I love Emily Giffin books and was so happy to hear her new one was coming out! However, it was definitely different than her usual story telling. It’s a story that fits in a timely matter to what the world is going thru now. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and all in all it’s a good read.

Emily Giffin's All We Ever Wanted is a great story of a parent's love, the difficulties of trying to fit in, and the complexities of being a teenager.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and Random House and to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. It's a Ripped From the Headlines, very now novel that makes me want to call it something more than ChickLit. Pulled in from Page 1, it is impossible to put down until the last paragraph is read and the heart rate slows down.

Emily Giffin is one of my favorites and I've enjoyed every one of her books, but this one has to be optioned for film. In this political and social network environment and the world of MeToo, Giffin takes us inside Nashville society to be witness to the lives of the very wealthy and those just getting by. Each main character narrates alternating chapters. There's Nina, married to super-rich Kirk (bad apple), mother to Finch (just accepted to Princeton). Tom is a divorced single father, a carpenter whose daughter Lyla is also a student at an exclusive private school, a sophomore where Finch is a senior.

A photo of a drunk girl, partially unclothed, with a racist comment attached, that is widely distributed, causes havoc in all these lives. At core is character. How do you raise an ethical child? Does materialism ruin character? How much influence do parents really have? These questions are particularly valid in our Trumpian time.

More importantly, the books is gripping and hard to put down. I'd be surprised if it didn't hit the NY Times as number 1.

Decent. Not great, but not bad either. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it but wasn't surprised by the 'twist' at the end, if you could call it that.

All We Ever Wanted is a great novel touching on many different, pertinent topics relevant to teens and all ages above. The issue of the power of social media and the multitude of emotions set off by a simple touch of a button are explored through different perspectives: indifferent, innocent-claims made by “jokesters”; the ones affected—those on posts and their friends, acquaintances, and families. Also, the reactions of characters to the post are varied, pointing out the good, the bad, and the ugly true characters inherent in society. The #MeToo hot topic is brought to life through these characters in a very insightful manner that portrays the lifelong, generational, damaging affects of sexual abuse and why it is often unreported. The struggles faced from all perspectives makes this novel a great book for discussions and awakening awareness of this prevalent issue. Best of all, this novel portrays the inner strength that can be found within those determined to succeed as healthy individuals who work to help others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I was late to the game with this author, but I've grown to love her chick lit. I wondered how this one would morph into that, but it was so much more. This book is timely. When a rich young man, with everything on his side, makes a terrible choice that affects not only him, but a girl at his elite school who attends on scholarship. Nina is the wealthy mom, and Tom is the single dad of the teen, Lyla. There are twists and turns, and I found myself hoping that the characters would make the right decisions. I loved this book...I'm pretty certain you will too.

This book was WOW, just WOW. Emily Giffin crafted a wonderful story that had me hooked from the first chapter. It's a story that reaches out to everyone. It tells a tale that says no one is ever too entitled, too rich, too poor, too perfect to have things happen in their lives that we don't plan on. A story about love and loss and being so caught up in out lives that we don't see what's actually happening around us.

A mother's love. A father's fight for justice for his daughter. The inner workings of relationships, including good and bad. The ending was perfect for the book. A nice tie up.

*I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest and fair review*

I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I have always been a fan of Emily Griffin, so it was no surprise her latest masterpiece would be marvelous! This book, in short, was very powerful. It is a story about two families from different walks of life who are impacted by social media, wealth, power and healing. A strong message about sexual abuse is prominently displayed in this book. The ending came together very nicely!

Sandy Edwards's review Mar 21, 2018 · edit
really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. The main female character, Nina, was strong and courageous. This book is based on elitism and the choices made to be part of "the group" or stand alone for a cause. What lengths will people go to even if it hurts those who are innocent. I really liked how it ended. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I’ve always loved Emily Giffin’s novels, and this one is no exception. The sweet romance element is not there, but the typical Giffin storytelling is ever present.

HS senior Finch is accused of taking an inappropriate photo of HS sophomore Lyla. Before too much time passes, Finch’s father has bribed Lyla’s father to stay silent, and Finch’s mother and Lyla’s father begin texting and even set up private meetings.

While written as an adult contemporary novel, this could easily pass for YA. The characters are strong and the ending comes together nicely. I am thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️out of 5
📖Read it if you like: current social topics, multiple points of view, Jodi Picoult 👉🏼This book isn’t out until June 26, so thanks to #netgalley for my advanced proof! I’ve read every book by Emily Giffin and this is probably in my top three (nothing will ever knock Something Blue out of my #1 spot!) but it’s not her typical subject matter. It deals with social class and sexual assault in varying scenarios. I loved the Nashville setting and the uncertainty of where the story was heading, which kept me interested. I finished it in about two days!

Emily Giffin has outdone herself with this insanely clever, witty, deep thinking book about secrets that you can't hide. Nina's life seems idyllic to most, an endless supply of designer outfits, a 4 million dollar Barbie Dreamhouse and a son, Finch, recently accepted to Princeton.

But all is not as it seems as we meet Tom, a single father with a seemingly wild daughter, Lyla and everything changes because of a picture.

Finch has taken advantage of the young, pliable Lyla and refuses to accept his future could be ruined due to the picture he took of Lyla, her breast spilling out of her dress and the seemingly innocuous caption about a Mexican trying to get a green card.

Nina meets with Tom, trying to make sense of her son, who will not take responsibility for his actions and along the way, makes a new family with good morals for herself.

As her husband and sons deceit gets worse and worse, she finds herself supporting Lyla, wondering who can she trust?

This book will take you deep into the lives of a millionaire and his wife, deceitful son, friends and neighbors and a life that is unraveling as no longer perfect.

Set at an elite private school in Nashville, where the majority of parents and students are moneyed, scholarship student Lyla passes out at a party and finds out her crush, Finch sent a nasty picture of her to his friends. When their parents go in front of the headmaster, who is taking this very seriously, Tom, Lyla’s father wants justice, while Kirk only wants to know how he can bribe his sons way out of trouble without taking responsibility. This sets the tone of the novel. Lyla has an unexpected ally in Nina, Finch’s mom who finally sees that Uber wealth doesn’t mean you should lose your moral character and not do the right thing. She sees her husband clearly for the first time and worries whether Finch has become his father. Written beautifully and realistically, set in my favorite city, this novel has much to say about who we are, how we evolve, and what is ultimately important. I highly recommend.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is, hands down, Emily Giffin's best book. I've always enjoyed her books and found her writing style to be engaging, but this book was straight up gripping. It's incredibly timely, addressing issues of the effects of social media on high school life, class issues, and the reactions that people often have when "good people" from "good families" do horrible things.

Giffin nailed everything - from the reaction of a young woman who wants an embarrassing photo to go away, to the questionable morals/ethics of a parent who knows his son did something wrong, and the idea that any problem can go away with the right amount of money. She could've turned her characters into caricatures, but she develops them beautifully, showing that so often people fall into the gray area of right and wrong.

I finished this in a day and cannot wait for her next book!

I've had a hard time figuring out what I think about this book. I liked it, and I read it in two days. I wanted to find out what happened. But as for actually loving the book, feeling close to the characters? It didn't really happen for me. And the ending was particularly unsatisfying. Without giving too much away, the book is about two teenagers at a ritzy private high school in Nashville who get into trouble with social media, and their parents who are drawn into their drama and conflict. There needed to be more interaction with Finch, one of the teenagers, rather than just his mother, Nina's, perspective. He seemed particularly one-dimensional. And Nina's decisions often seemed hasty, without enough back story to warrant them. This could have been an interesting study on class and wealth, had Giffin not beaten us over the head with it - it was told, not shown. Same with the social media issues. I liked the book, but I don't think I'd buy a copy - definitely borrow it from the library. At this point, I think Giffin is relying on her famous name rather than crafting a truly great book. Her first ones were great. This one, and her previous one, just didn't do it for me. 3/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book, which I received from NetGalley. I have enjoyed many of Emily Griffin's books, but I think this is one of the strongest and most timely.

The book focuses on Nina, a wealthy mother and wife, whose son, Finch, takes and spreads an inappropriate picture of a fellow student at his high school. Nina is left to deal with the question of how far should you go to protect your child?

The themes of the book include privilege (both class and race), mother and son relationships and finding your identity at any age. Nina has to reckon with her life as an extremely rich white house wife, her husband's entitlement and money buys everything attitude, and how her son is growing up in the shadow of extreme privilege. The story forces Nina to reevaluate her life and those she loves.

All in all, this is a much more weighty book than "Something Borrowed," but I really feel it shows Ms. Griffin's growth as an author.

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin - 5 stars!

Emily Giffin has done it again - a page-turner that is enjoyable and oh so timely in our digital age. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a friend for sure. It's especially relevant for parents - I don't care how old your child(ren) are, this book is a great tale of the dangers that can come from excess and technology. Although I'm not a parent, it made me think a lot about these topics and more - while still being a great story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley, who provided a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel is a good example of contemporary fiction based on a plot about two seemingly different families that lives intertwine. Nina and Kirk and their son Fitch are a modern, rich family. Kirk has made a lot of money in his career and selling his company. Tom is a single dad, carpenter raising his daughter Lyla by himself. Both Fitch and Lyla attend a highly recognized private school. Fitch has plans to go to Yale but his plans may fall apart when he uses social media to show Lyla in a compromising position and slaps on a racial tag to go with her picture. The book is written well with various chapters from different points of view including: Nina's , Tom's and Lyla's. Nina discovers some ugly truths about her husband and son and what they will do for Fitch to attend Yale. She meets Tom and Lyla and is determined to help the young woman. I would have liked a little longer epilogue but otherwise the book was a satisfying read like all of Emily Giffin's novels.

I love Emily’s writing but...definitely not my favorite book of hers.The subject matter to me was just ill timed with all of the “metoo” movement stuff going on. Spoiled rich kid Finch is caught with the Snapchat of a half naked girl with a racist caption. As the story progresses we are left guessing was it him or his jealous ex girlfriend Polly. Just as we think the mystery is solved another comes to light. The book is told from the perspectives of Finch’s mom Nina, Lyla the girl in the photo, and Tom who is Lyla’s father.
I think if it were any other subject I may have enjoyed it more but I was left skimming some chapters towards the middle because I was just no longer into it. I would have also liked it more I think just as a story, not as individuals perspectives. I wish I could give this more stars because I love Emily’s work but this one just missed the mark for me, especially after havinf loved her last book so much!