Sweet Valley High #95: The Morning After

[irinaauthor]

When we last left our heroes, Lila was having her therapist arrested for fake attempted rape (par for the course in Sweet Valley, you know). Bruce was coping with his rage over Heroically Deaf Dead From Coke Regina by getting himself kicked in the head during the riot between Sweet Valley High and Big Mesa, but not before he spots a girl in the

Comments

[nanamik622]

Yay, I'm glad you recapped this book, it was hilarous. And this book is the end all and be all of suck.

I think the worst part of the book is when poor Lila is questioned by the school principle in front of her alleged attacker. The ghostwriters have really done a diservice to girls with the way they write about rape, no one experiences serious consquences, everyone questions you, people don't believe you. I don't think it would going to far to suggest that reading these books could cause girls to think that it is not worth reporting rapes.

[irinaauthor]

I know! I felt so awful for Lila! And I agree with you about the consequences of how this series depicts rape. But, honestly, rereading as an adult is such a strange experience, because I don't think the rape stuff even registered with me when I read these the first time, except for the John Pfiefer plot. I certainly didn't remember that there was at least one attempted rape (real or fake) every third book.

Are you planning to write this one up too? I know you mentioned before that you'd read it, and your recaps are hilarious.

[nanamik622]

Yeah I know I read the BSC and the SV books now and I can't believe all of the crazy shit that went on in those books. Like when I was 10 I thought it was prefectly ok for an 11 year old to watch a baby or that if you get kidnapped and nearly killed you wont suffer from PTSD for months.

I don't think I'll write this one up, your recap covers everything I would have and was so funny. I am thinking of covering some of the SVU books I have, I need to read them.

[squishysquidgy]

I read this book before I ever read A Night to Remember, and when I finally *did* read ANTR, I felt there was a lot missing in between. I don't mean sudden things like Olivia and Nicholas being BFF (that tripped me out) but just.. I don't really know... The way the continued on from one another didn't seem to flow right.

[irinaauthor]

I thought that too. The prom one ends with Jessica freaking out over Liz and Sam being dead, and this one starts with Liz having a dream several days later, after Sam's funeral and all. It was really weird.

[nanamik622]

Why couldn't they have started the book with the actual day after, if they were going to call it that? Lame.

[dramaturgy]

They sound sleazy and squalid, and this girl’s life is completely depressing, but she’s also extremely mentally ill.

Yeah. I was twelve or something when I read this book and I recognized that right off. My friends (who also read these things like there was no tomorrow) were appalled that I had the nerve to feel a bit sorry for Margo. But I digress.

[kishmish]

"Liv is lonesome too, because her boyfriend (the one she had after Roger Barrett Patman) has moved to Paris to work on his painting

[irinaauthor]

Liv and Roger broke up in #48: Slam Book Fever. It's unclear why: the ghostwriter said they'd been fighting a lot, but never explained what they were fighting about.

does this mean Nicholas and Liv will be together?

Nope! She falls in luv with the crazy painting guy, and in #96 Nick finds a girlfriend on that dating game show. He dates two crazy people and then one normal girl. He's pretty mean to the weird girls, though, which makes me think that his singleness might - ever so slightly - be because he sucks.

Bruce is hilarious in this book! I'm so happy you liked that paragraph!

Margo

[clubx]

I grew up and still live on Long Island and I have to say I was pretty insulted with the way they described it in this book and in "Return of the Evil Twin". Apparently every place outside of Sweet Valley is nothing but a slum that breeds sick, twisted evil look-alikes.

Re: Margo

[irinaauthor]

There's no happiness outside of Sweet Valley.

(Of course, there's not much happiness inside of Sweet Valley either, but at least there everyone is tan and blonde.)

Re: Margo

[clubx]

-Sigh- You're so right. And sadly, I am pale and brunette. :( I'm not a perfect size six, either.

[melody_power]

The Great Lila Fowler is pale and brunette and is probably not a size 6 either - Murder in Paradise depicts her as curvier than Jess. :-)

So IMO you rock.