With everything there is in the media recently about the 'me too' movement and also how rich people can manipulate the education system in the USA to ensure their children get into the best private universities this is a highly relevant book for our times. The well publicised case of a young man who escaped punishment for raping a fellow student because it might ruin his career is also relevant. In some ways it reminded me of Hermann Koch's The Dinner, the bestseller from several years ago.

Nina and Kirk are a rich couple with an enviable lifestyle. Money is no object, why spend 10 thousand dollars on your son's first car when you can afford 50k. Their son, Finch has just been accepted for Princeton when he sends round a picture of a semi naked Lyla, a girl at his school. He has also attached a racist comment to the photo. Nina is determined that Finch will face up to his guilt so she is dismayed when she finds out that he and his father are colluding to ensure he escapes punishment.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this novel as we find out the truth of what happened. It's a very readable book and will be popular with book clubs I think. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

Emily Giffin writes a novel that hits many of the red hot issues of our contemporary world and the nature of family dynamics. Nina Browning has an enviable lifestyle, part of the elite social circles, married to Kirk, whose sale of his tech business shot them from the comfortable into the circles of the rich. Nina has begun to have some niggles about their moneyed circumstances, having grown up in much more modest circumstances, although Kirk originates from the world of private education and country clubs. Nina and Kirk are incredibly proud that their son, Finch, has been accepted at Princeton. Hard working Tom Volpe is a carpenter and single father, a life that has been tough and lonely, trying to make ends meet, bringing up his strong willed teenage daughter, Lyla. He is over the moon when his clever Lyla secures a scholarship to Windsor Academy.

Lyla is now moving in a different social strata, desperate to fit in and be accepted. At a party, a compromising photo of a drunk Lyla is posted on social media with a racist comment, only for it to shared widely and going viral. Finch is deemed to have taken the photograph, and the repercussions of this thoughtless action and the nightmare impact and repercussions from the conflicts that arise go on to form the crux of this book. Rumours and gossip, some malicious, abound, Tom wants justice, whilst a naive and embarrassed Lyla just wants the whole affair to go away. Nina has her eyes opened with Kirk just wanting to throw money at the problem, his answer to everything, intent on protecting Finch's Princeton future, and neither Kirk or Finch show any concern or interest in Lyla's predicament. How far should Finch be held accountable for his actions and face consequences?

This is a thought provoking read that looks into the truth of what happened that fateful night, and that covers a gamut of issues, from race, class, parenting, families, the role of social media, and to the impact of bringing up a teenager who is denied nothing and rarely comes up against the consequences of their actions. The power of money and the sense of entitlement it often engenders are issues that Nina has to face, the wealthy often have little concern for morality and ethics, relying on power, influence and money to extricate them from problematic scenarios. The narrative is relayed through the perspectives of Nina, Tom and Lyla, giving us an insightful look into their lives and their flawed characters. I found this a entertaining and engrossing read, reflecting many of the challenges of parenting and of being a teenager in today's world. Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.

This was an interesting story about the mistakes that teenagers can make and their parents roles in these mistakes. Some good characters and lots of home truths. The storyline flows smoothly and there is a compulsion to find out how things are resolved.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a free review.

This is a compelling, well-written novel. Despite being told in different perspectives, I felt like I was able to pick up whose point of view I was reading. I thought the characters were very well written and well rounded. I felt like I was really interested in them and wanted to know more about them. This is my first book by Emily Giffin but it won't be my last.

liked it


All We Ever Wanted tackled a plethora of issues in this me too age and did so with a multi arc narrative that for me worked extremely well on some levels and not so much on others.

Picture of semi naked drunk girl taken at a party and sent with a racially abusive caption is the inciting event here, a well known story well known because it is far from being rare. They all attend a private school, she is the poor carpenters daughter on a scholarship he is the rich elitist jock, the girl wants no fuss, he is suitably repentant but Dad is on the warpath...

What follows is an examination of how we as a society react to these things. Many voices are heard overall although it focuses on the girl, her Father and the boys Mother who is aghast that her son has turned out this way. 

My problem was the rather random nature of the decision making especially by Tom, Lyla's Dad. Lyla and the boy Finch end up in a relationship because she always had a crush on him which made me roll my eyes. Nina, Mother to Finch is way too good to be true. The ending is typical but realistic.

What I liked about it was the Lyla character mostly (her rather speedy forgiving of Finch and her tendency to automatically believe everything he tells her aside) because I felt her growing as the narrative progressed. Also I did feel it tackled some of the issues (money, casual sexism, the privilege of rich young men) relatively well.

However in trying to see all sides it ended up being a bit of a mish mash where no single thing took form long enough to provoke you into thinking too much about it. 

Definitely entertaining though and a good page turner of a novel because you want to find out the eventual outcome.

A very readable novel covering important modern day issues about misuse of social media, sexual predation, racism and self worth. It wasn’t as hard hitting as it could have been and there is some stereotyping but the characters of Finch and his dad come over as pretty realistic versions of wealthy, privileged individuals with a sense of entitlement who think they buy their way out of any situation and often do.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

MY GOODNESS! This one was so relevant to today, something that we could (and actually, DO!) see in real life news and also very on point with technology we have today. I was so invested in these characters and loved this story so much. Five stars!!!

Nina Browing is living the good life after marrying into Nashville's elite. 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 Nina wonders if she has strayed from the person she once was. Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter Lyla. He was lonley but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, a prestigious private school. Lyla doesn't always fit in and her over protective father does not help. But then a photograph taken of a drunken moment at a party changes everything.

There are three main characters in this story, Nina, Tom and Lyla. They are all strong characters. Lyla is a frustrating teenager (show me one that's not). The author has done a marvellous job researching some of the topics covered in the story: alcohol, pressure, bullying and sexting. I was disappointed in the way the events were dealt with at the end of the book, it felt a bit rushed and untidy. Overall, this is a decent enough read.

I would like to thank, NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Emily Giffin for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

Could one bad decision tear two families apart?

Everyone’s seen the compromising photo of Lyla, a scholarship kid in a prestigious private school.

Everyone knows that Nina’s son, expensively prepared for success since childhood, took the photo.

And everyone thinks they know who to blame.

As events spiral out of control, Nina and Lyla – both outsiders in the elite social circle they inhabit – are drawn together in an unlikely bond of friendship.

Because this photograph is forcing them to question who they really are – and who they are becoming.

****
Now. I did really like this book, although it took me a while to really get into it, however.... although I did like Nina, Tom and Lyla, I did find a lot of their behaviours due to the whole event, slightly unrealistic.

But this is a good read especially in today's current climate, and raises a lot of questions for both parents and young adults.

I also found the ending not as well flushed out as I would have liked, especially considering how much details the rest of the book went into.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Very topical, full of current issues but just too heavily executed. A little subtlety and a few layers would have made it neaningful

This is a truly powerful, wonderful novel. It’s been many years since I’ve read an Emily Giffin novel, but I enjoyed this book a lot. This is not a love story. It is both heart-breaking and heart-mending. You will be frustrated half of the time, cry at unexpected moments, and smile rarely.
Emily Giffin's story explores the dynamics of social media, entitlement and human morals of young and not-so-young alike. But where her writing really shines is in her ability to give voices to the teenagers and parents in each chapter.

I tore into this one and loved it.

Overall: A beautifully written story, told from the perspectives of several of the main characters, in the aftermath of a really bad decision. It’s a rollercoaster of a read, I was both tense, waiting to uncover more about the characters, it was also emotional, in parts. This book consumed me - it’s all I could think about, even now, a couple of days after I have finished reading it. The story is so realistic in the times we live in now, and I am sure many people can actual relate to it. Parts of this book, in the storylines were inspiring - the braveness, courage it takes to survive, move past and share with others to raise awareness. It also brings up the whole nature vs nurture, how parenting and upbringing can affect behaviours. It’s all been perfectly brought to life in this book. A huge congratulations to Emily - your book is just awesome.
Full Review going up on the blog st At the weekend

This was intense. Took a little while to get me hooked as the thought kind of scared me off a little. But once I was fully invested I couldn’t put it down. It was sad, frustrating and uncomfortable at times but so very real. I would’ve liked the ending / epilogue to have been longer and more in-depth as that part felt a little rushed and skipped over. But it was a really great read.

An interesting, different & thought provoking read for me. Really enjoyed it. I’d recommend this to anyone.

Nina and Kirk Browning are part of Nashville Society, along with their son, Finch, who comes across (like his dad) as selfish and unlikeable.
Tom and his daughter, Lyla are sympathetic characters who struggle with the aftermath of a scandal involving an explicit photograph of Lyla, taken at a party and circulated throughout the school.

Gosh, but, it makes me so grateful that there was no social media when I was growing up! Terrifying. This is a well written account of the impact of this scandal and the ripple effect across families. I also enjoyed the chapters written from each individual point of view. However, overall, there's not much of a story really and the ending is very abrupt.

So, I'm very grateful to Netgalley, Arrow books and Emily Giffin for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review, but, only 2.5 to 3 stars from me.

An interesting read that is very relevant. I didn't particularly love the writing style but the idea was great. This is an ideal beach read as its easy to read and one you could get through I a couple of sittings.

Two families in Nashville have a lot in common but are different in many ways. The Brownings are amongst the richest in Nashville after Kirk Browning sold his company and made them a fortune. Their son Finch has never known a different lifestyle but his mother Nina wasn’t raised with such wealth and questions if she has lost sight of what is really important in life. On the opposite side of town, Tom Volpe is a single father, raising his daughter Lyla in the best way he knows how. However, through all of the struggle, they have managed to get a scholarship for Lyla to attend a prestigious private school; and so the families are aligned. A photograph taken at a drunken teenage party spreads through Windsor school and soon shakes the worlds of Finch, Lyla and others and both families are forced to question their values, morals and who they are.

This my second Emily Giffin book this year and I have always liked her previous books. I have to say, I liked this book, but I didn’t LOVE it. I’ll admit, this may be a timing issue and not so much the book itself. Whilst reading I couldn’t stop thinking about the Netflix series Thirteen Reasons Why and how the story seemed similar in many ways. So naturally, I was constantly comparing the two and unfortunately, Thirteen Reasons Why crossed my path first!

Lyla’s character confused me a little bit as I never quite knew where I stood with her. She seemed like a typical teenage girl throughout most of the book and then she took quite a sudden turn towards the end. So much so, I didn’t quite recognise the character I was reading about.

Nina and Tom were lovely characters with good hearts. I was routing for something more from these characters and their relationship, however I fully realise that that would have totally distracted from the main thread of the story.

I don’t mean for this to sound like such a negative review. I did enjoy the book and found it to be quite easy going and easy to read. However, given the subject matter, I feel like it could have been taken a step further and tugged harder on the heart strings. If you haven’t watched Thirteen Reasons Why and have no idea what it’s about, I’d definitely say give this book a try and you may feel very differently about it.

Really powerful and moving, ultimately this is about decisions - especially the life changing bad ones that we make.
The characters were great, I loved the mixed narrative although it would have been nice to have the odd chapter by Finch, just to learn more about his motivation.

What a ghastly fellow young Finch is. Growing up with wealth equates in his mind with entitlement to do justwhat he pleases. In this case it's a revealing photo of Lyla, under the influence of drink, with a nasty racist comment added.
Nina, Finch's mother has spoiled her darling. At no point did he show any sorrow or remorse for his action, shrugging it off.
Nina and Lyla begin to have a bond, which questions all the 'normal' ways of life in this wealthy strata.
I found some of the story quite difficult, desperately wanting to alter the thinking of the main characters.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy of this well written book.

A rich boy, Princeton bound, sends a compromising photo of a younger scholarship girl to his friends, adding a racist comment. It is distributed much more widely. The girl is keen on the boy and doesn't want a fuss....

What follows is a story of real depth. examining relationships, morals and values It is narrated by the boy's mother, the girl's father and the girl. It reminded me of a Jodi Picoult novel.

Recommended.