I am part of a Fitbit challenge group – and, thankfully, steps isn’t the only thing we discuss!  We cover a wide range of seemingly random topics for a bunch of 30/40 something women.  Recently we were reminiscing about the Sweet Valley High books that some of us read as teenagers.  Weirdly half of the group were obsessive fans – and half had never heard of them!  The groups didn’t appear to be defined by age or geography – so not entirely sure what prompted the split.  Anyway – one of the SVH virgins has now started reading an original book – and I purchased this book – based 10 years after the original series (of 181 books, according to Wikipedia!) to then share with my fellow fans.

Here’s the Amazon blurb

“It’s been ten years since the Wakefield twins graduated from Sweet Valley High, and a lot has happened.
For a start, Elizabeth and Jessica have had a falling out of epic proportions, after Jessica committed the ultimate betrayal, and this time it looks like Elizabeth will never be able to forgive her.
Suddenly Sweet Valley isn’t big enough for the two of them, so Elizabeth has fled to New York to immerse herself in her lifelong dream of becoming a serious reporter, leaving a guilt-stricken Jessica contemplating the unthinkable: life without her sister.
Despite the distance between them, the sisters are never far from each other’s thoughts. Jessica longs for forgiveness, but Elizabeth can’t forget her twin’s duplicity. Uncharacteristically, she decides the only way to heal her broken heart is to get revenge. Always the ‘good’ twin, the one getting her headstrong sister out of trouble, Elizabeth is now about to turn the tables…”

This is not a literary classic – but it’s fun to read about characters that seem like old friends.  The storyline was pacy – and as I remember from 20 years ago, I occasionally wanted to punch the twins – but it was entertaining and kept me reading.

It’s partly set in Sweet Valley and partly in New York – and there are flashbacks through the last decade to set the scene.  New characters are interwoven with historic ones – but it all flows nicely.

This is not going to set the world alight as a memorable book – but was some fun escapism for a few hours.

I think now, as a grown up mother of 4, I’m happier in my skin and being an Elizabeth (or in my case Elisabeth!) rather than a Jessica – which is what I aspired to as a teenager.

I’ve subsequently read reviews who have picked fault with some of the continuity from the original series – for example, people’s appearance has been described differently, and a teacher has an inconsistent first name – but my memory is so rubbish, I would NEVER have picked up on any of these things! The basics all seem right to me.

I’ve slotted this into ‘A childhood classic that you’ve never read’ in my 2018 Reading Challenge – which I freely admit is stretching the boundaries a bit – but it’s getting closer and closer to the end of the year and I still have loads of gaps!!

The book is now winging its way across the Irish Sea for another friend to be able to reminisce about the Wakefield twins and their family and friends!