Alli's CBR-III Review #34 - Sweet Valley Confidential

Growing up I read a lot of the "Sweet Valley" books by Francine Pascal so I was pretty excited to see "Sweet Valley Confidential" a new book to accompany the series. It is said to be set ten years later, but the time frame is suspect, as the original books were from the 80s. In any case, it follows twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield in their late 20s.

As we catch up with the twins, they have had an extreme falling out as Jessica stole Todd Willkins from her. Todd was her longtime boyfriend. The details of how this all happened are laid out in the book using flashbacks.

Most of the book is spent getting updates on characters from the book series. I suppose had it been less time since I actually read the books, then it would have meant more to me. As it was, I didn't remember much from the books except for the twins themselves, and that Jessica was always such a bitch, and Elizabeth was such a pushover.

I did enjoy this book, although it was a bit more soap opera than I normally read these days. It did spark a bit of nostalgia in me, and it was a fun read. My only real issue was when Pascal was writing as Jessica, the language and tone was annoying. And at the end there is a scene that was a bit graphic sexually, and it shocked the teenage girl inside me that was reading along. All in all I would recommend it for ladies like myself who grew up reading the Sweet Valley books.