The Rest of the Story Hardcover – June 4, 2019

"There were lots of ways to love someone, I guessed, both by remembering and forgetting."Emma Saylor has lived two lives, though she only really remembers one. With her dad, stepmom, and Nana, she's Emily--straight-laced and organizes to help ease her anxiety. Her mother, who passed away, called her Saylor, as did her side of the family from North Lake, a place she visited once and barely remembers. When she's left with her relatives for a few weeks she's quickly thrown into a completely different world, where the memory of her mother and the stories she never knew pulls her further into life on the lake.Her dad used to work summers at the ritzy Lake North resort, while her mom grew up in working class North Lake. Much like these two sides of the lake, Emma/Saylor realizes there are two sides of her as well, and deciding who she is isn't easy. Identity is an important theme in this story, and the more she discovers about her mom and her past, and she grows close to her cousins and grandma, she builds a connection to this town and the people there. There's also a lot of conflict between her and her dad, who kept her mom's past from her. This relationship frustrated me so much, I felt like I was Saylor, wanting to yell and curse out the dad on multiple occasions!I love that Saylor and her cousins get to know each other again. Extended family can be just as important as the immediate. There are several different kinds of romance going on; couples that argue a lot, delusional crushes, unrequited feelings, and old but new beginnings. It covered a lot of ground and showed the range of teenage relationships.Sarah Dessen is known as the YA contemporary queen for good reason. She knows exactly how to balance a wonderful cast of characters, personal struggles and development, plus sweet summer romances. I will say she has a formula she rarely strays from, which as a reader can be a little too "routine" and leaves you wanting some variety. I've never connected with any of her MCs on a personal level--I grew up in a very diverse lower-middle class environment with a single parent, which I haven't seen represented as a main focus in her books. That aside, there's no denying she's great at what she does, and I always enjoy her books.

This was the first Sarah Dessen book I ever read. It got me into reading her books, and I love them all, but this one holds a special place in my heart. I’m not going to spoil any of it, but it honestly is a good read. It’s so heartwarming, and gives you a feel of just, summer. It’s well written, thought out, and beautiful.

I've been a fan of Sarah Dessen novels ever since I was in high school, and needless to say - her books always hit me right in the heart and still manage to make me emotional with just a well-worded, thought-provoking phrase. I have every one of her novels, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters and storyline of her most recently written novels, especially "The Moon and More." When I found out a new one had recently been published, and some of the reviewers had mentioned that it hit them right in the "feels", I began to get really high expectations. And this book really met every single one.This almost-500-page novel takes you on a journey and if you're able to finish it within a day, you'll most likely feel like you've ran a marathon - only mentally. And like all her other books, you take a journey with the main character as she finds out who she is through the characters that come to life. And at the end, you get a feeling of completion and finality. Even with the various characters in the book and several that really didn't make too big of an impact, the important characters stood out and helped add to the story.There's not much of an overlap with her old books where you see some characters resurface or be mentioned in this one, but you do get the familiar names that have become etched (i.e. [hate] Spinnerbait, Colby). I won't go too much into details, but there were parts of the book where I just started tearing up and reflecting on my own life - the power of words told through the lens of a 17 year old girl. Who would have thought they'd make such a huge impact. And you can really feel the imagery, the characters, the scene visually come to life as you imagine scenarios playing out in your head.The only disappointment - I wish Dessen wrote out Trinity's pregnancy and the return of the Sergeant. Definitely would have liked to read about him and the baby. I just know that when I delve back into the book for a second (and third and fourth) read, I'll be picking up on little nuances that I hadn't seen during my prior read. Can't wait to reread this book and I'm so happy that this book is reminiscent of the storyline and writing style of her older novels.

Really good book! I very much enjoy Sarah Dessen as a writer. I am going to be honest, it was all very predictable, but a lot of YA contemporary is, imo. They follow a formula. What I like is how they use that formula to make it their own and how it makes me laugh and feel. I did laugh at a few parts that made me remember MY teenage years and bumbling through relationships and friendships.I feel that if you enjoy the type of contemporary romance, summer, high school, coming of age, then you will like it. It is nothing to write home about either, though.I knocked off half a star because it was a slow pace I felt like, but I didn't mind TOO much because like I said I am a fan of Sarah Dessen so I just kept going. No world building or anything needed.I liked the spinnerbait reference as wellPlot: 3/5Entertainment: 5/5Pacing: 4/5Characterizations: 5/5Overall 4.5/5

I really liked this book, but i’ve noticed if you’ve read a couple Sarah Dessen books you’ve read them all. I felt like this was just along for the ride with different details. Still a great read though!

I love Sarah Dessen's books. Been reading them for years. But this one kind of missed the mark.Our heroine, Emma Saylor didn't have the perfect childhood. She knew next to nothing about her mom and her life. She only remembered the stories she'd tell her. The ones about a lake.Fate has it, Emma Saylor has the opportunity of learning more about her mom when she has to go and stay with her grandmother and her mom's side of the family, at the lake. It was supposed to be for three weeks and it wasn't supposed to mean anything.But Emma Saylor fell in love with the lake and she got to know the people, her family, and more about her mom - and dad - than she ever thought she would. Not all of it was pretty - some parts were actually sad - but she took it well.Now the problem wasn't with the plot itself - though it did feel like it was kind of dragged out. I had issues with Emma's dad. To be honest, I thought he was being a bit of a hypocrite. I don't want to say why, I don't want to possibly spoil it for anyone interested in reading, but I was not a fan of his and really would have liked him to simply fade into the background.The other characters were pretty great. Still, something from the story was missing. Can't put my finger on it, but I know it wasn't there.3 stars.

I’m 24 now and I remember reading Sarah Dessen books since I was about 12.She really understands how to write stories with young people, and how to make people of all ages care about it. I’m so glad we all get to keep reading Sarah Dessen books. I once stated I’ll never stop reading YA and as long as Sarah keeps writing I know that’s true

Looks like a great read, I’ve not yet read it due to alright having a new book already on the go.

Perfect

Looking for a summer read? This is it then. 'The Rest Of The Story' by Sarah Dessen is my first novel written by her. If her other books are like this one too, then I can't wait to get my hands on them once this quarantine period is over.A warm and well written summer romance but with a lot more than just romance. Lots of family drama but not more than it should be. Yes, I kinda expected a little more surprises but nope there weren't many.If I would've just waited a little while for the summer to read it and it had a little more twists by the end, then it sure was a 5 star book for me. But damn this quarantine, I had to read whatever I could get my hands on.I would just say keep this one for your summer vacation. Nothing better than a sweet summer romance to read for a bibliophile in their summer holidays.