First of all, thank you Bookaholics Book Club for hosting the Traveling Book Club from which I received this book!
Second, I was one of the biggest fan of Sweet Valley books when I was a kid. I must have started reading them about the age of 7 or 8. I even had the Sweet Valley High board game! So, I couldn't pass on the chance to read about what happened to Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield!
This story picks up when the twins are 27 years old. Elizabeth is working as a struggling writer in NYC, and Jessica is a successful executive for an organic makeup company in Sweet Valley. Through flashbacks interspersed throughout the story we find out that Elizabeth and Jessica had a major falling out when Jessica "stole" Todd, Elizabeth's high school sweetheart, from her. Elizabeth has promised to return to Sweet Valley for her grandmother's 80th birthday, and will be forced to confront Jessica and Todd. Will she ever be able to forgive her? Will they ever get their special twin relationship back? Will Elizabeth find her own happiness?
Sigh. I should've just stuck with the memories and my own imagination. No offense meant to Ms. Pascal...for me, this book was just a hot mess. The writing....oy. Like, every other word, like, was like. Yes, I realize this is California...but c'mon. It was not just in the characters speaking...it was, like SO annoying. Also, my memories of Sweet Valley centered on how wholesome they were. Yes, tough topics came up in the Sweet Valley High books...but, I don't know. It was just disturbing to me when our sweet little Elizabeth dropped the f bomb in numerous situations and had a few "flings."
This book was painful for me to finish. The ending was relatively satisfying. Elizabeth and Jessica both end up happy. And I like how Pascal did a little epilogue updating readers on the status of ALL the well known characters from the series, even if many of them were pretty ridiculous. But, overall....not a book I'd recommend. For all you Sweet Valley fans out there - just cherish the memories.
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