When I was in college, Emily Giffin books were always my escape, so I was thrilled when I received an ARC of All We Ever Wanted.. I inhaled this book. At first I was worried it would be a woe is me novel about the daily trials of a wealthy family living in the best part of Nashville, man, I should have known better.

All we Ever Wanted is told from 3 point of view's Nina, Tom, and his daughter Lyla. Although Nina may currently live a life where she wants from nothing, she was a relatable character, and.I couldn't help rooting for her. Her husband Kirk? Not so much. All We Ever Wanted tells the story of how a social media scandal effects these three characters differently, and how race, affluence, class, and even being from the "right location" can affect who is seen as right vs. wrong.

I was expecting an Emily Giffin love story, as I had grown use to reading, but I was surprised that I really liked this book. I only wished that at the end we found out more about how the characters lives since the "incident" but perhaps that's because I selfishly didn't want the story to end.

Emily Giffin has written a fascinating novel that's a departure from her traditional chick-lit romance fare; very little romance, but big on contemporary issues of race, socio-economic disparity, and the social media age. It was a very good story told with dual perspectives; I can see Giffin gaining many new fans from this novel.

This is my first Emily Giffin book and I loved it! My co-worker raves about Emily so I was happy to get an advanced copy to see what she’s all about.  Emily Giffin did a fantastic job developing her characters.  I really felt for Nora’s character and all of the tough decisions that she had to make.  I loved Lyla’s character and her relationship with her father.  This book makes you question what you would do if you were in that situation.  I would 100% recommend this book!

This was fantastic! I couldn’t put it down. Emily Giffen has written something very different from her previous books. It’s timely, relevant, and has well drawn characters who truly come to life on the page. I don’t want to give away the ending, I do have some issues with that. All in all, though, this is a wonderful read.

I typically really enjoy Emily Giffin. I did enjoy All We Ever Wanted, this just wasn't my favorite of the author's. I truly appreciate Giffin taking on a very serious modern issue, that is important for all girls and young women. However, I feel that the story ended too quickly and the character development was a little too fairytale.

A very timely story in the era of #metoo. Though told in equal alternate viewpoints, the star of the book, to me, was Nina. She was a strong female character devoid of the characteristics stereotypically placed on wealthy, white women who do not work. Her commitment to truth and doing the right thing despite appearances is a good lesson. Without giving anything away, I can say that I don’t think I’ve ever vascillated between liking and despising a character as much as I did reading this book.

This was truly a story of love, respect, and forgiveness for others but, ultimately, for and of one’s self. 3.5 Stars.

Thanks to netgalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

All We Ever Wanted is Emily Giffin's latest novel. In this novel, she tackles current issues such as the negative side of affluence and the impact of social media. She also continues to focus on her ole' faithful themes of friendship, loyalty, and marriage. I really enjoyed this book, and I felt that Ms. Giffin gained some power in her writing, which has faltered a bit in recent years. Let's begin, shall we?

Nina Browning lives the high life as a trophy wife in Nashville. Together with her husband, Kirk, they are raising their teenage son Finch. On "the other side of the tracks", Tom Volpe is raising his daugher Lyla as a single father. At first glance, these two families certainly wouldn't seem like they would ever have a reason to comingle. However, both Finch and Lyla attend the uber-exclusive private school, Windsor Academy. (Lyla on a scholarship, naturally).

Life is chugging along like normal until one night, at a party, everything changes. Lyla is photographed in a compromising position. This photo begins to circulate amongst their schoolmates, and questions start to arise. Who actually took the photo? Was Lyla perhaps a willing participant? Should the guilty party be punished? Or, will money talk, and will this problem be swept under the rug? After all, so many issues that involve wealth and privilege are handled this way, right?

As the rumor mill begins to churn out tales, Tom and Nina struggle to understand how this could happen. Nina is aghast, wondering how her son could become involved in such a horrible, demeaning situation. Tom makes it his mission to get to the bottom of what happened, and to punish those involved. However, it turns out that things are not all that simple. For who is really at fault? The teenagers who have been raised to believe that they can act with impunity? Or is it perhaps the adults, who may not have been the best role models for their children?

I enjoyed this book greatly. As a high school teacher in an upper-middle class community, I have seen the effects of excessive affluence, and how it leads to entitlement. Moral issues are the norm, and kids today are not being raised to see things as black and white, but rather a hazy shade of gray. Emily Giffin attempts to get to the bottom of this issue in her latest novel, delving deeper into why we tolerate certain behaviors. She looks at how kids are affected by this attitude, and how adults play a large role in perpetuating this mentality.

The ending was also solid. It may not have been the typical "happy resolution", but for me, that made it all the more real. I was thinking about this book after I finished it, which for me, is the mark of a good story.

I have read all her books and this one captured my attention as soon as I started reading. I didn't want to put it down!

I enjoyed that I couldn't determine what really happened at the party and the stories constantly changed.
I definitely recommend the book and look forward to reading more books by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and the author, Emily Giffin, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Emily Giffin’s new novel.

I enjoyed this read. I think the subject matter is a very important issue that teens now must face. Lyla passes out at a high school party and a snapchat pic is taken of her, one that exposes part of her and has a racist remark on it. The novel covers Lyla’s story, Tom- her father, and Nina- the mother of the boy Finch who took the picture.

I didn’t give this five stars because I felt it ended a little too neat. The rich kid gets away with it, and the poor kid just accepts it and moves on and also graduates at the top of her class. It just didn’t feel real to me. But I liked the story and it was a quick easy read.

I approached Giffin's latest with trepidation considering how disappointed I was in the last book I read by her, The One & Only, but this is a huge step up in comparison. The book is far from perfect; Giffin could have delved more deeply into the timely main issue that is presented and everything is wrapped up a little too neatly at the end. However, I found myself hooked early on quite easily and enjoyed following the unfolding events from both Nina's and Tom's perspectives. Lyla feels like an afterthought throughout most of the novel, but the epilogue ultimately makes her point of view feel more important to the overall story.

ARC provided by publisher and NetGalley for free, but this does not influence my review. Thank you to Ballentine books and Netgalley for accepting my request to read All We Ever Wanted. I have been a long time fan of Emily Giffin and was thrilled that my request was accepted.

All We Ever Wanted is thought-provoking, timely, and engaging read. Told from three points of view. When an inappropriate picture is shared via text, it starts us on a journey into racism, classism, entitlement, and how these can have a deep impact on all the people in this community. Very relevant in our social media generation and #metoo movement era. I found the characters to be relatable. Nina Browning has a normal upbringing but has married a man who comes into great wealth. They have a teenage son who is privileged. Goes to the best private school and drives the best kind of cars. His classmate Lyla is being raised by her single father and they are doing the best they can. Thomas her father just wants the best life for Lyla. One fateful night and their worlds collide, which takes us on the journey to justice, and morality.

I really enjoyed this novel. It hit close to home, as I have teenagers in this digital age.

As I was reading this book, I couldn’t help but wonder if the author wasn’t writing it to submit for the pilot of a new TV soap opera. The characters are perfect as is the setting – a posh private school in a ritzy Nashville suburb.

In this novel gossip and lies are a way of life – apparently a way of life that is accepted by all the characters in this scenario. Teens lie to parents and parents lie to each other – always with a perfectly straight face and sincere demeanor.

None of the cast seems upset by the rampant teenaged sex nor the underage drinking and drugs. All of this seems to be their way of life. In the opening scene where 15 year old Lyla is photographed drunk, passed out and with her breast fully exposed, the adults (her father, the school headmaster & the mother of the boy who allegedly posted the photo) seem far more upset about the caption which they consider a racial slur than her condition. Also her father is more concerned about the posting of the photo than he is about the fact that she lied to him about where she was going.

In fact there were several instances in this story where teens willfully deceived their parents and the parents merely accepted their deceit as expected and acceptable behavior.

The author included all the current hot button topics – racial slurs, date rape, white privilege, elitism, divorce, abandonment, fake news – everything but the truth.

I did not enjoy this book, but I’m sure many others will.

Many thanks for this ARC from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review. This review will be published immediately on GoodReads.

When the gossip first reaches them, Nina and her husband Kirk are having a typical Saturday night, which for them consists of being honored at yet another gala event. Rumor has it that their son has taken advantage of an unconscious girl at a party by taking and sharing a sexually explicit and racist photo of her.
As Nina tries to find out what really happened at this party, she also begins to find that she never really knew her husband at all. His solution is to throw money at the problem to make it go away.
This domestic drama is quite relevant in today's world and shows that there are some things you just can't buy with all the money in the world.

I’ve read a couple other books by Emily Giffin and this one is completely different than the others. It is certainly deeper, deals with a very serious issue, an issue that is getting a lot of publicity lately. This book had my mind buzzing throughout.

Lyla is a sophomore at Windsor Academy, an elite private school in Nashville, Tennessee. She goes to party, has too much to drink and a photo is taken and passed around her peers. In this age of smart phones with cameras and social media the photo, of course, spreads like wildfire. This is a very complex issue and I felt that Ms. Giffin did a great job of touching on every aspect of it.

Tom, a single father, is trying to navigate this very difficult situation though the odds really are against him. He is trying to raise his daughter with a strong sense of self-respect and self-worth. Nina, the wife of a millionaire and with her own demons, realizes, too late, the mistakes she has made in raising her son and in her marriage.

I was a concerned that the author was going to make the root of this issue political, that would have been oversimplifying something with many, many facets. Thankfully she opted to delve into what was really at the heart of it in this particular case - entitlement, power, respect, socioeconomics and probably more.
I highly recommend this novel. It showcases Emily Giffin at her very best.

I've loved every Emily Giffin book. I think this should be acknowledged. I'm a bit biased.

This one is a powerful book that felt even more realistic as a high school teacher. The motivations for teenagers as with every person are complicated and mucky. This book examines this issue in full depth.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I’m an Emily Giffin fan, so it’s no surprise I enjoyed this book! It’s timely as it incorporates the “#Metoo” movement with many thought-provoking situations. I often found myself wondering how I would respond if I were in Nina’s (the main character) shoes, which I recognize is something I really appreciate in fiction these days. Without spoiling the plot, I’d say this book examines wealth and morality and why the two do not have to be mutually exclusive, in a well-moving story. It was a quick read with an ending I found myself invested in. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Ballantine!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. I’m not sure what to say about this book. It reinforces the struggles kids go through in high school, bullying; suicide attempts, rape, the dangers of sharing pictures on social media. It seems very pertinent to the times, but it wasn’t my favorite.

Emily Giffin novels are among my favorites and I was really excited to read this one! I was quickly reminded why I love her books with the story jumping right in and the writing flowing so effortlessly. I was slightly surprised by the controversial topic but thought it was very relevant in today’s climate and loved the thought provoking perspectives with strong female characters. I would highly recommend this book!

Well done! This is the novel where we are Emily Giffin returning to her true writing style. It was just more realistic and more engrossing compared to her previous novels. And I loved how it reflected to the events and issues that we are dealing with today. If you ever took a break from Giffin's books, this is definitely the right book to read and see her gracious return.

I have read all of Emily Giffin’s books so I was very excited to receive an advance copy of her latest book. I really enjoyed the book. I had a hard time putting it down and finished it in 3 days. The chapters are told from different characters viewpoints. The story brings out the unexpected impacts of social media. I highly recommend this book!