Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal

Goodreads
239 pages, NA Contemporary
Sweet Valley High, Ten Years Later
My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

What terrible secret has torn Jessica and Elizabeth apart?

Ten years after 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. Jessica remains in California, dealing with the fallout of her heart-wrenching choices. But with Elizabeth as her enemy, Sweet Valley is no longer the idyllic town of their youth.

Elizabeth soon decides the only way to heal her broken heart is to get revenge for Jessica’s duplicity. Always the “good” twin, Elizabeth about to turn the tables…

Francine Pascal finally unfolds the continuing story of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield—and the whole gang from Sweet Valley—that will delight and surprise the millions of fans of these beloved characters.

My 2 cents

I've heard terrible reviews on this book, but I just had to read it for myself!  Sweet Valley!  Oh my gosh, I loved these books when I was young!  I read all the Sweet Valley Twins when I was in 5th and 6th grade, then started the Sweet Valley High set in 7th grade.  I'm sure I've read them all!  

Well, I was pleasantly surprised!  It was a really good visit back to Sweet Valley!  I'm guessing the reviews had to do more with people's reactions to their favorite characters.  But what is Sweet Valley without some drama?  Did you really think everyone was going to live happily ever after?

So the big secret that the synopsis promises? Its a game changer! (This is not a spoiler, its brought up right away in the book!)  The betrayal--Jessica and Todd!  I kid you not! Todd cheats on Elizabeth with Jessica, and now Todd and Jessica are getting married!  Elizabeth is, understandably  super pissed off about this, and has turned a complete 180!  She is no longer the sweet, kind soul we loved in the previous books!  She is a woman looking for revenge!

Jessica, on the other hand, hasn't really changed all that much.  She is completely in love with Todd. I guess you would hope so, to betray her sister!  Todd came across as an arse in this book.  Meanwhile, Bruce has also turned a 180, and is Elizabeth's best friend!  Lila Fowler, Ken Matthew, and Caroline Pearce also have not changed one bit.  Be prepared for some other game changers from Steven Wakefield, Winston Egbert, and Enid (can't think of her last name)!  In fact, Enid hardly makes the story!

A lot of the story is comprised of flashbacks that shows the reader what really happened to change all these characters so much.  Francine Pascal could write a whole new series just on these flashbacks alone!  But considering how unhappy most fans seem with this book, I'm guessing it won't be in our future!  The ending was perfect for me!  It was not was I was expecting, but I loved it!