Sweet Valley Diaries

Sweet Valley News & Help Rebuild the Palisades Library/Support LAPL Staff

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:04:23 +0000

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Extra Drama #82: A Legend of Readin'

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 21:26:59 +0000

A correction email about ROSA'S LIE and truly the most epically hyperbolic Reader of the Month winner to date!

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Book #82: KIDNAPPED BY THE CULT!

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:03:00 +0000

When there's an exclamation point in the name of the book, you know it's going to be a good one. But will KIDNAPPED BY THE CULT! ever deliver on the promise of its title? Find out with filmmaker Sam Wineman as he falls in love with every character in Sweet Valley and Marissa dreams up some new cult-themed merch.

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Extra Drama #81: Becoming Rosalita

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Christian Dueñas is back for more on Rose Jameson/Rosa Jimenez. We also imagine an all-boys Jesuit version of Sweet Valley High and read a particularly purple Reader of the Month letter.

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Book #81: ROSA'S LIE

Thu, 30 May 2024 15:05:00 +0000

Welp, Season 9 is starting with a bang. We've got another racism book on our hands. Thankfully, no one gets hurt this time (though a certain Nana Jimenez would probably be pretty darn hurt if she found out what her granddaughter did with her cake!). Christian Dueñas, host of the brand new music show PRIMER, is our guest and guide through this wild and barely-tolerable tale of Pi Beta Alpha and their newest pledge, Rose Jameson. Also Todd and Bruce are in a fight.

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SUPER STAR: BRUCE'S STORY w/Jack & Tanner

Thu, 09 May 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Oh-h My-y God, we've got an EXTREMELY special episode at long last! As only the Super Star books can, BRUCE'S STORY brings you a ridiculous Sweet Valley Saga from the POV of one of its richest and least likable characters. Bruce Patman (or, if you prefer, "Pac-Man") sits at the center of this one, looking really dumb but in a way that's unsettlingly...endearing? Maybe? STRANGE BEDFELLOWS co-hosts and past chaos-agent guests Jack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring are back to help us see the real Bruce at last.

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Mini Extra-Drama #80: Double the Sweetness

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Don't forget about the Reader of the Month letter from book 80!

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Episode #80: THE GIRL THEY BOTH LOVED

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000

It's another mis-titled misadventure of random characters, and this time All Time Favorite guest Don Flaxbart is here to simultaneously despise the book and read deep into the twisted heart of its male lead. A thrilling, dirt-bike filled mega finale to Season 8 of Sweet Valley Diaries!

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Extra #79: Maybe Elizabeth Isn't the Best Character Judge

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Bryanna McGeough joins Marissa again and shares her criteria for choosing with Sweet Valley books to read and her personal tales of being an Elizabethan high school journalist. Plus, Reader of the Month for October 1991!

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Book #79: THE LONG-LOST BROTHER

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0000

What could be worse than having a twin brother who stole a car? For Sarah Eastborne, the answer is: that twin brother getting clean, being released from his rehab facility, and coming to live with you. Social worker and BSC/SVH reader Briana McGeough joins us to discuss this book, which also shoehorns in some info about 12-step programs.

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Extra Drama #78: Jackson's Funtime Fashions

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Claire and Marissa explore the dreamworld of Jessica Wakefield. Plus, a particularly lyrical Reader of the Month essay. Come along, if you choose!

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Book #78: THE DATING GAME

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0000

At long last, we will find out if Scott Trost is as sexist as he seems. Or, we'll at least find out if his TRUE self is sexist. Like, maybe society made him sexist? Or something? Todd will explain it to you, ladies. With special guest Claire Sharood!

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EED #77: Listener of the Month, July 1991

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0000

I got my hands on a US edition of CHEATING TO WIN, but it didn't arrive until after last week's extra drama came out. I'm between two short weekend trips, so please accept this dramatic reading as this week's little episode!

Follow Sweet Valley Diaries on Instagram and TikTok

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Extra Drama #77: They Never Did Sweet Valley Babies

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Guest Tabatha Myers tells us about her history with Sweet Valley; then, a close look at the copyright pages of a British edition of CHEATING TO WIN, and a call for ghostwriter intel.

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Book #77: CHEATING TO WIN

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 15:00:00 +0000

The latest in our series of Very Special Episodes, this is the one about accidentally being on sports enhancing drugs some shady dude sold you in a baggie. Lifelong SVH reader Tabatha Myers joins Marissa to get super serious on this very serious and seriously handled subject.

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Extra Drama #76: Yo!

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Let's rap about the ethical implications of beauty pageants! Plus, the second Reader of the Month wants to make sure you know she doesn't LOOK like a bookworm.

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Book #76: MISS TEEN SWEET VALLEY

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 13:20:00 +0000

In this book, Jessica asks Elizabeth how being named the prettiest, smartest, and most talented can be demeaning. And she has a point. Kind of. In a book that is both frivolous and substantive, and which is unafraid to let a gray area issue be solidly gray, we find identical twins once again at odds. Denise Boylan joins Marissa to laugh at them.

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Extra Drama #75: Amy Regulation Disorder

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:00:00 +0000

More excuses for Amy's behavior, tips for how to look like you're paying attention, and the first ever SVH Reader of the Month!

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Book #75: AMY'S TRUE LOVE

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 15:00:00 +0000

"Tennis" anyone? Marissa is joined this week by Brian Duss for a Very Special Episode. Why so special? For starters, we learn Amy Sutton has some hidden depth of character. But mostly it's because we're getting some **sound trumpets** explicitly gay characters! Alas, "explicit" only in one sense of the word. But still.

***

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Extra Drama #74: Why We're Like This

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0000

Mary Kate and Marissa share stories from middle and high school and beyond about the effects of diet culture, generational baggage around eating and weight, and trying not to perpetuate a cycle.

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Book #74: THE PERFECT GIRL

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Only the very best of friends agrees to read the Robin books. This week, Marissa's BFF since high school, Mary Kate Battles, is back for more punishment as we watch Robin destroy herself. Fully 70 books after her maltreatment in POWER PLAY, this one attempts to atone for that sin, but fails at every turn, because it's 1991.

CW: Eating disorder, body shaming, weight talk. Oh my.

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Catch Up With: ROBIN WILSON (and Book 46: DECISIONS Replay)

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Episode 74 has been delayed by a week, so this seemed like a great time to try something new! Marissa catches you up on a character's arc over the series. In this case, Robin Wilson, whose first appearance in Book 4 made a thud so resounding that it's echoed through the entire series. Robin is the star of Book 74, so why not get up to speed by listening to her most recent star turn, in Book 46: DECISIONS, which is replayed following Marissa's dissertation on Robin.

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Extra Drama #73: I Don't Know If This Was Handled Well

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:00:00 +0000

As our first Gen Z guest, Phoebe explains the concept of "Warrior Cats" to Marissa. Also, how is Sweet Valley High like the Duggar Family? What's Jessica really up to? And more questions Marissa's guests can't stop asking her/answering for her.

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Book #73: REGINA'S LEGACY

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 15:00:00 +0000

It's a camera. Regina's legacy is a Nikon film camera. And when you take a photo with the camera, and squint at the negatives just so, maybe you'll see Regina's ghost giving you a thumbs up for thwarting a drug cartel. Phoebe Danaher is here to help Marissa explain all this, and to spotlight our scary, older, date-of-the-month, Chad!

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Extra Drama #72: Two Cool Cats, Not Interested in Drama

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:00:00 +0000

All of the name-dropping, none of the star-fucking

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Book #72: ROCK STAR'S GIRL

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Sometimes when a rock star has a teen girl living in his house it's actually not an issue. How is this possible? Well, the teens of Sweet Valley might have it twisted, but Gabe Mara and Marissa will explain it all.

Some music in this episode comes from Purple Planet.

"Toumani Diabate Plays the Kora"

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Extra Drama #71: How to Make Jessica Wakefield Famous

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Is being famous really so great? What IS Eric Parker's talk show? Can one night on television launch a whole career in entertainment? These are the kinds of questions Jessica Wakefield should have been asking, but instead Marissa and actual professional actor Alex Jennings are asking on her behalf.

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Book #71: STARRING JESSICA!

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Don't let the apparent middle-agedness of the cover model fool you -- that's 16-year-old Jessica Wakefield all dolled up for her star turn on the Eric Parker's national evening talk show. Or, at least it's one of those Wakefield girls. Actor Alex Jennings (THE GOLDBERGS) returns (#7: DEAR SISTER was her last appearance) to talk all this out.

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Extra Drama #70: Emotional Hostage Situation

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Jordan Crucchiola is back, and she gets a dose of the Feeling Seen treatment as Marissa asks what Sweet Valley High student she felt most seen by.

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Book #70: MS. QUARTERBACK

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Today's esteemed guest, is Jordan Crucchiola is the host or co-host of several podcasts -- AUGHTSTERION, DISASTER GIRLS, and of course, the one that Marissa produces, FEELING SEEN! And she's the perfect person to discuss this tale of Claire Middleton, the girl who would be quarterback. Will Ken Matthews's head be turned (now that he can see again)? Is a supposedly nice girl who does shitty things more dangerous than an out-and-out Jessica? These questions and more are addressed in this long-awaited final book of "Season 7."

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Extra Drama #69: Ms. Jacobi's Experiment in Prejudice

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Hey! It's a little more from Book 69, FRIEND AGAINST FRIEND! Instead of snappy conversation, today's episode is a little update on the show and an extended passage from the book. After Andy Jenkins was attacked, sociology teacher Ms. Jacobi takes it upon herself to teach her students that prejudice can be easy, arbitrary...and enticing! But also bad. The point is that it's bad.

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Book #69: FRIEND AGAINST FRIEND

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000

What could be better than a kind of hamfisted '90s attempt at tackling racism? Almost anything? Well, good (if shocking) news: that's not what this is. Neil Freemount and Andy Jenkins star in a very special episode of Sweet Valley Diaries: FRIEND AGAINST FRIEND.

Huge thanks to Kali Baker Johnson.

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Extra Drama #68: Hold Me Till I Hate You

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 06:00:37 +0000

Andy Greene is back and we're talking bands, band battles, battles with band instruments, and bad band boys.

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Book #68: THE LOVE BET

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 16:17:14 +0000

High school juniors Dana Larson and Aaron Dallas have sworn off of love forever. To address this crisis, Elizabeth and Todd concoct a scheme as disappointingly chaste as it is poorly conceptualized, then take sides on a bet over whether it will work. Meanwhile, Jessica and Lila agree to be roadies for a new band in town, sight unseen. Just another week in Sweet Valley, CA! Andy Greene (Gossip Guys, The Naked Man, Wanderings) joins Marissa to unpack it all.

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Extra Drama #67: The Parent Ruse

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Now that The Parent Plot is behind us, Marissa, Rebecca, and Sommer talk about their relationship to a film that, despite its similar title, was clearly NOT the source material for Sweet Valley High #67. Apologies to the Lohan Stans, this one is for the Mills Maniacs.

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Book #67: THE PARENT PLOT

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 17:28:19 +0000

Rebecca Russell and Sommer Austin are back for one last ride as we bring the Wakefield Trial Separation Saga to an end...and say a fond farewell Ned Wakefield's mayoral bid, too!

Will Jessica and Elizabeth join forces to trick their parents into falling back in love? Or is all their scheming totally pointless and things just play out the same way as if they hadn't tried at all? Listen and learn! Plus, a Collinswatch to end all Collinswatches (but don't worry, we'll still have Collinswatch).

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Extra Drama #66: A Trio of Elizabeths Fails to Run Away

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 15:44:16 +0000

The cover of WHO'S TO BLAME? suggested that it was going to be a big running away book. It wasn't (only a little running away was involved), so Marissa, Rebecca Russell, and Sommer Austin are sharing their own failed runaway tales, such as they are. And yes, a high school mime troupe is involved.

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Book #66: WHO'S TO BLAME?

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 18:00:06 +0000

It's a Chicago Ladies in Comedy Reunion, with Rebecca Russell returning and now comedian Sommer Austin joining the Wakefield Separation Arc zoo crew. Jessica's finally going to meet the guy she met on the Teen Party Line, Elizabeth is making bad choices out of depression, and Steven can't stop coming home from college. Hijinks (and a pretty meager attempt at running away) ensue!

Some music in this episode comes from Purple Planet. Thanks for the music!

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Extra Drama #65: Comedy in the 2000s & Divorce in the '90s

Thu, 12 May 2022 16:45:18 +0000

Ned and Alice Wakefield don't get a lot of love here at Sweet Valley Diaries, but they're both hurting now, so...eh, we still have some criticisms. Everyone's a great fictional parent in hindsight! PLUS learn the exciting comedy origin story behind Marissa's friendship with our fabulous guest Rebecca Russell.

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Book #65: TROUBLE AT HOME

Thu, 05 May 2022 16:51:31 +0000

Rebecca Russell joins Marissa for the first book in the Great Wakefield Divorce (!?) Trilogy. Everything's on the line (and/or the party line) and no questions will be answered!

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Extra Drama #64: Tell a Friend

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 14:32:00 +0000

Marissa, Katie, Kat, and Kyle cram in all the YA book and book podcast nerdiness that will fit into the 10 minutes we had left in the recording studio!

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Book #64: THE GHOST OF TRICIA MARTIN

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 05:32:56 +0000

Steven/Tricia/Cara love triangle expert Katie LaDue is back, joined by Kat Rebar and, to a lesser extent, Kyle Rebar to talk about this book and its stunning lack of ghosts. But what it lacks in ghosts, it makes up for in hang-gliding accidents and trauma responses!

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Extra Drama #63: The New [Insert Name Here]

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 17:12:31 +0000

Inspired by Elizabeth's attempts at reinvention in book 63, Caitlin and Marissa compare notes about times they've made big change (plus a lengthy tangent about high school theater typecasting).

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Book #63: THE NEW ELIZABETH

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 15:53:07 +0000

Now who's new? Elizabeth is reinventing herself, and this time it goes way beyond a two-week perm. Caitlin McCann is back to dissect Liz's meteoric rise to the top of the local surfing beat, and the self-sabotage that sends her crashing back to status quo.

Check out Caitlin's The Lit Review

Follows SVD on Instagram and Twitter

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Extra Drama #62: The Valentine's Day Dance

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 16:12:39 +0000

Marissa and Julia compare notes on their respective high school dance experiences; 20-year-old crush gossip is spilled.

Sweet Valley Diaries on Instagram and Twitter

Marissa's Substack, Metaforia

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Book #62: WHO'S WHO?

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 18:07:29 +0000

At long last, it's an all-Elizabeth-and-Jessica book! No school (almost)! No friends (almost)! No teachers! Just our twins and the most ridiculous dinner date disguise debacle since Mrs. Doubtfire. Julia Kenney Smith joins Marissa in the (actual) studio!

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Extra Drama #61: It's All Jim's Default

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 16:00:00 +0000

Did you notice how there was no big, lusty "Boys" description of Patty's boyfriend, Jim Hollis, in BOY TROUBLE's main episode? Even though he's the boy that's the source of the titular trouble?

It's because he doesn't really get described.

This extra drama is kind of a thought experiment around why.

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Book #61: BOY TROUBLE

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Patty Gilbert is having a scheduling nightmare! Her boyfriend is home from college for the first time in a month...and her sister is home from NorCal for the first time in 6 months! This is a bigger crisis than it sounds like. Also, there are handpainted t-shirts in this one.

Marissa Wasseluk returns to mark this auspicious Season 7 premiere!

Follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok

Subscribe to Marissa's Substack, Metaforia

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SUPER STAR: LILA'S STORY

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Picture this: it's December 1989. You're at the Walden Books inside the mall. As you browse the latest soapy middle-grade serials, what to your wondering eyes should appear but an ENTIRE book all about the elusive, elegant, rich, and endlessly scheming Lila Fowler. Your favorite character in the Sweet Valley High series.

Fast forward: it's 22 years later, and two Elder Millennials named Marissa are going to retell the story of this very important novel to you.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, GLADIATORS!

Thanks to guest reader Marissa Wasseluk and Purple Planet Music.

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BONUS: Think Twice! The Sweet Valley High Dolls

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 23:23:12 +0000

On this very special narrative-style hiatus bonus episode: A listener’s email leads down an internet research rabbit hole of ridiculous proportions. Caution: there will be dolls.

Watch the Bandai Sweet Valley High Dolls ad on YouTube

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Extra Drama #60: The Ken Matthews Story

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000

In which two professional filmmakers/screenwriting professors attempt to break story on a film adaptation of Sweet Valley High Book 60: THAT FATAL NIGHT.

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Book #60: THAT FATAL NIGHT

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000

It's the (main episode) Season 6 finale and all the stars are out: Terry Adams! Zack Johnson! Skip Harmon! You know, all your favorites. Oh, and the Wakefields and such are there too. But let's quit beating around the bush: this is the book where Ken Matthews becomes (temporarily???) blind in a car accident. Director (and former guest reader!) William J. Stribling is along for the ride...but, you know, figuratively. Safer that way.

Blind on the Move: Do Blind People Count Their Steps?

Florence Nightingale Effect

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Extra Drama #59: Luxury Compact Disc Players

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Sweet Valley High may not be historical fiction, but it IS fiction from history. Novelist Libbie Hawker is back to talk rich historical details like in-car CD players and VHS recording. Plus:

What's up with Dominique Roy?
The metaphorical resonance of the Dairi Burger,
Rich kids being out-riched by richer kids

and SO! much! more!

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Book #59: IN LOVE AGAIN

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000

So, Liz and Todd are IN LOVE AGAIN, and all is right with the world...except for the fact that Todd goes to a fancy school an hour away, they're both too infatuated with one another to keep up with their commitments, and it's about to be Snobs vs Slobs (yes, somehow Sweet Valley is the slobs) in the big Battle of the Schools! Not to mention, Courtney Kane is back, and she's pissed! Author (and OG Gladiator!) Libbie Hawker helps walk us through this morass.

Gotta Grow Up Sometime podcast

Extra Drama #58: Don't Call Him Jeff

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 16:49:52 +0000

Shey Zanotti is back, and memories of (the very much still alive) Jeffrey French abound. Remember the time he scared away those thugs who wanted to steal Ronnie's car? Remember the time Elizabeth thought he was falling in love with Enid? Or perhaps the time she thought he had fallen in love with Olivia. So many memories! This, and some fresh new ideas for The Creek, in today's Extra Drama!

Media referenced in today's episode:

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Book #58: BROKENHEARTED

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0000

#1 Jeffrey French fan Shey Lyn Zanotti is back, and she's not the only one! Remember Todd Wilkins, Elizabeth's first love, who moved away to Vermont...at some point earlier in junior year? Can you believe that was 35 books ago? Now the Wilkinses are returning, and richer than ever. So what does that mean for Liz and her new longtime beau (yes, it's still junior year, but don't get hung up on that) Jeffrey? Well, the title of the book may give us a clue...

Young Paul Newman thirst trap

Eric Stolz

Flowers in the Attic

Baby-Sitters Club Club/Sweet Sweet Valley Guys #10

Shey's previous appearance, FAMILY SECRETS

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS with Dad

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Extra Drama #57: A Comfortable Petard

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Chris and Paris from Terrible Book Club return! Jessica slums it in electronics class and Lila scams her pedagogically lazy dressmaking instructor in the TEACHER CRUSH b-plot. Plus, super-spoilers for Olivia's future! Extra drama indeed!

Listen to Terrible Book Club
More about The Zorn Palette

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Book #57: TEACHER CRUSH

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Terrible Book Club’s Paris and Chris dare to join Marissa to tackle this downright nerve-wracking tale of Olivia Davidson and her lust for painting teacher Stuart “Call me Stuart” Bachman. A book that is truly challenging to read in public.

* * *

Listen to the Terrible Book Club Podcast!

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Extra Drama #56: Too Much Humor

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Haley Tubbs returns to talk about the science field trip that wasn't, and whether Jessica is right about guys with "too much of a sense of humor." What fun! All in the the name of LOST AT SEA, of course.

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Book #56: LOST AT SEA

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Part island fantasy, part survival guide, part extra credit assignment, LOST AT SEA is the first Sweet Valley High novel to feature a character getting lost at sea, assumed dead. Professional science enthusiast Haley Tubbs joins Marissa to dig into this book and what it has to say about the true nature of Winston Egbert. Fun!

Watch Haley on the Tappity Kids' Science App!

What is a predicate adjective? (strap in, kids)

What is a Gilligan's Island?

What is a bandeau?

Subscribe to Marissa's newsletter, Metaforia.

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Extra Drama for Super Thriller #3: Hitchcock, Jigsaw, Pascal

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Jack and Tanner are back for more THRILLER talk. What all-time-greatest film is this book's plot remixed from? How would the BSC handle this mystery? Would a t-shirt fit over Jack's head? Find out all this and more (sort of) in today's EXTRA DRAMA!

Links:

VERTIGO's Portrait of Carlotta Valdes scene

Kristy and the Cat Burglar

Stacey and the Mystery Money

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Super Thriller #3: NO PLACE TO HIDE

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 12:00:00 +0000

SURPRISE! Did we spook ya? Marissa is joined by fellow 80s/90s juvenile lit series aficionados and podcasters Jack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring of the Baby-Sitters Club Club. The meddling twins are back, and so is Nicholas Morrow! This one has it all: possible ghosts, jealous painters, mayoral races, Ronoma County...prepare to be thrilled, yet again!

Listen to Marissa on BSCC's "Sweet Sweet Valley Boys" Interlude

Vandelay Industries supercut

DoesTheDogDie.com

Jet Li’s THE ONE (2001)

Babysitters Club Club Podcast Feed

BSCC Little Sister Patreon Show

Some music from this episode courtesy of Purple Planet.

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Extra Drama #55: Betty White’s Teen-Age Dance Book

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa and her dad found a dance instruction book for teenagers written by Betty White (but apparently not THAT Betty White? It's hard to say.) Discussion of this piece of ephemera (and Dad's high school basketball career) abound in this week's EXTRA DRAMA!

Look for photos from Betty White’s Teen-Age Dance Book on the Sweet Valley Diaries Instagram

“Teen Dances of the 1950s”

Last Kiss Goodnight and Malt Shop Bop by Kevin MacLeod are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100611

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

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Book #55: PERFECT SHOT

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 22:32:43 +0000

Dad's back to talk hoops! Marissa is joined by her father, Don, to discuss Shelley Novak. Who's she? Who, for that matter, is Jim Roberts? Cathy Ulrich? Greg Hilliard? Anybody? No?

Sweet Valley High contains multitudes, people. This week, learn about the world that includes some of the girls' basketball team, a talented photographer, and a sexy young dance instructor. Listen and learn of them!

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Extra Drama #54: Twin Powers and Trigger Warnings

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Do twins really have super communication powers? Does goofy drama make scary stuff easier to swallow? Have "mentally unstable" villains kept us from tackling our own mental health issues? TWO-BOY WEEKEND is the gift that keeps on giving...us more questions to ponder! Teya Patt returns, of course.

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Book #54: TWO-BOY WEEKEND

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 18:38:16 +0000

The title of this book makes a promise, and that promise is kept in ways both thrilling and hilarious. Also somewhat harrowing. Teya Patt (FOR ALL MANKIND) joins Marissa for the play-by-play of this masterpiece of juvenile (?!) fiction.

CW for stalker-y, abusive behavior...but as ever, it's all deliciously over the top and (spoiler alert) everything's fine in the end.

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Extra Drama #53: Seizing the Day is Totally Beat

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 12:00:00 +0000

CW: Mom death

Marissa opens up about why, despite her lack of tennis skill, she found herself relating deeply to Kristin Thompson. Other topics of conversation: enjoying your life on your own terms, the overabundance of straight girls at SVHS, Bruce Patman's sudden interest in Jazz, and getting in trouble for coming home late. Featuring Katie LaDue!

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Book #53: SECOND CHANCE

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 00:28:26 +0000

The Parade of Randos marches on, but this time around, the plot is not so predictable. Will a soon-to-be tennis pro throw it all away over Bruce Patman? The answer may surprise you! Or, if not the answer, at least the question. Katie LaDue is back and we're talking about Kristin Thompson's SECOND CHANCE.

SVD on Instagram

Marissa's Weekly Newsletter

Eric Andre's BAD TRIP

If only I had known: Pacey's "little brother" was named BUZZ!

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Extra Drama for Super Thriller #2: The Second Taco

Thu, 27 May 2021 17:14:14 +0000

Super Thrillers have SO much drama that some of it has to spill out into an Extra Drama bonus ep! Alice Wakefield's frustrating food choices, Darcy Kaymen's voluptuousness, and the good citizenship of Sweet Valleyites in general are all up for debate in this continuing examination of ON THE RUN. Featuring Nick Riley!

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Super Thriller #2: ON THE RUN

Thu, 20 May 2021 23:38:33 +0000

SURPRISE! Just to keep things spicy, we're returning to the Super Thriller series, where the Wakefield twins are still slaving away (literally!) at the News. Murders are on the rise, and all the new kids are from Ohio. Superfriend Nick Riley is Marissa's guest, and together they marvel at Elizabeth's illicit new crush, Jessica's annoying new bestie, and the impressive neighborliness of Sweet Valley citizens.

Marissa's weekly newsletter, Metaforia

Sweet Valley High Subreddit (go post about SVD there!)

Trailer for The Living Daylights

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Extra Drama #52: I Guess It's Okay to Go Home with John for Now?

Thu, 13 May 2021 16:00:12 +0000

Marissa and guest reader Dr. Daniel Okobi tackle, but don't really answer, a big-but-vague question: Is John Pfeifer a good guy in this book? Also: Jessica's Philosophy on Men, and what's up with this new tennis girl?

* * *

There's a new Sweet Valley Diaries podpage!

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Book #52: WHITE LIES

Thu, 06 May 2021 18:11:06 +0000

If you're expecting a book titled WHITE LIES to be a cold, hard look at the exclusionary racial culture of Sweet Valley, California...well, keep waiting. The white lies in question here are all about a sweet sophomore, her ill-advised love affair with bad-boy Rick Andover, her sick father, and the sports writer who indirectly causes a rift between them all. Also, Elizabeth is involved. Dr. Daniel Okobi joins Marissa to investigate this twisting tale, Ricks Who've Wronged Us, HIPAA violations, and, of course, the recorder.

Metropolitan (1990)

Coronary Intervention

This is all I think of when I think of the Fender Stratocaster

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Extra Drama #51: So You're Raising a Jessica

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa and Mary consider the realism of gritty 1980s teen gambling. Is it harder or easier for a kid to get into money troubles in the 2020s?

And another thing: what do these supposedly “ugly” earrings of Jessica’s look like? And where can I buy them?

Should Jessica have a low-balance credit card?

These and other questions explored, if not answered, in this extended exploration of themes from Sweet Valley High Book 51, AGAINST THE ODDS.

VSafe

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Book #51: AGAINST THE ODDS

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0000

It’s the Season 6 Premiere of SVD, and former terrible boyfriend and current minor character Ronnie Edwards has a problem. What’s that? You don’t care about Ronnie’s problems? Well, what if I told you that Ronnie’s in bad trouble with a gangster who he owes a lot of money after making some bad bets on high school soccer games? What if I told you that this has a negative effect on Jessica Wakefield’s burgeoning earring design business? I bet you now. But if this book has taught me anything, it’s that betting is bad.

Mary Parker (Book 10, WRONG KIND OF GIRL) is our delightful guest reader.

A transcript of this episode is available HERE on sweetvalleydiaries.net

Some music in the episode comes from Purple Planet.

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Start Here: What is Sweet Valley Diaries?

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Sweet Valley Diaries returns on April 22, 2021!

Have you ever heard of Sweet Valley High? No? Yes? Either way, you're gonna wanna hear this.

Whether you start on Book 1 or Book 51, Sweet Valley Diaries is always going to bring you a wild story, some weird '80s teen antics, and a whole lot of feelings about all of it.

Super glad you're here!

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Super Edition #6: SPRING FEVER

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 18:09:51 +0000

The Wakefields have had spring and summer treks to NorCal, Malibu, France...and now, the icing on the cake: Walkersville, Kansas. How will these small town rubes handle the Blonde Invasion? As guest Megan Keller and Marissa are here to tell you: poorly. They handle it poorly.

Season 6 of Sweet Valley Diaries is coming in April!

Some music from this episode comes from Purple Planet

Marissa, world-class art-knower-abouter, references this painting but can't recall its title or artist: Christina's World (Andrew Wyeth, 1948)

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Super Thriller #1: DOUBLE JEOPARDY

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Hiatus, schmiatus -- back by popular demand, it's Don Flaxbart (Also featuring Marissa). Listen as father and daughter discuss the heavy implications of Jessica's scheming -- even heavier than usual this time! -- as she helps nearly ruin one young man's life and another's journalism career. But don't worry, it's all okay in the end. Oh, except for the murdered girl. But anyway, back to junior year!

Libel vs. Slander

Original SVD Recap

Music in this episode from Purple Planet and Filmstro

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Extra Drama #50: Paging Dr. Wu

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Allison Chin returns to investigate: what's the deal with Jade Wu's dad? And we consider the "traditional Chinese" art of...dicing? And who or what exactly is out of reach in Out of Reach?

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Book #50! OUT OF REACH

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 13:00:00 +0000

We did it!!! Book 50!! In this Season 5 finale (not counting next week's Extra Drama), actor Allison Chin and Marissa examine the intricate dance (get it?) that is the portrayal and treatment of sophomore Jade Wu. All the misunderstandings, overreactions, and Elizabeth-day-saving of a regular Sweet Valley High novel, now with the added ingredients of assimilation, racism, broad cultural generalizations, and SO! MUCH! MORE!

Also: Jessica goes on a date with her dad in this one!

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Extra Drama #49: XOXO, Jessica

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Gossip Guys' Andy Greene and Aaron Davitian are experts in one teen soap opera, and now they've been indoctrinated into another. How do the world and characters of Gossip Girl map onto those of Sweet Valley, CA? You're about to find out.

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Book #49: PLAYING FOR KEEPS

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:31:10 +0000

Jessica is changing her entire personality for a boy and the changes are...bad. And hilarious. Hosts of the Gossip Guys podcast, Andrew Greene and Aaron Davitian marvel at the sparkling prose of PLAYING FOR KEEPS, and at a certain sexpot named Pamela Janson.

• Gossip Guys Podcast

Music in this episode courtesy of Purple Planet

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Extra Drama #48: SWEET VALLEY HIGH SLAM BOOK!

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Omigod you guys, Gladiator Heather sent in her very own copy of the official 1988 Sweet Valley High Slam Book! Denise and Marissa read personal messages straight from Liz and Jessica themselves, and don't dwell too much on the idea that the very thing that caused such chaos at Sweet Valley High in Book 48 was marketed to tweens as some kind of super good fun-time school activity.

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Book #48: SLAM BOOK FEVER

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 13:00:00 +0000

From the vantage point of 2020, it's unclear whether Sweet Valley High #48, SLAM BOOK FEVER, captured a phenomenon or started one. What we know for sure is that teenagers writing down all their opinions about each other could never, ever go wrong, hurt anyone's feelings, or spawn false rumors. Denise Boylan is back to talk about the Pandora's box Amy Sutton has opened onto an unsuspecting Sweet Valley.

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Extra Drama #47: 2 Marissas Talk about DRIVE ME CRAZY

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Marissa Wasseluk-Stuart is back for a promised discussion of the 1999 teen rom-com DRIVE ME CRAZY. We promise, it has at least a little something to do with Sweet Valley High #47. What? Listen to find out!

Discussed in this episode:

Drive Me Crazy film

Drive Me Crazy music video

Hallmark movie Advent Calendar

Never Have I Ever

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Book #47: TROUBLEMAKER

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Marissa Wasseluk-Stuart returns to talk about the other Porter sister, Julie. Julie's friend Josh is pledging SVH fraternity Phi Epsilon, Elizabeth is back at recorder practice, Jessica is auditioning to be the lead in a play she knows nothing about, and Bruce Patman is his old self again, only worse. But who is the Troublemaker?! Listen to find out...that it is almost certainly Bruce!

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Extra Drama #46: Get Outta Town

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 17:34:36 +0000

Marissa and her guest Mary Kate have been friends since middle school. In this extra drama, they reminisce not so much about small town life in Northwest Indiana, but about leaving that small town life behind. Also, we talk a little bit about DECISIONS, promise!

Read more about the Polar Bear Run event that's a part of Kuvia at University of Chicago.

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Book #46: DECISIONS

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa's BFF Mary Kate Battles is back for more Robin Wilson drama! A lot has changed since POWER PLAY -- now Robin's a star diver with a big decision on her hands. But never mind all that; let's talk about the haunting melodic potential of the humble recorder! Mars & MK discuss the very relatable and universal pressures of life in Sweet Valley, California, where everything and nothing is deferred.

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Extra Drama #45: SECRET Dreams

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

In FAMILY SECRETS, Kelly Bates is plagued by a recurring dream. She only remembers scant details, but hey, that's all you need when consulting 1996's ILLUSTRATED DREAM DICTIONARY, a book Marissa has had on her shelf since middle school (probably). What does the book say about Kelly's dream? Shey Lyn Zanotti returns and even offers up a dream of her own for scrutiny.

ILLUSTRATED DREAM DICTIONARY on Goodreads

Luke Perry memorial on @sweetvalleydiaries Instagram

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Book #45: FAMILY SECRETS

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

See No Evil...never before has one phrase simultaneously served as the rear cover headline, the main character's flaw, and the costume that she wears to the Big Dance. Guest reader (and former Sweet Valley High reader!) Shey Lyn Zanotti joins Marissa to dissect all the ways that long-lost (and heretofore forgotten) Wakefield cousin Kelly Bates turns a blind eye to the evils around her. And for once we're not talking about Jessica.

I Was a Teenage Wereskunk

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Extra Drama #44: Baggage Handlers

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa and guest reader Katie LaDue bring their personal baggage to bear on Steven's behavior, then on Abbie's. Then things turn to the baggage that other people (like the Wakefield Twins, say) bring into their assumptions about others. All the armchair psychology two book nerds can cram into 16 minutes of bonus content!

• • •

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

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Book #44: PRETENSES

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Cara and Steven grace the outside of PRETENSES, and they are certainly featured on its inside. But Marissa and her return guest, Steven Wakefield romance specialist Katie LaDue, agree that this is really is really Abby Richardson's story. Who is Abby Richardson? Listen to find out; then feel free to immediately forget as she drifts back into the sundrenched scenery.

Extra Drama #43: Just Plain Crotchetiness

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Adaora Nwandu Earl returns to discuss pre-reading predictions for Book 43: HARD CHOICES, the challenges of asserting yourself with family, and strong female relationships in Sweet Valley...all in just over 10 minutes.

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Book #43: HARD CHOICES

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 12:00:00 +0000

"Enid's grandma moves in" might sound like the least interesting chapter of our soap opera, like, ever. But think again: Nana's a citizen of Sweet Valley now and she brought the drama along with her from Chicago. Guest reader Adaora Nwandu Earl returns!

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Extra Drama #42: Manuel Overdrive

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Manuel Lopez is the first Latinx character in Sweet Valley who gets any kind of spotlight. And he's the greatest guy in history! Aisha Bhoori is back for a quick look at Manuel's perfection and how it illustrates the "model minority" myth.

Sweet Valley Diaries: overanalyzing '80s tween pulp since 2006!

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Book #42: CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Sandra Bacon and Manuel Lopez may not be the stars of the Sweet Valleyverse, but if SVH is going to attempt to dip its toes in the murky waters of racial prejudice and interracial romance, you'd better believe that Diaries is ready to talk SO MUCH about it. No mere hour can contain Marissa and her guest, the brilliant Aisha Bhoori, on this week's extremely special and (weirdly/unfortunately) timely episode. Added bonus discussion of Jessica Wakefield, Shadow Gemini.

www.aishabhoori.com

The Diaries on Instagram

SweetValleyDiaries.net

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Extra Drama #41: GUILTY PARTY: The Molly Hecht Story

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa and her guest, expert in melodramatic Lifetime Original movies Megan Tripp, brainstorm the LOM version of Molly Hecht’s ON THE EDGE/OUTCAST saga.

Listen to more Lifetime movie talk on Megan's Not Another Bad Movie Podcast

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Book #41: OUTCAST

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Season 5 Premiere! We’re back, baby! And all our Sweet Valley Friends are back too. Except…you know…Regina. Who better to focus on in the aftermath of a beloved character’s untimely death than the background player everyone is holding responsible for said death? Lifetime Original Movie podcaster/enthusiast Megan Tripp joins Marissa for a particularly Lifetime Original episode of our teen soap pulp.

NOT ANOTHER BAD MOVIE PODCAST

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Super Edition #5: WINTER CARNIVAL

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 01:08:50 +0000

What’s so special about Special Editions? Usually it’s travel to an exotic location, or an old enemy returning to town for Christmas. But WINTER CARNIVAL is the Super Edition that proves all it takes to be Super is a super-duper High number of ways that Jessica betrays Elizabeth! But you know what they say about Jessica: That’s just Jessica!

Marissa is joined by her cousin, original Sweet Valley Superfan, Erika (Flaxbart!) Poulos.

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SbtB Hiatus Bonus: ZACK I NEED THEM

Thu, 07 May 2020 22:15:55 +0000

The world is in quarantine. The podcast is on hiatus. But promises were made. Now, one woman must take on the personalities of two California teens in crisis...but not the California teens you're thinking of. In this world, Valley is the rival high school.

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Book #40: ON THE EDGE – Season 4 Finale!

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Lessons literature/life taught Marissa and guests Anjali and Greg Kasunich this week:

Don’t do cocaine
Don’t gossip
As a society, let’s take a guilt Porsche.
Check rich people’s mailboxes for car keys.
Seriously, don’t even think about going near anyone who knows about cocaine

Links to boost your mood:

Sophie Strauss, Gone music video (d. Gregory JM Kasunich)

Dr. Anjali Kasunich, ND

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Extra Drama #39: Flirty DMs for Science

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Guest Megan Collier has probing questions, and Marissa has probing answers. With so much deep thought about the mechanics of Sweet Valley, this episode is a veritable "Sweet Valley University!" Err, no, that's already a thing. A veritable "Sweet Valley College!" Shit. No. "Sweet Valley Academy?"

•••

More about the Lex app.

InstaPsycho on Lifetime

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Book #39: SECRET ADMIRER

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Not sure which Book 39 the rest of you read, but Marissa and her guest, Megan Collier, read the version where Penny Ayala has a crush on Elizabeth, Neil Freemount (FREEMOUNT!) has eyes for Kirk Anderson, and Jessica and Lila both learn their lesson for good this time. It's pure fantasyland over here.

Some music in this episode by Purple Planet. Thanks!

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Extra Drama #38: Time, Travel

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Nora and Marissa talk about studying abroad, just to drive the gravity of Liz's mistake home.

Music credit: Meanwhile in Bavaria by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Book #38: LEAVING HOME

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Elizabeth Wakefield has the opportunity of a lifetime on her hands: get out of Sweet Valley and see the world (specifically, Interlochen, Switzerland). Obviously, she must be stopped. The only way out of Sweet Valley is if your parents move to Vermont, or in a body bag. Marissa is joined by Nora (Hanna) Bigelow to discuss this travesty. Also, Winston wins the lottery in this one.

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Extra Drama #37: Regency Rumours

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Meridith and Marissa discuss the parallels between the Sweet Valley of RUMORS and the worlds of Jane Austen and Regency Romance. Somehow, the obvious comparisons to Emma go unmentioned. Also, serious question: Why didn't Mrs. Reister just tell everyone she was a widow?

Research discoveries:

The Debutante Ball in the Age of Instagram

"The women can bring their own escorts, or if they do not, one is assigned to them based on height and dancing ability. No inquiries are made about sexual orientation."

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Book #37: RUMORS

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Susan Stewart is somebody, but is she *a* somebody, or is she a nobody? Nobody knows. Until somebody shows up and shows everybody who’s anybody what it really means to be somebody. Meridith Halsey is our guest.

Murphy Brown and Dan Quayle

This episode features music from Purple Planet.

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Extra Drama #36: A Social Enterprise

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 13:00:00 +0000

What is a social enterprise? What if your host had an older sister who was bad at humanities? Who is the bigger asshole in LAST CHANCE, Peter or Jessica? Though it may be hard to believe, answers to these questions AND MORE await when Marissa Wasseluk-Stuart returns for this bonus episode.

Book #36: LAST CHANCE

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Did you hear that Johanna Porter is coming back to Sweet Valley High? Oh, you didn’t even hear that she’d dropped out? Or that she even existed? Well it’s a good thing Sweet Valley Diaries is here to help you get a clue. In this episode, 2 Marissas join forces to sympathize with Johanna, compare Wakefields, and count the red flags on Johanna’s misguided crush, textbook mansplainer Peter DeHaven.

With guest reader Marissa Wasseluk-Stuart!

* * *

What is NOVA?

Some music in this episode is from Purple Planet. Thanks!

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Extra Drama #35: Spuriouser and Spuriouser

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 13:30:00 +0000

Literally the only podcast where a serious commentary on football (erm, soccer) journalism blends seamlessly into a discussion of fictional teen Elizabeth Wakefield's Eyes and Ears column.

Book #35: OUT OF CONTROL

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 13:30:00 +0000

Marissa is joined by her friend, geography scholar and fellow University of Chicago alumnus Samuel Brandt, for history's most erudite discussion of fictional teen Aaron Dallas and his soccer/divorce-related emotional problems. But more importantly: this is the Tofu-Glo Book!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Extra Drama #34: Two Stars for Fun

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Elizabeth Schmidt returns to think about high school romance, FORBIDDEN LOVE's lessons for star-crossed teens, and Marissa's lifelong romantic angst. Plus, listener emails and snarky book reviews!

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Book #34: FORBIDDEN LOVE

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 13:30:00 +0000

You've barely heard of Maria Santelli and you've got no idea who Michael Harris is. All you need to know is this: they are in love, it's a secret, it's as romantic as all hell, everybody in their high school is talking about it...and also they are in high school, their parents don't know they're dating, and this is all a terrible idea. Elizabeth Schmidt joins Marissa to gossip about this very hot mess.

Saved by the Bell - Lisa's Allergy

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Extra Drama #33: Umbersss!

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 13:00:00 +0000

umbers (exclamation, slang): "Oooh man, you're in trouble!"

Used colloquially in Albuquerque, NM and environs, primarily between children, or adults who are being ironic

Marissa and her cousins, Meghan and Corrie, consider their girlhood tactics for avoiding getting caught making mistakes. Hope our parents aren't listening to this one!

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Book #33: STARTING OVER

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 13:00:00 +0000

It's a full-on first-cousin extravaganza! Marissa is joined by her real-life cousins Meghan Shattuck and Corrie Borgman to chat about fictional cousins Dana Larson (lead singer of The Droids!) and new-in-town Sally Larson, recently rescued from foster care a brief 13 years after entering the system. It's all just nuts and everyone is awful, we don't know what color anyone's eyes are, and Jerry is apparently a nickname for Jeremy.

Apologies in advance for the sub-par audio quality on this one – we were trying out a new mic setting. Takeaway: not all settings are created equal!

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Extra Drama #32: Express Yourself

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 13:30:00 +0000

In the spirit of the NEW JESSICA, Marissa and local fashion icon Caitlin McCann reminisce about pushing wardrobe boundaries in high school and feeling at home in Los Angeles.

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Replay: SPECIAL CHRISTMAS w/Marissa's Dad

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 16:15:23 +0000

While Marissa takes a Christmas break from editing, enjoy this replay of the special SPECIAL CHRISTMAS Christmas episode with Marissa and Don Flaxbart.

Happy Holidays! See you in 2020, Gladiators!

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Book #32: THE NEW JESSICA

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 13:30:00 +0000

Guest reader Caitlin McCann is back, and a lot has happened since she watched Jessica snag (and be snagged by) Bruce in Book 3: PLAYING WITH FIRE. This time, Jessica dyes her hair black and pretends to be a Francophile. Meanwhile Elizabeth imagines she’s in her own personal version of the Distracted Boyfriend Meme. The more things change, the more they stay the same in Sweet Valley, California.

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Extra Drama #31: Tell Us Apart

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 13:00:00 +0000

If he can’t tell which twin you are, he’s probably not The One. Tim Redmond (the new voice of Jeffrey French) is back to talk twins, reminisce about juvenile fiction, and reveal relevant secrets about his past.

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Book #31: TAKING SIDES

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 15:00:00 +0000

SEASON 4 PREMIERE!

The podcast is still here! Unfortunately so is Jeffrey French. Or, wait...is Jeffrey French actually kind of a catch? Marissa comes to terms with her raging case of First Romantic Coupling Loyalty Syndrome (FRCLS) while guest reader Tim Redmond is more concerned about what Mr. Collins is getting up to. Its Jess & Lila vs Liz and Enid but the real hero is a fearless 15-year-old booklover named cousin Jenny. Also, the "dance of the month" is a canned food auction.

Welcome back, everybody.

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Super Edition #4: MALIBU SUMMER

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 19:30:31 +0000

Jessica and Elizabeth are live-in babysitters, living a 90-minute drive from home. But don’t worry, they still manage to make it a thrilling soap-operatic adventure, replete with double-identities, murders, and deadly rainstorms. Frank Bednarz, Esq. joins Marissa to marvel at this book and congratulate it on its simultaneous climaxes.

Music in this episode is by Marissa Flaxbart (theme song), Jocelyn Scofield (Beautiful Boys) and courtesy of Purple Planet.

Super Edition #3: SPRING BREAK

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 00:07:23 +0000

Relive your totally universal teenage memories of spring breaks in Cannes, France -- exploring the topless beaches, returning puppies to countesses, picking up medication for your host mother's patients...you know, all the normal spring break stuff.

Kat Hazelton remembers! And she's back, all the way from the Book 1 Episode, to marvel at the way Sweet Valley has changed, and the ways it's stayed the same.

Follow @sweetvalleydiaries on Instagram!

Get tickets to A Mere Conception

Music in this episode:

À peine défigurée (Ali Daniel)

RC (Requin Chagrin)

Tu connais Babar (Mocke)

Tobruk (via Filmstro)

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Extra Drama #30: Shook

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 12:00:00 +0000

In this last Extra Drama of Season 3, longtime Sweet Valley High reader Cherelle Solomon is back to talk earthquakes, the appeal of Sweet Valley, and the very tantalizing possibility of reading two books at literally the same time (as long as one of them is Sweet Valley).

Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that new episodes appear automatically in your feed when the hiatus is over! In the meantime, check out SweetValleyDiaries.net or shoot me an email about your Sweet Valley memories (or, ya know, whatever) – sweetvalleydiaries@me.com

Instagram: @sweetvalleydiaries

Twitter: @sweetvalley

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Book #30: JEALOUS LIES

Thu, 25 Jul 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Ah, complicated teen friendships. Ah, high school sororities. Some experiences are universal. Avid girlhood Sweet Valley reader (and current therapist) Cherelle Solomon joins Marissa to examine this timeless text.

Reference Shelf:

Joanne the Scammer

The DUFF

BTW, the last PBA pledge season was 26 books ago, not 16. Time flies!

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Book #29: BITTER RIVALS (For Real!)

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 12:00:00 +0000

It's tempting to say, "why are all these teen girls so awful?" But then you remember what being a teenage girl is like...which is not to say that Marissa and her guest, Denise Boylan, refrain from calling out teen girls like Amy Sutton, Jessica Wakefield, and even Elizabeth Wakefield on their bullshit. Because then, what would this podcast even be?

People who we deem "cool as hell" in this episode: Enid’s Aunt; Amy Sutton’s mom, Dylan Sutton; Denise Hadley; Alice Wakefield?

Follow the show on Instagram!

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Dear Miss Lovelorn...I Mean Marissa

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 12:00:00 +0000

While we wait for the haunting to pass (read: until we can re-record the episode recapping Book 29, BITTER RIVALS) we're reading letters from Gladiators like you. Sweet Valley Twins, Thrillers, Special Editions, Sagas, and even audiobooks all get a name drop in this very special episode.

Further listening/reading:

SV Twins in-book announcement on Instagram

OMG THE AUDIOBOOK

Book 29 recap from 2009

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NOT Book #29: "JESSICA'S REVENGE"

Thu, 04 Jul 2019 12:00:00 +0000

There comes a time in every podcast's run when an episode is thwarted by MAJOR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!!! This is that time for us.

As such, Marissa will not be offended if you skip this one altogether. She WILL, however, be offended if this effort is not nominated for this year's Making Lemons Out of Lemonade Award. Which is fictional. Damn.

Real #29: BITTER RIVALS episode coming July 18, 2019. Unless ghosts.

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Extra Drama #28: Through the Silver Door

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000

What's Lynne Henry's deal? This and other pressing questions (not to mention heartfelt confessions of deeply rooted personal insecurities, laments about high school crushes, smack talk about Guy Chesney, etc.) come together to form the sexy, confident body of this week's bonus episode.

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Book #28: ALONE IN THE CROWD

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000

You've been waiting with bated breath for Lynne Henry to FINALLY get her very own book. Marissa is joined by her cousin, Meghan Shattuck of Albuquerque, for this journey into one of the teen-angstiest volumes of the Sweet Valley High series. It also doubles as a legit romance novel (if you ignore the b-story about a rocking-chair-based cheerleading fundraiser).

Further Reading:

"The New Linda Ronstadt Documentary Proves Just How Underrated She Is" (Pitchfork, 2019)

"Why Was Trent Lane from Daria So Hot?" (HuffPost, June 2018)

Some music in this episode is courtesy of Purple Planet

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Extra Drama #27: Daphne Sighed

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000

It's Wednesday night and there's nothing better to do than sit in a semicircle at the high school and listen to teen poetry.

Molly McKellar returns to help Marissa recreate an authentic "literary evening" at Sweet Valley High and overanalyze a totally fictional poem. WHAT LARKS!

IKEA Catalog covers

Evidence by Mary Oliver

Practical Gods by Carl Dennis

This episode features music from Purple Planet

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Book #27: LOVESTRUCK

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Ken Matthews: The man. The myth. The m....aybe he should be spending more time working on his English homework? Molly McKellar joins Marissa to discuss this movie-star handsome captain of the football team and his many, many, highly relatable troubles in this, the first male-character-centered volume in the Sweet Valley High series.

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Extra Drama #26: JESSI AND THE STONEYBROOK PARADE

Thu, 30 May 2019 12:00:00 +0000

What do you get when you put the Baby-Sitters Club girls in a Sweet Valley world? Well if this bonus episode's best guess is correct, you get Janine Kishi and Shannon Kilbourne executing a computer plant heist alongside Kristy and Stacey. And that's in ADDITION to the big parade!

Obviously, Jack and Tanner from the BSCC Podcast are back.

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Book #26: HOSTAGE!

Thu, 23 May 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Is Mitch Denson a certified snack or an entire dish? What on earth is a “burn of the week?” Who is Regina? Answers to all this and more courtesy to extremely professional podcasters and Baby-Sitters Club experts Jack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring (hosts of the tremendous Baby-Sitters Club Club Podcast).

Further Reading:

Nicholas Morrow, NFL

Le Morte d’Arthur

Sweet Valley Diaries at St. Martin's Press, 2010

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Extra Drama #25: The Droids You're Looking For

Thu, 16 May 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Dan Gaspari returns to discuss the band that rocks Sweet Valley High. What do they sound like? What will happen if they date each other? Who are they? How many band names can we remember? Answers to all this and more await!

Book #25: NOWHERE TO RUN

Thu, 09 May 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Grandma and Grandpa Wakefield are in town and poor Alice has NOWHERE TO RUN from her attention-hogging, out-of-state in-laws!

Oh wait, that's the b-story. This book's title refers to Droids drummer Emily Mayer and her family problems, which Elizabeth will be solving. Thanks, Elizabeth! Guest Dan Gaspari joins Marissa to discuss both a-and b-stories and marvel at the pure evil that is Emily's stepmother, KAREN.

Some music in this episode courtesy of PurplePlanet.com

www.sweetvalleydiaries.net

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Extra Drama #24: SPLASH PARTY (Just Pool Stuff)

Thu, 02 May 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Guest Katie LaDue returns to finally reveal the secret Jessica B-Plot that had her scheming to go to a dance with Winston Egbert. What possible explanation could there be for such a happenstance??? Listen and learn the truth.

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Book #24: MEMORIES

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Steven is in a love triangle with Cara and a ghost. Elizabeth is hoping to replace Todd with a doppelgänger. Jessica is trying to get Winston to take her to The Caravan. In short, all three of the Wakefield siblings are back on their bullshit, and Katie LaDue returns to discuss it all.

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Extra Drama #23: Welcome to Hometown Honeys

Thu, 18 Apr 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Are Steven, Enid, and everyone else in Sweet Valley right about long-distance being a bad idea? Do these rules only apply to 16-year-olds? What is a "hometown honey?" Mary Kate Wiles and Marissa discuss all of these questions, and concretely answer only one of them.

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Book #23: SAY GOODBYE

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Is it possible to hang a black veil over a podcast episode description?

No?

Damn.

Mary Kate Wiles comforts Marissa in her time of crisis. Because...TODD!!! TOOODDDDD!!!!

Music in this episode:

ELEGIAC SYMPHONY by Dee Yan-Key

Fonte Abandonada by Real Vocal String Quartet

Links!

Paper & Slate

Lizzie Bennett Diaries

Shipwrecked Comedy on YouTube

Proof that this whole glasses thing is not new

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Extra Drama #22: Codependency Intervention!

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa and Russ Nickel consider the morality of staging an elaborate lie to trick a friend into becoming less of a total sad sack.

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Book #22: TOO MUCH IN LOVE

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa brings back newly-minted Bill Chase/Dee Dee Gordon expert Russ Nickel, and the results may surprise you: realistic and relatable depiction of romantic problems? Healthy lessons for young readers? This isn't the Sweet Valley High I fell in love with...

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Extra Drama #21: Bad Boy (Stuck) in High School

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa and songstress Jocelyn Scofield discuss the story of Jocelyn's ode to all the former Rick Andovers out there, her song "Bad Boy in High School." Spoiler alert: they're probably NOT the best years of your life.

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Sweet Valley Diaries #21: RUNAWAY

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Season 3 Premiere! Marissa and songstress Jocelyn Scofield investigate Jessica Wakefield’s first emo phase, poor parenting in Sweet Valley, and that one time Elizabeth served Ricky Capaldo some deeply scalding tea.

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Sweet Vall-entines Day Announcement!

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 00:44:08 +0000

Happy V Day...Sweet V Day, that is! Marissa made up that holiday, but there's no reason that should keep you from celebrating. Celebrate by listening to this announcement!

This episode features music from PurplePlanet.com and an excerpt from RACING HEARTS, Sweet Valley High #9, by Kate William.

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Super Edition #2: SPECIAL CHRISTMAS

Sun, 30 Dec 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Fan favorite Marissa’s Dad is back for this SUPER EDITION bonus episode…and he’s not the only person who’s back! What fresh hell will Suzanne Devlin impose on Sweet Valley this Christmastide? Find out, if it’s the last thing you do this year!

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First Anniversary Special!

Sat, 08 Dec 2018 05:05:06 +0000

Sweet Valley Diaries is a year old! Happy Anniversary, podcast!

What a first year. For listening, for telling friends, for rating and reviewing, and to those who participated and helped and advised and supported: THANK YOU. Because of you, there is more to come.

Now have a ton of fun with this…CLIP SHOW!

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Extra Drama #20: Atypicals of Sweet Valley!

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Popular fiction podcast (and soon to be YA series!) The Bright Sessions might just be the opposite of Sweet Valley High. Creator Lauren Shippen and Marissa speculate on what would happen if the two universes collided (hint: DRAMA!).

This is the Season Two Finale! Make sure to subscribe so that you automatically get the latest episodes when Season Three starts, and any special bonuses in the meantime!

Further Viewing:

RIVERDALE's beautiful nonsense: "Cheryl Doesn't Miss"

Never forget that OMFG there was a Sweet Valley TV show already

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Sweet Valley Diaries #20: CRASH LANDING!

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 14:00:00 +0000

What’s worse: your boyfriend cheating on you; your boyfriend crashing the plane he’s flying you in; everyone agreeing that your cheating boyfriend should stay with you because you’ll never walk again without his love; you convincing yourself you can’t walk without his love; or your best friend tricking you into walking by hanging the life of your hot teacher’s child in the balance?

Marissa debates this pressing question with Lauren Shippen, creator of The Bright Sessions podcast. The quest for an answer takes the podcast into untrod territory. Also, Jessica learns to cook.

Further Reading:

Maybe closed mussels are okay after all?
Tip on Preventing Psychosomatic Illness

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Extra Drama #19: Brotherhood of Frenemies

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Mark Sullivan sits down at the microphone and before Marissa can even hit record, Pandora’s Podcasting Box cracks open. For a few minutes, this Sweet Valley High podcast becomes a movie podcast, a history podcast, a theater podcast, a politics-of-representation podcast. You guys, Sweet Valley is as deep as you wanna make it.

FYI, Allen Walters IS the under-appreciated Oracle photographer.

Further Reading:

Doris Kearns Goodwin on Storytelling

ICYMI: JK Rowling on Cursed Child Casting and a related thinkpiece

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Sweet Valley Diaries #19: SHOWDOWN

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Frenemies Lila and Jessica think they're duking it out over a secret scion, romantically masquerading as a construction worker. Marissa and her guest, actor Mark Sullivan, walk you through it all, from the poolside objectification to the final knife fight.

Yep, you read that right. Knife fight.

Some music in this episode courtesy of Purple Planet.

Links, references, explanations:

LA Theatre Works: Spill
Everything you probably never wanted to know about Top-Siders
Let’s add one more Jack Donaghy to the list
“Gary Hart on the Monkey Business” (talk about simpler times btw)

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Extra Drama #18: Love Is...Sacrifice, Apparently

Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Bruce is a changed man. Jessica is certifiable. Caitlin is Francine’s Mary Sue.

Only one question remains: Who are the Vanderhorns???

CJ Hoke is back again to delve in to these and other DRAMATICALLY PRESSING ISSUES!!!

***

Notes:

All joking aside, the symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder read like an dead-on character description of Jessica Wakefield.

What is a Mary Sue? (an interesting editorial take on the concept)

Who is Caitlin?

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Sweet Valley Diaries #18: HEAD OVER HEELS

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Regina Morrow and Bruce Patman, in love? But…that would only work if Bruce had a total pod-person level personality shift!

Marissa and her guest, CJ Hoke, discuss Bruce Patman’s pod-person level personality shift and (because this is a 33-year-old work of soap opera fiction) squirm their way into, and then out of, some uncomfortable “believe women” territory. Also: The need for a good therapist in sweet valley, the surprising number of things Lila finds “vulgar“, & some good, old-fashioned goopy romance.

***

Additional Reading:

James Mathewuse
Sparkle Beach Ken
Glitter Beach Ken (I got two of these for one of my birthdays)
Totally Hair Barbie (mine was the brunette version)
What Time of Day Does High School Start in America?

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Extra Drama #17: Natural and Unnatural Disasters

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa and guest Jeremy talk about the diverse lessons of LOVE LETTERS, from "be yourself," to "once you have a boyfriend everything will be okay," to "San Francisco is a cesspool." To top it off, Marissa reads a love letter of her own...kind of.

Info about the Transcontinental Railroad in California

1989 Bay Area Earthquake KGO TV News Report (This is several years after LOVE LETTERS was first published, but it's both a weirdly nostalgic historical artifact and genuinely a bit frightening -- be forewarned!)

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Sweet Valley Diaries #17: LOVE LETTERS

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

My Dearest Caroline,

Oh to love so, be so loved, yet so mistaken!

What had I on earth to do

With the slothful, with the mawkish, the unmanly?

Like the aimless, helpless, hopeless, did I drivel

—Being—who?

Your fake boyfriend, that's who!

Maybe don't carry this particular letter around in your purse or show it to the mean girls. Probably you should just toss it.

xoxoxo,

Adam (& Robert Browning)

More about Elizabeth Barrett Browning

More about Robert Browning

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Extra Drama #16: What Older Men Are Like

Thu, 04 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Guest Mike Yarksy returns for a little bit of sensitive discussion of how we portray disability...and a little bit of ragging on Lila's stupid flat face.

Stay tuned till the end for a word from our new sponsor, THE BOSTON SHOP!

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Sweet Valley Diaries #16: RAGS TO RICHES

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Fate has forced Roger Barrett to trade his mother's life for a fancy new last name, a fancy new mansion, and a fancy pile of money. Meanwhile, his girlfriend (frizzy haired Olivia Davidson) is feeling SO NOT money, and Jessica is giving Machiavelli a run for his money. Marissa and her guest, Mike Yarsky, count the many ways this is totally effed up.

Links:

Mike on Instagram: @yarskyguitarsky

How Big is an Olympic Sized Swimming Pool?

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Extra Drama #15: What is Art? (No, Seriously)

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 12:00:00 +0000

"What you put on paper can be very personal and revealing...that's what art is all about. It's a way of communicating."

When Jason made this innocuous statement to Betsy in Sweet Valley High #15, PROMISES, he had no idea that over 30 years later two moody Pisces artists would record a podcast bonus episode unpacking the sentence. Surprise!

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Sweet Valley Diaries #15: PROMISES

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Cancer, death, secrets, Luke Skywalker, alcoholism, teen drug use, threesomes at Miller's Point...and that's just Chapter One! Marissa is joined by guest Kali Baker-Johnson to unpack what PROMISES to be the greatest SVH book yet...or at the very least, Jessica's worst.

* * *

Download Issue #1 of ZAHRA: THE SHADOW FLAME

Sweet Valley High TV Theme Song, "Kind of an ear worm!" raves Kali.

Music in this episode courtesy of:

Jocelyn Scofield (as ever) and www.purpleplanet.com. Theme song is by Marissa Flaxbart.

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Extra Drama #14: It's Hard to Get

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Speaking of DECEPTIONS: When is telling a dude you don't want to date him secretly a coded message that you DO want to date him? And is it NEVER? Marissa and guest Elizabeth Yarwood consider and fail to answer this question, then read a delightful letter about a young girl tricking her parents into buying her books.

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Sweet Valley Diaries #14: DECEPTIONS

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 16:36:32 +0000

After several weeks of non-stop crisis in Sweet Valley, Marissa returns to the relatively placid territory of bad decisions and new boy problems (Nicholas Morrow, to be exact). But as guest Elizabeth Yarwood can attest, sometimes it’s the seemingly placid ones that really get you yelling into the microphone. Ladies and gentlefolk, DECEPTIONS.

Links:

Watch the trailer for LA PICKER on Seed&Spark.

What are tournedos Rossini and why are they so fancy?

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Extra Drama #13: Tactlessness & Corrupted Superpowers

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa and guest Mischa Stanton eavesdrop on an upsetting conversation between Jessica Wakefield and Cara Walker, then travel in their mental time machines back to the days before cell phone ubiquity.

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Sweet Valley Diaries #13: KIDNAPPED!

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Q: What happens when you’ve just published a book about impending girlfriend death and every fiber of your writerly being says, “Can we go darker?”

A: “KIDNAPPED!”

Marissa is joined by accomplished podcast producer Mischa Stanton (in Mischa's recording booth!) and together they try and explain what the hell happened here.

Check out some of Mischa’s other shows:

The Far Meridian — New Season Premieres August 27th!

Sci-fi road trip sitcom StarTripper!!

LeVar Burton Reads

Read Marissa’s original hot take on Kidnapped!

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Extra Drama #12: OMG [Spoiler] is [Spoiler]!

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Katie LaDue joins Marissa once again, this time to examine WHEN LOVE DIES (and a few of the Sweet Valley boys therein) through a new lens. All I can say is SPOILERS SPOILERS SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL SPOILERS! BEWARE!

Marissa's Initial Take on SVC (from back in 2011)

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Sweet Valley Diaries #12: WHEN LOVE DIES

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 12:00:00 +0000

This is what it sounds like...when love dies.

Sweet Valley High goes full soap opera and Marissa talks through the pain with teen television drama aficionado Katie LaDue. Oh, and file this one under "Very Special Episodes" because the topic of facing one's own mortality made us accidentally get a little real. Oops!

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Extra Drama #11: Two GOOD Two BE Two

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Are modern day teens woke enough to laugh at Suzanne Devlin? Were 12-year-old readers in the '80s indoctrinated into the grand tradition of victim-blaming and rape culture? Does Jessica Wakefield know what sex is? Marissa and guests William J. Stribling and Sinead Persaud answer none of these hard-hitting questions in this bonus episode. Instead, we stand in awe of the highly problematic, highly entertaining volume that is SVH #11.

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Sweet Valley Diaries #11: TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 14:00:00 +0000

It's the premiere of Season 2 of Sweet Valley Diaries! Let's celebrate by shipping Jessica to New York and getting beloved teacher Roger Collins fired for unspecified sex crimes!

Don't panic, everyone. Marissa and her guests, William J. Stribling and Sinead Persaud (of Shipwrecked Comedy!) are here to hold your hand until this nightmare blows over.

Welcome back to Sweet Valley.

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Super Edition #1: PERFECT SUMMER

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Technically summer doesn't start until next week, but here at the Diaries, summer break is in full effect...and it's PERFECT. In this special between-seasons episode Marissa and guest-friend Alex Bishop dig into the series' first SPECIAL EDITION novel. Are you ready to bike a major chunk of the California Coast with nothing more than a couple of saddle bags and a heap of moxie? No? Well, neither were the Wakefield Twins et al, but they did it anyway, and lived to tell the tale (but just bear-ly).

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Extra Drama #10: "Wrong Kind of Girl: The Musical!"

Thu, 19 Apr 2018 17:14:42 +0000

In this final episode of Season One, Marissa uses the power of the internet to call guest Mary Parker in Boston, and they BOTH use the power of imagination to invent several possible stage adaptations of the comitragic saga of Annie Whitman and Jessica Wakefield.

THANKS FOR LISTENING and helping to make this first season so much fun! Get in touch! Leave a comment on sweetvalleydiaries.net, email sweetvalleydiaries@me.com, follow on Twitter @sweetvalley, and on Instagram @sweetvalleydiaries!

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Sweet Valley Diaries #10: WRONG KIND OF GIRL

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 12:00:00 +0000

It's the final main episode of Season 1, and we've come full circle. This is the tale of a wannabe cheerleader with a bad reputation that started Marissa's obsession with Sweet Valley High lo, those many years ago. Mary Parker was there to see that obsession take root. Now Mary and Marissa take a closer look at "Easy" Annie Whitman, diagnose Elizabeth Wakefield with Stockholm Syndrome, and fantasize about wrecking Bruce Patman's Porsche. Oh, and that pesky Rick Andover is back.

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Extra Drama #9: Memories of Valle Dulce High

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Marissa is joined once again by her dad, Don Flaxbart, and she's steering him straight down Memory Lane. Was high school in the 1960s Southwestern US anything like that Sweet Valley High life?

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Sweet Valley Diaries #9: RACING HEARTS

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000

So you love Ned Wakefield's dad jokes? We'll do you one better: a real life dad! Marissa's own actual father, the wise and weird Don Flaxbart, joins shares his thoughts and insights on this, the first "teenage romance of any kind" that he's ever read. Will the lanky boy get the imperious-looking girl he's sweet on? Marissa discusses this absurd question, and even more absurd book, with – cannot stress this enough – her very own father.

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Extra Drama #8: Relevant Surf Terms

Thu, 22 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Outtakes, b-roll, and real talk about the actually important moral of HEART BREAKER. Marissa is joined once more by former youth body-surfing competitor Russ Nickel, who points out all the dad jokes in the book and reads some favorite passages.

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Sweet Valley Diaries #8: HEART BREAKER

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Now that all that coma/personality swap/assault unpleasantness is behind us, let’s get back to what really matters in Sweet Valley: the beach, boys, and miscommunications involving suntan lotion. Marissa is joined by Russ Nickel, funny guy, writer, and former beach boy (not the singing kind…though he does sing in this episode).

This is the book about Bill Chase giving Dee Dee Gordon surfing lessons, some sexy Todd-interloper named Patsy, and the school play, Splendor in the Grass.

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Extra Drama #7: DEAR Fictional '80s Highschooler

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0000

We’ve read about fictional 1980s highschoolers, but what is it like to play one on TV?! Alex Jennings, who plays Carla on ABC’s The Goldbergs, is uniquely equipped to answer this question. But mostly we just talk about dry shampoo, what it would be like if Carla had a twin, and “enjoying the release of crying,” whatever that means.

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Sweet Valley Diaries #7: DEAR SISTER

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0000

In this tearful conclusion to the Sweet Valley High series, Elizabeth stays in a coma forever…PSYCH! But seriously, has Elizabeth awoken only to find that the events of DEAR SISTER are a fate worse than death? Actress Alex Jennings and Marissa give a wide-eyed play-by-play to a book that reads like the unholy lovechild of Freaky Friday and General Hospital.

Heads up: Due to forces beyond our control, this episode has a higher f-bomb count. Plan accordingly.

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Extra Drama #6: Let's Try Something DANGEROUS

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 13:00:00 +0000

What's more dramatic than a dramatic reading? Just to keep us all on our toes, here's something new: an impromptu audio drama rendition of the final paragraphs of Book 6, DANGEROUS LOVE – the very paragraphs that lead up to our ultra gargantuan cliffhanger and the extremely extra, extremely dramatic Book 7, DEAR SISTER. Enjoy!

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Sweet Valley Diaries #6: DANGEROUS LOVE

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:00:00 +0000

Strap on your hot pink crash helmet! Just after Valentine’s Day comes a tale to warm the heart and then chill it so fast that it bursts and ruins your freezer. Pop culture lover and all-around funny gal Denise Boylan joins Marissa to unpack this tale of private jealousy, romantic gestures, and innuendo. Hot Clam Special, anyone?

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Extra Drama #5: More Like ALL NIGHT WRONG!

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:00:00 +0000

#TIMESUP, Scott Daniels!

Guests Jess and Brian Reece talk with Marissa about consent, Encyclopedia Brown, and fan mail(!!!).

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Sweet Valley Diaries #5: ALL NIGHT LONG

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 16:00:00 +0000

What happens when Jessica Wakefield defies her parents and stays out ALL NIGHT LONG with a sleazy, pornstachioed college guy? No, seriously, I'm asking YOU: What happens??! Listen in as Marissa and her guests, Jess and Brian Reece, enumerate the many ways they were scandalized by Book 5 of the Sweet Valley High series.

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Extra Drama #4: Lila Fowler Drives a Lime Green Triumph.

Thu, 25 Jan 2018 15:00:00 +0000

When did class snob Lila Fowler become the generous type? Why is Jessica Wakefield suddenly draped in old lady luxury from "Lila's Aunt"? Who does that bitchy clerk at Lisette's think she is?

Marissa dials up her BFF Mary Kate Battles again to discuss these and other facet's of POWER PLAY's B-Story, a saga of parental neglect and *extremely* petty theft.

Click here for a "photo" of Lila cruising in her loud car.

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Sweet Valley Diaries #4: POWER PLAY

Thu, 18 Jan 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Yes, it's THAT book. The one where Robin Wilson is publicly shamed, doesn't get into PBA, retreats inward, starves herself, loses a million pounds, and then becomes fun and popular. High school BFFs Marissa and her guest, photographer Mary Kate Battles, have some rather strong feelings about all this.

Side note: It's the first ever remotely recorded episode of the podcast, and it's got the weird audio to prove it! Also, we gratefully welcome our first sponsor The Dairi Burger! ;)

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Extra Drama #3: He's STEALING Her WIND!

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 17:32:53 +0000

The "S" word ("Sex") isn't a part of the Sweet Valley High vocabulary, but in this bonus conversation, Marissa and her guest, film scholar Caitlin McCann, cover lots of tricky s-words: Sex, Slut Shaming, and Subtext. Sooooo Scandalous!

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Sweet Valley Diaries #3: PLAYING WITH FIRE

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Sweet Valley's two biggest players (Jessica Wakefield and Bruce Patman) are burning hot and heavy for each other, and the fire is only 37% contained. Be careful out there, kids!

Marissa is joined by media scholar Caitlin McCann to give this serious matter the academic consideration it so richly deserves.

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Extra Drama #2: Keeper of the Sweet Valley SECRETS!

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 15:53:51 +0000

Marissa interviews her guest Adaora about what it was like reading about the Wakefields et al from across the continents. Together, they consider: Is Enugu the Sweet Valley of Nigeria?

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Sweet Valley Diaries #2: SECRETS

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 16:50:19 +0000

Marissa is joined by filmmaker (and Sweet Valley aficionado!) Adaora Nwandu to discuss the past sins and present bad boyfriends of Enid Rollins, Elizabeth Wakefield's best friend. All secrets from Sweet Valley High Book #2 will be revealed!

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Extra Drama #1: DOUBLE LOVE's Double Standard!

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 18:01:27 +0000

“Is Dad having an affair with his female coworker? She’s an attractive woman, right? So…probably.” - Every Wakefield Child

Marissa and her guests Kat and Selah vent about this and other Book 1 B-Stories.

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Sweet Valley Diaries #1: DOUBLE LOVE

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 16:57:30 +0000

Host Marissa Flaxbart takes guests Selah Kahrmann and Kat Hazelton down the Sweet Valley rabbit hole as they discuss the very first book in the Sweet Valley High series.

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Intro to Sweet Valley Diaries: THE TEASE

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 16:34:48 +0000

Fasten your safety belts tight and low across your perfectly bronzed hips, because we're taking off. Destination: SWEET VALLEY, CA.

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