**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.
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From the Back of the Book: Maria Santelli's engagement to Michael Harris is the talk of Sweet Valley High, but they must keep it a secret from their parents. Years ago, the two families had a huge argument, and Michael and Maria were forbidden to see each other. At first, the sparkle in Maria's eyes nearly matches the sparkle of her diamond ring. But being engaged isn't as easy as Maria had expected. She's used to doing things on her own; but now Michael acts as if he owns her. He's even jealous of her helping Winston Egbert with his campaign for Student Council. Maria's beginning to think that she and Michael were happier before their engagement. Will Michael and Maria resolve their differences and go ahead with their wedding plans? Or will their secret engagement destroy their relationship forever?
Meet the Cast
*Elizabeth Wakefield – identical twin of Jessica and massive fucking martyr.
*Jessica Wakefield – identical twin of Elizabeth with narcissistic and histrionic tendencies
*EvilNed Wakefield – neglectful patriarch of the clan and successful lawyer
*VileAlice 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 former boyfriend currently exiled to Vermont
*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
*Jeffrey French – Liz's new victim....I mean love interest
There are more but these are the main characters that plague us book after book.
This book was published in 1987 and this is my first time reading it. Is it just me or are the people on this cover in their late 30's? They look SUPER old. Also, what is up with that belt he's wearing? I don't think that was even fashionable in the 80's.
In the last book, Dana's cousin Sally came to live with her family after years in the foster care system. Sally was paranoid about being sent away again and did everything in her power to convince Dana's family to let her stay. This led to her doing everything that anyone asked of her. It was a really sad book and I'm hoping this one is a little less tragic.
Missing, Presumed Dead: Patty and Eddie who only existed for one book and were never seen or mentioned again are still residing under the Wakefield Compound. They are joined by Jean and Sandra who are occasionally mentioned in passing but never seen or heard from. George is still trying to dig his way out with a spoon and this time he's being closely supervised by EvilNed, VileAlice and Steven who were nowhere to be seen in this book. It's a bad thing when the Wakefields end up in the dungeon. I pray for the poor souls who have to put up with them down there.
Released From the Wakefield Dungeon: Winston made his escape so he could star in the B-plot of this book. Robin also made a break for it, leaving her boyfriend behind with his spoon.
We start right off the bat with a description of our twins – physically perfect in every way....
….....but oh so different in personality. Today Liz is described as private, resistant to change, philanthropic and cerebral while Jess is described as....nothing. It literally doesn't describe Jess in any way. Just 'not Liz' I suppose. Wow. That's harsh even for Pascal.
#justiceforJess
Maria walks out of the school and Jess gets all dreamy, hoping she might get to be a bridesmaid in the wedding. Maria is SIXTEEN and has no business at all thinking about getting married. Liz points this out but Jess says that Juliet was only fourteen when she met Romeo. Considering they both died, I'm not sure that's the example I'd go with to back up my case for teen romance.
We learn that the feud between the Santellis and the Harrises was started over a failed business venture a few years back. I'm just going to pretend they're both mob families because that makes things more interesting.
The B-plot emerges rather quickly. The Junior class is going to take part in a marriage and family unit in Social Studies. The students will be paired off into “married” couples and they'll have to learn to budget, do taxes and navigate adult issues. We did this in high school Econ and it was kind of fun. Better than taking notes over supply and demand. Liz and Enid discuss it for a bit and then the move on to the C-plot. Winston has made his escape from the Wakefield Dungeon and he's now running for student council. Maria is helping him. Liz can't figure out why Maria wants to get married and resign herself to just being Mrs Michael rather than living her own exciting life.
You can do both, Liz. Believe it or not, it's possible to be married AND have your own life.
We hop on over to Jess's head for a bit. Maria, a fellow cheerleader, is showing off her ring at practice. Robin is there oohing and aahing over it so I guess she followed Winston out of the dungeon. I swear it's been half a dozen books since we've seen her. I was giving up hope.
Wait. Did she leave George behind?
Maria reminds the squad that they can't tell their parents about the engagement because their parents might tell her parents. Her parents have forbidden her to date Michael and think she has a boyfriend named Josh. She describes how Michael proposed at the lake in the moonlight and all the girls swoon. They all decide that they want to be immediately engaged as well.
We land in Maria's head now for a good dose of the A-plot. She meets Michael after cheer practice and tells him how excited all the girls were for them. He's not very happy that she told them since they're all really big gossips. Maria is a little irritated with having to keep everything a secret and she just wants to tell their parents and deal with the consequences. Michael urges her to wait a little while longer. He's not ready for the drama.
Twinsie time. We skip ahead and step in the B-plot again. The girls in class are called up to draw a boy's name from a box. This will be their husband for the next two weeks. Jess draws Winston. Liz draws Bruce. Olivia gets paired up with Jeffrey. Lila gets Bill. Maria somehow gets paired up with Michael. Enid gets matched with Ken. Amy marries Roger.
The boys are given folders with their stats. Winston is apparently a bus driver, Jess a part time hair stylist and they have seven children. Liz is a teacher, Bruce is a doctor and they have two children. Michael is a veterinarian and Maria is a housewife. They also have two children. The others all get scenarios too but I just can't be assed to type it all out. Their first assignment is to do their budget. Pascal really goes into great detail here but it feels like homework to recap it.
Later, Jess asks Cara and Lila to help her plan an engagement party for Maria and Michael. Cara points out that Maria and Michael wanted to keep a lid on the whole thing but Jess is having none of it. I mean, Maria is wearing her engagement ring around school and showing it to everybody who remotely looks in her direction so I don't think there's anyone at SVH that doesn't know. They decide to make it a surprise party at Lila's house and order a wedding cake for the occasion.
Um. Do you think Pascal knows how much wedding cakes cost? Then again, maybe Lila's paying.
Maria goes to help Winston with the C-plot and tells us that she's really come to care for him. He's not nearly as goofy as she thought he was. Michael seems to pick up on a vibe because he gets irritable about all the time Maria and Winston are spending together and demands that she see him less. Maria feels bad because Winston needs her help, and she enjoys spending time with him, but she agrees to cut down to once a week instead of twice.
I'm awarding Michael one 🚩 because jealousy is not a healthy thing. Maria can talk to other boys. She can spend time with other boys. It doesn't mean she's cheating. However.....I'm also sensing a vibe and I think she needs to be more honest with herself about her feelings for both of them.
Wakefields again. Jess asks Liz if she can imagine herself married to Jeffrey. Liz kind of dodges the question by saying she's not even ready to think about things like that yet. Jess is definitely thinking about it but there are no prospects on the horizon.
Lila shows up to talk about the party. Liz asks them what the hell they're doing having a party for an engagement that's supposed to be a secret. (Again, Maria isn't exactly keeping it quiet.) Jess assures her that the party is going to small and no one will find out. Liz asks how many people are invited and Jess says 50. Liz predicts that the party will be the catalyst for the warring mob families to find out about the secret relationship and she wants no part of it.
Back with Maria. Michael tells her that she'll need to take off her engagement ring during his tennis match on Thursday because his sister is planning to be there. She's confused because he usually doesn't play on Thursdays. That's the day she's supposed to help Winston with his speech. Michael gets mad about the time she's spending with Winston again and she calls him out for being possessive. He changes tactics and whines that he needs her at the game to support him. Maria is conflicted. Michael never used to demand all her time. He used to respect the fact that she had her own life and her own activities.
Maria changes the subject and asks Michael when they are going to tell their parents about the engagement. The entire point of getting engaged was so their parents could see how serious they were about each other but now Michael is dragging his feet. In fact, he goes completely pale when she brings it up and begs for more time. Maria is sad but lets it go.
Michael asks her again to come to his match and she finally gives in. She says that she'll find someone else to help Winston. Michael is happy and she feels relieved. She doesn't want to fight with him. She wants them to have a successful, happy marriage.
YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR THIS!
We skip ahead a day or two. I've lost track of the timeline. Maria is dreading telling Winston that she can't be his campaign manager anymore. She finds him outside and just blurts out that she can't work with him anymore. Winston is confused. He asks if he said something wrong or offended her in some way. Maria lies and says she decided to take piano lessons and now she's just too busy to help him. He jokes that she's breaking his heart but he doesn't make a big deal about her letting him down so close to the election. Maria is hurt that he's not more upset.
Liz's turn. Despite what Maria thinks, Winston is definitely upset. Liz notices that he barely touches his lunch the next day and he isn't his usual cheery self. She asks him about it and he tells her that he's worried about his campaign since Maria quit. Liz thinks it's deeper than that and prods him a little, eventually getting him to admit that he has a crush on Maria. He seems really torn up about it and feels guilty for liking someone who's “practically married”.
We leave that abruptly and now we're back at the compound. Maria calls to talk to Liz which she finds confusing since they've literally never had a conversation before. Maria asks Liz to help Winston with his campaign. She admits that she lied about the piano lessons and that Michael is jealous of Winston. Liz gets all up on her high horse about how this means their relationship is doomed. Bitch, you and Todd went through the exact same thing. Don't pretend.
Liz gets irritated with Maria for ditching Winston and then trying to get him a new manager without his input. She says that she's much too busy to help and that Maria should follow through on the promise she made to him. Maria says that Liz could never understand what it's like to be engaged and that she's just jealous of her and Michael. Before Liz can respond, Maria slams the phone down.
Liz tells Jess that she doesn't think an engagement party is a good idea because there seems to be trouble brewing. Jess ignores this and says it's just jitters.
Back with Maria. Her conversation with Liz made her reevaluate things and she decides that she needs to honor her promise to Winston. She hopes Michael will understand.
Suddenly we're in school in the middle of the B-plot. The couples are instructed to finish their budget and then they're given a crisis to try to solve. Michael and Maria are at odds as soon as they start. Maria comments that things would be easier if she were a working mom and Michael pulls the “no wife of mine is going to work” card. It surprises Maria because she never realized he was so traditional. She always planned to have a career and it sounds like Michael expects her to be a housewife. This is something they definitely need to hash out before they get married.
They finish their budget and get their crisis. Apparently their 12-year-old son was arrested for shoplifting. They disagree immediately on how to handle it. Maria wants to send him to counseling but Michael thinks counseling is dumb and a waste of money. He thinks physical punishment is in order. Maria is horrified at the idea that he'd “hit” one of their kids. Again, this is a pretty big issue and they need to figure it out before they have kids.
Maria begins to realize that marriage isn't just a ring and a dress and two people in love. It's having to compromise and work together as a team and agree on how you are going to spend your money and raise your kids. She wonders if she's truly ready to be married.
OF COURSE YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE SIXTEEN!!!
After class, Maria talks to Michael about the Winston situation. She explains to him how guilty she feels for going back on her word to help him. Michael isn't very happy about it but he tells her she can be the campaign manager if it means that much to her. Maria rushes to tell Winston and he's thrilled.
Back with Jess. The party girlies decide to tell Michael and Maria that Lila is having a party because her cousin Christopher is in town. Neither Michael nor Maria know why they're getting invited to said party but they agree to go so they don't seem rude.
We skip to Saturday night. Liz doesn't really want to go to the party but Jeffrey does, so she's going. Jess and Liz recap a couple of books for us (the one where Jess died her hair black and the one where Jess worked for the dating agency) while they're getting ready. It's dreadfully boring and only included so Liz can make fun of Jess and feel superior.
Back with Maria. She's irritable because she had to lie to her mother again in order to go to the party. She said she was going to Lila's with Winston. When Michael hears that, he gets irritated too. She tells him that she wants to tell their parents now. He accuses her of wanting to break up with him and go out with Winston. That's an odd reaction to what she said but whatevs.
On the way to Lila's, she does some thinking. She acknowledges that she and Michael don't know each other as well as she thought. The B-plot has shown her that they have huge differences in what they expect from marriage and how they want to raise their children. She starting to think they're moving too fast.
YOU THINK?!?!?!?!
When they get to Lila's, the house is dark. Maria is in a bad mood and she asks Michael to just take her home. He says “That's really typical of you. You really take commitments seriously, don't you?” like the party is some big promise she made. He tells her to do whatever she wants and then he gets out of the car to ring the doorbell. She follows. I wouldn't have but we're vastly different people.
A maid lets them in and directs them to the drawing room. Everyone jumps out to yell “Surprise!” and “Happy Engagement!”. The place is decorated with white balloons and silver bells and there's a giant banner that says “Happy Engagement Maria and Michael!”. There's a two tier wedding cake and Lila directs Maria and Michael to cut it. Maria is freaking out a little. She doesn't want to be doing this when she's having doubts about her relationship but she can't figure out a way to get out of it.
Suddenly we're in the head of Lydia Pearce (Caroline's mother). She's waiting for a friend of hers to meet her for a movie when suddenly Maria's parents walk up. Lydia congratulates them on Maria's engagement to Michael (Caroline told her of course) and this seems REALLY odd to me. Maria is SIXTEEN. Why would you congratulate her parents on her engagement? I'd think you'd be trying to talk them out of signing the papers or something. We all know she's too young to get married. Pascal just couldn't figure out a way for Maria's parents to find out. She wasn't trying very hard. She could have had a family emergency happen and Maria's mom didn't know the number to Lila's house so she had to rush over there to pick up Maria. When she arrived, she saw that stupid banner and the secret was out. See. Much more realistic than an adult woman congratulating another adult woman because her CHILD is getting married.
When Lydia realizes that the Santellis didn't know, she starts wailing “What have I done?” like she just killed a man. It's stupidly dramatic.
The Santellis decide to go to Lila's house to see what's going on. Mr Santelli decides to call Michael's dad and tell him what their children have been up to.
Back with Jess. The Droids sing that song they wrote about star-crossed lovers in the last book while Michael and Maria have a spotlight dance. We hop suddenly into Maria's head with no notice. She's miserable and it gets worse when Michael whispers that they need to talk. The dance ends and then Jess asks if she can dance with Michael. They go off and then Winston approaches to ask Maria to dance. She has a lot of fun dancing with him. Twice. Her mood improves around him and she starts to enjoy herself.
Michael grabs the mic and starts to make a speech. He thanks everyone for the party and talks about how much he loves Maria. Then he announces his plan to run against Winston in the election. He even says that Maria will be his campaign manager now. She's stunned. Winston looks betrayed and walks off before Maria can explain that she had no idea this was happening. She tries to run after him but Michael grabs her by the arm and tells her to let him go.
Grabbing and restraining will always get a red flag warning from me unless you're doing it to keep someone from getting hit by a bus or trampled by a buffalo. It's one person using their size and strength against another person and that's not okay.
Maria starts yelling that he doesn't own her and that he has no right to do what he did. Michael tells her that it will be over between them if she goes after Winston.
Girl, run. Fast.
Maria takes her ring off and gives it to him and then goes after Winston.
In the middle of everything, the dueling mob families descend on Lila's mansion. They're so mad at their kids that they stop being mad at each other. It's like they forgot they were feuding. Or stopped caring about what caused the feud in the first place. It's rushed and makes no sense. I mean, what was the fucking point if it was going to be put to rest so easily. I was expecting a shoot out or at least a little fist fight.
They ring the doorbell and a stricken Lila ushers them off to the study where Michael joins them. When they ask him about what they heard, Michael calmly tells them that it's nonsense and they're not engaged. Which...is kind of true I guess. He considers leaving it at that but then comes clean. He tells them about sneaking around and getting engaged but then deciding to end things. He says that he and Maria couldn't talk to their parents about anything because of their feud and all four parents just make up instantly on the spot. It's so dumb. Everyone hugs and cries.
Back to our twinsies. Jess figures they can still party even if Michael and Maria broke up. Lila demands everyone have fun. The Droids start to play an upbeat song as Michael comes back into the room. Liz peels off to go talk to him. I don't know why. They've literally never had a single conversation before. Surely his friends would comfort him a little better? Michael tells her that he's kinds of relieved. He says he thinks they got caught up in the forbidden love thing. Maria was always his best friend and he hopes she'll continue to be but he's not really in love with her anymore.
That was fast.
The D-plot (???) pops up soon after. Liz is dancing with Jeffrey next to Aaron and his girlfriend Heather when Roger accidentally steps on one of Aaron's feet. Aaron gets way more mad than the situation warrants, concerning Liz and Jeffrey.
Maria again. She tracks down Winston and finds him crying on a bench in the garden. She tells him that she cares about him and she wants to help him with his campaign. He's surprised that she's not working on Michael's campaign but she tells him that they broke up. They end up kissing.
Eventually they go back inside. Michael explains to Maria that their parents have reconciled. She's surprised. She asks him if they can be friends and he says “best friends”
Suddenly it's Monday and we're back with the B-plot. The teacher asks the class to discuss what they learned. Michael says he learned that he wasn't ready for marriage and that compromise is important.
I guess that's the A-plot and B-plot wrapped up. Now we have to deal with the C-plot. Michael wasn't serious about running for student council so that ceases to be an issue. Winston gives a speech about how important student council is and how they shouldn't take fair representation for granted. Everyone cheers. He wins because of course he does. C-plot is officially wrapped up.
Everyone goes to the Dairi Burger to celebrate. The D-plot comes stomping in all pissed off because he got a C- on an English paper. Elizabeth defends creepy Mr Collins and it infuriates Aaron. Jeffrey is troubled. Aaron is his best friend and he can tell something is wrong but he doesn't know what.
I guess we'll be figuring that out in the next book. Sigh.
So the book ends there. This one wasn't as bad as the last one. The A-plot was ridiculous and the others didn't really amount to much but no one made me rage-rant to my husband or manager while I was reading. That can't be said for most of these books. It was just kind of meh.
Coming up next: We figure out why Aaron is so pissed off. I'm going to struggle to care. Same old, same old.
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