On Episode 214, Alli and her guest go back to Sweet Valley… but they find it grittier and sassier than you’ve seen it before. In the first book of the SVH Senior Year series Can’t Stay Away, the Wakefields and their classmates adapt to a new normal after their lives are shaken up by a major earthquake. But what happens when Sweet Valley is forced to merge with the student body from El Carro High? One word: drama. Tune in to this episode to hear Alli and Elissa Sussman unpack all of said drama and discuss weird gestures around diversity, bad boy stereotypes, the enemies to lovers trope, slut shaming, Jessica and Elizabeth’s questionable senior year resolutions, misogyny, and this new take on the classic series.

Elissa Sussman is the author of books for teens and adults, including Drawn That Way and Funny You Should Ask. Follow her on Instagram (@elissa_sussman) and Twitter (@ElissaSussman).

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