College Girls

It had to happen: Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, the darlings of Sweet Valley High, have graduated to swinging college life. Since Sweet Valley University is quite the party school, fun-loving Jessica fits right in. Not so the more somber Elizabeth, whose world begins to crumble right after she and her twin step into their dorm room. First of all, Jessica soon steps right back out, abandoning her sister when a popular sophomore asks her to move into her suite. To make matters worse, both Elizabeth's boyfriend, Todd, and her best friend, Enid, appear to have little time for her. It all adds up to a rather dispiriting picture, and Elizabeth spends an inordinate amount of time crying in her room--or buried in her books in the library. Faithful fans of the other series starring the Wakefields may not be ready for this sobering scenario--or for the inevitable issues of drinking (Elizabeth's conniving new roommate does) or sex (Todd wants to; Elizabeth refuses) that are common to the college experience. But there's also plenty of innocuous intrigue built into Pascal's plot, which--though it leaves some questions unanswered--may be resolved in the series' second installment, Love, Lies, and Jessica Wakefield . Ages 12-up. (Oct.)