I freaking love Emily Giffin. I follow her on Instagram and every day watch her stories and posts about her daily life with her 3 hilarious kids (Harriett is my spirit animal), her dog Dolly (she and my puppy Bowser would be best friends) and her GORGEOUS house that I aspire mine to look like during the holidays (her Christmas decorations are everything). I’ve loved her books since I was in high school – one Christmas I had three different people give me a copy of Something Blue since I talked about the prequel basically 24/7.

So when I got the email from NetGalley that I was approved for an ARC of All We Ever Wanted, I had a major fangirl moment. I danced around the house singing to my husband and dog, I called my mom and grandma and I even talked about it during a meeting at work.

And now that I’m finished reading, was it worth the hype and anticipation I built up? Absolutely.

The chapters switched between Nina, Tom and Lyla’s point of view, helping me so fully identify and sympathize with all three characters. I always love first person point-of-view – and in this case, multiple people’s POV is even better.

Nina married rich and is beautiful, classy and elegant. Her beloved only son just got into Princeton, her husband made millions (if not more) selling his tech company. So this should be the happiest time of her life. Nina was definitely my favorite character – she is strong-willed and truly believes in justice.

Tom is a single dad working two jobs to make ends meet – he’s a carpenter and an Uber driver. He’s so different from all the other parents at the school who live in mansions and drive fancy cars. All he wants it to do well by his daughter Lyla.

Lyla. Oh, Lyla. The fact that she’s half Brazilian made me love her immediately (I’m full Brazilian). AND her mom is from Rio (HELLO so am I). She, like her dad, is different from everyone at the school. She doesn’t have the trust fund, and her dad is super strict.

I love that I had no idea where the book was going – I was so hopelessly gullible that I believed in every character and every accusation. I didn’t see any twist or turn coming, which is often rare in chick lit. And when I finished, my heart was so full from the story and so empty from knowing it’s over.

I’m pretty sure Emily Giffin is going on a book tour soon. Even though I already own a digital version, I am totally going to buy the hard cover to get her autograph when I meet her – THAT’S how much I loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

First, my apologies as I should have sent this a lot sooner and just realized that a number of titles I had marked as not reading were not also cleared off of my NetGalley page.

In this case, I was not able to connect with the storyline or the characters. I was surprised by this, as Something Borrowed is one of my all time favorite books, so I thought this would be another one I loved.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity to read and review and I look forward to the next title.

Thank you,
Laura

I was so excited to read this. I loved her earlier works, but this one isn't a favorite of mine. I tried to like it, but I just didn't.

There were elements of mystery, women’s lit, & mild romance, but the romance didn’t lead where I expected it to. There was definitely a message about how choices with social media can have long lasting effects. I was able to identify with the main character as she figured out who to trust. Would definitely recommend!

This book is fun and totally enjoyable. Emily Griffin did what she does best. She made us care about the characters and their stories. This book will not disappoint! Buy it and anything she chooses to write for us!

A privileged teenager posts an explicit photo with a racist caption of one of his classmates. You get the viewpoints of Lyla, her dad, and Finch's mom-- the boy who posts the photo. I didn't really see the value in the POVs that were chosen because it was really difficult to get a feel for Finch without being able to see into his thoughts. What he did absolutely has nothing to do with whether or not he's a "good" kid, but that gets brushed over pretty quickly, and I felt like I needed to know more about his motivations for the rest of the story to make sense. I think that was a big part of the problem for me, everyone felt like a stereotype more than an actual character that you feel for, even with an important and timely topic.

Holy cow did Emily Giffin write a timely novel about privacy, teens and social media. This is a novel that all parents should read and teens as well. This is a very thought provoking novel and the characters are relatable.

When Lyla's picture is circulated around, at first, she is humiliated. She can't believe this is happening to her. But when she finds out, Finch Browning, her crush is behind it all, she's not sure if she should be happy that he took notice of her or ashamed that he saw her like that. But Nina, Finch's mom, and Tom, Lyla's dad have a whole different perspective of the situation. Nina is appalled by her son's actions, but also in disbelief that this is something her son actually did. Tom can't believe his daughter just wants to sweep everything under the rug and move on with life. What is going to happen? The entire private school, students as well as parents are aware of the situation, and all eyes are on these two families and how this situation will be handled.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Emily Giffin is definitely one of my favorite authors and I have read everything she has written. This book was a bit different than what I'm used to from her, but I still really enjoyed it.

What would you do if you found out a picture of your daughter, partially nude, was being texted around the school community? To students as well as to parents. What would you do if you were the parent of the child who took that picture? Would you try to push the problem away and move on with life, or would you want to your child to be punished for their actions? These are the questions, Tom Volpe and Nina Browning are asking themselves.

Tom's daughter Lyla got way too drunk at a party and Finch took some pictures of her and texted it to a friend or two. Those friends passed it along to their friends and some parents got a hold of it as well. For Lyla, she just wants the whole thing to disappear, but her father, wants Finch to be punished for his actions. Nina also believes that Finch should be punished for his actions and it quite concerned about Lyla and how she is handling the whole situation. Finch's father, on the other hand, thinks this is something he can buy his way out of.

Tom and Nina form a friendship during this difficult time and help their children make it through to the other side. Will Finch be punished and his future ruined or will everything work itself out?

I really enjoyed this book and it made me think about what I would do, if placed in that situation. With social media taking over the world and raising young people, it's definitely something I have to keep my eye on. I love the way Emily Giffin tackled this topic, with a few surprises that I didn't expect.

I was completely delighted with this new novel from Emily Giffin. It felt like a departure from her previous novels, but in the best possible way. Bringing the dual perspective to the novel allowed me to dive into it on a deeper level and ponder how one would deal with similar issues.

This was definitely more intense than I’d imagined it would be. I’m glad there were different POVs so that the reader could see the story from everyone’s frame of reference, but goodness, there were times I wanted to scream. At first I thought Nina was a bit obsessed but as the story went on I understood her point of view. Although, there were times her monologue and view about the material things she had drove me nuts. Then, Lyla... her passion didn’t let her see past the veil, per se. Some of her decisions weren’t all that smart but I’ll chalk it up to she was a teenager trying to make do the best she could. Overall, I think my favorite character was Tom because he stayed firmed and never wavered.

Nina grew up in a humble home in East Tennessee, then married into the Nashville Elite. She has everything she could want - a husband, son, and beautiful home. But a situation arises with her son that forces her to look at who she has become and to re-evaluate.

Tom is a single dad who took on raising a daughter after his partying wife up and left them. Lyla, his daughter, is able to get a scholarship to a private school, but will she squander this chance at personal development by making the same mistakes her mother did?

I love a good Emily Giffin book and this one really topped my list. I loved getting this story from the three viewpoints in this story: Nina, Tom, and Lyla. There are real life problems that happen to people regardless of socioeconomic status. This book delves into marital infidelity, sexual assault, cyberbullying, peer pressure and more. It really made you stop and think. What I didn't like about this book was part of the ending. I don't want to go into specifics because... spoilers. However, my critique would be more of a subjective critique and pertains to the punitive outcome of the whole story. The writing is very well done and I just had to keep reading to find out what the true story actually was. Five stars for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballentine for providing a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

Good read about the dynamics of the children of the upper class and how their actions are dealt with different than those of the middle class. Very happy with the ending and looking forward to reading other books by this author.

Nina is living the elite life in Nashville. With her only son about to go off to Princeton, she has dove into the world of philanthropy, tennis and lunches at the club. The sale of her husband’s company has shot them into the fast lane and Nina is trying her best to keep up with the crowd. Spending her evening in a ball gown at another boring event, Nina is confronted in the ladies room by her jealous nemesis and shown a photo that will change her life forever. Her son Finch, although spoiled through and through, has always been an excellent student and polite young man. Until now. Something has happened with a girl from school named Lyla and Finch is in trouble. Nina, who was preparing for the empty nest and patting herself on the back for a job well done is confronted with the horror that she may not know her son at all. As she tries to get to the bottom of this twisted situation, Nina becomes friendly with Tom, Lylas’s single father, and with every passing day she realizes her life is built on lies and manipulations. Nina desperately wants to discover the truth about her son and herself. Highly recommend this well written, fast paced family drama. Frankly it was better and more original than I expected and another - - get your head out of the sand - lesson for parents. Well done Emily Giffin.

I was able to read this book as an advanced copy. While it’s a very easy read, the story moves very smoothly, I found myself not liking the characters very much. The novel definitely deals with difficult and very relevant topics, like consent. I finished in a day but again did not enjoy it as much as other Emily Griffin novels.

I'm not sure what I expected, but this book was not like the other Emily Giffin books I have read in the past. Not to say that I didn't enjoy it, because I did. It just wasn't what I expected.
As a new mother to a baby boy, I couldn't help thinking about what I would do if I were in Nina's shoes.
Thought-provoking, timely and emotional, All We Ever Wanted was definitely worth the read.

I was a big fan of Something Borrowed-way before the movie came out- and Something Blue, but I just couldn't get into this one. I think it is more of a me thing than an author thing. My tastes have drastically changed since I read this, may years ago. I tried to start this one, many times and couldn't get farther than several chapters. I had set aside in hopes to try it again, but I think if I haven't progressed any further in this amount of time I will call it quits. Thank you for the opportunity, though!

I won't be posting a review for this anywhere as it wasn't the author's fault my tastes have changed.

Also, I only clicked the one star rating as your program makes me choose something.

This was my first Emily Giffin novel (I know, a bit slow to the party for this particular author), and I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Nina Browning, continues to adjust to being a part of Nashville's elite, after marrying her tech mogul husband, with small town, middle class roots, she sometimes questions the importance of the values being bestowed her son, whom will soon be headed to Princeton.

Meanwhile Tom, a single dad to Lyla, who has received a scholarship to the same elite private school that Nina's son is currently enrolled, struggles to keep with the financial pressures associated with "Keeping up with the Jones".

After an unfortunate drunken incident amongst teenagers goes viral, Nina & Tom are forced to navigate the parenting of their children raised in very different situations.

This was a well written novel, easy to read, and I finished it super fast. Another great option for the Christmas holiday period where you may find yourself with some free time. You would enjoy this if you like The Not So Perfect Mother by Kerry Fisher, or When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger.

**I received this book from Netgalley for the purpose to read and provide an unbiased review.

A complex drama that will resonate with teens and parents as it delves into issues of privilege, social media, and values. What happens is something that can happen all too easily these days but is a nightmare for those involved. A little poor judgment here, a cellphone picture there... What do the teens do now? And what do their parents do about it? Depends on the parent, of course. Decency or Princeton--which would you choose? Makes you think.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.

I have always been a fan of [author:Emily Giffinand have read numerous books by her so going into All We Ever Wanted I had high expectations. Giffin did not let me down.

Imagine you have a son who is basically perfect in your eyes. (Maybe you actually have said son.) Well imagine that your little boy is accused of sharing a picture that contains a half naked girl with a racist caption. What would you do? What would you think?

Nina's son Finch has been accused of doing just that.

The chapters alternate between Nina, Finch, Lyla (the girl in the picture), Lyla's dad Tom, and Nina's husband Kirk. The various view points was a phenomenal idea on Giffin's part because it made you continuously question who was telling the truth.

Sexual assault/harassment has been front and center in the recent news thus this plot could not be more relevant. There are so many different topics that are weaved throughout and are wonderfully done. It will hit you hard. I feel confident enough to say that much.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Lyla Volpe is a sophomore on a scholarship at Windsor Academy in Nashville. One night at a party, she passes out from drinking too much. Finch Browning takes a semi-naked picture of her with a racist caption and sends it to a few friends. From there, the picture spreads like wildfire through the Windsor community. Lyla's dad, Tom, is a carpenter and is furious that the wealth and privilege seem to be shielding Finch from the consequences of his action. Nina, Finch's mom, despairs that her son could have done something so heartless and cruel. She thought she had raised Finch better than that and worries that her husband has taught Finch that their family wealth makes him entitled to do whatever he wants.

I think this is my favorite of Emily Giffin's books to date. Nina was in such a tough position; I don't know what I would do in her shoes. If I were in Tom's position, though, I would have wanted to go to the police about the situation; never mind waiting to see what the school would do. I liked that we got to see the story from multiple points of view.