The first Goodreads giveaway I ever won was Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin and since, she's firmly cemented on my "must-read" list whenever she has a new book out. Upon hearing from Netgalley I'd been approved for her latest All We Ever Wanted, I did the requisite hooray dance I usually do, and moved her to the top of the to-read list. Emily Giffin doesn't disappoint, once again.
All We Ever Wanted follows the narrative of three distinctly different voices and offers their viewpoint after a scandalous picture of one of the three in a compromising position is forwarded through their small town. Lyla Volpe, the girl in the picture shares her view of the situation as her father Tom Volpe explains his viewpoint. Nina Browning is the mother of the boy who originally sent the picture.
Copy provided by Random House via Netgalley
There are a lot of layers here to this book and isn't exactly what I expected for an easy "chick-lit" read. Nina and enjoy the spoils that come after selling an app. To say they are rich is an understatement. One of the spoils of this wealth is being able to send your only son to the state's prestigious private school. It is here where he meets Lyla.
Lyla is not enjoying the spoils of selling an app. Instead, she's allotted the privilege of this elite education by being smart along with a couple scholarships thrown in. What isn't covered by scholarships, her single father, Tom, makes up for with his carpentry work. After picking up his daughter from a party, he sees that the photo has made its rounds.
So...
Now the groundwork is set... Let's go!
There are many issues in this book. The issue of class, wealth, honor, integrity and a host of other things. I could sit here and try and review which ones resonated most like the me against them mentality that runs amok in our country. That somehow there's a value placed on the rich that isn't on people that aren't. There were many instances that when it came time for Nina's son, Finch, to take responsibility, many in their circles couldn't help but feel bad for him instead of realizing he should have had the character not to send the photo in the first place.
Many, many issues later, we get to the story which was pretty entertaining. There were moments I believed Giffin would go one but opted for the other. She'd already laid the issues out so going back and doing a sappy love story seemed ridiculous and a little far-fetched so I'm glad she didn't dive deeper into that rabbit hole.
What's a good plot with a lackluster cast? Well... most novels really, but that's not the case here. Each character and their narrative is fully developed and fleshed out. I felt every perspective made sense for the one who was narrating. I didn't expect at any point for Tom to be Team-Finch after what he'd done to his daughter and his character didn't allow for him to be easy on Finch. Just the same, Lyla is a young, yet intelligent, teenager who's not going to always make the best decisions. But I loved loved loved her in this book. She's wise beyond her years and I just hope I was as mature as she was at her age. Yes, she made a couple dumb decisions but she didn't go the bratty teen route and learned from those mistakes.
Anyway, All We Ever Wanted was a great read. A little heavy for a beach read but still a light, fast read anyone who loves Giffin should tote with them this summer. Looking forward to what's next from this author.
Copy provided by Random House via Netgalley
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