Emily Giffin steps out of her comfort zone (she is best known for romantic novels like Love the One You're With and Something Borrowed) to tackle a timely and sensitive topic-sexually inappropriate behavior and abuse like the highly publicized cases that led to the #MeToo movement. That she switches genres so smoothly speaks to her skill as a writer-All We Ever Wanted has the same comfortable prose and flowing dialogue that define Emily Giffin novels-not an easy task considering the subject matter. All We Ever Wanted also takes a hard look at how society (and often the law) takes a "boys will be boys" attitude when the alleged abuser is a white, educated male from an upper income family. When Nina Browning's son Finch is accused of posting a photo of a classmate in a "compromising position" she is forced to consider how much of Finch's entitled upbringing may have contributed to his behavior. That some of Nina's friends (and even her own husband) seem to minimize the incident because the victim comes from the "wrong side of the tracks" only adds to Nina's concern and unease. When conflicting theories of who took and posted the photo start to circulate, battlelines are drawn among the residents of the Nashville suburb where the story takes place. All We Ever Wanted is told in alternating chapters by Nina, Finch, victim Lyla, and Lyla's father Tom, and not surprisingly they have differing interpretations of the seriousness of the situation and what the consequences should be. All We Ever Wanted is a cautionary tale about the dangers of social media and how young people rarely consider the ramifications of the things they post-it should be required reading for all high school students and their parents. I wasn't sure how Emily Giffin would handle such a difficult and sensitive topic-but she does with her usual insight, level headedness, and compassion.

This book was AWESOME. The subject matter was very current. The characters were so well defined. The story kept you guessing. I could barely stand to put this down.

A photograph is taken of a girl at a party and sent around. Finch is being held responsible. Is he? He really likes Lyla. But, Polly is jealous. Lyla's dad is a single parent, navigating the waters at her elite private school where she has a scholarship. He is so great in how he doesn't back down. I admire him. Nina wants justice, even if it changes the course of her son's life.

Favorite quote "Justice isn't only about what a person deserves, but also about what a person needs. "

All We Ever Wanted in an incredible read! The characters are well-developed and ring true. The plot is current, exploring the consequence of teenage drinking and social media pictures, and it also deals with the importance of truth and values. All We Ever Wanted would make a great book discussion selection.

I haven't read a novel by Emily Giffin in a long time, but that is changing after this absorbing tale! I have actually been a long time reader of the authors and can't quite figure out why I haven't picked up her recent novels. But again, that is changing. This book is WONDERFUL. It's scandalous, powerful, and complex. It's the type of book you can't help but keep your eyes glued to the pages because you become so enchanted with the narrative. I loved it so much!

4.5 stars

NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors and this novel made me love her more. Very timely story of a woman who is in Nashville's social elite. Her son seems to have taken a photo of a girl in an awkward situation and it is the handling of that situation that informs the entire book. It's a brilliant social commentary on the #metoo times in which we live. I highly recommend this novel.

A very insightful and enjoyable read. The characters were well defined. And, it raised consciousness about many current topics -- social media, the "me-too" movement, and the smug, self-centered trap folks who are born with a silver spoon often fall into.

This is only the second book I've read by Emily Giffin, the other being the super popular Something Borrowed. Well this book couldn't be more different than that! This is not the chick lit that I would expect (and love) from this author.
This book could be a story you see on Dateline or maybe even hear about from a friend - it happened at her teenage daughter's school. Or maybe your own teenager's school. It was topical and believable.
Finch is a senior, his parents Nina and Kirk are very wealthy. Lyla, a sophomore, lives with her single Dad Tom who supplements his job as a carpenter driving an Uber when he can. Finch and Lyla both attend the exclusive Windsor Academy together - Lyla on scholarship.
The two of them are brought together because of a photo that's taken without Lyla's knowledge.
The book is written in 3 POV's Nina, Tom, and Lyla. It's really a fascinating journey to hear the thoughts of these 3 at the beginning through to the end. A parents struggle to connect with their teenage children. A wife trying to decide if her husband is still the man she married. And is that a good thing? There is a lot going on here and I loved it. When I thought I had it figured out, I didn't.


I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

I was expecting the Something Borrowed Emily Griffin, I got something else. This book was thought provoking and enjoyable. The reader gets the story from 3 different points of view. Nina, who has married into money but still has very strong moral feelings about where she came from and has a hard time when the moral compass wants to move. Tom, who is a carpenter and a single dad, yet he doesn't need to worry about his compass, he knows right from wrong. Lyla, Tom's daughter, and a teenager who is just trying to live in a world she doesn't feel she belongs in.

This was not an Emily Griffin romance. This was a novel about a tough situation and how all involved deal with it and move on past it. Great writing, great story, and I was so happy to see the ending wrap up the way it did. Fantastic.

This is Emily Giffin’s latest, to be released June 26, 2018. I’ve enjoyed several of her novels over the years so I was thrilled to get an eARC from netgalley.

The story follows Nina, living the high society life in Nashville with her uber-wealthy and successful husband and their 18-year-old son Finch. But her perfect life starts to fall apart when her son sends a sexually explicit and racist Snapchat of a 15-year-old girl to his friends—and of course, someone starts spreading it around the school.

The novel is told from multiple points of view (which I love): Nina, Lyla (the subject of the inappropriate picture) and Lyla’s blue-collar single-dad Tom. He was my favorite character right away because he’s so down-to-earth and loves his daughter fiercely. Nina was more difficult to connect with—it’s hard to feel sorry for a woman who lives in a four million dollar house and spends her days planning extravagant charity banquets and showering her son with every advantage. Lyla is also difficult to like because, as a typical teenager, she doesn’t appreciate her father and resents him for refusing to do whatever she wants. But as the story progresses, both Nina and Lyla show a tremendous amount of character growth and that was satisfying.

As you can probably tell, this book is light-years away from Giffin’s earlier “chick lit” reads. The novel brings up issues of social media use, privilege, sexism, consent, materialism, and race, which makes it feel very timely. My one complaint is that many of the supporting characters—namely, Nina’s husband and her super-rich friends—are pretty one-dimensional.

Overall a satisfying read and a solid 4 Star book. I recommend it for readers looking for a thought-provoking novel exploring timely issues. It would make a good book club selection.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! I just finished All We Ever Wanted and it was a fascinating story! It was told in the first person, alternating between three different POV's (Nina, Tom, Lyla).

As a parent of teenagers, I thought it was a very relevant and thought-provoking story. The book touched on many issues teens face in today's world. The use of smartphones and social media, underage drinking, sexual abuse, racism, privilege. The character development was excellent. Overall this was a quick and easy read!

**I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

This is a truly powerful, wonderful novel. It’s been many years since I’ve read an Emily Giffin novel, but I enjoyed those books and was excited to read this one. My previous experience with her work did not prepare me for the complex, layered, serious manner of this excellent book.
For most of the first chapter, I thought this was going to be a book about a couple that went from well-off to obscenely wealthy having marital woes. Boo hoo. But when I learned what it was really about, it took a dark turn.
It was important that the story was told from multiple points of view of the mother of the boy accused of taking the comprising photograph of a passed-out girl at a party, the father of the girl, and Lyle herself because you can’t quite figure out who is telling the truth about that night. Also, it’s about the way teenagers don’t want to disappoint their parents, and parents want to do their best for their kids.
There were pleasing twists in the story, and I cried my guts out at the end. Highly recommend.

This is a great book about the things we do for our children and how we enable people to treat us certain ways! I really enjoyed this read!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and am voluntarily reviewing it. The opinions expressed are my own.

Having grown up middle class, Nina Browning is now living a privileged life with her husband Kirk and teenage son Finch. Huge mansion, elite schools and their share of top-tier charity events to balance things out. Nina tries to donate her time and money in a more meaningful way, but her husband doesn't see the point.

Working class, single dad Tom Volpe is trying hard to make ends meet while devoting every minute of free time to his daughter Lyla. She's always been a good kid; winning a scholarship to the most prestigious high school in the area. Father and daughter have always been close but as is the case with most teens, Lyla is starting to rebel.

One wild night finds both Finch and Lyla at a party where things quickly get out of hand. In this day and age, cell phones spread the news quickly. And just as fast, the town takes sides pitting the haves against the have nots. The gossips against those seeking privacy.

Thus begins Nina's soul searching. She loves her husband and son dearly but questions their actions in seeking Finch's redemption. She sees herself in Lyla and can't help to want to provide support for the motherless child. Fingers are pointed, accusations slung and he narrative becomes twisted to the point that you're not really quite sure who the victims are.

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin is the first book I have ever read by this author. If the rest of her catalog is anything like this one, I'm thrilled to have found a new author to read.

A story set in high school dealing with social media and the behavior of teenagers in todays fast society. A mother struggles to teach her son right from wrong while her husband thinks money is all that matters and it can fix anything. A interesting insight in todays social morals. The characters are believable and the story moves along.

Not my usual genre, but so glad I gave it a chance! I definitely will be reading the rest of hers. I thought this book had a very good choice of subject matter. An important one, that is very common in today's society. This book definitely had me turning pages quickly to see what was going to happen and the character development was amazing!

Emily Giffin doesn't disappoint with this new book, All We Ever Wanted. In this quick read, Giffin introduces us to a situation involving an inappropriate picture taken at a teen party and shared on social media, a picture that could have devastating impacts on the "photographer" and the subject in two very different ways. As the parents of both students scurry to support their teens, the haves vs. the have-nots becomes an issue. The story unfolds and what happened morphs, and pulls others into the mix, as often happen in real life. The reader thinks they know what is the truth, then something new is introduced to complicate things, pulling you along to learn the truth. An easy 3 to 4 hour read about a subject that is very much a current issue with teenagers today.

I received an advanced copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for and honest review.

Wow. This is not a thriller novel by any means but I was on the edge of my seat for the entire 3 hours it took me to read it. I couldn't put it down. Everyone should read this. Every parent. Every teenager. Every man or young boy. Every woman or young girl. I felt so many emotions and at one point I was in tears. I loved it.

Great and interesting read about true life issues facing teens today. The story was wrapped into a wealthy enclave and how parents deal differently with struggles. I liked this book from beginning to end. I am glad there was an afterthought after getting so involved with the characters. Really was thought provoking.

This book focuses on a very relevant issue of today. A single post or photo can instantaneously spread like wildfire causing lasting repercussions and unintended consequences. We just had a Cyber Safety session at my kid's school and this book instantly made me think about all the things I learned that night. As the story unfolds, elitism, classism, strength of character, honesty, and varying relationships are also explored. Overall, this was a very fast, engaging read and I highly recommend it.