Casey’s: meet ‘n’ greet
Hey all, I’ve come to love the regular posters, and thought I’d give the chance for us to know more about each other and gorge on some (metaphorical) ice cream sundaes. Tell us who you are, how SVH fucked up your self-perception, and anything else you want to share.
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Hello, my name is Kristen, and I got hooked on Sweet Valley months ago, and I can’t stop. This is why I’m joining SVA (Sweet Valleyaholics Anonymous). With my dull, shoulder length blonde hair, grey eyes the color of a rainy day, pimply complexion, and imperfect size-9 figure, I’m one of the least popular girls at “Sweet Valley” Community College. [I do go to community college]
Whoops, meant brown hair. OMIGOD, I may have a secret desire to be blonde!
Hi! My name’s Julie, and I got into Sweet Valley in the late 90s when I was in high school. I have blonde hair and blue eyes, but I’m a “blimpo” who takes size medium, and I prefer Japanese pop music to the Droids. I’m also gay, which means Elizabeth should be knocking on my door with a bowl of chicken soup and some sage advice any day now.
When she does, I’ll get the chance to see how quickly she becomes fluent in Japanese (my money’s on a week), because I live in Japan. While Elizabeth is giving me a hefty pep talk on how there’s NOTHING WRONG with being a lesbian, she will also ask me why I’m only average at my job and am not throwing myself into the job with the…ahem, passion of her beloved teacher Mr Collins. I will tell her that I actually want to be a translator and am doing this job for a couple years to improve my Japanese and get myself sorted financially.
She will take me to get a makeover, as well as to a gym where I shed those pesky pounds in an hour-long workout session with some hot new Sweet Valley-born celebrity, and then the moment I step outside a Japanese film star will sweep me away in his limousine to his mansion, and after a passionate yet vanilla makeout session I will realise that I actually am attracted to guys, but decided to be a lesbian because I thought no man could ever love a fat slob like me. After Jessica tries to steal my film star husband (and is luckily thwarted by Elizabeth) we will get married and settle down in my small town. And because no problem is allowed to go unsolved, Elizabeth and I, who are now BFFs, will single-handedly revolutionise the Japanese school system so it is JUST LIKE SWEET VALLEY HIGH OMGWTFBBQ! while being creepily close to all our students. Cause I never wanted to translate, see. Translating is a nerd’s job.
Once Elizabeth is done single-handedly reforming the Japanese school system and letting me take some of the credit cause she’s nice like that, she will go home to Sweet Valley because no member of the Scooby Gang can ever leave, and everyone will live happily every after.
My name is Jessa Fields. Aside from honing my incredible sophistication, I spend my time raising my child (who destroyed my perfect size-six figure, thus rendering me worthless) and attending graduate school at Sweet Valley University, where I am pursuing a PhD in Secrets, Double Love, and Post-Soviet Politics. (The latter is why my hair no longer resembles the glimmering Caribbean, but rather the dark, cold waters of the Black Sea.)
SVH didn’t screw up my self-perception, per se, except that I began to perceive myself (quite realistically) as someone who reads SVH well into her twenties and therefore is 137 different kinds of loser. My sister and I would refer to SVH as “the Shakesperean tome” and would fight about who had to go to the mall and actually buy the tome when we were home from college.
Before returning to Sweet Valley University, I worked at the famous newspaper, The Oracle, and at one point sought to write an article on SVH and its ghostwriters. It never panned out though.
I’m Tracy -Despite what SV would have you believe I’m a size 14 and still have a fufilling career and I managed to marry!?! I haven’t read a SVH since high school (Around 10 years!) but stumbled on this site and now I’m jonesing. I read practically every teen series in the late 80’s/early 90’s so I’m sure I’m all kinds of warped.
I’m actually Jessa Fields’ young sister (by more than 4 minutes). When I’m not busy dying in tragic jet-ski accidents and leaving my ldearest love to the likes of a colllege-aged Bruce Patman, I spend my time managing a multi-billion dollar government budget that would certainly allow me to purchase not only George Fowler’s microchip computer, but also the Patman Family Canning Factory. Awesome.
Seriously, though when not wasting municipal funds, I eagerly check this website, waiting for the next update (it makes good subway commute reading, among other things).
As Jessa may have mentioned, we started reading these books in the mid-late 80s and continued (in sworn secret- even our mom made fun of us) throughout college. I can confidently report that absolutely every SVH, most of the SVUs and about the first 40 SV Twins books reside in assorted boxes in our parents’ attic.
Unfortunately, as our parents are moving for the first time in almost 30 years, Mom has threatened to “give the books away to the local middle school library”. (I dont think she realizes that kids today expectsomething a little more risque than Bruce undoing Jessica’s bikini strings under the water at Secca Lake.) However, the insipiring words on this website have led me to want to fight the good fight and make a pitch for these treasures of American Literature to survive the big move. (Sadly, they probably reveal as much about our childhood as any photo album would. No offense, Jessa.)
Thanks again for the entertainment; looking forward to more Margo and/or Nora coverage in the future.
Hi I am StarryEyed and I read SV in the late 80s. I remember going to the bookstore every month, eagerly waiting the next installment in the fabulous lives of those perfect twin with the flashing aquamarine eyes, honey-kissed blond hair, long tanned legs, and of course the size six figure!
As I got older I gave up SVH for the more mature works of Mary Higgins Clark and the like. I re-discovered SVH on a couple messages boards I frequented and nostalgia got the best of me. I was on a quest find old SVHs: used bookstores, Amazon (for a penny!) and of course ebay. What fantastic horrible cheesy goodness! I was trying to collect the entire SVH series. I gathered a fair amount. I had stopped reading SVH around book 70ish. Imagine my glee at the Evil Twin miniseries, the werewolf books, and more SV nuttiness!
As for me, in the SV I would be described as having frizzy brown hair, horribly disgustingly fat and a nerd. In reality, I am a 30 year old professional in Los Angeles. I like travel, reading (of course!) going to movies and sporting events, spending time with my friends, boyfriend and family.
SV didn’t really fuck up my perception of things. I grew up in a Southern California beach community, so I knew the series was a bunch of crap at the tender age of 13.
I look forward to wasting many a good working hour on this site.
ihatewheat, check out some used bookstores for old teen novels. I am all about the instant gratification! You can get piles of them.
I’m Shoshana (ihatewheat’s sister in law). I spent way too many hours holed up in my room when I was supposed to be studying or doing homework reading SVH, eating cookies, all the while wondering how I will ever get a perfect size six figure if I keep eating cookies. In the land of SVH, there were multiple strikes against me: brunette, overweight, and JEWISH. Good thing I live in New York, where the Statue of Liberty welcomed not only the tired and the poor, but chubby teenage Jewish girls as well.
Currently, I have managed to pick up the pieces of my decidedly non-Aryan, non-lavaliere wearing life. I am happily married to ihatewheat’s brother, and teach in a high school, where my students know nothing of the wonders of Sweet Valley. Their equivalent to SVH would have to be watching “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.” At least we got our ridiculous standards of perfection that we could never live up to in a BOOK. It all went downhill after “Dawson’s Creek” came on the air. (Although, I have to admit, I watched it for several seasons, and actually cared about Dawson, Joey, Pacey and Jen quite a bit.)
I’m Lucy, and I hail from New Zealand. I am blonde, with blue-green eyes, and a perfect size six figure. Really? Almost. Before you hate me, my size six is not perfect by any means-may I remind you that size six is not thin enough in today’s society. Plus, I’m only 5′2, not 5′6. In addition I look nothing like the Wakefield twins (no evil smirk or patronising look, yus!).
I don’t think my self-image got too damaged by Sweet Valley, as I was generally more of a SVT reader more so than Sweet Valley High, but SVH certainly gave me a very distorted idea of what an American high school was like! I always asked exchange students if they were cheerleaders and all drove Jeeps and Porsches. They always gave me weird looks. My love of SV made me write my own series about a boarding school when I was 13 which lasted about 3 books and was os far beyond dreadful. I even put twins in there, named Cordelia and Titania (I also liked to read Shakespeare, which I hope redeems me interms of intelligence!)
I have a somewhat evil sense of humour which is possibly due to laughing when Crazy Margo killed all those babies. Haha.
I love this blog and check it almost daily for updates. I never realised how completely warped the damn books were!
Oh, and if I ever lived in Sweet Valley, I would probably be invited to join Pi Beta Alpha, but would ruin my chances by punching the Wakefields in the face.
Lila would probably like me though.
I’m Onnie. ihatewheat and I went to JHS and HS together. Our most formative SVH years. I started reading SVT back in grade school (who didn’t?!?) and graduated to SVH once JHS hit. I remember when I first picked up Power Play at the library and saw there was a rec readng age of like, 12?!? and I was still 11 at the time, so I thought I was so fucking cool when the librarian let me check that book out.
She should have carded me and stopped me right then and there…
but alas – cut to today, where I am still insecure about my fucking weight, and about not being 5′6 and blonde…and still waiting for SV Heights to come out so I can run to the store buy it and hide under my bedcovers to read.
On, hate to break it to you, but you’ll never be blond haired and aqua-eyed.
My name is Suzanne Devlin, but my friends call me Suzy. I started reading SVH when I was about 10. I vividly remember reading them under the sheets with a flashlight when my parents thought I was sleeping, because they were for readers age 12 and up and my parents were kind of strict. (In 5th grade someone gave me Madonna’s “True Blue” album on cassette tape and they took it away from me because they thought Madonna was a bad influence.)
I consider myself an SVH purist because I like the early books best. I stopped reading them after # 70 or so and never got into the SVU books. I was however an avid reader of Sweet Valley Twins. And I continued to read my favorites over and over again well into my 20s. I’m 31 now and I have a stash of SVH books in a red duffel bag under my bed. I used to make my little sister go into used bookstores and buy them for me. I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of them but my sister is really the ONLY person who knows this about me.
My name is Amy Slutton and like Suzy, I too am a SVH purist: I only like the early books! I also started reading SVH when I was about 10 or so. I had gone looking at B. Dalton (or was it Waldenbooks?) for All Night Long cos that was the scandalous one that I saw all the girl snickering over in grade school, but they didn’t have it so I got Jealous Lies instead. Eventually I got Double Love and the other ones featuring the perfect Wakefield twins and became totally smitten with Jessica. And I set about deperately trying to emulate her persona. You know, because everything that Jessica said, did, wore or touched was automatically fabulously THE coolest and if I could only be like her and look like her then all of my problems would be solved. Which was interesting to say the least because I was about as opposite from Jessica as one could possibly get. Liz would have loved me as one of her pet projects!
By the way, has anyone noticed that Jessica looks pretty much identical to Betty Childs, the head cheerleader/sorority chick from Revenge of the Nerds? It seems the Jessica look was the staple “ideal woman” look forced on us in the 80’s.
damn it! you gotta burst my bubble of hope, don’t you?
My name is Robyn and I guess in SV I would also be the Robin Wilson type. You know, before she magically lost the weight, running around the track a few time.
I started reading SVT and SVH when I was 8 and it warped my young little mind forever. Even ended with orange hair a few times trying to dye my hair blonde just like those fabulous twins. I guess in the world outside of SVH, makeovers aren’t that easy, are they?
And I have just realised how much SVH has influenced me. Me, being a nice jewish girl, has a not so jewish boyfriend and I’m very excited to be getting my very first christmas tree with him this year. I’ve always wanted one. them being so shiny and pretty and all. So, the other day, I was contemplating how to decorate it. Would I make it all bright and colorful or would I go more towards ding it simply. Like maybe with just blue and silver decorations?
So as I thought about this beautiful colour combination, I remembered where I got the idea from. This was Ned Wakefields idea of how to deocrate the tree! He wanted it just like architectural digest, but those wacky twins of his always convinced him to add colour.
I don’t even remember what book that is from, since I haven’t read it in 15 years or so, but it’s stuck with me to this day. Apparently SVH has totally made me the woman I am today, straight down to how I plan to decorate that christmas tree….
OMG Robyn… LMAO… the blue and silver Christmas tree! That’s from the super edition Special Christmas (one of my faves)
It’s been a long while since I’ve had an auto-SVH moment like that…
I’m Sue, and I was an SVH addict around the time I was 11 or 12. I got into them probably right around the time they started getting published, because I remember that I’d ride my bike to the bookstore each month to get the next one, and I had to wait for book 7, 8, 9, etc. to come out. I read them from Book 1 probably through Book 40 or so before I got fed up and moved on to some real intellectual literature, like Danielle Steele and Sidney Sheldon. (That phase lasted at least until age 15…)
In the SVH-verse, I’d probably be the girl they featured on one cover, the plump newspaper writer who needed Liz to make me realize that I CAN be pretty and I CAN go to the dance, and I CAN win the newspaper award and I CAN win the affections of the geeky IT guy! (Oops, that last bit was a shread of my own reality sneaking in…. Silly me, the geeky IT guy I married would have to become Bruce Patman’s friend from the football team.)
Oh my god, Robyn, I totally remember the blue-and-silver Christmas tree that the dad always wanted. I don’t always remember the details other people remember from the books, so why does THAT stand out? I think the way SVH really influenced me is that there’s some part of me that will always think that size 6 is the “perfect” size. Oy. (Oops. There are no Jewish people in Sweet Valley! Silly me. That’s why I’ll never appear in another book.)
I’m loving the blog, ihatewheat.
I’m Kelly, mid-20s and also grew up on the SVT and SVH books. Luckily I could pick them up at yardsales for 10 cents because they were used teen books. I also checked them out from the library before amassing my impressive collection. I read a lot. It’s amazing how much crap I read without managing to become completely shallow. But I guess growing up that’s what there was to read.
I remember, with profound disappointment, the day I realized I was 5′6″ and did not feel tall, beautiful and perfect. I had the blonde hair and green eyes but could never quite get the perfect size 6. Which cracks me up now because teens today strive for the 00. Sad. Thank you Tiff for pointing out how incredible horrid the ghostwriters were to the fat people. Ug, the ‘let’s work out and make you pretty’ mantra got really old. Reminds me of “The Breakfast Club” when the jock only notices the basketcase once she combs her hair and puts on that pretty pink lip gloss.
I agree with the person who mentioned at least we got our shallow dose of pseudo-reality from BOOKS. I openly mock friends from other sites who watch Gossip Girls, My Super Sweet 16 and anything else that requires you to suspend belief in practicality and sanity.
I was definitely one of those people who wanted to be the perfect combo of Liz and Jess. Kind and caring, intelligent and fun, the best boyfriend but responsible too. Gag. I had an unhealthy obsession with twins. Actually, I still do. I wanted one so we could overthrow my older brother, the damn tyrant.
And reading this I do remember, with sadness, that stupid Christmas tree. Odd how the same random detail sticks in your head all those years.
My name is Abby, and I started reading Sweet Valley Twins first, when I was about in the second grade. I also got into the Kids, SVH, and SVU, and embarrassingly, the Unicorn Series. Never really liked Senior Year though.
I am a 24 year old accountant, and I think if I were in the SVH series, I’d most likely be Cara Walker. I would be thin enough to hang with Jessica’s crowd (my size 4 jeans would have kicked Jess’s size 6 flabby ass), but having a combination of dark hair plus no rich father (and a preference of Jessica to Elizabeth) pretty relegates me to loyal sidekick status who poses no imminent threat (this is less painful than you might think because I always maintained Cara mocked JW behind her back and only hung out with her because she was so into Steven). I would also like to proudly state I never dated a douchebag as big as Steven though.
I think the most shocking moment for me was when I was in the 4th grade and read Dear Sister and discovered that Bruce “lightly placed a hand on Elizabeth’s breast”. Being young and curious I figured the later books would be all about sex, but I was sad to see the most action anyone ever got in that stupid series occured in book 7. I mean, even the school sluts weren’t putting out, and even Bruce learned his lesson and never tried to get any after that.
I would like to say one thing though– never once did I think the cover girls were pretty. I started reading SVH probably in 1993, so it wasn’t even like the fashions were too far gone. But anyway, I always wondered why they couldn’t find prettier models to portray the beautiful Wakefields.
I always assumed the sluts, i.e. Jessica and Annie, put out… it was implied enough times anyway… imagine my surprise when it was revealed that Jessica lost her virginity in college
I don’t know…I never really got the vibe any of the girls were putting out in high school, even in the subtext. It seemed like the slutty girls were actually just misunderstood, and not really having sex like everyone thought they were. Sweet Valley was like Pleasantville, and sex just never thought of, I always thought.
I’m greer, I run stoneybrookite.org, and like the twins Wakefield, I have blonde hair and ~blue-green~ eyes. Right now I live in NYC, but I will soon return to Leningrad to entertain the hordes of Sweet Valley educators in the area on Soviet-American exchanges. I actually read very few SVH books, but this site makes me want to…
forgot to sign in. whoops.
I’m Linda, and I guess in Sweet Valley-land (or Valledulcelandia in Spanish — sounds kinda like Disneyland) I would be the token Hispanic girl that shows up around book #50 or so (long after I stopped reading, I’m quick to point out — the last one I remember reading was #40, with Regina’s death). But I wouldn’t get much of a mention even as a Liz project — a bookworm, *and* a tubby ol’ size 8, and with dark frizzy hair, I might’ve gotten a paragraph or two.
If I were to walk into Valledulcelandia now, I’d get hauled out in handcuffs — not only am I beyond even a size 8, but I first became a *gasp* feminist in high school (and not that wimpy Olivia Davidson-like stuff of wearing hippie skirts, either) and then in college became a revolutionary communist. I write for and distribute Revolution newspaper, spreading articles like “‘Knocked Up’ is Fucked Up” and “The Bible Taken Literally is a Horror” to impressionable minds. I love to deconstruct all the vapid stuff of my (well, all of our) childhood, and all the brainwashing therein — I’m so glad I found this site. Would you consider guest, uh … reviews?
I just found this site, and I can’t tear myself away. I worked in a public library during the Sweet Valley years (I was in high school) and was mainly obsessed with their covers–the twins and their outfits, and Liz’s barrettes. But sometimes I’d read the books, mainly to make fun of them, and my younger sister who also read them.
Hi, my name is Brandi and I started out reading Sweet Valley Twins and eventually moved on to Sweet Valley High. One of the most mortifying experiences of my elementary school career occurred when our librarian almost refused to sell me a SVH book at the Scholastic Book Fair. She pointed out that it was “for readers 12 and above” and asked if I had parental permission to read them. I look back now and realize that she was looking out for me. I also had the Sweet Valley High board game wherein I would always play as Lila since I was a brunette.
Hi, I’ve styled myself as Winnie Egbert here b’c despite being a 5′9 blonde, green-eyed size 4, Winston was the cliched geek outcast occasionally invited to provide comic relief with whom I identified most throughout the series. Let this be a lesson to you all : even looking the part don’t guarantee the adoration due a Wakefield twin.
Grew up in a small Southern California town a ways from the beach but with mountains and deserts and palm trees aplenty. My two blonde/blue/sizes 6&10 older sisters passed down the first thirty or so SVHs to me around the same time as the SVT series came out, so I read both concurrently for a couple of years and then donated the lot plus the first 40 BSC books to a school library. Hurray – perhaps they’re f***ing up a whole new generation of youngsters who totally won’t get the references to Ali McGraw in Love Story.
Dunno how much the books really affected me… they didn’t seem that far from reality as a 10-yr-old which is why I liked them then, but they seem totally removed from reality now, which is why I like reading this, 1bruce1, anything… that isn’t my what I’m meant to be working on right now. Keep it coming!!! (you too, Greer
Hi! My name is Beth and I am a 28 yr old wife and mother (baby #2 is on the way!) who loves to read anything! I started the SVT series back in the day, then went on to SVH. I had stopped reading them when I was in HS, but my younger sister loved them, so I would steal them from her and read them before she noticed. She laughs at me now because I gave her so much grief when I “stopped” reading them, but I check this site everyday for new stuff!
I didn’t think SVH affected my life much- I was a size 8, half-white, half-mexican brunette with blue eyes and had alot of friends–however, when Robyn brought up the blue and silver Christmas tree, I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry……..I have had my “perfect” tree for the last 3 years, completely blue and silver……..
I’m Kelly, 22, recent college graduate in Washington, DC. I LOVE this website and am so happy that I found it. Thank you to everyone for blogging.
I always loved Elizabeth, but looking back, she really was an uppity brat…lol at “um, Liz it’s none of your business!”
I’m a 5′8″, size-8, and I know the thought of the twins’ size-6 perfection has definitely crossed my mind hahahahaha. I started reading the Kids books, actually, progressed to Twins, and then -wow!-SVH. I never understood what happened to Amy Sutton. I don’t get it. Also tried to read a few U books, but they weirded me out for some reason.
Looking forward to future updates!
Hi all,
I’m Stacy, and I found this site a month or so ago. I started reading the SVT series in fourth or fifth grade (around 1987 or ‘88).
The last one I really remember buying was SVH “Cheating to Win,” but I have them through the low 100’s, so I guess I just blocked it out of my mind that I continued reading them into my teens. Yes, I was an idiot.
I was also on “Team Liz,” because I was too stupid to see what a crazy enabler she was. Now I would just like to slap Jessica (or, Francine would do just fine) right upside the head. We all know it’d make Liz cry too, so it’s two birds with one stone.
My saddest SVH memory is when I turned 15 and realized that I only had one more year to “get perfect” (ie, size six). I actually developed an eating disorder that year (which lasted for many after), and my happiest moment was when I fit in a size six dress. Holy shit. It didn’t last. But, in my defense, I moved around a lot (I had been in like 14 schools by that point), so the Wakefields had been more constant than most. How fucking sad is that? Don’t worry, I’m pretty normal now – real friends and all!
Anyway, I’m glad (and sad) to see that I’m not the only person that SV really screwed with…and glad to see that we, as our smarter, older selves, can look back and laugh now. I really hope the re-release doesn’t take hold (I doubt it will, for the reasons mentioned)…it’s a horrible example for young girls. But, like someone else pointed out, size six isn’t thought of as perfect anymore…so maybe it’d be reassuring to all the size six “fatties” out there.
Anyway, I love the blogs – they are often laugh out loud funny. Keep up the great work!
I remember vividly when Double Love came out – I was in fifth grade and I HAD to have it. Had to do with my whole Twin Obsession, I think.
Now I feel old. *G*
I was never as into SVH as some of my friends were, but looking back, I can see how some of my more warped ideas of high school and relationships came from those books.
By high school, I may have been blonde (with help from a bottle) and a size six, but I was not perfect, and I was entirely too angry/depressed to identify with one of the twins. I’m guessing I would have been one of Elizabeth’s special projects or one of Jessica’s victims…or a combination of the two.
I found this blog through feministing and laughed so hard that I had to share it with all of my friends.
I can’t believe I didn’t remember this before. I had Double Love on tape. I used to listen to it on my ginormous Walkman at the beach.
I am cringing as I remember this.
One of my friends sent me an SVH (#98 The Wedding) as a birthday gift and I enjoyed it way too much and began rereading others. I grew up in a tiny town in rural NC so the twins and their Cali-cool life seemed almost mythical to me. Now I’m an English grad student and would far rather write posts on Sweet Valley than work on my boring-by-comparison dissertation. This blog really is amazing–thanks so much ihatewheat!
This is random, but I just finished rereading Amy’s True Love, and in that book Robin Wilson is anorexic, which is interesting because in Power Play she tells Liz that she’s losing weight the healthy way, and then in Crash Landing the ghostwriter has her shoveling in cake, and I’m pretty sure binge eating isn’t a symptom of anorexia. Lifetime gives more realistic descriptions of women’s health issues. Apologies if this info is redundant.
PS I am a size six in certain skirts–provided I suck it in and the company is one that has “flattering” sizing.
I’m James and i’ll be the token black person on the forum, Andy Jenkins (from SVH#69 FRIEND AGAINST FRIEND) notwithstanding. I’m 26, from NY, and for years i harbored a terrible secret…I was a closet sweet valley high fan. to date, i own every single one, including the senior year series. Over the years i’ve tried to find people to talk to and a cursory glance at wikipedia led me to this site. Hallelujah!!
SVH damn near ruined my dating life. throughout H.S. and college, i couldn’t figure out why i kept on striking out even though i’d initiate conversations with pretty girls, take them to the local ice cream parlor, tell them how they reminded me of obscure pop culture icons like 1930s ice skater Sonja Henje, and wore a tie and jacket. Sadly i realized the influence of SVH on my life; i had become Jeffrey French.
favorite moment(s)? Bruce falling in love with Regina, Liz getting with Jeffrey, Jessica getting with AJ, and winston scoring himself a babe despite being written as a doofus.
worst moment(s)? way too many to name. But i NEVER got over Regina Morrow dying.
Incidentally, i think i was the only one in America who considered SVHs portrayal of minorities to be sensitive and in touch. i mean they made Andy Jenkins a science geek!
James, you may also be the token male. Welcome! It’s comforting to know that SVH fucked with men’s life as well as women’s. Also, you are forgetting about Cheryl Thomas and her pioneering interracial relationship with Steven- recap coming soon.
Oh i remember cheryl all too well…i actually thought it was cute how jessica tried to force a romance with her brother and cheryl while making a profound political statement! lol. RIDICULOUS. can’t WAIT for your recap
but seriously, if my frat brothers hadn’t brought me up to speed on the dating game i might not have ever gotten laid. The thing i realize w/ sweet valley males (as opposed to, i don’t know…REAL ONES) is that they were all alpha males with beta male personalities. only in sweet valley is there such a thing as a supersensitive stud intellectual jock. sadly, in reality, its the Bruce Patmans of the world who succeed with women. and here I was thinking I was getting insight into what women wanted in a guy, which was my initial reason for picking up the series. i got hooked by the trashy soap elements though
James… nononononononono!!! If I may go out on a limb and speak for all women (or at least those I know well), it only takes dating one Bruce Patman or two to really finally gain an appreciation of the Jeffrey Frenches of the world.
The insight you’re getting from SVH books is spot-on – from the point of view of an adult ghostwriter who’s already had her share of Kirk Andersons and John Pfeiffers (boo). Nice girls with reasonable levels of self-esteem and heads firmly attached to bodies really do appreciate an original date like going for ice cream with a guy who actually waits to be invited before mauling her body. Bring that guy back and I’ll totally go out with you.
Definitely what Winnie Egbert said. Girls may go for the Bruce Patmans, but real women love them some serious geeks.
I married a man who will engage in serious debate with me.
Like what would happen if Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne became friend, and why Bill’s Superman speech in Kill Bill Vol. 2 is wrong.
this was all supposed to become much clearer as i got older. why is my face buried in my hands right now? but seriously you guys all made great points and i pledge to stay jerk free.
I’d also like to know Why Kill Bill’s superman speech was wrong…i mean its pretty obvious that professional assassins shouldn’t probably double as soccer moms…what was the old saying “to thine old self be true”? or something like that.
Hi everyone…i’ve been reading all of your posts and comments and i hadn’t laughed so hard in years. great site! also happy to see Dwanollah is on here as well…the analysis she has on the whole SVH phenomenon on her own blog is laugh out loud hysterical. you’ll all be pleased to know that i got almost no work done today!
Hey everyone!
I’ve been trying to come up with my snazzy SVH persona for days now. I’ve Enid’s curly hair, but not her checkered past. I did develop an eating disorderin high school and college, but it was cause by more of a mother-daughter issue than cheerleading incident. I hung out with mostly boys in high school but not in an Annie Whitman capacity. I was, and still am, a newspaper geek — may I please be Penny Ayala?
SVH entered my world at the ripe ag of 11. I stole copies of my older sister’s books and was scanadalized at the lives these high schoolers led. Was I shocked to learn that real high school was nothing like Sweet Valley. Or Head Of The Class. Or Saved By The Bell. It is the same disappoointment today’s tweens who adore High School Musical must feel when they realize kids do not break out in song in the cafeteria. Then again, I haven’t been in high school for a long, long time, so what do I know?
I am a very imperfect blimp–a size 14. I blame my bulimia on the Sweet Valley High books and every other teen series that included those perfect thing girls (on that and my type-A personality, but why blame myself when I can blame fictional characters?). My hair alternates from blond to brown to black to red streaks–does that make me unlikely to be happy a.k.a. join a high school sorority and be a model? (FYI: Apparently high school sororities do exist; I went to college with a girl who was in one).
Did anyone else read the Unicorn Club books? What happened to all of those characters by high school? Just a question.
Also, if anyone is REALLY wanting to relive some crappy teen love story writing which also includes some potential date rape and step-brother on step-sister action (ooohhhh, how naughty!) check out the “Kissed by an Angel” series by Elizabeth Chandler.
If you need any other convincing, check out the first page of the first book:
“I never knew how romantic a backseat could be,” Ivy said, resting against it, smiling at Tristan. Then she looked past him at the pile of junk on the car floor. “Maybe you should pull your tie out of that old Burger King cup.”
Tristan reached down and grimaced. He tossed the dripping thing into the front of the car, then sat back next to Ivy.
“Ow!” The smell of crushed flowers filled the air.
Ivy laughed out loud.
“What’s so funny?” Tristan asked, pulling the smashed roses from behind him, but he was laughing, too.
“What is someone had come along and seen your father’s Clergy sticker on the bumper?”
I mean, does it get any better than that?
I love your site. I recently blogged about a SVH dream I had, and can’t get it out of my mind!
Just piping in to agree that yes, “nerds” are the best!
Oh this is cool!
Well, just to try and be quick about this: I was hooked on SVH when one of my friends in 4th grade was just nuts about SVH #7 Dear Sister. She loaned it to me.
Then my mom got me into Sweet Valley Twins because of that one book about their ballet recital, and I used to be a ballerina as well.
I remember happily reading Sweet Valley Twin books while eating bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Frankly… these books totally warped my sense of reality. I thought some of this stuff really happened in real life and when the good stuff didn’t happen I was sorely disappointed. SVH really sends messages to young innocent brains about life.
It’s like Cosmo but only more deadly to the female spirit and self worth.
Hi y’all. I figured it’s not quite fair to have a token black male before we have a token black female here, so I came out of hiding. (The name is a combo of my Cheryl Thomas race and Andrea Slade personality) I started reading the SVH books when I was probably about 8 or 9, along with Babysitters Club and the Pratt twins books. I suppose I was lucky, in that I realized early on that sunkissed blonde hair and aquamarine eyes would make me look kinda frightening, ala Lil’ Kim. I’m also 5′8 with frizzy geek hair and have recently ballooned to a frighteningly imperfect size 8. Yes, I have done my time on the Heather Malone diet, without the brown rice. I hate brown rice.
By the way, y’all, apparently the re-release is a real thing now. I was shopping for some of the upcoming books on Amazon.com and started seeing the first books in the series pop up “Buy It New.” Available somewhere around the perfect time to ruin a spring break!
Great idea, these introductions! As you have probably guessed, my name is Kellie. I’m 26 yrs old, married with two children. One would’ve thought I’d be over the World of Sweet Valley by now, but no. Thanks to the internet, I’ve rediscovered my love for this warped series all over again – and I get more out of it now than ever before! My collection was still safely stored away at my parent’s house, much to my delight and I’ve found those elusive ones I missed initially on eBay.
I love this blog and forum discussions about SVH, because it’s my place to vent all the thoughts I had during my childhood/adolescence… the stuff I wondered if only I noticed – Elizabeth being held hostage every couple of books with no long term psychological damage, Jessica’s personality changing from psychotic to just mildly bitchy, Todd’s possessive, borderline-emotional-abusive jealousy, Jessica’s collection of dead boyfriends and Bruce Patman, the date rapist.
The only character I could relate to, sadly, was Lynne Henry.
Hi Everyone! I started reading SVH in the 9th grade back in 1985. I came across this site a few days ago. It’s hilarious! I love the satirical commentary – keep up the good work. I can’t believe how many people are still interested in Liz and Jess and their sun-streaked blond hair, sparkling blue-green eyes, and perfect size six figures. Also, it never occurred to me what a sanctimonious, judgmental, self-righteous, pain-in-the-ass that Liz could be! And don’t get me started on Jessica. Anyway, when I was home for Christmas, I found my SVH collection at my dad’s house. It was only Volumes 1-46 with 6 Super Editions and some Super Thrillers. However, it was fun to go down memory lane again. By the looks of this site, I see that I’m not the only one!
Hi, everyone. I’m Melody_Grey. I discovered SVH when I was 7 or so. Before that time, I had been reading Twins (because my parents where obsessive about me reading age-appropriate material), but I came across my older cousin’s copy of Crash Landing and I was hooked. Little did I know what I was going to be in for.
Flash forward to now: I’m 22 and have realised that I would never have fit in with the “Sweet Valley Ideal.” I’m overweight, a self-proclaimed geek, and black. (Though I am 5′6″. Does that count?)
If I DID live in SV, I’d probably work on the Oracle as SVH apparently doesn’t have a marching and/or symphonic band or orchestra. I would catch the eye St. Liz and she would turn me into one of her causes and encourage me to crusade for a band/orchestra. And with Elizabeth on my side, I’d get one. But I wouldn’t really be happy…not until I got on the Robin Wilson diet, shed 80 pounds, joined the cheerleading squad, became the new rhythm guitarist for the Droids, and helped Max Dellon get over his crush on Liz.
Hi! I’m Deathy. ^_^ I am a 23 year old patient care coordinator (ala receptionist). I am 5″4. I have long brown and big green eyes and my pants vary anywhere from size 0 to size 7 depending on the brand. (mostly size three but those are all getting baggy on me now). In The SV world, the high school me (the one with bad teeth and goggle glasses) would be the quiet one who sat in the back who never talked to anyone and had no friends so Liz would try to help me. But she’d fail! The now me (with contacts and fixed teeth) enjoys dressing like a slut and wearing lots of makeup so I’d think I’d be a misunderstood bad girl and would Liz would try to help but I’d punch her. ^_^
Something screwed me up but I’m not sure if the blame falls slowly on Sweet Valley High. Melrose Place and MTV had a lot to do with that too. Fortunately I’ve got a much better head on my shoulders now than I did a few years ago. If only I could do it all again knowing what I know now. *sigh*
Hello all – I’m Nichole and I don’t think SVH warped my sense of anything given that I was also reading Danielle Steele at the same time and it all kind of got lumped into general fiction. Looking back though, its pretty amazing how poorly the ghost writers constructed this little Sweet Valley World.
I used to want to be Elizabeth *shudders*. I know better now. I’m 30, live in Durham, North Carolina and work in university administration. There is a used book store around the corner from my office and I am probably going to go check it out this weekend to see if they have any used SVH books. I’m a purist too – I started at #1 and got to about #75 or so before I stopped.
If I lived in Sweet Valley, I would probably be a combination of Regina Morrow (kind of quiet, dark hair, pale skin) and Elizabeth Wakefield (I loved school – still do and I’m still in touch with my high school history teacher).
I love this site! ihatewheat, you do such a fantastic job with the recaps and I love reading everyone’s comments.
Hi Nichole,
I live in Carrboro–I feel less alone knowing there’s another SVH fan in the Triangle. I’m assuming your high school history teacher isn’t a Mr. Collins type.
@ Nichole & Sarah C.: Carrboro? Durham? I’m only an hour away from y’all. I’m in Greenville.
I love this blog! I just found it last night when I was googling for some of the SVT (yes I loved the Twins and Kids series, never got much into SVH though I’ve read a few of them). Makes me want to go check out some SVH books now though. I’m 26, live in the Chicago suburbs and yes I was obsessed with Sweet Valley growing up. I wanted to be like Jessica, lol. I started reading Twins when I was in 7, until Kids came out so I started reading both. I think I read my first SVH book when I was 10 or 11. My favorite is Lila’s Story and the Sagas…and uhh yeah I just purchased Bruce’s Story on Amazon about a month ago, only cuz I never got to read it. LOL.
I’ve been addicted to SVT and SVH since I was 9. I’m now 30 and have given up hope that I’ll ever just lose interest.
I’m a 5′5″, size 8 brunette with frizzy hair, and I wear glasses, so I guess I’d be a fringe geek character… maybe not as pathetic as Lynne Henry, but close. Well, maybe more pathetic–certainly no SVH boys would ever have noticed me. (Have you noticed that even nerds like Peter DeHaven and Allen Walters date “hot” chicks such as Amy Sutton, Susan Stewart, and Robin Wilson? Whose fantasies are these books fulfilling, anyway?)
I’m Lauren, also from NC, also still sadly obsessed with teen fiction at age 27. My greatest love as a kid was the Baby-Sitters Club, but I loved to hate the Wakefield twins. Elizabeth has a special place in my version of hell. I was too much of a nerd to have a character represent me in Sweet Valley… I was probably a female Winston Egbert.
Love reading the recaps! It makes me want to pull out all of my old teen novels all over again.
Hi. I’m 27 about to be 28 and I have a solid 5 bins of books ranging from Pen Pals to BSC to SVH to SVT to ever freakin book you could imagine.
I’m actually a size 2 and I love Mc Donalds and I am avoiding a social life this weekend to breeze through the Pen Pall series along with the Cantaby Hall series. I spent my (paid, boo ya!) week off between Christmas and New Years reading Sunset Island, all the SVH (okay all three of them) where Jess actually got some action, all intercepted by shitty Danielle Steel novels.
I will never give up my YA books, my parents have snuck them to the curb and every time they try I act like a crazy (see: Elizabeth whenever Punchy Todd leaves her) nut and shove them where ever I can throw them.
There is simply nothing like a “sick day” spent reading an entire series of total YA crap.
you must recap the college dorm books and the practically popular crowd:http://cgi.ebay.com/Keeping-Secrets-by-Meg-Schneider-1993-SC_W0QQitemZ7919838198QQcmdZViewItem
badass!
Girl, you gotta do the return of the evil twin book! ZOMGZ THE EVIL “TWIN” HAS A MANIACAL TWIN OF HER OWN?!?! And they both are intent on killing, lying, and cheating in an effort to get some sweet ass white suburban existence?
There goes that theory that twins *have* to be polar opposites, like Jezebel and Mary Wakefield.
I guess I should also introduce myself, even though I was planning on being Lila Fowler-Patman. I’ve seen a couple other Lilas floating around here, and if I’m not the center of attention, I’m going to throw all my 80s gear into a duffel and book it to San Fran. (See what I did there, especially with the “book it” part? Har!)
I entered into high school thinking I would be a Lila-Jessica conglomerate, and that, naturally, people would fall at my feet and see how fucking ace I was because I had the bitch act down pat. Wrong-o! I was overweight and insecure and the new girl, so I overcompensated with too much Clinique eye makeup and refused to go to school in anything but designer accessories. I would lie my ass off about where my plus sized clothes came from. (Lane Bryant tops magically became designer duds from some “cool boutique in San Francisco, by Nordstrom’s”. And yeah, people actually believed it because they were also 14 and naive and impressionable like me.) My parents owned a small brokering business, but I inflated their success because in my convoluted mind, wealth = insta-acceptance! Let me tell you, it takes a lot of time and energy pretending you’re the daughter of millionaire transportation CEOs with a jet and houses nationwide. When I actually made friends, explaining our lack of a Fowler-esque mansion was a bit tricky, but I simply explained this was one of THREE houses we owned in the area and we were staying here to be close to my ailing grandfather.
Needless to say, I was fucked five ways past Tuesday, and I really credit alot of my attention whore antics to these books. I spent my first year of high school crying a lot, thinking that people would love me as soon as I was thin (slenderness equating with perfection in my SVH-worshipping brain) and in the meantime I actually created a slam book (which got me suspended for three days, unlike that whore Amy Sutton. And when I came back to school, I was NOT this wicked badass, as some might think after reading up on Jessica’s fling with Bruce Patman’s troublemaker club or whatever the hell that was).
I finally got over all that, and my last two years of high school were great. College is much better, but I still look back at my early years with a lot of sheepishness. I still wonder if I would have behaved like the (mostly) sane human being I am had I not been under the impression that high school was going to be a soap opera in which I were the writer, director, and star.
These books are still a laugh and a half to think about, which is why your blog is an absolute blast to read! Bless your heart, girl – I can’t stop cracking up over every new SVH entry. Thank you for bringing back a lot of crazy memories for us all, as well as showing me that I’m not the only one who was a little messed up after having ~perfect white suburbia~ shoved down my throat.
Keep up the amazing work! <3
Hello. I’m Genevieve, although I prefer to think of myself as a female, unfamous equivalent of Johnny Buck. Well, who wouldn’t? I’d rather be a teen heartthrob who plays gigs at the SV Mall than a graduate student who obsesses over Bath and Body Works fragrances at the mall here.
I’m Sarah C’s officemate. She introduced this site to me, and I have spent the last five hours of my afternoon reading it. I’d say that was a good use of my time.
I was mostly into the SVT as a kid, but I definitely did read my share of SVH books. Taffy Sinclair was another favorite of mine … I had forgotten just how much I hated Jana until I read the recaps here. Good golly. What a vindictive little girl. I used to work at a childrens’ library, so I had easy access to troves and troves of trashy YA lit … I was absolutely OCD fanatical about keeping the paperbacks in numerical order. What a weirdo. other favorites were P.R. Naylor’s Alice series (they got racier than SV ever did … which is still not saying much).
I also read the entire Animorphs series. And cried at the end. No joke.
This just in: I think I may have Jessica-itis! (Narcissistic Personality Disorder.) No lie! I’m actually seeing someone about it on Friday for a looksee and yay/nay. If I do have it, I am totes going to refer to it as “Jessica-itis” IRL too. Apart from the whole fact that I’m, you know, fucked in the head, it greatly amuses me that I might share a headfuckage with Jessica Wakefield. It’d be good if it also gave me sunstreaked blonde hair, eyes the colour of the Pacific Ocean and a size-6 figure no matter how much greasy crap I chow down at the Dairi Burger, but oh well.
Oh, wait, Jessica was HISTRIONIC Personality Disorder. Damn.
Hi all,
My name is Maddie. I’m 22, live in Minneapolis, and have nearly reached the completion stage of collecting the original SVH series. (I already have the entire Senior Year set, most of SVU, and am working on accumulating some of the Sweet Valley Twins, books, too.)
When I was in elementary school, I used to go to the library and pick out a whole stack of Sweet Valley Highs, stick them in my tote bag, and go home and devour them. My mom didn’t approve of them, and so I took to hiding them under my bed.
I specifically remember being forbidden to read “Don’t Go Home With John”. For some reason, my mom thought that one to be more scandalous than the others.
I discovered this site a while back and have been visiting frequently, but haven’t posted in the comments yet because I tend to lurk.
But here I am.
My high school experience was nothing like the twins’ was, and I haven’t fully recovered from the shock of that realization.
Eh.
Hello! I’m a high school English teacher, currently back in school to obtain my MA. That being said, I’m totally not ashamed to admit that I think “Kate Williams” ranks right up there with Derrida and Foucault.
Stole my first SVH (Outcast! You know I HAD to find out if anyone would ever speak to Molly Hecht again!) from my older cousin Patrice at nine, upgrading from the gooey innocence of the Twins series. I haven’t stopped obsessively loving/hating Liz, Jess and Steven “Tricia Martin’s Bitch” Wakefield since. I also used to try and write my own Valley fanfics, complete with handdrawn recreations of those mesmerizing sherbet covers. Sigh. I would really and truly welcome a break from the stuffiness of “academic writing” to start one up again, maybe a communal effort with you guys. Who’s in?!
Love the dated element of SVH (i.e. Jess’ Jordache jeans, Liz as Pat Benatar), don’t think the rereleases will work as well with today’s “T.T.Y.L.” technology-saturated,
uberjaded generation. For me, Sweet Valley High is in the same boat as The Breakfast Club and He-Man: classic 80s nostalgia that prompts a deep sigh of satisfaction when revisited–that is, when you’re not mercilessly snarking on the inappropriate sexual tension between Elizabeth and Pervo Collins or Jessica’s hip-swinging mockery of the principles of feminism–not to mention Robin Wilson’s ass.
I read most of the sweet valley twins…they were hilarious…and i still have them all under my bed somewhere :$ along with all my babysitters club books, but i read some of the high and uni ones as well. hahaz.
Thank you so much, i was so happy to relie my 6th grade era and know that i wasn’t dreaming about reading these books about ema and sam and carrie.
Ok I had to join in and share my love for this website and Sweet Valley High books in general. The interesting thing I’m seeing is that a lot of people were scarred by these books. Perhaps I was a little young when reading these, but I never felt that I needed to try and live up to the standards of the books. Actually, I just wasn’t observant enough to realize how ridiculous and racist this town is! I will say, in terms of unrealistic expectations of high school, that award goes to Saved by the Bell for me. I was really really disappointed when high school was nothing like Saved by the Bell. Actually, I’m still disappointed.
Anyhow, this blog is hilarious. I’m really inspired to read some of these now. I had all sorts of them when I was in middle school, and I let this girl borrow them….and now they’re gone.
I tried to go to the library to get some SVH or SVU books because this site has me very nostalgic. Anyway, they had NONE of these literary classics from Francine Pascal! wtf?
Then I was thinking, maybe they don’t have these books because they do not appeal to the demographics of my neighborhood (I live in DC). I guess it might be hard for anyone to identify with the blonde, sunkissed hair and blue-green eyes.
So, I’m going to have to buy some, hopefully on sale.
Hey, y’all!
Yes, I’m the one who wrote that noxious Sweet Valley High slam book thingie (http://www.dwanollah.com/blather/030102/index.html) many years ago, and dudes, from the amount of email I STILL get about it, I’m pleased as punch that I’m not the only one deeply damaged by the Wakefields & Co.(James? You made my week, dear!)
When SVH came out back in ‘82, I was right there as prime Target Audience and got sucked in. I blame SVH for my penchanct for writing really bad fiction. And I swear, one of these days, I’ll get even with all of them by writing something scholarly and academic with references to Lacan and Kristeva about how much they suck and HA, TAKE THAT! *shakes fist*
I also promise that if Sweet Valley Heights/Confidential never happens, I’ll write it myself. (Not that I already have outlines sketched or anything. Oh no.)
oh this website is so much fun!! I graduated high school in 1989, so how well I remember running to the B. Dalton bookstore every month for a new SV book. I’ve got all the original books packed away in a box at my folks’ house – I might grab them the next time I’m visiting, for sake of nostalgia. They were so much fun, but soooooooooo cheesy!! I could even pick up on that fact when I was still a younger teen. Shamefully though (and people who read this site and sites like it will probably be the only ones who get it)…..my favorite number – to this day – is 37. GACK!! I would love to know someday what the significance of that number was to Francine that it had to be in every book – at least I remember it being hidden somewhere in all the ones that I read.
I sure hope the new series does come out – it would be fun to see where everyone ended up. Sort of like “The Brady’s” was. Maybe over the span of a few weeks Liz can develop alcoholism, go to AA, race through the 12 steps, and be completely cured just like Marcia! The stupidity of that whole thing was always lost on me until I met my then alky, now sober, hubby.
My favorite book out of all that I read, and I remember it incredibly fondly to this day, was #21-Runaway. I remember thinking that Nicky Shepard was just the coolest guy ever. I mean…he smoked…he drove his car really fast…and was soooo romantic. Remember when he turned up the car radio, and he and Jess danced in the deserted park. Sigh……
This blog is simply one of the best I’ve ever read! I’ve been reading SVT and SVH since the late 80s/early 90s, and have been actively collecting SVH since I graduated from college in 2000. Before that I owned a select few (like the first few, #19, #59, the Magna editions, etc.) and checked the rest out from the library over and over again. I decided a while ago that my goal is to collect 1-100*, because I didn’t keep up with the series after the Evil Twin came out. I love the fact there are others out there who call themselves “purists”! Count me in that club. I read a few SVU books at some point, but didn’t like the way sex was treated, and really, I’d rather reread the old books.
I know I bought into the whole SVH package, and it took me 10 years or so afterwards to realize I’m not alone. I don’t feel deceived; perhaps a little disappointed that my life wasn’t like that, but the books provided an escape then and still do today.
The more I think about it, though, it wasn’t SVH that made me a hopeless romantic, it was the books by Rosamond Du Jardin from the 1950s that did it! That said, I highly recommend them if you can find them (especially Practically Seventeen).
*why is it so hard to find #25?
Picture it, Sweet Valley. The year is 1986. I had just went to the Library and met these 2 girls, twins named Elizabeth and Jessica. They invited to come over and hang out with them and we became fast friends. I went through so much with them. I don’t even know how to begin and I am not. I went through middle school and high school with them. And then I took a break and went off to college and it seems they also went to college as well. Then I met up with Elizabeth in London and had a blast of course. Now that we are in our late 20’s/early 30’s we are grownup waiting for Sweet Valley Confidential.
Ahhhh, I made some grammatical errors and typos….I am stickler for those….considering I am a freelance editor
LOL….I love this blog! Thank so much DairiBurger for providing enjoyment and of course challenging me to remember my youth and my being an avid bibliophile.
Hi SVH Readers,
I am Becca and I loved SVH too. I didn’t really get into the Twins books, but high school, oh my. If I had the misfortune to attend that high school, I would be a wallflower of the Lynne Henry variety (maybe less suicidal though). I am also tall and a little gangly and have dark brown hair. I did have glasses but got contacts my freshman year so that people could better see my not-super-striking brown eyes. I was way into fashion though, so I would probably have been noticed by the cool kids but my demeanor would’ve turned them off, no doubt. If Liz was thinking about helping me she’d probably remember that I did pretty well in school, so at least I wouldn’t need her tutoring assistance. I was also pretty artistic, so maybe Olivia and I could hang out.
Anyway, I don’t really feel like these books made me feel bad about myself, at least not that I can remember. It’s weird because I was also the only one of my three sisters (I’m the youngest) that was allowed to play with Barbies and also the only one that read SVH, and my sisters’ body image is much worse than mine. Strange….
Someone else mentioned having “Double Love” on tape, and I did too! I used to listen to it all the time on my pink plastic boom box. The other day my sister and I were watching some true crime show on tv, and the guy who was narrating the show was the same one who read the book on tape! I don’t know how that poor man was roped into reading that drivel. It instantly brought back memories of that tape and I could hear how he read all of the stupid lines. I would give serious money to find that thing again.
Well, I love this blog! It’s made me bust out my old collection and re-read some of those gems.
Being English I guess I’m Lina Smith, without the royal alter ego. I’m Australia now but its suprising how acurate love and death in London was!!
I’m glad I had no clue when I read the SVH books as I might have felt very differently about myself. A US size 6 is a UK size 10 When I was reading this I had no clue what sizes were but if I had I’m sure in the space of a few weeks I would have “got” and eating disorder, gained popularity and then been lectured by the beautiful Liz that looks don’t matter.
I’m glad to see other people wrote lame fan fictions. I spent all my time trying to recreate the awful covers. What I wouldn’t give to read those awful books!
Love your Blog and desperatly hunting for books so I can restart my collection
I have been commenting here forever but kept forgetting to post here! I started out as a kid reading the SVT books WHEN THEY WERE BRAND NEW (way to make myself feel old), and advanced to the SVH books only when my grandmother somehow got a bunch for free. (Up until then I’d been afraid to read them, since All Night Long looked so scaaaaandalous! I was a good little Catholic schoolgirl back then.) I was always way more into the BSC, and then graduated to an obsession with Sweet Dreams, but Sweet Valley still always held a special place in my heart.
I think for a time I really did think high school would be just like SVH, but I also remember not being able to quite relate to anyone that well, as I wasn’t blonde or popular and totes couldn’t afford anything from Lisette’s. Also I still recall how it bugged me that Jessica was sooooo unrelateable, but Elizabeth was so goody-goody and perfect and still got the great guy and whatever that she left me feeling like a big loser too. Wow, how were we all not in therapy thanks to these books?
Oh, also, I write a blog recapping Lurlene McDaniel books, which you can access by clicking on my username. Yay cancer!
I found this site when, in a fit of pique at work, I googled ‘Lauren Patti Stephanie and Kate’ because I couldn’t remember the name of the goddamn series where friends had sleepovers. Thank youuu, ganga! If I had any memory left, I might have been able to put two and two together, and never found my way here.
Anyway, I am a freshly minted thirty year old who had an insatiable appetite for serial books. As best I can remember, I started reading SVH heavily in about second grade, followed by Sweet Valley Twins, the BSC, etc.
My biggest problems with SVH, and I appreciate now that I wasn’t just being sour grapey when I thought so, was that Jessica’s bitch-ass flaming tampon bullshit antics were rewarded time and time again. As was Elizabeth’s sanctimonious shrewing. I am so glad they set such a clear example of WHAT NOT TO BE for me, but can see that some people took it in the other direction. I meet people in life now and can easily categorize them- Mary Annes are those girls that cry a lot and cling to their boyfriends. Staceys are the girls who grew up somewhere ‘fabulous’. Dawns are those tofu-licking types who turn up their noses every time you eat a rare burger. Mallorys are nice dorks. Stevens are those doomed dudes whose girlfriends are always dying and stuff… you get the picture.
Anyway, this site is amazing! If you ever need a copy of any volume of the ‘Francine Pascal’ or ‘Ann M. Martin’ oeuvre, let me know. I am pretty damn close to having them all. I was a saver.
Anyway, about me, ghostwriter-style:
When people think of Upstate New York, The Struggler is the kind of girl who comes to mind. Medium height with flowing brown hair highlighted by the sun, smog, and thirth years of livin’ with gray. She has deep dimples in her (ass)cheeks. Eyes the color of four-day-old snowdrifts. One hell of a spare tire. A great student, but one who has to hide her porno inside Nancy Drew books in her room. Her parents don’t approve. They wish she was more serious. She wears a gold-plated lavalier necklace- a sixteenth birthday gift from her mom and fourth stepfather- that holds coke and a spoon, just like in Cruel Intentions.
She isn’t an artist, exactly, or a creative dresser- today, she is wearing a pair of black boots, black pants, and a black and white striped jacket that doesn’t quite match the pants over a white oxford and a pink sweater.
ps- my favorite SVH was ‘kidnapped by the cult’
Wow I’m sooo glad I found this website. I became addicted to Sweet Valley when I was like 10, with Sweet Valley Twins ” The Great Boyfriend Switch”. I never really totally outgrew my Valley love and a couple years ago started buying all the SVH books off ebay and amazon. None of my friends understands the love/hate realationship I have with the twins…sigh
Despite my best efforts, I keep aging, I’m almost 25. While I am a perfect size six, I’m bi-racial, so Jess would prolly pull a prank on me and I’d have to run to Liz for comfort.
My favs are the twins in trouble books. Probably because I myself want to kill them often. Sweet Valley if full of super hot boys and people out to kill Liz and Jess. Can I move there?
Hi everyone,
I’m Alicia and I’m a relapsing Sweet Valley addict. I picked up my first SVH in 3rd grade, and have been daydreaming of being both Jessica and Elizabeth’s best friend ever since (although really, does it make a difference when everyone is invited to Lila’s parties anyway?).
Anyway, in a fit of sanity when I was 16, I gave away all of my SV books to my younger cousin, who lost them. Alas, now at age 20, I have relapsed by re-buying all of them through EBay with the help of my enabler mother (who is now ebaying her favorite Nancy Drew books… we’re a family of addicts).
I also read SVT, SVU, Senior Year, and the bizarre Elizabeth-in-London series. Which, btw, holds a special place in my heart for being the first SV book in which Elizabeth tells Jessica to fuck off, and then doesn’t forgive her in the next 5 minutes.
So in my re-addicted glory, this site provides me with a home that makes me feel a little less alone in a world where I don’t get to see sun-streaked golden hair and sea green eyes everyday. You guys rock!
Hi, I’m Aleighe (prounounced Ally), I’m just about to turn 21. I’ve been a SVH and SVU fan since I was about 8/9 when I discovered its about twins! I have an identical twin sister, and we have blonde hair and blue eyes. I guess the size thing was never an issue, as being Australian, I never knew what a size 6 body looked like. But I must not have that size because my high school life was not like that! Dammit. I had everything else similar. I live right near the beach, I have the twin, I have the hair and the eyes. Where’s my perfect life?!?!
Anyway. I finally got rid of my entire collection at 17. But now, my brain has decided to go walk abouts and I’m buying all the books and sadly, re reading them all. I’m going to shoot myself soon.
I was trying to find some background to some of the books I’m missing, and discovered this site. I love it! I was the only one demented enough out of my friends to read SVH so its nice to see I’m not alone!
Hi
I came across this website a few days ago. I used to love the SVH series when I was 9 years old. I had to sneak these in to my room to read as my mother seriously disapproved. She thought Liz & Jessica were pieces of fluff. She thought I needed better role models than blonde twins with the perfect size 6 figures.
Now that I’m 26 I can agree with her, but I still love re-reading the books and laughing out loud at some of the most riduculous storylines ever, remeber warewolf!
I loved everything sweet valley! I began reading the SVT in the late 80s, then moved on to SVH and SVU. I even read that series when Liz lives in England or something like that…lol.
I was never a Jeffrey French fan. I did love Lila and I thought Enid was a drip…haha.
hello..hello..
i’m marjieena and i stumbled upon this site from another great site: pcjm.blogspot.com
anyway, i’m seventeen years old, and while not being totally addicted to svh, i did read quite a number of those books when i was 10 years old up to when was 12 y/o. i preferred goosebumps and the adventures of mary-kate and ashley though. but then, with my mom opening up a second-hand bookstore, i found myself reading the svh books i found whenever i was tending the store. it’s a great way to pass the time.
as for svh affecting my self-perception, well, yes, there were some noticeable effects. for one, i expected my high school experiences to be the same..which was actually quite the opposite. i wasn’t that popular (i had a lot of close friends though) and i didn’t have a date for prom (i went with those great close friends)..i’m actually quite glad it didn’t turn out that way because who knows what would i be right now that i’m in college (i have met some people who could very well pass for elizabeth and jessica wakefield).
yeah so, in svh, i would be an anti-pascal character being that i am black-haired, short and asian. but then who cares, i’d never want to be an svh character, too much drama! (although sometimes, i do imagine what it would be like…oh francine pascal, your books have warped my mind!)
Hello all. My name is Joy and I am a thirty-one year old almost-lawyer in Arkansas. This blog has gotten me through many a boring class in law school, from Business Organizations to Decedents’ Estates. I have spent a king’s ransom rebuilding my SVH collection via ebay, but can’t bear to resell any books to pay back my inordinate amount of debt.
I am a Jessica fanatic and become irritated when a book does not feature her antics. On the other hand, I have always fantasised about being just like Linda Ronstadt. I love Sweet Valley and plan to go on a bike trip along the California coast to celebrate my graduation.
Hallo chaps. I’m 32 and english. I don’t think these books did me much harm (they were certainly balanced by everything else I could get my mitts on to read.) but at the time I probably acted slightly more like a brat due to thinking Jessica was cool. I did utterly think American high schools were like SVH (in my defence I was terribly young and only read the earlier books) and I had a half-american blonde best friend at the time who convinced me that they were.
I’m a 25 year old lawyer trying to make it in the legal world. While that has yet to be very successful, what is successful is my now-growing SVH/SVU collection. I read SVH as a child and aspired to just like Jessica and Elizabeth. I mean, what wonderful role models..Sometimes, when I”m bored enough, I kinda wonder what my character would be like if i were in a SV novel.. that part is easy. I’m smaller than the twins, a size 2, so they would be clamoring to be my bffs, obvi.. but I’m also a minority, so that would relegate me to ‘token’ status. and i just know along the way J-ho would make out with my boyfriend, leading me to a move that i (and so many others) like to call cut-a-bitch.
Anyway – Ihatewheat, stumbling onto this blog is one of the brightest points of my cyber-life.
The Christmas we were 9 or so (mid/late 80s), some well-meaning relative gave my cousin/bff and me a boxed set of the first six SVT books. Those were amusing for a while, but soon we were clamoring for SVH. I ended up with most of the first 40(?), mostly from a donation from the teenaged girl standing next to me at the Waldenbooks. (Truly! She offered, my mom called her mom, and I ended up with a shopping bag full of SVH, Couples, and The Girls of Canby Hall – neither of which I remembered until reading the Lost & Found thread here!) My cousin and I even wrote fanfic, mostly about a set of preteen twins the Wakefields adopted.
In college, a friend and I spent an entire afternoon sitting on the floor in the YA section of the local B&N, skimming through SVU and howling with laughter. After college I worked at a B&N and read through most of the SVSY (which I actually enjoyed – they seemed both more realistic and somewhat tongue-in-cheek).
I don’t think I was too harmed by the SVH-outlook, as I “grew out” of them by the time I was experiencing any of the same things. However, I did find my way here by way of a comment on Kate Harding’s fabulous blog (www.kateharding.net), so who knows.
Oh, and I have daughters of my own now, so anything have to do with the messages society sends young girls both fascinates and terrifies me.
I posted some of this on Perfect Size 4 post, but here you go:
Bit about me: Woman of Color, late twenties, reader (and memorizer of choice lines, which I still quote with my older sister) of every dang SVH (and the majority of the SVT, Sleepover Friends, Junior High, Sorority Sisters, BSC, Nancy Drew Files, etc. series). Although nothing beats the original 80s series, the early-mid 90s ones with the new covers were actually quite engrossing (Love and Death in London, anyone?)
My SVH “trauma” story: my evil aunt (NOT a blood relation, thankfully) once drove me and my sis across FL. (circa 1989 or so). We stopped at a Wal-Mart and were told we could each buy one book. Of course, we went for the SVH, and used Christmas money to buy two books each. Auntie accused me of stealing the book (it was _Dear Sister_ if you must know) and the ensuing trauma spoiled my entire reading experience that Winter Break.
To this day, I think of Dear Sister, and fume.
Characters I identified with most: Lila, Jessa Fields.
I don’t think I could say enough about how much BETTER this blog makes me feel, knowing there are some other 20-somethings (and higher) out there still grappling with the SVH obsession. When I was younger, I alternated between liking SVT and SVH better, finally ending on the high school years. I also had the board game but felt too ashamed to ever really play it with anyone (I come from a family of literary snobs and had to hide my SV obsession). I never got into the spin-off series, though, like the 7th grade years, senior years or university chronicles– too weird for me. I’m a purist, as you all have coined.
I, too, have had a subconscious desire to be a size 6 all of my adult life, despite it not being considered small enough these days, but to be honest until I discovered this blog and all of your comments, I never realized where this implanted notion came from. E’gads, SVH did affect me in deep and lasting ways after all! I somehow got into re-reading the books, and beginning to collect them (thanks to Ebay) after I graduated from college. I’d never confess this to anyone, though, just the Internet at large and you fine people. I still find myself staring at the covers for long periods of time, particularly the Super Thriller ones where the twins look prim and startled at the same time. Or any of the Super Editions– I always liked the books that deviated from the general series scheme, even though they often threw a wrench in the consistency of the characters and plots (one that always drove me NUTS was where Todd and Jeffrey meet in “Winter Carnival,” but then supposedly meet again for the first time when Todd moves back– wtf, Francine?
Was anyone else ever bugged by the obvious difference in ghostwriters? I mean, you can easily tell some of the differences depending on who’s writing– in the early books, Jessica was way more of a shallow and idiotic spaz, and even drank beer or wine when under pressure or was around pot smoking (whereas in later years, she would never carry herself so boisterously. She would just spike Liz’s punch). Think “All night long” or “Too good to be true.”
Of course, I was warped by the V.C. Andrews books, too, as a pre-teen. At least it was easy to tell when old V.C. bought the farm and a ghostwriter took over.
I started reading SV books when I was in 8th grade (I was 12 or 13 y.o.) and have never quite been able to escape them since. I think I have escaped, but then I get sucked kicking and screaming back into the whole cheesy mess again. The sad thing is, being from Australia, I was totally convinced that this was what all American schools were like and I desperately wanted to transfer to one of them. How close is this series to real life? Please tell me that there is no school in America that remotely resembles SVH?
katherine- NO THERE IS NOT!
I’m about to buy a red string bikini, and for the life of me I can’t think of red string bikini and not think of Jessica Wakefield.
I’m Kuus, a 29 year old scientist with dark hair who grew up reading SVH and thinking that if Kate William said that Elizabeth was good people, then it must be true. So when SVU came out, I realized that the way to be good was to cock-tease my boyfriends into loving me forever.
That shyte actually works, by the way, and better for me than for Elizabeth, since no one has ever taken it far enough to try to kill me. It must be the dark hair.
Hi, I’m Naomi. I’m 30. I thought I was the only who reread these teen series as an adult, my one secret shame (this place is like an AA meeting–I’m not alone, thank god). When I was about 14 I sold off all my teen series books so I could afford every V C Andrews book, so now I’m trying to buy back all these teen series books. Over here in Australia there are tons in thrift shops and second hand book shops, lucky me–but I do get funny looks buying them, oh well. My one true love is Christopher Pike.
And to Katherine who just posted above, I totaly understand what you’re saying.
Most pitiful teen yearning: remember in the Gumby/Gumbi tv show how Gumbi could just magically walk into a book and be a part of its story? Well, I wanted to go live inside the baby-sitters club books. (Naomi now leaves with head hung in mild shame…)
Also, forgot to say, the whole perfect size six thing never really bothered me because in Australia clothes sizing is different, so I really had no idea what size six meant. So for anyone living outside the USA, was the size six thing equally confusing/pointless?
This blog has empowered me to come out of the SV closet. As a literary hipster/nerd I have long hidden my mis-spent SV obsessed youth. I was much more into SVT than SVH, but only because my mother thought the SVH stuff looked inappropriate for me at age nine, and by the time I was old enough for Jessica’s smoldering two-toned bikinis and looming neanderthal boyfriends I was over the whole thing.
I’m not sure the books fucked me up in terms of body image and all, but the social strata of the books affected me a lot (but so did every John Hughs movie, so it’s not all Francine’s fault). I saw high school in terms of caste for years, until (near, say, graduation) I realized those castes existed more in my own head than in any external reality. I mean, yeah, high school’s cliquey; but just because I wasn’t a Wakefield didn’t mean I was automatically a Lois, either.
Anyway–this blog cracks me up. The writing is marvelous. Thank you for deriding my youthful false idols.
Well, unlike the real Cara Walker I am blonde and blue eyed, and an Ausralian size 8 (I think this is an American size 4), but I think this is by no means perfect! And no, I don’t have a “perfect golden sun-kissed tan.” lol
I became addicted to the world of Sweet Valley around the age of 8 when I would borrow SVH books from my 10 year old next door neighbour and look at the covers, thinking how pretty and older and sophisticated the Wakefield Twins were… At the time I was a little too young and naive (brought up in a very religious family) to read the SVH books. Then, a couple of years later, SVT books came on the scene. I was hooked right from the beginning. I still have some of those old SVT books – covered in stains from the amount of times I read and re-read them (oh, and some chocolate stains – choice SVT reading snack..
).
I started reading the SVH series when I was about 12. Once again, I was hooked to this sugar sweet (pardon the pun!) world – yes, despite the annoying discrepancies and disregard for charcters ages, etc… the list goes on!). As an Aussie, the SVH books had me wishing I was going to High School in the US – surely they would be more interesting, with the sororities, the cheerleading, the glamour… (lol).
Now I am older and wiser, and love Dean Koontz novels, but still love to occasionally reread my old SVH books, with the covers falling off from the amount of times they have been read. I managed to get my sister (Courtney Thomas on this page!) addicted to SVH, too – she still reads the books occasionally, too.
Absolutely love this page – brings back all those memories of chowing down on the chocky and settling on the couch with the latest SV book, which I would feverishly peddle my bike to the nearest bookstore to get as soon as it came out! The writing rocks, and I’m glad to know I’m not the only one out there who loves taking the piss out of SV books!
P.S. My favourite SVH books are the Cheerleading Madness series, the Death Valley series (please do a review of #115 and 116 please – so hilarious, so bad!), #73 Regina’s Legacy, #56 Lost At Sea and #26 Hostage. I have to admit I loved the introduction of Heather Mallone, just to see Jess one-upped. Favourite character would have to be Jess (love to hate her!). Love Lila, too. My least favourite character is Todd – seriouslym that guy is too boring to function!I guess that’s why Liz felt the need to cheat on him so many times…
Well I have been posting a bit here lately so I thought I should introduce myself. I am Christopher, 35 y.o. gay male. I was into the good old SVH right from the beginning when they were new. I read them religiously every month, and eventually every one who worked at Waldenbooks knew me by name. I read them right up to book 100. I turned 21 right around then and deemed myself too old to be reading SVH. Last year I just got this whim to re-read the books, and did not stop until I had every single book in the SVH series. I am currently reading #35 Out Of Control. I picked up a few of the SVYSY books, but have not read them yet. I don’t think that SVH really warped me other than there were no gay guys in Sweet Valley or so I thought…I totally dont remember the one where Enids gay cousin comes to town. I can’t think of anything else right now, but will probably post more later.
Hey Christopher – the only other gay (well, I should say potential gay!) is Tom McKay, who starts to wonder about his sexuality when Enid’s cousin Jake comes to town. Also, if you check out the SV Senior Year Books (as you mentioned you haven’t read them yet I don’t want to ruin the storylines for you too much!), you will find another gay character.
I’ve decided to finally get around to introducing myself after slowly moving out of lurkerdom and into posting.
I’m Kates, I was a big reader of SVH in the late 90’s, and my obsession was, horror of horrors, spawned by the DIARY series. I re-read them and re-read them and re-read them. And I blame my self-image issues that lasted from age 9 to age 18 largely on the Jessa Fields incident, which had me weighing myself after dinner every day when I was 9 and a stick.
However, all of that indoctrination has failed, as I’m currently in college getting a degree in English and Women’s Studies, meaning that there is nothing more fun for me than to go back and look at these books and analyze them from a literary AND a feminist point of view.
In the SVH world, I would not have existed as I spent my high school years living for college to come and spare me, whereas everyone in SVH seemed to think that high school was the be all and end all (why else did Steven come home every weekend?). I would’ve blown their little minds by wishing for something other than the present.
I grew up with a totally bitchen collection of BSC, SVH/SVT, Sleepover Friends, Christopher Pike, Pen Pals, Taffy Sinclair, etc. I read and re-read constantly.
My mother moved; most of my books got moldy in boxes in a wet garage. I built up a “new” collection through thrifting and the kindness of strip mall discount bookstores. As my 20’s forged ahead, I decided to get rid of the YA books, because moving them up and down multiple flights of stairs was getting taxing, plus, did I *really* need to read that SuperSpecial for the 12th time instead of working on my grad school application?
Turns out I did. I soon went into YA withdrawal, and started trolling the Goodwill to which I’d donated them, hoping some of them would still be there and I could *buy them back.* They weren’t.
So, I have to read my grad school books, and when I get shaky I search eBay for good deals on Sleepover Friends and try not to spend my whole paycheck on them.
Hello, it’s Vanessa! I LOVE this site. I visit it nearly every day. I began reading the SV series while in the 3rd grade with SVT and then moved on to SVH and all of the spin offs. Currently, I am a 30 year old high school English teacher. I teach Creative Writing and do a unit on characterization- I use SV as an example and make my students read a SV book. They actually love it. We have referenced this website along with The Hidden Bookcase in class.
SV screwed up my idea of what high school should have been like. I am raven haired, and I think I look a bit like the Regina Morrow cover models, especially the cover for Hostage. Then why didn’t I get all of the men like Regina did??? Maybe because I did sport the Enid fro on rainy days. I have longed to be a size 6 my entire life and always envied blondes. I think that my subconscious mind wants to be a Wakefield…
I actually loved sweet valley high as a kid (despite not being able to understand why they were sixteen years old for like ONE HUNDRED YEARS – while also co-existing as twelve year olds and eighteen year olds at the same time) but now I look back I realise how fucked up it was – I have to admit this blog has definitely helped me realise how much. And CLEARLY the reason I have no success whatsoever in my love life is because I’m not a natural blonde, don’t have eyes the colour of the pacific, and am neither a sociopath nor a boring do-gooder. Ah well . . .
Hi , I call myself cheryl I’m 29, and I guess I would be The black girl that shows up in book#94 that gasp! gets a chance to date the infamous Steven the tall, dark haired hottie who’s a big brother to the Wakefield twins..I feel so preveliged…anyhoo, I started reading the SVH series in the late 80s early 90s. I never read the later books; I stopped at around book#71. I was never really bothered by the the blonde hair and aqua blue/green eyes but thanks to the SVH books I developed some serious self esteem issues, fucked relationships with guys and oh yeah and on top of all that, I was lard ass in high school at a size 8. Now I’m a 14 go figure….I think Jessica would have probably fucked with me in some way for being fat, and that would have been sooooo not cool to have her brother dating a blimpo, and Liz would have meddled and try to help overcome my “problem”….oh well…
oh yeah I almost forgot I love your blog. The recaps are soo much fun to read I literaly laugh out loud at them. It makes me realise how ridiculous SVH was..the memories
I was intrigued when I came across this site, and must confess that I spent 7 of my 8 working hours reading the SVH recaps. Like several of the posters, I laughed out loud (lol’d?) several times and also found myself shaking my head at thoughts of myself devouring these books in the late 80’s–my junior high years. I was wicked excited, though, when the name “Christopher Pike” caught my eye. I gave up the Wakefield twins for Mr. Pike round ’bout my freshman year of high school…1989. Regardless the author, though, my summer breaks during all of my school years (at least 5th–12th) were consumed with books, books and more books. Consistent in my rotation were any and all Madeline L’Engle books. There was heavy emphasis on those about the Austin family; in particular anything with Vicky Austin as the main character. In my preteen, teen, (and even college years when I reread Ring of Endless Light for an ad. lit class), I just felt she WAS me….
Beyond forming the core of our expectations, (and setting up our future disappointments), for high school, love, our bodies, these YA books highlight another insecurity of youth–that no one else feels the way we do. We devoured these books to find characters with whom we could identify so our feelings, experiences, and thoughts could be validated….talking to our peers wasn’t an option because you were certainly the only person experiencing self-doubt!!
Ah!! Youth. I wouldn’t go back if you paid me!
My name is Shannon. I’m 33. A lesbian. I live in Jacksonville, Fl!
HI!
Hi, my name is Rachael and i too was “hiding” in the SV Closet! haha!
i LOVED these books growing up! ALL of them..
i recently went to my parents house and got all of the SV books i had out of their attic and put them on a shelf in my guest room!
Now i am “collecting” them and i’m obsessed with getting as many as i can on ebay!
Yah.. i’m a loser…
The worst part of it all… and i cant believe i’m actually admitting this…
I had a baby girl 6 months ago (not the bad part)… but … i named her LILA… i know i know… but the name really is pretty! So what if i got it from my “fav.” book series! haha
So… my name is Rachael, i’m 26, married w/ a baby girl and i live in Indianapolis, Indiana!
My name’s Vicki, I live in London and I’m 25.
I got into Sweet Valley because of my cousins. I started reading the books when I stayed with them during the summer and was hooked!
I cannot believe I didn’t notice the lack of ethnic minorities in the books until reading this blog. The books clearly fried my brain.
I’m now fighting the urge to buy the books on Amazon…
Oh. my. god. This site is amazing. I seriously stayed up wayyy too late last nite reading some of the SVH entries, and I was totally laughing out loud at them. I’m 31, married and have my first kid, and yet I still fondly remember how nuts I was over the SVH series, I’d still re-read alot of them if my sister hadn’t gotten rid of all our books (dammit!).
I started reading them in the mid to late 80s and obsessively read the first 30 books in the series, and some random ones. I think had about 23 of the Twins series too. I even read the Senior Year series about 5-6 years ago and it was pretty damn addictive too.
I most definitely DO NOT have sun-streaked blonde hair and eyes the color of the Pacific Ocean. After having my baby I don’t think I’ll ever be a perfect size six again.
I do have a sister who was practically my twin growing up, and we had many Jess/Liz moments (I was Jess – the evil one).
I love your blog, seriously. Thank you for making my day.
does anyone want to text about sweet valley? if so email emolicious010@yahoo.com.
hi my names amanda and ive been reading sweet valley since about third grade i wouldnt be allowed in sv because in so fat i ware a medium and im bisexual. my favorites are the svh and svu thrillers the diaries and also the perfect girl. im most like jessica in a good way if there is one.
I think that Jessica and Elizabeth are the most beautiful twins i ever saw. But i want to tell Jessica to do something useful with her life and rather not think about boys and other stuff. And i also want to tell Elizabeth to stop pretending to always be the innocent and intelligent one. Honestly speaking i donot like it when she makes my Jessica feel bad. Because even if she is stuck up as the books say, I think that she will go places with the talents she has whether you like it or yes. Since i and her have the same talents and likes. Now I have a warnimg for your parents, “I have realised that they like Elizabeth more than my Jessica and that is descrimination”. Imean how can they not listen to herexplanations before they blame her of things she hasn’t one. Any way Ilove or will i say like yiu too but remember not as much as i like Jess. GOOD BYE MY PRINCESSES! Sit, Sleep and eat TIGHT ALWAYS! BAAAAAAAABE GIRLS. Hmmmmmmmmmm. CHAW. ASthe french man willl say BONNE CHANTE! ( Imeant GOOD LUCK if you don’t understand FRENCH). Any ways, who loves you babe! I doooooooo!!!!!!
Hi! I’ve just recently stumbled on to this site, also from pcjm and wow, memories! I love the snark-tacular recaps!!!!
I’m not a twin, but I have multiple personalities, does that count? I’m 34, with grey-kissed dark brown hair(ok, I have 3, count em 3 grey hairs, but still), brownish-brown eyes and a perfect size sixteen figure. I’m also six inches taller than the twins (5′12″ doesn’t sound as tall as 6′) so I’m sure that once they figured out that I wasn’t coordinated to make the SV basketball team, I would more likely be some super thriller edition moster that has come to stomp Sweet Valley out of existence. I have never been, nor have I ever aspired to be a “perfect size six” mainly because I went directly from little girls clothes to womens size 10. My skeleton wouldn’t even fit in a size six, which is enough to keep me from having an eating disorder.
I suppose I’m a purest because I did not even know that there were ANY other series other than the original. Imagine my surprise to see that the covers changed!
I started reading the original SVH around 4th or 5th grade. I don’t think SVH had as much to do with warping me as did other factors, like real life mean girls, jr high sucked, which is probably why I spent all my time reading. Funny though, my other favorite books at the time were Robert Asprin’s Myth Series which were parodies of the classic scifi/fantasy genre, and perverse scifi/horror stuff like VC Andrews and Steven King. SVH seems kind of fluffy by comparison.
I’m probably most like Enid because I too went through multiple phases, though I spent most of my young adult life as a “goth.” Although I rocked the Lynne Henry/Sally Jesse Raphael glasses in jr high and wrote horrible songs.
Again, thank you for the fabulous memories!
I’m Sharon, I started becoming obsessed with Sweet Valley back in the eighties and I remember impatiently waiting for each next book to come out – a month seemed AGES!!
How long ago that seems now I am in my late thirties, and I can remember being SO jealous of the twins who could have any boy they wanted just by widening their eyes ever so slightly and touching him lightly on the arm.
I would never have fit in at Sweet Vally being a size 14 and wearing glasses and having plain boring long brown hair but Oh! How much I wanted to be their friend!
And I have two sons who’d rather kick a ball than read a book. Ever.
Hello all, I am a SV wanna-be residing in Australia. I love the SVH 2008 posts because I can’t get any of the new books over here! I am dying for more quotes by Jessica that show how bitchy she has gotten. OH and are the twins size 4 now?
Furthermore, where the hell is our Sweet Valley Confidential (or whatever they want to call it)? I can’t wait to read about our friends new adventures in a gated community.
So, I’ll be Lila Flower. There is a big time toilet brand in Australia called Fowler. I get giggle when I use them.
I’m Rio, I’m 18 years old, I’m in my second year of the communications program at an unnamed Canadian university, and I produce a political discussion show for my school’s radio station.
I’ve been reading Sweet Valley books ever since I was four, but I have to say that they never really fucked me up. I always knew it was completely fictional. I probably would have turned out worse if my city wasn’t so cheap-ass.
If I had to be a Sweet Valley character, I would probably be Denise Waters from SVU; she seems normal enough, at least compared to everyone else.
Lila Flower – I live in Aus too, I remember laughing at those toilets!
I’m 22 and started reading Sweet Valley at the tender age of 7. I only recently found this website and considering I still read SVH books- I own the entire SVH set, and have read all of them numerous times. I started to actually scrutinize whether SV has affected my life and my choices.
Once sitting down to do this, (in my light blue room with cream furnishings) I realized that oh my god, I somehow have almost managed to completely turn myself into Elizabeth Wakefield. Though not as tall as she, I am naturally blonde and a size 6, with green eyes. I work in bookstore and get to help write reviews for their newsletter. I have a steady boyfriend and have never been into sports. I stubbornly held onto my virginity all through high school and at one point tried to start a school paper.
Let’s not forget that my room was once painted purple, I ran a Unicorn club in primary (elementary) school – that got disbanded by the principal because we deliberately excluded people, I took acting and dancing lessons, I do local theatre, have played Lady Macbeth in a school play, been a cheerleader and used to work in a girls clothing store where we were all ‘perfect size 6’s’ and had a bit of a reputation.
And I have totally contemplated decorating my christmas tree blue and silver.
Sweet Valley High – when not taken too seriously has great things to say (and a lot more morals than TV and books today) I love Sweet Valley, it’s part of who I am and always will be. ANd I won’t be sitting down to realize how much of an influence it’s had on me anytime soon – cause that’s scary!
I’m signing off now, admitting that I once desperately wanted to meet a boy with the last name wakefield so I could marry him and be Laura-Kate Wakefield. Anyway I am off – to spend some quality time with my best friend from high school (who happens to be a girl with shoulder length curly auburn hair and self esteem problems)
-Laura-Kate
I found this amazing website the other by doing a search for Petite Nate on google…I am trying desperately to get my hands on a bottle of that stuff to remind me of the good old days when I thought being a teenager in New York would be just like being a teenager in Sweet Valley–it wasn’t. I’m 27 now, and a psychologist, and definitely not blonde or a size 6. I know that each one of those ridiculously unrealistic books I savored when I was ten seriously fucked me up, but I can’t help wanting to re-read them! It’s like knowing each time I buy “Maxim” that looking at the cover girl makes me die a small death inside, but I still really love the articles. Either way, this website rules.
Hey, im kate and im from ireland. This blog has really made me look at the books in a whole new light, haha. Never realised what a condescending bitch Elizabeth is!
This is so great. Mine are all boxed/taped up and ready to read in my 40’s (I’m 31 now). I don’t think I can confront what those books did to me in this same brave way.
Oddly enough, though, I just blogged a few days ago about the untimely death of Regina Morrow…I remember reading the end of her with this swollen sense of melancholy…sigh.
Oh, I also meant to point out how conflicting we must have felt faced with the Twins AND the then-modern version of Nancy Drew…do I wanna be smart, beautiful, or both???
Conflicted, sorry.
Hello, I am 26 years old and still recovering from reading the SVH series after 15 years. Thanks to Francine Pascal, I thought women had to be blonde, skinny, popular, and live in California to considered acceptable. What the hell??? It was quite the let down when I finally realized that this is not possible for everyone, namely myself. Most importantly, I thought Todd was a complete douchebag at age 11. Nothing has changed in the last 15 years.
Hello, my name is Lauren and I’m a Sweetvalleyaholic. The sad thing is, I’m only sixteen, and the only place I can get the damn books is at second hand stores. I never saw the stupidity in them until I read this site and realised how I’ve been wasting my life on reading about Liz and Jess and thinking, “Damn, they sound cool!”
I have brown hair. I’m tanned, unfortunately not from the warm Californian sun, but from birth :/ I’m nowhere near a size six, and gymnastics and cheerleading make my knees hurt… In other words, I’m doomed.
Tata for now,
Lauren
Hello! I’m 24 now but I was hooked on everything Sweet Valley when I was a young little girl (maybe started reading the TWINS and KIDS when I was in elementary school). I read almost all the Twin Series, kids, jr high, & SVH. I read a couple of the SVU ones but didn’t enjoy them as much. I pretty much stopped reading them in high school but for some reason, I dug up all my old books and started reading the TWINS and SVH for a light read. Wow! What a reality check, how many inconsistencies are there!? lol. But overall, I still love reading them, maybe because it brings back the memories of reading them as kid? Who knows? I am a Sweet Valleyaholic also!
I have dark brown hair, pasty skin, unfortunate bouts of pimples here and there, size 2 (ha! take that liz & jess!).
I never liked Liz, she annoyed the crap out of me! Always the goody 2 shoes (where everything she says is right!, how annoying!)
Hi! I don’t remember exactly what my first SV book was, just that I remember reading them in elementary school. I remember that SVU came out when I was in 5th grade, and I planned on getting all of them so I could complete “at least one Sweet Valley Series”. Well, after probably somewhere in the 30s, I stopped because I couldn’t keep track of all of Elizabeth’s new guys (for someone who had always been madly in love with Todd, she didn’t waste time dating every guy at SVU!) I’d stopped reading them all awhile back, but recently, when I saw one of my students carrying around a SVH book, it brought it all back for me and I’ve re-started my collection. Ebay and Half.com are great helps in my never-ending struggle, as I’m almost complete with both SVH and SVT. I plan on working on SVK and maybe SVU later on, depending on my financial status. I also got all of the Elizabeth series, but haven’t started those. It was probably through a book fair or something that I found my first book, and order other books through the book orders we used to have in school. I also have the Elizabeth and Jessica doll (the ones in prom clothes) somewhere. I found the Jessica doll the other day, but have no idea where Elizabeth went. So basically, my fascination with the series comes and goes. I especially love re-reading them all after finding out the continuity issues others mention and seeing them for myself (though I will say, in the ghostwriters defense) that shouldn’t an editor have found these mistakes? That’s just a big pet peeve of mine. That should have been a full tine job for someone, to make sure all the stuff lined up.
Anyway, I’m out for now.
I’m 25 and from Australia. I have been reading the literary triumphs that are SVH since the early 90s. My sister and I call them ‘bath books’ because we read them in the bath and it doesn’t matter if we drop them. I admit that there have been a number of times when I’ve snuck my Sweet Valley’s onto public transport and read them on the way to work – but if I get caught I just explain I’m writing my thesis on pop American culture in the 80s. LIE!
I look like the twin’s wrong side of the tracks, less attractive and a little bit retarded cousin. I’m blonde and blue eyed and probably the equivelent to a US size 4, but I have no tan to speak of, no dimple, I’m 5′1, my boobs are postively vulgar and make me look slutty and SHOCK HORROR, I work at a pole dancing studio! Jessica is spreading rumours about me as I write this and Elizabeth is definitely about to drop by house (I probably live next door to the Martin’s) to put a condescending hand on my shoulder. I can’t wait.
Hello
I am a 32 year old who used to borrow SVH from a UK library. They had a shelf specially for them that I used to sit on the floor next to, ahh good times. I hated that I couldn’t read them in order because they didn’t have them all, or they were already lent out. I vowed to one day own them and read them in order. Ahhh thank gawd for ebay, and being grown up enough to be able to spend, gosh I suppose a couple of hundred british quid on SVH and then SY and SVU that I didn’t read the first time round.
When I first read them I adored Liz and I wanted to be like her and be a writer one daaaaaay . Basically I was some meek totally tedious person. Now re-reading, I find Jessica fabulous and Liz extremely boring.
If I were in their high school, hmmm, I would be makeover girl. I dunno what size I was, but was teeny (I didn’t realise size 6 was different in the US and UK. A size 6 here is a size 2), but I was blonde. Not rich though. Oooo I had glasses! Basically Liz needed to find me and show me the error of my ways and tell me to wear contacts. She would let me write something for the Oracle and put a patronising hand upon my shoulder. I would have been in heaven. Jessica would have bitch slapped me with some witty put down and I would have blushed. ha.
These days I would hang with Jess and, whilst being far less of a bitch, would find her antics amusing, she would like me (as still being blonde but not quite as pretty as her egomania).
Love the site and am loving the recaps. I am starting into the 90s now for the first time and wow, what literary genius!
T
Oh! I had a boyfriend whose surname was Wakefield. Damn I wish that’d worked out
Hi, I’m Elizabeth and started reading the SVH books in my freshman year of HS, about 15 years ago. And no, I didn’t start reading them because EW has the same name as me. I had a reading class and the room had the entire SVH series for some reason. At that time I didn’t think anything of it. I’m blonde, skinny, and cute. But I am small for my age, very small that people picked on me all the time. Oh, and during my freshman year I was in a wheelchair cus I have congenital heart issues, so that was pretty bad for my self esteem, cus no one wants a “heart attack” girl as their friend. Anyway, back to the SVH books, after reading a few of them for class I really liked them so I ended up getting the books. Like I said, it didn’t phase me at first. My first book was #115 The Treasure of Death Valley. When you don’t start from book one you don’t realise how ridiculous everything is. It’s not until I was on my 5th or 6th book (starting at the beginning after book 116) when I hated everything and everyone in SV. Of course I couldn’t stop reading them though. Maybe that was Francine’s real plan. To have a book that is so demeaning that makes young girls want more. Like some sort of alien conspiracy. I know, probably not. Anyway, I’m rereading them today because I want to get a good laugh and to HATE the perfect size 6 twins of SV, and know what kind of mental pain these books caused me at the time when I didn’t have two feet to stand on. I guess I wouldn’t have to the dance with Ken Mathews after all since I was, ICK! in a wheelchair.
Hi, I’m Aseya, I got hooked on SVH in secondary school. I was a major geek and spent most of my spare time in a liabrary. I used to spend all night staying up to read this series. I’m now 27 and look back and LOL at how i was so obsessed with SVH and the wakefield twins. Back then I use to live for these books and use to imagine that like Robin Wilson I’d lose a lot of weight and become popular overnight(never happened!).
I love this website as i get to share and(laugh) about all things SVH.
Ok, I have read through all of these, and I think I am the only current high school student that loves SVH. I have tried to read the new ones…and they are just not the same! I like the cute, outdatedness of the old books! I’m a sophomore in high school now, and I guess I would probably fit into one of the girls in Jess’s group, regrettably. I fit the modern-day SVH profile, I am blonde, green-eyed, 5′1 (a little on the petite side!) and a size 0. I’m not as bitchy as the girls in SVH, but what hasn’t changed since the 80’s is the gossipy, conniving way of high school girls. I do kind of wish they had a more realistic portrayal of sex, but I guess it was more taboo then. I have been reading Sweet Valley books since 2nd grade. I started with the Kids, than the Twins books, and now my favorite, Sweet Valley High. Although it is daunting of them to say that size-six is “perfect”, my perception of that was not a bad thing. I think it was something to aspire to be, and I feel like SVH is not a bunch of crap or homophobic or racist…I think it is wholesome…and after reading books like The Clique and Gossip Girl, it sends a much better message to girls than the new series do.
Hi all! I’ve been reading this blog for a long time, but I’ve never come on here to introduce myself so here goes! My name is Janelle and I have been obsessed with all things Sweet Valley for as long as I can remember (I’m currently 24). I loved all of the series and I have almost all of the books (I’m still working on collecting the kids ones). My older sister used to read the books, too, although she was never as crazy about them as I am, but it at least gave me someone to talk to about them when we were little- now I am totally in love with this site for providing me that opportunity!
Like so many others, I grew up thinking that you needed to be blonde to have a good life (now I LOVE my dark hair!), but I do still have a not-so-secret desire to be a size 6!! (Unfortunately I seem to be stuck at 8:( )
I had the puzzles and the board game and the fan club box. I also used to make up games to play with the books themselves- I would line up all the twins ones according to color, or I would go through and match the cover art- one from each series- to show the twins growing up! Actually admitting all this stuff to people who won’t judge me for it is very liberating!
Anyways- what else? Jessica was always my favorite twin, I also loved Lila (probably because she was the pretty brown-haired girl which is what I would have to settle for being!) I don’t really have a favorite book because there are just too many to choose from! I did recently read the werewolf trilogy for the first time and LOVED it!
hey all my name is sarah and i live in australia and swee valley RUINED MY FUCKING LIFE. Im pretty sure if i had lived in sweet valley, i would have been squashd between tricia martin’s dad and roger patman’s mum. i had dark hair and i whad a bit of a weight issue, so as soon as i started reading all abt the twins’ sun0kissed good looks (in hindsight, i wnder if francine was a lesbian? nothing against lesbians, but she was awfully obsessed with sexy girls.) my self esteem pretty much shrivelled up and died. to this day, i still cope with the trauma svh inflicted on me. only joking but being 9/10/11 years olds and hearing abt these gorgeous rich bitches and seeing how different sweet valley was to my life, well, i did go thru a few self-esteem issues.
im so glad we can all look back and laugh at it now. Ihatewheat you are a fucking champion for making this site. A million thank yous I havent laughed this hard in ages and its fantastic to read your reviews. keep them coming!!
ciao sarah
ps when you run out of svh books, can you PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASE do some of the twins series? i think you would do them justice!!
G’day from Australia
Yep, I’m a lanky, brunette nerd but unlike the real Penny my high school relationship woes werent solved by a jock sweeping me off my feet at the spring fling…nor was i lame enough to place a personal ad. But because I’m 137 different kinds of drip and actually skipped wakefied-based school assemblies to, god forbid, do work at school, I’m now a doctor and happily married, living in a split level, spanish tiled house in suburban NSW. I’m so glad my good friend liz wakefield taught me to break the mould
kate from australia as well.
im chinese. very dark brown hair and brown eyes. an artistic and thoughtful university student, studying psychology. in SVH society…i would be considered in…hmmm..prob Liz & Enids crowd. although liz would give me a sympathetic look because im not a wakefield and dnt have boys fawning all over me because of it. jess would prob dislike me cause im not extremely popular.
read heaps of bks as a kid and young teenager. collected BSC, little sisters (karens), mary-kate & ashley…SVH…princess diaries…etc. re-reading SVH atm.
i wouldnt say SVH fucked up my perceptions…but its sure is very unrealistic and shallow. the bks are merely for entertainment purposes. i wouldnt consider taking advice from these bks. i wish a lot of the characters in this bk wuld grow a spine.
fav characters: i like enid. she may be a doormat, and is obsessed with liz, but u cant get a better friend than her. and besides, she is better than liz anyday.
i like lila..even though she is spoilt but she can be nice and considerate. at least shes not as manipulative and a bitch like jess. jean west seems sweet too.
i quite dislike all the boys in SVH. maybe cause how they r portrayed or the ways that no other 16 yr old guys would act aka todd wilkins! however winston and jeff prob climbs the top…although i reckon jeff and enid should be together. liz always gets the guy…its so irritating.
Yah, sure, you betcha..this is Roger Patman from the wilds of Minnesota…
SVH and all the lame-o YA books are currently in a big box under a bed downstairs..they bring back such great memories! Like the time when I would have a local bookstore actually HOLD the new, monthly SVH book that had just come out (insert pathetic sigh). Fuck, I’d devour that shit up in about 30 minutes and then have to re-read it again because the storylines were soooo engaging! Then I was left having to figure out what hijinks the fab Wakefield twins would get into for next month..
Thanks for this site! At least I know that I wasn’t the only sad sack of shit out there back in the day.
We really should plan a get-together in Sweet Valley for a reunion…costumes of course! I’ll dress as Alice, complete with the page-boy haircut and matching velor jogging suit. I would go as Enid, but I gave up perms in the 90’s.
Our weekend could be as follows:
1. Meet and greet at Casey’s
2. Shopping trip at the Sweet Valley Mall – I hear that Lisette’s is having a clearance sale
3. Dinner at the Corte D’Or – we can do a more informal meal at The Dairi Burger later
4. Cocktails at the Beach Disco – complete with a dance-off. Make sure to wear a white outfit to compliement your blond highlights and fabulous size six figures! But in the case of those of us still trying to loose baby weight, tent dresses will be reluctantly accepted.
Any other suggestions for the weekend?
Hi, my name is Lori, I just discovered this website and totally love all the reviews. I started with SVT and went onto SVH, SVK, SVU, BSC, Pen Pals etc.
I’m glad I’m not the only who thought Jessica was a slut and a psycho I kept hoping she would finally get what was coming to her.
I’d probably be mostly a Liz since I was a good student and doormat for my own real live Jessica (she wasn’t my twin thank God but she was a lying, slutty bitch) until I finally got rid of that bitch. Although her constant “saving” everyone and everything was annoying as hell.
I almost quit SVH after the Jungle Prom you know where Jessica spikes her sister’s drink so she could be prom queen and Liz takes off and kills Sam and no one pays for it. I foolishly thought they both would. Silly me. Also Jessica has the nerve to be outraged. Then Margo came along. Suddenly I had a reason to keep on reading. There was something about her that made me love her. I couldn’t read fast enough. She was exciting. She had a plan. I so hoped she would carry it out. It would have made the rest of the books so much better. I’ve read all of her books over a hundred times. I kept reading after the Return of the Evil Twin, hoping she would come back. I like to think she’s still out there screwing with the Wakefield twins, family and friends. I don’t care if she was stabbed to death if the EMTs were dead wrong The Evil Twin they could have been dead wrong in the Return of the Evil Twin.
I think I just figured out why I graduated to Fear Street and VC Andrews.
Hello this Jan from Fitzie’s Soda Shoppe! I started writing my own blog about a year ago after being inspired by The Dairi Burger and 1 bruce 1 ( OK truth be told my sister actually got it started, but she’s pretty much out of the loop now and I keep it up- it’s all good
. I am 31 years old, a social worker for a nonprofit, and I live in New England. that’s moi in a nutshell.
Hi, I’m Hannah. I’m from England and am a relative latecomer to this blog (as always!). In Sweet Valley I would probably be some kind of Enid-esque loser, as I’m scarily pale (with freckles, might I add- no gorgeously tanned skin for me) and I have short mousy brown/ginger hair, glasses and no boyfriend- Elizabeth would be persuing me rabidly down the SVH corridors! However, I’m a size 6 (UK size 10), though that’s more to do with being short than being skinny. Im only 17, so I kind of missed out on the whole teen fiction phenomenon of the 80s/early 90s, but I remember the TV series being on a fair bit when I was little, and I found loads of the books in my library. Despite being an incredibly cynical 9-year-old, I adored them, though it was short-lived. I quickly moved onto Point Horror, which I still think is amazing, though as an English Literature student I should probably know better. Anyway, I think this site is great- looking at early-teen fiction from an adult’s point of view is always interesting, though you sometimes realise that those books were actually quite sinister in their overly conservative ethics. Although I haven’t read all the SVH books, I don’t think it really matters, as all the plots merge into one eventually :p I’m also glad about the amount of coverage the covers get- even when I was little I found them hilariously weird
Hi I’m Gemma, 24, from Liverpool, UK. I started reading the Sweet Valley High books when I was 9 (my older sisters’ hand me downs) and started get back in them again after my mums friend found abox full in her attic (she gave them for my mum to sell at car boot but my mum didn’t get around to it so I’ve been reading them as got alot of share time lately). I was once nearly used to be as perfect as the Wakefield twins, I’m 5′6, had blonde hair and was a UK 10 (US 6) but had brown eyes
however I’ve gained weight and dyed my hair brown now so I’m even less perfect :’( Nevertheless ladies I am coping.
jordan i like ms casey
Hey y’all. I’ve visited this site for months, even did a guest Girl Talk recap here, but never formally introduced myself.
I’m soon to be 28 and grew up in a small town in rural Georgia. I started reading SVT in fourth or fifth grade and progressed to SVH. I read more of the SVT books as a child, and I often felt like that series had better writing (though I don’t know what I would think of it now). I haven’t read a Sweet Valley book in years, but how screwed up is it that I remember random details, for example:
-four fingered Harry from a SVT book
-Maria Slater describing her nose as being the size of a potato in a Unicorn Club book
-Jessica telling Liz in a SVT book that she’s 12 yrs old and her parents can’t tell her what to do
-a comment by a Reader of the Month who said she likes how the books always end happily because real life most often ends happily, too…… Completely delusional.
These other Sweet Valley words come to mind:
-Ingenue Magazine
-emerald green eyes
-lime green Triumph
-Calico Drive
-mousy
-barrettes
-and of course the standard Wakefield family descriptions
Reading the books was escapism for me. Even at that age, I think I realized that high school wouldn’t be anything like SVH. I read the books because I liked to take a break from my life and go on an adventure, no matter how contrived and outlandish the plots were. I have a two yr old son, and I don’t think I’d ever approve of him reading these books or watching certain shows on TV. If I ever have a daughter, I think I’ll be strict on her, too. I hate it when I see a girl dressed like a whore or a guy wearing his pants around his ass.
Two comments I’ve heard recently, one was from my brother when I mentioned I found this website. My brother said something like, “Oh, I remember those books. The twins were a perfect size six, right?” And let me just say that my brother doesn’t even understand women’s dress sizes, but even he was brainwashed into thinking a six was perfect after reading these books growing up. Another comment I got in reference to women’s dress sizes was from a co-worker a couple of years ago who somehow got on the topic of his wife’s size 14. He said, “Who wears a size six anymore?” He had a look of disgust on his face, which made me wonder if it was disgust at society for putting pressure on women or if he was disgusted that most women don’t meet his ideal fantasy of a size six. I think he meant the latter.
I’m so glad my husband doesn’t seem to care what size I am. He has no clue what my dress size is, he never even asked.
Thanks so much for starting this blog, Ihatewheat. It’s nice to talk with people who are self aware. It seems like there are so many people out there who don’t even know when they’re being brainwashed.
WOW! i read svh when i was in 4th grade. I bought the books from yard sale. The series is pretty good even though it seems weird that a9 year old reads books about drama. I’ve read GONE WITH THE WIND, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice(terrible book) so don’t be astounded. And it is a AWESOME series