pickDespite the cold/flu season in #SweetValley, Mr. Bowman‘s English class puts on a highlights version of Romeo & Juliet. Both Jessica & Lila want the titular role, & bet that the loser comes to school wearing the warts meant for the nurse‘s costume! Jessica, despite driving the house nuts with all of her practicing, succumbs to the sickness, Liz pulls a switch & auditions for her! But with Todd as Romeo, Liz wants the part! Shenanigans galore! Fun!
pickThe story jumps right in after the prologue without much character development, which made it hard to get into at first. I love a good story about deep family bonds, and all the magic made it better! Anne‘s self righteousness made me so mad at the end, she played just as big a part. Overall a warm, cozy read. Book #106 in 2024
pickGothic thriller or weird girl horror? This story started off unsettling & maintained that atmosphere throughout
It starts with an abrupt move to a dilapidated country house after an unexplained but obviously quite serious incident at the girls school
I really appreciated Stella‘s (mum) chapters as they offered new information & made me look at rest in a different light
Overall this was weird but compelling enough that I had to see it through
6 months later my hold comes in 👵🏻
pickUnexpectedly my favorite Deb Caletti book thus far. The unrequited/being in love with someone you shouldn‘t be hit a little too close to home. I loved Zeus, the dog, Scarlet‘s journey, her family and the escapades of her neighbors. I definitely cried the last few chapters and loved the writing.
pickWhen the Unicorn Club visits Lila, she enthusiastically shows them all the steps to Melody Powers‘ latest video. Rock TV holds a school contest & the Unicorns organize a band for the grand prize of (another!) VCR for the school. Lila demands to be the lead singer but other than dance moves, she can‘t sing it… so she forces nerdy Johanna Porter to sing while Lila lip syncs. Surprisingly, Lila raises Johanna‘s confidence & gives her a makeover!
pickThe Unicorns scramble for an idea for their charity carnival booth before landing on the creation of a love potion (pineapple punch). Meanwhile, the Wakefield siblings make bets over who will get tickets to the upcoming Johnny Buck concert with the Sweet Valley Tribune & Mr. Bowman raffling off tickets for the charity carnival. Meanwhile, nerdy Peter Burns overcomes the Unicorn‘s disdain in his pursuit of Mary Wallace proving the potion works!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ Attenberg is an expert at family dramas. She writes believable, often relatable characters and dialogue. I saw her speak two years ago; she‘s very cool and uniquely stylish. The kind of aura that makes you want grab a coffee with her. Multigenerational family stories are not something I‘m usually drawn to. I think it‘s because they often feel similar to one another. That‘s probably an unfair generalization, but 1-2 a year is all I can do.
pickI really liked this story of three Sisters, who were named for Shakespeare characters, and grew up quoting Shakespeare, as their dad is a professor of Shakespeare. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep reading it, since their mom is fighting breast cancer, but her cancer journey was so eloquently written about and the experiences were described so correctly, that it felt like a hug of acknowledgement and support throughout the story.
