The Rest of the Story

In Sarah Dessen's 'The Rest of the Story,' 17-year-old Emma Saylor is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her maternal family at North Lake, a place she hasn't seen since childhood. Here, she confronts the dual realities of her mother's working-class upbringing and her father's wealthier vacation spot, leading her to feel divided between 'Emma' and 'Saylor.' As she navigates new family dynamics, rekindles a childhood friendship with Roo, and experiences first love, Emma Saylor slowly uncovers the truth about her mother's past struggles with addiction and ultimately reconciles her own identity. This novel is a poignant exploration of grief, self-discovery, socioeconomic class, and the complexities of family.

From #1 New York Times bestselling 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 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?