Helpful Score: 4
I'm in my mid 30's, so like many I also grew up reading the Sweet Valley books. I do recall how most of the early books were cotton candy fluff that centered around two twins whose lives were almost comically fictional. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the series and was excited to read this book when I first heard about it on People.com last week.
The first thing I did was come to Amazon to order the first chapter of the book to be read on my Kindle. First, though, I read the twenty something reviews that were already posted. Most of them were negative in their comments about how far-fetched the storylines were, how different from their original personalities the characters were, and how it was an overall letdown to true fans. This, of course, caused me great hesitation in reading the book. Nonetheless, I ordered the first chapter, read it, and was immediately hooked. I wanted to know the rest of the story so I bought the book. I finished reading at nearly 2AM this morning (Saturday). Unlike many of the other reviewers, I truly enjoyed the book.
I had a pretty good idea what the major event was that divided the twins. Sure enough, the background story was laid out along with the current lives of both girls. Yes, the book flip flopped between first and third person throughout and it was told from the viewpoint of multiple people, and yes it switched between modern day and past events quite frequently; however, it was NOT hard to follow as insinuated by others. Once you got saw how the author laid out the storyline, it was a very easy read. I did notice a few spelling and wrong word usage errors in the novel, but not so many as to distract me from the story.
As for the plot, it was believable and true to modern day "chick lit". No longer are the twins living side-by-side in their protective bubble of Sweet Valley and all its fantasy glory. Instead, they've been thrust into a real life catastrophe that divides them physically and emotionally and also hurts the lives of many of the characters.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I liked how it merged the original characters with their known personalities intact but with growth shown over the ten-year period since high school. People change, and this was no different. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to my friends.
A few minor issues, most of which have already been mentioned:
* The on-and-off valley girl speak was a tad annoying. One can only hear "like, that was sooooo cute" before it starts to grate on the nerves, especially when it's used so sporadically. I noticed this mostly with Jessica and it sounded incredibly dumb coming from a grown, supposedly career, woman.
* Not enough mention of Lila Fowler. She was such a central character in the original books and was not given near enough notice in this one. She was mentioned throughout and her story was told, but not enough detail was provided nor did she interact enough with Jessica or the other characters.
* SPOILER ALERT: The scene when Regan shows up at the house was, to me, ridiculous. My expectation was that he'd hired a personal investigator to follow Jessica and get the scoop, and being the wealthy and powerful man he was, he'd come to deliver the news personally. Instead, he says he's "been there for two minutes and can already tell what's going on". Really, he's that perceptive? Needless to say, this was a bit of a letdown because the scene had such greater potential.
On the plus side:
* FINALLY, Elizabeth grows a backbone! No longer is she the holier-than-thou Mother Teresa-in-training. Now she finally sees the world, the people around her, and all their flaws. In addition, she reacts accordingly. Sure, she still tries to make excuses for other people's bad behavior but at least now she actually sees things for what they are. As opposed to the sugary sweet Elizabeth we got for all those years, now we are getting a grownup, bitter woman scorned by betrayal. I love this Elizabeth!
* Jessica, as expected, was Jessica and she did not disappoint. Outside of being dedicated to her new career, we got the same old girl who always says the wrong things, makes the wrong decisions, and somehow justifies it all.
* Todd was no longer the "perfect boyfriend". He has flaws too. Who knew?
* Steven's story, as hard as it may be for some fans to swallow, was a great twist! People are not always what they seem and that was definitely key here!
* The valley people drop F bombs! Another reviewer said they "cuss like a sailor" in this book. In my opinion, hardly. Some situations call for more than just "dangit, that was super insensitive of her" or "goshdarnit, I can't believe they did that behind my back". Sometimes a good EFF YOU is just needed. Yay for the real world!
Again, I would definitely recommend this book. Don't let the reviews, positive or negative, sway you from reading the book. Read it and form your own opinions.
The first thing I did was come to Amazon to order the first chapter of the book to be read on my Kindle. First, though, I read the twenty something reviews that were already posted. Most of them were negative in their comments about how far-fetched the storylines were, how different from their original personalities the characters were, and how it was an overall letdown to true fans. This, of course, caused me great hesitation in reading the book. Nonetheless, I ordered the first chapter, read it, and was immediately hooked. I wanted to know the rest of the story so I bought the book. I finished reading at nearly 2AM this morning (Saturday). Unlike many of the other reviewers, I truly enjoyed the book.
I had a pretty good idea what the major event was that divided the twins. Sure enough, the background story was laid out along with the current lives of both girls. Yes, the book flip flopped between first and third person throughout and it was told from the viewpoint of multiple people, and yes it switched between modern day and past events quite frequently; however, it was NOT hard to follow as insinuated by others. Once you got saw how the author laid out the storyline, it was a very easy read. I did notice a few spelling and wrong word usage errors in the novel, but not so many as to distract me from the story.
As for the plot, it was believable and true to modern day "chick lit". No longer are the twins living side-by-side in their protective bubble of Sweet Valley and all its fantasy glory. Instead, they've been thrust into a real life catastrophe that divides them physically and emotionally and also hurts the lives of many of the characters.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I liked how it merged the original characters with their known personalities intact but with growth shown over the ten-year period since high school. People change, and this was no different. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to my friends.
A few minor issues, most of which have already been mentioned:
* The on-and-off valley girl speak was a tad annoying. One can only hear "like, that was sooooo cute" before it starts to grate on the nerves, especially when it's used so sporadically. I noticed this mostly with Jessica and it sounded incredibly dumb coming from a grown, supposedly career, woman.
* Not enough mention of Lila Fowler. She was such a central character in the original books and was not given near enough notice in this one. She was mentioned throughout and her story was told, but not enough detail was provided nor did she interact enough with Jessica or the other characters.
* SPOILER ALERT: The scene when Regan shows up at the house was, to me, ridiculous. My expectation was that he'd hired a personal investigator to follow Jessica and get the scoop, and being the wealthy and powerful man he was, he'd come to deliver the news personally. Instead, he says he's "been there for two minutes and can already tell what's going on". Really, he's that perceptive? Needless to say, this was a bit of a letdown because the scene had such greater potential.
On the plus side:
* FINALLY, Elizabeth grows a backbone! No longer is she the holier-than-thou Mother Teresa-in-training. Now she finally sees the world, the people around her, and all their flaws. In addition, she reacts accordingly. Sure, she still tries to make excuses for other people's bad behavior but at least now she actually sees things for what they are. As opposed to the sugary sweet Elizabeth we got for all those years, now we are getting a grownup, bitter woman scorned by betrayal. I love this Elizabeth!
* Jessica, as expected, was Jessica and she did not disappoint. Outside of being dedicated to her new career, we got the same old girl who always says the wrong things, makes the wrong decisions, and somehow justifies it all.
* Todd was no longer the "perfect boyfriend". He has flaws too. Who knew?
* Steven's story, as hard as it may be for some fans to swallow, was a great twist! People are not always what they seem and that was definitely key here!
* The valley people drop F bombs! Another reviewer said they "cuss like a sailor" in this book. In my opinion, hardly. Some situations call for more than just "dangit, that was super insensitive of her" or "goshdarnit, I can't believe they did that behind my back". Sometimes a good EFF YOU is just needed. Yay for the real world!
Again, I would definitely recommend this book. Don't let the reviews, positive or negative, sway you from reading the book. Read it and form your own opinions.
