Member Review

Cover Image: All We Ever Wanted

All We Ever Wanted

Pub Date:

Review by

Audrey A, Reviewer

All We Ever Wanted looks at a very controversial topic but doesn't really get deep into consequences and aftermath.
When her rich, bratty senior son posts a lewd picture of a female classmate and makes a racist joke, Nina's perfect life shatters. Trying to navigate her son, the poor girl in question, her husband and the school, Nina truly begins to see she didn't get all she ever wanted.
The book spends very little time dealing with true consequences of teenage behavior and cyberbullying. The book crescendos to the most interesting part, the part where real lives are change and then just ends. Everything is tied up happy with a bow. In fact, in the time of #metoo, Giffin's novel comes off crass, insipid and not very pro-women.
But even despite that, All We Ever Wanted is one of Giffin's weakest books. I wasn't really upset or surprised by her husband and his behavior. It blows my mind that the character didn't see any of this before. To make that worse, Nina never goes back to piece his behavior instead ready to divorce seemingly instantly with a new rebound guy on her mind. I really didn't feel for any of the characters. Even though I had empathy for the teenage girl, I never connected with her or the two adults whose point of view we get.
If you're a fan, go ahead and read it. I love to make sure I've read every book by the authors I like. But if you are new to the author, skip this one and go to one of her others.
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