by Francine Pascal
From Goodreads:
Ten years after graduating from Sweet Valley High, the Wakefield twins have had a falling-out of epic proportions. When Jessica commits a complete and utter betrayal, Elizabeth flees to New York to escape the pain and immerse herself in her lifelong dream of becoming a journalist.My Thoughts: I was so excited about this book, I really was. Growing up, I read so many of the Sweet Valley High books, learned so many lessons from the twins and friend's mistakes, and fell in love with Sweet Valley. But I have to say this book disappointed me so much. Some characters were just completely ruined for me (really, Pascal, Winston Egbert grows up to be a jerk!), Elizabeth was whiny, Todd was bland as ever, and Jessica was no where near as sparkly as usual. Stephen and Cara, a couple I adored in the series, whole past was trashed, although I understand that Pascal wanted to make Sweet Valley a little more PC. I get that, but I wish the characters could have kept the personalities I once loved. The saving grace, for me at least, was Bruce Patman. I actually adored him in this book, although at times in the series I disliked him. Bruce in this book is the only character that appears to actually have matured, and it reminded me of his love for Regina. The writing is pretty sub-par so I'm not sure exactly who the intended target audience is supposed to be, most YA books are better written and I'm pretty sure that most people buying Sweet Valley Confidential are former 80's tweens like me. I just expected so much better. It just felt like Pascal was trying too hard to go all Gossip Girl on this, but even in the Gossip Girl books the characters are more likable. So can I recommend this book? Not really. But honestly, the bad reviews wouldn't have kept me from reading this book. And I will give Pascal credit for giving me a brief glimpse of Jeffrey French, who in my opinion was Eliabeth's best match and not that lame-ass Todd Wilkins and his "coffee colored eyes". Yeah, I'm bitter.
Jessica remains in California, dealing with the fallout of her heart-wrenching choices. She has a career she loves and lots of old friends, but misses her sister, her oldest friend. With Jessica as her enemy, Sweet Valley is no longer the idyllic town of their youth.
Jessica longs for forgiveness, but Elizabeth can't forget her twin's duplicity. She decides the only way to heal her broken heart is to get revenge. Always the "good" twin, Elizabeth is now about to turn the tables...
Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 Years Later gets a Midnight Book Rating of:
Let's just hope they leave the Babysitter's Club alone!
