A book by Emilie Giffin is always a guaranteed enjoyable read. When I saw she had a new book coming out, I made sure to check it out as soon as I could. She doesn't disappoint! The characters are genuine and you can picture them easily. The storyline moves quickly and keeps you hooked. I don't have a lot of extra time for reading so I'm extremely picky when it comes to choosing something to lose myself in. This is another winner.

Emily Griffin delivered another well written book that is extremely relevant with the me too movement.

It all started with a lewd Snapchat picture at a party. The book then leads down a path of deceit, he said-she said, self-discovery, and so much more.

All we ever wanted explored relationships, young love, and the never ending question of just how far would you go for your family.

I really enjoyed the depth of the characters, how well written the book was, and how relevant it was in today’s society.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House LLC for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGallery for for the opportunity to read "All We Ever Wanted" by Emily Giffin.
My honest opinion of this book is it is so 5 stars! The story had so many twists and turns., it is told from multiple points of view, kept me guessing to the very end. I couldn't put the book down, I just had to know how it was going to end. I fell in love with how strong Nina and Lyla became as the book went on. This book covers everything from parenting teenagers to sexual assault to divorce.... and, how how important having morals and values can be. I wasn't overly happy with the ending, I enjoyed this book immensely!

This was a captivating read by Emily Giffin! It opens up your mind to things you may never have thought about before. Some parts I couldn’t really get into, but overall the book was ok.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Just one photo can change the course of your life. Very readable and engaging story about tough subjects such as racism, social media, and sexual assault. Social class/privilege is the defining theme. The story is told in several voices and this adds depth to the storyline. Very relevant and a good read.

This book starts out fast and engaging but then devolved quickly. Finch is the privileged son of extremely wealthy parents, attending an elite high school and set to go to Princeton after graduation. Lyla is the daughter of a carpenter dad who’s raising her alone after her mother abandoned them. When Finch makes a terrible decision at a party one night, his choice threatens to destroy many lives, including his own. This story started out with so much promise. I was hooked by the focus on the parents’ struggles of parenting teens, the inequities between the wealthy and those students “on financial aid,” the casual sexism and racism of privileged White men. But then it disappointingly turned from a literary exploration of these deeper issues into a young adult novel with at least two or three italics in every sentence.

Without overstating it, the excessive use of italics really bothered me. It was as though the author was low-key yelling in every sentence. As a result, the book seemed to have a young, adolescent voice narrating each character’s POV.

The “heroine” of the novel, Nina, voices strong opposition to her son’s and husband’s abusive and sociopathic behavior. Yet she doesn’t do anything about it. She just bemoans their actions... and it becomes inevitable this mom is headed into the arms of the single dad. That’s where I started skimming chapters, just wanting to get to the end already.

I thank Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an enjoyable read. I found the topic to be interesting and could not wait to find out the conclusion. I enjoyed the perspectives of Lyla, Nina, and Tom. I liked the perspective of Tom the most. His struggle to parent his daughter during a difficult and trying time was very interesting to me. I felt his response to the whole ordeal was genuine. I loved the themes of forgiveness, parenting, and secrets.
Overall it was entertaining and I definitely recommend it. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC copy. All opinions are my own.

Anytime I see a new Emily Giffin title, I add it to my TBR list- she's just one of those authors whose books I always end up enjoying. Her latest novel did NOT disappoint & may be one of my favorites from her! I was hesitant to read this one after seeing the topic because it's definitely been a hot button lately. I thought it may be a bit overdone/have an underlying political agenda BUT I was pleasantly surprised with how much deeper this story went. I loved where she took this story & the overall direction it ended up going. It exceeded my expectations and then some. Would highly recommend!!

I loved Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed Series. It reminded me of Shopaholic where there's romance, fun and hilarious moments. So I was surprised when this book had a more serious tone. It was riveting. Emily really knows how to rope you in. The reason I don't "highly recommend" this book is because there's a lot of smut. Too many cuss words to make it sound sophisticated and even some risque teenage scenes. It was just too much for me. I'm going to be much more careful picking up anymore Giffin novels. Which is a bummer because I really like her stories and characters.

All We Ever Wanted is another stellar release by Emily Griffin. The story line is timely and kept me engaged. The only disappointment was that I wish there was more character development. The ending seemed to come to fast and I had a lot of additional questions that I wanted answered. If you love Emily Griffin, you will love , All We Ever Wanted. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced review of this book prior to it's release on June 26, 2018. Also, thank you to Ballatine and Emily Griffin.

This is my first Emily Griffin book and didn’t know what to expect, this book was excellent ~ from her wonderful, raw portrayal of her characters to the portrayal of the events that occurred in the story ~ this could be ripped right out of the headlines.

Kirk, Nina’s husband is all about money and like most men of privilege thinks he can buy his way out of problems.

Nina was a wonderful character. She was flawed and a bit clueless - which did irk me - but further into the book you will know why.

Tom is a bit over-the-top, I mean his reactions to circumstances made me cringe. He was probably the least likeable character.

Lyla - she was mature for her age and I loved that she had such a common sense attitude.

Finch was a lit like Kirk. I’ve jnown people like them and really was annoyed by their attitudes ~ that is the point. They are characters. The author wrote them that way to make a point.
This book can not be considered Chick-Lit. It is ciontempoary fiction at its absolute finest.
Than you #Netgalley, #EmilyGriffen and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC copy for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. This is a great contemporary book about the elite and their privileged life. Early in I started loving all the characters. Nina was down to earth and likable. Her back story was interesting and kept me wanting more. Tom was your typical over protective dad that you really felt for at times. And Lyla was the rebellious teen we all can relate to, she just wanted to fit in.

There were a couple things I would say were nice twists but not really OMG moments. This book sheds light on a few issue in today’s world and how it can impact someone’s life. All in all I’d say the story was great and definitely kept my attention.

With her characteristic penmanship, Emily Giffin brings us a story of love, hope, redemption, acceptance and brilliantly plotted human relationships at its finest.

I think out of all the books from Emily I have read before, this is by far my favorite.. It has an easy pace, characters are on point and overall the plot is magnifiscent.

I am so happy I received this ARC. I’ve loved Emily Griffins books in the past and so I was excited for this one. I felt this book gives a really good view into the repercussions of social media/texting and the importance in what just one picture can do. What someone views as a harmless prank can quickly turn into a serious matter. It shed light not only the importance of being aware of your surroundings but also standing up for yourself when you’ve been wronged even if it’s embarassing. Overall I really enjoyed this book. Because of the multiple POVs I really felt like I knew the characters. I do wish we were given a glimps into Finch’s character. Since he was on trial for most of the book I would have liked to see his line of thinking. Maybe even just for a epilogue. I usually do not care for books that have an overall aganeda but the characters kept me engaged. Overall it was a good read.

TImely. I enjoyed the characters and that the author brought us into the present at the end to give closure to the characters.

I felt this book was a little different than her other novels, and much more thought provoking. A teenage boy shares a racy photo of a girl to his buddies, and his parents, who are very wealthy, disagree on how to handle the situation. It also deals with race, wealth, and privilege. I loved how the mom, Nina, takes a stand, realizing that all she wants is for her son to be a man of character, and not about the wealth and fancy things they own. This book definitely leaves you a lot to think about, and while it involves some serious issues, it still could be considered a more light and easy read, keeping you turning the pages.

I love Emily Giffin books even though I'm not a chick lit huge fan... somehow, her first two books just really got me, so I've been a fan ever since.

This book was very different in a lot of ways. There was still some odd romance thrown in (that I didn't like, for the overall theme of the book), but the message and topic is so incredibly important and relevant. I thought she did a very good job of making us wonder: Did Finch go too far, or was it typical boy fun? Was Lyla truly a victim, even if she doesn't think she was?

I liked it, but I didn't love it. 3.5 stars from me.

This book really took me through all the emotions. From hating Finch, to believing in him and hating girl vs girl hate, back to actually despising the little sh*t. I think it’s a very important book at this time with everything surrounding the “me too” movement and the men that think they can do what they want because of their money and/or power. I wish it had ended with Finch having to face the consequence of his actions (some might say he did to an extent) but it would have been nice to see him lose his admission to school, though that’s not really how these things work is it? This book was fantastic and left me with a lot to think about. I think we are making progress but it can’t happen soon enough. Easily one of Emily’s best!

I loved the easy and breezy style of this book. I read it in 2 sittings and was thoroughly entertained. I am really not sure if Nina was the hero — and that made the story even more interesting in a lot of ways. The truth and moral high ground are hard to come by in this story of white privilege. The story was stomach turning. Worth reading!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read an ARC.

3.5 Stars

”When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me
Look out 'cause here I come
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh
This is me”
-- This is Me, Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman Ensemble, Songwriters: Justin Paul / Benj Pasek

Nina Browning was raised in Bristol, a small city on the Tennessee-Virginia border, where race cars, football, and Country Music abound - in fact it calls itself the birthplace of Country Music. Her father was a writer for the Bristol Herald Courier and her mother was, formerly, a fourth grade teacher. A happy, middle class family. Nina’s husband, Kirk, came from old money, a ”fourth-generation silver-spoon Nashvillian” who grew up ”ensconced in a private-school, country-club world.” Snobbery was in his blood.

Nina and Kirk’s son, Finch, had just received his acceptance letter for Princeton the day before, and they spent the evening at a charity fund-raising dinner, for suicide awareness and prevention. They imbibe booze, they schmooze, and on the other side of town, their son was risking everything he had, his future, in a moment of lapsed judgement, acts on an idea involving a party with lots of alcohol, an unconscious girl, and a cell phone.

Of course, social media and cell phones are busy sharing this latest “shaming” and what might have remained quiet, or at least quieter, becomes a roaring conflagration.

Tom, Lyla’s father, is a carpenter raising his daughter alone, proud that Lyla was able to get a scholarship for the prestigious Windsor Academy, where Finch also attends. He could never afford to send her there otherwise.

Having had a similar incident in her early college years, Nina’s heart breaks for this girl, despite the fact that it is her son who supposedly is behind this. She reaches out to help. If he did this thing he is accused of, she wants him to confess, repent and take responsibility for his actions.

Through the alternating thoughts of Nina, Tom, and Lyla, we are able to see the flaws become cracks and then everything erupts. The accusations that flow when Tom approaches the Academy in search of justice for his daughter. As Nina sees her husband push money at the “problem” to make it go away, she also sees how unconcerned he and their son seem to be about Lyla’s well-being, and she struggles with her memories of Finch as her little boy while trying to face the possibility of him being guilty of what he is accused. A woman examining what she believes in, what she wants from her life, a town that thrives on gossip and unkind remarks, a husband who has no moral compass, and a young girl desperately in need of someone to listen, and believe in her, too.

I’ve only read one other book by Emily Giffin, First Comes Love which I read around a year and a half ago. While that also dealt, somewhat, with the complexity of family relationships, there was “romance,” which I believe is what she is best known for. But that is not to say this is not a love story, only that it is not your soft, happy, tears-on-my-pillow kind of love story.


Pub Date: 26 JUN 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House / Ballantine Books