Sweet Valley Confidential: The Sweet Life
I stumbled across this earlier and had to share it. 1 Bruce 1 has some pictures up that show the covers of the new Sweet Valley Confidential sequels: The Sweet Life. Even though Francine herself said it several interviews that these were short installments, it looks like they are actually books. If not, I want to know who the heck is paying $14+ for an ebook!
It also looks like the original serials will cost $1.99 per book. Francine said the ebooks would come out in May (last month for those who don't pay attention to dates), but the first book will actually come out next month. The hardcover version hits stands in October, so I'm betting that you get all six ebooks for one price.
I'm still on the fence about whether or not I want to buy these. On the one hand, it's new Sweet Valley books. On the other hand, it's Sweet Valley 2.0. I wasn't a fan of Sweet Valley Confidential at all. I've read some of the older books 20 times or more, but I haven't yet picked up this one to read it a second time. Lately, I've even found more copies of SVC in thrift stores than I have the original books!
There's just something off putting about the newer books. It's not like Francine is taking a huge dump on her fans, but well, it's like she's taking a huge dump on her fans. I read an interview where she said that anything after the first few books in SVU isn't cannon for the new book. Then, she turns around and tosses in a mention of Neil. So, Neil exists, but not Sam or Chloe?
It's frustrating because if you put your name on a product, you should take pride in that product. That means that every single series in the SV franchise should fall into the same world. How can Steven marry Cara and cheat on her with Aaron when he was happily living with Billie and never mentions her now? How can Jess say that she never liked Aaron when he was her first boyfriend and a frequent high school date? How can Bruce disregard Lila as some random fling when they dated and lived together for almost the entire college series? And, how can Todd and Elizabeth date since sixth grade and he leave her for her sister after he sleeps with her once? Oh, and after he spends 200+ books talking about how much he dislikes her and that pesky time when she framed him for almost date rape.
I've had people say that I didn't like SVC because I didn't like the couplings but that's not true. It's the fact that we (the fans) might hate the books, but we love them at the same time. We don't want a few lines about Lila being a bitch, Ken being an ass, and Winston randomly dying. I wanted to read about those characters all grown up and trying to live in the real world without losing the Sweet Valley fun.
The new books have Jessica as a mother, which is a scary thought. Lila is a reality star (maybe she can find a role for Amy?). Liz is an ace journalist. I just don't think I want to read about those characters anymore.
Another thing I find annoying is that these new covers look like Gossip Girl: The Sequel. I like those books, I read those books multiple times, and I think I would rather read those than the new Sweet Valley books. Maybe while everyone else downloads these, I'll curl and re-read Double Love for the 100th time...
It also looks like the original serials will cost $1.99 per book. Francine said the ebooks would come out in May (last month for those who don't pay attention to dates), but the first book will actually come out next month. The hardcover version hits stands in October, so I'm betting that you get all six ebooks for one price.
I'm still on the fence about whether or not I want to buy these. On the one hand, it's new Sweet Valley books. On the other hand, it's Sweet Valley 2.0. I wasn't a fan of Sweet Valley Confidential at all. I've read some of the older books 20 times or more, but I haven't yet picked up this one to read it a second time. Lately, I've even found more copies of SVC in thrift stores than I have the original books!
There's just something off putting about the newer books. It's not like Francine is taking a huge dump on her fans, but well, it's like she's taking a huge dump on her fans. I read an interview where she said that anything after the first few books in SVU isn't cannon for the new book. Then, she turns around and tosses in a mention of Neil. So, Neil exists, but not Sam or Chloe?
It's frustrating because if you put your name on a product, you should take pride in that product. That means that every single series in the SV franchise should fall into the same world. How can Steven marry Cara and cheat on her with Aaron when he was happily living with Billie and never mentions her now? How can Jess say that she never liked Aaron when he was her first boyfriend and a frequent high school date? How can Bruce disregard Lila as some random fling when they dated and lived together for almost the entire college series? And, how can Todd and Elizabeth date since sixth grade and he leave her for her sister after he sleeps with her once? Oh, and after he spends 200+ books talking about how much he dislikes her and that pesky time when she framed him for almost date rape.
I've had people say that I didn't like SVC because I didn't like the couplings but that's not true. It's the fact that we (the fans) might hate the books, but we love them at the same time. We don't want a few lines about Lila being a bitch, Ken being an ass, and Winston randomly dying. I wanted to read about those characters all grown up and trying to live in the real world without losing the Sweet Valley fun.
The new books have Jessica as a mother, which is a scary thought. Lila is a reality star (maybe she can find a role for Amy?). Liz is an ace journalist. I just don't think I want to read about those characters anymore.
Another thing I find annoying is that these new covers look like Gossip Girl: The Sequel. I like those books, I read those books multiple times, and I think I would rather read those than the new Sweet Valley books. Maybe while everyone else downloads these, I'll curl and re-read Double Love for the 100th time...
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