Sweet Valley Confidential

Ten Years Later

By: Francine Pascal

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times Best Seller!

Now with this striking new adult novel from author and creator Francine Pascal, millions of devoted fans can finally return to the idyllic Sweet Valley, home of the phenomenally successful book series and franchise. Iconic and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood. WANT MORE SWEET VALLEY RIGHT NOW?? Become a fan of Sweet Valley Confidential on Facebook or Twitter.

©2011 Francine Pascal (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“If you're of a certain age, you grew up with Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, the beautiful twins of idyllic Sweet Valley, California, who have been immortalized in hundreds of books and even a television show… finding out what happened to the twins and their inner circle, courtesy of narrator January Lavoie, was actually more exciting than my high school reunion…this adult novel stands alone as just plain fun…and really entertaining!” —Audible.com

“Overall, this was a fun story that will satisfy a thirst for all ‘Sweet Valley High' fans of then and now. It had a CW feel, as I could see it fleshed out into a television series on that channel. I enjoyed it and found it easy to follow. I was thrilled to be reunited with characters I loved so much as a pre-teen.” —Chick Lit Central: The Blog

“Narrator January Lavoie lends life to well-known characters and ushers listeners with ease through this Sweet Valley reunion. Recommended for fans of the original series and those who enjoy family films or twin stories. This one will find a home in most public libraries.” —Library Journal

worth the read

it was a good continuation of familiar characters. well written intriguing and a fun ride

This was incredible fun!

I have almost the entire SVH collection-like 150+ books so clearly I’m an avid fan. This was totally the follow up I needed. While the original series is great to revisit for nostalgia- Confidential allowed me to revisit all the old characters but with sharper, adult writing and a clever weaving of events and perspectives that not only tied up loose ends, but also directly addressed the elephant in the room- aka: Jessica’s monstrous personality disorder and Elizabeth’s frustrating enabling. I have the hard copy novel but The narrator January Levoy was truly fabulous so I was coaxed into listened to the story again as a refresher before diving into The Sweet Life next.

Does this mean I'm old?

If you’re of a certain age, you grew up with Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, the beautiful twins of idyllic Sweet Valley, California, who have been immortalized in hundreds of books and even a television show. It just so happens that I’m of this age, and listening to Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later was like being reunited with old friends. Finding out what happened to the twins and their inner circle was actually more exciting than my high school reunion (thanks for ruining that milestone, Facebook), courtesy of narrator January Lavoie. And even if you didn’t obsessively read the Sweet Valley High books as a teen, this adult novel stands alone as just plain fun…and really entertaining.

Oh, nostalgia...

When I heard this book had been released, I immediately purchased it. I was a huge fan of the Sweet Valley series as a pre-teen, and having a chance to see how they'd grown up (now at almost exactly my own age) was an exciting prospect. The book delivered what I had hoped for: a return to my childhood "friends." As with meeting old friends in real life, this book allowed me to see how they had grown. The characters changed in ways I could never expect, and yet somehow stayed true to those people I had once known.

Let's face it. If you're looking for a great literary masterpiece, this will not be your cup of tea. It's an extension of the original teen literature, written for the now grown-up fans. There is sex, drama, and more drama. Some of it a bit far-fetched, yes (even a lot far-fetched). But isn't that what the original series always was?

I got what I expected. And for what it is, it's great.

Fun read

What a blast from the past! I loved catching up with Jessica and Elizabeth after all these years!

Beyond bad

I grew up with these books. While I'll never complain about the time and expense it took to collect and read them all (several times over), I will say I'm outraged that I'll never get this credit, or the time it took to listen to it, back. I know you're tempted. Don't do it to yourself.

I'm nostalgic about Sweet Valley too...

But this book is really bad. Tedious and bad. Filled with lame descriptions of all of the Sweet Valley cast of characters, detailing a Jessica and Elizabeth scenario that I would never wish on America's favorite identical twins. I wanted to like it, but alas I cannot recommend it.