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alibrarianreads 's review for:
The Rest of the Story
by Sarah Dessen
The first thing I have to say about this book is that it needed better proof reading and editing - at one point the main character's grandmother was out with her dead husband! Honestly! And that was just one of the many inconsistency errors I found. I'm getting over how many editing flaws I'm finding in YA at the moment... But I digress.
This was an interesting story which focuses a lot more on family, friendship and identity than the romance I was expecting. Yes, there is a slow burn romance, but it's by no means the centre of the story but rather an added layer to it. Emma Saylor (whose name still irritates me) was a richly developed character and I liked how she continued to develop as the story unfolded - I also appreciated how Dessen kept her in contact with her at-home best friends, even while focusing on the new friendships she was making. All of the side characters were interesting, many of them with their own flaws, wants and needs and I really enjoyed reading about them all. Aside from the poor editing, I really don't have much to criticise... I didn't love this book but it was really good - it's just missing that extra oomph that makes me love a novel! I still recommend it to people wanting contemporary YA drama centered around family, friendship and belonging.
This was an interesting story which focuses a lot more on family, friendship and identity than the romance I was expecting. Yes, there is a slow burn romance, but it's by no means the centre of the story but rather an added layer to it. Emma Saylor (whose name still irritates me) was a richly developed character and I liked how she continued to develop as the story unfolded - I also appreciated how Dessen kept her in contact with her at-home best friends, even while focusing on the new friendships she was making. All of the side characters were interesting, many of them with their own flaws, wants and needs and I really enjoyed reading about them all. Aside from the poor editing, I really don't have much to criticise... I didn't love this book but it was really good - it's just missing that extra oomph that makes me love a novel! I still recommend it to people wanting contemporary YA drama centered around family, friendship and belonging.