Sweet Valley High Super Stars: Lila’s Story

I remembered this book so clearly, but I was sure that it was a regular book in the series. At one point I even went through the book list, just looking for a title that might fit it.

Anyway, Lila Fowler’s dad George is getting tired of her spending. Despite the fact that he gives her everything she wants, she goes shopping in every book and continues to shop later, here he wants her to stick to a budget. She recently spent $600 on a new suede outfit and he limits her spending, especially since she lies about not spending that much.

George is now dating Joan Borden who has a daughter Jacqueline who’s the same age as Lila, but doesn’t have the same life, even though Joan is super rich. Lila hates that they spend so much time together and thinks that George should be getting sick of her. Lila is also being rude to her friends because nothing ever happens in Sweet Valley and she’s bored.

The two J’s come over for lunch and Lila hates the way they act. Jacqueline is all enamored of the house, like she’s never seen one before. Joan is too, but she keeps dropping subtle hints about the expensive decorations and furnishings. Lila takes off early, so she can go to a concert with the gang. She meets Evan and they flirt a little, but then she learns that he has a girlfriend Sonja. Sonja has the hots for Bruce, so Lila calls and asks him for a favor.

Bruce meets her at the country club and agrees to help, but only so he can prove what a big stud he is. Jessica then gets to meet the two-J’s when they all have lunch together. Joan acts like the menu isn’t good enough and orders the most expensive thing, then makes rude/condescending comments about how small and quaint the club is compared to Beverly Hills.

Lila goes to the beach disco, all dressed up in some white jumpsuit. Apparently Sonja wears little sundresses and she wants to show Evan how a real woman dresses. Bruce is all over Sonja and she eventually agrees to dance with him. Lila comforts Evan and after 5 seconds, he asks her to come watch him drag race the next day.

Of course she does and of course he’s in shock. Sonja never supported him and never came to the track. They have dinner together and she tells him all about Joan and how her dad is changing. She heads home, feeling better about the situation until she spots Jacqueline in her bathrobe. Apparently they’re staying the night. Joan gives her a gift from Beverly Hills, but Lila still isn’t buying her act.

Evan and Lila meet again and this time he tells her that he’s not happy with Sonja. He broke up with her earlier in the day, which frees him up to make out with Lila. She should be happy, but Joan keeps popping up. They’re now basically living at Fowler Crest and Joan keeps buying stuff for the house. Conveniently when it gets there, she has no cash and George has to cover it. George meanwhile, wants Lila to take Jacqueline around town, introduce her to people and make her feel good.

Jacqueline borrows a bathing suit from Lila and thinks that gives her free reign over her closet. She complains to Evan, but he seems to think she should get over it and accept them into her life. He’d rather talk about his next big race and how he has to pay $500 to enter, but can’t get the money together. Lila pretty much jams the money down his throat and then wonders how she’ll get the money together.

She sneaks into the petty cash drawer and takes the money, making Evan write her an IOU. They then get a chair delivered and Joan can’t pay for it, so George gets in the petty cash. Lila pretends that her necklace was stolen and hides it in Jacqueline’s room. She demands they look there, but then they find it in her bedroom, where Jacqueline moved it.

George then decides that he should throw a party for Jacqueline’s birthday…in Sweet Valley…at Fowler Crest…where she knows three people. Lila gets even more pissed when Jessica calls and says she left word about a concert with Jacqueline the night before, but she didn’t give it to her. She invites Evan to dinner and George announces that he and Joan are going away for a week and expects Lila to loan Jacqueline everything she needs.

Lila discovers Jacqueline wearing her new suede outfit and the other girl lets her real side out. She turns into a mega bitch and basically says that she and her mother are taking over. I’m surprised that she doesn’t threaten her with boarding school. Lila turns to Jessica and then Evan, but neither believe her.

Bruce then pops up and he’s ready to call in his favor, the one Lila promised in exchange for him stealing Sonja. His friend Toby wants to win the next race and the only way he can, is if Evan drops out. Is Evan really that good? Wouldn’t Toby still have to compete against a bunch of other guys. Plus Evan is on a TEAM and that means his teammates should have the same equipment as him.

George and Joan come home early because they’re now engaged. Yay or something. Lila plays the good daughter, suggesting they turn Jacqueline’s birthday party into a combination engagement party and she’ll help plan it. Then she makes Evan feel bad for not coming because the race is the same night, since she really needs his support, so he drops out of the race. Isn’t this the race she gave him money for?

Conveniently Lila overhears Joan talking to her daughter about their scheme. She warns her to keep up the charade because she can’t have anyone find out the truth about him. Lila runs to her dad with the news, but of course he won’t believe her. He thinks that she’s just being jealous. Joan then pushes up the wedding to a few weeks.

Evan starts acting weird around Lila or at least not calling and paying attention like he used to. He comes over for a visit and disappears. She finds him with Jacqueline, talking about how much he cares about her. He even says that Lila doesn’t support his racing. She runs and cries and he sneaks off without saying goodbye.

Lila finds out all about the microphones and speakers for the wedding and hides three around Joan. She confronts her, telling her that Jacqueline let their plans slip. Joan goes off on her daughter and confesses everything. Joan goes out and the guests actually hiss at her. She plays the innocent card and George sends her packing. He then turns the party into one for Lila, for saving him.

Evan pops up and tries to pretend like nothing happened and that he’s still in love with Lila. She carts him over to her dad and says that Jacqueline lent him the money from the petty cash and she has the IOU to prove that he’ll pay it back. She storms off and runs into Bruce, who introduces her to Toby, the guy who won the race. Lila figures it’s poetic justice to wind up with him and rub it in Evan’s face. Go Lila!