Highly predictable, but fun to read. The fight scene between Todd and Liam is so cheddar. The ending seems to leave room for continuing the story of the Sweet Valley twins, I'm hoping Pascal does. Despite the 3 star rating, I must admit I'm addicted. ( )

In this final book in this six book mini series, Lila reveals her real pregancy. It is sweet justice that Lila was trying to win her husband back with a fake pregnacy but in the end she actually ends out to be really pregnant. Be careful what you wish for or I should say scheme for.

Elizabeth finds the missing link she was searching for in regards to the truth about Bruce. Jessica and Todd are back together and they are willing to try to work things out. Besides, makeup sex is so much more fun!

My suspicions were confirmed true. Although, I was disappointed that Elizabeth was not too bright to figure this out sooner. Although, she did try to redeem herself in the end. When the ending came, I was awaiting the happy news and to my shock, it did not come. Instead, I was left with my mouth hanging open in shock and yelling "No!" I blame this on Elizabeth and hoping that the ending is not truely the end and just a cliff hanger. While the writing for this whole series was not the greatest, it was still a fun mini series to read. Also, a nice revisit with the Wakefield twins and their friends. ( )

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS!

I'm going to go over the entire six e-serials in this review. Don't read if you don't want any spoilers from the six books. Because I can't touch on why I didn't like them without giving away plot devices and story arcs.

As a fan of the Sweet Valley High series, I was more than mildly disappointed in The Sweet Life novellas, although I couldn't stop reading them. I'm addicted to the shenanigans of Wakefield & Co. and stepping back into the lives of these characters was reminscient of tie-dye shirt, leg warmers and The Dairi Burger. But Francine Pascal is a creator, not a writer and her employ of ghost writers in all the previous series served her well, because between Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later and these six books, I can only surmise that she is a terrible author that uses ridiculous plot devices to bring the story arc from point A to point B.
I found it incredible (and not in a good way) that baby Emma was kidnapped, and when Steven and Aaron found out who kidnapped her upon her return, they brushed it off, simply because they had her back. Despite the fact that Steven Wakefield is a LAWYER, there was no pursuit of justice. And, in fact, the entire storyline could have been left out of the book, because it was inconsequential to the larger plot - Bruce's rape accusation - and maybe only took up three pages. Emma disappeared, people panicked, she was found. It really was as simple as that.
Lila is as superficial and crazy as ever. She gets a part as a True Housewife on a reality show, fakes a pregnancy to save her marriage and then really does wind up pregnant. Take that, bitch.
Jessica and Todd's relationship apparently took a wrong turn somewhere between Confidential and The Sweet Life....but it's never fully explained and expounded upon, except that Todd is a bit put out that Jessica is successful in her career and not a full-time wife and stay-at-home mother. Since when did Todd step back into the 1950s? He used to date Elizabeth, whose career goals strode five feet in front of her wherever she went.
Their (Jessica and Todd's) will-they-or-won't-they back and forth became irksome and tiring. I know this is typical Sweet Valley drama, but at some point, as a reader, I need resolution. And while I did get it, Pascal makes me wait until the very end of the e-serial series, where she uses near rape (again) as a plot device to bring them back together. Thanks for that.
Speaking of rape....while it's no surprise that Bruce Patman is accused of rape, it IS a surprise that Bruce Patman is accused of rape. Wait, what? Bruce is a changed man, after his parents died, he reflected on life, realized he was a big fucking douchebag and picked up the pieces, with Elizabeth's help. They fell in love and wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, they're living together for three years in his palatial mansion, living the surreal life (at least, to Elizabeth), when he gets accused of rape by a random intern he insists he's never met at his company.
This entire plotline spans the six e-serials and is frankly overdrawn and ridiculous. It brings in additional characters we know and love...like Enid Rollins, who is now a snobby OB/GYN and Annie Whitman. Remember Annie? Everyone remembers Annie...especially if that everyone was the entire male population of Sweet Valley. Except she isn't Easy Annie anymore. She's a successful divorcee attorney working for the best criminal law firm in SoCal and just-so-happens to take on Bruce's case.
Unfortunately for Elizabeth, who doubts Bruce's innocence and leaves him, Bruce and Annie nearly rekindle their old flame, much to Elizabeth's horror. Poor Elizabeth, first her twin betrays her, and then her best friend Annie betrays her. Girl can't catch a break.
There were more ridiculous plot lines, but I'd have to rewrite the novel for you to get them all. Most of them were simply filler and frankly, Pascal could have done without them. Except, no, she couldn't have, because the story was so banal and ridonkulous that she needed the fluff to flesh it out. I still didn't hate it...I'm a weak sucker for these characters and I sucked down the story like a kid sucks down kool-aid.
If you were a fan of Sweet Valley as a kid, I do recommend these books, if for nothing else than the walk down memory lane. Don't expect great writing, however, or your beloved characters. Everything has changed. And maybe that's a good thing.


( )

This final installment of this e-serial read as compulsively as the first five, but I have to say I was quite taken aback by the cliffhanger. This is a huge cliffhanger and it almost invalidates all the previous reading I did to get to that point. The Liam storyline was fine, I saw that coming from a mile away however I hate that it made things better with Todd and Jessica. In my opinion these two as a couple just plain stinks. And don't start me on the Lila storyline. It could have been the most fun, true to form of the stories and yet it ended too quickly and in a completelly unrealistic way. Sigh. What should I expect? This is Sweet Valley after all. Back to cliffhanger one moment. I am most bothered by the fact that in October the e-serial will be issued as a one volume novel. There are no promises of future books, though I think its quite likely. Leaving the story open like this is very dissatisfying. Still I am such a sucker for Sweet Valley that I know I will be there holding out my money whenever there are any future releases. ( )

Whoa.....I....dang! A couple of the pieces were tied up nicely. The main thing with Jessica- page addicting. And Bruce's statement at the end! Oh. My. Gosh.
Not everything was tied up though. Seriously. There's enough loose ends that I think there's going to be more installments. Or at least very much hope so. There's too many "what about...." questions left. Like "what about":
Jessica and Todd?
Sarah?
the aftermath with Liam?
Jessica's career?
Elizabeth's career?

Once you read it, you'll need your Sweet Valley drama crack fix too. (I can't give out anymore without ruining it for someone else.)
It says something though that I finished this in the first hour it showed up on my Kindle. I will be extremely disappointed though if the author just drops everything here without tying up ALL the loose ends. The way the book ended, it definately needs another arc to get things fixed. We'll see if Ms. Pascal writes more or not. ( )