Episodes
Extra Drama #28: Through the Silver Door
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...
Book #28: ALONE IN THE CROWD
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...
Extra Drama #27: Daphne Sighed
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...
Book #27: LOVESTRUCK
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...
Extra Drama #26: JESSI AND THE STONEYBROOK PARADE
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...
Book #26: HOSTAGE!
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...
Extra Drama #25: The Droids You're Looking For
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! Further Reading (Or...
Book #25: NOWHERE TO RUN
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...
Extra Drama #24: SPLASH PARTY (Just Pool Stuff)
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.
Book #24: MEMORIES
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...
Extra Drama #23: Welcome to Hometown Honeys
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...
Book #23: SAY GOODBYE
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...
Extra Drama #22: Codependency Intervention!
Marissa and Russ Nickel consider the morality of staging an elaborate lie to trick a friend into becoming less of a total sad sack.
Book #22: TOO MUCH IN LOVE
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...
Extra Drama #21: Bad Boy (Stuck) in High School
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.
Sweet Valley Diaries #21: RUNAWAY
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.
Sweet Vall-entines Day Announcement!
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...
Super Edition #2: SPECIAL CHRISTMAS
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!
First Anniversary Special!
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...
Extra Drama #20: Atypicals of Sweet Valley!
Popular fiction podcast (and soon to be YA series!) 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...
Sweet Valley Diaries #20: CRASH LANDING!
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...
Extra Drama #19: Brotherhood of Frenemies
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...
Sweet Valley Diaries #19: SHOWDOWN
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...
Extra Drama #18: Love Is...Sacrifice, Apparently
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...