Review - Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later...

Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal
March 29th, 2011 from St. Martin's Press

From the Publisher:
Now with this striking new adult novel from author and creator Francine Pascal, millions of devoted fans can finally return to the idyllic Sweet Valley, home of the phenomenally successful book series and franchise. Iconic and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood. WANT MORE SWEET VALLEY RIGHT NOW?? Become a fan of Sweet Valley Confidential on Facebook or Twitter.

Review:
Well that was....weird. I'm kind in some kind of shock right now as I attempt to write this review. There are several things about this book that irritated me.

1. The grammatical errors are off the charts. I am not a linguistic genius by any stretch of the imagination, so when I find more than one or two errors...there is a problem. The last quarter of this book was filled with about 5.

2. I guess my brain wasn't ready for the "grown-up" version of Jessica and Elizabeth. I was a little surprised to see the word orgasm on page 7. "She cried after every orgasm..." All righty, then. Fine, they grew up and had relationships, but I wasn't ready for the multiple sex scenes and the word nipple just looked crazy on that page! Great, now I sound 80.

3. The story line was good at best. I don't think a lot of readers will accept the betrayal in this book. Also, the love interests. I think it was a little far fetched.

4. I had a hard time with the narration changes; Elizabeth, Jessica, Todd AND Bruce...a little much. The flipping of the storytelling didn't go very smoothly. I had to reread several passages to make sure I knew what was happening.

5. The entire senior class goes back for the wedding? I talk to maybe 50 people from high school... Everyone still knows each other - ?? Just another example of how some things were too forced and unrealistic.

This book is for the Sweet Valley die-hard that just wants to know something about the Wakefield twins. Even if that something is implausible.

2.5 Stars

Way Back Wednesday - Sweet Valley High

Guess what!?! Sweet Valley High lives on! Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later will explore the lives of twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield who are now estranged. What happened to Elizabeth (the mild one) and Jessica (the wild one) after they left the California coast? Take from People.com:

While Jessica still lives in their hometown, Elizabeth has moved to N.Y.C. - and is looking for revenge toward her sister. What did Jessica do to cause the rift? Do they still wear matching lavaliere necklaces? Whatever happened to Todd Wilkins? And is Winston Egbert still a dork? Find out when the book hits stands March 29.

I am SO excited!! I loved SVH so much when I was in school. I could zip through one of those books in a day. You can pre-order now. Not sure when Amazon will have the new cover up. Here is an interview with the author Francine Pascal from the Teens @ Random (Random House):


Where did you grow up?
New York City.

Where do you live today?
New York City and the South of France.

Did you always like reading?
What was your favorite book growing up?
I always loved reading. Growing up, my favorite book was A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes, since I was a small child, I was always writing either poems or plays. . . plays in which I had the starring part.

Have you written any books besides the Sweet Valley series?
I've written Hangin' Out with Cici (which became an ABC AfterSchool Special called "My Mother Was Never a Kid"), The Hand-Me-Down Kid (also made into an ABC AfterSchool Special), My First Love and Other Disasters, and Love and Betrayal & Hold the Mayo. I've also worked on a musical and several adult books.

How did Sweet Valley begin?
I originally planned to sell the idea for a daytime drama featuring teenage characters to television networks, until a friend suggested that a book series, rather than a television series, might be the best way to fully develop the fictitious Southern California town of Sweet Valley. The rest is publishing history — and now a TV show, too!

Where do you get your ideas?
I get some of my ideas from watching my three daughters, but most of them come from my own memories of growing up. I can remember how romantic I was, not just about love, but romance in the classic sense — the romantic ideals: of honor and truth, of loyalty, sacrifice and fairness. Those were the elements that made a story satisfying to me. And that what I try to put in all my books. Plus action. Everybody likes action.

How did you come up with Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield?
I always had a fascination with twins. The trick is to think of Elizabeth and Jessica as the good and bad sides of one person.

Which is your favorite Sweet Valley book?
Sweet Valley High #12, When Love Dies.

What is it like to have the characters you created come to life in the TV show, Sweet Valley High?
It's marvelous! Just the way I had pictured it. The characters have grown and the acting is good and I am very pleased.

Oh gosh, I hope she does a tour! *crosses fingers*

Happy Reading!