Sweet Valley High: The story so far…
If you don’t already know about Sweet Valley High (SVH), then, omigod, like, you are soooo not on Planet Earth. SVH is a teen romance book series that centres on the lives and loves of the blonde 16 year-old twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield. Jessica is the bitchier and more fun-loving twin and Elizabeth is the more responsible twin. They are both beautiful with size 6 figures. They live in Sweet Valley, California.
[My SVH collection currently comprises over 70 books. Here's a photo of some of the books in my collection. Some of my favourite titles are shown, including #76: Miss Teen Sweet Valley, #1: Double Love, and the 'Malibu Summer' Special Edition.
Why do I love SVH books so much? First and foremost, they are so much fun to read. Jessica sometimes says these outrageously bitchy comments that make me smile. I also really enjoy the fantasy world of Sweet Valley. This is a little embarrassing to say since the character of Elizabeth is also a bit boring and conservative, but when I was growing up, Liz was my favourite SVH character. You see, as a teenager, Elizabeth and I shared a dream: we both wanted to be writers. However, I also enjoyed reading about many of the other characters, including Elizabeth's far more exciting twin Jessica and Sweet Valley's original bad boy Bruce Patman.
As much as I love the SVH books, I enjoy engaging in snarky commentary about them too. As it turns out, I am not alone in this. So if you too enjoy reading snarky recaps of SVH books, check out the 1bruce 1 community at LiveJournal. You might also enjoy Dwanollah's discussion of SVH books too.]
Reviews of Sweet Valley High books
Read on for reviews of 4 SVH books. I don’t have a lot of experience in reviewing books. However, I was a judge for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards in 2001, so I guess a recommendation from me now carries a lot more prestige.
#1: Double Love
How to review the very first ever SVH book? It’s, like, daunting! I loved this book so much when I was in my teens and I re-read it so many times… and even quite a bit during Year 12, I remember. It was an interesting period of my life when my choice of favourite writer might have been a toss-up between David Malouf and Francine Pascal/Kate Williams. Anyway, ‘Double love’ tells of Jessica’s devious attempts to win Todd Wilkins, the school’s hunky basketball star. But does Todd like Elizabeth? Because Elizabeth sure likes Todd. Will Jess’s schemes get her Todd? Yeah right, as if you didn’t know! Because this book famously started the whole Elizabeth and Todd long-term relationship thing. As much as I love SVH, Elizabeth and Todd eventually got a bit boring. But ‘Double love’ was before all that. It had those classic Sweet Valley ‘omigod, omigod, omigod’ plot twists, it had a bad boy character, it had some classic Jessica Wakefield scheming, and at 182 pages (longer than many early SVHs), it even had room for character development – way cool! So, if you’re looking for classic books, look no further than ‘Double love’. (And David Malouf’s ‘Johnno’, which is Malouf’s classic novel about growing up in wartime Brisbane.)
#134: Happily Ever After
Omigod! Jacques the sexy Frenchman has turned out to be a jewel thief!!! Jess is soooo not happy. As she says to Liz: “Jacques seemed so sincere with his talk about moonlight and French nights… oh, why did I believe him?” (p. 9). Meanwhile, Liz has problems of her own. Prince Laurent’s royal obligations demand that he marry the less attractive and less likeable Antonia di Rimini. No need to worry about Jess though – Jacques eventually decides that crime doesn’t pay – way cool! In fact, at the end of the book, he farewells Jess with a poignant letter that ends: “I will never forget the beautiful American who stole my heart the way I used to steal gems” (p. 178). Things get better for Liz, too – Laurent ends up dumping Antonia so he can propose marriage to Liz! Will Liz leave Sweet Valley to become a princess? Yeah, right – as if! What a great book this was. As a judge of the 2001 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, I highly commend it.
#135: Lila’s New Flame
Omigod!!! Could Lila Fowler, one of the richest teens in Sweet Valley, be an arsonist? Part of the mansion she lives in has burnt down and Lila’s the main suspect. All the evidence points to Lila – or does it? After the fire, Lila is so sad that that she isn’t even interested in shopping! “Lila always wanted to go shopping. Obviously she was doing very, very badly” (p. 59).
Steven Wakefield, the brother of Jess and Liz, is working for the Sweet Valley District Attorney’s office. But when he is assigned to investigate the fire, he finds himself struggling with his growing attraction to Lila. Even as more evidence mounts against Lila, will he be able to resist her? Yeah, right – as if! And certainly not when she’s looking “beautiful and tormented” (p. 195). But what about Lila’s apparent fascination with fire? And what about the empty gasoline can found in her car? Like, intrigue!
Yes, it’s Sweet Valley High meets Basic Instinct but without the lesbian action and any R-rated stuff. As a funding application to the Australia Council for this book might read: “This innovative book blends the teenage romance genre with the thriller genre to challenge traditional conventions of young adult fiction.” In all, this is a fine SVH book. Go there, girlfriend!
Earthquake
Sure, werewolves and cheerleader kidnappings are scary, but not as scary as a Californian earthquake. And when an earthquake strikes on the night of the twins’ birthday, it leaves a trail of destruction and unrealised sexual tension. That’ll teach those twins to turn 17 when they’ve been 16 for, like, forever. In one subplot, rich girl Lila Fowler finds herself trapped in a bathroom with Todd (Liz’s ex). She is forced to “grimly contemplat(e) her death” thus: “She would never graduate from high school, would never have the most awesome dress at the senior prom. She’d never gamble in Monte Carlo or plan the wedding of the century for six hundred guests…” (p. 195). She and Todd initially trade insults before the sex tensh kicks in – will they or won’t they engage in close-mouthed kissing and light petting over clothes? Meanwhile, various other subplots keep us guessing as to who lives and who dies. Will Olivia make it? What about Enid? What about Liz?
Warning: Teenagers do die in this book so it’s one of the darker SVH books. But, thankfully, in spite of the death toll, there is no swearing. For example, as Todd realises that the bathroom walls will probably end up collapsing on him and Lila, he merely comments: “We’re in deep you-know-what” (p. 61). A brilliantly scary and polite book.