The Rest of the StorySarah Dessen
Balzer & Bray, 2019 448 pages
Grades 8-Up
Contemporary Romance
Emma's life changes when her Dad remarries and leaves for his
honeymoon. The place where she is set to stay falls through and she finds
herself at the beach town home of her late mother with relatives she can
barely remember. Mom dies from drug addiction and the memories are still
painful. Getting to know all of the new relatives, who call her by her middle
name "Saylor" just as Mom did, brings memories back to the surface
that she thought she buried. Everyone in the beach town sums up their lives in
five sentences, forming fast connects that tend to last only for the summer.
Roo seems different, as he understands Emma's past. He is the son of Mom's best
friend--who also died young in an alcohol related accident. Saylor and Roo form
a bond that cements their friendship: can it lead to romance? Meanwhile,
Saylor's cousin falls for a rich boy at the ritzy side of the beach town who
has a friend interested in Saylor. The two girls cross the tracks and check out
life behind the scenes at the posh-side. Dad and stepmom return from Greece
only to want to take Saylor away, just as she is connecting with this part of
the family that she never knew she needed. How can she convince Dad to let her
stay?
The Rest of the Story in Five sentences:
1. Classic Sarah
Dessen, sure to appeal to her fans.
2. Perfect
summer read that, although appears long, reads really quickly and is impossible
to put down.
3. Serious
underling themes such as underage drinking and addiction--and the effects of
this on children of the addicts.
4. Main theme is
the importance of family and the security of them loving you and being loyal no
matter what.
5. In typical
Jane Austin fashion the ingénue spends a good portion of the book in an
intricate dance with the male protagonist, only to finally fall in love at
book's end, sealed with a passionate kiss. Predictable, yet highly entertaining
and satisfying.
Wait-that's six sentences!
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