Review: Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal

Title: Sweet Valley Confidential
Author: Francine Pascal
Genre: YA, Adult, Fiction
Perfect for : Nostalgia reading
Star Rating: 3/5 Stars

Taken from Goodreads, "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."


Ah, nostalgia... As a kid growing up in the 80's and 90's, I read a lot of 'Sweet Valley Kids/High' books. I can honestly say I grew up reading them. While I can't say I followed the Wakefield twins to 'Sweet Valley University', I have fond memories of totally dated, but nicely drawn covers and crazy sibling antics.


'Sweet Valley Confidential' has Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, feuding twins from sunny Sweet Valley, stuck in the middle of yet another large argument. At 27, you'd think they'd have figured out how to get along, but after Jessica does something that is, well, totally wrong, but, also, totally Jessica, Liz hops a plane to New York City in hopes of forgetting her sister and starting anew.


I'd be lying if I said this book was fantastic. It has its fair share of problems, but then again, hardly any book is perfect. All in all, I enjoyed reading this novel. It was a nice walk down memory lane in terms of characters and various 'memories' brought up during 'Sweet Valley Confidential'.


A major problem with this (and many other books) is that it is too long. A lot of time is spent discussing or re-iterating stuff that we already know. The plot elements just don't call for so many pages. I would have loved for this novel to be a little 'tighter'.


Matching that with a positive, Pascal seems to have character histories for almost every character mentioned in the Sweet Valley Universe. From main characters to minor characters who you may have only seen for a short while, Pascal has an answer to where they've been and what they've been doing since we last saw them. The number of characters Pascal brings back, even for cameo's, works well in this novel because everyone has different memories of different series. More camio's makes it easier for those who only read 'Sweet Valley Kids' or 'Sweet Valley High' to not feel intimidated by this story that is based off events from 'Sweet Valley University'.


As far as storytelling goes, 'Sweet Valley Confidential' is a little slow. I found myself skimming over portions that weren't moving as quickly as they could have. The plot points laced throughout the novel make for a solid story, but there is a lot of 'extra' stuff between them that make this novel seem long. The plot is engaging at times, so this minor slowness isn't a total deal breaker.


Pascal did something very well in this novel-- writing a very true account of moving far away from one's family and trying to make your life on your own. In Liz's case, she's in New York with no friends or family. Liz's thoughts and general insight into how she feels about being literally alone with hardly any social life rang true to my ears. Having lived away from home in a state with no safety net for half a year, I found myself relating to what Liz was going through. That is something that Pascal did quite well in 'Sweet Valley Confidential'.


Is this a fantastic, over the top, earth shattering novel? No. But, did you expect it to be that? I went into this hoping for a good trip down memory lane and, you know what? I did enjoy visiting Sweet Valley again. 'Sweet Valley Confidential' is available everywhere books are sold. It earns 3 out of 5 stars from this little blog.

Review: The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title: The Dead and the Gone
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Genre: YA, Post-apocalyptic
Perfect for: readers of its companion novel, Life As We Knew It

We've seen what happened to the suburbs when a meteor moved the moon closer towards the earth. In "The Dead and the Gone", companion novel to "Life As We Knew It", we see how the disaster changes life for those in the fast paced cities, namely New York City. The story centers around the Morales family. When both Alex's parents disappear the night of the disaster, it becomes his duty to keep him and his two sister, Bri, 14 and Julie, 12, alive in a city that is slowly falling apart. The repercussions of the movement of the moon differ from the story we heard in "Life As We Knew It", but are just as chilling. Alex must deal with a lot-- food shortages, failing electricity, an ill sister... They need a lot, but most of all, seventeen year old Alex knows he needs to get him and his family out of the city before it exists no more.

Oh my goodness. I don't know what I expected while reading "The Dead and the Gone". I enjoyed the book immensely even though it never ceased to depress me. The characters seemed real and I really felt for them. Towards the end, the book almost brought tears to my eyes, which is unusual for me!

By no means should "The Dead and the Gone" be taken as 'the same old thing'. It reads similar, yet completely different to its companion novel. One of the most intriguing things was, at times, something would affect Alex and his sisters, and I would stop and be brought back to what happened to Miranda in "Life As We Knew It".

I really enjoyed this companion novel and can't wait until the third book in this series, "This World We Live In" is released. I recommend "The Dead and the Gone" for teens and adults who find themselves the least bit attracted to the story. It's definitely a page turner!

Review: Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfefffer

Title: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Format: Paperback
Genre: YA, What If, Post Apocolyptic, fiction
Perfect for: Everyone should try this book

The meteor wasn’t supposed to do any damage to the Moon. All the scientists suspected was a new crater or two. The scientists were wrong—very wrong. When the meteor knocks the moon closer to Earth, disrupting the gravitational pull, life changes for everyone. Towns are decimated by tidal waves, tsunami’s, and earthquakes. Volcano’s which weren’t active for hundreds of years begin to wake up. Told from a teen perspective, readers follow junior Miranda as she and her family try to survive the crazy world in which they find themselves living in.
I admit it, I’m a little late to the party.

For all those who also let this title go by unread (like myself), don’t! Life As We Knew It is a fantastic piece of fiction that hits scarily close to home. Genre-wise, it’s not fantasy or sci-fi, so much as post-apocalyptic fiction. Life As We Knew It had me hooked from start to finish. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. As a reader, I became quite attached to the characters and their plight.

Though this title is depressing at times (many times), the glimmers of light towards the end make this a title I recommend wholeheartedly. If the characters don’t grasp you, the message certainly will. Read this book. You won’t regret it!