As much as I enjoy Emily Giffin, this specific storyline was very difficult to read. As a parent I think most mothers can relate to always worrying how their child will turn out but Giffin takes it deeper in exploring how ones choice in marrying a man who she realizes is not the person she can relate to over the years. The story tries to make you believe something but then changes. The tone and mood is very somber. It is a difficult subject matter to read about and I felt depressed after I read this.

What a page turner! I think this was Emily Giffin's best yet! The story was timely with all the social media and I could relate to both the parents and the teenage students. I loved the family drama. It was a great read and a book that I could not put down.

Giffin takes on the divide between parents and teenagers in a very current and engaging way. Issues of morality vs. comfort and the role of social media are played out very well here. By using multiple narrators, she gets inside different perspectives. It all wrapped up a little too neatly at the end but this would be a very satisfying beach read that is suspenseful enough to keep the pages turning as well as thought-provoking enough to keep interest and raise the larger questions of what you would do under the same circumstances.

Emily Giffin is back! I've adored her work since the early days, but have been somewhat disappointed by her most recent efforts. But I can safely say with this most recent book that she is back in the game. I loved this one.

As a mom, you want to believe that your child is a good person. Even faced with evidence to the contrary, you don't want to believe that the boy you raised is a little shit who treats people like disposable objects. How do you separate the child you love from the mounting evidence? This book deals with the issues of how to be a good parent while still being a good person. I loved the alternating viewpoints, especially Nina's. I liked getting Lyla's point of view as well. I would definitely recommend this book.

I’ve enjoyed most of Emily Giffin’s books, so I requested this from Netgalley as soon as it popped up, but when I started reading it I worried it would be a DNF (did not finish) after the first page because I instantly disliked the narrator so much. I considered setting the book aside quite a few times during the first 1/3 or so because everyone was so unlikeable and I wasn’t that into the plot, but it got better about halfway through and I liked the last 10% or so quite a bit.

The book switches between three different narrators, offering both adult and teen points of view, and this is one of few books I’ve read that actually handles multiple narrators well. They’re distinct enough that you don’t get confused about whose chapter you’re reading, and it’s interesting to watch the story unfold from different angles.

This novel is VERY 2018, covering things like how smartphones have changed teenage culture so much, current politics, the definition of rape (as in “well, I said yes to kissing” not making anything else that happened okay by defaut), etc. Can’t decide if it being so full of current hot topics is a good or bad thing, but I do have a feeling that means it won’t age as well as books set in a less specific time frame.

Overall, I’m kind of “meh” on this one, if you average out my dislike of the first section and enjoyment of the latter part. Okay, but not up to the level of the author’s first few books by far. (This book will be published in June – I received an advance review copy via NetGalley.)

The book has an interesting premise, and it’s certainly topical, with #MeToo being so relevant, however the book just felt...creepy? Parents referring to their son “taking a dick pic” a dad seeing a photo and saying his daughter’s ass was hanging out...it just felt weird. The book went back and forth between the view of the two teenagers, Finch and Lyla, and then their respective parents, Nina and Tom. The most sexually explicit scene in the book was between two teenagers and it just felt creepy reading it (and I’m not a prude.) I enjoyed her earlier books like Something Borrowed however after this and the last book she wrote (about a girl falling in love with her friend’s father who essentially was a father figure to her) I don’t know if I’ll be reading another one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This book touches on the use and abuse of personal privacy breaches and how it affects the lives of the victim(s). It is not a deep tome, and does not really address the devastation that this can and does to people, friends and families, in a true light. It is light reading for this subject. A good read.

4.5/5!!! I love all of Emily Giffin's books... when I first found her, I read all of her books in a week! I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of her new one out later this year! It did not disappoint!!! I immediately fell in love with the characters and their stories. I could not put it down and read it in a day! The only negative I have to say was that the ending felt a little abrupt. The conflict was not really resolved, with the exception of the epilogue essentially saying nothing else happened. I was a little disappointed in this, as I thought the story could have continued and the ending could have had an impact on many young women reading this novel. Overall, I adored the characters and did not want their story to end!!

I received a sneak-peak of ALL WE EVER WANTED on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Five stars and here's why:

I cried. I laughed. I almost threw my phone against the wall. Be prepared to lose track of time reading this book. Emily Griffin knocked this story out of the park with its brutal honesty and grittiness. It’s a departure from her earlier books, but so relevant to the times.

One second and your life can change forever. One photo and your life can change forever. When a teenage girl become immersed in a social media scandal, chaos ensues, and no one remains unscathed. The heart wrenching story is told in multiple POVs, and it totally sucks the reader right into the brutal world of today’s technology and instant headlines. It’s a must read for anyone with teenagers. Highly recommend.

I have loved every book I have ever read by Emily Giffin and All We Ever Wanted did not disappoint. Once I picked it up I had a hard time putting it down, I read it in under two days. Good thing I was on vacation! This story is very current and feels like it could have been ripped from today's headlines. As the mother of a teenager I often think of how hard it is growing up in the age where everything is at their fingertips and at the same time, the fingertips of others. This is a story of a young girl caught up in the problems that today's technology can bring. The story also deals with how a mother's love may influence how she perceives the actions of her loved ones. Two very different families deal with events that take place at a party. As a parent I was left wondering how I would have dealt with the situation. Ms. Giffin did a wonderful job in including us on the emotional roller coaster the characters ride as they try to deal with a very poignant situation.

**Note** This review will not go live until 5/15**

I really liked Something Borrowed--but I've never read anything else by Giffin until now.  After putting down All We Ever Wanted, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about it.  Truth be told, I'm still not, so expect this review to be a bit disjointed.

All We Ever Wanted was clunky.  Switching chapters by character is fine by me, but I felt like the different personalities were total stereotypes of a middle-class man (Tom), upper-class woman (Nina) and typical teenager (Lyla).  Nina was the only real character that I felt eschewed her stereotype by the end of the book, though Lyla doesn't wind up in too bad of a place either.

Apart from Nina and Lyla, I hated the characters.  Her dad Tom was so quick to fly off the handle and mistrust people.  Finch and Kirk were just miserable rich jerks in chinos and polos throwing their money around.  I was just really irritated by the men in this book.

So what did I like?  I liked Nina's sub-plot the most--the struggle she has with growing up poor versus her current high status, thanks to her husband Kirk. Her evolution and watching her come to terms with her slimeball of a husband and realizing just how much of an ass he is was satisfying to say the least.  Also, seeing her struggle with how to best support her son, who is turning out a lot like his father, kept me turning pages.

All in all, this wasn't a total dud for me, but I didn't love it either.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't really sure what to expect this story but I loved it. I was immediately immersed into the plot and connected with the characters. The two families from this story lived very different lives but found themselves wrapped up in a scandal. I loved Nina, she was brave, strong and put others first when she knew it was the right thing to do. She loved her son, but she would not stand by let him get away with something horrible. She was great mother but she was an even better friend to Tom and Lyla when the time came. I really loved Tom. He was a good dad that worked hard to take care of his daughter on his own. One of my favorite things about All We Ever Wanted was Tom and Nina's friendship. It was honest, real and beautiful. What a wonderful story about mistakes, friendship and finding yourself.

I couldn’t decide how I felt about this book at first. As you read it, you have several different emotions (at least I did). As a mother, this book broke my heart. I have a baby boy (toddler), and by the end of this, there were many tears shed and just hope for my son and myself as a mother that he will make wise choices and that I can help lead him to make the right decisions in life.

Literally could not stop reading this great story. All We Ever Wanted is primarily about a teenager and an adult woman who are pulled together by a horrific scandal at the local high school. The main character is Nina, in her late forties, who was born into a plain middle-class life and married into extreme wealth. Nina rationalizes her acceptance of the dark side of her privileged life---until she can't anymore. For Lyla, the teen, this is a coming-of-age story. Lyla's father, Tom, also undergoes a character arc. The story encompasses numerous themes including: living an ethical life, how to raise good kids in a super-wealthy environment, family loyalties, class and race. With a rich cast of characters, great pacing, and deep emotion, this author's skill makes me want to check out the rest of her work. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read this fantastic book.

Long time fan of Emily Giffin's writing have to say she still has was it takes to hot the top charts. This is a compelling story about morals and values. What is important to you in your life, do you think raising a child to do the right thing is the most important job as a parent? Or is it keeping the peace? Would you walk away from a cushy life if unfulfilled, so many questions.

I liked that at first this book seemed like just kind of a typical chick flick novel, but turned out to have more depth than I expected and dealt with some deeper issues. I also enjoyed that throughout the whole book, you are still thinking, did someone do this or didn’t they? It’s kind of a struggle of how to also keep loving someone knowing they may or may not have done a bad thing, and that good people sometimes do make mistakes.

I enjoyed it more than I expected to. This was my first book by Emily Giffin but I will be reading more of hers now.

This is my first advanced release copy of a book, so thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity.

This is an excellent book on power and influence. How one can get caught up in what they want rather than having character to give to others. Events are told with twists and lies until shame, heartache, and near death bring unlikely characters together for the common good. This book points out that it is never too late to change and honor those who really love you. Success comes to those who persist for good.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of the newest Emily Giffin book! Her books always do a great job showing the relationships amongst families. I'm guessing that she chose the particular subject in light of the "me too" movement this last year, and without too many spoilers I liked the unlikely female relationships and support that developed over the course of the story. Emily Giffin is always an excellent author that I can count on knowing I'm going to get a good story with well defined characters.

Another excellent novel by Emily Giffin. I was surprised by some of the plot twists. The story kept me occupied on an entire airplane trip. Good reading!

I loved this book. Emily Giffin is such a fabulous writer.. The story and the characters are so relatable I was hooked from the first chapter.