All We Ever Wanted

3.75 rounded up.

I have only ever read romance books from Emily Giffin, so I was surprised by the heavier nature of this book. As always, this is because I go in blind when reading.

Due to the nature of the story, it could be an especially hard read for anyone with sexual assault/harrassment in their life.

I enjoyed watching Nina's though process and how she debated between family or truth.

What a whirlwind of a book, I have a teenage daughter and while reading this I completely felt for the characters and especially hat of Nina Browning. We hope to raise our children in the best way possible but sometimes, if our partner isn't in the same mindset it can be difficult.

I applaud Emily Giffin for not writing a story where the victim wins, I know that's what we all want but in the end it's very hard for things to always go the victims way. It's nice to read that the victims took it upon themselves to stand up and fight even in the face of adversary.

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin is a good read I can honestly say I enjoyed it. This is my second book by Emily Giffin but I don't see it as it being my last. I borrowed this from my public library and I am very glad I did. I am still trying to get a handle on my reading after being in such a slump of where I take way too long with my books. Her writing is superb and easy to sink into. What a great book! I have a feeling I'll be reading all of Ms. Giffin's books.
The story: Nina lives the perfect life in the prestigious Belle Meade community of Nashville. A successful husband, a son who was just accepted at Princeton, a beautiful home and all the designer clothing and home furnishings she could only dream about when she was a middle-class child and teen in the less prosperous small town of Bristol. Then it all collapses when her 18-year-old son uses poor judgement and shares a suggestive and racist photo of a girl from his school.
As Nina and her husband Kirk struggle with the consequences and how to minimize the devastating effect this could have on their son's future, she begins to realize how much she and her values had morphed since her childhood days in Bristol and her college days at Vanderbilt. She realizes that the way her husband deals with the problem are less than honest and she feels ashamed at how she allowed him to do that for so many years, and how his actions were turning their son into the same type of man.
As she struggles with doing the right thing through a myriad of increasing problems, she gradually begins to find herself again. This book will resonant with any mother who has dealt with the tribulations and clamor of a teen who has made stupid choices with grave repercussions. If that's you, reading this book will help you realize that even those who seem to have everything still struggle through raising a teen who is testing limits, especially in a world where social media and text messages can destroy lives in a manner of minutes. I hope to find more time to read this author in the near future if not 2019 has lots more of this author in my future.