I feel like Dessen uses this concept here, but it's a subtle attempt. Their true self isn't coming across because they're doing what most of humanity does by hiding behind a mask. However, they're often the opposite of how they see themselves. They're not really a hero in the context of their own world's reality, but they aren't really the villain either. Some of Dessen's characters can be called 'anti-heroes' in a sense. This foreshadowing is a tool Dessen uses within her work, and she does it beautifully. It's going to set up the main character to work through an internal struggle that will help her character evolve throughout the whole story. The voice of the author warns us that this isn't a tale that begins with a happy ending. Immediately, you get a sense of the attitude of Emma and the overall direction this story will take us. The author alludes to the fact that these types of memories are few and far between. Dessen sets up this memory by describing it as one of the 'good memories' Emma has of her mother and that time. She lets us see into the past of our main character. Within this one glimpse of the past, the author introduces us to two characters, but she does more than that. It's one they both know by heart, and it tells the tale of another little girl waiting for summer on the lake. Her mother is there and tells her a story. The one she does remember, a repetitive memory, finds her when she was young and getting ready to fall asleep in her room. Here, we discover the lack of positive memories Emma associates with her mother. She uses tone to set the narrative right from the prologue. This is yet another testament to Sarah Dessen's classic ability to make you feel with her characters, cheer for their happiness and success, and love their evolution into the character they've always been, if given the chance to shine.

While there, she meets new family members, learns more about her mother, and reunites with childhood friends who she can't even recall. However, good girl Emma isn't allowed to stay all by herself, and instead, is sent to spend time with her mother's family who she hasn't seen in years. She's lost her mother, just had her father remarry (she's okay with it), and now she's left behind while they go on their honeymoon. Her newest book, The Rest of the Story, is no exception. Having the opportunity to read one of her stories is like having a present delivered into your hands. She's an author I highly respect, and the only one of YA authors whose books I will buy every time. I love this author so much, and I'm sure you caught on to my regard when I included her in My Favorite Fiction Reads, Top Ten Female Characters, or my Amazon review of her book Once and For All.

Sarah dessen rest of the story