The Stepsister 2

Fear Street #33

by R.L. Stine

The doctor says Nancy is cured...

She's over the murderous rage that made her try to kill her sister Emily last year. Now she's home for good...

Or evil. Emily wants to forgive and forget, but the nightmare has started all over again. Someone wants to hurt her. Is it Nancy? Or is there someone else who wants Emily dead?

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Thriller, Mystery, Teen

145 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1995

About the author

Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.

R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.

Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.

http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished another original Fear Street book.This is a sequel to The Stepsister.For those of you that don't know I didn't like the first book that much.It had a twist that made me kind of mad.We had some sweet moments that were contridicted with that twist.In the first book we had this family of a mom and two daughters.The daughters being Emily and Nancy.Their father passed away in a boating accident.The mom marries this man with two kids of his own in Jessie and Richy.I'm going to try to review this book without spoiling anything.So basically in the last book a character gets sent off to a mental facility.This character is coming back and another character is very nervous along with other characters.We learn that our protagonist,Emily, I hope I can say that much is dating this guy named Josh He gave her this perfume.The Person that got sent away is now home and she seems a little better at first.But when Emily is away her perfume gets knocked over,she immediately assumes it's the person who got sent away.It turns out she left a window open though.We also get introduced to another character named Cora-Anne,a shy girl with not alot of friends that befriends another of our main characters.Cora-Anne has parents that are always fighting so she is over at Emily's Lot.Later Emily is getting ready to go to this dance and she finds a dress cut straight down the middle.Emily assumed it's the same character that got sent away,but we also have another culprit.Richy got in trouble earlier in the book for sneaking out and going to this party.He thinks Emily told on him.Also I couldn't stand Richy.We learn he and his friends are trying to film a horror movie.We have some other things happen like when Emily is inside and she sees the other girls including Cora-Anne going outside and playing in the snow.She sees the character that got sent away carrying a tool box.Emily gets ready to leave and the cars breaks don't work,so she crashes into a tree.Emily's father blames himself for this and says he noticed the breaks feeling weird a few days or so ago.We also get another thing that happens to a dog in here.I don't remember what happens to the dog in the first book,but that event is mentioned.I will say R.L.Stine got me with this one.I thought I knew for sure what was going on,but I was completely wrong.The reveal here was really great.I know this is hypocritical,because this was kinda the same thing as the first book,but I liked this one better.The character that comes back was actually scary and had some really fun scenes.I thought I knew who was doing this and swore up and down I was right until one scene.I give The Stepsister 2 a three out of five stars.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

So last week I was all about to hit up my randomizer to pick a Fear Street to read for this week..and I hit up Half Price book and found this, which I had been wanting for a while but had no access to. Fate basically put this in my lap so here we are.

I will be fully reviewing this on the blog since I reviewed the first one, and I have a fair bit to say at least in regards to how it fares as sequel, both story-wise and thematically. The short version is I actually liked it, especially as far as Stine's sequels go but it did leave me conflicted in some ways. There's solid steps forward but a lot of repeating. My main fear when it comes to the setup of the killer from the first one possibly being reformed did come to life but it was resolved in a very interesting way. I go back and forth on some elements but as a whole, it did generally work out despite some misgivings. I will say that this strangely felt more character driven than plot drive, the opposite of most Stine books. Well, compared to usual at least.

The ending alone will give me stuff to say so hopefully I can get to that someday. I will say that once again, Rich's deal is not resolved despite so much time being spent on him and the dad is actually slightly better but still kind of the worst. At least there's no harem talk, ew. But yeah it's generally good.

Gonna add a few little "Watch"'s to note certain trends that pop up that amuse me.

Pop Culture Watch: Catcher in the Rye, The Shining, but Rich has mostly moved from King to Clive Barker. Nice.

Continuity Watch: Pete Goodwin (The Overnight), Lisa Blume (The New Girl)

Celeb/Movie Watch: They watch a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie that has the empire state building that is clearly Sleepless in Seattle, they see the "new Jim Carrey movie" which based on the time frame is likely Ace Ventura 2.

Redhead Watch: Carol Ann

[Grace Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it's 1 year later and (Stepsister 1 spoiler) Emily's sister Nancy is back from the mental hospital, after her psychotic break and after trying to bury her alive in Stepsister 1 ⚰️ She's cured now...isn't she? 😈

Of course someone is out to seriously eff up Emily, our protag, again...her favorite dress gets slashed in half. The brakes on her car were cut. Superglue was put into her toothpaste?!? The twist at the end I didn't guess correctly because I am dum 🙃So an extra point added here for keeping me guessing til the end!

Random notes:
- Rich the stepbrother, aka the "Stephen King weirdo" from Stepsister 1 is back and it looks like he has graduated to watching Clive Barker movies and reading "weird, cyber punk sci-fi stuff” 🤣🤣
- Emily and Josh go and see the new Jim Carrey movie and it is "very dumb and silly" 🤣You don't say!!
- Trigger spoiler: There is another pet death. I hate these, in any and all books and movies 😭💔
- Lastly, Emily's big hands are never mentioned again 🤣🤣

[Drucilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book better than part 1. Its plot has more going on than the previous one. Even though Nancy is the villian in this one as well, it doesn't make this book a repeat of the first one and the additions of Cora-Ann and Rich as possible suspects work great. Cora-Ann's connection to Jolie was a great throwback to the previous book. I like how the author continued Rich's problems in this book, but I'm still frustrated by the lack of information about why he's acting the way he is. It could just be a 14 year-old boy thing, but we also never find out how Rich's dad found out about the party. Their parents are still jerks and losers so don't expect much from them. I was also curious about where Jessie's friend Krysta and Jessie's boyfriend Darren from the first book are, especially since Jessie complains numerous times that she doesn't have a date.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish Nancy wasn’t the problem again. What about Rich? Did he get help in the end? And why always the dog??💔 But I love how this continues the story of Emily and Jessie!

[Emmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the first Stepsister because it was a great thriller, but this book is a waste of paper. Why is that? It is exactly the same as the first one to every detail. I read it all the way through to see if a different person who did these horrid things again; but, nope, same person. The only surprise is both that the main character, Emily, and the author seems to have suffered amnesia!

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was breathtakingly ridiculous. The twist is that there is no twist: the crazy person turns out to be the crazy person!

[His Ghoul Friday (Julia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this one as much as the first book. It’s essentially the same plot, just different things are happening to Emily, and she’s constantly pointing the finger at her sister.

The characters feel different than the first one, everyone just feels flat. The parents are much less obnoxious, so I’ll take that as an added bonus.

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again if you have not read The Stepsister, there will be spoilers for context.

A year ago when Emily Casey had to start sharing her bedroom with her new stepsister, Jessie Wallner, after their parents married it seemed like a nightmare.

Jessie looked like an angel and would act like one around everyone else but Emily saw a nasty side and a girl whining to her father. Emily's mom was no help or her stepdad Hugh and even after awhile Emily's sister Nancy thought she was overreacting about how awful Jessie was.

Emily's new stepbrother Rich wasn't innocent from the blame either, a sullen thirteen year old picked on by his dad and always seen clutching a Stephen King book in his hands or watching a sick horror movie on TV. When things went from accidental pranks to deliberate warnings...it was clear the person had to be crazy.

Emily knew that Jessie was seeing a shrink for a past incident but the awful truth...was far more frightening.

The drowning death of Emily's dad may have been an accident but Nancy blamed her sister for their father's death and found the perfect scapegoat in Jessie once it was clear Emily and their new stepsister were off to a rocky start.

Nancy was ready to kill Emily on a similar camping trip but was stopped by Jessie and she was sent away to a psychiatric hospital for help. In that year, Emily and Jessie became close but it helped a little with them having separate rooms too lol.

Now the nightmare Emily has to face...is Nancy coming home.

The doctors say she is better and have decided to let her come home.

Emily is back to sharing a room with Jessie and on the day Nancy is coming back, it is clear that everything is about to go into a familiar situation.

Rich is angry at Emily, thinking she snitched on him for drinking beer at a party she happened to be leaving with her boyfriend, Josh. His anger presents a window where now instead of wondering if it is Jessie or Rich doing things...is it Nancy or Rich?

Along to watch all of this family drama and horror is a girl named Cora-Ann who is BFFs with Jessie where she is always over at the house. The dark side is that Cora-Ann is always staying with Jessie because her parents constantly fight and she is seen to be a very nice, grateful and gracious person.

First there are the "accidents" but then they escalate at little farther than in the first book with things done deliberately to cause harm and well...a repeat incident that makes me uncomfortable.

The only thing that also makes The Stepsister 2 stand out is a surprise little swerve to amp up the action. However...it drops an angle established early on and when everything is over, it seems as if you could have avoided all of this if you just didn't give The Stepsister a sequel.

The climax is good and the payoff is just an afterthought really.

Sequel books in the Fear Street series are basically cash grabs for the publisher. Trilogies aside, what can you really add to the story of these characters? None of the characters have had any growth but if we just left the story where it ended...they could have.

I won't say anymore for risk of actually spoiling this book for anyone who hasn't read it or is curious so...

[Maiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to revisit my childhood books and picked this one up! I read it when I was somewhere between the ages of 10-12. I was literally OBSESSED with R.L.Stine's Fear Street collection. I would read one after the other. lol. Now, about 15ish years later I thought I'd give it a try again. I can see why little me loved it so much. It is quite the read and a good mystery for that age group. :)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does RL Stine hate dogs?

[Liliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book

Nancy’s back bitches.

But Emily realized she had been wrong—very wrong—about Jessie. Now that two of them were close, as close as real sisters.
And what will my real sister be like? Emily wondered. What will Nancy be like after a whole year away?

Here we go again with the blaming 🙄 So, Emily’s sister Nancy is back and bad things start to happen... again. Naturally, Emily starts blaming Nancy for every little thing, and all without proof.... Again. It was just like last time with Jessie. I felt bad that Nancy was being accused of all those things. Emily is quick to jump to conclusions without thinking things through or finding evidence. I actually thought I knew who the culprit was, but boy was I wrong!

It turns out Emily was right the whole time and it WAS Nancy back to get her revenge... Again. Lol.

This was an okay sequel. I’m not gonna lie, the plot twist got me. And now that I look back, it was so obvious. One thing I enjoyed about this book was the relationship between Jessie and Emily. Especially considering everything that happened in the last book.

Fun Easter Eggs: Pete Goodwin from The Overnight and Lisa Blume from The New Girl were mentioned.

The Fear Street connection: Emily and her family live on Fear Street. Girl, get out. Lol.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a silly and fun read. More silly than anything and not as fun as the first one. With the first one, it was somewhat obvious who the culprit was because there is such a small group of people to choose from and it's rarely ever the red herring. This one somewhat followed that path, but with a twist.

What was so funny to me in this book was how Emily was being scolded by her parents for thinking that her sister was out to kill her again because she had been rehabilitated. Anytime something similar happened that resembled the situations from the first book the parents would just be like "Emily, we have to learn to be a family again." Lol! You mean after she killed my dog and tried to kill me on a camping trip?! Sorry for thinking that she may do it again!

The twist was kind of fun because it was her sister (again). Even more silly was that as she was trying to kill Emily, Emily decided to tell her sister that she forgives her and proceeds to visit her while she is locked up. Newsflash, Emily: I don't think you all will ever be able to have an honest relationship.

[Willen P · Rating 3 out of 5]

REREAD.

Of Course I was familiar with this and it's prequel (I'd read both when I was younger). I reread the first one just a few years ago, and finally reread this yesterday (11/01/24).

I didn't actually remember much of what happened in the story (apart from knowing who the culprit was, so reading this made me want to know who else would be suspected). We have a new character introduced, and an interesting back story, this time about Jessie. I think Emily was a bit more wary this time when Nancy returned, which is why she had doubts on whether Nancy was better or still out for revenge.

However, I think this one left a few things unanswered, such as the deal with Rich. Who snitched on him, and why was he so unemotional about some of the things that happened? Also, another dog died - yikes, I'm used to seeing it in standalone Fear Street, but in the prequel AND sequel?

Besides that, there's not a lot more I could say about this. It's been over 16 years since I first read, and I think I enjoyed it as much as I did back then.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr @rl_stine1 why the dogs mannnnnnnn why?!?! Immediately when I saw they got another dog I was like NOOOOOO I freaking knew it and again they just keep it pushing like nothing - at least this time Emily was trying to leave and trying to get out after that, she is the only one with any sense ….that whole family is a mess who deals with things this way!! Also I’m sorry Ms. Nancy — I will NEVER trust you again , I can forgive you and move on with my life but we ain’t sisters we ain’t friends you ain’t trying to kill me again! I could never ….just never nope nope nope

The whole book I was screaming it’s RICH!!!! I guess you going to have to read it to find out if it was Rich …

Hot mess express

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy is back, but she's better now...she doesn't want to hurt her sister any more. Right? The Stepsister 2 takes place a year after the first novel, with Nancy coming back from the hospital and everyone believing she's completely recovered. And Rick is just a jerk the whole time. I'm still disappointed in the lack of gore or horror in this one, but the suspense was a step up from the string of disappointing books. I think the ending was projected a little too obviously and Jessie, the actual Step-Sister, played a minor role in this I wonder why they titled the book as they did. Definitely moving up after a few snoozers.

[Matthew MacIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say about the Stepsister 2? Is basically a repeat of the first book. Crazy Nancy is back and all the same things are happening to Emily. Perfume spillage, cut up dress and another dead dog. Idk it’s like Stine was like the first book was popular (was it?) let’s make a generic sequel with a few obvious red herrings. Who is the one doing all these things to Emily? Is it stepbrother Rich?, stepsister Jessie, or weird needy friend Cora-Ann? Spoilers no it’s obviously Nancy. Like super obvious. Also the whole subplot of Jessie being distraught over her old friends death not to know that Cora-Ann is her friends look alike twin was so dumb. And lastly Cora-Ann is a stupid fucking name. Ugh

[Chelsea Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly I like the premise of this.

Mental health stuff doesn’t just go away, and we need more help than you would think. Especially with trauma like that and built up anger.

The little brother has such a focus on him, but then he faces no real consequences. Who told on him for being at the party? Did he ever figure out and apologize? We don’t know.

The parents are so annoying.

I also hate how again there is animal abuse in this book just like the first. I think it could have been fine without THAT happening AGAIN.

[Khurshid Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are back in my favourite street. A street that needs no introduction. A street that hides its evil in the shadows of darkness and in dark emotions.

Nancy has returned home and everyone is happy other than Emily. That is because she is being terrorised again

However

There is a twist. Emily’s step sister Jessie has a past where her friend died.

Jessie has made a new friend who resembles her dead friend.

And to add to the twist

Jessie brother does not like Emily.

The fear begins with

A slashed dress
Failed brakes
A knife attack

Leading to …..

Read to know more

[Divia · Rating 1 out of 5]

It follows a similar pattern to the first novel. Something happens to Emily. She blames someone. No one does anything about it. Something happens to Emily. She blames someone. No one does anything about it. It repeats the pet death as well.

Rich is used as a red herring although his story line with his father is never actually dealt with and resolved.

Cora-Ann is another red herring that offers a twist only for R.L. Stine to untwist it and have it just be Nancy all over again. This was not necessarily bad. It's just that somehow I did not care.

[Amber "Epp" · Rating 5 out of 5]

in 2013 my local library was getting ride of all paperback books and they had all the R.L. Stine / Christopher Pike books so I bought all of them and read them with a massive teen book marathon .. I really hope that a whole new generation of teens gets to fall in love with these books !!! as they are simply the best I loved all of these books in my teens .. :) and I really enjoyed going down memory lane re reading them as an adult ... :)

[Bailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Generic Fear Street sequel that brought nothing new to the story, makes me miss the money wasted during my youth. I think was near the time that I stopped reading these and picked up my first Jane Austens, and stopped being blinded by the name R.L. Stine. If you read the first one, you already know the antics and the antagonist.

[David Popovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable book. You could see it play out as a simple horror movie about a family dealing with their past while trying to make a future. It's a game of guess who is causing the trouble and leaves you with fun twist and turns. More details here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEhfI...

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

#SummerofFear resumes with the 33rd Fear Street book, a sequel to the 9th book in the series. After her sister returns home from rehabilitation, Emily starts experiencing misfortunes again. Is her sister behind all this again, or is there something else going on? It keeps you guessing, and it was fun to dive back into the Fear Street world.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannend en griezelig. Psychologisch stevig onderbouwd. Je voelt dat er iets niet klopt maar wordt door de auteur op het verkeerde been gezet tot het beslissende moment er is waar alles duidelijk wordt gemaakt. Ondertussen de gebruikelijke ingrediënten: tiener krijgt het benauwd, ligt onder vuur.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very telling that I didn't have to read The Stepsister to be able to keep up with the plot of part 2. Though, to be honest, I was really hoping it was Jessie who was up to all that shit. Now that would have been a plot twist!

[Serena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bland, completely forgettable and worst of all, predictable. The brother acts as a red herring but his actions just don’t make sense once you’ve read the whole book. Very underwhelming with an equally underwhelming ending. Next!

[Tiffani Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

That ending! Did not see that one coming!

[Natyluvsemojis!!!!! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book it is sooo mysterious and it has a lot of drama and I want to know if there is going to be a 3rd stepsister book i hope soooooo

[Isabella L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved the thriller of this book and how i wanted to keep reading more and more.