Sweet Valley Confidential - 10 years later.

Let's take a trip down memory lane! 1980s babies. The era of Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls. Haha those were the days. My favorite Spice Girl then was Mel C. Cos she's sporty and tomboyish - just like me back then.

And books. Enid Blyton. Too many to mention: Enchanted Wood, Faraway Tree, Wishing Chair, boarding schools at St. Clare and Mallory Towers etc etc. Francine Pascal. Sweet Valley Junior and Senior High. R.L. Stine. Fear Street. Roald Dahl! Matilda! Twits! James and the Giant Peach. So much more. I can go on gushing about this for ages. I still read these books sometimes. I can re-read books forever!

But I digressed. I want to talk about Francine Pascal's most recent book - Sweet Valley Confidential. 10 years later.



Those who read would know that Francine Pascal's more popular books were the Sweet Valley high/senior series. I loved them. Loved the idea of twin sisters, and knew just about every member of the Sweet Valley town.

So, when I saw that Francine Pascal came up with Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 years later, of course I had to read them! This book tells us what Elizabeth and Jessica as well as what the entire Sweet Valley crew has been up to.

Its like a high school reunion. What happened to them 10 years later. Have you attended your 10 year high school reunion to find out what has happened to your old school mates? Who ended up with who, what they are working as now, which one is married, and who has kids now?

Well, that is exactly what Sweet Valley Confidential is about.

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

SPOILERS ALERT! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Have to give warning because I hate reading spoilers before I finish the book myself. Heh.

A few pages in, I seriously doubted what I was reading. Are my eyes deceiving me? I actually went to Google it again, to make sure, very sure that what I was reading was actually written by Francine Pascal herself and not some wannabe.

OMG!! Unfortunately it was written by Francine Pascal. I had difficulty believing that the author of soo many books that I loved actually wrote this!

The whole book reads like a bad romance novel. Its so bad that its disbelieving. I don't believe what I'm reading.

Allow me to explain. The beginning of the book shows us that Elizabeth is now in New York, struggling to be a writer. And she is upset, very upset (ok lah furious) at Jessica. Not on speaking terms, refusing to pick up her phone.

Apparently the evil, selfish twin did the unspeakable. She slept with Todd. As in Todd Wilkins. Elizabeth's high school sweetheart. In the whole of her Junior High series, she had us all thinking that Todd and Elizabeth were practically joined at the hips, loyal bf, so in love with each other etc. And Jessica thought Todd was boring.

(I always knew Jessica was a selfish bitch. But to sleep with your twin sister's fiancee?? Hello?! BITCH!)

So, I don't know why she (author) had to bring them together 10 years later. Maybe people do change. But sisters. Twins. How could you do that?!



Jessica and Todd are still in Sweet Valley. Todd is writing a sports column, and Jessica is in PR. Cosmetics and apparently doing very well.

Throughout the book, other characters parade in and out. The author is trying to tell us what happened to the characters 10 years later. To be honest, I expected more. There is so much drama.

For example, Winston Egbert because fabulously wealthy through some dotcom venture with Bruce Patman. He died in the book. Alot of people are married and divorced already.

Steven Wakefield, remember him? He is now gay! What the hell right? She gives absolutely no hint to this. Throughout all the series, Steven is in love with Trisha, then heartbroken when she dies, then tries to get together with another girl (Andrea I think) who looks like his dead love. Then there is Cara. And Billie when he was at University.

So what the hell? Gay? Did she (author) throw in this fact just for fun?! If someone has to be gay, it should be Winston.

Bruce Patman is now a good guy yadda yadda and is best friends with Liz. They ended up together in the end. Yea, you read right. No typo. Bruce Patman ended up with Elizabeth Wakefield.

In Sweet Valley Confidential, they (the characters) are now 27. They drink alcohol like the rest of us now, and have sex. A bit weird reading about Liz and orgasms. But don't get too excited. Its really not very interesting. Nothing like Sex and the City.

Mostly its about someone sleeping with another person. Such as Jessica and Todd ripping off each others clothes. Lila is now slut wannabe sleeping with various people, Enid (now Doctor) sleeping with a shoes salesman (if I'm not mistaken ???), and so on and so forth.

Don't let me spoil it for you (I'm sure I already did though). But yea. It is quite hilarious to say the least. It is very badly written with the characters flitting in and out of the book.

I really loved all her books before this one. Maybe the characters were not meant to grow up. They turned out so different. Why. But maybe its because the book is badly written. The twins are fighting with each other over a guy? It doesn't have to be like that right? Does being adults mean that that's all there is to life? Sex, getting married, sleep around, divorce.

Its just not for me. Has anyone else read it already? Let me know!

Btw, I read the free online version on epub. Awesome stuff! :)

P/S: That said, I still want to watch the movie when it comes out though. Hehe. Just to put a face to the names I have been reading for so long.