I was so excited to read this book when I first heard about it. I could not wait to see what happened to all of the Sweet Valley High gang. I inherited a bunch of Sweet Valley High books from my aunts'--they ended up at my great-grandmother Michie's house and she gave them to me when I was around the age of 10. Fortunately, Kristi and/or Kim had a collection of about 30 novels in the series and I read each one at least once if not a bunch of times.
Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 Years Later... begins when the twins are 27 and a rift has come between them, a BIG rift. There is much hate between them and they are estranged. Because of this, the tone of this continuation of the series is very dark, sad, angry, and not at all like the original series. For 3/4 of the novel, I was disappointed and missed the spirit of Sweet Valley High. Finally in the last quarter, the spirit returns, the saving grace of this book. If not for the last part and the epilogue, I would not be satisfied at all with this twist in the lives of the Wakefield twins.
I won't say anything more about the plot because I don't want to give anything away, but this book is definitely for an adult audience (as opposed to the earlier novels intended for teens). There also is a bit of a political agenda mentioned a few times but I can't say anything here without giving something big away.
If you are a fan of the series, you will appreciate this followup novel, though know that it is not the same as the prior novels at all. When I say I appreciate it, I don't necessarily mean I like it or that it's a book I'd rate very highly. I did have to know where the author was taking Elizabeth and Jessica's story but to be honest, my favorite part was the epilogue where we find out where all the major players from the high school novels are now.
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