Jessica and Elizabeth are back! And ten years on, the Sweet Valley twins' lives are more eventful than ever...

Add to My Stories If you grew up reading Sweet Valley High, and wondered whatever became of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, your luck is in, as writer Francine Pascal has just published a follow-up to her hugely popular series of novels.The fictional blonde twins, with perfect size six figures and 'peaches-and-cream skin' became a hit with teenagers when the books were first launched in the early Eighties.Now, in Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later, we meet the girls again, this time, in their late twenties.

Teen hit: The Sweet Valley twins, played by Brittany and Cynthia Daniel in the spin-off TV series, have been a favourite with young adults since 1983And unlike the Sweet Valley High books, the new tome is not designed for teenagers - with more heavyweight content and complex relationships, it is targeted at the women who, like the protagonists, were young adults ten years ago.

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Readers will still find plenty of familiarity in the new book though. Elizabeth is still sensitive, thoughtful and responsible, while Jessica is more emotional, selfish and materialistic.The story begins when Elizabeth discovers that her longtime boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, is having an affairwith Jessica.

Ten years later: The new Sweet Valley book has more heavyweight content and complex relationshipsHeartbroken, she flees to New York, determined never to see her sister or Todd, ever again.Meanwhile Jessica, who becomes engaged to Todd, is desperate for her twin's forgiveness.So when the twins are both obligated to attend a party celebrating their grandmother's 80th birthday, Elizabeth comes up with a plot to destroy Jessica and Todd's re! lationsh ip.The story unfolds with a series of flashbacks that fill in the blanks about what happened to the twins in the decade following their teenage years.
There are plenty of references to plots in earlier books that loyal readers with sharp memories will remember.While some might call it cheesy, fans keen for an easy chick-lit escape will find it a fun read. Time has made Elizabeth a little less perfect, and Jessica is a little less catty.A number of supporting players from the original series are also reintroduced with a brief summary of how they ended up.It is one of a number of spin-off projects heralding the series' anniversary. Screenwriter Diablo Cody is adapting the Sweet Valley High books for a film.

Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later by Francine Pascal is available in hardback from today for $21.99. Published by St. Martin's Press