Blurb:
Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton. Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.
Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.
Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenaged girl, happy and thriving.
Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.
At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.
My Review:
I freaking love Emily Giffin. I follow her on Instagram and every day watch her stories and posts about her daily life with her 3 hilarious kids (Harriett is my spirit animal), her dog Dolly (she and my puppy Bowser would be best friends) and her GORGEOUS house that I aspire mine to look like during the holidays (her Christmas decorations are everything). I've loved her books since I was in high school - one Christmas I had three different people give me a copy of Something Blue since I talked about the prequel basically 24/7.
So when I got the email from NetGalley that I was approved for an ARC of All We Ever Wanted, I had a major fangirl moment. I danced around the house singing to my husband and dog, I called my mom and grandma and I even talked about it during a meeting at work.
And now that I'm finished reading, was it worth the hype and anticipation I built up? Absolutely.
The chapters switched between Nina, Tom and Lyla's point of view, helping me so fully identify and sympathize with all three characters. I always love first person point-of-view - and in this case, multiple people's POV is even better.
Nina married rich and is beautiful, classy and elegant. Her beloved only son just got into Princeton, her husband made millions (if not more) selling his tech company. So this should be the happiest time of her life. Nina was definitely my favorite character - she is strong-willed and truly believes in justice.
Tom is a single dad working two jobs to make ends meet - he's a carpenter and an Uber driver. He's so different from all the other parents at the school who live in mansions and drive fancy cars. All he wants it to do well by his daughter Lyla.
Lyla. Oh, Lyla. The fact that she's half Brazilian made me love her immediately (I'm full Brazilian). AND her mom is from Rio (HELLO so am I). She, like her dad, is different from everyone at the school. She doesn't have the trust fund, and her dad is super strict.
I love that I had no idea where the book was going - I was so hopelessly gullible that I believed in every character and every accusation. I didn't see any twist or turn coming, which is often rare in chick lit. And when I finished, my heart was so full from the story and so empty from knowing it's over.
I'm pretty sure Emily Giffin is going on a book tour soon. Even though I already own a digital version, I am totally going to buy the hard cover to get her autograph when I meet her - THAT'S how much I loved this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating:
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