The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

The Rest of the Story

by Sarah Dessen

From number one New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a big-hearted novel about a girl who reconnects with a part of her family she hasn't seen since she was a little girl - and falls in love, all over the course of a magical summer.

Emma Saylor doesn't remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever.

Now it's just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable . . . until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother's family - her grandmother and cousins she hasn't seen since she was a little girl.

When Emma arrives at the Lake, and spends more time with her mother's side of the family, she starts to feel like she is two different people . To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.

Then there's Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family's history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It's hard not to get caught up in the magic of the Lake - and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo's spell as well.

But when it's finally time to go back home, which side of Emma Saylor will win?

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

5 of 5 stars

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Rating: 4.5 Stars

It was so wonderful to be back in the Dessenverse! I loved that she had created a new location for us, while still giving shout outs to some of our mainstays (Spinnerbait, Colby, and the U).

This was a really beautiful and touching story. Although her mother had been dead for several years, Emma still hadn't really come to terms with her grief. This summer was her opportunity to get to know her mother better by reconnecting with that side of her family. In the process of uncovering more about her mother, Emma learned a lot about herself. As always, Dessen packed this book with great characters. I was absolutely enamored with the family and the lake, and I wanted to be a part of it.

I would love to catch up with these characters at a later date, because I really enjoyed my time at the lake.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 June, 2019: Finished reading
  • 27 June, 2019: Reviewed