This book was absolutely incredible. I found myself riveted to the page, unable to put my kindle down. The characters that Emily Giffin created were very real and absorbing. You felt their daily events as if you were loving them yourself. Any person with children would understand both the sense of love and devastation that Nina possesses during this book. In highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys family dramas, women’s drama or general fiction.

This book, I felt, should have left me feeling more disturbed than it did and that disturbed me. There are lies, those that believe the lies and then lies on top of that and then it just...ends with everyone sort of getting along.

This was such an enjoyable, riveting read. So timely in its subject matter and theme with memorable characters leading the way. The ending was a little unsatisfactory for me though. I wanted to know more but that probably would have required another hundred pages. A must read!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this book before release.

This was one of Giffin's best books by far. I read this in less than 24 hours. Could not put it down. It had a few twists and came togethet quite nicely. Thank you again!

This might have just become my favorite Emily Giffin novel, and as a bonus I'm obsessed with the cover. The story grabbed me right from the start and Giffin faces a lot of real issues unflinchingly but without added commentary.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book as this is the first novel I've ever read by Emily Giffin. This is not normally my genre of choice, but I'm so glad I gave it a try. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought I knew how it was going to end,started to get disappointed and then the truth was revealed. All around a good read. I enjoyed how real the characters were and how the entire novel flowed. I will definitely recommend this book to friends and family.

Not bad, not great. I usually like Emily Giffin's books, so maybe my expectations were too high. Too many inner monologues and parts were choppy. I really liked Nina's character and read it within 3 days.

5 stars: Emily Giffin is always an automatic read for me. So when I was approved for the galley of this book, I let out a very loud squeal. Needless to say, this book did not disappoint. Giffin, who I normally consider a beach read, broached numerous tough topics that are common in society today-- elitism, entitlement, lack of decency in general, and sexual assault.

All We Ever Wanted (AWEW) starts fast with Finch's horrendous act of snapping Lyla while she is passed out at a party in the first few pages. From there, the pace truly never slows down. Told from alternating perspectives-- Nina, Tom, and Lyla-- we watch as all parties involved make sacrifices and choices.

We watch as Nina must decide whether she believes her son and how much she should support his actions. We watch as Nina sees her husband for who he really is. We watch as Tom tries to help his daughter while making tough decisions. But more importantly, we watch as Lyla's character endures this horrible act and invasion of privacy.

In what I would consider Giffin's toughest book topic yet, her writing shines as always. All characters are well developed and I felt their happiness, their sadness, and anger. This is a feel all the feels book and I highly recommend it to all.

My only regret of reading this book is that I now have to wait until her next one, which will probably be at least 2020!

All We Ever Wanted lays waste the notion that if we think we have all, indeed, we ever wanted, is enough to make us happy and lead fulfilled, sustaining lives.

When Nina’s developing sense of discomfort with her comfortable life in Nashville’s high society crashes, it crashes hard and fast. Her son, Finn, is accused of rape and posting pornographic images on social media. She believes him at first, and does everything in her and her husband’s power to defend him, but not too long after the incident, she begins to see cracks in her son’s arguments; cracks that soon become holes wide enough to swallow up a bulldozer. She sees the signs of similar fissures in her marriage. Eventually she realizes that the truth is ugly and that money definitely talks.

Emily Giffin has crafted a good story in All We Ever Wanted. I thought that while the characters of Nina and Tom rang true, the others were somewhat flat, which is why I give this book four rather than five stars . Despite this, the way the story unfolds and the gradual lifting of the metaphorical fog surrounding Nina makes for an excellent read.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I am a huge fan of Emily Giffin and have read all of her books and this is definitely a step away from her traditional romance novels. This book centered around Nina Browing, who lives among Nashville's elite after marrying a man who comes from old-money but has become wealthier after selling his tech-business. The novel focuses on Nina's relationships with her husband and son. Her son Finch, a senior at Windsor Academy has recently received his acceptance letter to Princeton. After a horrible photo that came from Finch's phone goes viral, Nina has to re-evaluate her life, the choices shes made, and her relationship with those around her.

The book is told from the perspective of Nina, Tom (the father of the girl whose photo went viral), Lyla (the girl whose photo went viral). The relationships intertwine and they all come to question the relationships closest to them.

Emily did a great job of keeping the reader's interest. I could not put this book down because I needed to know what happened. I felt for Nina and all the struggles she was dealing with. I can honestly say that I did not see some things coming, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall, I loved the book. My only complaint is that I wanted more! Why can't books just last forever? I would 100% recommend this book! If you haven't read any of Emily's books I would recommend Heart of the Matter and Love the One You're With as those are my favorites!

Wow. Beautiful. I’m not going to say “All We Ever Wanted” is Emily Giffin at her finest, because that would discredit her previous novels that are all truly amazing, each in their own way. But AWEW is different kind of story than what we come to know and expect from Giffin.

And it’s wonderful.

Maybe it’s because I got to meet Emily back in 2014 at a book signing in Nashville, but I really believe she is one of the greatest story-tellers of our time. Not only are her books amazing, but she seems as genuine, down-to-earth, and real as the complex characters she writes. I know this book is going to stay with me long after I’ve turned the last page.

What I loved:

Setting: So, I’m from Nashville so I obviously LOVED this setting. I think Nashville really is the perfect place for this story to unfold because you have the rich, privileged, and almost backwards mindset that comes with the south, along with the trendiness of our city. Giffin got everything right: to the teenagers shopping at the Gulch, to the shoutout to the Green Hills mall. I loved seeing my city in the pages.

Writing: Giffin’s writing is beautiful, concise, and poetic. She can spin words and phrases in a way that just makes sense. Whenever I pick up her books, I really feel like I get to know the characters. Also, she was able to pull of 3 distinctive POVs. We have three different, fleshed out voices. Each character sounded like who they were. Giffin can definitely pull off writing “a male voice.”

Plot: This novel is plot driven. You really get sucked into the drama within the first chapter. One might think a gay, twenty-three year old guy might not find parts of this story entertaining (since I am not a parent or a wealthy high class member of society) but everything about this story was fascinating to read about. You really do want to keep turning the pages.

Characters: I absolutely adored, Nina. She is the strongest, most woke character I’ve read about this year. I love how she stuck to her morals and values, even though it was hard for her at times. Tom was dreamy and impossible to not fall in love with. Giffin always writes relationships in the best way. The way her characters act and the relationships they develop with each other just seem so real and genuine. Giffin understands that life isn’t black and white, and she’s able to write that into her novels. Her characters are three dimensional: real, flawed, layered.

My two minor complaints:

The epilogue frustrated me, and I wanted a bit more romance.

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Overall, All We Ever Wanted deserves to be moved to the top of your TBR list when it comes out. This book is relevant to our times. It’s woke, but not political. This story is heartbreaking, moving, and delivers an important message on values, family, privilege, and double standards.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC. This is my honest, unbiased review!

RATING: 3.5 stars

Emily Giffin has been one of my favorite authors from the first time I picked up Something Borrowed. Her Women's Lit novels have always felt so honest and raw of emotion while also being somewhat whimsical and incredibly entertaining. Over the last few books I feel like Giffin has been trying to take her writing one step further; maturing her writing (for an audience that is maturing as well) and layering in timely topics and thought provoking themes. All We Ever Wanted is no different; tackling the extremely timely topics of sexual assault, women's rights and the dangers of social media.

Told from alternating POVs, we follow Finch and Lyla (and their parents Nina and Tom) as a sexually explicit photo taken at a party rocks a Nashville community and forces both sides to take a severe look at their values and beliefs.

I just reread the copy for the book and it's described as "an already divided community takes sides, throws blame, and implodes". After reading the book, I'm not sure we ever really reach a point where those words ring true. Oddly enough, I am both disappointed and relieved by that. It's nice to see Emily stay somewhat true to her writing style, but I'm wondering if she held back a little from what she could have truly put on the page. The story overall felt a little 'surface' to me.

Granted, I devoured this heart wrenching story and I'll pick up anything Emily Giffin puts down.

I was given the chance to read a galley of this in exchange for an honest review.

4 1/2 stars.

Fast paced, as always from Emily Giffin. Very timely book, somewhat unfortunately. I had a touch of anxiety while reading this. For the characters, for the events as they occurred.

I think this is probably an important read for parents today, while fiction, it is based in a large dose of today's reality. I am thankful that I am not a teenager in today's world.

I've been a fan of Emily Giffin since the beginning, and her last two books (before this one) were what I'd consider "misses". This one, though, was a total hit. She has a way of pulling on your hearstrings, even when you least expect it. This book was an interesting look at a timely subject, with its exploration of race and sexism, with more than a little classism thrown in for decoration. Although I was a little sad at the end- as a mother of two boys, it made me upset to see how young men treat young women- the book itself was wonderful. A very easy read. Can't wait for the release- or Emily Giffin' s next offering.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I was so excited to be able to read this book before it came out as she is definitely one of my favorite authors. This is a story about two families who come from a totally different life style. It also deals with social media and the damage it can cause to a family and to someone's reputation. It was a really good storyline and I highly recommend it.

I have read all of Emily Giffen’s books. This one matters most. With social media so misused today, and reputations so easily tarnished, the story was very authentic and could happen to anyone. You don’t want to believe it could be true, but in your heart you know it is. As an avid reader, the pages moved too quickly and I would highly recommend it.

I had no idea what this book was about . I just asked for a copy of it because I love Emily Griffin. This book blew me away ! I could not put it down ! Very current topic and told so well. Emily hit it perfect from all angles, parent and child. Makes you realize just how tough it is to be a kid these days. She does a great job of making you wonder all along who is the guilty party ? Great, sweet, wonderful ending. Cannot say enough how much I loved this book !!!!

This book was very relevant in that it could literally be a headline you read on CNN today...actually, it probably is! This book had the excellently well drawn out characters that Emily Giffin fans are used to getting from her work and the story kept me hooked the whole time. Fantastic book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine Books, and Emily Giffin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All We Ever Wanted was an enjoyable book to read - easy, fast, and entertaining. It is about Nina, Kirk, and Finch (a wealthy/privileged family) and Tom and Lyla (a working-class father raising his daughter on his own) and what happens when the two families come into conflict. The topic it addresses is timely (sexting) though I did not feel that the seriousness - and the consequences - of this act was fully explored. I would have liked the narrative to have delved deeper into the emotional repercussions of being violated in this way. All in all, an easy and engrossing read.

ALL WE EVER WANTED by Emily Griffin could have been ripped from the headlines of most any high school today.
Where the elite cool guys on campus get a young teenage girl drunk and the parents have to pick up the pieces.
Or do they try to get their boys out of trouble with their money and positions, leaving the girls in ruins and quite possibly their own marriages.
Emily Griffin has written a compelling story about how teenagers can have no sense of character and expect to get off with every wrong they do. And parents should never ever make waves...
5 stars