Cover Image: All We Ever Wanted

All We Ever Wanted

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Member Reviews

Emily Giffin breaks away from her (typically) lighter reads in All We Ever Wanted. It’s told through multiple POVs.

Nina, who grew up far from the elite Nashville-based lifestyle she’s now living, is mom to a Princeton-bound son. She’s living a seemingly idyllic life of wealth and privilege.

Tom is an overprotective single dad to teenage daughter Lyla, a strong-willed teen who earned a scholarship to Nashville’s most prestigious private school.

One night and one photograph intersect and upend both families’ lives.

The Windsor community is torn--pointing fingers, placing blame. Unfortunately, this situation isn’t far-fetched or hard to imagine. I appreciate that Giffin tries to tackle the heavier issues of class and privilege in this book. There are many, many layers to the story.

Without giving away spoilers, I’ll say I really enjoyed how things played out overall. A strong epilogue is also extra satisfying :).

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I always like Emily Giffin books because I feel like she always tries to really make you think about issues that are life changing and this book is no exception. I thought that it was a great idea to tell the story from the multiple perspectives because the characters were in such different points in their lives. I also liked how the story ends because life doesn’t always end exactly how we want it to with happy endings for everybody. Definitely a good read for Emily Giffin fans!

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I'm already a fan of previous novels by Emily Giffin and this one just solidified that.

Many of us may dream about how much better our lives would be if we were part of the 'elite' and had enough money at our disposal that we could buy whatever our heart desires.

While this novel is not unique in showing us that money does NOT buy happiness, it is unique in the inclusion of sexual bullying that seems to be happening more frequently with the age of smartphones.

As a parent, my heart broke while reading some of the scenes. It also made me want to talk with my boys *again* about how they should always treat those around them.

I'm definitely recommending this title to several friends. It would be a great book club selection as some of the issues (e.g. sexting, sexual assault) are top of mind for many these days.

I missed the download window, but was able to get a copy at the library.

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This is my first Emily Giffin book.

I found All We Ever Wanted to be entertaining, uplifting, and a lot deeper than I was expecting from its title and description. I don't usually read this type of book, but I am glad that I read it. The situation that Tom, Lyla, and Nina find themselves in is nothing new to the environment of our world today, and I am glad that it is touched on so that others can know that they aren't alone, or make one think before snapping and sharing on social media.

Father/ Daughter relationship stories always get to me and this one didn't let me down.

This book would be a great book club read.
Ms. Giffen is a talented writer and I will be looking to read other books by her.

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This was the perfect summer read, super soapy and excellent women's fiction. Just what I've come to expect from this author.

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As popular a writer as Emily Giffin is, somehow I had never read one of her books. I have had All We Ever Wanted on my TBR list for a very long time and I've just now finished it. Nina is the mother of eighteen-year-old Finch, a senior at a prestigious private school who has recently been accepted to Princeton. She is also the wife of very wealthy and connected Kirk. Their lives seem perfect, from the outside and from the inside, too, until a cell phone photo begins making its rounds in their upscale community. The rumor mill is hard at work assigning blame and defending "good families". Meanwhile, scholarship student Lyla just wants it all to go away, and most of all for her father not to find out about it.

This was a very fast read for me, full of intrigue and questions about who was telling the truth and who was a heartless liar. Teenagers make mistakes, but at what point does that mistake cross a line into cruelty? The descriptions of Nina's lavish lifestyle are a pure escapist fun, but it is clear that it comes at a cost she didn't realize she was paying. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely keep Giffin on my list of authors to follow.

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I love Emily Giffin and her characters. This book was current and kept you on your toes. I definitely recommend this book to Mom’s of teenagers. Pick up the book and get ready for an emotional ride.

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This book is a little heavier than Emily Giffin's usual light-hearted fiction, but well-worth the read. It deals with teenagers, families, and the mistakes teenagers can make with their repercussions. It is more mature than her previous books and I highly recommend it. It will make you think.

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All We Ever Wanted started out a bit slow for me but once I got into It I really enjoyed it. Very emotional. Emily hits the hard questions and this would be a great story for a high school English class or for a family discussion. I like her style of writing and recommend this book.
I was given a ARC from the publisher and this is my honest review.

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I am a big fan of Emily Giffin's books, and I fully expected to enjoy this one, too.

And I DID! I DID like this book! Each chapter is narrated by a different character, and the subject is relevant to today's issues (inappropriate photos/Me Too movement/teenage alcohol + consent + sexual harassment). I read the book quickly and enjoyed the story.

However. The ending was a little too quick, or wrapped-up, or emotionless.....I can't decide. Everything just sort of...stopped. Kaput. All done, with a shiny bow.

I am still a big fan of Emily Giffin's, and I will still read her books. I would just like my interest in the story and the characters to last all the way to the very end.

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I fell in love with Emily Tiffin when I picked up a copy of Something Borrowed. I quickly had to go get the rest of the books inthat series and have been hooked a car since. I love her writing style so much. She has this way of pulling you into a story when you forget the world around you. Nina Browning is a woman who married into the elite society of Nasheville. Her husband just made a fortune selling his tech company and this son who they love more than anything is going to Princeton. However Nina is a small town girl and at times she wonders if the life she has hasn't cost her the person she once was.
Tom is a single father raising his daughter who is stubborn and hard headed. He has to work multiple jobs for them to really survive. This determination that Lyla has has earned her a scholarship to Windsor Academy which is Nashville's most prestigious private school. Now he can relax as Lyla is accomplishing great things. However on drunken night a photograph while she's drink and Lyla is suddenly the topic of the news when it is spreading like wildfire. This story sends the whole town of Windsor up in buzz of controversy and assigning blame. But it brings together Tom Lyla and Nina. Relationships statuses are questioned and they might just find themselves asking who theynreally are at the heart of it all, I thought it was a beautiful sorry and I couldn't lay the book down.

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I really wanted to get into this book but it just was not for me. it started off slow and was hard for me to get into. i was able to read about 3/4 of it before putting it down. i will try to get back into it another time.

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This is my first book I have read by this author, and from reading other reviews, I gather it is a fairly different topic than what she usually writes about. This book takes a hard look at the sexual abuse in the age of the Me Too movement, but also layers in wealth and privilege and all of the complexities they bring with them. This is about choices, and how personal choices impact others, about deceit, and losing who you are...and finding yourself again. This novel is really wonderful. Well written, incredible engaging, and unfortunately, it rings true. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for providing and digital ARC for review.

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Excellent Emmily Giffin. Her books are not always my cup of tea but this one delivers. Serious topic written in a way that is digestible by the reader but still gets the point across.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and of course extremely relevant to today's issues. I did not find the characters particularly likeable, but that is not important to me as a reader. I was able to empathize with the characters for their various roles in the events that unfolded and I felt satisfied with the story overall when it was finished.

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There are so many books that you just don't want to end, or you want a movie made out of it so you can see where the story ends up. This was one of those books. I have always loved every book I have read by Emily Giffin and this is another one to add to the list. I really enjoyed the different point of views that were written from Nina to Tom to Lyla. The topic was much deeper than most of the books I've enjoyed by Emily. It was relevant and should be talked about more than it is, how your actions effect more people than just you. How sometimes changes and choices have to be made not because you want to but because you HAVE to. All in all, I love Emily Giffin's books and will always be on the lookout for her next one. I'm giving 4 stars because I really wish the ending was tied up a little more.

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I thought that this would be a quick read which had a few issues and a nice little story. Was I wrong!
This short book brought up so many issues that are relevant today including teenage peer pressure, bullying, sexual assault, honesty, the value of achievement vs honesty, alcohol, parenting, consequences, and social media. In spite of these issues, the author created realistic characters in a tightly woven plot.

I liked the fact that each of the main characters had an opportunity to express their point of view, with their narrative well developed and well thought out. They each recognized (after the fact) the impact of one mistake in judgement and a posting on social media - and how it could affect their lives. Do the rules apply to everyone or can privilege, money, or class buy a way out of the mess? Each narrator (the book was written in first person for each character) focused on the emotional impact of their decision, and their perspective as they dealt with the consequences of their actions.

I had to drop my rating down a star for the rushed ending.
Than you NetGalley and random House/Ballantine books for an advanced readers copy, that took me a year and a half to complete. The opinions expressed her are entirely my own.

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I loved this topic! I usually attribute the author to light, fluffy reads but loved how this dug deep. Exploring friendship, marriage, motherhood all in a few hundred pages. Definitely recommend- and makes you think what would you do if forced with this?

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Emily Giffin never fails to disappoint, and her newest novel followed suit by captivating my interest right from page 1. Following this upper-class family drama through multiple perspectives woven together added depth to dealing with intense topics like infidelity, divorce, racism, nude photos, and abuse. I was pulled in multiple directions throughout the story and having several narrators added to the drama as new pieces of information were slowly revealed. Ultimately, this story really made me think about how I would handle some of these situations if I was a parent in the story, and honed in on complicated family and power dynamics. All We Ever Wanted is worth the read as you uncover the lessons and thought-provoking questions that ultimately lead to difficult decisions.

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Powerful and extremely relevant book. Emily Giffin delivers a powerhouse novel about a very important topic. This story is told in multiple points of view - and I loved getting each character's perspective. One night everything changes but we don't discover the truth of what happened until the end. Giffin delivers an emotional look at consent and the drastic consequences for the lives involved.

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