Review: The Rest of the Story

It’s not summer if there isn’t a new Sarah Dessen to read! What did I think of this? Read my review of the Rest of the Story!

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

To be published on June 4, 2019 by Blazer and Bray

Synopsis adapted from Goodreads: 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. 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.

Review of The Rest of the Story

I’ve been reading Sarah Dessen for as long as I can remember. And I guess with all the craziness that was November 2018, I missed the news that Dessen was moving to a new publisher and editor – from Penguin to Balzer + Bray.

For this book, Dessen has created a new part of the Dessenverse – her books thus far have been set in either Lakeview or Colby, but this book is set in a new lake town (though maybe the same lake).

Despite all this newness, this book felt familiar in the best possible way. I loved The Rest of the Story because I felt like it was a Dessen: Greatest Hits album – to me, it encompassed a lot of elements from my favorite Dessens. Here’s a rundown:

A character in transition or a crossroads – well, this is just about every Sarah Dessen, right? This book opens with a wedding, as Emma’s widowed dad is remarrying.

Wedding/remarriage plots are 100% classic Dessen! In Along for the Ride, Auden’s dad is remarried and a new parent. In This Lullaby, Remy’s mom is getting remarried for the third or fourth time. Once and For All is ALL about weddings and in That Summer, both Haven’s sister and father are getting married!

Emma plans to stay with her best friend during her dad and stepmom’s honeymoon. When those plans fall through at the last minute, she goes to stay with her mom’s side of the family who live on the lake- relatives she doesn’t know that well.

Being sent to stay with a family member and/or moving to a new place – another classic Dessen plot! In Along for the Ride, Auden goes to stay in Colby with her dad and stepmom. What Happened to Goodbye is about a character who does nothing but move around. In Keeping the Moon, Colie goes to stay with her eccentric Aunt Mira. And in Lock and Key, Ruby goes to live with her sister Cora and her husband.

The 9 to 5: At the lake, Emma starts working at Calvander’s – her mom’s family’s motel on the lake. I love plots where a teen character has a job – I worked at several different jobs during high school and I loved the camaraderie and life lessons. Whether it’s Macy working at Wish Catering in The Truth About Forever, Auden working at Clementine’s in Along for the Ride, or Colie working at the Last Chance Cafe in Keeping the Moon, Dessen characters have real, ordinary jobs where they meet new people and learn the ropes.

Pregnancy: one of Emma’s cousins is hugely and crankily pregnant. Dessen often features pregnancy or babies, like Scarlett in Someone Like You, Auden’s new stepsister in Along for the Ride, and Ruby’s sister Cora’s fertility struggles in Lock and Key.

The romance in The Rest of the Story was a different spin on the friends-to-lovers story, which I really enjoyed. Did anyone else think that Roo’s long list of odd jobs reminded them of Sumner in That Summer? I’m 99% sure he had a laundry list of wacky jobs.

I think The Rest of the Story is a book you’ll enjoy whether, like me, you’ve read every Dessen or whether Sarah Dessen is a author who is new to you. Her books are the perfect summer reads – filled with everything a good summer should have: romance, new experiences, adventure, and a gamut of emotions!

What’s your favorite Sarah Dessen? Or if you haven’t read any of her books, tell me what kind of plot elements you like and I’ll recommend one.

Looking for other great summer reads? Check out my post on YA that takes place in the summer!