**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: Headed for trouble... Regina Morrow and Bruce Patman have been going together for months. But when beautiful, devious Amy Sutton is paired up with Bruce on a school project, she schemes to steal him away from Regina. Little by little, Bruce's resistance to Amy's charm begins to crumble. Regina is furious when she discovers that Bruce has been seeing Amy behind her back. Hurt and betrayed, she turns to Justin Belson, a troubled senior at Sweet Valley High. Regina's friends are worried. They think Justin and his crowd are bad news – it's rumored that some of them are drug users. Is Regina on a dangerous course?
TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains references to drug addiction and parental neglect. There is on page drug use and the on page death of a teenager. If any of those things will harm your mental health in any way, please skip this blog. Your well-being is important to me.
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. I like that the ghostie decided to apply two words usually only reserved for Jess to Amy (devious and scheming). If you ask me, the entire damn town is devious and scheming. Anyway, the cover on this one is okay. Regina doesn't look like a 40-year-old soccer mom at least.
In the last book, SVH put personal ads in the paper and stupidness ensued. Penny got catfished by that awful new kid whose name I've already forgotten (Kirk) but ended up with Neil by the end of the book. Jess also got catfished (for some college kid's sociology paper) and we learned that Amy has the hots for Bruce. That was about it. It was pretty boring.
Missing, Presumed Dead: Johanna, Patty and Eddie who pretty much existed for one book and were never seen again must still be down in the dungeon. They have a lot of company this time. Robin and George are still missing and not a single person in Sweet Valley seems to have noticed. Michael, Neil, Kirk and Penny have all disappeared from sight after their drama in the last book. Aaron hasn't been seen in quite awhile and Steven didn't make a single appearance. I'm not sure we even saw EvilNed. This dungeon is really getting full.
Released from the Wakefield Dungeon: No one. Not a single escape was made. Security must be tight.
We begin with Amy declaring the Bruce is madly in love with her. Jess is skeptical but Maria backs up Amy's claim, saying Bruce was “fawning all over Amy” and that he “seems hopelessly in love”. Jess has more faith in Maria's assessment of the situation, but she still finds Amy's bragging to be annoying. She thinks Amy has been “especially self-absorbed” lately. You know it's bad when Jess notices.
Amy doesn't notice Jess' irritation. She goes on and on about how Bruce can't help being attracted to her and how he can't be open with his feelings because he needs to let poor Regina down easy. She calls Regina “fragile”. Jess is shocked that Bruce is even considering breaking up with Regina. Not only did she think that Bruce had changed his ways but she can't imagine anyone wanting to dump Regina who is perfect in every single way - a paragon of virtue and inspiration.
Anyway. Later Jess tells Liz about Amy's claims and Liz is horrified that Amy would try to take a boy away from poor Regina. Was she concerned when Penny was taking Neil away from Jess? No. No, she was not. Liz thinks Jess can fend for herself but poor Regina cannot.
We get our typical descriptions of the twins and I'm going to skip all the sun-kissed hair and physical perfection parts. Liz is called loyal again and “entirely absorbed” with her commitment to Jeffrey, Enid, writing and schoolwork.”
Jess is described as changeable (their favorite word for her after scheming), energetic and high-spirited.
Jess tells Liz that Bruce and Amy have been together a lot because they are working on a project about drugs in Sweet Valley. Yes, friends, it's going to be one of those 'drug panic' kind of books. We had a lot of the in the 80's. I'm sure someone's life is about to get ruined to teach us all a lesson about saying 'nope to dope'.
Oh, joy. We're in Amy's head. She's at Bruce's house working on their project. Amy tells him she set up an interview with her cousin Mimi because Mimi “knows lots of people who know all about drugs”. What the hell does that even mean? Does Mimi know addiction specialists? Nurses? Doctors? Crackheads? She's purposely set the interview up for a Friday evening so Bruce can't take Regina out on a date.
Amy flirts with Bruce a little. She tells him she had a dream about him kissing her and then....he just does.
This affliction knows no series boundary.
They make out and then he tells her that he's crazy about her. She asks if he's going to break up with Regina and he says he doesn't know. He likes seeing more than one girl at a time and doesn't see any reason to commit to one. He tells Amy that he's going to talk to Regina about having an open relationship so he can date them both. Amy isn't too happy about that but pretends she is. She figures she'll just bide her time and convince him that she's the only one he needs.
The next day Amy can't wait to tell Jess that Bruce kissed her. Jess is kind of bored of the subject. She looks around the cafeteria and sees Regina sitting with a guy named Justin. She's surprised to see the two of them together because Justin is on academic probation and he usually hangs out with two girls named Jan and Molly who just sprang into existence right this second like Athena springing from Zeus' forehead. Jan and Molly are party girls and were both at a party recently where a guy was busted with cocaine. Jess uses the Transitive Property and decides since unnamed drug user knows Molly/Jan and Molly/Jan know Justin, then therefore Justin does drugs.
Sigh.
We've landed in Regina's head, a little in the past. Justin approaches her table and asks to sit with her. She's annoyed that Bruce is standing her up again so she agrees. He tells her that he has three copies of that magazine she modeled for.
I don't want to know what he does with those.
Seriously.
Justin invites her to a basketball game that weekend but she turns him down because she has a boyfriend. Apparently she's the only one in Sweet Valley that's immune to Canby Hall Cheater Fever. Maybe she got a vaccine before she went overseas. Justin, to give him credit, accepts her refusal with grace. He asks if they can eat lunch together again sometime as friends and she says 'yes'.
We're back with the twinsies. One or both, who knows? They're planning some kind of backyard barbecue because this is one of the few times when SVH isn't having a dance. Jess is bored because the twins have become side characters in their own series. She's hoping that there might be some drama between Bruce, Amy and Regina since all three of them are invited. Liz considers warning Regina ahead of time that something might be going on between Bruce and Amy but ultimately rejects the idea because there is no proof and she doesn't want to upset poor, delicate Regina.
Pascal sucks.
We're back in Regina's head and, believe it or not, she IS capable of complex thought. She knows there's something going on but she keeps telling herself that she's just a little insecure lately. Justin calls and asks her to a movie as friends. She turns him down because of the barbecue. He sounds a little wistful as if he wishes she'd invite him along but she doesn't because it isn't her party. Nicholas (her older brother who is supposed to be away at school but never seems to be) overhears and tells her to stay away from Justin because Justin knows people who take drugs and according to the Transitive Property.....
YEAH. WE GOT IT.
You know, technically Nicholas knows Justin and Justin knows people who take drugs so therefore Nicholas also takes drugs.
Do you hear how dumb that sounds, Pascal? Give me a fucking break.
Bruce picks up Regina to go to the Wakefield Compound. She tries to talk to him about their relationship on the way but he blows her off. They get there and Bruce pretty much immediately ditches her to hang around the grill with the other guys. Regina feels like everyone is watching her – like they all know something that she doesn't.
Amy shows up and immediately goes over to Bruce. Bruce does not discourage this and Regina realizes she was right to be suspicious about their relationship. She also realizes that every fucking person at that party knew about Bruce and Amy and no one bothered to tell her. She's particularly pissed at Liz who she thought was a better friend than that. She yells at Liz for being a crappy friend and then demands that Bruce give her the keys to his car so she can drive home. He offers to take her but she just demands the keys again and tells him she'll leave them in the mailbox for him to retrieve later. He gives them to her for some reason. On the way out, Regina screams at the entire party that she hates them all and they made her feel worthless and then screams that she never wants to see Bruce again.
That was.....a lot.
We skip to Sunday morning. Regina wakes up and thinks about her relationship with Bruce. She could tell that he was getting bored with her. He had become withdrawn which made her more clingy which made him more withdrawn. This sounds like a woman blaming herself for her man cheating which we hate to see. I'm not surprised Pascal is doing it, though. She clearly hates women based on the way she writes them.
Regina calls Justin to see if he wants to hang out since she's pissed at everyone else in town. Justin picks her up and takes her to Kelly's Bar. We've been here before with Jess early in the series and this is definitely not the place high school kids should be in. Justin offers to buy her a beer because this is definitely the kind of place that serves minors. She declines which he's cool with. He gets one for himself though. They sit for a bit but Justin can tell Regina is uncomfortable there. He tells her she can pick the place next time.
Or you could just leave this time?
Regina asks if his parents care that he drinks. He says that his dad was killed two years ago during a robbery and his mom is an addict who doesn't care about anything but her next high. Somehow the conversation turns to Molly (the girl, not the drug). Justin and Molly used to date but he had to stop seeing her because she's into the drug scene and he has major trauma with that. Regina thinks Justin could really use a friend and she wants to be there for him.
We're back with Jess. Amy joins her for lunch and complains that Bruce won't stop talking about Regina. Jess says that Regina seems to be moving on with Justin. That's it. That's literally all that happens. I'm pretty sure Pascal only included it because she's contractually obligated to shove Jess or Liz into the book every 20 pages or so since it's THEIR FUCKING SERIES.
We immediately hop right back into Regina's head. She's helping Justin study for his history test and nagging him about doing better in school and taking better care of himself. He's grateful that she's looking out for him but tells her that he doesn't want her to think she has to take care of him. Regina is fascinated by him because his background is so different from hers. She grew up with wealth and advantages and family. He's had nothing but struggle and pain. She admires him because his life has been hard but he's still a nice person.
Molly comes over to tell Justin that she's having a party on Saturday. She says that Buzz will be there and Justin is immediately concerned. He tells Molly not to let Buzz come but she just accuses him of “mothering” her. Before she takes off, she invites Regina to come to the party as well.
Now we're with Amy. She's and Bruce meet up with Mimi to talk about drugs. I guess Mimi volunteers in some kind of rehab center or something. I forgot to pay attention. They talk about the effects of drug use for awhile and then Mimi asks if either of them knows Molly. When they say the know OF her, Mimi tells them to stay away from her. Molly has been known to associate with Buzz and Buzz is “the biggest cocaine dealer at the college”. She says the police are trying to bust him and asks them to warm their friends to stay clear from Molly's party. Bruce is worried about Regina because there's no way she can possibly take care of herself.
I can't believe how hard they're infantilizing Regina in this book.
We're right back in Regina's head. She feels like she wants to protect Justin and make sure he is fed and warm and safe because she knows his mom doesn't give a single fuck. I understand the sentiment because I also feel drawn to care for the wounded. Bruce calls to warn her about the party but she blows him off because she hates his guts.
Man, all this hopping around is giving me a headache. We're back with one or more of the twinsies. You know.....the girls this series is supposed to be about? Amy tells Jess about Buzz and Jess tells Liz. Everyone clutches their pearls. Liz calls Regina. She starts the conversation by apologizing for not telling her about Bruce and Amy. Regina half-heartedly accepts the apology. Liz then dives right into warning her about Molly's party and insinuating that hanging out with Justin will ruin her life. Regina goes right back to being pissed. She's tired of people acting like she can't take care of herself with is completely valid. I'd be tired of it too if I were her.
They're right about the party though. Regina shouldn't even be putting herself in that situation and I think she knows it deep down.
We have fulfilled our contractual Wakefield obligation so we're back with Regina. She IS worried about the party and expresses that concern to Justin. He understands her point of view but says that he needs to go to the party to look out for Molly. He's really worried she might get in over her head if he isn't there. Regina says that he needs to get his life back on track and stop hanging out with Molly entirely. Justin tells her to stop acting like his social worker.
Regina confronts him about still being in love with Molly and he is but that isn't the point. It's also none of her business. He and Regina are just friends and he has very valid reasons for not wanting to be in a relationship with Molly at this point in her life. Regina says that he shouldn't have broken up with Molly just because Molly does drugs and......girl, shut up. This boy has severe trauma related to a person in his life being addicted to drugs. Yes, he loves Molly and he wants to look out for her this one night but he can't be around her every day because of her drug use. THAT'S VALID. He doesn't have to let Molly hurt him over and over again. He doesn't have to sit there and watch her destroy herself. HE'S A FUCKING CHILD and we're not talking about a person who has cancer or a disability or something like that. We're talking about someone who is using drugs and will continue to do so until she wants to get help. He can't make her stop and he can't be around her when she's using. That's him setting healthy boundaries and you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
Also, weren't you JUST THE ONE who told him to stop hanging out with her for his own good. Pick a fucking lane, Regina.
Okay. Let's just push through this.
Regina says he owes it to Molly to try to save her from the drugs.
NO HE FUCKING DOESN'T! Jesus, Pascal.
Let me make this clear - no one can make Molly stop except Molly. She's the only one who can make that decision. Justin is a seventeen-year-old child who is already struggling with an addict mom. He doesn't need this. He doesn't need Regina either.
I don't think I've ever been this pissed reading a book for this blog. Or any blog. Fucking hell.
Liz is pacing and wailing because she couldn't make Regina listen to her about the party. (Why were the authors in the 80's and 90's so stuck on the word "wail"? All their characters wail for some reason.) Jess finally gets sick of it and tells her to call and tattle to Nicholas. It's the only reasonable thing anyone's said in the entire book. (#allhailJessicaWakefield) Liz calls him and tells him that Regina is going to this party and she's fairly certain the cocaine king of Sweet Valley will be there. Nicholas is alarmed and says he'll go to the party and haul Regina out.
The twins have fulfilled their purpose in the book so now we're with Nicholas. We begin this entire idiotic scene where he can't find his keys and then he can't find his wallet. I think it's supposed to be building tension but that would require better writing. He eventually finds the keys but decides to just leave without his wallet.
Sure enough, he gets pulled over for speeding and then hauled down to the police station because he's driving without a license.
We're with Regina at Molly's party. She's handed a beer by someone she doesn't know and goes ahead and sips it which is just stupid. You should never drink anything that you didn't get yourself at a party. Justin goes to dance with Molly. Jan comes over and is mean to Regina because she thinks Regina is stealing Justin away from Molly. Which doesn't make any sense because Molly and Justin were broken up before he ever started hanging out with Regina. Pascal just forgot I guess. Jan offers Regina some pills but Regina declines. Buzz arrives and everyone treats him like some kind of celebrity. I guess that's befitting the cocaine king.
Nicholas tells the police officer about the party and Buzz the cocaine king. The officer is interested because they've been trying to nail that guy for months. A couple of cops decide to go check the party out and, for some reason, they allow Nicholas to come along.
Sigh.
Yeah, whatever.
Back with Regina. She's tipsy and she can't find Justin. She goes looking for her coat, thinking she'll go outside for some fresh air and finds Molly, Jan and some other randos smoking pot. Jan is mean to her again. Regina says that she and Justin are just friends. She gets her coat and tries to leave but Justin appears. He tells her he'll take her home in a little while but they need to stay for a bit. The cocaine king has brought some heroin along and he's afraid Molly might try it if he isn't there to stop her. It's not his responsibility but I can see why he thinks it is since Regina told him it's his job to save Molly.
Poor Justin. This kid doesn't know what to do.
Buzz breaks out the cocaine and everyone gathers round. Regina watches a few kids do lines and she's suddenly very curious about it. Molly tells her that it will make all her problems go away. Regina asks if she'll get hooked and Buzz says that cocaine isn't addictive. (Which I assure you is FALSE.) Jan says Regina is too prissy to try it and Regina desperately wants to be wild for once. Buzz shows her how to snort it and Regina does. She doesn't feel anything at first so Jan encourages her to do another line. Regina does. Almost immediately her heart starts to race and she passes out.
The cops and Nicholas arrive. An ambulance is called for Regina. She briefly regains consciousness and asks for both Bruce and Liz. She says she has something important to tell them and then she passes out again. Nicholas uses Molly's phone to call Liz and Bruce. He tells them to meet him at the hospital. Bruce starts sobbing.
Back to Liz. She and Bruce get to the hospital. Nicholas tells them that Regina had a heart attack from the cocaine. The doctor doesn't think she's going to make it.
Um......
Regina fucking dies.
I.....was not expecting that.
I kept expecting it to be a dream like the time that one of the twins “died” but it wasn't. She's really dead.
We skip to Monday morning. Liz feels rage toward both Justin and Molly even though neither of them forced Regina to do anything. Regina did the cocaine because she was tired of everyone in SV infantilizing her and she wanted to prove she was a grown ass human. The rest of the school blames them too. Bruce has promised to kill Justin if he ever gets him alone. Everyone talks about the evils of cocaine. It's very heavy handed and I expected it to be.
I just didn't expect Pascal to kill off Regina.
She killed off the only “handicapped” person in Sweet Valley. Something feels VERY scummy about that.
We skip to Friday. The school is having a memorial assembly since Regina's family opted for a private funeral. I'm not going to recap it. It's standard stuff with speeches about what a paragon Regina was and very sad poems. Even in death she is forced to be inspirational and aspirational.
After the assembly, Molly tries to talk to Justin but he just walks away from her. As he should until she gets her shit together. Molly is devastated that she's become the most hated person at SVH. It's dumb and she doesn't deserve it but people always look for someone to blame and unfortunately Molly is the one they picked.
I'm still kind of in shock that the book ended this way. Why does it feel like Pascal was trying to “cleanse” her series of the one disabled person? It's so fucking gross.
Although, let's face it, Regina had to be "cured" of her disability before she was even allowed to be part of the series.
I fucking hate Pascal.
Coming up Next: Molly deals with being an outcast.
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