Double Love

It's Christmas, and you know what that means - it's time to go back in time to meet the ancestors of everyone's favourite douchebag, 1BRUCE1 himself! And it turns out that some of his relatives are more interesting than anyone at Sweet Valley High. We've got runaway aristocrats (of course)! We've got actresses! We've got...underground railroad heroes?! Believe it or not, they don't handle that too badly. And forget about OTG, this Christmas it's all about the RTC - rootin' tootin' cowboys! Also, Anna gets very, very angry about the lack of cans - or rather, the lack of the Patman canning factory. Merry Christmas, everyone!

You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff 

Roll up, roll up, it's our very first live show - and we're joined by a very special guest for the first time! Bestselling author Louise O'Neill is here to discuss a book in which Liz finally reaches the limit of her natural doormattery and Jess behaves particularly selfishly in the run up to Sweet Valley's annual (apparently) Winter Carnival. Don't get too excited about the carnival, by the way, because it only takes up like, ten pages of the whole book. On the plus side, a familiar face returns - Mr Collins is back! Oh yeah, and so is Todd, whose visit causes tension. Load up with a bag of cans - as we and our audience did - and enjoy! You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff 

Forget gambling and Liz's boarding school dreams - THIS has to be the most boring book in Sweet Valley history. And not just because it's all about John Pfeiffer (boo!). He's in love with Jennifer Mitchell, but she's in love with Rick Andover, who is a would-be rock star all of  a sudden. We don't care about either of them, but Liz does, because as usual she just can't help sticking her nose into other people's business. Meanwhile Jessica is back to her old manipulative ways - get out while you can, A.J.! You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff

Anna has previously claimed that this, along with the Liz in Switzerland book, is the most boring Sweet Valley title of all time, but we were pleasantly surprised when we got into the infamous story of Ronnie Edwards becoming a gambler. And that has a lot to do with the book's villains, a bookie named Big Al (!) and his team of car-pooling goons! Get ready for a lot of OTG talk as Liz gets bitchy, Jeffrey finds himself torn between his love of football and his reluctance to let Ronnie get beaten to death, Jess has dreams of fashion stardom and we discover just how little the ghostwriter knows about soccer. You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff

It's Halloween! And that means a book that's special in more ways than one. Yes, you asked for it and we have delivered - it's super thriller Murder in Paradise! It's got a mysterious luxury spa! It's got a supervillain with a wandering accent who makes ludicrous speeches! It's got Liz and Jess cheating on their boyfriends with a frankly alarming lack of guilt! It's got hypnosis and brainwashing and a secret lab! It's got an actual murder! It is quite simply one of the greatest books of all time. You're welcome, listeners. You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff

It's a first for Sweet Valley as a person of colour takes centre stage (literally). So of course the book has to be all about "Being Chinese-American", as Jade Wu struggles to balance her love for her family with her dreams of dance stardom and her budding romance with hardworking over-sharer David Prentiss, who should really read Edward Said's Orientalism.

 

Meanwhile, the twins try to show mid-life-crisis Ned (who is a year younger than Anna) that it's okay to be old. He even goes to a gig!  You can follow Double Love on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff

Watch out Jessica - you've got a rival for AJ's affections and, in keeping with the Sweet Valley motto, she won't take no for an answer! But Jessica can't beat sexy Pamela Janson at her own game, because she's still pretending to be a serious scholar and keeps banging on about nuclear war. Luckily she's got Lila - in fine form - on her side. If that wasn't exciting enough, there's also a fashion show! But sadly no Mr Collins. Where are you, Roger? You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the HeadStuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadStuff

It's a first for the podcast - a Sweet Valley book neither of us have read before now! And it was worth the wait, as we find out what happens when the Sweet Valley girls discover slam books, a whole new way to be gossipy bitchy wagons. Meanwhile Jess is actually endearing as she develops a serious crush on uptight judgy new guy AJ, and there's trouble for Liz when Jeffrey starts spending time with everyone's favourite - and only - Sweet Valley bohemian Olivia. If only Mr Collins was there to enjoy the drama! You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff

We are outraged by the cover of this week's book, in which the depiction of Bruce is not the pouting John Barrowman we know and love to hate! Who is this imposter?! Whoever he is, he's smooth talking Julie Porter, and tormenting her friend Josh, who is determined to get into the Sweet Valley High fraternity. Meanwhile Jess's dramatic career takes a terpsichorean turn, Jeffrey shows his own dancing skills and we discover that Sweet Valley parties are a lot more edgy than we might have expected - sex alcove, anyone? You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff 

It's decision time for Robin Wilson as she has to choose between going early to college amid the bright lights of New York City or staying in Sweet Valley and going out with George Warren. Yes, we wouldn't find it difficult either, but strangely Robin really loves the town full of judgemental arseholes where she was mercilessly bullied. Meanwhile Jess falls for a music student, Liz becomes obsessed with learning the recorder, and we can't stop sniggering about fingering positions. For the recorder! Get your minds out of the gutter! You can follow us on Twitter at @svhpodcast and follow the Headstuff Podcast Network on @HSPodnetwork and @ThisHeadstuff