My View: Sweet Valley Confidential

 

BOOKS DEVOURED RATING:

4- Steak and Potatoes. Meaty and Delicious and Wonderful.

Details:

Title: Sweet Valley Confidential
Author: Francine Pascal 
Publication Date: March 29th, 2011 
Series: Sweet Valley High 

Synopsis:  (From Good Reads)

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.

What Did I Think?

If you follow me on twitter you know that I have been anticipating this one for a while.  I read Sweet Valley High books when I was younger and I loved them.  The series had so many books that  Elizabeth and Jessica became a part of my childhood.  I was envious of them for some things.  They were beautiful and they had each other.  I only had brothers so reading about their relationship as sisters was always interesting to me.

Fast Forward 10 years and this novel feels like catching up with childhood friends.  My memory isn’t the best though so perhaps I don’t remember many details. I have seen other hardcore fans being upset because of changes in characters behavior or small details being changed.  I wasn’t bothered by that at all.  For one thing, I have been to my 10 year high school reunion; most of the people there were different in some way than what I thought they would be.  Personality is only part of what makes us who we become, the rest comes from our experiences and choices we make in response to them. 

The story was told using present tense and flashbacks which I normally don’t love but this made sense and I liked it.  The story begins with Elizabeth purposely not answering a phone call from Jessica.  We learn that there has been a major rift between the sisters and I was heartbroken for them.  The first 20 pages or so I was a little confused and I wasn’t really sure if I liked it. Once I started getting into it though it was like an old friend catching me up on her life since I saw her last.  I was heartbroken for them both at different points in the story.  For me this book felt like the authors gift to her characters.  She let them grow up, she let them screw up and ultimately she just let them become more than pretty blonde twins. 

Was I sad at the life some of the characters got? Sure, but I am sad about the lives some of my real friends from high school got too.  Would I have liked this book if I had never read the series before? I’m not sure, but I would like to think so.  There was a lot of drama!  Are hardcore fans who remember all the details and have read the books more recently going to like it? I don’t know the answer to that either.  I hope that they do though.       

BOTTOM LINE: THIS BOOK FEELS LIKE CATCHING UP WITH OLD FRIENDS, I AM SO GLAD THAT I GOT THE CHANCE.

Challenge: None
Source: Received for review from Get Red PR