Novel Review: The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)

Release Date: June 2019

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

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?

The Cover:

I do like this cover. It's simple and cute, looks rather light-hearted. I actually think the contents are a bit deeper than are portrayed here, and it might even be too simple? Which is a weird thing to say. I still like it, though.

Review:

I eagerly anticipate every new book by Dessen. About every other year, I get a new book to devour, which I usually do very quickly. Even though I haven't been reading very many YA novels lately, I still preordered this one immediately, and read it as soon as I could.

Emma lives a nice, rather comfortable life with her father, his wife and her grandmother. But then one summer, plans with her best friend fall through, and her father and stepmother have vacation plans, and suddenly she doesn't have anywhere to go. The crazy suggestion of staying with her mothers family for the summer is thrown out, and she gets the chance to discover a side of herself and her family that she never knew was there.

Emma was comfortable in herself and her life before this, and feels a bit out of place at first. There's this whole culture and family here that she never knew, and that have an impression of her from a time she doesn't even remember because she was so young. She gets to meet these new people, and experience new things. And, of course, there's Roo. The boy who remembers her, but she doesn't remember. Who she has more of a connection with than she realized, as she keeps getting drawn to him.

This was a really sweet story. I like how Emma grew during this, and how she pulled her family together through it; she comes from two very different sides, with different prejudices on both, and she forces them to meet in the middle at one point. Then there's Roo. I mean, come on. With a name like that? Of course he's the sweetest.

It's so easy to fall into Dessen-land, and I love getting to do it every so often. Still one of my favorite authors, and one I will always be following.

Teaser Tuesday[249]: Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

---------------------------------------------------

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Viking (Penguin)

Release Date: June 6, 2017

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Goodreads Synopsis:

As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen's thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.

Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that's why she's cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm's length. But Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged, now that he's met the one girl he really wants.

Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humor, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself.

Excerpt:

“ 'I protest,' Ambrose said. 'The rule about the dating bet is you don't talk to dates about the bet.'” (Hardback, pg. 175)

What are you reading?

Novel Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Viking (Penguin)

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday. Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

The Cover:

I really like this cover. It's simple, very pretty, at least a little eye-catching. I like that the image does actually represent something in the book, though I think maybe they could have found something better to represent it as a whole. But it is pretty, and it works. I like it.

Quotes:

• "That’s the thing, though. You always think you want to be noticed. Until you are.” (Hardback, pg. 3)
• "Nobody was all bad, I was learning. Even the worst person had someone who cared about them at some point.” (Pg. 130)
• "That was just it. You never knew what lay ahead; the future was the one thing that could never be broken, because it had not yet had the chance to be anything.” (Pg. 413)

Review:

It should be no surprise that I loved this book. I went in knowing that I would, with no doubt of it being amazing. I’ve loved all of Dessen’s books at this point, and she can do no wrong.

This is one of the first books that took me like a week to read, though. Usually they’re done in a day, but sadly work got in my way, over and over again.

This is about Sydney, who’s always felt invisible, especially next to her older brother. He’s always the center of attention, even when he got in trouble. And then he did something really bad, and suddenly Sydney’s getting more attention. She changes schools, distances herself from her friends, and stumbles upon some new ones.

I liked Sydney. I understood her struggle, why she gave into her parents so much and why she wanted to fight them, and why she chose to fight when she did. I understood her feelings of guilt and anger, and I really liked when she finally found people who really saw her and liked her.

Her parents were really frustrating, ignoring her and then trying to decide everything for her. It drove me insane the way her mother acted about what her brother did, but I liked how he finally did something about it, and how that let him and Sydney form a relationship again. They frustrated me so much, but especially because I understand it and know how realistic that is. They’re complex characters, and they did what they thought they should. Then there’s Ames, who is creepy and won’t leave, and finally gets what he deserves, thankfully.

I loved the Chatham’s, and her new friends. They’re definitely a Dessen-made family. Sydney found a very good friend there, Layla, and she also found Mac, who is so sweet. He’s quiet and observant, and he sees Sydney. He’s exactly what Sydney needs, and I really enjoyed their friendship and then romance as it grew. I liked how it was subtle and slow, but apparent and then so important to them both.

I love the balance that Dessen creates. There’s friendship, there’s family struggles and attention, there’s romance, there’s finding out who you really are among all these things. 

I don’t know if this one stands out the most of her books, as I definitely have favorites, but it’s definitely worth it, and it will be one I’ll re-read. I loved it, like I love all of her books. And I will be waiting eagerly for her next one.

Teaser Tuesday[150]: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Penguin

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

Excerpt:

“‘It’s not a movie, though. And there is no happy ending. Just… an ending, I guess.’

Layla tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. ‘I hate when that happens,’ she said softly. ‘Don’t you?’” (Hardback, pg. 210)

What are you reading right now?