Everything We Ever Wanted

Nov 18, 2012 Elly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everything We Ever Wanted
Sara Shepard
321 Pages
Realistic Fiction
This is book is about a rich family that owns a very high up and expensive school. When the father dies of an aneurism the family is broken. When the father dies and they find out he was having an affair with his son's girlfriend the whole family is shocked. His brother was committed of hazing the kids on the wresting team at the school. When the whole family is accused and not wont speak up their mother Sylvie questions her son. W...more

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May 02, 2013 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-audio

Everything We Ever Wanted, by Sara Shepard, Narrated by Colleen Marlo, Produced by Harper Audio, Downloaded from audible.com.

This book was very well narrated by someone new to me. The publisher’s note describes this book as well, or better, than I can.
A recently widowed mother of two, Sylvie Bates-McAllister finds her life upended by a late-night phone call from the headmaster of the prestigious private
school founded by her grandfather where her adopted son Scott teaches. Allegations of Scott's...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Mollie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I borrowed this from my local library. I am a fan of Sara Shepard, I just started to read 'The Lying Game' series (I'm up to book 3) and 'Pretty Little Liars' I've borrowed all that I can from the library. I though that this book might be good so I decided to borrow it in the hope that it would be just as great as her other books. I should of read other peoples reviews - this is just a odd book, I've only gotten up to page 34 and I normally have a limit on a book I don't like around 20 to 50 pag...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Chelsea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-book-tour

Well, this novel primarily contains drama and little else. I will say that Sara Shepard is excellent at creating a complicated family web, but I'm not sure how much else to commend her on. I wasn't invested in the plot and characters to have the desire to finish the book until at least halfway through (I got that far because I got to read an advance copy). With the lack of action and not a wonderfully proficient writing style to make up for the lack of interest, it was certainly not a favorite o...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Sara Oestreich rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, adult-lit

This book exhausted me. So many troubled stories intertwined. Not troubled like drug abuse, or alcoholism, or literally crazy…Troubled like, letting a misunderstanding, or letting a misperception of a person haunt you for life.

Seriously, the Bates-McAllister family is living entombed in the Great-Grandfather’s house. Like not one piece of silverware has changed in two generations. The mother, Sylvie is driven to maintain the life of her beloved Grandfather to the point of stifling growth in her...more This book exhausted me. So many troubled stories intertwined. Not troubled like drug abuse, or alcoholism, or literally crazy…Troubled like, letting a misunderstanding, or letting a misperception of a person haunt you for life.

Seriously, the Bates-McAllister family is living entombed in the Great-Grandfather’s house. Like not one piece of silverware has changed in two generations. The mother, Sylvie is driven to maintain the life of her beloved Grandfather to the point of stifling growth in her own family. Her husband James died amongst a secret that may or may not have ruined their marriage [yet we stare at the key that could reveal all for THE ENTIRE BOOK]. Son Charles grew up with a lack of self-esteem complex that again, may have been solved had he looked around and gained insight. He marries Joanna who had previously been weirdly obsessed with the family and desires/despises the idea of being a Stepford wife. Finally, we have Scott the half black adopted child, who may simultaneously be the most perceptive character of the novel…or the most messed up…jury is still out.

I can’t even dredge up the enthusiasm to break down the multitude of intertwined themes and issues. About halfway through the book I was reading simply to attain an ending. Waiting for someone to confront someone else. Anyone else.

Honestly, I respect Shepard’s desire to portray real lives in this novel. I think she was going for an inner-workings-of-a-family thing. It didn’t really work for me…And I’ll tell you why:

This is about a WASP-type family. The coolness between characters, while potentially accurate…also caused most of their trouble. I found myself amazed that a family could grow up together and yet be so distant to each other. What mother knows so little about her children?
Nobody talked. Again WASP-accurate, but alienating. Once you know all the secrets behind the twists and turns you’ll be railing against the book too! Geeze, if only someone had broken, if only someone had let a secret drop in a moment of anger, or understanding. How many years of life this family could have had!
The end, for me, was too little too late. Sure, everyone figures it out. Heck, the back cover gives that away. You know they’ll all learn from their mistakes…move down an unexpected, but happier path in life. But again, I have to reiterate: Too little, too late. I just don’t believe everyone’s neurosis were cleaned up in such short order that late in life. Nope. I don’t.
Ultimately, I don’t mind struggling with a family. This book was talking about the minutia that drives all of our lives. All of our decisions. The book looked at how we view and interact with the world. The book was about a bunch of uptight people too self-involved to give it all up and have a little fun. Where was the vallium? The pill they give for Social Anxiety Disorder? I think Shepard took it too far. Allowed her characters to become too intense about such small issues. They weren’t fully fleshed out. Each simply represented their problem…and that was about it.

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Sep 28, 2011 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading this insightful novel by Sara Shepard made me uncomfortable at times. The self-destructive behavior of some of her characters may hit a little close to home for some readers, and I think that many readers may recognize themselves in some of the characters.

Sylvie is a wealthy recent widow, and mother to two grown sons: Charles, her birth son and Scott, adopted when he just a few years old. Charles always felt that he disappointed his father, that he wasn't the son his father wanted. Scott...more Reading this insightful novel by Sara Shepard made me uncomfortable at times. The self-destructive behavior of some of her characters may hit a little close to home for some readers, and I think that many readers may recognize themselves in some of the characters.

Sylvie is a wealthy recent widow, and mother to two grown sons: Charles, her birth son and Scott, adopted when he just a few years old. Charles always felt that he disappointed his father, that he wasn't the son his father wanted. Scott is an angry, sullen young man whom everyone feels they have to tiptoe around lest they set him off. Charles recently married Joanna, a young woman from a different side of town, whose troubled mother is always visiting the ER complaining of various illnesses.

Sylvie's grandfather ran a local boarding school for children from wealthy families. Sylvie adored her grandfather, even living in his home and serving on the board of the school. A scandal at the school involves Scott, who works as a wrestling coach.

I found the fact that no one in Sylvie's family ever really communicated honestly with each other led to bad decisions, or worse, no decisions at all. I wanted to shake them all out of their stasis, yet at the same time, understood their reluctance to face their problems head on. It is a part of human nature we can all relate to.

Shepard's characters are authentic and heartbreaking. She really gets into the nitty-gritty of what it means to be a newlywed, a mom, a widow, a son. The title of the book refers to what happens when you think you have everything you ever wanted: Joanna has Charles, whom she has dreamed of meeting since she was a young girl, Sylvie has her work at the school and her good, respected family name; Scott grew up in an intact, wealthy family with every monetary advantage; Charles has a lovely wife and a brand new house. But once you have everything you want, you may realize that it may not be everything you hoped it to be.

This is a novel that will make you squirm a little bit, and maybe even encourage you to be a little more introspective about your own life.

rating 4 of 5
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Aug 23, 2011 Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

As many of you know I am a fan of Sara Shepard. I have read every book she has written and enjoyed them all. She is mostly known for being a YA author who has written the wildly popular Pretty Little Liars series and the newer series The Lying Game. Both series are now shows on ABC Family. Pretty Little Liars is about to wrap of their second season and The Lying Game has just begun this summer. Both of which I am hooked on. But she also has written two books outside the YA arena; The Visibles an...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Jillian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lately, it seems like the books I’ve been given to review contain a cast of unlikable characters who are riddled with flaws in an attempt to be dynamic and real and the bottom line is that I often read for escape and isn’t life hard enough? In Everything We Ever Wanted: A Novel by Sara Shepard, we are given a brief glance into the life of the Bates-McAllister family and I’m not sure I could take much more than a glance. People have problems and in no small amount and the people you might believe...more Lately, it seems like the books I’ve been given to review contain a cast of unlikable characters who are riddled with flaws in an attempt to be dynamic and real and the bottom line is that I often read for escape and isn’t life hard enough? In Everything We Ever Wanted: A Novel by Sara Shepard, we are given a brief glance into the life of the Bates-McAllister family and I’m not sure I could take much more than a glance. People have problems and in no small amount and the people you might believe have the fewest might be hiding the most.

The Bates-McAllister family has recently lost their patriach, James, in an unexpected way. Their matriach, Sylvie, feels the weight of the world upon her as she comes to grips with the person she thinks James has been throughout their marriage and the secrets that are now being shared about him in his death. In the novel, she learns that the people you surround yourself with are not necessarily your friends and the family that you choose to shun just might be those that save you.

We are also introduced to Charles, James and Sylvie’s biological son, and his wife, Joanna. The book reveals that their relationship began tattered and has continued to shred with both looking back on the life they had before one another and the life that might have been had they not chosen one another. The secrets they have kept from each other threaten to tear the marriage apart and their saga was of the few parts of the story that left me vaguely unsettled. The end of the novel left loose ends where they were concerned and it seemed like they were glossed over to address Sylvie and her ability to move forward in life and how Scott progressed.

Scott is the inevitable center of the novel, though the premise of the novel is supposed to be the family. Scott is the adopted son of the family, a mixed-race child who has brought grief to the family since they adopted him at 18-months. In a stunning turn of events, it may be Scott that has the most heart and love and concern for his family members as each of their true motivations is revealed.

I’m still not sure I found a likable character in the bunch and the ending of the story still left me confused as to what was happening and why I should care for these people, however, sometimes you just have to enjoy the journey. I felt like the ending was rushed and thrown together, but the novel moved at a rapid pace until that point and I enjoyed reading it. There was just enough suspense throughout the book to keep me interested and I kept hoping for some redemption. This is another novel that highlights that, at times, people are highly unlikable in bad circumstances but can persevere with hope.

If you prefer a tightly bound ending that answers all your questions, this book won’t work for you. If you are alright with some ambiguity, give it a try.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free to review it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my opinions with others.(less)

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Aug 16, 2011 Emeloche rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To be honest, I expected more out of this title. Everything We Ever Wanted was little more than a paperback romance, but it tried to be deeper. The rich Bates-McAllisters' lives have suddenly become more complicated: Scott (the grown-up adopted son) may have been involved in hazing that caused the death of a high school student. Sylvie (the matriarch)belongs to the school board, and now has to deal with the scandel and shame of what Scott did (or did not...we don't know). Charles (the uptight ol...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Karen morsecode rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recently widowed Sylvie Bates-McAllister's life revolves around Swithin, the prestigious preparatory school endowed by her grandfather. When a scholarship students dies, concerns about hazing within the school's wrestling team (now coached by Sylvie's adopted son, Scott) come to light. An investigation begins. Scott might be fired, Sylvia might lose her seat on the board, but worst of all, Swithin's reputation might be tarnished.

Sylvie's biological son, Charles, and his new wife are on the sidel...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Rachel rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Sylvie Bates-McAllister is a wealthy widow and mother of two grown sons. When she gets a phone call that her younger son Scott may be involved in a hazing scandal at the private school where he coaches wrestling and she is on the board, she and her family are thrown into a panic.

I thought this book moved way too slowly and had a lot of moments that were supposed to be very dramatic that didn’t feel authentic to me. Everyone got worked up about the hazing scandal way too quickly – one phone call...more

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May 10, 2011 Donna McBroom-Theriot rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

About the Book:
One phone call can change everything...

When Sylvie Bates-McAllister, a recently-widowed mother of two, receives a late-night phone call from the prestigious school founded by her grandfather, her family is thrown into chaos. Her adopted son Scott may have been involved in a hazing scandal --and it may or may not have led to the death of one of the boys he coaches on the school team. Sylvie must decide between maintaining her outwardly perfect life --the family estate outside Phi...more
About the Book:
One phone call can change everything...

When Sylvie Bates-McAllister, a recently-widowed mother of two, receives a late-night phone call from the prestigious school founded by her grandfather, her family is thrown into chaos. Her adopted son Scott may have been involved in a hazing scandal --and it may or may not have led to the death of one of the boys he coaches on the school team. Sylvie must decide between maintaining her outwardly perfect life --the family estate outside Philadelphia inherited from her grandfather, the school, the reputation --and the son who she feels wants nothing to do with her.
For all the Bates-McAllisters, the phone call awakens questions lain dormant for years, revealing a tangled web of secrets that ties the family together: the mystery of the school hazing, Sylvie's deceased husband's locked filing cabinet, the event that tore Charles and Scott apart the night of their high school graduation, and the intended recipient of a certain bracelet. The quest to push past a legacy of resentment and judgments to unravel the truth takes the family on individual journeys across state lines, into hospitals, through the Pennsylvania woods, and face-to-face with the question: what if the life you always planned for, and dreamed of, isn't what you want at all?
My Review:
One thing I always like to do is figure out why a book has been giving its name. It took me a while to figure out where the title came from. It actually took me to the end of the book. To tell you, would be giving the book away and I want you to read it instead.
I could not quite figure out the plot to this book. I guess I was looking for a complicated plot when it became apparent to me that I was looking for something that was not there; the plot was simple. The book is about a family that struggles through life, something we all do. It is about how we do the best we can through each phase of our lives.
The book is about how we make mistakes. It is about how we say things we wish we could take back; the way we do things we wish we hadn’t. The book is about how we do things to get the attention of those we love. It is a story about how complicated relationships can be; those haunting memories of what could have been; should have been. It is about what finally breaks us; what finally allow us to either connect or disconnect with people.
It is only when we peel away the layers of the past that we clearly see the present and begin the future, thus fulfilling our destiny.
The only disappointment in the book for me was the ending. The ending left you with the impression that all works out, but I would have liked that extra chapter; I am a closer. I am giving this book two thumbs up (that is all I have) and would highly recommend reading it.
Sara Shepard graduated from New York University and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College. The author of the bestselling young adult series, Pretty Little Liarsand The Lying Game, as well as the adult novel, The Visibles, she currently lives outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband and dogs.
This book is set for release in October 2011.
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Sep 28, 2012 Hikachi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-story, literature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 05, 2011 Stephanie Cowart rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this more. Sara Shepard really is a good writer.I just couldn't really connect with any of her characters. And it moved. so. slow.!

It's all about the Bates-McAllister family - a very dysfunctional one to be sure. Sylvie, the matriarch, has recently lost her husband and she's been informed of a possible scandal involving her adopted son, Scott, at the private school that her grandfather helped created. Her other son Charles is married to Joanna and they have their share of...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Georgina rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://chicklitaholic.blogspot.com/20...

Now, before I begin, I have a confession to make. It's a confession that may shock some of you. I have to admit that before reading Everything We Ever Wanted I had never read a Sara Shepard novel. Before you all start throwing things at me, I promise that I will be reading her others novels, especially her Pretty Little Liars series. So, therefore as soon as I had the opportunity to review Everything We Ever Wanted I jumped at the chance. After all I just...more http://chicklitaholic.blogspot.com/20...

Now, before I begin, I have a confession to make. It's a confession that may shock some of you. I have to admit that before reading Everything We Ever Wanted I had never read a Sara Shepard novel. Before you all start throwing things at me, I promise that I will be reading her others novels, especially her Pretty Little Liars series. So, therefore as soon as I had the opportunity to review Everything We Ever Wanted I jumped at the chance. After all I just had to see for myself the reasons why everyone is so in love with her novels.

The first half of Everything We Ever Wanted was very slow moving in terms of plot, as not a lot seems to happen. This part of the book seems to focus more on the characters themselves than what is happening within the story. I found this meant it was a little difficult to get into the novel to begin with. In the second part of the novel the pace does move a little quicker with changes happening within each of the characters lives. While the pace is relatively slow, I did find the writing to be beautiful. The descriptions really brought the story to life and the writing really made me want to read more

The characters within Everything We Ever Wanted experience a wide range of emotions that as a reader I was swept along with and able to feel with each character. Sylvie, Joanna, Charles and Scott are each going through inner turmoil for different reasons, and this added real depth to each character. While I did want to find out what happened to each characters life I did think that it was very difficult to relate to and actually like any of the characters. Sylvie in particular seemed a little cold and self centered at times, which lead me to dislike her until late on in the novel. I did enjoy the way Sara Shepard is able to dig into the depths of each character and really get into how everyone deals with their roles as, mother, wife, son etc.

Overall I did enjoy Everything We Ever Wanted finding the book to be brutally honest, emotional and beautifully written. While the novel is more of a look at the characters themselves than having much of a plot it was still very entertaining. I would recommend you try this novel if you enjoy Sara Shepard's previous novels. I still cannot wait to try Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series(less)

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Sep 12, 2012 Danielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sara-shepard

I didn't know that Sara Shepard wrote any adult novels, but I discovered this at the library and it sounded interesting. After all, I love Pretty Little Liars, so I thought a stand-alone by Shepard would be worth a shot. As the story unfolds, it jumps around all over the place, and the end left me with a lot of unanswered questions (hate that!).

Everything We Ever Wanted is the story of Sylvie, a wealthy 50-something widow, her two about 30-year-old sons (Scott, who is adopted and Charles, who i...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Ariel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: womens-fiction

Wow, there are some pretty harsh reviews here. Maybe it is a matter of reading this book at the right time in your life. I got my copy from Jen over at Book Blub Girl. She will be hosting a discussion with Sara Shepard on her blog talk radio show in November. Check her blog for details. I actually couldn't put this book down and it wasn't the type of book I normally gravitate to. The story revolves around two generations of bates McAllisters, Sylvie the mother and her two sons Charles and Scott....more Wow, there are some pretty harsh reviews here. Maybe it is a matter of reading this book at the right time in your life. I got my copy from Jen over at Book Blub Girl. She will be hosting a discussion with Sara Shepard on her blog talk radio show in November. Check her blog for details. I actually couldn't put this book down and it wasn't the type of book I normally gravitate to. The story revolves around two generations of bates McAllisters, Sylvie the mother and her two sons Charles and Scott. Sylvie is recently widowed and she has to deal with a lot of introspection. Did her husband have an affair, how well does she know her adopted son Scott, and what is her new place now that she is no longer a mother of young children or a wife. Sylvie's son Charles is adjusting to life as a newlywed. This is actually the story line I identified most with. Charles and his wife Joanna are two perfectly nice people but they have communication problems in their marriage. They would both benefit from another book I am currently reading, Why Can't You Read My Mind. In fact at one point Joanna has this exact thought in her mind while dealing with her husband Charles. The final character is Scott, the adopted bi racial son who never really fit in comfortably in the Bates McAllisters upper crust white bread life style. He is a sort of self styled bad ass and his mother doesn't get him although she loves him very much. Things come to a head when Scott is accused of promoting a hazing issue when he was the wrestling coach at the school Sylvie's grandfather resurrected and with which her family has deep ties. A student has died and suspicion has fallen on Scott and he doesn't seem to want to do much to clear the air. All of the characters would benefit from being truthful with one another but sometimes life isn't like that. I found all of the characters to be believable and interesting and I thought the ending was satisfying. I look forward to chatting with Sara Shepard about this novel.(less)

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Oct 23, 2011 Virginia Campbell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Sara Shepard is a more than capable storyteller, and her characterizations ably portray the shortcomings of the clueless privileged. The problem with "Everything We Ever Wanted" is that the characters are too sharply drawn to be appealing. In books, as in real life, people are fallible, but many times we are still drawn to those people. I didn't like anyone in this book, and I was ambivalent about the resolution for even the most benign player in the cast. One relationship which was in trouble,...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Chrissy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

I've never read any of the PRETTY LITTLE LIARS series, but when I saw this Sara Shepard novel, intended for adult audiences, I was definitely intrigued -- even when the description on the back sounded a little less than enticing, I admit.

The plot revolves around Sylvie, a widow and a prominent lady of society. She has two sons; Charles, who is married to Joanna, and Scott, who was adopted and never quite fit into the lives of the "upper crust" family.

When the novel opens, Sylvie has learned that...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Lydia Presley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fiction, social_issues

Original review posted here

It all begins with a phone call. Immediately, Shephard outlines a story in Everything We Ever Wanted, in which the characters just can’t seem to catch a break. Between a seemingly unloved wife, a son who never felt good enough, an adopted brother who carries around a chip on his shoulder and a marriage example that seems.. shaky at best, this book gave me the most sinking feeling I’ve experienced in a while.

In spite of characters who pushed and pulled at my emotions, I...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Pixie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

You can find my full review at http://the-bookaholic.blogspot.com

While I am a big fan of The Pretty Little Liars' series by Sara Shepard, this I was not. Everything was so dull and flat. I often found myself yawning or wanting to breeze through the pages just to get the book over with. At one point, I even considered putting it down entirely.

I could not connect with the characters and I felt they weren't developed as well as they could have been through the potentionally compelling story that S...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Evidently, Sara Shepard is a YA author, much loved by teenage girls.

You wouldn't know it from reading this book, which sits solidly in the realm of adult-angst fiction. This is a genre I usually like--and I liked many things about this book, especially the writing which was fluid and engaging, and often dryly witty.

I don't have to "like" characters in order to enjoy a book, either--so having a cast of mildly-to-moderately distasteful people walking around wasn't a problem. The problem was the pl...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, for-review

When I got an ARC of this book from Librarything (of the paperback that comes out in October) I was really excited. I had read Pretty Little Liars and the Lying Games series by Sara Shepard, so I though that this would be awesome too. Boy was I wrong! This book was just so boring! I don't think it got interesting until 250 pages, then after another 50 pages it got boring again. There was no real drama and shocking secrets like her usual books. Sara Shepard's writing is phenomenal (that's the rea...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure that I connected this author w the teen books Pretty Little Liars even though the mention is right on the cover. Each of the characters suffered from misunderstanding or being misunderstood. Scott was often pigeon-holed because of his ethnicity, Charles was deeply loved but always felt inferior, the mother, Sylvie, lives in a coddled little time capsule- her adored grandfather's house. A little more communication would have gone a long way in avoiding some of the problems that this...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Christa (More Than Just Magic) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, bea-2011, genre-contemporary, own, blog-tour

Originally posted at Christa's Hooked on Books

As in many of Sara Shepard’s books, the story begins in a quiet, quaint small town. This town is filled with “average” people. They go to work, they come home, they raise a family. Most of these people have quite a bit of money to their name and spend a good deal of time worrying about their reputation. This worrying is often because of some secret(s) that they don’t want getting out. However, unlike many of Sara’s other books, like the Pretty Little...more Originally posted at Christa's Hooked on Books

As in many of Sara Shepard’s books, the story begins in a quiet, quaint small town. This town is filled with “average” people. They go to work, they come home, they raise a family. Most of these people have quite a bit of money to their name and spend a good deal of time worrying about their reputation. This worrying is often because of some secret(s) that they don’t want getting out. However, unlike many of Sara’s other books, like the Pretty Little Liars series or The Lying Game series, these secrets are crazy, over-the-top, hard to imagine secrets. They are regular old secrets that anyone could end up with depending on the choices they have made in their life. For me this was the charm of this novel, just how…normal it was.

I really liked how realistic all the characters felt. I truly felt like they were “real” people and I was reading their story. The character development never felt forced. They all changed and developed (as people do) but there wasn’t some big “ah ha” moment, after which everything was completely different. I just don’t think those come around as often as fictional writing has us believe, so it was nice to see an author go a different route.

I should mention that the story itself was interesting. Accusations were flying, plans were set in motion. It was all very dramatic. But it wasn’t the story that sold it for me. If you haven’t already guessed from the previous two paragraphs, this novel is all about the characters. You get invested in them. You hang on through the slow parts because you want to know what will happen. I particularly like Joanna. She seemed so lost, yet so determined to find herself. I respect that. She’s made a few mistakes along the way, but we all make mistakes. It’s human.

What it comes right down to is that Everything We Ever Wanted gives you a glimpse into a very intimate part of people’s lives. But it isn’t about what’s going on in that moment, but how that moment affects the people involved. It's about how it relates to their humanity and their ability to adapt. And it shows you all this in a way that is subtle and unobtrusive. You can’t help but admire it. Sara Shepard has already shown that she is able to write stories that have deep dark secrets, crazy rumours and lots of suspense but now she has proven that she can write the serious dramas that make us question who we are as individuals and how other’s affect our development. She is most definitely a multi-talented writer.(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Was this a great novel? No. Was this a really good novel? Maybe not. However, I couldn't put it down. The story may be maudlin, the characters may be clueless, but it didn't matter. It kept my interest and kept me reading. Maybe it's a pretty good novel after all.

Sara Shepard usually writes young adult. "Everything we Ever Wanted" is targeted to grownups. The Bates-McAllistars are a wealthy family with so much history it stifles them. Mom has designed the house as a shrine to her grandfather. He...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Katrina Burchett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine

A late night call leaves Sylvie Bates-McAllister with questions, her biological son, Charles, with resurfaced memories and her adoptive son, Scott, even more misunderstood.

Scott was this mysterious person for a while. People kept walking on eggshells around this man and there was so much negativity concerning him that I had to keep wondering why. After a while all of the assumptions and judgments bothered me, and then I began to wonder why Sylvie and James made him a part of their family in the...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Anita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs-ebooks

I am a huge fan of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series. When I was given the opportunity to read Everything We Ever Wanted, published by HarperCollins, I jumped at the chance. Everything We Ever Wanted is about the the Bates-McAllister family who have the money and priviledge most people would love to have. Is it enough? Sylvie's youngest son, Scott, is accussed of hazing at the private school he coaches wrestling at. Not just any private school but THE private school. Sylvie's grandfather...more

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Jun 28, 2011 LAURA KAY A Novel Review rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first thing we learn is there has been a possible suicide at the prestigious school, Swithin. There is a shadow around the students’ death, a possible hazing. Sylvie Bates-McAlister gets the call. As a board member, she isn’t sure why she is being told about the incident until she realizes her son, Scott who is an assistant wrestling coach, will need to be questioned about his possible knowledge of hazing. You expect the story to move in the direction of a full investigation, but story isn’t...more The first thing we learn is there has been a possible suicide at the prestigious school, Swithin. There is a shadow around the students’ death, a possible hazing. Sylvie Bates-McAlister gets the call. As a board member, she isn’t sure why she is being told about the incident until she realizes her son, Scott who is an assistant wrestling coach, will need to be questioned about his possible knowledge of hazing. You expect the story to move in the direction of a full investigation, but story isn’t about the possible hazing but about the family. The chapters center on the private thoughts of Sylvie, her son Charles, and his wife Joanna—not Scott.

Sylvie is a widow who is coping with her husband’s infidelity and questioning whether Scott had anything to do with or knowledge of this boy being hazed. She seems to walk on egg shells around Scott—not comfortable in her own skin when he’s around. Charles & Joanna are newlyweds whose marriage seems to be crumbling. For these characters are all functioning under the weight of their secrets, fears, and rumors.

The first half of the book has very little forward movement, more of learning how each of them got to this point in time. As the story begins to move forward, the characters seem to grow further apart, as the secrets and fears of the past slowly come to light. The more we learn the darker their worlds’ become.
When I began reading this novel it seemed very dark. The description of the family home, Roderick, reminded me of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. The house almost seems to have a personality of its’ own. I honestly did not relate or really care for any of the characters at first, but as I got to learn a little bit more about each of them I wanted to see how everything would play out. Shepard wrote each chapter designating it to Sylvie, Charles or Joanna. The chapters moved quickly and had me wanting to know more about each of them. In no time whatsoever, my opinions started to shift. The characters had so much emotional baggage (especially Sylvie and Charles), so as I read on I was very impressed by the depth of these characters. I loved how real the characters began to feel and interestingly found Scott to be so very one dimensional for most of the story.

I would say the sudden change from Scott being a one dimensional character to suddenly being a very real three dimensional person was one of the best parts of the novel, and I personally thought this was a great book. When they begin to see Scott for who he truly is and was. The end of the book goes back to the house and the sameness. The house is the same as when Sylvie’s grandfather lived there. Yet, they are all different. It’s then they are no longer bound to the family heritage.

I very much enjoyed this novel. It wasn’t as much about a story as about people and I found it beautifully written and smart. I would recommend.
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May 11, 2012 Dani Peloquin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the past five months, I have read four books about high school scandals. There must be something in the air that has turned so many people’s attention to these events. Of course bullying is in the forefront of everyone’s mind these days and I think that many of these books do justice to such a complicated topic. Unfortunately, there are other novels that fall short and do not add anything to this canon of literature. Sadly, Sara Shepard’s “Everything We Ever Wanted” is one of these works.

The...more In the past five months, I have read four books about high school scandals. There must be something in the air that has turned so many people’s attention to these events. Of course bullying is in the forefront of everyone’s mind these days and I think that many of these books do justice to such a complicated topic. Unfortunately, there are other novels that fall short and do not add anything to this canon of literature. Sadly, Sara Shepard’s “Everything We Ever Wanted” is one of these works.

The story is told from various viewpoints within the Bates-McAllister family. First, is the matriarch of the family, Sylvie Bates-McAllister whose family established a private prep school in Pennsylvania. Two months after her husband dies, Sylvie receives a phone call from the headmaster of the school informing her that her son has been involved in a hazing situation. Sylvie’s son, Scott, is the school’s wrestling coach and was in fact adopted by the Bates-McAllister’s when he was young. Due to this, he has never felt like he fit in with the rich and famous with whom he was raised. Sylvie’s other son, Charles, is devastated that once again his adopted brother has dragged the family name through the mud. Watching all of this unfold is Charles’ new wife who has striven most of her life to become a Bates-McAllister and still is made to feel on the outs. The family must attempt to come together during this time and face their past demons in order to save their name, the school, and their family.

Clearly, there is a lot going on in this novel. I would like to say that it is handled well...but it’s not. There are far too may issues for a book that is under 300 pages and with characters that lack any development. The plot is horrifically predictable which would not be such an issue if the characters were more realistic and grew during the novel. The relationships portrayed are very thin and therefore hinder the novel from progressing or being meaningful. Though one can easily see where the book is leading you, there are many questions left unanswered. However, this is not like other pieces of literature where you mull over the ending and discuss with friends what really happened. Instead, this is as if you’re doing a crossword puzzle and someone forgot the clue for 39 across...you can still figure out the answer but it’s annoying and you lose interest. Personally, I will not be recommending this to any friend, book group, or family member. I give it two stars because I believe Shepard could make this into a decent young adult book, but there’s nothing here that hasn’t already been done...and done better.

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