Sweet Valley High #7 Dear Sister, #8 Heart Breaker, and #9 Racing Hearts

In Sweet Valley High #7, Dear Sister, Liz lies near death after a serious motorcycle accident.  Liz thought that she could take a chance riding just once on Todd's motorcycle, and a drunken driver forced them off the road.

Liz is now in a coma, and Jessica is devastated.  Finally, Liz awakens, but she seems to have turned into Jessica!  Liz behaves outrageously, dating every boy in school except for Todd.  Can Jessica and Todd get the old Liz back?

This was the first Sweet Valley High that I ever read.  I always loved it.  It did not hold up well.  I found it way too hard to believe, and I couldn't get into it this time.

In Sweet Valley High #8, Heart Breaker, Jessica resents Bill Chase  because he once turned down a date with her, so she tricks him into falling in love with her.  Once Jessica has Bill, she ignores him and plays with his emotions.

Bill and DeeDee soon become friendly.  Jessica continues her charade, making sure that Bill and DeeDee's relationship is doomed.  Can Bill overcome Jessica's manipulation?

Jessica's behavior is obnoxious.  I typically like Jessica's schemes, because they usually are designed to lure in a guy that Jessica actually wants.  It's illogical for Jessica to waste so much time on a guy she dislikes.  She's just being mean for no reason.

It was at this point that I realized that many of the early books in the series no longer appeal to me.  I start really liking the books at around #15.

I do not like this book very much.

In Sweet Valley High #9, Racing Hearts, Roger Barrett really likes Lila Fowler, but Lila laughs at him because he is poor.  Unknown to everyone else, Roger works as a janitor in the afternoon and evenings.  Roger wins the qualifying round for a race that could earn him a scholarship. Roger suddenly becomes popular, but he won't be able to compete in the final race because of his job.  Roger is torn and does not know what to do.

I enjoyed this book.  I always like stories in which the protagonist has a real dilemma that is compelling.

Doris Fein: Murder Is No Joke, Dead Heat at Long Beach, and Legacy of Terror

In Doris Fein: Murder Is No Joke, Doris meets a young comedian, Steven Sachs, at a comedy club.  The two fall in love and have a whirlwind romance.  When a man is murdered, Steven is a prime suspect.  But Steven was on stage at the time, so he seemingly has a foolproof alibi.  Besides, Doris loves him, so he cannot be guilty.  Can Doris uncover the truth?

I did not enjoy this book very much.  I did not like Steven Sachs, and I never felt anything with the romance.  I hate reading about a romance that seems repulsive to me on every level.  I also felt that Doris behaves rather foolishly and not much like herself.

Additionally, I could not get into the story at all.

In Doris Fein: Dead Heat at Long Beach, Doris learns to race her expensive racing car.  While practicing, Doris meets racing enthusiast, Roderigo Alcala, who falls in love with her.  Doris cannot stand Alcala, but the spy agency IGO orders Doris to romance him in order to gain information about a group of revolutionaries.  As usual, Doris ends up in a lot of trouble.

I enjoyed this book.

In Doris Fein: Legacy of Terror, Doris travels to Chicago to meet the man who claims to be Harry Grubb's son.  Ashford Miller claims that his mother and Harry Grubb were his parents.  At stake is Harry's huge fortune.  Doris and Ashford become unlikely friends, and Doris becomes Ashford's ally against the organized crime of Chicago's underworld.

I enjoyed learning more about Harry's Grubb's past life.  Stories that explore the relationships between the important characters always have more meaning and are usually the better books in a series.

This is an excellent book.

I enjoyed reading the Doris Fein series.  The series is full of humor.

As I wrote in an earlier review, I wish that Carl Suzuki had been Doris' suitor throughout the entire series.  I enjoyed his character and wanted to see more of him.

Sweet Valley High #4 Power Play, #5 All Night Long, and #6 Dangerous Love

In Sweet Valley High #4, Power Play, Robin Wilson wants to join the Pi Beta Alpha sorority more than anything.  Robin is overweight and unpopular, and she thinks that Jessica is her new best friend.  Robin just knows that Jessica will help her get into the sorority.

Liz knows the truth:  Jessica will never allow Robin to be a member of Pi Beta Alpha.  Liz thinks she can pull some strings and outmatch her twin.  Meanwhile, Lila Fowler is behaving strangely and is giving Jessica some extremely expensive gifts.  Liz is worried.

This book has a great opening line: "Elizabeth Wakefield didn't know how messy things would get with Robin Wilson and the sorority pledging, until she was in too deep to back out."  The reader knows immediately that this story will be interesting.

The following passage from page 108 is one of my favorites.

When [Elizabeth] walked in, she heard Jessica's heartrending sobs and immediately felt like crying herself.  For once in her life, Jessica was being tormented for something she hadn't done.

This book holds up quite well.  It was always one of my favorites, and I still love it.

In Sweet Valley High #5, All Night Long, Elizabeth is worried about Jessica's latest relationship.  Jessica has fallen for Scott Daniels, an experienced college student.  Jessica goes on a beach party with Scott and fails to return overnight.  Consumed with worry, Liz is forced to cover for Jess the next day.



I always enjoyed this book greatly, but it fell flat this time.  I find Jessica's relationship with Scott to be unrealistic, and I was also annoyed with the conflict between Todd and Liz.  I find that I now agree with Jessica that Todd is too dull for Liz.

In Sweet Valley High #6, Dangerous Love, Todd has purchased a motorcycle.  Unknown to him, Liz has been forbidden from ever riding on a motorcycle because her cousin was killed in a motorcycle accident.  Liz hides the truth from Todd as long as she can.  Once she tells him, it strains their relationship.  Todd gives rides to other girls, and Liz fears that she will lose him.

Personally, I'd like for Liz to lose Todd immediately.

This is a book that I did not read when I was a teen, so it holds no nostalgic appeal.  Furthermore, I no longer like Todd, so I have no interest in this story.

Doris Fein: Mad Samurai and Deadly Aphrodite

In Doris Fein: The Mad Samurai, Doris and Carl attend Nisei Week in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo.  Carl introduces Doris to Ed Gilson, who is a personal family friend and Los Angeles police officer.  Gilmer takes the two friends on a guided tour of the festivities.  When Gilmer is asked to investigate the murder of a real estate baron, Carl and Doris assist.

In this story, the reader learns more about Japanese internment during World War 2.

This book marks a turning point in the series.  Near the end, Doris inherits a fortune when Harry Grubb dies.  Carl is suddenly insecure and feels that he and Doris have no future.  Since Carl is old fashioned, he does not wish to be "Mr. Doris Fein," so it becomes clear that he and Doris no longer have a future.

Even though Carl departs from the series, I still have hope that perhaps someday he and Doris might end up together.  Maybe Carl will someday inherit a fortune, then he will feel worthy of Doris.  It's a pipe dream, but I hold onto it.  I really like Carl, and I hated to see him go.

This is a very good book.

In Doris Fein: Deadly Aphrodite, Doris is now fabulously wealthy, living in Harry Grubb's mansion.  Doris no longer has Carl, and she finds that men only want her for her wealth.  Doris' alter ego Petunia takes control, and Doris eats compulsively, gaining a lot of weight.  When Doris learns that her old boyfriend, Larry Small, is returning home, she joins Aphrodite's, a weight-loss spa for the rich and famous.  Soon after Doris joins, she learns that some members have disappeared.  Doris begins to suspect foul play, and unfortunately, the spa's owners know that Doris is suspicious.

I neglected to mention Petunia in earlier reviews.  Doris maintains that her eating is due to Petunia, her alter ego who grunts when she wants food.  Doris is a sensible young woman who watches her eating habits, but Petunia frequently takes control, eating everything in sight.

Chapter 11 is titled "Doris Fein and Her Electric Swimming Pool."  A villain in this book is named Dr. Keene.  That might not necessarily mean anything, but taken with the title of Chapter 11, a mention of the Hardy Boys early in the series, and Harry Grubb's dogs the Rover Boys, I think Mr. Keene might be a sly reference to the author of the Nancy Drew series.

This is one of my favorite books in the series.  It is excellent.

Sweet Valley High #1 Double Love, #2 Secrets, and #3 Playing with Fire

In Sweet Valley High #1, Double Love, Jessica Wakefield has her eye on Todd Wilkins.  Todd is Sweet Valley High's star basketball player, and Jessica is certain that she can make him fall in love with her.  Unknown to Jessica, her twin sister, Elizabeth, likes Todd a lot.  Liz is devastated when Todd appears to be falling for Jessica.

I have never cared for the first book in this series.  It was one of the books I didn't read as a teen, so nostalgia, or rather, lack of nostalgia is the reason why. 

I also no longer care much for the Elizabeth and Todd relationship.  I liked them okay together when I was a teen, but they bore me now.

In Sweet Valley High #2, Secrets, Elizabeth's best friend, Enid Rollins, fears that she will lose her boyfriend, Ronnie Edwards.  Enid tells Liz her darkest secret, that she was once on drugs, and if Ronnie ever finds out, he'll dump her.

Soon, the worst happens.  Someone has told Ronnie about Enid's past!  Enid is certain that Liz told, but Liz kept Enid's secret.  Can Liz ever sort out this mess and regain Enid's friendship?

From page 17:

Even so, Jessica doubted that Ms. Dalton suspected that Ken had a crush on her. 

Teachers could be so dense about some things, she thought.

Ha!  Little do our students realize that we know far more than we let on and that we often play dumb on purpose, at least at first.  They have no idea.

I always enjoyed this book, but now it's just okay.



In Sweet Valley High #3, Playing with Fire, Jessica has been in love with Bruce Patman for the longest time, and finally, Bruce is paying attention to her.  Jessica spends all of her time with Bruce, even cutting classes to spend time with him.  Liz is worried, because Jessica is not acting like herself.  Liz fears that Bruce is using her.  Can Liz help Jessica come to her senses before she gets hurt?

I always loved this book, but now it seems so stupid.  Jessica is such a self-assured young lady, and it's highly unlikely that she would transform into such a permissive person so suddenly.  This book is not believable, and it did not hold up well at all upon this reading.

The Cassandra Best Series

The Cassandra Best series consists of the following books.

1.  Ticket to Danger, 1990
2.  Race Against Time, 1990
3.  Mystery in Hollywood, 1990
4.  Treasure Beach, 1990

The series was published by Grosset and Dunlap and written under the pseudonym of Jennifer Austin.  The books were published in glossy hardcover editions.

Cassandra Best Jones, known as Cassie to her family, is 18 years old.  Cassie's alter ego, Cassandra, is a detective.

In Cassandra Best #1, Ticket to Danger, Cassie's British pen pal, Alex, has sent her a plane ticket.  Cassie is nervous, because Alex thinks Cassie is wealthy.  Cassie is not wealthy and lives an ordinary life.  Cassie sets her worries aside as soon as she arrives at Alex's estate.  Alex is missing!  Cassie gets to play the role of Cassandra Best as she searches for her missing friend.

Near the end of the story Cassie tries to communicate telepathically with Alex.

This book has a good story idea that is lacking.  I enjoyed the first part just fine, then I started to get bored.  The text needs more description, something to make it more interesting.

In Cassandra Best #2, Race Against Time, Alex sends Cassie a ticket to the Kentucky Derby.  Cassie gets to investigate another mystery when the horse favored to win the race goes missing.

On page 18, Mr. Felsingham tells Cassie that he can always sense when something is wrong in the stable, even when he is in the house.  This is a second instance of telepathy in this series.  I sense a trend.

I enjoyed this book a little more than the first book.

In Cassandra Best #3, Mystery in Hollywood, Cassie investigates a mystery on the set of a horror movie.

On page 111, Cassie is captive in a room that is "pitch dark."  Cassie can't see a thing.  The problem is that a fire is burning inside the same room.  A fire causes light, but the room is "pitch dark."  This bothered me.

Like all "sabotage on a movie set" books, I had trouble getting into the story.

In Cassandra Best #4, Treasure Beach, Cassie and Alex visit a tropical island where a crew searches for sunken treasure.  One of the diving ships disappears, and Cassie suspects sabotage.

On page 6, Cassie believes that she might have developed a psychic connection with Alex.

Parts of this story bored me.

The problem with the Cassandra Best series is that the books were written with minimal description and minimal emotion.  They mostly lack everything that makes a story good.  The stories come across as not much more than a basic outline with text added.  I assume that the books were not written by a very skilled writer or else the author was paid practically nothing.  I did enjoy some parts of the books, but overall, this is a fairly bland series.

Doris Fein: Quartz Boyar and Phantom of the Casino

In Doris Fein: Quartz Boyar, Doris becomes a courier for a top-secret agency.  Her employers are not entirely honest with Doris, so she has no idea of the delicate nature of her task or of the grave danger that faces her.  By the end of the story, Doris is highly annoyed with the situation.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the previous book.  I never care much for books that involve constant traveling from country to country.  There is a lot of intrigue, and it tired me.

In Phantom of the Casino, Harry Grubb, Doris, and Carl travel to the island of Santa Catarina.  At first, they plan to return home immediately, but they instead end up staying for a few days.  While Doris and Carl dance, the rotating reflector ball crashes down onto the dance floor.  Doris and Carl learn of additional accidents plaguing the hotel, and they begin an investigation.

I was quite thrilled so see Carl again.  I love his character.  I also was quite pleased with the setting.  Books set in specific locations without lots of travel are the ones that I enjoy the most.

Reading this book helped me to understand the unfairness of Japanese internment camps during World War II.  When I studied the war in school when I was young, the lessons focused on the Germans and their actions.  The Japanese were mentioned as well along with internment, but internment would have mentioned in a positive fashion.  This story explains how the internment caused Carl's relatives to lose their property.

It is important to note that the author, T. Ernesto Bethancourt, married a Japanese-American woman.

The culprit is surprising.  This is a very good book.

Red Carnations, Hidden Hollow, and Indian Island by Mary C. Jane

In Mystery of the Red Carnations, Prue Tenney is supposed to write about something exciting over the weekend.  Nothing exciting ever happens.  Prue remembers an unidentified young man who was shot and killed years ago.  She visits his grave and sees the person who leaves the red carnations on the grave each year on the anniversary of his death.  Prue is shocked that the man is Mr. Holman, owner of a nearby farm.  Could Mr. Holman have killed the man?

I was reminded of the Poe Toaster as I read the story.

This is a very good book.

In Mystery in Hidden Hollow, Amy and Freddy stay with their Uncle Ken in a motel cabin.  As winter approaches, the children will be forced to go back home since the cabin has no electricity.  Amy and Freddy have an unhappy home life.  The children are excited—and a bit scared—when Uncle Ken is hired to watch over Mr. Sargent's old cabin in Hidden Hollow.

This is a very good book.

In Indian Island Mystery, a valuable bear's-tooth necklace disappears from Eric and Abbie Jane's parents' shop.  An Indian boy from the nearby island is suspected, since he has run away from home.  The children believe him to be innocent, so they set out to prove it.

The story is good, but I had trouble getting into it.