It’s time for another Sweet Valley High Super Star edition! I have to say from the back cover, I put this book off for a few weeks. It sounded so boring, and I felt it was going to be 213 pages that I could never get back. But honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and it was a pretty quick read. Better than the last Super Star Edition (Bruce) but still didn’t come close to the original Super Star (Lila). Get ready for a holiday tale full of love triangles, codependent high school relationships, drugs, alcohol and near death experiences… (Who knew Enid could be so exciting?)
“Enid’s Story” (Super Star)
Sweet Valley Scale: 4 out of 5 Twins
People who meet pretty, quiet Enid Rollins find it hard to believe that she ever ran with a wild crowd. Enid is popular, a straight-A student, and she’s best friends with Elizabeth Wakefield. Finally, Enid seems to have her life together… And then everything starts to go wrong. Enid finds herself interested in Jeffrey French, Elizabeth’s ex-boyfriend, and she thinks that he likes her too. But Enid discovers Jeffrey hasn’t really gotten over Elizabeth. Then Enid’s father shows up drunk for his Christmas visit. The only person left in Enid’s life is Elizabeth, but they have a disagreement over Jeffrey, and Enid feels totally alone. So when Brian, a boy from Enid’s wild past, asks her out, Enid is thrilled. She knows that being with Brian is risky, especially because he still likes to party, but he is the only person who seems to appreciate her. Can Enid resist temptation or will she return to her wild life?
It’s no secret that Enid has a dark and wild past; in fact it was the story of the second book of the series (“Secrets”) when Jessica finds out and tells the world because she’s a bitch like that. But it’s something the series doesn’t usually come back to, and why should it? Enid used to be a stoner druggie who made terrible choices and did not-so-great things. Then something horrible happened, scared her straight and now she’s more boring and “good” than Miss Perfect herself – Elizabeth Wakefield. And that’s all you need to know going into this book.
It’s Christmas break at Sweet Valley High (for the record this is the third Christmas Break of the twins’ junior year of high school) and Elizabeth Wakefield is all depressed because her boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, and his family are spending the holidays on a ski trip. This is so annoying, particularly because a holiday away seems to be the equivalent of someone dying from a brain tumor. But on the plus side for readers, this means Todd Wilkins will not be featured in this book. I don’t know about you, but that earned a happy dance from me. Enid wants to cheer Elizabeth up and she tries, but Liz in incorrigible.
At the Dairi Burger, Liz and her ex, Jeffrey French (the guy she was a fool for leaving), find themselves under the mistletoe, which means they have to kiss. Why? I mean if I found myself under the mistletoe with an ex I sure as hell wouldn’t kiss him. I’d be more likely to kiss a stranger, and for the record it’s doubtful I would kiss a stranger on such an occasion. I asked my husband (Roy) what he would do and he quickly answered he wouldn’t do anything, and I am fairly certain that answer is legit (but you never know, he may have just thought my question was entrapment). Elizabeth feels all awkward after the kiss and somehow loneliness because Todd is away – for a week – is enough to make her kind of want Jeffrey again. But she really doesn’t want him; she just doesn’t want anyone else to have him. This annoyed me, but I was so excited that Jeffrey French was back (he was seriously absent in the last fourteen books, some that would have directly affected him) that it didn’t bother me as much as it should have.
And this is where things get complicated. Enid Rollins, Liz’s bestie, used to have a crush on Jeffrey before he and Elizabeth got together. And now he and Enid are talking, just as friends, but it feels like something more too. Jeffrey asks Enid to go with him to this school skating party and Enid is glad Elizabeth isn’t going, even though Jeffrey and Enid are both free agents and only going as friends. Jessica gets Liz to go, and Liz freaks out (on the inside) when she sees Enid and Jeffrey together, but just acts passive-aggressive towards Enid, saying it’s no big deal when it clearly is.
At the party, Jessica wants to hook up with this guy named Brian, and Brian doesn’t seem interested – he seems into Enid, as well as one of her old friends. But Enid can’t get away fast enough. Jeffrey and Enid spend a lot of time together, but then Elizabeth bakes Jeffrey cookies and takes them to his house because she wants him to still pine for her and WTF. This confuses Jeffrey, who has started having feelings for Enid, and he starts to think maybe Elizabeth is still interested, and he still loves her so all his work of getting over her is suddenly down the drain. This sucks because Enid is totally falling in love with Jeffrey, but now Jeffrey wants her advice on what to do about Elizabeth.
Enid and her mom are fighting because her mom canceled a trip they were going to take to Lake Tahoe over the holidays because Enid’s dad wants to see his daughter. It’s been months and Enid loves her dad and thinks her mom is too hard on him. I agree that Mrs. Rollins is not a shining example on being civil or even appropriate around her daughter by making remarks about Enid’s dad (seriously, this puts kids in the middle, it sucks) but that doesn’t mean Mrs. Rollins doesn’t have her reasons. Turns out Enid’s dad is a big drunk and while he has always kept it from Enid, when he comes to visit he is totally smashed, I mean I don’t know if hammered would quite cover it. Enid is devastated.
This Brian guy is trying to get with Enid. He used to be a real wild druggie that hung out with Enid’s crowd back in the day, but he tries to convince Enid that he’s changed. He takes advantage of the vulnerable state she’s in and lands a date. It goes really well and Enid thinks he really has changed until he takes her to a party after their dinner where everyone is smoking and getting drunk and high, including Brian. Enid takes a cab home.
Enid’s ex-boyfriend George Warren and his new girlfriend (who he cheated on Enid with – seriously the girl can’t catch a break this Christmas) Robin Wilson are hosting a party on Christmas Eve and Jeffrey asks if he can take Enid. Enid is holding onto one last shred of hope that there might be something between them. Liz finds Enid and wants to talk to her about Jeffrey, mainly that she was a big dope and wants Enid to be happy, even if that’s with Jeffrey, but Enid thinks Liz is just going to pick a fight and brushes her off. So Elizabeth and Jeffrey go off and talk and clear the air. Jeffrey admits he feels something for Enid, and Liz admits she was just lonely but is seriously in love with Todd. They’re done. But when they leave the room there is mistletoe and they laughingly kiss again (WTF?) and Enid sees them, but they don’t see her. (I seriously don’t understand this ridiculous and unhealthy obsession with mistletoe.) They both go off to find Enid, but when they do Enid is dancing with Brian, which is really just because she’s avoiding them, and she refuses to talk to them. Brian suggests they go somewhere where they won’t be interrupted. You know nothing good can come from this…
Brian takes Enid up to Miller’s Point and he tries to convince Enid that everything is okay in moderation. She gives in, takes a few hits off a joint and a few swigs of booze and is totally messed up. I have no idea how she could have been a wild druggie back in the day if she can’t even handle this stuff… oh well. Enid realizes she is being stupid and wants to go home, but Brian refuses to take her. Jessica Wakefield sees them and runs back to the party to tell everyone Enid is a stoner (again). But everyone is just pissed that Jess didn’t make Enid leave with her.
Brian goes nuts in the car and refuses to let Enid out or take her anywhere, he is racing in empty parking lots, playing bumper cars with any cars that are parked and speeding and taking sharp turns on a mountain road. Eventually he loses control and their car goes through a guardrail and ends up upside down. Enid’s father, who has just renounced his alcoholic ways by throwing out his flash (yes, I’m serious), finds them just in time and pulls Enid out of the car. Then he goes back for Brian, but the car explodes! Enid wakes up in the hospital, and she’s mostly all right, but Brian and her father are in the burn unit. They’re expected to make it, but will need a few skin grafts.
Everyone is okay and therefore in a happy place. Enid’s father is going to check into rehab to get sober once and for all – Brian is considering it too. Enid avoids everyone except her parents until New Year’s Eve, so she still hasn’t given Elizabeth or Jeffrey a chance to explain. They never do. Enid goes to a big bash at Lila Fowler’s and everything seems good with everyone – no words need to be spoken. Jeffrey dances with Enid the entire night and they share a New Year’s kiss. But while they both have feelings for each other, they don’t talk about their relationship or if they’ll even have one. This was the biggest disappointment of the book for me – I was really hoping this was Jeffrey’s way back in as a recurring character in the series. I’m still holding onto that hope.
Bring back Jeffrey French! Bring back Jeffrey French! Bring back Jeffrey French! Can you say it with me? Bring back Jeffrey French! Bring back Jeffrey French! Bring back Jeffrey French!
Until next time… and hopefully that next time includes Jeffrey French! 😉
-DMW
