This book had an interesting premise. Love the POV from the two different parents. Didn’t like the ending, did not get a feeling of satisfaction when the story ended. I feel like the ending was a major let down.

Wow! There is a reason Emily Giffin is...Emily Giffin, and it's because she's a phenomenal writer and storyteller. I really underestimated how much I would enjoy this book because it's different from her usual novels. But after the first couple of chapters, I could not put it down. She kept me guessing until the end who the "bad guy" really was. Emily Giffin will continue to be an auto-read author for me.

This book is Emily Giffin's best book to date. This is a powerful book that is very relevant to what is going on in the world today especially with the MeToo movement. Nina and Lyla are brave wonderful characters. They give you hope that there really are good people in the world that are willing to stand up for what is right. Kirk is very much what is wrong with people with power and money. There are wonderful men with money and power but unfortunately too many of them have Kirk's mindset that throwing money at a problem with make it go away and rules don't apply to them. I loved how Nina took a stand and did what was right for her and to show Finch that his father's way is not right.

Tom Volpe is a character that will stay with me. He loves his daughter and is doing a fantastic job as a single dad, even if he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He always shows that character is so much more important than money, position, or power. I love how hard he fights for Lyla.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books. Thank you so much to both. I highly recommend this book!!!

Wow. I have never read an Emily Giffin novel before this one, but she has just acquired a new fan. I had no idea what to expect, and I was blown away. I wouldn’t even know how to categorize this book...women’s fiction, family drama? As the mother of daughters and a son, I read this and couldn’t help but imagine what I would do if I was put into the position of either of the parents depicted. This is such an effective commentary on the problems that teenagers face today, and the dangers of technology in the hands of those who lack morals. Well done, and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy.

3.5 stars, rounded up. I’ve been a fan of Emily Giffin since her early days so I was excited to see another book by her. The premise was intriguing and topical, however the ending is where I got frustrated. It felt a little too much of a cop out while also probably ringing a little too true. The character descriptions were perfect, and the alternate perspectives (while frustrating at times) were helpful. Would recommend.

This was my first time reading Emily Giffin. Thanks for Netgalley I am finding new authors that I want to read for a long time. The premise drew me in. With one snapshot a life can change. It can bring people together who may not have met under any other circumstances. Giffin wrote a story that seems as if it was taken from the headlines. I don't want to give anything away because you need to read it for yourself. You will be drawn to the characters and how they got where they are now.

I have enjoyed Emily Giffin books for a couple of decades now and so I was super excited to be approved for this one through Netgalley.

First, the great. The descriptions of the people and places. I thought that both the haves and the have nots in the novel were described in great detail. I know these people, I've had lunch with them.

Second, the ok. The alternating points of view in this novel. I almost feel as though this time it could have been done more effectively if Giffin included the viewpoints of Kirk and Finch. I understand why she didn't, but the book kind of seems incomplete.

Third, the meh. I realize I have an uncorrected proof, but this book seems like with a little more polish it could be a five star. The explosive details are there, but it's not quite as breathtaking for me as I think Giffin intended it to be. Or maybe I'm just a jaded middle school teacher who deals with the implications of social media on the regular with my students. I will still be recommending this novel to teachers and parents. Because it explores an important topic, I just think it could be better.

An avid reader of Emily Giffin's books throughout the years, I was excited when I saw a new book due out this year, "All We Ever Wanted". I was a bit hesitant at first though when I read the summary - I'm used to light-hearted chicklit stories from Giffin - so the serious topics in her latest book were a were quite a change and I wasn't sure if she could pull it off.

Happy to say I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed this book! Loved the alternating points of view and enjoyed the characters, especially Nina. I hope Giffin continues to write more fiction like this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballentine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#AllWeEverWanted #NetGalley

Emily Giffin once again does not disappoint with her writing. Her character descriptions, her writing, the way she is so in depth with her writing is amazing. I highly recommend reading this book and I may even read it again. Well written book and I can not wait for her next book.

Emily Giffin delivers a powerful novel about how easy it is to get wrapped up in a material world & lose yourself in the process. I was pulled in because of all the Nashville references (bring from there myself) but then the story really grabbed me with its relevancy in today's world.
Nina is a woman who lives in the rich neighborhood with a son that goes to a prestigious private school. Finch is a senior & taking after his father (not a good thing). Kirk, the dad, is a self important man who will do anything to get his way (including cheating, bribing, etc.). He thinks his money makes him better than everyone.
On the other side is Tom, a self-employed carpenter, & his daughter, Lyla, who is at the private school with finanacial aid. Lyla of course has a crush on Finch.
At a party on night, Lyla drinks too much & passes out on a bed. An unflattering photo is taken with Finch's phone that is then texted to other people. Fortunately it's not posted on social media but the damage is done. This causes Finch to have to face an honor council at school to see what if any punishment he will get which could jeopardize his chance to go to Princeton. Kirk tries to bribe Tom & this leads to all kinds of interesting revelations.
I highly recommend reading this book even if you've never read an Emily Giffin novel (which would be shocking). The twists & turns of this book will keep you guessing & you won't want to put it down.

I really enjoyed this book. The author addressed the inappropriate use of social media among teenagers today as seen through the eyes of teenagers and parents.

My first Emily Giffin novel, and way better than I was expecting. The plot twists surprised me a couple of times and it moved along quickly, keeping my interest. I really thought the theming of this book was well timed. I look forward to reading her novels in the future.

This book felt like such a departure from what I’ve grown used to with Emily Giffin. It seems that she wanted to take on a deeper, more controversial and relevant topic versus sticking with her more formulaic past books.

I have to admit, as a mother of boys, I really, really struggled with this book. Although I admired the decisions made by the main character, it truly hurt my heart to think about having to make the same decisions with my own sons. For that reason only, I gave it a lower rating.

I was worried that Emily would fall under the same curse that some of my favorite authors have in the past--where they only write characters who are white or wealthy. Emily Giffin has safely put this notion to rest. I loved how many intricate details she caught with this story and how the world looked like it really does. She did an amazing job conveying the parental stresses, Lyla's worries and the nuances of all the different age groups in the story with depth and truth. Amazing work!

First off, let me start by saying that this book seemed very different to me than Giffin's previous books, as least plot-wise. Now, her earlier books are fun and fluffy and maybe a little scandalous. With First Comes Love, she definitely took on a little more of a serious subject as two sisters survived the loss of a brother.

But in All We Ever Wanted, Giffin takes on her most serious topic yet. There are so many times in life when things take an unexpected turn and we aren't sure exactly how we ended up where we are. This is exactly what Nina, Giffin's main character comes face-to-face with in All We Ever Wanted. On the surface she has the perfect life. But as we peel back each layer of her life through the course of the book, it starts to appear that she is living a perfect nightmare.

In the age of social media and "let's post everything", we simply don't have control over what our kids are doing online. Since the beginning of time, parents have tried to mold and shape their children to be who we want them to be. But, just as parents have always had little control over who their children ultimately become, now we are at risk of it being on display for the world to see.

I think Giffin writes what relates to her life. So her earlier books were fun and a little crazy, because we're we all fun and a little crazy in our twenties? Now she seems to have settled in a little with the issues of a slightly older voice, but her writing is just as genuine as it has always been. And all her books are compulsively readable.

I'm a huge fan. I'll keep reading every one of them. Even when she is writing about residents in a nursing home.

Mark your calendar for the release date--June 26. And clear a day or two from your calendar. Because you're not going to want to put this one down!

Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton. Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.

Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.

Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenaged girl, happy and thriving.

Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.

At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.

I have to confess that while I am usually not enthralled by women’s fiction, I LOVE Emily Giffin’s books! I was so thrilled to receive an advance copy of her newest title, All We Ever Wanted, out June 26th of this year!

After reading the summary of the book I was worried that this would be the first of her titles that I wouldn’t like, but I am pleased to say that was not the case at all. I was wrapped up in the characters from the first few chapters. The book is written from the perspectives of all of the main characters, which makes them more compelling since readers are given a view into their mindsets as the story unfolds.

This is going to be the perfect beach read of 2018, and I can’t wait to hear what you all think of All We Ever Wanted!

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are those of this blogger.

This is my second book in a row where an author I enjoy is writing outside her niche, and I am loving the results. Prior to All We Ever Wanted, I have read three other Emily Giffin books and have been well entertained by each of them. The central themes were always romance and friendships. In this novel, Giffin tackles issues of wealth, privilege, motherhood, a burgeoning ideal of what it means to be pro-woman. In other words, All We Ever Wanted is not your average chick-lit.

In All We Ever Wanted, Giffin was onto something profound and necessary, not just timely. (This was by far the deepest, most thought-provoking novel I have read of hers.) As a mother of a son, I empathized with everything Nina was mentally battling when she was trying to reconcile Finch's behavior with who she thought he was. What part of that was the fault of the parents? I could even relate (to some extent) to how Nina and Kirk both had wildly different ideas about parenting and disciplining appropriately.

While by the end of the novel, I felt that Giffin had erred in making it too unrealistic in that the characters of the book ended up being either all good or all bad and only the good ones were shown to have any growth (but very little responsibility for their own behaviors that contributed to the drama at the center of the story). I also felt like maybe she tackled too many pet-peeve issues (e.g. "salt-of-the-earth" as a class insult) rather than hit the big one (the demeaning of females on a large scale) as hard as she could.

I did appreciate the way Emily Giffin treated ideals different than her own in a way that did not seem overly judgmental. All in all, I think the story in this book is not too heavy for the genre which the author is known for, yet All We Ever Wanted is a great book to start a discussion about how we, as women, can do more in our own attitudes and behaviors to change the world's perspective on women.

Thanks to Emily Giffin, NetGalley, and Random House for my advanced ecopy of this book.

Intense with lots of plot twists. Expect the unexpected here. High quality writing and great characters.

Thank you so much for this advanced readers copy!

I love Emily Giffin and was thrilled when my request was approved. This is a mature novel, exploring issues such as parenting, marital pr0blems, suicide, divide amongst classes and general greed and manipulation that comes with great wealth. I really enjoyed this book, however, I thought it ended quite abruptly. I will still forever be an Emily Giffin fan!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All We Ever Wanted was not at all what I was expecting. If you have ever wondered how your life turned out the way it did, this book is for you. You think when you are young that adult life is going to be so much fun; you can do what you want, be who you want. Twenty years down the road you wonder, how did I get here. Giffin does an amazing job of taking a look at the choices Nina Browning makes in life and how those choices affect those around her. Her son, Finch, makes choices of his own and Nina begins to question her parenting ability, her marriage and her own beliefs. Giffin created a compelling story with characters that are strong and flawed at the same time. This book is for anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction, and chick-lit.