I truthfully think every single person should read this book. A modern story about the consequences of a teenage snapchat going viral becomes a powerful, thought-provoking tale told from three very different characters' perspectives. From reading this book, you are able to truly understand how every single action has consequences and how everything and everyone around you influences you and your decisions. For parents especially this novel is important as it teaches you the importance of being a good role model, of leading by example, and of teaching your child what is truly important in life. The lessons you learn from reading this novel are endless and I know that I, for one, will be endeavoring to impart this new found knowledge with everyone I come across henceforth. Emily Giffin absolutely struck it out of the park with this novel.

This may be my favorite Emily Giffin book of all time. It was a departure from her other books, but was amazing! I loved the use of three narrators; I felt like I got a good feel of all the characters that way. I think this would be an amazing book club read since there are so many discussion topics throughout the book – sexual assault, raising children, background differences. The epilogue was a fantastic way to end the story. Highly recommend this!

I absolutely loved this book. I'm usually not disappointed by any of this author's books, and this one was no different.

I thought the story was in depth, the characters were executed perfectly, and the flow of the book was great. I related to the characters, and thought it was all well thought out. I did find myself wishing there were more after it was over, which I'd say is a good thing!

I can’t quite make up my mind about this one. It contained a few too many cliches but it addressed a situation right out of the news. A boy, wrapped in all the privilege that money and society can give him, takes advantage of a girl, who just happens to be the equivalent of “the other side of the tracks”. This is played out in tandem with his mother discovering that she doesn’t much like who she has become and really doesn’t like who her husband has become. Throw in a hard-working single dad, the boy’s jealous girlfriend, and a sincere school headmaster and it is almost too much. But somehow, it works. There are enough interesting characters and the story has enough honesty and sincerity to keep you engaged. It wraps up too quickly and too neatly after all the development, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love Emily Giffin's other novels and was excited to read the advanced reader copy of her latest. It was quite a departure from her stories of love and loss, but so gripping nonetheless.

This story centers on a scandal at a Nashville private high school and touches on inequalities across gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Giffin did a wonderful job of creating a realistic scenario and adding emotion and nuance to the viewpoints from various players in the story. First, we have Nina, the mother of high school senior on his way to Princeton who appears responsible for a scandalous photo circulating to his classmates. When dealing with this situation at home, with her social circle, and with school officials, we see Nina's world shatter, as her relationships are challenged and trust broken by those she loves the most. She often struggles between being a "good mom" and doing what she feels is right and raising a son with high moral standards. Tom is the father of Lyla, the subject of the scandalous photo. He is a single dad who has had a challenging time bringing up his daughter, and is disgusted by behavior of the school and Nashville elite. Reading Tom and Nina's interactions and histories is at times difficult, and also touching. Lyla's perspective of the ordeal is also weaved throughout the novel and it is so interesting to read along with her feelings and how she processes and reacts to the events of the book. The contrast between adult and teen perspective is excellent. The actions of Nina's husband Kirk make me feel revolted, but are also not at all surprising. The ending was not as satisfying as I had hoped, although it did have a level of realism to how it may play out in today's society. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this story and the character development in it. Not all of the characters learn from their mistakes but I quickly came to like Tom and Nina. Raising children is one of the hardest jobs in the world, if not the hardest, and this book brings that to light.
No matter how or where your child has grown up, there are situations beyond the control of a parent. The teens in this story are proof of that. Lyla wants to belong and Finch is entitled and Polly is scared and insecure. This sounds a lot like most of the teenagers I know.
This was well written and the content kept me interested. I liked that this was told from multiple perspectives. It wasn’t a YA book nor was it solely an adult read.

"All We Ever Wanted" by Emily Giffin follows three different characters perspectives in the aftermath of a high school party. At the party a terrible picture is taken of a girl who is nearly naked, passed out, and a racist comment is added as well. The picture is then shared with many friends on Snapchat, and then makes its way through the school and community. The book follows the mother of the boy accused of taking the photo, Lyla, whose photo is taken, and Tom her father. I flew through this book, it was an enjoyable read - but - it was too casual, too sweet, considering the content. I just really wanted the author and the story to dig deeper into the emotional lives of the characters and the ramifications of photos and choices like these. In parts it did, but I was left feeling like it could've done more. I can see readers really enjoying this book, or at least flying through it as quickly as I did!

Loved this new and different book from Emily Giffin! This story is told from different character viewpoints that all experience this terrible dark situation between these young teens learning how navigate through relationships and still show respect for other people and themselves. The teens have parents who differ in sides, and ideals but somehow manage to connect over this situation that has occurred with their children. This books brings up many newer issues that more prevalent in society today and it felt a little darker than Giffin’s previous books but I really liked that and I feel like that is what kept me interested in the story.

i read this in one sitting, it was a relatively easy read given the uncomfortable topic. even though i mostly enjoyed it, it left me feeling a bit dissatisfied.

it's definitely not what i've come to expect from emily giffin. this is a heavier topic compared to her other books. for the most part it was quite realistic but it felt very surface, you know? like didn't pack a punch like Beartown did. the ending was unsatisfying, resolved very quickly. i do think giffin did a good job in exploring all of these issues, maybe too many issues. but i never really felt connected to any of the characters, didn't really feel what they were supposedly feeling. this was told in multiple first person POV and i would have liked to get Finch's POV as i never felt i got a handle on his character at all.

i do think this would make a good book club book - encourages discussions and is pretty thought provoking. what would you do in this situation? would you blindly stand up for your child, or be able to look at the situation from the outside? what would you consider appropriate consequences if the punishment was up to you? should children/teenagers be punished as if they were adults? i think it's one of those things people would answer one way but probably act in another when the time came because how can you know how you will act? your first instinct might be to think 'that would never happen to me, my child would never do that'.

so i have mixed feelings, for the most part i enjoyed it as in the act of reading didn't make me want to throw my kindle against the wall, but when i finished, didn't feel like i got the resolution i wanted, didn't feel like people suffered the consequences they deserved or the appropriate lessons were learned. and maybe that's a little too realistic in today's world for my liking.

3 SnapChat Horror Story
What happens when your perfect life, marriage and child all change in one minute. This story is about the Brownings’ and the Volpes’. This is about when Finch sends a photo of a passed out girl with her nipple exposed and a racist caption to someone and it goes viral.
The book reads very well and it is a big long winded. I never really got a feel for any of the characters. They didn’t seem to fit a certain box and I never knew who was being honest and what the truth really was. I think it is because the story is told by multiple POVs so you get a little lost.
I didn’t really care for any of the characters and I never felt anything redeeming. There was no integrity to anyone. And the ending was too simple and I felt nothing was really resolved.
I love this author and I was super excited to receive an ARC and an opportunity to see this author in a different line. I think it just didn’t work for me because of the detached feel of the overall story. I wasn’t rooting for any of the characters but I did really want to belive Finch… but I still don’t even know his role or lack of one. This book does reach out to different topics out there such as depression, suicide, teenage sex, virginity, thoughts of love, and an overall need to have a sense of worth.

I enjoyed this book that covers a lot of today’s hot topics dealing with social media and sexual misconduct. The setting takes place in Tennessee and since I used to live outside of Nashville, I enjoyed reading about the local scene. It’s a solid novel but I felt the ending was rushed and there are so many issues being dealt with from materialism to racism to parent/child relationships.

This is an incredibly timely novel but it's also got a new slant: it's told from the perspective of the parents (Finch's mom and Lyla's dad) and not the teens themselves. It was especially interesting to hear from Finch's mom, because it's clear that she struggles with loving and wanting to protect her son but, at the same time, being horrified at what he did (and with it seeming like he doesn't fully get exactly why it was so wrong).

This novel also touches on class differences (Lyla is at the school on scholarship; Finch can have pretty much literally anything and everything he wants) and that's also interesting. Finch's dad believes that his money can get them out of any predicament (he tries to bribe Lyla's dad to drop the matter and gives him $15,000.  It's clear that he doesn't think of that as a large amount of money...which I can't even imagine, btw). 

If you want your beach reads to be more than a guilty pleasure, check this one out.

Emily Giffin has been my go to authors for years. I love Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I have read most of her books. This book unlike other fluffly chick lit's book has substance.

This is the story of three characters that are connected due to a terrible photo incident and the story is about in the aftermath of this incident.

Characters; Nina is the mom of the boy who took the photo. She is a appalled and completely apologetic about what happens. This photo triggers a series of events that completely changed her life.

Tom is the victim's father. He is angry about the incident and he brings it up to the school.

Lyla is the victim although she doesn't see herself as one. She is angry at her dad for making a big deal about it.

I like that we got three points of view of those who were affected by the photo.

Plot: Much of the story is the aftermath of the photo incident. There is a backstory to Nina that was heartbreaking. I don't want to go in depth as it will spoil the story. Trust me this is a story that must be read.

My feels: I absolutely loved this book. This was a riveting story that must be read. I felt the pain of Nina. The twist in the end was amazing..

Review will be posted on June 21, 2018.

There are books that when I start reading I absolutely devour them. And then there are books that I have to force myself to get through. Unfortunately, this one falls into the latter category. It wasn't a bad book--I just think it tried too hard to tackle too many issues. I've seen a lot of reviews that call this book "timely," and I do think the timing is right on this one. But for me, I see so many of these issues in the news on a daily basis, the last thing I want to do is read a fictional book based on them. This was my first Emily Giffin novel and while I didn't enjoy this one as much as I had hoped, it's not enough to stop me from checking out her other works.

I want to thank Emily Griffin, Random House and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
I am a big fan of Emily Griffin so I was excited to see All We Ever Wanted was in the works, then my day was made when I got it!!!
Emily is a sure thing for me; her books are always so well written and amazing storylines! All We Ever Wanted was so awesome; I literally did not want to put my kindle down the entire time I was reading. The story line was relatable as I am a mother to school age kids.
All We Ever Wanted by Emily Griffin should be everyone’s beach bag essential!

I am a huge Emily Giffin fan and this book just continued to add to my love for her books. The main character, Nina, is a Stepford wife type character who doesn't realize what she has become until her perfect son Finch is accused of posting partially nude pictures of a young girl at his school as well as including a racial slur with it. Nina begins to realize that her husband Kirk and son are not the men that she thought they were and she is only a shadow of herself. Nina with the help of Lyla, the victim and the Tom, the victim's father, expose Finch and Kirk for the self-centered and non remorseful men that they are. Giffen really stepped up her game with this book. It is certainly relevant intoday's world and exposes the problems that social media can pose if used in the wrong way.

Nina Browning is shocked to discover her son took a picture of a female student and posted to friends with a racist comment. The Brownings are new to wealth and would do anything for their son. They believe they raised him right, after all, he got into Princeton. Nina cannot believe her son would do this.

Nina reaches out to the victim and her family. Through befriending the Volpes, Nina begins to realize things about her husband and son that breaks her heart. Nina needs to decide between her heart and her gut instincts, to side with her son or with the victim.

~

This book was full of difficult material including racism and classism. Do you stand by your children when they've done wrong? And how far is too far? Do you upend your life to do the right thing or go along with the status quo? Do you stay true to yourself or support your family?

This book hooked me from the beginning, not knowing who was telling the truth. My heart took a journey just as Nina's did. Definate recommendation.

This was a great read - I could not put it down! Really well written and even though I am not a fan of the alternating narrator/chapter method, this was just excellent. A very timely subject and as a mother whose child attended private school I can tell you that it was quite realistic. Strongly recommend.

I've read a few of Emily Giffin's other books and found them enjoyable and light. This book, however, was ...just okay for me. There's book that sometimes try to hard to discuss harder topics. All We Ever Wanted is that kind of book.

Nina is a small town girl who married rich. Her husband has old money and new money from selling his tech business. They have a smart son, who has recently been accepted to Princeton.

Tom is a single parent, trying to keep afloat and raise his daughter Lyla. Lyla wins a scholarship to the prestigious Windsor Academy.

One night, a compromising photo is taken and lives are changed.

While this book touches on the topics of racism, social media and family relationships, it's just.....blah. It just TRIES SO HARD to be current and relevant and modern. Maybe it's not for me, someone without kids, without the pressures and worries of raising a decent child.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book .

This book was amazing! I really enjoyed the family dynamics of the two families represented. Tom is a single father raising his teen daughter Lyla in a middle-class environment. Nina and Kirk, on the other hand, are very wealthy and are raising their son Finch in a home of privilege and expectation of more privilege. When the book begins, Finch has just been accepted to Princeton, so we know that he is intelligent. But his other character traits are not very admirable. I will most remember Nina’s reaction to what Finch has done and what Kirk is doing to try to cover up for him. It is important to remember that date rape is real, and the portrayal in this novel is very realistic. The book is fast-paced and very entertaining. I loved the way the viewpoint switched between the main characters, Tom, Nina and Lyla. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was really going on since there was so much deception . I was quickly drawn into the tale of a young girl and the parallel story o a married woman who has lost control of her life. This is such an excellent read that all avid readers should read it and are guaranteed to enjoy it!