From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a big-hearted, sweeping 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 Emma was twelve. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big … 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 that 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 also divided into two 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 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—Emma or Saylor—will win out?
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Loved this book! I’d easily include this among my favorites of Sarah Dessen’s books. I loved all the characters, most especially Emma Saylor and Roo. It was a little slow going in the beginning but only at first. Really enjoyed it, a great read for summer!
I just love Sarah Dessen. I’ve read all of her books and every one ends up touching me and making me eager to recommend it to other readers.
Emma Saylor is a character that I think many readers will be able to relate to. I don’t think there are many people that don’t have at least one relative that’s somewhat flawed in a rather large way. I think her desire to connect with the other side of her family and find out more about her mother’s life is a very natural and expected thing. And even though her visit to the Lake wasn’t a planned one, I think it was exactly what she needed at that point in her life.
I, personally, loved the part where Roo was telling her the story of her mom’s past through the pictures in a photo album. I’m an avid photo taker myself and I love the idea that after I’m gone, someone might be able to tell the story of my life through those pictures.
I also think the cousins and how they interacted with each other was interesting. I happen to have a lot of cousins, but not many that I didn’t grow up around, so that was something I couldn’t relate to but still found intriguing. I didn’t find much difference in the way they ended up than I had been with cousins I grew up around.
What I liked most about the story, was how Emma Saylor was able to grow and mature through the learned past and mistakes of her mother. And I loved the analogy of her taking the driver’s seat.
Just another really well done novel by Ms. Dessen!
Emma Saylor is headed out to North Lake while her father is on his honeymoon. Emma lost her mother years ago and she likes Bridget, so she’s happy for them. Going out to North Lake will give Emma a chance to get to know her mother’s family. It’s nothing like she was expecting and everything she had been needing.
This was a fun story and there are some really great characters. Watching her family slowly open up to her and accept her was great. As other’s are saying, I think we all have a soft spot for Roo. As far as Emma’s father, I didn’t like him. We didn’t get too much of a chance to get to know him before the honeymoon, but he seemed easy going. He was anything but. He’s strict and controlling and has no faith in his daughter.
The story was a lot of fun and I enjoyed watching Emma blossom in the light of her new family. If there was one thing I didn’t like, it was that I was disappointed that the Trinity storyline fizzled out and we didn’t get an update that we had heard about so often in the book. The summer fun, small-town setting, and the competing town of Lake North make for a great summer read.
Cute summer coming-of-age story!
I’m a huge Sarah Dessen fan, and even at 28 I loved this book. There were several lessons and great one-liners sprinkled throughout the novel. The plot was a classic story of finding yourself twisted with love story. The character has a lot to work through, and I loved going on the journey with her.
This book gives a unique perspective about family. I liked the concept that it’s important to know the stories, good and bad, of the people who you come from because they will help shape you. I can’t put a finger really on what drew me into the story so much, but I went through it pretty fast. Maybe because it’s so real! The good and the bad. The romance was cute too!
Sometimes I feel like I could chart my life by Sarah Dessen books. They’re almost prescriptive in the sense that, whatever you’re going through, whatever you’re feeling, Sarah has probably written a book about it. She’s definitely been one of my biggest inspirations for contemporary YA and I feel like she just keeps getting better. Her most recent book, THE REST OF THE STORY, is easily my favorite one yet. The writing is stronger than ever and the story completely transported me to North Lake. This one has a perfect summer romance–including my favorite Dessen love interest ever in Roo–family and forgiveness, as well as a beautiful exploration of loss and found happiness. I can only pay it the highest compliment for any book: I didn’t want it to end.
I love Sarah Dessen’s books! Even though I’m past the age of the characters she writes around, I still enjoy reading them. Sarah Dessen gives hope with her writing, no matter how sad the story is. Great summer reads out on the beach!
I used to read all of Dessen’s books. I was hooked for years then gave them a break and picked this one up to see if I still liked them. Dessen has a way of writing YA fiction that I really like. It is true to life without getting to gritty or crude. There is swearing and some great humor but it is never anything I wouldn’t read my grandma. This is a great coming of age story that I enjoyed. I like her characters. She really captures the teen years and takes me right back to High School. This book does have some swearing, a handful sprinkled through. There is talk of pregnancy before marriage, lesbian relationship, drugs, Lots of alcohol use and death is talked about.
Sarah Dessen’s latest does not disappoint. It was a beautiful story of learning where you come from and how that journey shapes your own story. Loved it!
The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen takes place on one lake with two communities: the upscale tourist resort Lake North and the working class North Lake with its ramshackle cabins.
Lake St. Helen, MI
Emma Saylor’s mom came from North Lake; her dad was a summer sailing instructor at Lake North. Their marriage ended in divorce, and then Emma’s mother died. Emma’s father doesn’t talk about her mother’s roots.
Circumstances bring Emma to stay with her maternal grandmother in North Lake for three weeks during the summer. Her grandmother and cousins are strangers to Emma. But the Calvanders know all about her–Saylor.
Over the summer, Emma becomes Saylor, learning her mother’s history, growing to love her mother’s family, and taking the risks she has avoided all her life. You can make your life, or life can make you, she learns.
Lake Michigan during a storm
This was a nice summer read with great characters and lake ambiance while touching on deeper themes of class, anxiety issues, alcoholism, identity, and self-determination. Plus, there is a touch of romance. The hard-working, hard-partying teenager world is well developed, and a crisis brings a happy ending.
I won a copy of the book in a giveaway on The Quivering Pen run by David Abrams. My review is fair and unbiased.
4.5 Stars!
Sarah Dessen wrote one of my all-time favorite YA books (Along for the Ride) and quickly became a favorite author. Her consistent stories often focus on realistic parent/child relationships along with sweet and swoony romance. They may not all be the 5-star read that I had with AftR, but they’re always compelling and highly developed.
The Rest of the Story was another terrific book with a class-divided lake resort as its backdrop. The characters and interactions felt real from the sarcastic, bickering teens to the family that regularly yells as their form of communication. I found myself smiling as only-child Emma had to navigate this foreign environment full of family she didn’t remember. Familial relationships were a driving force within the story, but the slow-burn romance between Emma and Roo kept me equally invested. This author handled family, tragedy, humor, and romance with ease and delivered another winning story.