OK so with the upcoming TV series of movies that are launching on lifetime, I decided to re-read my favorite book series from when I was a kid.
V. C Andrew's the Casteel Series.

❤️ I Love VC Andrews, I have a wide collection of her books. Even though Andrew's passed practically in the middle of this series and didn't get to fully finish it, Neiderman took on her name ghost writing and didn't disappoint. He mirrors her style almost perfectly.

Heaven had me hooked to the rest of the series and remains my top favorite book of all time. I Just wanted to be Heavens friend. Loved her character so much. Though she didn't always make the best decisions I was rooting for her to finally get it all together.
Whether it's rags to riches or riches to rags this series in its completion covers both.
Also with the realization that its not about how much you have or don't have. If you don't have love and respect you have nothing.

I know the TV movies will never be able to give me the experience the books did, though I am excited the story after all these years was appealing enough to make the series a movie finally.

Heaven, Dark Angel, Fallen Hearts, Gates of Paradise and Web of Shadows will always remain on my bookshelf and I will continue to turn to them here and there until the day I pass them on. So they can be enjoyed by future generations.

God! I had forgotten this one! I'm ashamed to say I read it and loved it! In my defense, I was only in seventh grade. From the looks of it, I'm not the only reviewer who cut their teeth on these books!

I decided to read it in at a nostalgic moment...and then I said "goodnight" to my 13 year-old self and read something else.

n  “If you work to obtain your goal, and realize from the very beginning that nothing valuable comes easily, and still forge ahead, without a doubt you’ll reach your goal, whatever it is.”
― V.C. Andrews, Heavenn

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.

Heaven lives in a small little house on a mountain in West Virginia. She has an older brother a younger brother, and two younger sisters. Things aren't easy for them. They are very poor and their dad isn't around much, usually out drinking or bedding what little money they have. Its hard work and a hard life for Heaven but she loves the mountains. Things are changing for Heaven though and they are changing fast and not all of it is good. (Sorry for the vague blurb. I don't know what else to say without giving away any spoilers.)

So ever since I was able to read a book this size, I have loved V.C. Andrews. I knew even then that the books were a bit preverted and there seems to always be a little bit incest like things happening, but still the stories are intriguing and always pretty dark. This one was no exception to any of that. As a child/teen when I read this book. I felt bad for Heaven, but loved the adventure that was happening. As an adult I just hate all the adults in this story. ALL of them are messed up, I swear. Anyways, I will continue on with the series eventually.

n  How I choose my rating:
1* Did not finish, or hated it but forced myself to finish.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!n

For some reason I always forget how good V.C. Andrews' books are. Perhaps its the outdated kitsy covers (which I actually really like and wish they'd do all the her books in) or the melodramatic book summaries on the back cover? But everytime you start reading and get into the characters history and surroundings, you're hooked. There's always some sort of family struggle, usually a leacherous man, possibly some incestuous relationships and evil women. You're on the edge of your seat hoping the herione will be okay and thinking, "Oh no" every time you turn the page.

I'm reading the Casteel series in preparation for the Lifetime movie event. I'm not expecting 100% faithfulness to this wonderfully crazy book since apparently the network is allergic to casting people who actually look like the characters.

DNF I just can't find the motivation.

Heaven tells the story of Heaven Casteel and her four siblings growing up in the mountains of West Virginia in poverty. Heaven is determined to survive her upbringing and make a better life for herself until her father discovers he has syphilis and her stepmother leaves the family. This leads to her father to sell each of his children off to different families. Heaven thinks her new life will be better, but it turns out to be worse than before. ⠀⠀

This was my third V.C. Andrews novel and the only one that I’ve read as an adult. I think it might be my last one, at least for a long while. It was just way too dramatic for me! Everything that could have gone wrong for Heaven did, from losing her siblings to being taken advantage of by her new father. She also seemed juvenile, even as she got older. Her narration at the age of 12-13 sounded exactly the same when she was 16-17! I found that I had to push myself to read this and it was only 300 pages. I should have finished it in 2 days, but instead it took me a week!

Well, I binge read this so I’m not going to deny that it was addictive. I’m basically V. C. Andrews trash now.

Was trying to go back to V. C. Andrews because I liked them in middle/high school, but I’m finding I just don’t care about the characters and it feels like a chore to read. So, channeling my book club and DNFing because life is too short. I will maybe try one of the modern series that was ghost written since I still have some on my shelf.

Well, I love V.C. Andrews now. The emotion, the messages and the subtle-ness. The characters, the complexity, the gray-ness of it all. I don't think I could make a coherent review if I tried, but I loved this book, now...where did it throw my shattered heart?

I loved it, just as much as I did 20+ years ago!!!

Her stories might seem sensational even trashy but at least V Andrews was talking about the ugly. This and Andrews other books, made my ugly feel less lonely, it kept me company at night, when my ugly was creeping outside my bedroom door demanding a sandwich from his cooperative wife before he moved on to complete his nights work.
In an era when the misery memoir was not so present, before child-line and the wider acceptance of abuse in the home she unconsciously kept a lot of abuse victims company when no one else wanted to know. Weird thing but when I started facing up to my past ugly I gave all her books away, now I want them back.
Now studying literature I am wondering about her place among writers. Is it really trashy? Or is it highlighting the long history of oppression and abuse of women. It plays on real fears , the book was written years ago but we still live in a world where it is still not as safe for a female to walk down the same street alone at night as it for a male. Heaven is a good character, there is something about her that makes her strong, appealing and memorable. As a witness to the ugly, with a family that belongs Jerry Springer show or a soap, I refuse to be ashamed for having V C Andrews entire collection in my literary past, and I thank her for being there.