Published by Balzer + Bray on June 4, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 440
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
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, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.
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 North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is divided into two people as well. 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 North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.
For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her will win out?
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I love how integral family is to this story. Since most of my relatives live out of the country, I can relate to spending much of my life ignorant about my family. Like Emma Saylor, it never crossed my mind to visit them (well, visit them more often, in my case), much less think about them. It wasn’t until later in life that I began trying to get to know my family. If you’ve ever visited a large, close-knit family before, you’ll have an idea of what Emma Saylor’s relatives on her mom’s side are like. Loud, sometimes obnoxious and annoying, but fiercely protective of their own. I totally understand why Emma doesn’t want to leave once she gets to know her family. I especially liked Anna Gordon, a pre-teen who reads a lot and sticks close to Emma Saylor, and Trinity, who’s pregnant and complains a lot about it but is honest.
Though family is prominent in The Rest of the Story, it does feel like the drama between Lake North and North Lake plays a larger role than the uncovering of Emma Saylor’s family history. Most of her family’s story comes in bits and pieces through the stories she hears. Roo (and romance) plays more of a backseat role in all of this than the synopsis suggests. I wouldn’t say Roo is the key to Emma Saylor’s family history, but he does share stories with her. He is a nice supportive guy, as I remember of the love interests in past Dessen books I’ve read.
What really brings the story to life—besides the compelling characters—are the little details that Dessen inserts. Idiosyncrasies in a character’s appearance. Small observations that show a place has been lived in. Things that a character enjoys. Emma Saylor’s anxiety with driving. (I totally relate.) The playful banter that arises naturally between Emma Saylor and Roo, as if they’d been good friends all of their life. That makes it natural for them to eventually become a couple.
My one big issue with the novel is the time skips. A chapter will open with Emma doing one thing, then remembering something that took place between the last chapter and this chapter, and then remembering something else that took place in between. Or a chapter might end on a cliffhanger only for the next chapter to open elsewhere, and we need to wait to find out what happened with that cliffhanger.
I appreciate the open ending. Not everything is perfectly resolved, but we get a better understanding of Emma Saylor’s family and we have hope for the future—that there is more of the story waiting to be told past the pages of this book. All in all, this was an enjoyable summer read.
Content
More Dessen Books
Let’s Chat
📚 Have you read The Rest of the Story or another Sarah Dessen book?
📚 Emma Saylor spends summer vacation learning more about her mom’s side of the family.
📚 What are your experiences with learning family stories?
My earliest memory about purposefully learning family history is in 2nd grade when my entire school participated in a writing contest in which we had to write a story about a family member. After hearing several stories, I wrote about the time my grandfather (on my father’s side) got injured during the Vietnam War. (Note: He wasn’t a soldier, but he got caught in the crossfire while he was there doing engineering work for the U.S. army.)
Ethan says
Interesting perspective. I have the opposite experience. My family is very large and very close-knit. Everyone is in everyone else’s business lol!
Crystal says
That sounds like both fun and sometimes too close. My family is more spread out, so we don’t have the privilege of hanging out all the time. Yet everyone manages to be in each other’s business – especially when someone posts on social media lol!
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer says
I love stories about family! Sarah Dessen is a favorite author that I found when I was no longer a teenager which is such a shame. But I do love all the details she loads up her stories with. We need to be able to differentiate between the different characters when there’s a large cast. Sounds like it was excellent! ❤️
Crystal says
I’m also so happy when family is involved! I think I was in my late teens when I first discovered Sarah Dessen. I agree she’s great about giving the details that we need in a story to bring the characters and their world / culture to life! <3
Melliane says
Thebook is going to be released in French and I asked the French publisher for it so I’ll read it soon
Crystal says
That’s exciting to hear, Melliane! I hope you enjoy The Rest of the Story 🙂