Summer Reads | The Rest of the Story
Book: The Rest of the Story
Author: Sarah Dessen
My Rating: 4 Stars
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Synopsis (via Goodreads.com):
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?
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My Goodreads review:
As always, Sarah Dessen books make me feel like it is summer time (even if it’s not quite summer yet!). The Rest of the Story is no exception. From page one, you feel like you’re living the story with Emma Saylor! This book is full of summer and sunshine. It’s the perfect book to bring to read by the lake or read at home to feel like you’re at the lake. If you’re looking for a summery read, I definitely recommend this or any Sarah Dessen book!My review on Goodreads & Amazon.
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More of my thoughts:
This book was really great! I really enjoyed reading it, and it really makes you feel like you’re at the lake with Emma Saylor and Roo! Also- LOVED the character of Roo! I don’t know how Sarah Dessen does it, but every time I read one of her books, you can’t help but fall for the main guy in it! She just creates such great, rounded-out characters that make you just sit there for a second and smile at the book.
I also want to clarify real quick: the only reason I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5, is simply to reserve the 5 star rating for my favorite Sarah Dessen books of all time like Saint Anything and Lock & Key. But this 4 stars is still a very-much-worth-the-read rating. So definitely, do yourself a favor and grab this book! It’s a great summer read for this year since we all can’t do much traveling with stay at home orders. Read this and you’ll feel like you’re at a lake even if you’re just in your own backyard!
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Another thing I loved about this story was the differentiation between Emma Saylor’s two stories and two personalities. In her one world, she is Emma. In her other, she is Saylor. I thought it was really neat the way Dessen wove this story together and the reader can really see and feel that transition from Emma to Saylor.
Have you read this book yet? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
Happy Reading!
~Nadette Rae
