**This blog contains adult language.**
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!! This is a recap blog which means I read the book and tell you everything that happens so you don't have to read it yourself. Do NOT continue to read unless you want to know what cold-hearted-bitch move the twins made this book.
From the Back of the Book: More than she bargained for...When Lila Fowler's mysterious new boyfriend finally appears at her pool party, Jessica Wakefield is dazzled. Jack is handsome, sexy and exciting – even more perfect than Lila described him. So Jessica wastes no time making sure he notices her too. Unknown to Lila, Jack dates both girls – Jessica during the week and Lila on weekends. But the sight of Lila's happy face on Monday mornings is more than Jessica can stand! Jessica's twin sister Elizabeth warns her to drop Jack before she really gets hurt. But Jessica would rather get Lila out of the picture. Then Jack will be hers – all hers.
Meet the Cast
*Elizabeth Wakefield – identical twin of Jessica and massive fucking martyr.
*Jessica Wakefield – identical twin of Elizabeth with narcissistic and histrionic tendencies
*Ned Wakefield – neglectful patriarch of the clan and successful lawyer
*Alice Wakefield – neglectful matriarch of the clan and an interior designer
*Steven Wakefield – older brother, university student and general asshole
*Enid Rollins – Liz's best friend and generic good-girl type
*Todd Wilkins – Liz's douchebag boyfriend and star of the SVH basketball team
*Lila Fowler – Jessica's self-absorbed best friend and representative of SV new money
*Bruce Patman – school dick and representative of SV old money
*Winston Egbert – stereotypical school nerd
There are more but these are the main characters that plague us book after book.
This book was published in 1985 and this is my first time reading it. Jess looks about 30 on the cover and I swear this is a different model for Lila. I wish they would find one and stick to it.
In the last book, Regina and Bruce dated until she left the country to have a procedure that might restore her hearing. Jess and Lila made a bet that resulted in Lila writing a subpar term paper for Jess because Jess is hecking dumb. There was a stupid school carnival that amounted to absolutely nothing. Lila met some construction worker named Jack that she assumed was a rich dude in disguise. And Bruce won some election because everyone felt bad for him.
Missing, Presumed Dead: Winston was curiously absent from this book. Steven is also gone. His name wasn't even mentioned. I'm really worried about him, y'all. To be fair, Bruce was mentioned once but never seen so I'm not sure he's okay either.
Released from the Wakefield Dungeon: George and Ned both flew the dingy coop in this book. I feel like it was on brand for Ned to just leave his son down there without a backwards glance.
The book begins with Liz and Jess discussing the pool party that Lila is holding to introduce everyone to Jack. Jess is already talking about stealing Jack away from Lila even though she hasn't met him yet, has no idea what he looks like and doesn't know if he's a serial killer. Sounds about right. Liz reminds her that she's going to the party with some guy named Neil that I'm pretty sure has never been mentioned before and probably will never be mentioned again. Jess says that she and Neil have a casual relationship and they're both free to see other people but Liz seems to think he's more into Jess than Jess is into him.
Not that it matters because we all know he's a non-character.
We skip to the party where Liz is stretching her “lithe, tanned body” out on a towel next to Todd while taking in his “lean, muscular build”. Pascal is really obsessed with bodies. They're basically just basking in each other's perfectness when Enid rocks up with her boyfriend George who hasn't been seen for so many books that I forgot he existed. I guess he's been chilling out in one corner of the dungeon. He starts babbling about taking flying lessons and apparently Robin is also in his class. You mean she's going to do something other than drink Diet Cokes so we won't forget she was once overweight? I'm not sure if this whole flying thing is a sub plot or not. I'm kind of hoping it isn't.
Pascal mentions every single character who ever existed in the next five sentences. They're swimming or playing badminton (like teenagers LOVE to do) or strumming guitars. It's ridiculous. It's like someone reminded her that these people live in Sweet Valley too and she figured she'd throw them all into the same paragraph. I'm not going to list them out for you. None of it's important. The only thing of note is that Jack hasn't shown up yet and Lila is freaking out.
Eventually Jack arrives and all the girls swoon at how gorgeous he is. Jess immediately makes a beeline for him and tries to get his attention but Lila is too smart for that and keeps directing him away. She takes him to meet all the people who have come to the party. Nicholas says he looks familiar which freaks Jack the fuck out because clearly he's hiding something but no one else picks up on it. Jack continues to evade questions about himself all afternoon and by the end of the party, all Jess knows about him is that he's a construction worker taking a gap year before he starts college. She makes sure to give him her number and suggests that they can get together for some fun sometime.
After the party, when they're all alone, Lila questions Jack some more about his life before SV. He swears her to secrecy and then tells her that his dad is a very powerful, very rich, very controlling man and Jack has run off to live his own life for once. Lila tries to get him to reveal the identity of his father but Jack refuses. Pascal is making it sound like Jack's dad is the head of the mafia or something and he's probably just some regular guy who worked for Nicholas' dad or something.
Odds that Lila is going to keep any of this secret: 0%
Jack won't tell her who his dad is but he has plenty to say about his sister Valerie. He goes on and on about the things they used to do together and all the fun they had.
Odds that Valerie is really his sister: 15%
They talk for awhile and then Lila's father gets home. Lila doesn't want her dad to see her talking to one of the construction workers so she urges Jack to leave without being seen. He agrees but asks her out for the following Friday, claiming he's too busy to see her during the week. As soon as he leaves, Lila calls Cara (the biggest gossip in the school now that Caroline is reformed) to tell her everything Jack told her.
So much for secrecy.
Oh, and I told you so.
Our B-plot emerges in the third chapter. Liz is temporarily acting as editor for the school paper because the real editor is out with mono. She finds a really good picture of the school football star kissing a teddy bear before the game but no one knows who took it. She asks around the newsroom but no one will claim it. She decides to run it anyway and vows to solve the mystery of the unknown photographer.
Lila seems pretty pissed all day and finally someone asks her what's up. She says her dad is mad because a pair of expensive cuff links went missing after the party. Wow, Pascal isn't subtle.
Odds Jack stole the cuff links: 100%
He's so clearly an effin' Justin that anything bad that happens in this book is going to be 100% him.
Jack calls Jess after school and asks her out for Wednesday evening. Jess is thrilled that she'll go on a date with him two days before Lila.
We skip ahead to Wednesday. Jack picks Jess up, giving her a single, long-stemmed rose. He charms Ned and Alice a little which means Ned has finally been released from the Wakefield dungeon! I guess he didn't spring Steven on his way. Sadge. Jack takes Jess to the beach where they walk in the sand. She tries to ask him about his past and he gets a little testy with her which makes her instantly apologize and back off. He tells her that he just wants to be his own man and then he kisses her.
For all her swagger, Jess is really subservient in relationships. She lets boys walk all over her and she continually apologizes for their shitty behavior. I think maybe Ned and Alice need to look into why she's like this and maybe sort out some counseling.
We skip to the next day and move back to the B-plot. Liz is heading over to editor Penny's house for some help with the paper. She tells us that two more pictures were shoved under the door of the newspaper room and no one knows who took them. The first one is of the principal crawling around on his hands and knees looking for something and the other is of the strictest teacher on campus petting a tiny kitten.
Penny meets with Liz for a bit and Liz shows her the article that Robin wrote about this flying class. I'm still not sure it's a subplot because we haven't hopped into Robin's head or gone to a class so I'm just keeping an eye on it. Penny asks if Robin has ever written before and Liz reminds her that Robin used to write as an outlet when she was fat and unpopular. Now that she's skinny and a cheerleader she doesn't have time for such things.
I fucking hate Pascal.
I'm going to have to bring back old Gale if this keeps up.
We skip to Monday. Lila comes in looking all loved up and Jess is instantly jealous. Lila says she went out with Jack on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and they just had the dreamiest time ever. Jess is crushed. She thought after their date on Wednesday, Jack would be calling it off with Lila. Now she has to listen to the entire school talk about Lila's wonderful weekend and she can't tell any of them that she's dating Jack too. She asks Liz for advice and Liz tells her to forget about Jack and move on. Jess doesn't want to do that. She wants Jack all for herself.
In a flash, it's Tuesday night and Jess is all dressed up for a date with Jack. Liz bursts her bubble a little by reminding her that he spent all weekend with Lila but Jess is determined that she's going to win this little competition. Then, for no reason at all, the twins get into a huge tickle fight which is just odd. Why, Pascal? Why? Has she ever met real human beings before?
Todd and Jack show up at the same time. Jess is upset because she didn't want anyone but Liz to know she was snaking her friend's boyfriend. Jack's eyes are red-rimmed and a little puffy. Liz asks him if he's feeling okay and he tells her he was just swimming and the chlorine irritated his eyes.
So that's clearly bullshit. What do we think it is? Was he crying because he's a tragic, misunderstood scumbag? Drinking? Drugs? Maybe he's just allergic to the Wakefields. I'd buy that. They're pretty toxic.
At the movies, Jess tries to pay for their popcorn but discovers her wallet is missing. She's sure she had it in her purse when she left the house but Jack reassures her that it's probably just in her bedroom or something. He buys the popcorn and they watch the movie which seems to be about the Beatles. Afterwards they talk about concerts and he says he saw The Police in concert when he was in prep school in Hartford. Jess is thrilled to have a couple of clues to his mysterious past.
Odds that Jack stole Jess' wallet: 100 effing Justin percent
She confronts him about seeing Lila and he gets super angry for a minute before he calms himself down. Jess is actually a little scared of him but talks herself out of it a second later.
Always trust your instincts, people. Always.
Jack explains that he went out with Lila on Friday to pay her back for inviting him to the pool party and then she invited him sailing on Saturday. He says he went but it was just two friends hanging out. Sunday he says he ran into her at the mall and they had lunch. He swears there was nothing romantic between them and Jess eats it up because it's what she wants to hear. Jack promises to friendzone Lila on Friday when he sees her next. Jess doesn't even question why he and Lila have another date on the books because she has her head buried deep in the sand.
We skip to 9:00pm on Thursday. Liz is just finishing up in the newspaper office and locking the door. She's the only one there which would NEVER happen in real life. A member of staff would definitely have to be present if a student was working on something at that hour. Anyway, she turns to go down the hall and bumps into Penny's sister Tina. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Tina is the mystery photographer from the B-plot. We're only halfway through the book so it's surprising that Pascal is giving us the reveal this early. Tina doesn't think her sister will approve of her work so she's been submitting it in secret. Liz encourages her to let Penny in on the secret and then she looks through the latest batch of pictures.
So I guess the flying lessons ARE the C-plot because one of the pictures is of George (Enid's boyfriend) making out with Robin (who was dating Allen last time I knew).
I hate everything.
Liz agonizes over whether to tell Enid and how to tell Enid. Something tells me she's not going to tell Enid anything at all.
We skip to Saturday night. I think. Jack and Lila are lounging around her empty house drinking wine. Jack tells her he loves her and wants to marry her but they have to keep their relationship a secret so his dad doesn't find him. She's crushed. She wants to tell everyone that she's landed this amazing catch. By the end of the date, Lila assumes she's engaged.
Odds that Jack plans to rob her blind: 100%
Liz decides to show up at the flight school on Sunday afternoon to confront George and Robin. She finds them hugging or something and they guiltily tell her that they've fallen in love. Robin says she told Allen that morning and George swears he's going to tell Enid after he takes her up on his first solo flight.
Shouldn't he have had a solo flight before he got his license? I'm confused. At any rate, I wouldn't let a teenage boy fly me anywhere.
Lila comes down with something on Sunday so she can't go on her date with Jack. As soon as she cancels, he calls Jess and asks her out instead. She assumes this means he's broken up with Lila. They go to the pizza place where Jack entertains her with tales of snorkeling with his sister Valerie in the Caribbean. Suddenly his face gets angry and his hands clench. Jess turns to see what he's staring at and notices that Nicholas has walked in with some unidentified red-haired boy. Jack seems really unhappy to see them.
Jack gets up immediately and tells Jess he's going to pay the check and meet her out at the car. She's confused. She goes over to say hello to Nicholas and he introduces his friend David who went to prep school with him on the east coast the previous year. When Jess joins Jack outside, he apologizes for his rude behavior. He tells her that he recognized David and he's afraid David might contact his father. Jess forgives him immediately. He asks if she wants to come back to his place and she agrees.
Back in the pizza place, Nicholas and David discuss Jack. Nicholas swears he looks like a guy that was around campus the first couple of weeks after he transferred to whatever east coast prep school he met David at. David agrees that he looks familiar and scours his memory for why. Finally he says that he thinks Jack was expelled not long after Nicholas arrived. Apparently he robbed his girlfriend at knife point and the school kicked him out. Nicholas freaks out and says they have to go rescue Jess.
As they're driving, David fills Nicholas in on Jack. Jack's entire family was killed in a boating accident and after that, Jack started slipping into a fantasy world where they still existed but he was estranged from them. He began doing drugs and stealing things to pay for the drug habit and to buy things to make it seem like he came from money. I have no idea how David knows any of this when he wasn't even sure he recognized Jack in the first place. Pascal is fond of having some random person come out of nowhere with all the pieces to the puzzle. It's so annoying. And incredibly lazy.
Nicholas and David eventually find Liz and fill her in on everything. She has no idea where Jack and Jess might be but joins the hunt.
We hop into Jess's head now. She's at Jack's shabby apartment and she's pretty disappointed that he lives in such an ugly place. He tells her that he's proud of himself for living without his father's help but she just thinks it's a miserable, horrible place. He offers to show her some pictures of the snorkeling trip he was talking about earlier and she's excited for the glimpse into his life. The first thing she notices is that the pictures seem to be from a number of years ago. She asks if he has any more recent pictures and he gets oddly angry again. She's afraid but he calms down quickly.
Jess is a little on guard now. She feels like he's hiding something so she asks if she can use his bathroom and then she snoops through his stuff. Under the sink she finds a box full of drugs and then does the stupidest thing imaginable. She takes the box and confronts Jack with it. He's standing with his hand in her purse and she loses it, accusing him of stealing her wallet when they went to the movies and Lila's dad's cuff links. He gets furious and lunges at her, wrapping his hands around her throat.
Liz calls Lila and explains what's happening. Lila gives Liz Jack's address and goes back to bed, thankful that she didn't end up in the mess that Jess is in. Liz goes to the apartment building with David and Nicholas. After some fumbling around, they figure out which apartment Jack is in.
We're back with Jess. Jack tells her that he has a good thing going with the Lila situation and he can't let her ruin it for him. He heavily implies that he's going to kill her. The rescue squad reaches the door and Jess manages to call for help. Nicholas and David break through the door as Jack grabs a knife. There's a struggle and Nicholas gets stabbed in the arm. Then....I can't believe I have to write this.....Jessica delivers her “strongest, best cheerleading kick” to Jack's arm and makes him drop the knife.
I fucking hate Pascal.
Everyone goes to the police station next. Jess wants Jack to rot in prison but Ned and Alice tell her that counseling would do him more good than jail time. They all talk about how troubled he is and how they feel sorry for him. Suddenly a voice comes over the radio to announce that there's a plane in trouble at the airfield and Liz just knows that it's George and Enid despite having no prior knowledge that they were making their flight that day.
This book kind of sucked. I've been saying all along that I thought the books might be better if Pascal focused more on the main plot and left off the side plots. This book proved my theory incorrect. The B-plot and C-plot barely got any attention at all in this book and the A-plot still suffered from some pretty lazy writing. Pascal used David as a crutch because she couldn't figure out how to do the reveal in more organic way. Couldn't Liz have found some old articles in her capacity as SVH's most intrepid reporter? Or maybe Nicholas could have done some digging because it was bothering him that he thought he recognized Jack? Introducing this random character who didn't even get a good look at Jack before dumping all this info on us was really, really lazy. So apparently it isn't juggling plots that makes Pascal bad at telling a story.
Coming up next: the plane thing. I hate everything.
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