https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36344555-all-we-ever-wanted

I loved Giffin’s early books, always excited to get the next one. Her last two, however, were not winners for me, so I didn’t have high expectations for this one.

I’m excited to say that I really enjoyed it. The characters were mostly relatable, and the moral dilemma is timely. My one disappointment was how the wealthy characters were portrayed as basically one-dimensional, with a few token comments about how “not all are that way” but no actual portrayals of such.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this early!

Emily Griffin's latest novel explores the potentially explosive effect of social media when bad decisions at a party, lead to significant repercussions for a teenage girl being raised by her father of modest means, the wealthy boy with whom she's infatuated and their parents.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I expected a light, shallow "chick lit" type of read, but although it was technically "chick lit" and it was an easy read, it was anything but shallow. I adored Nina's character, and really enjoyed Tom and Lyla as well. I thought this did a great job in working through some of the more obvious high school issues (although it was a bit predictable with the whole rich boy/poor girl scenario) and I really enjoyed how Nina, Tom and Lyla all intertwined. Kirk was (predictably) an ass, and I never much warmed up to Finch, even in the parts I probably should have. Overall, I thought the subject matter was handled fabulously, and I really liked that the author did NOT go with the obvious ending. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for a light but meaningful summer read!

I started this book today about 6 hours ago. I literally only put it down to go get food and then I returned. I have read all of Emily’s books and I will say with confidence that this, in my opinion, is her best work. I was so engaged with the characters and the setting and the sense of privilege that was almost its own character. I felt that the subject matter was very personal and handled very well. As a high school teacher, this is a book I would recommend to my students. I think a lot of teenagers share Finch and Lyla’s flippant attitude about certain serious issues. This book could open their eyes to this as well as give them an empathic look at the way their actions impact their parents. I laughed and I cried and I felt this was so well written and so relevant to what’s happening all around us today. I loved it and I will definitely buy my own copy when it’s released. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the ARC, I truly enjoyed spending my afternoon and night with this book.

There's a lot to like about this book. The plot is fascinating, although I generally wanted more of Lyla's POV. She is, after all, the person most affected by the events. The first chapter seemed entirely unnecessary to me - we can see how rich Nina is elsewhere without all the backstory. And I had some issues with the ending. Also, the title doesn't make sense.

Overall, I liked it, but I don't know that it's one of Giffin's best.

As a fan of Emily Giffin from the beginning, I couldn't wait to read this book. What I was expecting was the very readable, but usual romance that Giffin normally brings to the table. What I got was FAR more. Giffin stepped out of her standard formula and has penned a book that is fresh, timely and ultimately very, very good. Told in 3 person POV, this book takes the reader into the minds and actions of 3 very different characters - Nina, Tom & Lyla. As the story unfolds, the characters become more and more real and the plot of the book itself, could have come from any high school of any town in America. It is a very good commentary of the different ways in which parents and students navigate the digital age. As well, it explores the notion that the thoughtless or careless act of one person has the potential to alter the future of not only themselves but others as well. With themes that touch on the subjects of sexual assault and suicide, it could be potentially triggering for some readers. For me, this is a solid five star book and one that I look forward to re-reading.

This novel tackles a tough topic with grace. Nina married into the wealthy Nashville elite and although she's starting to feel tensions in her marriage, she's always been proud of her son Finch. However, when she learns that a picture of a half-naked, passed out younger schoolmate was circulated on Finch's snapchat with a racist caption, she wants him to make it right. Finch claims he does, too, but does he? The girl in the photo, Lyla, doesn't want her father Tom to make waves about it - she likes Finch and thinks making a fuss will only make her social life hell. The story is narrated by Nina, Tom, and Lyla and they all have vibrant and realistic responses to the situation.

Kirk, Nina's husband, comes off as one-note villainous, but I'm glad Finch isn't let off the hook by the story. Like he is obviously way more sympathetic than that character would be IRL, but it would've been so easy for it actually to have been Polly and I'm really glad Giffin didn't make that story decision but instead made it tougher for the reader, who wanted things to be okay for Nina's sake. And Lyla's!

Wow. Just wow. This book is SO relevant right now with the #metoo movement and #timesup. It breaks my heart to realize how often stories like this happen, to anyone, of any age or social/financial status - there is no discrimination, and sadly there just isn't enough conversation about these topics. I applaud Emily Giffin for writing this book.

I had no idea in detail what this story was about when I requested it from NetGalley. I like to be surprised with Emily's books, and I've never read one I didn't like. And I sure was surprised by this one! It's almost like, "If you could walk in someone's shoes" - I felt like i was dropped into this book, as if I was in on a secret, and I just sat back and watched the secrets unravel and unfold.

Something happened to Lyla. Something not good at all. It started with a bunch of elite private high school kids (and some not-so-privileged) at a party, with a lot of alcohol... and you can just imagine it from there. Something happens. Accusations fly, lies are told, people unravel, secrets come out, and trusts are broken.
This books tells the story from several angles and I found myself so attached to them all. They are so well written I honestly felt as if I was in a mother's head, a father's mind and in the thoughts of a 16 year old girl.

I sailed through this, as I do most of Emily's books because I love her writing style and how easily I can just jump into her stories. I wanted to find out more, I wanted justice, and I craved a neat and tidy resolution, but we all know these types things are never neat and tidy.

This book is important. I wish everyone would read this. Although every #metoo story is different, this casts a glimpse into how each and every incident causes so, so much pain, to so many people - and ultimately how getting these types of stories out in the world, can hopefully ease some of that pain by helping and educating others.

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

I received this book "All We Ever Wanted" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. My first book by Emily Giffin and I'm so glad to have read it. Nina lives in high society and has everything anyone could ever want. Tom is a hard working single dad trying to raise his daughter. Lyla is his daughter and she happened to be accepted to the private school in Nashville on a scholarship. She sometimes has a hard time being around "the rich kids". There is a party one night that Lyla isn't supposed to be at and a photo is taken - one photograph that changes everyone's life. Who really took that photo? Who do you believe? Everyone's life is turned upside down. Everyone's life is thrown together. I didn't want to put the book down and loved the way the whole story was written.

Oh my goodness. I cannot stop raving about how wonderful this book is! Emily Giffin is such a talented writer and I think this is one of my favorites of hers so far (a close second after Something Borrowed). I loved how the story wove between the 3 characters. Anyone with a teenager would love this book - it captures so much of what teens (and their parents) are going through nowadays! Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy. I could not put it down and read in one sitting!

I’ve read all of Emily Giffin’s books and every time I think this is her best. Have to say that All We Ever Wanted was absolutely her best novel to date! I couldn’t put it down. Raising two boys approaching the teen years the book made me think about social media and how important my job is in raising these soon to be young men to value and respect women. The only negatives ve thing I could possibly say is now that I’ve read it I’ll have to wait quite a bit for her next one!

Nina has a perfect life until an inappropriate photo her teen son shares from a party has her questioning everything. Nina wonders where her life became about appearances and wealth and doing the right thing is seen as weak. As she questions everything in her life you are left wondering what would you do in her situation? Get your child off or make them face the consequences of their actions?

I think this is my favorite from EG and I've read every book she has written. Beautifully written, such an each read. I started reading it and at 4 am I had to get some sleep. Pulls you in and you don't want to stop reading

WOW!!! It has been awhile since I have read a book that I didn’t want to put down. This book is great. In the area where I live, there was a similar case to the story in this book that made national headlines. I felt that Ms. Giffin made the story believable and reflective of what is happening today. Several lives were impacted when a picture was circulated through text messages. This happens all too frequently. The teens in the story did not initially realize the impact and could not understand the adults’ reactions. I hope this book is made into a movie so teens and their parents can share this story.

I was first interested in this book because it was set in Nashville, a place I lived for over 10 years. It was a predictable story, a couple twists but no huge surprises. The really good part of the story was the fact that the book was told from several points of view. It was engaging and the sort of book that was easy to keep reading. It kept pulling me back—one more chapter.... The characters were well developed and the best part of the book. It tackles some of the difficulties of social media with teenagers. If you are looking for a fun read addressing some real world issues for young adults and their parents, this is a good one.

I received an a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Emily Giffin has written another heartfelt novel. It highlights and explores how actions can affect others, and how to come to terms and find peace in the aftermath. Love, forgiveness, and caring about others, even during the darkest of times, can be found between the pages of All We Ever Wanted.

I will start off saying I am a huge Emily Giffin fan. She doesn't pump out books every single year and it is clearly because she really puts a lot into her characters and the development of the plot. I loved this book. I really did not know much about it at all when I started reading but I was hooked from the get-go. I found it interesting that while she has been writing this for the last year or 2, the topic was so relevant to everything going on with the #metoo movement.
I have really enjoyed books like this one with various POV throughout because I think we get a better understanding of the story as a whole rather than just one personal story. It dealt with sensitive topics but I think Griffin did a great job of being fair to the characters and who they really were. I was really pulling for the character of Nina throughout- something about her just made you really want her to "win" in the end. While this was a heavier book topic wise than most of Giffin's previous works but she did a beautiful job throughout. Another success!!!! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

This book centers around a boy and his parents. I understood the intent of the author but I felt that the angst was not worth the situation. That resulted in being quite bored with the storyline.

Definitely different than anything else she’s done. And that’s great. I went into this expecting a cheating husband romance type thing. Nope. This is real, and raw, and current.

I remember when I read Emily Giffin’s first book and I just couldn’t get enough of her writing so I eagerly read the second and was not disappointed! Emily has gone on to write many novels and her latest is called All We Ever Wanted.

Here’s what you need to know:

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, napped 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 am so excited to read this new book, it sounds like a novel that will be hard to put down!