What do you think?
Rate this book
Sweet Valley High #100
The Evil Twin
Last Christmas, Margo, a girl who looked, talked, and dressed exactly like the Wakefield twins, tried to take the twins' place in the Wakefield household. Now her twin, Nora, has come to take revenge on the Wakefields for Margo's death.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1993
55 people are currently reading
651 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,139 books1,843 followersFrancine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
December 9, 2021
This book is a ride.
I always see this as the turning point in the series, which is fitting since it's book #100. After this, the books trend into mini-sets of stories instead of the long-running standalones that made SVH famous. This was kicked off with the A Night To Remember Magna edition and led up to The Evil Twin finale. It's where many fans left; the series changed at this point and the format wasn't the same. The covers changed, the ghostwriters changed, the mood of the books changed for sure.
But even as the catalyst for all of this, The Evil Twin remains one of my favorite SVH books of all time. You don't need the mini-series that led up to this—it's all laid out for you carefully in the narrative. There is no other book that has so much murder, thrills, insanity, and weirdness mixed with all the character tropes you love to hate. It's like the ghostwriter threw the series bible at the wall and everything made its way to the pages.
And somehow it still remains Christmas-y and seasonal AF. I don't know how they did it. A fitting end to what many see as the true original series.
I always see this as the turning point in the series, which is fitting since it's book #100. After this, the books trend into mini-sets of stories instead of the long-running standalones that made SVH famous. This was kicked off with the A Night To Remember Magna edition and led up to The Evil Twin finale. It's where many fans left; the series changed at this point and the format wasn't the same. The covers changed, the ghostwriters changed, the mood of the books changed for sure.
But even as the catalyst for all of this, The Evil Twin remains one of my favorite SVH books of all time. You don't need the mini-series that led up to this—it's all laid out for you carefully in the narrative. There is no other book that has so much murder, thrills, insanity, and weirdness mixed with all the character tropes you love to hate. It's like the ghostwriter threw the series bible at the wall and everything made its way to the pages.
And somehow it still remains Christmas-y and seasonal AF. I don't know how they did it. A fitting end to what many see as the true original series.
December 21, 2010
AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC OF TEEN LITERATURE, THIS ONE HAS EVERYTHING. Mental illness, murder, sex (well, only slightly hinted at), psycho doppelgangers, a party at Lila's place, stupid oblivious Wakefield parents, CRAZY MARGO... oh my goodness... Too amazing. In fact, the whole mini series leading up to this one (and its sequel, RETURN OF THE EVIL TWIN) are absolutely the pinnacle of the SVH series. As one other review said, CRACKTASTIC.
February 19, 2013
Welcome to "The House is Burning, But We Choose to Ignore It" or Sweet Valley High #100, "The Evil Twin."
As the lovely snarkers at 1bruce1 pointed out, this book is the Pulitzer of Sweet Valley. That is why it is most deserving of five stars (that's five stars compared to other Sweet Valley books, not compared to anything else). I am not going to spend hours recapping every second of the book... after all, that's been done in three different places already that I know of: The Dairi Burger, Shannon Sweet Valley, and 1bruce1. However, if you don't know the basic plot, you really do need to be informed.
Jessica and Elizabeth are estranged due to The Jungle Prom fiasco (in A Night to Remember, the WORST Sweet Valley book), in which Jessica spiked Liz's punch so that she could win Prom Queen. Liz ended up driving off in the Jeep with Sam, Jessica's boyfriend, in tow, and Jessica was unable to stop them until it was too late. Sam died as a result of Jessica's sociopathy. The next 5 books in the miniseries (The Morning After, The Arrest, The Verdict, The Wedding and Beware the Baby-Sitter) deal with Jessica refusing to tell Liz or the cops her part in Sam's death, and guilt-tripping her by "dating" Todd. Every book just recaps the utter misery of A Night to Remember over and over and over. It makes you want to slash your wrists it is so depressing. But while this is going on, the ghostwriters have thrown another kink in the wrench. Her name is Margo, and she likes to dial capital M for Murder. By the time we arrive at the Evil Twin, she has killed five people on her way from New York to Sweet Valley to "become" Elizabeth Wakefield. She spends the five books studying Liz and her life intently and is hellbent on the fact that Liz's life is perfect and that it is "rightfully" hers. She has fooled everyone into thinking that she is, in fact, Elizabeth Wakefield (and occasionally Jessica). Obviously the book's climax includes a big showdown between Liz, Jess, and Margo at Lila's New Year's Eve Ball. It's probably no shock that Margo dies and the Wakefield twins (unfortunately) don't.
So, now that you know the plot, let's tackle a few questions that I have. I know that Sweet Valley is all about suspension of belief, and none more so than this book. But there are just a few comments/questions/complaints that I have about things that went on throughout this entire miniseries that I am doubting the validity of (and about which I refuse to suspend my belief). These are in no particular order, just as they occur to me while I'm typing this.
1. My alternate title for this book comes from the fact that every single person in Sweet Valley is "sensing" danger, but they completely ignore their instincts until the final hour when Liz is really in trouble. The only two people who actually try to do anything are James, who ends up dead, and Josh, who ends up in jail for a good chunk of time.
2. You don't need me to tell you (hopefully) that you cannot be someone's triplet unless they sprang from the same womb. I don't doubt people on this earth looking like each other and not even being from the same family. But being identical in every way except hair and eye color? No. The crazy thing is that NOBODY, not even Jess and Liz, who claim to know each other SO WELL, can tell Liz, Margo, and Jess apart, except for in the final hour. They have spent the whole miniseries ignoring Margo's evil eyes while she impersonated Jess & Liz left and right, and then all of a sudden at the end of the book everyone says, "Well, you're not Jess/Liz! Your eyes are evil!" Since Margo never STOPPED being evil, it makes no sense that they would all of a sudden notice this at the very end and not before. It makes even less sense to believe that Jess and Liz cannot tell when the person they are speaking to is clearly not their twin (i.e., Margo). And while everyone feels uncomfortable around Margo while she is impersonating Liz or Jess, especially Mrs. Wakefield, they never really doubt that they have just spoken to this twin or that twin. A mother not knowing her own daughters? In Alice's case, I'm not surprised, but I still can't suspend my belief in that.
3. Speaking of Jess, who is the target of Margo & Nora in Return of the Evil Twin, it makes no sense why Liz is constantly pursued in this book when Margo's personality would have been much better suited (and much more quickly believed) to Jessica's temperament. In fact, Margo states on numerous pages how she could just become Jessica, and in the end it doesn't really matter which twin she becomes. She is originally attracted to becoming Liz because she believes her to be "perfect" and "flawless" and "the golden girl," and she doesn't want to deal with Jessica's reputation. But as the book goes on, she is constantly mistaken for Jess instead of Liz, and hangs out with Lila far more than Enid (whom Margo hates and vows to destroy when she becomes Liz. Enid instantly sees Margo as Jessica. Again, why can't she recognize her own best friend?). She admits that it would be much more fun to be Jessica, but I guess she is already so committed to being Liz that she just decides to change Liz's entire personality when she takes over her life (Margo would have run into some opposition with Jess had she pulled that stunt. We see how well it went for Liz when she tried to stand up to Jess in A Night to Remember). Todd actually finds out it's not Liz OR Jess he's speaking to when Margo suggests they stay in a room together. Since both of the twins' vaginas are locked up tighter than a drum, this was an automatic red flag to horny Todd. He finally put two and two together... though the fact that no one could tell a complete stranger from Jess or Liz says something about the entirety of Sweet Valley.
4. Margo is persistent in her belief that no one will ever find out that she is not Elizabeth once she actually kills and becomes Elizabeth. I admire Margo's crazy, but this is hysterical on so many levels. It's completely Talented Mr. Ripley, the entire storyline. People were already suspicious since they believed her to be Jessica (ha!) in the first place. Margo says she will get rid of Enid since she doesn't immediately recognize her as Liz. By that count, Margo would have to kill the entire town of SV in order to erase the memory of the original Liz from everyone's minds. Margo is ambitious, but she should have stuck with Jessica in the first book. She knows she can't be as saccharine sweet as Liz all the time. She can barely do it for one conversation. But she is convinced things will go off without a hitch and that that no one will ever know the difference. Although... everyone in Sweet Valley does completely ignore their instincts whenever possible...
5. Liz is such a dense fuck she doesn't figure out that Jess spiked her punch until like page 240 something, with less than 100 pages of the book to go and no way to resolve this. As someone who was more pissed than I've ever been at a book and a person's actions in A Night to Remember, I was even more pissed that the entire thing got brushed aside because of all the Margo crazy. Though Jessica has been the biggest sociopath in the world throughout the entire miniseries, she is suddenly played as a distraught victim in The Evil Twin due to the loss of two boyfriends in a short time span (the fact that one was her doing, however accidental, must have escaped everyone's attention). Liz and Jess remain estranged because of a letter from Todd Jess hid from Liz... until Liz realizes about the spiked punch. But very soon after she also realizes that Josh wasn't lying about Margo and that she is about to die, so she resolves to forgive Jessica by midnight and put the whole thing behind them. Since Liz realizes what happens, Jess never has to admit it out loud, and Liz automatically forgives her, since she reasons that Jessica has been through so much guilt and pain already. She also rationalizes the whole thing away by saying that what Jessica did was just thoughtless and stupid ("typical Jessica") and what Margo is doing is pure evil. Yes, apparently killing one person (accidentally or not), is okay, but once you kill five people you are full-blown crazyfied. Usually we are all pissed at Jessica, because her antics are not typical: they are sociopathic. Liz is clearly not a journalist, since her definition of evil includes Margo but not her own twin.
6. Margo is Tinker Bell; she controls the weather. All of Sweet Valley is stormy the entire time she is there. Of course the sun comes out the moment she is dead.
I hope to read this book many more times in the future. Maybe by then one or both of the twins will end up dead.
As the lovely snarkers at 1bruce1 pointed out, this book is the Pulitzer of Sweet Valley. That is why it is most deserving of five stars (that's five stars compared to other Sweet Valley books, not compared to anything else). I am not going to spend hours recapping every second of the book... after all, that's been done in three different places already that I know of: The Dairi Burger, Shannon Sweet Valley, and 1bruce1. However, if you don't know the basic plot, you really do need to be informed.
Jessica and Elizabeth are estranged due to The Jungle Prom fiasco (in A Night to Remember, the WORST Sweet Valley book), in which Jessica spiked Liz's punch so that she could win Prom Queen. Liz ended up driving off in the Jeep with Sam, Jessica's boyfriend, in tow, and Jessica was unable to stop them until it was too late. Sam died as a result of Jessica's sociopathy. The next 5 books in the miniseries (The Morning After, The Arrest, The Verdict, The Wedding and Beware the Baby-Sitter) deal with Jessica refusing to tell Liz or the cops her part in Sam's death, and guilt-tripping her by "dating" Todd. Every book just recaps the utter misery of A Night to Remember over and over and over. It makes you want to slash your wrists it is so depressing. But while this is going on, the ghostwriters have thrown another kink in the wrench. Her name is Margo, and she likes to dial capital M for Murder. By the time we arrive at the Evil Twin, she has killed five people on her way from New York to Sweet Valley to "become" Elizabeth Wakefield. She spends the five books studying Liz and her life intently and is hellbent on the fact that Liz's life is perfect and that it is "rightfully" hers. She has fooled everyone into thinking that she is, in fact, Elizabeth Wakefield (and occasionally Jessica). Obviously the book's climax includes a big showdown between Liz, Jess, and Margo at Lila's New Year's Eve Ball. It's probably no shock that Margo dies and the Wakefield twins (unfortunately) don't.
So, now that you know the plot, let's tackle a few questions that I have. I know that Sweet Valley is all about suspension of belief, and none more so than this book. But there are just a few comments/questions/complaints that I have about things that went on throughout this entire miniseries that I am doubting the validity of (and about which I refuse to suspend my belief). These are in no particular order, just as they occur to me while I'm typing this.
1. My alternate title for this book comes from the fact that every single person in Sweet Valley is "sensing" danger, but they completely ignore their instincts until the final hour when Liz is really in trouble. The only two people who actually try to do anything are James, who ends up dead, and Josh, who ends up in jail for a good chunk of time.
2. You don't need me to tell you (hopefully) that you cannot be someone's triplet unless they sprang from the same womb. I don't doubt people on this earth looking like each other and not even being from the same family. But being identical in every way except hair and eye color? No. The crazy thing is that NOBODY, not even Jess and Liz, who claim to know each other SO WELL, can tell Liz, Margo, and Jess apart, except for in the final hour. They have spent the whole miniseries ignoring Margo's evil eyes while she impersonated Jess & Liz left and right, and then all of a sudden at the end of the book everyone says, "Well, you're not Jess/Liz! Your eyes are evil!" Since Margo never STOPPED being evil, it makes no sense that they would all of a sudden notice this at the very end and not before. It makes even less sense to believe that Jess and Liz cannot tell when the person they are speaking to is clearly not their twin (i.e., Margo). And while everyone feels uncomfortable around Margo while she is impersonating Liz or Jess, especially Mrs. Wakefield, they never really doubt that they have just spoken to this twin or that twin. A mother not knowing her own daughters? In Alice's case, I'm not surprised, but I still can't suspend my belief in that.
3. Speaking of Jess, who is the target of Margo & Nora in Return of the Evil Twin, it makes no sense why Liz is constantly pursued in this book when Margo's personality would have been much better suited (and much more quickly believed) to Jessica's temperament. In fact, Margo states on numerous pages how she could just become Jessica, and in the end it doesn't really matter which twin she becomes. She is originally attracted to becoming Liz because she believes her to be "perfect" and "flawless" and "the golden girl," and she doesn't want to deal with Jessica's reputation. But as the book goes on, she is constantly mistaken for Jess instead of Liz, and hangs out with Lila far more than Enid (whom Margo hates and vows to destroy when she becomes Liz. Enid instantly sees Margo as Jessica. Again, why can't she recognize her own best friend?). She admits that it would be much more fun to be Jessica, but I guess she is already so committed to being Liz that she just decides to change Liz's entire personality when she takes over her life (Margo would have run into some opposition with Jess had she pulled that stunt. We see how well it went for Liz when she tried to stand up to Jess in A Night to Remember). Todd actually finds out it's not Liz OR Jess he's speaking to when Margo suggests they stay in a room together. Since both of the twins' vaginas are locked up tighter than a drum, this was an automatic red flag to horny Todd. He finally put two and two together... though the fact that no one could tell a complete stranger from Jess or Liz says something about the entirety of Sweet Valley.
4. Margo is persistent in her belief that no one will ever find out that she is not Elizabeth once she actually kills and becomes Elizabeth. I admire Margo's crazy, but this is hysterical on so many levels. It's completely Talented Mr. Ripley, the entire storyline. People were already suspicious since they believed her to be Jessica (ha!) in the first place. Margo says she will get rid of Enid since she doesn't immediately recognize her as Liz. By that count, Margo would have to kill the entire town of SV in order to erase the memory of the original Liz from everyone's minds. Margo is ambitious, but she should have stuck with Jessica in the first book. She knows she can't be as saccharine sweet as Liz all the time. She can barely do it for one conversation. But she is convinced things will go off without a hitch and that that no one will ever know the difference. Although... everyone in Sweet Valley does completely ignore their instincts whenever possible...
5. Liz is such a dense fuck she doesn't figure out that Jess spiked her punch until like page 240 something, with less than 100 pages of the book to go and no way to resolve this. As someone who was more pissed than I've ever been at a book and a person's actions in A Night to Remember, I was even more pissed that the entire thing got brushed aside because of all the Margo crazy. Though Jessica has been the biggest sociopath in the world throughout the entire miniseries, she is suddenly played as a distraught victim in The Evil Twin due to the loss of two boyfriends in a short time span (the fact that one was her doing, however accidental, must have escaped everyone's attention). Liz and Jess remain estranged because of a letter from Todd Jess hid from Liz... until Liz realizes about the spiked punch. But very soon after she also realizes that Josh wasn't lying about Margo and that she is about to die, so she resolves to forgive Jessica by midnight and put the whole thing behind them. Since Liz realizes what happens, Jess never has to admit it out loud, and Liz automatically forgives her, since she reasons that Jessica has been through so much guilt and pain already. She also rationalizes the whole thing away by saying that what Jessica did was just thoughtless and stupid ("typical Jessica") and what Margo is doing is pure evil. Yes, apparently killing one person (accidentally or not), is okay, but once you kill five people you are full-blown crazyfied. Usually we are all pissed at Jessica, because her antics are not typical: they are sociopathic. Liz is clearly not a journalist, since her definition of evil includes Margo but not her own twin.
6. Margo is Tinker Bell; she controls the weather. All of Sweet Valley is stormy the entire time she is there. Of course the sun comes out the moment she is dead.
I hope to read this book many more times in the future. Maybe by then one or both of the twins will end up dead.
December 30, 2024
There are overall series spoilers ahead. Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are still reeling over the death of Jessica's boyfriend, Sam Woodruff, in the drunk-driving accident on Prom Night and Elizabeth's trial for vehicular manslaughter. It seems like the twins will never reconcile, and they don't even see the new threat lingering from outside. There's another Wakefield look-alike in town, and Margo won't rest until she's taken the place of one of the twins--permanently.
Christmas isn't really my holiday. I go all out for Halloween, and I have stacks of October-ish horror novels and picture books about witches and monsters. My Christmas books are, not surprisingly, more limited (although I did have a chance to read The Zombie Night Before Christmas to my nieces and nephews; the youngest looked appropriately disturbed by it). Every few years around this time, I feel the need to revisit my favorite Christmas novel: Sweet Valley High's The Evil Twin. It's in the spirit of things, and naturally my Christmas books have a lot of murder in them.
I used to love this series, back when YA literature was made up mostly of Sweet Valley, R.L. Stine, Bruce Coville, and Madeleine L'Engle. It was so bad that at one point, in an effort to get me to read something else, my mom and I had a bargain that I could check out as many Sweet Valley books from the library as I wanted, provided I also read one other book of her choice. While this is by no means a masterfully crafted novel, the writing wasn't as bad as I expected going back to it after so many years. Like a lot of romance and mystery novels, the style strives to be invisible, and it works--I feel like I'm in the story rather than distracted by the writing. It's a nice, easy vacation from reality, which is what I need from fiction sometimes.
This novel scared the bejeezus out of me when I was younger. I can pretty much pinpoint a lot of my childhood fears--an intruder lurking in my empty house, someone getting in through the basement window, being stabbed in my bed while I sleep--to this and Return of the Evil Twin. Margo is just cold and crafty enough to be an appropriately scary villain, and William pulls no punches on her evil acts of murder and aggression. More than that, it's creepy as hell to see her impersonating the twins. If you've ever had the feeling that the person you're talking to is not actually the person you're talking to, or possibly not even a person-- well, maybe I'm just paranoid.
There's not a lot of deep thinking going on with the plot or the characters, but William keeps it moving, and there's rarely a moment where the story drags. While it jumps perspectives often, the narrative is pretty seamless, and I never felt like I was missing out on the action. I forgot how much of the story is driven by intuition and prophetic dreams, which was fun. I sympathize with the twins, who feel like childhood friends, and it's nice to revisit something I enjoyed for a long time. For fans of the series, it will always be one of my favorites.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
Christmas isn't really my holiday. I go all out for Halloween, and I have stacks of October-ish horror novels and picture books about witches and monsters. My Christmas books are, not surprisingly, more limited (although I did have a chance to read The Zombie Night Before Christmas to my nieces and nephews; the youngest looked appropriately disturbed by it). Every few years around this time, I feel the need to revisit my favorite Christmas novel: Sweet Valley High's The Evil Twin. It's in the spirit of things, and naturally my Christmas books have a lot of murder in them.
I used to love this series, back when YA literature was made up mostly of Sweet Valley, R.L. Stine, Bruce Coville, and Madeleine L'Engle. It was so bad that at one point, in an effort to get me to read something else, my mom and I had a bargain that I could check out as many Sweet Valley books from the library as I wanted, provided I also read one other book of her choice. While this is by no means a masterfully crafted novel, the writing wasn't as bad as I expected going back to it after so many years. Like a lot of romance and mystery novels, the style strives to be invisible, and it works--I feel like I'm in the story rather than distracted by the writing. It's a nice, easy vacation from reality, which is what I need from fiction sometimes.
This novel scared the bejeezus out of me when I was younger. I can pretty much pinpoint a lot of my childhood fears--an intruder lurking in my empty house, someone getting in through the basement window, being stabbed in my bed while I sleep--to this and Return of the Evil Twin. Margo is just cold and crafty enough to be an appropriately scary villain, and William pulls no punches on her evil acts of murder and aggression. More than that, it's creepy as hell to see her impersonating the twins. If you've ever had the feeling that the person you're talking to is not actually the person you're talking to, or possibly not even a person-- well, maybe I'm just paranoid.
There's not a lot of deep thinking going on with the plot or the characters, but William keeps it moving, and there's rarely a moment where the story drags. While it jumps perspectives often, the narrative is pretty seamless, and I never felt like I was missing out on the action. I forgot how much of the story is driven by intuition and prophetic dreams, which was fun. I sympathize with the twins, who feel like childhood friends, and it's nice to revisit something I enjoyed for a long time. For fans of the series, it will always be one of my favorites.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
December 28, 2017
review to come .. im sick at the moment
December 27, 2023
All miniseries long, I've been waiting for the Christmas season to hit, and boom! Here it is. Chapter one, the twins are dressing for their last day of classes before the winter break. They are both musing over the disaster that was the Jungle Prom, Sam's death, and their estrangement ever since. Both twins have premonitions that something bad is going to happen, but they are so mired in their anger and sadness that they can't really tell if its a true feeling or not.
There is another great early canon touch with the Secret Santa candy canes given out during the last day of school, though Margo has slipped some nasty anonymous messages to both Jessica and Elizabeth. Margo has started regularly impersonating both twins - at school, at home, with friends, etc. Margo thinks she's doing a fabulous job of pulling the wool over everyone's eyes, but in reality, everyone she's with knows that she's not Liz, at least if their interaction is more than a few words. She has an easier time impersonating Jessica, and even contemplates switching her murderous ire to the feisty twin for awhile, but ultimately can't shake her ultimate desire to take over Liz's life. She has a countdown clock running, too: she's going to murder Elizabeth at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.
The Wakefields have a strained Christmas celebration (with Margo watching from the shadows), and then the parents are off on their wild goose chase in San Francisco that Margo had arranged in the previous book. Margo has figured out how to sneak into the Wakefield home from a basement window, so she starts coming and going with great regularity. She sneaks into Liz's room, reads her diary, lays in her bed, and even hides in her closet when Liz arrives home unexpectedly. It's really creepy. Liz sees her room in disarray and blames Jessica. She's still mad about Jess hiding the note from Todd, but she can't understand "Jessica's" strange behavior in rifling through her things.
Meanwhile, Margo is making dates with Todd, who is having weird flashbacks to his earlier fling with Jessica, and is also wondering what "Jessica" is trying to pull by impersonating Liz. He doesn't trust his instincts (until its too late). Only Enid looks at Margo-playing-Liz and tells her outright that she doesn't believe its Liz she's talking to; she, too, suspects Jessica, though she doesn't understand the motive.
Margo is also impersonating Jessica, especially around Lila. Lila and her family are off to Paris for Christmas, but are returning just in time to throw a huge, formal ball for New Year's. Margo worms her way into Fowler Crest by pretending to be Jessica, and makes plans to kill Liz at the ball and bury her in the woods behind the pool house.
Jessica is wracked with guilt about spiking Liz's punch at the Jungle Prom, but can't quite bring herself to come clean. James has suddenly dumped her, and she has no idea why. He calls one night and asks her to meet him so he can explain, but unfortunately Margo intercepts the call - and the meeting - and pushes James off a pier.
Josh Smith is still dogging Margo's trail, and when she realizes it, she leads him directly to James, and leaves it looking as if he was the one who killed James instead of her, so he's neatly removed from her plans by being arrested for the murder. After all, who arrives just after but the Wakefield twins and Todd, and who do they see but Josh, standing on the pier looking over?
James's sudden death plunges Jessica into pretty deep despair. Margo, being a sociopath, does not have real emotions and goes on impersonating both twins, though each set of friends finds it incredibly odd that "Jess" and "Liz" are so chirpy and talkative. Nobody really puts two and two together though, which is pretty frustrating. Especially since Margo's interactions with everyone are not convincing - if these people had exchanged notes more regularly, they would've figured out what was going on way before the end of the book.
But alas. The Wakefield parents make it to San Francisco and find nothing is as they thought. The letter Mr Wakefield received is confirmed as a forgery by the company, and they decide to return to Sweet Valley early. Mrs Wakefield is beside herself with worry about her children; every time she calls home she speaks with "Liz" (aka Margo), who assures her that everything is fine, but her mother's intuition keeps telling her something is wrong.
Playing against everyone is the fact that it's apparently the storm of the century in southern California, raining seven straight days from Christmas through New Year's, with plenty of electrical storms and fog. It slows the Wakefield parents' return to Sweet Valley, and obscures the actions going on at the New Year's ball.
Margo finagles the dresses that she and Liz are wearing to the party; when Todd arrives to pick Liz up, he has to look and her long and hard to make sure that she really is Elizabeth. He's determined to stick to her like glue for the entire evening, but of course Liz has to go to the bathroom at some point, and that's when they are separated. Todd thinks he finds her in a dark room at Fowler Crest, but instead he realizes that he's with Margo and she knocks him out with a brass statuette (the tiny picture on the bottom left of the stepback).
Jessica goes to the party alone, for once wearing a completely different outfit from her sister. Steven and Billie are at the Wakefield homestead, watching movies/making out to celebrate the new year. Everyone hears the news when Josh breaks out of the county jail in one last attempt to stop Margo, and everyone is fearful that because he knows Todd and the twins, that he'll be gunning for them.
Jessica goes looking for Liz at Fowler Crest and sees her going into the pool house; she follows her and finds Margo standing over Liz, about to kill her. Todd has regained consciousness and is stumbling around; Steven and Billie have raced to Fowler Crest to check on the twins after finding the phones down; Enid spots Josh Smith near the pool house and sends as rescue party to stop Josh in his tracks.
Meanwhile, Jessica, Liz, and Margo are struggling for the butcher knife. Jess and Liz have both had the prophetic dream about the "twin" with dark hair and the butcher knife at Secca Lake, so they immediately understand what's going on. Jess gets the knife in hand at one point and points it at both girls in pink, unable to figure out which one is which. This is the moment that sticks with me, even thirty years later. Jessica realizes which one is Liz a split second too late; Margo grabs the knife and threatens them both. Mercifully, Jess throws herself over Liz, and Josh slams into the pool house at just the right moment, to knock Margo off the twins, through the plate glass window, and onto the patio below. Margo is killed when a slice of glass cuts into her carotid artery and she bleeds to death.
Josh is telling his story to the police, who believe him now that there's a third "twin" dead nearby. Neither Elizabeth nor Jessica can understand it, but they are so thankful to be alive that they immediately forgive each other, and rush into their mother's arms.
This is certainly a thriller, and it works on every level. It's also a standalone; you don't have to read A Night to Remember or #95-99 in order to understand what's going on here - all of the relevant info is recapped. Margo has finally put all of her plans into motion, and while she is clever, she's not nearly as clever as she thinks. No one that she interacts with for any length of time believes that she's Elizabeth, not even Mrs Wakefield or Todd. If anything, she'd have had an easier time slotting herself into Jessica's life, but she thinks Jess is weak and pathetic.
Reading this as an adult, I kinda felt sorry for Margo. She's absolutely insane, but she's also deluding herself for thinking that she'd get away with it. Her answer to not getting her way is to kill, and what makes her think that even if she did successfully off Elizabeth and take over her identity, and anyone would believe that Liz would kill as easily and as often as Margo did? Sure, she was on trial for involuntary manslaughter for Sam's death, but she was acquitted. Only someone who was totally bananapants beyond-the-bend would think that was a good cover for committing murder.
Anyway. Margo is a sad, mad, awful, evil person, but knowing that she'd never get away with it - when she hesitates to kill Elizabeth at the end - takes away some of the suspenseful feeling. Also: no one is as dumb as pretty much everyone acts here, and no way is Josh the only person on Margo's trail throughout all of this.
Other disappointing factors: that Josh never explains how he put together Margo's murderous past; and that Jessica never tells Elizabeth about spiking the punch at the Jungle Prom (supposedly Liz 'intuits' it from a series of dreams, where her subconscious magically allows her to see Jessica doing it, and why she did it).
But, this is rightly considered the best book of the entire SVH series, and it definitely holds up as such. There was no going back to the slim, white-spined, early canon series after this, and indeed, SVH quickly goes off the rails in increasingly dramatic and idiotic ways, but damn. What a helluva way to celebrate reaching a milestone series number!
Unfortunately, one of the terribad books that follows this is an actual sequel to the Evil Twin, which is so OTT that I remember being angry that they even attempted to pull it off. Hopefully I will find it less anger-inducing this time around, as we close out our re-read (and this year)!
There is another great early canon touch with the Secret Santa candy canes given out during the last day of school, though Margo has slipped some nasty anonymous messages to both Jessica and Elizabeth. Margo has started regularly impersonating both twins - at school, at home, with friends, etc. Margo thinks she's doing a fabulous job of pulling the wool over everyone's eyes, but in reality, everyone she's with knows that she's not Liz, at least if their interaction is more than a few words. She has an easier time impersonating Jessica, and even contemplates switching her murderous ire to the feisty twin for awhile, but ultimately can't shake her ultimate desire to take over Liz's life. She has a countdown clock running, too: she's going to murder Elizabeth at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.
The Wakefields have a strained Christmas celebration (with Margo watching from the shadows), and then the parents are off on their wild goose chase in San Francisco that Margo had arranged in the previous book. Margo has figured out how to sneak into the Wakefield home from a basement window, so she starts coming and going with great regularity. She sneaks into Liz's room, reads her diary, lays in her bed, and even hides in her closet when Liz arrives home unexpectedly. It's really creepy. Liz sees her room in disarray and blames Jessica. She's still mad about Jess hiding the note from Todd, but she can't understand "Jessica's" strange behavior in rifling through her things.
Meanwhile, Margo is making dates with Todd, who is having weird flashbacks to his earlier fling with Jessica, and is also wondering what "Jessica" is trying to pull by impersonating Liz. He doesn't trust his instincts (until its too late). Only Enid looks at Margo-playing-Liz and tells her outright that she doesn't believe its Liz she's talking to; she, too, suspects Jessica, though she doesn't understand the motive.
Margo is also impersonating Jessica, especially around Lila. Lila and her family are off to Paris for Christmas, but are returning just in time to throw a huge, formal ball for New Year's. Margo worms her way into Fowler Crest by pretending to be Jessica, and makes plans to kill Liz at the ball and bury her in the woods behind the pool house.
Jessica is wracked with guilt about spiking Liz's punch at the Jungle Prom, but can't quite bring herself to come clean. James has suddenly dumped her, and she has no idea why. He calls one night and asks her to meet him so he can explain, but unfortunately Margo intercepts the call - and the meeting - and pushes James off a pier.
Josh Smith is still dogging Margo's trail, and when she realizes it, she leads him directly to James, and leaves it looking as if he was the one who killed James instead of her, so he's neatly removed from her plans by being arrested for the murder. After all, who arrives just after but the Wakefield twins and Todd, and who do they see but Josh, standing on the pier looking over?
James's sudden death plunges Jessica into pretty deep despair. Margo, being a sociopath, does not have real emotions and goes on impersonating both twins, though each set of friends finds it incredibly odd that "Jess" and "Liz" are so chirpy and talkative. Nobody really puts two and two together though, which is pretty frustrating. Especially since Margo's interactions with everyone are not convincing - if these people had exchanged notes more regularly, they would've figured out what was going on way before the end of the book.
But alas. The Wakefield parents make it to San Francisco and find nothing is as they thought. The letter Mr Wakefield received is confirmed as a forgery by the company, and they decide to return to Sweet Valley early. Mrs Wakefield is beside herself with worry about her children; every time she calls home she speaks with "Liz" (aka Margo), who assures her that everything is fine, but her mother's intuition keeps telling her something is wrong.
Playing against everyone is the fact that it's apparently the storm of the century in southern California, raining seven straight days from Christmas through New Year's, with plenty of electrical storms and fog. It slows the Wakefield parents' return to Sweet Valley, and obscures the actions going on at the New Year's ball.
Margo finagles the dresses that she and Liz are wearing to the party; when Todd arrives to pick Liz up, he has to look and her long and hard to make sure that she really is Elizabeth. He's determined to stick to her like glue for the entire evening, but of course Liz has to go to the bathroom at some point, and that's when they are separated. Todd thinks he finds her in a dark room at Fowler Crest, but instead he realizes that he's with Margo and she knocks him out with a brass statuette (the tiny picture on the bottom left of the stepback).
Jessica goes to the party alone, for once wearing a completely different outfit from her sister. Steven and Billie are at the Wakefield homestead, watching movies/making out to celebrate the new year. Everyone hears the news when Josh breaks out of the county jail in one last attempt to stop Margo, and everyone is fearful that because he knows Todd and the twins, that he'll be gunning for them.
Jessica goes looking for Liz at Fowler Crest and sees her going into the pool house; she follows her and finds Margo standing over Liz, about to kill her. Todd has regained consciousness and is stumbling around; Steven and Billie have raced to Fowler Crest to check on the twins after finding the phones down; Enid spots Josh Smith near the pool house and sends as rescue party to stop Josh in his tracks.
Meanwhile, Jessica, Liz, and Margo are struggling for the butcher knife. Jess and Liz have both had the prophetic dream about the "twin" with dark hair and the butcher knife at Secca Lake, so they immediately understand what's going on. Jess gets the knife in hand at one point and points it at both girls in pink, unable to figure out which one is which. This is the moment that sticks with me, even thirty years later. Jessica realizes which one is Liz a split second too late; Margo grabs the knife and threatens them both. Mercifully, Jess throws herself over Liz, and Josh slams into the pool house at just the right moment, to knock Margo off the twins, through the plate glass window, and onto the patio below. Margo is killed when a slice of glass cuts into her carotid artery and she bleeds to death.
Josh is telling his story to the police, who believe him now that there's a third "twin" dead nearby. Neither Elizabeth nor Jessica can understand it, but they are so thankful to be alive that they immediately forgive each other, and rush into their mother's arms.
This is certainly a thriller, and it works on every level. It's also a standalone; you don't have to read A Night to Remember or #95-99 in order to understand what's going on here - all of the relevant info is recapped. Margo has finally put all of her plans into motion, and while she is clever, she's not nearly as clever as she thinks. No one that she interacts with for any length of time believes that she's Elizabeth, not even Mrs Wakefield or Todd. If anything, she'd have had an easier time slotting herself into Jessica's life, but she thinks Jess is weak and pathetic.
Reading this as an adult, I kinda felt sorry for Margo. She's absolutely insane, but she's also deluding herself for thinking that she'd get away with it. Her answer to not getting her way is to kill, and what makes her think that even if she did successfully off Elizabeth and take over her identity, and anyone would believe that Liz would kill as easily and as often as Margo did? Sure, she was on trial for involuntary manslaughter for Sam's death, but she was acquitted. Only someone who was totally bananapants beyond-the-bend would think that was a good cover for committing murder.
Anyway. Margo is a sad, mad, awful, evil person, but knowing that she'd never get away with it - when she hesitates to kill Elizabeth at the end - takes away some of the suspenseful feeling. Also: no one is as dumb as pretty much everyone acts here, and no way is Josh the only person on Margo's trail throughout all of this.
Other disappointing factors: that Josh never explains how he put together Margo's murderous past; and that Jessica never tells Elizabeth about spiking the punch at the Jungle Prom (supposedly Liz 'intuits' it from a series of dreams, where her subconscious magically allows her to see Jessica doing it, and why she did it).
But, this is rightly considered the best book of the entire SVH series, and it definitely holds up as such. There was no going back to the slim, white-spined, early canon series after this, and indeed, SVH quickly goes off the rails in increasingly dramatic and idiotic ways, but damn. What a helluva way to celebrate reaching a milestone series number!
Unfortunately, one of the terribad books that follows this is an actual sequel to the Evil Twin, which is so OTT that I remember being angry that they even attempted to pull it off. Hopefully I will find it less anger-inducing this time around, as we close out our re-read (and this year)!
December 26, 2023
There are two kinds of SV fans. Those who realize that this is the best book of the series, or at least on the very short list of the best... and those who don't.
I re-read The Evil Twin every year for Christmas because it's not Christmas without Margo trying to kill Elizabeth and assume her identity. Sure, there are a lot of problems with the logic that Margo's appearance brings up, but for the most part, this is the moment SVH burned its brightest and best.
Sadly, nothing that came after could live up to the awesome promise delivered here. So the Evil Twin, and the arc leading up to it, did what Margo could not. They killed the twins, but it took another forty books [plus specials] for anyone to get the memo.
I re-read The Evil Twin every year for Christmas because it's not Christmas without Margo trying to kill Elizabeth and assume her identity. Sure, there are a lot of problems with the logic that Margo's appearance brings up, but for the most part, this is the moment SVH burned its brightest and best.
Sadly, nothing that came after could live up to the awesome promise delivered here. So the Evil Twin, and the arc leading up to it, did what Margo could not. They killed the twins, but it took another forty books [plus specials] for anyone to get the memo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2019
I was in a bit of a reading slump so I wanted something I could just power through and I remembered that I got my hands on this gem not long ago. This is an absolutely classic Sweet Valley book, and probably the one I reread the most when I was younger so I had to return to it for nostalgia's sake. There's oblivious friends and family, a crazed killer, an innocent accused man, sibling rivalry, heartbreak, murder, and of course a stranger who inexplicably looks exactly like the Wakefield twins to the point that their parents/best friends/boyfriend hardly notice. Teen melodrama at it's best (or worst haha), it's so cringey that it's addictive and yes I will now reread Return of the Evil Twin.
April 7, 2024
I couldn’t resist sneaking a childhood read back with me to Chicago. I got home at 12:30am last night (wayyy past my bedtime), but I stayed up til 1:15am to finish this. I just couldn’t help myself! 🤷♀️
December 23, 2021
My first Sweet Valley anything and I’m happy to report that it is a wack one!
Fun drinking game idea: take a shot every time Jungle Prom is mentioned!
(Or not. You will be dead by, like, chapter 3)
So everyone is still hung up on the night of the Jungle Prom, a crazed murderer (enter Margo, the Evil Twin) is on the loose, and the twins still have to pick an outfit for Lila’s extravagant New Year’s party.
- No one told me the twins were psychic? The whole family is psychic? What
- Soo the evil twin isn’t exactly a twin, but a rando girl from Long Island who happens to have exactly the same face? Lolll
- Margo has amazing one-liners. She deserved more screen time.
- Final scene is basically the Spider-Man meme but with a knife. Classic.
- The ending was so action-filled and fun to read but it took a while to get there.
If I pick up another Sweet Valley, it’ll have to be The Return of The Evil Twin. Gimme more Margo!
Fun drinking game idea: take a shot every time Jungle Prom is mentioned!
(Or not. You will be dead by, like, chapter 3)
So everyone is still hung up on the night of the Jungle Prom, a crazed murderer (enter Margo, the Evil Twin) is on the loose, and the twins still have to pick an outfit for Lila’s extravagant New Year’s party.
- No one told me the twins were psychic? The whole family is psychic? What
- Soo the evil twin isn’t exactly a twin, but a rando girl from Long Island who happens to have exactly the same face? Lolll
- Margo has amazing one-liners. She deserved more screen time.
- Final scene is basically the Spider-Man meme but with a knife. Classic.
- The ending was so action-filled and fun to read but it took a while to get there.
If I pick up another Sweet Valley, it’ll have to be The Return of The Evil Twin. Gimme more Margo!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2015
It just isn't Christmas or New Year's without reading The Evil Twin. I've read this book at least 20 times since I was about 10 and I never get tired of it. Sure, it's campy, but that's what makes it so great. My absolute favorite Sweet Valley book. It just isn't Christmas without crazy Margo!
October 11, 2023
11-year-old me would’ve loved this book
January 9, 2012
The culmination of a great mini-series of Sweet Valley High! Featuring love, murder, lies, betrayal, and all that good stuff, the whole series is must-read for any Sweet Valley fans (makes me wish I still had my SVH collection).
Margo will finally have the perfect life...as Elizabeth. She comes to wedge herself into the Wakefield family at a time when the twins aren't speaking to each other and it hasn't exactly been a peachy couple of months. It'll be easy fooling Mrs. Wakefield, Jessica and Todd, right? No, I'm not being sarcastic. Apparently it was! Can we say this one has all the elements of an over-the-top soap opera that's neatly wrapped up in a couple of weeks? Yes, and yes. Nostalgia trip, people.
Summary: "The Evil Twin" Margo attempts to take Elizabeth's life and her place in the Wakefield family. The three identical girls fight a terrible battle, in which Jessica risks her own life to save Elizabeth, Margo is killed, and the sisters are finally reunited.
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title: The Evil Twin (Sweet Valley High, #100)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie
Margo will finally have the perfect life...as Elizabeth. She comes to wedge herself into the Wakefield family at a time when the twins aren't speaking to each other and it hasn't exactly been a peachy couple of months. It'll be easy fooling Mrs. Wakefield, Jessica and Todd, right? No, I'm not being sarcastic. Apparently it was! Can we say this one has all the elements of an over-the-top soap opera that's neatly wrapped up in a couple of weeks? Yes, and yes. Nostalgia trip, people.
Summary: "The Evil Twin" Margo attempts to take Elizabeth's life and her place in the Wakefield family. The three identical girls fight a terrible battle, in which Jessica risks her own life to save Elizabeth, Margo is killed, and the sisters are finally reunited.
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title: The Evil Twin (Sweet Valley High, #100)
Author: Francine Pascal
Reviewed By: Purplycookie
May 20, 2008
I could cheat and put every SVH book in this list, but I think I will just put this one because of the impact it had on me. I loved the series, was shocked and even blushed at some of the teeny bopper sex scene...did any fans realize Bruce had his hand on Liz's ....? Anyway, I stopped reading after this book because I didn't like the way the series had turned. Jessica spiked Liz's drink causing a deadly crash which lead to a twin look alike coming to town to kill Elizabeth and take her place. At this point, it was just to soap opera like. Maybe I was just finally growing up, though.
March 8, 2011
Probably the most fun I've ever had reading a book. Psycho Dopplegangers=pure genius. If you have ever been a SVH fan and haven't read this, go straight to your local library or used book store and start reading NOW.
This book should be taught in schools.
This book should be taught in schools.
September 23, 2012
I found this book at a book sale a few years ago. The SVH series is just as addictive as it was in my junior high years. Hope to find some other books from this series.
This book was written in 1993, so the events would probably have been a lot different if the characters had cell phones!
This book was written in 1993, so the events would probably have been a lot different if the characters had cell phones!
April 29, 2009
The "evil twin" mini-series within the series was just SO AWESOMELY BAD. Uber-trash! And then of course the twin HAS A TWIN AS WELL. Epic lulz.
August 13, 2010
i still have this book shelved between recent books acquired throughout the years. i reread the books countless times, and i still think this book give me chills.
October 24, 2010
I was so happy when this series hit 100! I never wanted the adventure to end. A wonderful centennial celebration was had by all!! Happy 100 Sweet Valley High! Thanks for the great reads.
April 20, 2011
This book is so completely over the top, yet thoroughly enjoyable. I read it 10-15 times as a teenager. Love the series or hate it, this book is Sweet Valley exemplified.
May 10, 2011
Probably the most ridiculous, over-the-top Sweet Valley High book - and that's saying something!
March 9, 2014
5 stars from my ten year old self perspective...
January 19, 2016
For a book that relies on everyone being pretty stupid, it was a fast, fun read that felt welcomingly familiar.
April 5, 2020
The conclusion of the bat-shit saga that is the Evil Twin. Finally, finally Margo the evil twin makes her attempt to take over Elizabeth Wakefield's life. Oh Margo, if only you could have been satisfied with taking Jessica's life instead. Not that I want Jessica dead, she's my favourite Wakefield because even though she's a psycho in her own right she's at least not as annoying as Elizabeth. The simple truth is Margo could have pulled off impersonating Jessica since every other character in the book mistakes her for Jessica. Read the room, Margo!
I rate this one high for hilarity and for Margo as this is entirely her book. Everyone is just a side character.
Poor, poor Jessica. In the span of six books & six months in the story (I think, SV time is weird) she lost Sam (best boyfriend ever) and James (Margo's stooge). That's a lot of death to deal with and throughout this Elizabeth comes off as the biggest asshole.
In Elizabeth's POV she's always thinking how sad it is for Jessica to lose both Sam & James but never does she actually does anything to help her sister or even attempts to talk to her. I get it, the author wants a reason for they to be fighting & not talking so this is how it's going to be but it's clear the author wants the reader to sympathize with Elizabeth. This fails for me because all I keep thinking 'Liz really needs to get over herself'.
Then again, I am horribly biased when it comes to Saint Liz. Cannot believe she was my favourite growing up. In summary, Margo is hilariously crazy, Elizabeth's still a nob, and Jessica really should just run away to San Franciso again.
I rate this one high for hilarity and for Margo as this is entirely her book. Everyone is just a side character.
Poor, poor Jessica. In the span of six books & six months in the story (I think, SV time is weird) she lost Sam (best boyfriend ever) and James (Margo's stooge). That's a lot of death to deal with and throughout this Elizabeth comes off as the biggest asshole.
In Elizabeth's POV she's always thinking how sad it is for Jessica to lose both Sam & James but never does she actually does anything to help her sister or even attempts to talk to her. I get it, the author wants a reason for they to be fighting & not talking so this is how it's going to be but it's clear the author wants the reader to sympathize with Elizabeth. This fails for me because all I keep thinking 'Liz really needs to get over herself'.
Then again, I am horribly biased when it comes to Saint Liz. Cannot believe she was my favourite growing up. In summary, Margo is hilariously crazy, Elizabeth's still a nob, and Jessica really should just run away to San Franciso again.
August 15, 2021
For the first time since I started re-reading (and now just reading the ones that weren't out yet back in my tween days), I decided while reading this one that I am not a big fan of these Magna Editions-- these are my bathtub books or books to read when I'm so tired or distracted that I can't focus much, and this one took FOREVER to finish-- Sweet Valley books over 300 pages are just unnecessary.
Ok- that out of the way, this book was a LOT of crazy Margo- the inexplicably third Wakefield twin, born unwanted to people unrelated to Alice and Ned, yet somehow having the exact same face as the twins, and made insane by life in foster care, who has been racking up a body count in murder victims over the past 5 books or so. Margo is in Sweet Valley and is regularly impersonating the twins now, fooling even Lila and Alice and Steven and the twins themselves (because she is THAT IDENTICAL GUYS!), as she plans a surprisingly simple stabbing murder of Elizabeth.
That's kind of this whole book- ominous feelings, Margo crazy, nightmares, storms, and Margo trying hard to get into Todd's pants, which confuses TF out of him, since Elizabeth is usually a total prude. So yeah- Lila's New Year's party happens and all hell breaks lose and then the book and this "mini-series" is mercifully over.
Time to find out what the post-centennial SVH books become. My hopes aren't high, but I bought them all, so I'm gonna keep going.
Ok- that out of the way, this book was a LOT of crazy Margo- the inexplicably third Wakefield twin, born unwanted to people unrelated to Alice and Ned, yet somehow having the exact same face as the twins, and made insane by life in foster care, who has been racking up a body count in murder victims over the past 5 books or so. Margo is in Sweet Valley and is regularly impersonating the twins now, fooling even Lila and Alice and Steven and the twins themselves (because she is THAT IDENTICAL GUYS!), as she plans a surprisingly simple stabbing murder of Elizabeth.
That's kind of this whole book- ominous feelings, Margo crazy, nightmares, storms, and Margo trying hard to get into Todd's pants, which confuses TF out of him, since Elizabeth is usually a total prude. So yeah- Lila's New Year's party happens and all hell breaks lose and then the book and this "mini-series" is mercifully over.
Time to find out what the post-centennial SVH books become. My hopes aren't high, but I bought them all, so I'm gonna keep going.
October 9, 2020
Six books later it all comes down to one New Year's Eve party.
When you think about it, Margo might actually be the hero of this story. I mean, sure she murdered two little children, and an old lady, and a new mother. Oh and James. Although, his innocence is more nebulous because he dated Jessica for money - BUT if this were a rom com that would be the dramatic break up moment that would lead to their marriage, so we will forgive him. Back to Margo. Last book (or was it this one?), Elizabeth LOST her mind when she found out that Jessica hid a letter from Todd and that was just a letter. At the very end of this book, she conveniently figures out that Jessica spiked her drink, leading to Sam's death, and was going to let her go to jail for it. She was NEVER going to forgive Jessica.
Enter Margo - the hero. Margo tries to murder them both, giving Jessica the opportunity to save her sister. And more importantly, allowing Elizabeth to realize that while her twin is reckless and selfish, she isn't stone cold evil. And thus giving them both a happy ending. Without Margo, the twins would have never made up and we would never have gotten to enjoy SVU. So thanks Margo!
Oh and P.S. who goes on a random job interview without calling the company first? Come on Ned - be better.
When you think about it, Margo might actually be the hero of this story. I mean, sure she murdered two little children, and an old lady, and a new mother. Oh and James. Although, his innocence is more nebulous because he dated Jessica for money - BUT if this were a rom com that would be the dramatic break up moment that would lead to their marriage, so we will forgive him. Back to Margo. Last book (or was it this one?), Elizabeth LOST her mind when she found out that Jessica hid a letter from Todd and that was just a letter. At the very end of this book, she conveniently figures out that Jessica spiked her drink, leading to Sam's death, and was going to let her go to jail for it. She was NEVER going to forgive Jessica.
Enter Margo - the hero. Margo tries to murder them both, giving Jessica the opportunity to save her sister. And more importantly, allowing Elizabeth to realize that while her twin is reckless and selfish, she isn't stone cold evil. And thus giving them both a happy ending. Without Margo, the twins would have never made up and we would never have gotten to enjoy SVU. So thanks Margo!
Oh and P.S. who goes on a random job interview without calling the company first? Come on Ned - be better.
August 9, 2017
Never gets old, reading these books. Even if the books themselves are almost as old as I am.
This book was perfectly written for the time period and genre it was written in, though this was one of the better ones as far as that goes, what with the suspense going on and all. I can't imagine someone picking it up now at the age I am, and identifying a whole heck of a lot with it. Heck, I can't even identify the way I did as a young girl reading these, but it definitely had the power to still hold my interest and at the times where I wanted to roll my eyes right back in my head with some of the completely over the top teenager actions, nostalgia kept me going.
This walk down memory lane in e-book format was great and with all the others I've rebought, I'll be seeing Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield again real soon.
This book was perfectly written for the time period and genre it was written in, though this was one of the better ones as far as that goes, what with the suspense going on and all. I can't imagine someone picking it up now at the age I am, and identifying a whole heck of a lot with it. Heck, I can't even identify the way I did as a young girl reading these, but it definitely had the power to still hold my interest and at the times where I wanted to roll my eyes right back in my head with some of the completely over the top teenager actions, nostalgia kept me going.
This walk down memory lane in e-book format was great and with all the others I've rebought, I'll be seeing Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield again real soon.
Read
January 15, 2020Nostalgia buddy-read on this one. "Wonderfully unsubtle" my reading partner said, and I agree. Everything is spelled out to the umpteenth degree in a way that is charmingly unsubtle. Margo is hilariously evil, brazen and honestly quite unsettling. I love how casual the book is about the fact that she is a literal serial killer.
It is just such a crazy plot that I can't help but love it. It'll never be considered good literature, decent writing, or possibly even time well-spent, but God help me, I love it. Who can help but love a "big speech before I do my wicked deed" villains, anyway, they're so charmingly ridiculous.
This is definitely one of the superior books of the whole series and I kind of wish, except for the murdering, that Margo would've been a regular villain for a little while.
It is just such a crazy plot that I can't help but love it. It'll never be considered good literature, decent writing, or possibly even time well-spent, but God help me, I love it. Who can help but love a "big speech before I do my wicked deed" villains, anyway, they're so charmingly ridiculous.
This is definitely one of the superior books of the whole series and I kind of wish, except for the murdering, that Margo would've been a regular villain for a little while.
October 17, 2023
This was an unexpectedly good read.
The only thing I knew about "Sweet Valley High" series was that it was a popular at the same time as "The Baby-Sitters Club" and was The Thing most of those who are into the 80s are/were collecting. But that's it. So when I found this book in my Little Free Library I wasn't sure what to expect.
Sure I am not the target audience for the whole series (I guess now it would be labeled as YA?), but it was really interesting and intriguing. Fast paced, kept me interested and with the right amount of suspense. Even if at the times it was not very realistic and kept me thinking that it's highly unikely something like that would happen.
Enjoyed this one (:
The only thing I knew about "Sweet Valley High" series was that it was a popular at the same time as "The Baby-Sitters Club" and was The Thing most of those who are into the 80s are/were collecting. But that's it. So when I found this book in my Little Free Library I wasn't sure what to expect.
Sure I am not the target audience for the whole series (I guess now it would be labeled as YA?), but it was really interesting and intriguing. Fast paced, kept me interested and with the right amount of suspense. Even if at the times it was not very realistic and kept me thinking that it's highly unikely something like that would happen.
Enjoyed this one (:
December 4, 2017
I'm a 35 year old gay man who loved reading Sweet Valley as a youngster. I sometimes listen to a podcast called Teen Creeps where they review old school "young adult pulp fiction" and this book was one they read. I was more of a "Fear Street" and horror lover so Sweet Valley books with a horror twist were always my favorite. This is one of my favorites and while it is incredibly dated and preposterous with about 50% exposition, I still love this story. It was an easy and fun read just in time for the holidays!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews