The Rest of the Story

Publisher's Summary

From number-one New York Times best-selling 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 12. 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, whom 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?

©2019 Sarah Dessen (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

nostalgia warning

Growing up on a lake myself, this story was bringing me to tears with the vivid descriptions of summer lake life. As much as I didn’t want to compare my summers growing up on the lake to this story, i couldnt help myself.

Emma Sailor was me at sixteen, and now at twenty three after moving away from my own lake, I know exactly how she feels in this story. I love this book, it’ll be up there in my top ten and is now number two in my favorite Sarah Dessen books.

This story brought me to tears more than once and has made me laugh just as much. To any other lake kid out there, pick up this one and get reading, or listening.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

This was a good one

I already knew the narration was going to be great. Rebecca soler is awesome! With romance books there are not many ways the story can go. I hope the story is not too cheesy or too far fetched, in this case neither happens.

This was a sweet story with good character dialogue. The events flowed smoothly and it was fun listening the whole time. I really like when an author can write from the point of a younger person, I like to remember the feelings and thoughts of being that age.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Take a vacation and enjoy this story

I feel like I’m a part of a community. This book captures the feeling of community that happens when experiences are shared. People from many different lives can share the same story even if it is just one week a year. This one week becomes so much more than 1/52 of your life. The best friends develop when we dive in and love.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Bummer

I started listening to this book and immediately wondered if I had accidentally ordered a Young Adult book. As far as I could tell, it is meant for adults. At my age, I am not that into teenage romance novels. The dialogue between the “youngsters” was long, drawn out and frankly, boring. I hung in there until the end. I imagined my 12 year old self enjoying this book but at my current age found it disappointing at best.

Bound to be a Sarah Dessen classic

This story has all the components of a great YA summer novel and goes along with the formula for Dessen’s other novels, so fans are sure to enjoy it.

The story felt a little more “slice of life” than Dessen’s other novels, in terms of the characters’ dialogue and actions. But this wasn’t a bad thing, as it captured the lake-trip setting well. Listening to the story made me feel nostalgic, as if I was remembering the lake myself. The narrator was also perfect for this story and really captured the voice of the protagonist. Definitely recommend as an effortlessly engaging YA summer read!

Wonderful!

Always love a good Sarah Dessen book!! Never a disappointment. Her books always make my heart smile!

not as expected

I struggled to finish.... not as happy or light as I expected it to be.

great story, great narration

this was a great listen. the storyline was good and the narration. I listened and got lost in the story

Great Summer Book!

I love this book it was a perfect book for the summer. Fun, easy to listen to, I enjoyed the narrator, finished in a few days I was hooked.

Couldn’t finish

I found this book to be way too Young Adult for me. I could skip large chunks and still go on. Did not grab me at all! Lost interest quickly.