All We Ever Wanted

Author: Emily Giffin
Genre: Women's Fiction
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
First Published: June 26, 2018
First Line: "It started out as a typical Saturday night."

Book Description from GoodReads: In the midst of a scandal that threatens a perfect life, how far are you willing to go to protect the ones you love?Nina Browning married a third-generation Nashvillian, enjoys a newly lavish lifestyle thanks to the sudden success of her husband's tech business and has a son, Finch, who just got accepted to Princeton.

Thomas Talone is a single dad, works multiple jobs and has a daughter, Lila, who was recently accepted to Nashville's most prestigious private high school on a scholarship.

They couldn't be prouder.

Then scandal strikes, and the worlds of these very different families collide. Lila passes out at a party, drunk and half-naked. Finch snaps a picture, types out a caption and click--sends it out to a few friends. The photo spreads quickly, and soon heated reactions bubble throughout the already-divided community. Before long, the families find themselves in the midst of an ethical war as their community takes sides, throws blame and implodes. The gray area between right and wrong grows thick, and Nina and Tom are forced to question every assumption they've held about love and family loyalty. Emily Giffin tells a riveting story of characters who face impossible choices--but emerge to live a life truer to themselves than they ever had before.

My Rating: 3 stars

My Review: All We Ever Wanted is a good, escapist summer read that touches on issues of privilege, negative effects of social media, its consequences and other pressures that teens face in today's world. 

This is an entertaining, lighter read with a twist or two to keep readers on their toes but overall, this book is comfortably predictable. While Giffin introduces big topics, she doesn't jump into the deep end with them leaving readers with only a shallow examination of the issues, equally unexplored depth to her characters and an ending that was tied up too easily, swiftly and wasn't as satisfying as I would have hoped.   

Overall, this book was still a page-turner, but was a lighter read than expected. If you're looking for a gritty exploration of sexual exploitation, entitlement and teen issues, this probably isn't it. If you're looking for a lighter look at some modern issues, this would make a good beach read this summer. 

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.