Thank you for allowing me to read this book. My review can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly.

This is the first book written by Emily Giffin that I have read.....And because of how much I loved it...I will definitely be reading others! Ms Giffin writes about a topic that is too familiar with our young children today...taking and posting inappropriate pictures of other people. Add that to the current quest of #MeToo and this is a very timely book. Sometimes I felt the character development could have been better... but at the same time there was enough that I felt I understood who the people were. It was the focus of the book that was the main character anyway. However, we open with a family already divided in their affluent home. A father (Kirk) and son (Finch) who fit the stereotype of the “I’m the only one that matters” mentality and the mother (Nina) who grew up with less and while enjoying her current financial and social status...struggles with where that has put her in life. Enter a father-daughter (Tom and Lyla) duo who are not in that same category and work hard for what they have and really don’t deserve the upheaval they are about to go through. Teenager drama and conscience or lack thereof, all make up the parts of this story that drag you in and no,d you there until the very end. The he said/she said makes you doubt first one character...then another. Who do you believe....and what is the truth? Will the families survive this incident? I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley but the review has been my honest opinion of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. An explicit picture was sent around the school. The story is about dealing with the aftermath. It is told from several points of view, which I completely enjoyed. The plot line is complicated further as this school is an upper class school and the victim of the photo was a Latina scholarship student. This story raises the question, does money really matter? What is the parent’s role in all of this? Can money buy love? #allieverwanted #netgalley

This was a very insightful book that explored the dynamics between parents and their teens. It became easy to feel compassion for two central characters-Lyla and Finch as they are faced with confronting fallout from a teen party with a sexting incident. I also have teens and identified with Nina & Tom as they seek the truth and justice. The issue of social status is also central to this book and we experience the impact a thoughtless night at a teen party can have on families of two different social classes. I eagerly read this book and enjoyed the character development. It leaves the reader grappling with what the truth actually is and whether justice will be served. Keeps you guessing right until the last chapter.

Every time Emily Giffin releases a book I'm not quite sure how she can top her last - but she does.
Every. Dang. Time.

Here's what I love about her work, she's not afraid to tackle relevant issues or messy relationships and does so with great finesse with her approachable, easy to relate to writing style. Her previous work has always been page turning prose that takes on social issues, delves into familial drama or navigates tricky relationships - but I'm not sure I've read another book by her that is as timely, powerful and emotionally charged as All We Ever Wanted.

Nina Browning has everything she could ever want. She belongs to Nashville's elite and uber-wealthy Belle Meade community, her son Finch is a star student at an elite prep school and is headed to Princeton and her husband Kirk is a successful businessman and devoted father.

Tom Volpe's life is a little less glamorous. By day he works a blue collar job as a carpenter, and by night drives Uber on the side. He hasn't been lucky in love and money is tight, but he makes enough to get by. He's a single dad - doing the best he can to provide for his daughter, Lyla.

Then an obscene photograph of a passed out girl at a party, complete with blatantly racist caption surfaces. The girl is Lyla and the photo originated from Finch's phone.

Nina and Tom find themselves in uncharted territory as parents, navigating what happened that night and questioning everything they thought they knew about their kids, parenting, ethics and those around them.

In a post Weinstein, #MeToo era - I think that many readers will find this book to be an incredibly relevant commentary on race, sexism, elitism, social class and a parent's approach to all of the above. It's a novel that is easily digestible, accessible and thought provoking that will resonate with Ms. Giffin's demographic. This isn't to say that there aren't a few weaknesses - I for one, really felt that the last 25% of the book was rushed and wish that the conclusion would have been a little more satisfying. I wanted a little more gumption from certain characters, but at the end of the day this is not my novel. These are not my characters. More importantly, I think what this book does really well is pose the question - "What would you do?" And to me, I think that exploration is really the point of this book.

Well done, Ms. Giffin, I can't wait to read what you come up with next!

Thank you, Random House / Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy for review.
All opinions are my own.

All We Ever Wanted shows what can happen when a teenager in their stupid immaturity does something that is inappropriate and then shares it on a social media platform. That stuff stays around even when you delete it because people will download the graphic/photo or take a screen shot.

Lyla lives with her Dad in a middle income family and he sends her to Windsor, a private expensive school where she is a sophomore and has a huge crush on Finch, who is a popular senior and comes from a very wealthy family. At a party, Lyla drinks too much and falls asleep. Finch takes a photo of her with her boob exposed and sends it to a few friends through Snapchat with a racial slur. It soon goes viral. Both families have to deal with the fallout.

Emily Giffin does a great job of showing how different people react differently. Lyla wants to do nothing because it’s no big deal, kids do things like this all the time. Finch says he is sorry and will take whatever punishment comes his way. Then the parents react differently. Finch’s Mom, Nina, is worried about Lyla and expects Finch to step up and take responsibility. Finch’s Dad, Kirk, wants to handle everything himself and brush it under the rug. Lyla’s Dad, Tom, wants Finch to pay and pay big.
So many different things are happening in this story and there are so many different ways this story could go. I think all kids have an “it can’t happen to me” attitude or “this is no big deal, it won’t affect me at all” when really the incident could ruin their future or could be considered a crime. Emily takes the reader on a journey that will make the reader stop and reflect on what they have done in their past and what they would have changed. I know it made me reflect on a few things I did as a teenager and even into my 20’s that weren’t so smart that I wish I could change. I did not want to put this down.

I'm torn on my rating for All We Ever Wanted. From a positive side, I've read everything Emily Griffin has written and was happy to see her tackle what's sadly a very important issue for today's teens: sexting. The story takes place in the private school world inhabited primarily by wealthy parents and entitled children. Thrown into this mix are two of the main characters, Tom (carpenter and single parent) and Lyla (Tom's daughter and scholarship recipient at the private school). Ms. Griffin does an interesting job of presenting different views of an incident that takes place early in the book through the eyes of Tom, Nina (mother of the student involved), and Lyla.
My challenge with rating and reviewing the book are with the character of Nina. I didn't generally find her to be a sympathetic or, in some cases, a very genuine person: "On any given day, there were often people milling around our home and property. Landscapers and repairmen; pool boys and Pilates instructors; our occasional chef, Troy; and at the very least, Juana, our full-time housekeeper, who had been with us forever, even when we lived in our old house in Belmont." Throughout the course of the book, and progression of the incident and its aftermath, Ms. Griffin wants us to believe that Nina has evolved. She goes through a lot of the motions, but didn't come across as totally believable to me.
All We Ever Wanted was an interesting read and kept my attention during a very long plane ride. Many thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've been an Emily Giffin fan so I loved being able to get an ARC from Netgalley.

This book was a little slow for me in the beginning and at first I had a hard time with Nina the mom, but as the book progresses I really started to like her and how she wanted to know more and dig deeper and wanted to see the right thing happen. This subject matter is a little deeper than the usual Emily Giffin novel, but I truely enjoyed reading this book and wish the ending/epilogue had gone into a little bit more detail -- the end was rushed too much in my mind.

I've been a long time fan of Emily Giffin's books and I've read everything she's written and I had the pleasure of meeting her in person a few times now and hearing her speak. This book is a bit of a departure from her usual love focused plots. Now is this a bad thing? Not at all! Giffin addresses an incredibly important topic, privacy in the age of social media and how it impacts family and community. This was a powerful story about the roles of race and class and bias in society as well. Seeing the dynamics in the town stemming from the scandal are incredibly thought provoking and provide a lot of food for thought.

I can't say I didn't miss the writing I've come to love a la Something Borrowed, but if this is a new direction for Giffin, I will be along for the ride to see where it goes next.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion. I loved this book! Full Disclosure, I'm a huge Emily Giffin fan, but I think this is her best one yet. She may be the only author that I've read all her books. I've watched her evolve from more stereotypical "chic lit" (although I hate that term) to books that are a little harder hitting. This book had substance and covered important issues very relevant to today's world but was also very readable and relatable. Not too heavy but you don't feel like your brain is turning to fluff. I loved that we "see" the story from the perspective of all the main characters. A perfect summer read!

I am a huge fan of Emily Giffin and have read all her books. I had high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint. "All We Ever Wanted" is about a high school student who has sexual pictures taken and shared with classmates and the repercussions of that action. This is such a real topic, as it is happening all over in schools today. The book is written from the point of view of three of the main characters and being able to see into the minds of the big players adds a nice touch to the story. My only criticism of the book is the rushed ending. The book slowly, but effectively, built the plot and reached the climax, only to be rushed to an epilogue 10 years later. While this didn't keep me from enjoying the book, it left me wanting a little more. Due to this, I give the book four stars.

Emily Giffin is one my my favorite authors. I really enjoyed this book, Nina came from a small town called Bristol and married a wealthy man named Kirk. The money did not phase Nina and this became a story where a mother wants to morally have her child do the right thing. The relationship Nina and Lyla formed was inspiring as well as the friendship Tom and Nina formed. This book has sadness, happiness, friendship and love. It was such a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it.

WOW! Powerful story about a mothers love for her son against what is the right thing to do! The book is told in many different voices, the mom, the girl, the girls dad. I thought that the story was illuminating and timely. However, I was left wondering why? What was the purpose of the story? What did Finch (the son and the accused) get out of the "crime"? It felt to me, that Finch got no punishment at all. Very contrite but left me wanting more punishment!
Overall a good book, just needed more work at the end.

All We Ever Wanted is a story about losing yourself and finding yourself again. It's a story about raising teenagers in the modern world. It's a story about class struggles and integrity. Nina was born and raised in a good, solid, loving middle class family that instilled values and integrity. She married a wealthy man, Kirk, who became even more affluent after he sold his company. They raised their son in a community where money buys everything and status is valued over integrity. Tom Volpe and his daughter, Lyla, are solidly middle class. Lyla is attending the same private academy as Nina and Kirk's son and one night at a party a photo is taken and shared and the repercussions have a lasting effect.

The middle class and the wealthy have very different lifestyles and ways of handling issues, this novel did a good job of showing that. I appreciate that the author made a strong case for right versus wrong and that status and appearance are not all that matter. I felt that Nina was a very worthwhile heroine who confronted her own demons in order to help others.

I thought this book was very powerful and could and should be shared between mothers and their teenage daughters. As the mother of teen daughters, I plan to have them read this and have a discussion about the topics in this book.

I thought this book was very timely and that Emily Giffin did a great job of lending her unique voice to the current issues facing women and girls today.

This book was not one of my favorite Emily Griffin reads. It seems to return to many themes she has already covered - wealth disparity, the impact that has upon one’s children, a wealthy parent’s new relationship with a parent from less means et al. Don’t get me wrong, the formula works - Emily does a great job of immersing you in her characters’ worlds and getting you to root for them. It’s just isn’t as interesting to me as some of her older books - I’d like to see her explore some newer ground. Definitely worth reading if you are a committed Giffin fan though.

I had never read a book by Emily Griffin until this one, I have, however, watched the movie Something Borrowed several times, which is based on her book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thank Netgalley for the ARC for my honest review. The story starts by telling us about Nina and her family and all of the glitz and glamour they enjoy. And don’t forget the money, as one of her friends says they are ‘obscenely’ wealthy. But by the end of the first chapter, we find out that being rich doesn’t always matter. My interest was held when I started reading the but…but the last sentence of the first chapter “Because at virtually that very moment, our son was across town, making the worst decision in his life.” If that doesn’t make you want to continue reading, I’m not sure what will. The book addresses an issue that we have seen or heard of many times…an inappropriate picture posted on social media. The story is told from several view points, which I liked because the reader was able to see each characters thoughts. It’s also a mystery to figure out who is REALLY telling the truth. It’s a story that addresses honesty, sexual assault, accountability, disappointment, racism and I even think you could add redemption to the list. I completely enjoy this book and will highly recommend it to all my book friends. I will also be added Emily Griffin to my list of authors to read, and will check out some of her other books!

There are several reasons for my 3 star rating. The outline of the plot is that a rich, prep school student takes pictures of his middle class, passed out, female classmate. This classmate also has a mother who is Brazilian. Trouble ensues. The stereotypes are thick on the ground. The male student’s father is a pompous, self important,neglectful husband. The father of the female student is a real salt of the earth figure. He even works with his hands as a carpenter. The message..loud and clear...rich people aren't nice while poorer folks are nicer by far and more genuine. Just too neatly packaged here.
The characters of both students are not well developed. Spoiler alert: once the boy, Finch, apologizes to the young woman, Lyla, he then asks her for a date! She accepts. This seemed a very forced, not to say unlikely, decelopment that leads the plot into further tangles.
All in all this is not a book that I would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. This is a heartfelt story I keep replaying in my head. Initially, you may think "Here's a story with a plot of how this super-rich couple is unhappy because money doesn't buy happiness." In reality, about the only thing money has to do with the story is the power it buys you to dip the playing field in your favor.

Much of the story is told from Nina's POV and from the outside, it seems her life is pretty fantastic. Nina lets us peek at the underbelly of her life - both current and past- and we see her money is doing nothing hiding the ugly side of things in her life with a glittery blanket.

Another main POV we have is from Tom, single father to a daughter who goes to the same school as Nina's son, but in the money-status-world, they lead completely different lives.

The struggles from both Nina and Tom are ones most parents will relate to (and fear.) The author does a fantastic job of leading the reader through the repercussions of decisions made and how much a parent, and money, can affect the outcome. It's a great story that takes you on many ups and downs along with twists you don't expect and an ending that you'll think about even after you read the last page.

A story of our time. Sad and scary what happens to our children. This was well written and researched. Scared me to the point I hope many young parents read this!

Money doesn't buy happiness. It is the root of all evil. Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail. These are a few things that went through my mind when reading this book. All We Ever Wanted is a timely extremely well written story that can and should be read by a wide age range of people. It addresses one of the many problems that young people can make when engaging with social media.. Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram posts are forever.. Young people and quite frankly, many adults seem to forget that these comments and pictures never go away, even when deleted. Even tattoos can be laser removed, but the internet is FOREVER. It is a parents responsibility as well as society's to instill behavior in their children to respect people regardless of what they have or who they are, but that is not the world we live in. Keyboard bullies, thumb thugs get the most followers as opposed to nice people. I think we all know some of the people in this book, both the extremely wealthy and the "regular" people as well as people from diverse backgrounds. I know I do. It is heartbreaking to see kids raising themselves with credit cards as babysitters and thinking they are better than others due to their money and or ethnicity. If it stinks at the head, it stinks at the tail. I found myself seeing the issues from the point of view of the mom of the son, dad of the daughter and the daughter. The other father and the son (perpetrator of heinous act) were portrayed realistically and maybe that is why I disliked them so much. I kept hoping that the son would both listen and hear his mother, but the allure of money and a father who thought money could make it all go away were too strong a pull at his age. The brain is still developing and instant gratification is the name of their game. The father shamefully will forever be a jerk, but will never care or even realize and truly believes he was right. I like that the ending doesn't tie things all up neatly, but does give a glimpse into the future. I highly recommend this book for all. It is subject matter well worth your time.