Rachel Reads & Reviews

Since reading it last month, I must say this brief trilogy still holds up. It has all the fun of the Archie comic without the 20 page limit (that’s usually how long it is for an extra special story compared to the usual 5 pages), including friendship moments, cameos of other Riverdale teens and just Riverdale fun. I really wished they had continued with it.

1. We’re with the Band: I mentioned in my B&V Rock n Roll review that their story was quite similar to this book and the book did it better. Here, Betty and Veronica quit the Archies to create their own all-girl band to prove they can rock and have fun all on their own. They’re not just “the frosting.” Picking up Nancy and new girl, Tina Sterling, their band-Candy Hearts-quickly gains a fan following but the fame isn’t a price they’re willing to pay. I loved how Betty and Veronica’s friendship was at the heart of it, inspiring several of the songs and pushing through overwhleming performances like their embarassing initial gig. As Veronica said, something when you’re being humiliated you have to laugh and play on. That’s the spirit! But it also had its inner conflict as well as the band becomes more of a chore, revolving their lives around it with no time for friendship or dates. Tina was a great instigator in how she played the sweet new girl while manipulating everything behind the scenes to get the stardom she craved. It was like an Archie version of Behind the Music and just great fun.
2. In Each Other’s Shoes: The school year has come around again and the girls are excited to pursue leadership roles in their favorite activities, Betty as editor of The Blue and Gold, Veronica chairing the charity fashion show. The girls don’t understand the other’s interests, but will soon be forced to as a ballot box mix-up lands them in the other’s jobs. Ginger Lopez acts as the villain of the piece as she had been vying for both those slots and believes the girls cheated to get where they are so she stirs the drama between them, encouraging Veronica’s whim to make the school newspaper into a tabloid and Betty to center an enviromental theme for the fashion show. It’s perfectly in character for them and leads to conflict as Betty hates how Veronica dismisses the paper’s content as boring to focus on trashy gossip while Veronica is annoyed that Betty has to center everything around a cause. And their antics makes almost everyone else annoyed as well as Veronica annihilates the paper’s staff and Betty can’t find any stores to sponser the show. It’s a great way of exploring what makes the girls so different yet having them overcome their biases and flaws. Plus there’s the funny stuff too like Jughead’s mad dash for the bake sale, Reggie and Archie compeating to be models and more.
3. Living the Dream: It’s another cute summer story where the girls pursue summer jobs where Betty has been struggling to find one, Veronica gets her first pick right away in a fashion boutique, of course. Betty finally gets one at Pop’s as a waitress but it’s more of a struggle than she realizes, especially when the other waitress breaks her leg thanks to Betty thus doubling her workload. This one comes in last because even though the lessons are enjoyable, Veronica’s felt split between her job and her new summer fling.