Thank you NetGalley for this ARC copy for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. This is a great contemporary book about the elite and their privileged life. Early in I started loving all the characters. Nina was down to earth and likable. Her back story was interesting and kept me wanting more. Tom was your typical over protective dad that you really felt for at times. And Lyla was the rebellious teen we all can relate to, she just wanted to fit in.

There were a couple things I would say were nice twists but not really OMG moments. This book sheds light on a few issue in today’s world and how it can impact someone’s life. All in all I’d say the story was great and definitely kept my attention.

With her characteristic penmanship, Emily Giffin brings us a story of love, hope, redemption, acceptance and brilliantly plotted human relationships at its finest.

I think out of all the books from Emily I have read before, this is by far my favorite.. It has an easy pace, characters are on point and overall the plot is magnifiscent.

I am so happy I received this ARC. I’ve loved Emily Griffins books in the past and so I was excited for this one. I felt this book gives a really good view into the repercussions of social media/texting and the importance in what just one picture can do. What someone views as a harmless prank can quickly turn into a serious matter. It shed light not only the importance of being aware of your surroundings but also standing up for yourself when you’ve been wronged even if it’s embarassing. Overall I really enjoyed this book. Because of the multiple POVs I really felt like I knew the characters. I do wish we were given a glimps into Finch’s character. Since he was on trial for most of the book I would have liked to see his line of thinking. Maybe even just for a epilogue. I usually do not care for books that have an overall aganeda but the characters kept me engaged. Overall it was a good read.

TImely. I enjoyed the characters and that the author brought us into the present at the end to give closure to the characters.

I felt this book was a little different than her other novels, and much more thought provoking. A teenage boy shares a racy photo of a girl to his buddies, and his parents, who are very wealthy, disagree on how to handle the situation. It also deals with race, wealth, and privilege. I loved how the mom, Nina, takes a stand, realizing that all she wants is for her son to be a man of character, and not about the wealth and fancy things they own. This book definitely leaves you a lot to think about, and while it involves some serious issues, it still could be considered a more light and easy read, keeping you turning the pages.

I love Emily Giffin books even though I'm not a chick lit huge fan... somehow, her first two books just really got me, so I've been a fan ever since.

This book was very different in a lot of ways. There was still some odd romance thrown in (that I didn't like, for the overall theme of the book), but the message and topic is so incredibly important and relevant. I thought she did a very good job of making us wonder: Did Finch go too far, or was it typical boy fun? Was Lyla truly a victim, even if she doesn't think she was?

I liked it, but I didn't love it. 3.5 stars from me.

This book really took me through all the emotions. From hating Finch, to believing in him and hating girl vs girl hate, back to actually despising the little sh*t. I think it’s a very important book at this time with everything surrounding the “me too” movement and the men that think they can do what they want because of their money and/or power. I wish it had ended with Finch having to face the consequence of his actions (some might say he did to an extent) but it would have been nice to see him lose his admission to school, though that’s not really how these things work is it? This book was fantastic and left me with a lot to think about. I think we are making progress but it can’t happen soon enough. Easily one of Emily’s best!

I loved the easy and breezy style of this book. I read it in 2 sittings and was thoroughly entertained. I am really not sure if Nina was the hero — and that made the story even more interesting in a lot of ways. The truth and moral high ground are hard to come by in this story of white privilege. The story was stomach turning. Worth reading!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read an ARC.

3.5 Stars

”When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me
Look out 'cause here I come
And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh
This is me”
-- This is Me, Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman Ensemble, Songwriters: Justin Paul / Benj Pasek

Nina Browning was raised in Bristol, a small city on the Tennessee-Virginia border, where race cars, football, and Country Music abound - in fact it calls itself the birthplace of Country Music. Her father was a writer for the Bristol Herald Courier and her mother was, formerly, a fourth grade teacher. A happy, middle class family. Nina’s husband, Kirk, came from old money, a ”fourth-generation silver-spoon Nashvillian” who grew up ”ensconced in a private-school, country-club world.” Snobbery was in his blood.

Nina and Kirk’s son, Finch, had just received his acceptance letter for Princeton the day before, and they spent the evening at a charity fund-raising dinner, for suicide awareness and prevention. They imbibe booze, they schmooze, and on the other side of town, their son was risking everything he had, his future, in a moment of lapsed judgement, acts on an idea involving a party with lots of alcohol, an unconscious girl, and a cell phone.

Of course, social media and cell phones are busy sharing this latest “shaming” and what might have remained quiet, or at least quieter, becomes a roaring conflagration.

Tom, Lyla’s father, is a carpenter raising his daughter alone, proud that Lyla was able to get a scholarship for the prestigious Windsor Academy, where Finch also attends. He could never afford to send her there otherwise.

Having had a similar incident in her early college years, Nina’s heart breaks for this girl, despite the fact that it is her son who supposedly is behind this. She reaches out to help. If he did this thing he is accused of, she wants him to confess, repent and take responsibility for his actions.

Through the alternating thoughts of Nina, Tom, and Lyla, we are able to see the flaws become cracks and then everything erupts. The accusations that flow when Tom approaches the Academy in search of justice for his daughter. As Nina sees her husband push money at the “problem” to make it go away, she also sees how unconcerned he and their son seem to be about Lyla’s well-being, and she struggles with her memories of Finch as her little boy while trying to face the possibility of him being guilty of what he is accused. A woman examining what she believes in, what she wants from her life, a town that thrives on gossip and unkind remarks, a husband who has no moral compass, and a young girl desperately in need of someone to listen, and believe in her, too.

I’ve only read one other book by Emily Giffin, First Comes Love which I read around a year and a half ago. While that also dealt, somewhat, with the complexity of family relationships, there was “romance,” which I believe is what she is best known for. But that is not to say this is not a love story, only that it is not your soft, happy, tears-on-my-pillow kind of love story.


Pub Date: 26 JUN 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House / Ballantine Books

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin has revealed for me an outstanding storyteller, and one I will seek out. I hadn't read this author before, but this will not be the last. I was thoroughly entranced by this book, and must state that it is one of the top books I have personally read in 2018. You know you have a good book when you read past 3:00 am.
This book had me feel all the emotions, as I read about the wealthy in privileged Nashville, Tennessee. There are themes of excessive wealth, racism, consumerism, lack of empathy for less privileged, all wrapped in a great story about straying from your roots and being true to who you are.
Nina Browning marries into Nashville’s elite. Her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their entitled son has been accepted to Princeton. Middle-class and small-town girl Nina feels she’s strayed from the person she once was. A crisis coming from her high school aged son makes her see her life for what it has become. It's good. It's a little cliche, but well written and I am okay with that.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for a pre-publication ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty good booking, I found that the writing started to go a little downhill about a third of the way through the book.

The message of this book was overall good.

A change in pace for Emily Giffin's novels but one that did not disappoint! In this book, we are faced with a mother's moral dilemma between trusting and protecting her son and following her moral compass. Giffin's latest novel entwines an upper-crust Nashville family, the Brownings, and a father/daughter duo headed by a working-class single father. During a party one night, Princeton-bound senior Finch Browning allegedly shares a promiscuous photo of sophomore Lyla, who is on scholarship at the prestigious Windsor Academy. Throughout the novel, various plots emerge as we unravel the story. Giffin does an excellent job of portraying the various viewpoints - the angry father, the questioning mother, the embarrassed teenager, and the "typical" golden-child. Every parent will walk away from the novel doing a little soul-searching!

Once I started it I could not put it down... I loved each character especially the mother. I loved the her strength to stand up for what she believed in no matter what the consequence were going to be. This will be a great book club book, there is so much to discuss and dispute. I strongly recommend it.

Lyla is a financial aid student at the elite Windsor Academy. She has a huge crush on Finch Browning, a wealthy kid who has just gotten accepted to Princeton. One night they are at a party together and during the party a picture was taken and sent to multiple people at the party. From there, the photo goes viral within the entire school community and gossip spreads like wildfire. Now Lyla's reputation is on the line and it is she said/he said. With so many versions of the "truth" ou there, how will the parents and school be able to figure out where the real truth lies?
This book was so engrossing. It was hard to read and I was glad I wasn't the one who had to decide what was real and what was a lie. Emily Giffin is a very talented writer who tells stories so realistically that you feel as if you were there experiencing it all yourself.

**I read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I've been a long time reader of Emily Giffin and when I saw the blurb for this book, I was drawn in almost immediately. It seemed like a very different book in the best of ways and I am so happy to say that my instinct was right - this was a fantastic look into the current world of social media that we live in and how both parents and children have to navigate that world. I will say that I thought we were going to get a bit of a cliche plot that we've seen many times before, but again happily, that didn't happen and I believe the story was richer for it.

This story is told from multiple points of view, which again I believe helps to enrich it. We get the perspective of Nina, a woman who married into money and privilege and the mother of a son who is a senior at Windsor Academy. While she's always been happy in her life, she's starting to wonder if she's lost the person she always was before the money and privilege. Tom is the second point of view and he is a single father who works as a carpenter and does the best he can to raise his high school daughter Lyla while living paycheck to paycheck. Our final point of view is Lyla herself. A sophomore at Windsor Academy, she is there on a scholarship and oftentimes does not feel like she fits in. High School is hard enough as it is, but when a compromising photo of her gets shared on social media, everything in her world suddenly changes. Having all of the different points of view in this story helps to paint the picture, but it also makes you realize you really don't know who is telling the truth about what happened that night. I was on the edge of my seat as I made my way through the book to get to the outcome.

To me this book was so much about the relationships you have in your life. Whether that be with a spouse, a parent, a child or your best friend. No one ever wants to disappoint someone they care about and when you are under pressure and in a situation that may not paint you in the best light or might cause problems for you or a loved one, you are more likely to do whatever you can to make it right and this was very evident in this book.

I enjoyed this book immensely and would highly recommend it!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine Books & NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

Emily Giffin is one of my favorite writers so naturally I had high expectations of this book. She did not disappoint although I felt this book was a little bit more serious in tone and more mature than the books she’s written in the past (Hello, “Something Borrowed”). The book is actually very relevant considering the current “Me Too” campaign and I occasionally find books like that to be too hastily written but this book really wasn’t. You can tell Giffin put some serious thought into this book and that the intent was to give the reader something to think about after the last page is read. Did I love some of the plot twists? No but not because they weren’t good but because they made me uncomfortable. The book took me a day to read so it’s definitely one I recommend you read when you have time to devote to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an ARC of this book. I was a little skeptical as I'm not a huge fan of "chicklit" however I was pleasantly surprised. The story line is quite timely, given the Me Too movement recently. You initially think it's just a story about a rich family and their trials and tribulations but the plot line eventually leads one to consider moral and ethical dilemmas in many areas, regardless of socio-economic status. I think this would make a great book for parents and teenagers to read and discuss the many important subjects this book touches on.

Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors. I've read and loved every book that she has written. All We Have Ever Wanted is a bit different than her other novels. It is darker, and the focus of the story is less about a romantic relationship. However, it is equally as amazing as all her other books. From the moment I started to read, I was hooked! The story was current and captivating, the characters were very fleshed out and relatable, and the writing was flawless.

I requested this book from Netgalley, as Emily Giffin is one of my automatic authors. Her books are well written, kind of twisty, but always leave me with a smile on my face.
Not so this one. This is an entirely different experience. Which must have been great for her to write, but was a major shock to read. It's all about expectations, you know? So, have your big girl panties on when you pick up this book and you'll probably be ok.

This is a contemporary novel told from 3 different points of view. I must admit, I read the book twice through before I could come up with a good description of this book. The three different POV's are told in alternating chapters between the characters of Nina, Tom and Lyla.

1. Nina, a former small town girl, is now a member of Nashville's high society elite. Wife of Kirk and mother of Finch who has just been accepted into Princeton.
2. Tom, a carpenter and single dad to Lyla.
3. Lyla, a bright, attractive scholarship student at private school where Finch attends.

This is a story that tackles sexual abuse, date rape, female shame, suicide, social media bullying, racism, negative words, and how all these thing can derail us from achieving our dreams. It's also about how making bad choices (like getting drunk) as a teen can wreck your life forever.
This is NOT a feel good/rom-com story, and even the end didn't leave me with any warm and fuzzies.
It's a tough read, but a good read, especially if you have teenagers at home.

The latest Emily Giffin book, All We Ever Wanted, was one that I was so looking forward to and while I wanted to love it, parts fell flat for me. There are so many subjects in this book that are very relevant right now, sex acts being filmed or snapped, hash tags or comments accompanying such photos / videos and of course, videos going viral over Snapchat and other such apps.

Ms. Giffin had a wonderful idea, but took the easy way out several times with one particular parent that just couldn't see that something was wrong with this and another that was also too willing to forgive. I'm not sure what I wanted to see done differently except I still feel that this was an easy-breezy treatment of a heavier subject...

I do appreciate the ARC I received via Netgalley and while I have greatly enjoyed Emily Giffin's work in the past, this left me disappointed. If you enjoy this author's work or like current topics addressed in fiction books you will probably want to check this one out.