This book definitely captures what is going on with some young people in our time. A wealthy community, a good school, young people with bright futures. Until a picture appears on the internet of one naked girl. Finch, who has taken responsibility for the picture thinks it is no big deal. Lyla, the subject of the photo is of the same mindset. The parents involved have different ideas. Nina, who thinks she has the perfect son is horrified. This does not work with the image her family has in the community. Tom, Lila’s father is beyond furious. He has always been concerned about his daughter attending this school as a scholarship student. Ms. Giffen has written some complex characters that is really a comment on date rape, social media and current times. I found this to be a thought provoking novel of the climate we currently live in.

We chose this selection as for Modern Mrs Darcy's annual Summer Reading Guide. https://modernmrsdarcy.com/srg

It's been a while since I've read a book by Emily Giffen, but I had the opportunity to read the first two chapters and was immediately dying to read more. Dealing with the timely topic of the impact of social media and how it can impact multiple lives, this book provided me with some serious food for thought. So much so that I would say that I suffered from a book hangover for several days after finishing it, as I couldn't stop thinking about it. Despite my children being far younger than the characters in the book, I couldn't help but feel some kinship with Nina and Tom, as parents. In addition to the topic of the potential negative impact of social media, Giffen tackles the tough subjects of class, race and privilege.

The book is told from the multiple, first-person POVs of Nina, Tom and Layla (Tom's daughter). For readers who aren't used to reading alternating POVs, this can sometimes take some getting used to, but I think it better helps put the reader in the mind of the characters. Although this isn't an easy "beach read" by any stretch of the imagination, I've already recommended All We Ever Wanted to several friends as a "must read" for the summer!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

All We Ever Wanted is the story of two families trying to navigate a scandal involving their two children. Nina Browning seemingly has everything, a rich handsome husband, a son headed for Princeton, and more money than she could possibly need. Then, suddenly when Nina's son, Finch is implicated in a incident which could have him expelled from school and maybe even get his college acceptance revoked, Nina finds herself reliving a scarring event from her past and realizing that maybe the life she has isn't necessarily the one she really wants. Tom has been raising his teenage daughter alone since her mother abandoned them when Lyla was a young child. When Lyla suddenly becomes the focus of scandal, Tom is determined to do everything he can to protect his daughter and her reputation whether she wants him to to or not. This is a very timely book that will really make you think. It presents a very realistic view of how hard it is to be a good parent and do what is best for your child and still do what is right especially in the oversharing world of today. This book will get into your psyche and stay with you long after you've read it especially if you are parent.

Nina and her family have moved from the merely well-to-do to stinking rich after the sale of her husband's tech company. Now a part of Nashville's one=percent, the couple and their son Finch—a high school senior heading to Princeton—have taken to buying whatever they see and want. But when Finch posts a photo with a racist caption of younger female classmate--passed out and exposed at a party--the post goes viral. As Finch faces expulsion from school and possible of loss of his place at Princeton, his parents disagree about how to handle the incident. Nina wants Finch to face the consequences and learn from his mistake; her husband tries to buy the other family's silence in to protect Finch's future. Griffin's latest raises questions of morality, privacy and privilege, and asks: how do you support a child in the face of behavior that hurts another. A beach read with some (moral) heft.

This is the best book I have read this year. It's heartbreaking and yet still somehow hopeful. I was devastated for Nina and Tom and angry for and angry at both of their children as this story unfolded. I on the edge of my seat from the last line of chapter one and I couldn't put it down until I was finished.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. I was so excited that it was set in Nashville and mentioned many of my favorite spots. I fell in love with the characters and could not wait to read more. This is a book I will read again. Many great subjects were touched through the book. Not often do I rate books a 5. Hands down one of my favorites.

I absolutely loved Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Griffin, so when I had the chance to read All We Ever Wanted, I jumped at the chance! A story told with multiple point-of-views about choices made and their impacts to those around you.

Nina went from a middle-class life to one of the wealthiest families in Nashville, But not all is what it seems in her life. Her son was just accepted to Princeton. They should be celebrating. But when her son is part of an act that harms another, she finds herself in the middle of that mess.

Tom is a single father doing all he can to provide the best life possible for his daughter. When she receives a scholarship to the elite Windsor Academy, he could not be prouder. But now Lyla, Tom’s daughter, finds herself among spoiled and entitled kids. Can she ever fit in?

All Lyla wants is to be accepted and be a part of the crowd. Instead she finds a photo that has gone viral and her life is now upside down. Tom wants justice for his daughter and Nina wants her son to take responsibility. In a world of wealth and power, will either get what they are looking for?

All We Ever Wanted deals with issues of faced by many in the age of social media and wrong choices. We see how this event affected each character and how they dealt with it. A touching and emotional story that stays with you.

Happy reading!

I’ve always been a fan of Emily Giffin. I thought I knew what to expect when I started this book but I definitely didn’t. All We Ever Wanted has 3 different point of views and touches on relationships, race, privacy, privilege...it’s a book of substance and is timely for our world today. It’s one I didn’t want to put down!
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Marriage, divorce, cyberbullying, lies, deceit - this book has all that and more. It would seem there are too many topics for one book to cover, but this beautifully written book manages to tie everything together smoothly. The characters are believable as are the situations in which they find themselves. The story is told well and I was glad to see a satisfactory finale but that the author avoided a cliched ending.

I read this book in less than 24 hours.

If you've ever read an Emily Giffin book, you know she doesn't mess around and gets right into the action from the beginning.

If you've never read one of her books, start with this one.

Living very close to Nashville, I especially appreciated the back drop of this story -putting me right in the heart of Belle Meade - a very elite part of the city.

As I've admired the beautiful homes in and around the Nashville area, I've wondered what's happening inside. Who lives there? Are they happy? Is life everything they hoped?

For Nina, Tom, and Lyla, their life changes in one night. Something as simple as a picture taken on a smartphone holds the power to take everything away. For these families, money and zip code mean nothing.

This is a timely novel and will stay will me a long time. I can't think of any reader that would not enjoy this novel.

I enjoyed the story. Watching the happenings through the eyes of those involved gave more depth to the story. I however felt like the end was rushed. I would've liked to see more into how things went down.

Emily Giffin takes us on a ride of three lives effected by one decision and the after effects that technology can have on the young, and their families.

The realism the author shows really catches you and takes you on a journey of love lost, young lives tarnished and new friendships. This story also reflected on the differences in society with the gift of wealth, and how this can effect how children look at life and how they are brought up.

This is my first book by this author and I ate it up and was really wanting more story!!

*****5 Stars*****

It's been a long time since I've read anything by Emily Giffin. Not because I don't love her work, but because I just haven't had the time. That being said, I loved All We Ever Wanted. I missed her words and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it.

AWEW follows Nina Browning, Tom Volpe, and his daughter, Lyla Volpe. It's told in mostly Nina's and Tom's POV, with a few chapters from Lyla's POV. Having this type of structure gives the reader so much more of the story than if it was just from one person's POV. It allows the reader to dig deep into the minds of each character, and it also keeps the suspense going. What you think is happening one minute, isn't happening the next; it isn't the truth. It makes the story unpredictable and more entertaining.

Nina is a woman who seems to have it all, whose son has just been accepted to Princeton. But money doesn't buy happiness, and she finds herself wondering if her seemingly perfect son is more like her elitist husband than she thought.

Tom is a middle-class single father. He works hard to provide a good life for his daughter, and he's ecstatic when she receives a scholarship to Windsor Academy, where she can get the best education Nashville has to offer. He's somewhat overprotective, but he has valid reasons. He doesn't want his daughter to end up like her mother.

Lyla is a sophomore at Windsor. She's like any typical teen; drinking, sex, parties, obsessed with social media and boys. Or a certain boy in particular. One night that starts with a lie turns into a moment that will change her life forever.

This moment will change all three lives forever.

AWEW is a riveting story that takes on an important issue that has always been around, but is much more predominant now that social media exists. One photo, one tag line, one joke...it can alter our lives forever.

I don't usually associate a serious, intense topic when reading an Emily Griffin novel, but this one definitely was that. She definitely should not make this her last one either. One moment in time can change your life in a blink of an eye and cause damage to everyone associated. This novel really hit home in so many levels. Being a mother of a daughter and a son made me ponder and react to this well-written story. We all need to have conversations with our children about social media.

The pressures of being a teenager in the world we live in today in unsurmountable, and children aren't equipped to handle it. The inappropriate use of social media with teens is spreading like wildfires and causing lives to be damaged. Excellent job Emily Griffin for addressing it in a realistic manner that both parents and teenagers could learn from and realize this is a true problem that everyone needs to prevent.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All Opinions are my Own.

Nina and Kirk Browning are new money and very, very wealthy. Their lives look perfect from the outside. However, one day their lives are turned upside down when their son Finch is accused of taking a lewd photo of a classmate and sharing it with his friends. To make matters worse, he added a racist caption on it. The photo quickly makes its way around the elite private high school he attends. The school intends to bring him before their Honor Council, who will no doubt issue a severe punishment. In addition, Finch has just been accepted to Princeton and they will probably revoke his acceptance when they find out about the incident.

Finch’s parents have vastly different reactions to Finch’s situation. His father Kirk feels like this is just a case of boys being boys and will do almost anything to make sure that Finch attends Princeton as planned. Finch’s mother Nina struggles with how she feels about what Finch has done and puts much more thought into what should be done with him than Kirk.

Giffin casts Kirk as a one-dimensional villain in this drama and doesn’t give Finch and his friends much depth either. However, the other characters are well-developed and flawed but sympathetic.

All We Ever Wanted would make a great book club selection. Groups could talk about how they as parents would handle it if their child found himself in this sort of predicament. There are other issues that are good discussion topics but too spoilery for me to mention here.

This book is more serious than the lighter beach-read type books that Giffin is known for. I was surprised by that but in a good way. I thought she did a great job and I enjoyed reading it. I think her fans will as well. Recommended.

Every parent seems to be trudging through the issue of social media, their child and its repercussions. Emily Griffin's riveting novel has hit the nail on the head. The book discusses the fall-out from poor decision making and sheds light on the lives that were impacted. Family, society, and finding yourself is the internal struggle you face when reading this book and you feel the torn feeling through out the book as you view the characters and the decisions they make. The book itself touches upon a topic very relevant in our current social climate and definitely can strike a nerve. I appreciate the thoughtful writing, strong character and how relatable the book is. Life isn't a fairy tail, but isn't that "all we ever wanted"? Thank you Ballantine Books for the gifted e-copy arc, via Netgalley.

Emily Gifford has always been a favorite author of mine. Her newest novel, All We Ever Wanted, doesn’t disappoint. In the scary world of social media, Ms, Griffin creates a web that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Finch, a high school senior, who has grown up in a very privileged life, is accused of taking a provocative photo of a classmate. Did he do it? What would you do if it was your son? His mother, Nina, takes a very surprising stand against her son. Wouldn’t any mother side with her child and not against him? The decisions, stories and events in this novel will make you ask yourself....what would you do?
Although this book is very different from Emily Giffon’s previous novels, I highly recommend it. It isn’t a romantic, love story, but one that brings up many necessary discussions in our society of social media and how young people can make decisions that can change lives in an instant.

This can be a hard subject for people to read. You have the rich who seems to get away with anything and then you have the middle class who seem to suffer. This book really boils down to two families and how they handle a crisis. I liked all the different point of views in this book because then you get to see all sides of the story. You are wondering who is telling the truth and want to keep reading to find out. Unfortunately this book is all to real to a lot of girls in high school and college. It is really sad how we treat boys when this happens and it's even more heartbreaking how the girls get treated when something like this happens. This book is both heartfelt and a reminder to change things.

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

Lyla Volpe doesn’t expect her life to change after her crush takes a drunken, semi-naked photo of her at a party, because she doesn’t want to do anything about it. Tom, her working-class, single father, astonished by her complacency, cannot let it go. The boy’s mother, Nina, is sick over the incident and also cannot let it go, though her wealthy husband attempts to cover it up. The story whips back and forth on who exactly the culprit may be, but eventually the truth comes out, and Nina finally releases her insidious secret in order to save herself, her son, and his victim. The ending wrapped up quickly in a summarized chapter, disappointing readers who expected more about how the boy redeemed himself.

This novel demonstrates how well women are indoctrinated to be polite and quiet, even in the face of pernicious behavior of men they trust, how women justify such behavior as not so bad, not something they would call rape, or even harassment, certainly not a sex crime. Wealth is no protection, as the boy’s ex-girlfriend proves with her self-destructive actions. Giffin created credible characters who interacted as expected from the reader’s perspective, privy to information and emotional accouterments before it’s shared with other characters, showing the truth in fiction.

Fans of Liane Moriarty and Kate Moretti and Celeste Ng will appreciate Giffin’s style, ability to present complex relationships, and subject matter. I was fortunate to receive a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I posted my review to my blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and B&N.