This story was a very emotional one and I went through a range of emotions, joy, frustration, confusion and sadness. The setting of the story and the personalities of the characters were well thought out, I felt this novel had a classic quality. It questions choices we make in our lives, both when we are young and old enough to know better, the pull of family and our need to know our past and how it translates to the present. It is not what I would call a light read – but worth the read. ( )

I found the beginning of The Rest of Us to be a bit slow, but by the end I was hardly putting it down. I found the characters to be as frustrating as they were likeable, each dealing with their own dark sides. The friendship between Tatie (the main protagonist) and Hallie was very interesting and I saw some of my own friendships in theirs. Some of the time you could see that they hardly liked each other, they frustrated each other, they didn't trust each other to say the right thing. But they were also completely faithful to their friendship, especially in the end. I didn't like Rhinehart much at first. He seemed to be taking Tatie for a ride, seeing only his own problems, causing her to lose faith with her own abilities, but they seemed to grow together as the novel progressed and I liked him more as I read on. Finally, Tatie, who seems to be a nervy, worrying type, always trying to do the right thing (although she doesn't always succeed) was well written. I liked how she stayed by Hallie's side when she had a breakdown. She showed strength when she always appeared slightly week. I am glad I picked this book up at the library on a whim. I was completely moved in the final few pages and I hope to see some more work from Jessica Lott soon. ( )

I found the beginning of The Rest of Us to be a bit slow, but by the end I was hardly putting it down. I found the characters to be as frustrating as they were likeable, each dealing with their own dark sides. The friendship between Tatie (the main protagonist) and Hallie was very interesting and I saw some of my own friendships in theirs. Some of the time you could see that they hardly liked each other, they frustrated each other, they didn't trust each other to say the right thing. But they were also completely faithful to their friendship, especially in the end. I didn't like Rhinehart much at first. He seemed to be taking Tatie for a ride, seeing only his own problems, causing her to lose faith with her own abilities, but they seemed to grow together as the novel progressed and I liked him more as I read on. Finally, Tatie, who seems to be a nervy, worrying type, always trying to do the right thing (although she doesn't always succeed) was well written. I liked how she stayed by Hallie's side when she had a breakdown. She showed strength when she always appeared slightly week. I am glad I picked this book up at the library on a whim. I was completely moved in the final few pages and I hope to see some more work from Jessica Lott soon. ( )

This story was a very emotional one and I went through a range of emotions, joy, frustration, confusion and sadness. The setting of the story and the personalities of the characters were well thought out, I felt this novel had a classic quality. It questions choices we make in our lives, both when we are young and old enough to know better, the pull of family and our need to know our past and how it translates to the present. It is not what I would call a light read – but worth the read. ( )

Terry, a thirty-something, single, New Yorker, stumbles across the obituary of her ex-boyfriend, Rhinehart, and begins to reflect on all their good times and finds herself missing him all over again. A week later, when she bumps into him at a department store, her shock soon fades and the old feelings rekindle. Embracing their second chance at happiness, Rhinehart and Terry find their lives changing in many ways: Terry returns to the photography career she had abandoned many years ago, Rhinehart attempts to discover the secret of his Ukranian past, and together they navigate the hills and valleys of their renewed relationship, while learning more about themselves in the process. VERDICT: The storyline is enjoyable, but tends to get lost among side-thoughts and descriptions that may leave the reader impatient to get back to the plot. This heartbreaking, yet inspiring story, moves at a slow pace and may appeal to lovers of photography, art, and poetry, as the author goes into great detail on these aspects of the characters’ lives. Covering topics similar to author Binnie Kirshenbaum, but to a milder degree, Jessica Lott explores love, loss, friendship, and second chances in her second novel after Osin. ( )