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joemdief's review
4.0
The raw emotion the author uses in depicting the 3 main characters through their own, and each others point of views was sensational. It was a quick read, the kind of book that's fast paced and full of interesting details that weave the characters' past and present together. If anything, this book could be renamed, Deconstructing the American Dream, because that is surely what Brown has done with her work.
anovelobsession's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, even though at first I found myself not really liking the main characters. For one reason or another, they are all going through very difficult times in their lives and to be honest, they don't handle it all that well. But I kept thinking about Janice, Margaret and Lizzie when I put the book down and when I was finished with the book, I thought about how the rest of their lives would unfold. Janelle Brown did a good job of getting me hooked on her characters, likeable or not, flaws or not.
elderwoodreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was... certainly a book. Quite a bit of it felt a little unrealistic to me, but there was quite a bit of nice character study as well. I'm not sure why but I couldn't DNF it. Definitely didn't hate it but I'm not sure i liked it either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Miscarriage, Alcohol, Infidelity, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Infertility
Minor: Sexual content, Blood, and Cursing
marynolanpleckham's review against another edition
Rich people behaving badly. Unlikeable characters. Whining. Not for me.
alison_marie's review against another edition
4.0
An all-around great book. It took me a while to get into it, but once the book hooked me, I read it in an afternoon.
karenleagermain's review against another edition
4.0
For years, I have seen Janelle Brown’s “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything” prominently displayed at bookstores, but I just never bought it. I finally saw an autographed copy on sale at my local Borders and decided to give it a shot. What’s not to love a book that has an ice cream sundae on the cover?
This book was impossible to put down. I raced through it in less than a day and felt a bit sad when I reached the end. I don’t think that it is one of the best books that I have ever read, but it was certainly compelling. It felt like a beach read with a bit more substance and heart.
The story is alternates chapters between three different women- Janice (the mother), Margaret (her adult daughter) and Lizzie (Janice’s teenage daughter). Each woman has a compelling enough story that a whole book could have focused on a single character. I hope that Brown decides to write a sequel with the same characters. The ending was a bit abrupt and I felt longing for some closure.
This book was impossible to put down. I raced through it in less than a day and felt a bit sad when I reached the end. I don’t think that it is one of the best books that I have ever read, but it was certainly compelling. It felt like a beach read with a bit more substance and heart.
The story is alternates chapters between three different women- Janice (the mother), Margaret (her adult daughter) and Lizzie (Janice’s teenage daughter). Each woman has a compelling enough story that a whole book could have focused on a single character. I hope that Brown decides to write a sequel with the same characters. The ending was a bit abrupt and I felt longing for some closure.
abbywdan's review against another edition
4.0
I find myself recommending this book to people regardless of whether I think they'll like it or not, which I suppose means I really, really liked it. The changing point-of-view adds a somewhat unnecessary level of suspense to the thing, and I sort of feel like the father/husband scenes could have been left out entirely to complete the house-as-fishbowl effect, but I kept plowing right through it and enjoying myself.
k_cavacini's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book suggestion from Courtney! I really enjoyed this book, it had interesting characters dealing with relevant problems. I really enjoyed how the book switched focus between the three female characters, allowing the reader glimpses into their thoughts and feelings. When Janice first encounters "It", I was a little concerned that the book would start down a different path, but the author kept the story from becoming too dark.
emjay24's review
3.0
Here is a book, set nearby, in silicon valley, about 3 women, one whose husband gets super rich (they were already rich) and decides to leave her, her 28ish year old daughter who was trying to make a feminist magazine but has failed and been dumped by her own boyfriend, and a 14 yr old teen daughter who has become the school slut. These women are SO messed up. I think it's being that rich, and living in those suburbs that did it. Watching the detail of the mom's drug addiction was pretty sad, but the rest was just pathetic, especially the older daughter. The story alternates between each's POV so it's interesting to see how they perceive one another vs how we see what's going on in their own head. I would have given it more stars, it was interesting, but it just seemed that they had little redeeming qualities. then the end is just too wrapped up for my liking. you can't go from being mess to great in a snap of a finger. Interesting read though - i liked it, even if i didn't like the characters, although I guess the youngest daughter wasn't that bad.