NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this riveting novel from the #1 bestselling author of Something Borrowed and First Comes Love, three very different people must choose between their families and their most deeply held values. . . . “An unpredictable page-turner that unfolds in the voices of three superbly distinct characters.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution • “A gripping, thought-provoking … Journal-Constitution • “A gripping, thought-provoking journey.”—Jodi Picoult
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THESKIMM
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.
Praise for All We Ever Wanted
“Page-turning . . . Timely and thought-provoking, it’s Giffin’s best yet.”—People
“Giffin’s novel has style and substance . . . . Truly excellent.”—The Washington Post
“If you’re looking for a book club selection, All We Ever Wanted is bound to spark meaningful and meaty discussions.”—The Augusta Chronicle
“A page-turning exploration of wealth and privilege.”—Entertainment Weekly
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Great easy read. Read in one evening, wanted to find out ending.
I won a copy of this novel through Bookishfirst.
3.75 stars. What would you do if you woke up one day and discovered your life was nothing like you’d planned? Your husband was a snob and your son seemed to be following in his footsteps. This is where Nina finds herself in Emily Giffin’s latest novel. My first Emily Giffin book, I was intrigued from the very beginning. The characters were flawed and interesting, and the story began to unfold like a train wreck you can’t look away from. I would categorize this as a “beach read”, perfect for those times when you want to get lost in a book. It was a fairly quick read, with just enough mystery to keep me turning pages. However, some things were predictable, and the ending felt a little rushed. But overall, very entertaining. (less)
A book every woman should read!
Could not put down this book – great, realistic, flawed characters. I missed them the second I finished the novel.
I fell in love with this book. As the book went on I got invested in everything and I could not put it down 4 stars.
I thought it was relate able to today’s high school kids and the choices they make.
I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very touchy book. Touchy in that it had several things going on. Mainly someone taking advantage of another and thinking they can just say they are innocent enough and will be believed. A picture is taken at a party of a young girl, Lyla, by another and it gets sent to several others. It’s not the worse kind of picture but the caption included is awful. Not that the picture itself is ok. But to say something racial about someone is not cool. Living in the world where everyone should be treated equal it’s just wrong on all counts. Of course we don’t live in that world either. Someone took a picture of Lyla while she was asleep at a party then put a very racist caption on it thinking she was Hispanic.
This book is told from several different views and tells us a lot about each ones life. A father who would do anything for his child. His little girl. Though she is sixteen and in a good private school, he still thinks of her as his baby. He will go to any length to protect her. She may not understand that yet but will one day. Tom is a great dad and Lyla is very lucky that he cares so much. They are not rich like most of the other kids’ parents in the school where Lyla goes but he works hard and they have a great life. Sometimes money is not the answer.
Finch is a boy who thinks he can do whatever he wants. Spend money like no ones business without even asking his mother. Get the girls and fancy car. He’s very privileged and spoiled in lots of ways. Finch is not all he’s cracked up to be. But is he a liar, player and someone’s son.
Nina is the mother to Finch. She only wants what is best for him. She does not approve of some of the things he does, like spending money like there’s no tomorrow and buying him a very expensive car. His dad does not have a problem with any of it. Nina wants the truth to come out and for everyone to be able to move forward. Her husband wants to pay people off. Nina has some big decisions to make about her life, her son and her marriage. Will she make the right ones? She was not born into money but married into lots of it and a lifestyle she had never had before.
This book touches on several important topics. Racism, privilege, rape, social media and sharing bad pictures with others and more. Having a conscience is so important and some people it seems just don’t have one.
I enjoyed this book from the very beginning. I loved the ending and thank the author for writing this. It was an easy book to read with characters who you will love and hate. It is not a love story but is a story about love.
I gave it 4 stars.
All We Ever Wanted is a relevant thought-provoking story! During a teen party, a picture is taken of a half naked drunk girl with a racist title. The picture is then sent all over school. The result unveils the effects of affluence, social media and racism. This is the first book I’ve read by Emily Giffin and I loved it!
Such an enjoyable read.
Great characters from different sides of the socio-economic track. Money can’t buy everything.
Read and loved every book Emily has ever written~this one no exception~the plotline so very relevant, the characters feel real~I kept shouting out yes or nooooooo or omg or are you serious etc the entire time!
Could happen to any family. We never know what our teenagers are REALLY involved in, and we can only hope they will make the right decisions. Made me feel like it could happen to anybody at any time.
I enjoyed it a good summer read
I especially liked the mother Nina and Tom.
A must read for..”..everyone. So timely.
Money doesn’t buy happiness. It is the root of all evil. Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail. These are a few things that went through my mind when reading this book. All We Ever Wanted is a timely story that can and should be read by a wide age range of people. It addresses one of the many problems that young people can make when engaging with social media and the potential ever lasting results. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram are eternal. Young people and quite frankly, many adults seem to forget that these comments and pictures never go away, even when the original post is deleted. Tattoos can be laser removed, but the internet is FOREVER. It is a parents responsibility as well as society’s to instill behavior in their children to respect people regardless of what they have or who they are, but unfortunately it is not the world we live in. Keyboard bullies, thumb thugs get the most followers as opposed to nice people. I think we all know some of the people in this book, both the extremely wealthy and the “regular” people as well as people from diverse backgrounds. I know I do. It is heartbreaking to see kids raising themselves with credit cards as babysitters and thinking they are better than others due to their money and or ethnicity. If it stinks at the head, it stinks at the tail. I found myself seeing the issues from the perspective of the mom of the son, dad of the daughter and the daughter. The other father and the son (posted awful photo and nope, not giving anything away as this happens almost immediately in the book) were portrayed realistically and maybe that is why I disliked them so much. I kept hoping that the son would both listen and hear his mother, but the allure of money and a father who thought money could make it all go away were too strong a pull at his age. The brain is still developing and instant gratification is the name of their game. The father shamefully will forever be a jerk, but will never care or even realize what an awful role model he is as he truly believes his actions were proper. I like that the ending doesn’t tie things all up neatly, but does give a glimpse into the future. I highly recommend this book for all. It is subject matter well worth your time and of course very well written.
I received this book from Netgalley.com in return for an honest review
All We Ever Wanted was a fascinating read! The plot dealt with such realistic issues as rape, sexual abuse, racism, financial disparity, and a parent’s unconditional love. The story was told from the perspectives of Nina, Lyla, and Tom. Nina enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle with her snobbish money driven husband and her 18 year old son who enjoyed life too much, especially at the expense of others. For both father and son, unscrupulous actions were a part of their relationship. Nina sought to change that aspect of Finch’s persona. Tom, a carpenter, tried to raise Lyla the best way possible since her alcoholic mother was not really a part of their daughter’s life. Both Tom and Lyla clashed over appropriate wardrobe and curfew, but love was always present.
Then one night…an unchaperoned party, too much drinking, a sexually explicit picture and the aftermath of these events turned the characters’ lives into an emotional whirlwind that consisted of lies and deception but also truth and discovery. None of the characters remained unscathed in this engaging page turner.
This story was well written with intriguing characters. It will make you think, discuss, and debate the actions taken by each character as the story evolved. It will also make think what your actions might be if some aspects of this story became your reality.
Always enjoy Emily Griffin’s book, diffently different story line.
Emily Giffin doesn’t need much of an intro! I love how as a reader I have grown with her novels and this book is no different. She captures so many relevant topics of parenting, marriage, and self-discovery . Perfectly flawed characters intensely wrapped up in the complications of social media and family dynamics. One of this summers favorites!
“Finch is either completely innocent or a total sociopath. He’s either more like his mother or exactly like his father. I have no clue which one it is, but I will find out.” from All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
There is a reason that Emily Giffin’s novel All We Ever Wanted is on the bestseller list immediately upon publication. She is a fine writer who delivers defined characters caught in a complicated knot of the “he said, she said” variety, and rolls out the plot so the reader is hooked and, as the story progresses, can’t resist being sucked into the current of ever-deepening revelations.
She incorporates issues of #Me Too, class, and race into the central story, along with youth issues of social media and peer pressure, so the novel feels relevant.
The plot revolves around Finch Bowning, just accepted into Princeton, whose family is extremely wealthy. His mother Nina came from modest roots, while his father Kirk was from one of Nashville’s elite even before he became even wealthier. They seem to have everything.
Then there is Lyla, raised by her single father Tom. Lyla is on scholarship at a private school where kids like Finch are clearly from another world.
Then at a party one night, a photograph is taken and circulated, bringing crisis into all their lives.
Nina’s own experience offers her insight into Lyla’s situation and she wants justice for Lyla. Nina must consider the values her husband has brought into their family, where money is more important than people and anything can be bought. She is forced to evaluate her entire life as she seeks to walk the fine line between what is right and the bonds of family.
I had not read Giffin before and was very pleased with this book.
I won an ARC through LibraryThing.
Scary to think there are people in this world like the characters in this book. I couldn’t put this book down!