I'm pretty sure I've never read this one before. Not much about it stuck out or seemed particularly deja-vu.So this one had a really short time line: only a week. It started on a Sunday and was over on the following Saturday. Not that that's really relevant to anything, but I just thought it was neat.This book was also over way too fast. Like, Jessica pretty much figured out that Scott was no good almost immediately. The bulk of the novel was then Elizabeth trying to cover for Jess, as Jess waited things out and made her way back home. Then there was some aftermath on that.What pissed me off most about this book was Jessica and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is such an enabler and a pushover. She shouldn't constantly cover for Jess, and then take her bullshit. Elizabeth is way too nice and trusting when it comes to her sister, and it pisses me off that she's the only one who doesn't see that Jess basically just uses her, would never do the same for her, and it essentially just a selfish bitch. It's so frustrating hearing Todd and Enid try to set Elizabeth straight, only for her to be so blind.Jessica of course, was a dumb selfish bitch as always. She could have maybe come off as merely immature, but her attitude about everything is the worst. She blames Elizabeth for her being in her predicament, all because Elizabeth should have apparently tried harder to talk her out of her bad behaviour. Then she gets pissed when Elizabeth ends up failing the test she wrote for her - the test that she should have failed anyways because she wasn't even around to write it! She doesn't even bother asking Elizabeth what's wrong or seeing what's going on in her life. Elizabeth has the worst fight and the worst guilt ever at Jess's doings, and Jess just doesn't even care enough to notice.The subplot in this novel was the big surf competition that Bill Chase was competing in. This was such a tiny subplot. We don't even see Bill for most of it. People just talk about him and it.My copy of the novel has extra stuff in the back, including character profiles on Bill and Lila Fowler. Bill's got an interesting backstory: his parents are divorced, his girlfriend was destroyed in a drunk driving accident, he hasn't been able to date since (although we're assured he'll get a new girlfriend soon, so I'm interested in seeing when that comes up and reading it) and he's just generally quiet and mysterious because of all the shit he's been through. Lila's backstory wasn't really anything I didn't already know. Although, I did get the fact that Lila's father isn't actually her father, and that it's an open secret in her family. Poor Lila. I'd be so afraid of not making him proud and him disowning me and forcing me to move away with my just-as-neglectful mother. At least in Sweet Valley, she's got her friends. I wonder if we'll hear or see more about Lila and her father and her paternity in the future. I'm thinking yes.
Original for the Snark Squad here.This is a book with a plot, and stuff, but clearly what you should know about this book is that it features one damn fine porn 'stache on the cover. What you should know about ME is that this made me entirely way too excited about life. You're welcome, dear friend, for that close-up. We open book #5 with Jessica checking herself out in a mirror. Again. Some more. It's practically tradition by now. She's asking Elizabeth if her outfit is sexy enough for her new, 18-year-old, porn-stachioed man, or ScottStache. Liz protests and says their mother would never approve of Jess going out with this guy. Jessica ignores Elizabeth and goes to the lake with ScottStache and his college friends anyway. Jessica talks a lot about being able to handle herself around men. Not so much with the actually being able to, though, as she ends up walking through the woods with ScottStache and then he unties her top and rape!kisses her. Jess fights back and demands that ScottStache take her home immediately. He scoffs and informs her that this is an overnight trip and she isn't going anywhere. Jess is in hot water because 1.) she never asked permission to stay out all night long and 2.) she is supposed to take a test the next day so that she and Liz can be Sweet Valley tour guides.Sweet Valley tour guides.Sweet Valley. Tour guides.Hmm. The recap of this book is also the birth of the famous-around-the-Snark-Squad Youth Mauling Bear. I'll just copy and paste:"Dude, as she’s bumbling about the woods ‘o rape, she even goes as far as blaming Liz for not making her stay in Girl Scouts when they were kids.I just… I don’t even know what to say anymore.Maybe it’s all this talk of woods and bears and annoying youths, but I am reminded of something: There’s a little known story in the Bible about the prophet Elisha. See, he was walking along one day, minding his own business, doing official prophet things I’m sure, when some “youth” started yelling at him and basically called him baldheaded. Elisha was bad ass though, and was all, “I curse you in the name of Lord, yo,” and he kept walking. Some time later, two female bears just came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the youths.This might be the first time I’m reading SVH and wishing it were more like the Bible. Where the heck is a youth mauling bear when you need one?"Will Jessica ever get out of the woods? Will her parents find out that she was out all night long? How will Liz possibly make any of this her problem? Will Liz and Jess get to tour guides of Sweet Valley?Tour guides of Sweet Valley.Tour guides. Of Sweet Valley. Hmm.
Do You like book All Night Long (1984)?
This is by far my most favorite Sweet Valley High cover ever. College boy Scott is obviously the bad boy (note the porn star mustache and shocking 'All Night Long' title). Sadly, the most exciting thing that happens in this book is Scott tries to remove Jessica's perfect size 6 red bikini top and then Jessica gets lost in the woods. Oh - and Liz ate two servings of pancakes, which may have bumped her up to a heiferish size 8. I remember being very disappointed in the content of this book when I read it back in the day. To cope with the sadness, I was forced to steal a few Harlequin Temptations from my mom's room.
—Laura
Source: I read this online via Openlibrary. Title: All Night Long Series: Sweet Valley High #5 Author: Kate William & Francine Pascal Overall Rating: 3 StarsYes! A dramatic improvement on the last one, you want to know, because we discovered that Jessica has emotions and Elizabeth isn't perfect! I mean, Francine was giving us a touch of character development here and I am liking it. I remember book 6 very well, so lets hope it continues! In this installment, Jessica goes gallivanting in the woods with the sexy (Look at that cover, damn) 18 year old Scott. She's Jessica Wakefield, she can tie men around her baby finger can't she? Well, no, apparently not. When he basically tries to rape her and refuses to bring her home, she's forced to stay with him all night. Nothing happens though. And Elizabeth is left to switch places with her to make sure that she doesn't get in trouble. But will this leave Liz in trouble? Hell yes because her and Todd have a fight! An actual argument. They aren't the perfect couple afterall! But of course, everything gets sorted in the end. Isn't that dandy!I just think this is a lot different to the body shaming in book four. I remember reading book 6 and I'm so excited to actually read it, I'm even going to try and hoke out my old copy of it!
—Connie
Bad. So bad. OMG, Jessica is dating Pornstache from Orange is the New Black!!! Look, proof!!!This book was so horribly disgusting, like the last one, but I had to give this a one star. Seriously, Scott is so gross. But I was so surprised the authors didn't take it all the way. It's weird that they really don't mention S-E-X in any of these early books. Oh yeah, they make out and Scott slips his hands down Jess' bikini bottoms, but that's it. **Trigger warning: Are you seriously telling me that this skeezy, college-aged, pornstache guy would stop when this little high-school girl tells him to?? There's no way. And the reason I gave it one star, besides the skeeze, was because the Scott storyline was basically 2 chapters and then he was gone. Like, he's on the cover!Read my full review at Give a Hoot Read a Book!
—Jenn Ingram
