I totally paused!

My copy must be a later one, cuz it says “…continuing story…” There was no continuing at the time the book was written!

Before I actually got to high school, all I knew of it I got from Sweet Valley High. I couldn’t really tell you when I started reading these books, but I do know that what I wanted in my youth very much came from what I read about Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. I really really wanted an older brother, yearned for one. And I likewise heavily desired a twin sister. It sounded like so much fun!

The plot of this book is basically that Liz likes Todd Wilkins, a LOT! She has fantasies about him kissing her on the forehead. The forehead! He would embrace her and make all her troubles go away. But Jessica has other plans – she totally wants Todd cuz he’s cute and is the captain of the basketball team. Since she is co-captain of the cheerleading squad, they should absolutely be together.

Somehow I had in my head that Jess developed into her manipulative, crazy, scheming bitch of a self. No idea where I got that from, because she’s just horrible from the start. She lies to Liz, lies to Todd, gets herself into trouble with Rick Andover (which, btw, isn’t he a tennis player who likes Nora Mercandy in the Twins series?), and lets everyone think it was Elizabeth who got picked up by the police for being with Rick. Cuz, you know, Jess couldn’t let her reputation get damaged by scandal! Liz’s reputation can handle it way better.

I was also surprised that there wasn’t much of Lila Fowler in this book, she has like one line cuz her family is fighting with the Patman’s about what to do with the football field. Maybe the ghostwriter wanted the opportunity to show that Jessica is terrible on her own, she doesn’t need Lila’s influence!

In the end, Liz and Todd find out how Jess had been lying to them like crazy and they get together. Also, Liz gets Jess thrown in the pool because they change outfits and everyone thinks they are each other. Damn that scheming Liz, getting poor Jessica thrown in the pool! I love how people can’t tell them apart – they are identical on the outside but that’s where the similarities end, after all.

And as a side note, I wonder what size the twins would be if the series were written today. It’s kind of sad that back in the 80’s when this series started, they were a size six and that was totally idolized – jump to today where they would probably be considered plus size. Insanity!