Francine knows. Did she get him confused with Bruce?

Major inaccuracies ahead! Francine says that AJ Morgan the blond bad boy had never changed his ways. Huh? AJ Morgan was a RED-HEAD, and he was a button-down shirt-crewneck sweater-corduroy pants-wearing good ol' boy. Remember how Jessica pretended to be Elizabeth-like to snag him? Francine doesn't.
She says that when Jessica was in the 7th grade she let AJ touch her breast. Did she now? He touched it all the way from Georgia? AJ did not move to Sweet Valley until JUNIOR YEAR Francine! ARRRRGH!

Francine says that Easy Annie changed her easy ways when she met Charlie on a bicycle trip. Wrong! Annie and Charlie did meet and get to like each other, but Annie had changed prior to the trip. Ricky Capaldo helped her after she tried to kill herself. He inspired her change, not Charlie!

Lila is an afterthought in this "book" (I love you Lila, even though they messed your character up after John P. tried to rape you, and ruined you in around 1996.) Ken, well, Ken just should have stayed blind! Enid is still whining. Amy was mentioned so little that I can't even recall if she was mentioned at all. Of course Amy was a different character from the one that she was in the middle school books, she somehow went from having brown hair to pale blond hair without a dye-job at 16. Robin, well who cares? I always hated Winston no matter what. Alice and Ned Wakefield using profanity is not cute. I don't care if this is modern. Todd is still lame.

Poor Bruce. They grew him up and he wasn't rotten anymore, but I'd rather have Bruce1Bruce back. They turned him into a complete dud along with his whiny Elizabeth. 2 Yucks to them both! Elizabeth still caving to Jessica. Sigh and Sigh.

Francine mentions Nicky Sheppard who was in one Sweet Valley High book in the 1980's and one in the 1990's, but no Tom McKay. Outrage. She seems to have confused old-Nicky with new-AJ. I don't believe Annie's stepsister Cheryl was mentioned. Can't recall. You remember Cheryl, the black girl, not Patty or Maria, LOL, the other one. The one that Steven Wakefield thought he might want for a girlfriend but as it turned out he couldn't have actually truly liked a black girl. He was just confused and so was she. I still cringe when I read Sweet Valley High #94.

I would write about the new story itself, but why? It made me sicker than E Coli. The end. ...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Debbie rated it it was ok

2.5 stars
I have to open up explaining that I was a die hard Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High fan. I still remember walking into a Waldenbooks and picking up Dear Sister, not realizing it was book 7 in the series of Sweet Valley High. I devoured it and immediately started going through all the books that were out in the series. At another trip to Waldenbooks I realized there was also the Sweet Valley Twins series and was so excited that I mowed through those as well. These books were inst 2.5 stars
I have to open up explaining that I was a die hard Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High fan. I still remember walking into a Waldenbooks and picking up Dear Sister, not realizing it was book 7 in the series of Sweet Valley High. I devoured it and immediately started going through all the books that were out in the series. At another trip to Waldenbooks I realized there was also the Sweet Valley Twins series and was so excited that I mowed through those as well. These books were instrumental in nurturing my love of reading as they had me running back to the book store so often and when I couldn't find a new one I started picking up LJ Smith books, Baby-sitter's Club, Christopher Pike, RL Stine and that was that. I absolutely loved reading.

While I never really got into the SVU books because I had moved on to adult books at that point I was still so excited when I heard that Francine Pascal was coming out with a ten years later book. I always wondered where the twins and their friends would end up so this book was a dream come true. Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. It is definitely geared to those who grew up with the twins but be ready for several shocks.

The story is told from alternating view points and flash backs of events that eventually lead up to what split the twins apart.

I had two main issues with the book. One was I felt like Pascal wasn't really true to several of the character's personalities. Yes, ten years have passed and people change but I feel like there are basic traits that are ingrained and will stay true even as people grow older. Probably about 80% of the book focuses on Elizabeth's seething anger towards Jessica and how horrible Jessica is. I understand Elizabeth was heart broken and angry but the depth of her spite was really out of line with the Elizabeth we all know and love. There were a few other characters like Steven, the twins' brother, who also was twisted into a character I almost didn't recognize. From my memories of the books that involved him he was a caring guy and wonderful big brother. In this book he's portrayed as a cheating jerk who doesn't care that the entire town knows he's not faithful to his wife.

My other big problem was the fact that so much of the book was taken up by Elizabeth's anger that it was totally anti-climatic when you reach the end. Things are basically resolved within a few pages and you are left feeling like what just happened? I wished there would have been a little more easing into the ending so it didn't seem so out of the blue.

I have to warn those who still have the picture of the relatively innocent twins in their heads that there are a couple shocking moments I could have done without. I did not need to hear about how Elizabeth cried after every orgasm or read about someone gazing at her "taut nipples". It's one thing if these sex scenes or references to sexual encounters contributed towards the story line but some of them just seemed thrown in because the author suddenly remembered this book is supposed to be geared towards adults and not young girls.

What is great about this book? It was fun to see which of the twins' class mates ended up marrying each other, what they did with their lives and the last section of the book is basically a run down of a bunch of the characters and a short bio. We see favorites like Lila Fowler, Bruce Patman (and you will be shocked to see how Bruce turned out!), Winston Egbert, the gossip, Caroline Pearce, Todd Wilkins and even some of the more minor characters like Dee Wilson, Jeffrey French, etc. ...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Suzanne rated it did not like it

I really can't believe I rated this book one star. I mean, I was so excited for it, and despite the rather terrible reviews from other readers, I still held out hope that I, being the diehard Sweet Valley fan I was growing up, would still enjoy it. As you can see, I was wrong.

Reading this book would be the equivalent of taking one of your favorite childhood memories, then going back in time to relive it, only to discover it was not a good memory at all. Let's say your favorite childhood memory I really can't believe I rated this book one star. I mean, I was so excited for it, and despite the rather terrible reviews from other readers, I still held out hope that I, being the diehard Sweet Valley fan I was growing up, would still enjoy it. As you can see, I was wrong.

Reading this book would be the equivalent of taking one of your favorite childhood memories, then going back in time to relive it, only to discover it was not a good memory at all. Let's say your favorite childhood memory is of being at a park with your family. You remember your father pushing you on the swing, the gentle, salty breeze blowing on your face while your mother stands smiling a few feet in front of you. Now, let's relive it. Instead of being pushed on a swing, you were just pushed to the floor. The salty breeze? Actually the smell of sewer. And the smile on your mother's face is because she is strung out on bath salts staring at you because you suffer from delicious face syndrom and finds this whole situation hilarious. This is the kind of life ruining I experienced by reading this book.

I was so fanatical about Sweet Valley. I read every book. I watched the T.V. show. I had the Sweet Valley dolls (The Prom Dolls featured on this page http://hbc.djarv.co.uk/sweet_valley_h...) and I would interchange their outfits and make them pretend to be each other, all the while never being fooled by who was who. Ok, you don't really need to hear about what a nerd I was, so moving on.

My point is, I remember the series as being fun and entertaining, and nothing short of addicting. Jessica was always a bit misguided, and Elizabeth was always a bit stiff, but at the end of the day, they were there for each other. At least, in my memory. And my memory of Sweet Valley would never have been so thoroughly corrupted had Francine Pascal decided not to jump on the hot and awesome train of young adult fever. Because let’s be honest, if the Young Adult genre wasn’t so smoking right now, good old Fran would have probably left Sweet Valley in retirement, where I am beginning to think it belonged.

In this book, Jessica was so completely shallow and one dimensional. Everything is about her, and I couldn’t relate to her at all; a character I once adored, and she was meaningless to me. Elizabeth was whiny and not at all proactive. In my memory I always recall Elizabeth handling things maturely and like an adult, so explain to me why 10 years later she is practically more immature than Jessica. This betrayal was a complete joke. No spoilers, as always, but the situation was completely unrealistic, even without my memories of the characters from Sweet Valley High. It was a “hey, let’s throw this in, and oooh, let’s throw that in, and they will never see this coming!” shock factor writing style, which instead of causing shock, made this a no-plot-whatsoever-drag-of-a-story-which-probably-shouldn’t-have-been-written-much-less-read. Not to mention the ridiculous ending.

If you want my opinion, I would say no matter how avid of a fan you were of Sweet Valley growing up, skip this book and keep your memories intact. Otherwise, you may find yourself wondering if all the books were really this terrible, and questioning why you were ever the type of person who would read them.

...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Kayla rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Sweet Valley High (and all its spin-offs, from Twins to University) were pretty much all I read in elementary school and going into junior high, so obviously this book is a must-read.

Update: I finished this book in less than two days and I was left with very mixed feelings about it. I loved reading Elizabeth's chapters and learning about her new life as a journalist in NYC. Elizabeth has always been my favorite twin and it was nice to see her living the life she wanted (at least as far as her ca Sweet Valley High (and all its spin-offs, from Twins to University) were pretty much all I read in elementary school and going into junior high, so obviously this book is a must-read.

Update: I finished this book in less than two days and I was left with very mixed feelings about it. I loved reading Elizabeth's chapters and learning about her new life as a journalist in NYC. Elizabeth has always been my favorite twin and it was nice to see her living the life she wanted (at least as far as her career was concerned). As for Jessica, I outright hated her in this book. I always knew she was self-centered and narcissistic but she had always had a charm to her too. In this book, there was no charm. She was just a cold-hearted bitch who slept with her twin's fiance. (Thinking back on SVH books, though, I have to admit that Jessica has done some pretty screwed up things in the past. The first thing that comes to mind is when she spiked her sister's drink at a school dance. Elizabeth ended up leaving the party with Jessica's boyfriend (Sam Woodruff? I'm not 100% sure on the name)-not aware she was drunk-and crashed the car, killing Sam instantly. Jessica basically called Elizabeth a murderer and did not fess up to her part in all of it until Elizabeth had already begun defending herself in court for the charge of manslaughter. Yep, pretty screwed up. Alright, enough of memory lane. On with book at hand.) I hated reading about that part when she had the [month long!!] affair with Todd in college. Reading about how it all happened did not justify it for me at all. She didn't even try to stop herself. They kissed once in the car and then sped to Todd's apartment to have sex, while poor Elizabeth was lying oblivious in her room, sick with the flu.

Reading Jessica's parts was not only frustrating for me because of her actions but also because it was just poorly written. There were so many "likes" and "sos' thrown into her narrative, and it was like so totally annoying to read. It also made her sound stupid, as if she really was just some dumb barbie-doll Valley girl.

I have to admit, though, that I started to warm up (a tiny bit) to her character once Elizabeth finally confronted her. The twins had been split apart for the whole book, and the first real scene when they're together doesn't happen until about 200 pages in. Just having the twin dynamic back made me more open to Jessica--I was becoming more like Elizabeth and willing to forgive her for anything. However, despite all that, I thought Elizabeth forgave her twin way too quickly. What Jessica did was incredibly wrong and she had no justification for it (I just wasn't buying that she and Todd were truly in love-they had zero chemistry). Even after everything she did, she still got her happy ending. Ugh.

However, I was really happy that Elizabeth got together with Bruce Patman in the end. I thought they made an interesting couple. It almost made up for the screwed up way that her and Todd's meant-to-be relationship ended.

All in all, I'd recommend that you don't buy this book but check it out from the library instead. I don't think it's worth spending money on, but it's not a waste of time to read either, especially if you're a die-hard SV fan. ...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Jenny rated it really liked it

I've heard terrible reviews on this book, but I just had to read it for myself! Sweet Valley! Oh my gosh, I loved these books when I was young! I read all the Sweet Valley Twins when I was in 5th and 6th grade, then started the Sweet Valley High set in 7th grade. I'm sure I've read them all!

Well, I was pleasantly surprised! It was a really good visit back to Sweet Valley! I'm guessing the reviews had to do more with people's reactions to their favorite characters. But what is Sweet Valley witho ...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Gabriela rated it did not like it

Wtf. Wtf. Pretty much the single thought running through my head as I read this increasingly awful book. Words cannot describe the loathing I felt as I turned each page. Why did I finish it you might ask? Because I really hoped that Jessica or Todd would die. Yes I now hate both of them so incredibly much I wish one would die or maybe be put in prison for life and the other would have to live life alone and unloved. I'm also quite disappointed that there was a happy ending for the two of them. I ...more

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About Francine Pascal

Francine Pascal

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Francine Pascal (May 13, 1938— ) is an American author best known for creating the Sweet Valley series of novels. In 1982 she created the characters and the stories for the first six books and her agent, Amy Berkower of Writers House sold them to Bantam Books. Book number one is mostly written by Ms. Pascal. From then on she wrote the stories for every book ever published in the series. After the ...more