Oh, this book promises so much and delivers so little, and the John Barrowman/Timothy Dalton interpretation of Bruce in the cover art is possibly the highlight of this whole volume. Admittedly, the Jessica/Bruce storyline is interesting to start with (and I remember thinking the bikini scene was red-hot when I first read these books in the 90s), but as an adult Jessica's compliance to Bruce's manipulation makes for uncomfortable reading.
The B plot follows Jessica encouraging Robin Wilson (who we are repeatedly told is fat) to steal a test paper and post it in Emily's locker so that Emily, distracted by a music mogul in red leather trousers who's going to turn The Droids into the biggest band ever, can pass the test. This is important because Jessica plans to cheat off her, but the plan backfires when Mr Russo changes the test at the last minute.
The fat-shaming makes this a difficult read for me personally and although I enjoyed the scene when Bruce ends up with egg (or should that be pizza?) on his face at Guido's, the overtly cruel behaviour of so many of the characters left me feeling very uncomfortable.
Have you read Playing with Fire? If so, what were your thoughts?
#SVHReadalong
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