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All I Ever Wanted

by Vikki Wakefield (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 364 ratings · 70 reviews

Mim knows what she wants, and where she wants to go — anywhere but home, stuck in the suburbs with her mother who won't get off the couch, and two brothers in prison. She's set herself rules to live by, but she's starting to break them.

Now Mim has to retrieve a lost package for her mother.

Does this make her a drug runner?

Why is a monster dog called Gargoyle hidden in the b...more

Paperback, 202 pages

Published June 27th 2011 by Text

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2011 Aussie YA releases

17th out of 56 books — 176 voters

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

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Community Reviews

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Jan 21, 2012 Reynje rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, young-adult, australian, cover-loving, favourites, contemp-or-realistic, writing-envy

“The summer holiday is nearly over.

This is not how it’s supposed to be.”

There is nothing saccharine about Mim Dodd’s life. She’s nine days away from seventeen, has two brothers in remand, and lives in a dead suburb with a Mother she is desperate to be nothing like. Mim wants to be anywhere else, and she’s got a set of rules to live by to make it happen.

It only takes one day, one package, and Mim’s life is about to change forever.

All I Ever Wanted’ is a powerful and beautiful book; a stunning...more

28 likes · like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Shirley Marr rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya

You know the old adage "It's not you, it's me?" I would love to use that sentiment to describe my feelings, but honestly, I don't think I can. I think it's the book as well, not just me, so maybe this will be the most truthful review I will ever write. The other old adage, the one that goes "this hurts me as much as it hurts you," is true.

I have nothing to gain by saying what I'm about to say. All I Ever Wanted has everything going for it and my review will do very little to dent that. In fact,...more

30 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadultfiction

I loved this debut novel (published by Text—who are publishing some really interesting YA fiction). It's the story of 16 year old Mim Dodd (Jemima, a name she hates), youngest child of a family of small time criminals who is determined to follow her own rules, including not to take drugs, not to get tattoos, to stay at school, to only trust herself, to not to be like everyone else—especially her mother. The novel opens with Mim being relieved of a package she's collected from her mother by the b...more I loved this debut novel (published by Text—who are publishing some really interesting YA fiction). It's the story of 16 year old Mim Dodd (Jemima, a name she hates), youngest child of a family of small time criminals who is determined to follow her own rules, including not to take drugs, not to get tattoos, to stay at school, to only trust herself, to not to be like everyone else—especially her mother. The novel opens with Mim being relieved of a package she's collected from her mother by the boy she's been in love with for 5 years—and things go downhill (and up dale) from there. Mim has to try and keep the bad news from her mother until she figures out what to do—and not helping is the bastard wife-beating neighbour's monster dog, Gargoyle, who has taken up residence in the Dodd family's shed-cum-stash.

All I Ever Wanted has a wonderful cast of characters—Mim's best friend Tahnee; the maybe-prostitute-nextdoor-neighbour (code name Lola); Kate, the younger sister of Mim's love interest, Jordan, who is as desperate not to be a good girl as Mim is to not be the bad girl everyone assumes she is. Benny, the maybe-mystical, beer-loving Aboriginal man; Mrs Tkautz, whose garden Mim delights in sabotaging with handfuls of birdseed. Mim's street/neighbourhood lives in is full of fabulous characters and shows us a delicious slice of the variety of working class life to be found in certain Australian suburbs.

This is such a marvellous book and Mim is a character I really liked and was on side with—she's not always right, but she's always determined and brave. Wakefield never plays the safe or expected card with her characters and allows for (realistic) nuances of ethics in their behaviour. I really liked how she handled the romance thread of the plot, and while the climax was more dramatic than I expected, it mostly works. And I was thrilled with Mim's happy ending, even though it might stray a touch into the realm of wishful thinking.

(Spoiler alert:

Say anything. Ding.)

Utterly recommended. All I ever wanted, indeed.
(less)

7 likes · like · see review

May 20, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian, young-adult, read-in-2012, reviewed

Reading a couple of other GR reviews has really made me question: how far are we willing to let YA go?
On the one hand, I do abide by my original 4 star rating - this was a really good book. But on the other hand, I start to question whether all of the...stuff in this book was necessary.

You see, this was a complicated book.

Mim is stuck in a poor suburb, and is determined to get out and be set free. To do this, she has set herself a number of rules, but over the course of a week or so finds circ...more Reading a couple of other GR reviews has really made me question: how far are we willing to let YA go?
On the one hand, I do abide by my original 4 star rating - this was a really good book. But on the other hand, I start to question whether all of the...stuff in this book was necessary.

You see, this was a complicated book.

Mim is stuck in a poor suburb, and is determined to get out and be set free. To do this, she has set herself a number of rules, but over the course of a week or so finds circumstances, friends, and herself calling these into question.

I did love a lot about this book. It was written in a really delightful way – gorgeous prose but at the same time very compelling. Throughout, Mim’s voice was strong and extremely thought-provocative.

As a character, she fits no stereotypes. She is determined but in some ways weak, flawed but hopeful. She provides a voice for those sometimes written off as “second-class citizens”, but she’s not seeking any sympathy:

“the poverty line is just a rung on a ladder that some people can't be bothered to climb. There's nobody above with a foot on their head”

This is one of the main strengths of this book – it really provokes thought and, I think, is extremely powerful.

Some parts, however, have me questioning whether this power is a good thing.

I think it’s a question of the place of happy endings in modern YA literature. Should teen books be written to reflect a perception of real life, that not everything is going to work out but some things will so that’s okay? Or should they encourage us to look upon the world with a more favourable light where, if the villains aren’t killed, they at least come to some sort of justice?

Vikki Wakefield very obviously comes to the conclusion that any childhood illusions of complete fairness should be banished. Not only in terms of the setting, but also in Mim’s fulfilment of ‘the rules’. In this book, the boy who almost date-rapes Mim walks free. The drunken friend is able to continue a pretty normal life. The drug-dealing brothers go relatively unpunished.

I’m not saying that I think all YA novels should have a fairy tale style happy ending. I just wonder whether it’s really responsible or in fact necessary to be so brutal. I understand, of course, that the book ended on a positive note, with light, a positive future, overcoming darkness, and that I applaud. But I felt that there were a few too many loose ends to be tied up, which, although perhaps mimicking real life, don’t really give much hope or possibility for change for the future. I felt that it was sort of accepting injustice, and saying that the world will continue to revolve – and that even good things can happen – and that that was alright.

Overall, I think that this is an important book, but one which perhaps should not be read by younger YA readers. It had many strengths – it was a really strangely beautiful book – but also left me with many questions.
(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 05, 2011 Noelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: yay-for-ya, reviewed, forever-and-ever-amen

Oh, man. I really, really liked this.

Mim dreams of a different life, a life far, far away (in every respect) from her current one and it’s not difficult to understand why she wants to escape. She lives in a rough neighborhood where bright futures are the rarity, not the foregone conclusion. The family business includes drug dealing and loan sharking and her neighbors range from strange to genuinely terrifying. Mim hardly dares to say her dreams out loud, but she fiercely clings to the idea of a...more Oh, man. I really, really liked this.

Mim dreams of a different life, a life far, far away (in every respect) from her current one and it’s not difficult to understand why she wants to escape. She lives in a rough neighborhood where bright futures are the rarity, not the foregone conclusion. The family business includes drug dealing and loan sharking and her neighbors range from strange to genuinely terrifying. Mim hardly dares to say her dreams out loud, but she fiercely clings to the idea of a better life. By drafting a set of strict rules for herself, Mim is determined to change her fate. She has managed to steer clear of any outright involvement in criminal activity, but that all changes when both of her brothers are arrested and her mom needs her to pick up a package. Over the following week, Mim’s rules are systematically broken and her life is forever changed.

It’s amazing how much Vikki Wakefield accomplishes in so few pages (202!). Her prose is stunningly beautiful and atmospheric. There's nothing extraneous in her writing, every word is chosen with such precision and care. Wakefield really has a knack for nuanced, genuine characters. Although the plot is suspenseful, gritty and entertaining, where the book really delivers is the character interaction. The emotional relationships are bitterly honest. And Mim? Mim is just plain special. She is tough, yet a dreamer. Resigned, yet hopeful. She's prickly, funny, flawed and fierce. I loved her journey as all of her preconceptions about everyone from her mother to her crush to herself blow up in her face and challenge her to adapt and grow. Her blind need to escape has kept her separate from the world around her, but what happens when she opens her eyes and really sees "her people"? I was completely absorbed throughout all of her mistakes and triumphs. (view spoiler)

All I Ever Wanted is one of my favorite books of the year. (less)

13 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 тɛяɛƨα ℓσʌɛƨ ℓαмв cнσρƨ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just one of those books where you take away more than just a story.

It was like, to an 18 year old teen stumbling through life, all the answers to unasked questions.

But in the end, even though I loved the story, that's all it is...
...A story.

I'm 18, and I found the book very close to my heart, since I live a state away from where it's set, so it was...strangely refreshing from the other YA fiction out there. And it was...mesmerizing, but at the same time disturbing.

But a star must be removed be...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Jo Case rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aus-authors, young-adult

This absorbing YA novel opens during a stifling summer in the badlands of Adelaide’s outer suburbs. Mim, the odd girl out in a notorious crime family reluctantly picks up a package from a drug dealer – only to be mugged by the boy she’s long worshipped as she ferries it home. “To have the object of your affection steal your package and roll your bike into a ditch somehow opens up all kinds of possibilities,” 16-year-old Mim reflects.

Indeed, it sets the pattern for her to break several of the se...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Magella rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really, really liked this book!
I read YA all the time, and picked this one up without looking at the blurb, expecting something simple and sweet to help me get through exam revision. Instead, I got a gritty story about REAL life (as apposed to the beautiful version oft served in YA for girls. Don't get me wrong, I love that stuff too!) that lost me a day's revision as I couldn't put it down!
The youngest child of a single mother in backyard Australia, Mim wants nothing more than to be like her...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Ania rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Ania by: goodreads

Shelves: australia

I really loved this book, that is, except for the ending. The pacing, the plot, the magic Benny were all really good... and the characters were realistic and amazing. I read the book in one go as I just couldn't put it down. I just wish that the ending was less cliché, less Hollywood, less preachy/Happy ending. I'll explain this in the spoiler bellow so as not to give anything away. Don't read it unless you've read the book OR don't mind knowing what happens!
(view spoiler)...more I really loved this book, that is, except for the ending. The pacing, the plot, the magic Benny were all really good... and the characters were realistic and amazing. I read the book in one go as I just couldn't put it down. I just wish that the ending was less cliché, less Hollywood, less preachy/Happy ending. I'll explain this in the spoiler bellow so as not to give anything away. Don't read it unless you've read the book OR don't mind knowing what happens!
(view spoiler)
Nontheless I really enjoyed 90% of the book and I am definitely going to check out Friday Brown when it comes out as I believe the author can only get better and better!!(less)

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Jan 01, 2012 Lauredhel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian-women-writers-challenge, a2z

"Should you keep moving forward, even if you don't know where you're going?"

All I Ever Wanted is a standalone novel, unlike so many YA offerings - but I was left wanting more. And it is not your typical sodapop middle-class romantic-love-triangle YA contemporary!

Jemima "Mim" Dodd is "just a girl". And she has a set of rules:

* I will finish school.
* I will not take drugs.
* I will not get tattoos.
* I will not drink alcohol.
* I will not say "fuck" all the time.
* I will not have sex until I"m over...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Steve lovell rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a fine debut novel from a writer with a knack for portraying engaging characters, most rough on the outside but with the ‘right stuff’ caged internally. The journey in this book, from start to cusp of climax, was excellent as, like a more sombre version of ‘Weeds’, our hero copes with growing up in a drug dealing dysfunctional family with little hope, so it seems, of crossing over those symbolic tracks. Mim is, as Fiona Woods notes in her blurb caption, ‘tough and sweet and true’, as, to...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 18, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Anywhere but here. That’s what Mim thinks – that she’d rather be anywhere but these suburbs that are haunted by a missing girl. Anywhere but down the road from the Tarrant house, where a dog called Gargoyle patrols the perimeter. Anywhere but in this family, with a mother addicted to home shopping and two brothers stuck in prison. Where childcare workers take her brothers’ bastard kids away the second Mim’s mum starts loving them.

So Mim has made rules to live by, rules to get out of this dump. N...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 13, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya, read-in-2011, lovely-covers, books-i-own

"I'm getting out," I tell her. I still half-believe it. Surely there's a recipe for it. Follow a few steps and you can cook up your own shiny destiny.

This debut novel by Adelaide author Vikki Wakefield is a unique and refreshing addition to the Aussie YA scene. What makes this book memorable is the outstanding prose and the loveable, rough around the edges characters.

Mim wants to escape her life. At 16, she's weighed down by a poor family, 2 brothers in jail and a gritty, run-down suburb. She w...more "I'm getting out," I tell her. I still half-believe it. Surely there's a recipe for it. Follow a few steps and you can cook up your own shiny destiny.

This debut novel by Adelaide author Vikki Wakefield is a unique and refreshing addition to the Aussie YA scene. What makes this book memorable is the outstanding prose and the loveable, rough around the edges characters.

Mim wants to escape her life. At 16, she's weighed down by a poor family, 2 brothers in jail and a gritty, run-down suburb. She wants something more for herself and aches to travel the world. So she lives by the rules, the rules she believes will get her out of the life she loathes. No tattoos, no drinking, no sex before 18...

But as soon as soon as she breaks one of her rules - a possible drug deal - the rest start to crumble around her.

This is not your usual YA read. At first glance, you could assume as much. However, Wakefield dashes those assumptions early on and you begin to realise that this is something different. Something special. If you're looking for Anna and the French Kiss you won't find it here. It's more like if On the Jellicoe Road had a love child with Zusak's I Am the Messenger. And it's brilliant.

The characters that live on Tudor Crescent with Mim make this book shine. There's Lola, the maybe prostitute, who is sweet, charming and smart. Mick Tarrant, the pure evil pervert. Kate, the out of place bank geek, quietly rebelling. They are a colourful bunch. By the end of the book I was attached to each and every one of them (well, except Mick (view spoiler)).

The reason this book is a four and not a perfect five is because the last two chapters seemed a bit rushed to me. It also felt like every plot line was being wrapped up in a neat little package, nothing left to wonder about. It could just be a personal preference, but I would've liked if some things were left uncertain.

The cover is hands down my favourite of 2011. I love how it relates to the story, too! Always a good thing.

If her amazing debut is anything to go by, I look forward to reading more of Vikki Wakefield's books - hopefully soon!(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: school-library-reads

What a breath of fresh air this book is! The author has captured some truly believable characters - ones that are for the most part under-represented in YA literature. These are girls that you really want to get to know, in fact ones I do know from my own adolescence.
As young girls/women we judged other women harshly,yet jumped into situations without much realistic forethought. We had very vague dreams and tended to know what we didn't want more than what we did. As a TL in a high school I'm s...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Jennifer Lim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, contemporary, young-adult, valentines-week-2013, aussie

Another! Another terrific writer from the Land Down Under. There really must be something in the waters of Australia.

I just have one qualm about this one: I don't like how it ended. It makes me feel foolish that I was getting down reading this and then the we learn it ended that way. There was so much drama going on and the atmosphere was heavy . And then...poof! A bittersweet ending where everything is in place.

I was really feeling this one since I do question myself and my goals just like Mim...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Skye rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya, own

This review is also posted on my blog, In The Good Books.

Mim's story is sweet and raw, her character likeable in its flaws, and her development and change of heart realistic and gradual. Her story is in equal parts heart-wrenching and heart-warming, and wholly touching.

Mim (short for Jemima) doesn't want to associate herself with the deplorable town she lives in, or the people in it. She just wants to get out. She has volumes and volumes of Lonely Planet travel guides read and reread. She's set...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Laila rated it 4 of 5 stars

When the setting was layed out, I did not think I would like this book. Alcohol, drugs, swearing, that sort of stuff - not my deal o.o But then I read up on Mim's rules, and as things progressed, I was drawn in.

It's quite lovely. Though our circumstances are so very different, Mim is an incredibly relatable character, so the lessons learned are also just as relatable. It's a reality check reminding you that people aren't cardboard cutouts. They're 3D. I mean, my values haven't changed, but I kno...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Emma Makes rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teenage girls looking to skip out on their small town lives

Good, pacey book with an engaging plot and well-developed characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of this meandering story - they never seemed contrived but on reflection created a book full of interest and good storytelling.

The book includes the existence of sex, drugs and swearing so probably more recommended to people 14 years and older. A perfect read for curious kids looking to get out of their dead-end small towns and discover the world and what they can make in it.

I wish I'd...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Hayley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dauntingly brilliant.

Coming-of-age story which grips you in the first paragraph. Short, punchy sentences that show so much more than they tell. Drug deal, for her mother. Mim's becoming one of them. The family that she's always tried to separate herself from. This one act is going to change the course of her life. And it does. For entirely different reasons than she expects.

Wakefield takes the reader on a journey toward self-acceptance, and surprises at every turn. Her characters are well rounde...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Joy (joyous reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, aussie

If Mim would just be what the world expected her to be, then maybe her whole life wouldn't be a constant fight against the current. If she would just be the type of girl who grew up surrounded by thugs and drug dealers - one who smokes, uses drugs, wouldn't keep her legs closed, then perhaps her mother would know just what to do about her. But Mim is stubborn, adamant to leave the place where hopes and dreams go nowhere. The rules she set for herself become her religion and in nine days before s...more If Mim would just be what the world expected her to be, then maybe her whole life wouldn't be a constant fight against the current. If she would just be the type of girl who grew up surrounded by thugs and drug dealers - one who smokes, uses drugs, wouldn't keep her legs closed, then perhaps her mother would know just what to do about her. But Mim is stubborn, adamant to leave the place where hopes and dreams go nowhere. The rules she set for herself become her religion and in nine days before she turned seventeen, she goes and breaks most of them through no choice of her own. It started with a package, it ended with a package. For better or for worse, Mim's life is about to change.

I never usually comment on the cover of a book that I review, but I'd like to talk about how appropriate this one is. A silhouette of a girl running away or running toward something on a train track. It's befitting that the girl on the cover is really no one definitive. Because you'll never really know the real Mim. The real Jemima Dodd hasn't really lived yet; not until she's become the person that she'd always strived to be. She refused to be defined by the life that she'd always known and refused to accept that there was nothing else for someone like her. Her stubbornness is commendable - admirable. She's lived a hard life for a girl her age and yet there's an innocence about her that's noticeable. It was in her undying hope that life could be better; in the way she loved Jordan from a far. But at the same time, there is this edge - a hardness about her that bailed her out of trouble time and time again and one that she'd used to help others.

The side stories of the people who lived in Tudor Crescent were heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. They were minor characters with major impacts: Lola, the phone sex operator; The Tarrants who'd had to suffer a lifetime of physical abuse from the head of the family; the ever-knowing Benny and to Mrs. Tkautz who'd always had a prayer on her lips for Mim. To Kate, who lives a perfect life with the perfect family but who'd been waiting for the chance to break out of her skin. The best friend, Tahnee who grudgingly admire Mim. These group of people gave this book a whole another dimension and become tiny pieces of who Mim is whether she likes it or not.

This story is about not losing sight of your dreams and about giving the people around you a second chance. A person can't be an island. Eventually, you'll need someone. Sometimes, your expectations and judgments become a wall that isolate you.

These Aussie authors astound me over and over again. The stories they create has a realistic quality that has a tendency to tell you how it really is. The ugly side of life become a fairy tale that leaves a smile on your face long after you finish reading. Man, these books are hard to come by and very expensive to acquire. But never do I find myself regretting each and every time I buy them. (less)

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Mar 29, 2012 Wan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie, 2012-favorites, 2012-reads, contemporary

All I Ever Wanted isn't your typical YA read. There's no star-crossed lovers and no predictable relationships. Mim is a sixteen year old girl who is fed up with her criminal brothers and her overbearing mother. Mim feels like if she can complete her set of rules that she's made for herself, she can finally escape.

Mim's list:
*I will not take drugs.
*I will not get tattoos.
*I will not drink alcohol.
*I will not say 'fuck' all the time.
*I will not have sex until I'm over 18.
*I will not be like every...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: saving francesca fans, if you like coming of age novels

Recommended to Helen by: goodreads

Shelves: tightly-written, unputdownable, wth-just-happened

All I Ever Wanted is about a 17 year old girl called Mim and she wants to run away and never be like her mother a 40-year-old drug dealer. Things kick off when her all-time-crush, Jordan, steals her "package".

And here's what happens in the book:
HOT WEATHER DRUGS DOGS NEIGHBOURS DRUGS SEX HOT SWEARING WEATHER HOT WEATHER TATTOO HOT WEATHER HOT WEATHER STABBED DOG SWEARING SWEARING NEIGHBOURS HALF-RAAAPEE RAIN-DANCE AND BEING ACCIDENTALLY HUNG ...???

ALL i ever wanted isnt something I'd usually pic...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Nomes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya, 2011, covers-i-love, crushing-on-the-writing, faves-of-2011, i-own, themes-i-love, kindle

All I Ever Wanted is blurbed by two of my all-time fave Aussie YA authors:

‘One of the most memorable YA books I’ve ever read. Original, real, startling and beautiful.’ Cath Crowley (Graffiti Moon)

‘In a tarnished world, Mim is tough and sweet and true. Utterly charming’ Fiona Wood (Six Impossible Things).

Okay, I nearly feel like my work here as a reader/reviewer is done as I fully (crazily) endorse both those statements.

All I Ever Wanted captivated me from the first few pages. I adore Mim, sh...more

15 likes · like · see review

Jun 09, 2011 Pam Saunders rated it 5 of 5 stars

Vicki writes of Mim, a quite different character, not an anguishing private school girl of many teen books, but Mim from the hard suburbs, struggle town itself. Mim wants out and faraway, is it possible? Probably not with brothers in jail, a blob of a mother and a best friend who doesn’t understand. Why has the neighbours vicious dog moved in with them, who is the mysterious, moaning girl next door and now Mim is involved in the family drug business. Maybe getting a tat is not a big deal after a...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 Adele rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wakefield’s debut establishes her as a skilled writer with a new take on the teen experience. All I Ever Wanted is filled to the brim with the seedier aspects of this small community of misfits and criminals but there is a pervasive sense of hope throughout. Mim sorely wants to escape her family and her general lot in life but finds herself in the middle of a situation that goes against everything she’s been trying to achieve.

Wakefield’s beautiful phrasing and sparky narrative is at odds with he...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 18, 2011 Bianca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: front-covers-i-love, goodreads-reading-challenge-2011, read-want-to-own-it, books-i-loved

**spoilers**

I really enjoyed this book and finished it in barely no time at all. It was a quick read but a good one.

I loved Mim and soon fell into her world of drugs, crazy law breaking brothers, lack of trust and a Mother who wouldn't notice Mim half the time even if she lit herself on fire. I really felt for her and could really empathise with her situation.

I enjoyed the build up of problems but the ending wasn't what I expected. I mean I'm glad she got her dream but it felt as if all the prob...more

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May 02, 2012 Tara Calaby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Tara by: Rhiannon Hart

Shelves: ya-fiction, contemporary-ya, australian-ya, drugs-are-bad, family, social-issues, wrong-side-of-the-tracks, underage-drinking, class-war, friendships, coming-of-age, crime, want

I hate trying to review books that I loved and books that really got to me on an emotional level. All I Ever Wanted falls into both categories, so I'm not going to try to be intellectual about this at all. Instead, have a list:

Five things I loved about All I Ever Wanted

1. It has a brilliant fallible first person narrative. When it's done well, first person fallible is easily my favourite narrative style, and here it's used to a wonderful effect. As readers, we only see what Mim sees and know th...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Penni Russon rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a great debut, gutsy and fresh and unpretentious. A few other reviewers here have noted that the ending seems overly contrived, and I can see what they mean, but for me the ending actually did what a great ending should and ricocheted you back through the book to see that many things were not as they seemed and allowing us to see Mim as an unreliable narrator (who believed nonetheless everything she was reporting). In fact in light of the ending, I enjoyed the novel far more because...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Leslye rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

There is much to love about this book, the neatly beautiful, evocative prose, the clear specific voice of 16 year old Mim, the realistic relationships and characterizations. I think Wakefield is an exceptional writer and I enjoyed all of her sentences (even if I had to read with an Australian slang website up to understand the language).

However, this book never really took hold of my heart. I was drawn into Mim's story, to an extent, but not to her as a character. There was something a...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's been two days since I read this and still don't think what I have to say will do it justice. I LOVED THIS. And while I do believe Marchetta to be the queen of complicated, emotional relationships, All I Ever Wanted leftmefeeling a little of what I feel everytime I pick up The Piper's Son or Saving Francesca or Jellicoe Road. And why? It's the people in it, their screwy relationship; it's how they weren't all lovey dovey for each other but simply present. Add to all that a whimsical element,...more It's been two days since I read this and still don't think what I have to say will do it justice. I LOVED THIS. And while I do believe Marchetta to be the queen of complicated, emotional relationships, All I Ever Wanted left me feeling a little of what I feel everytime I pick up The Piper's Son or Saving Francesca or Jellicoe Road. And why? It's the people in it, their screwy relationship; it's how they weren't all lovey dovey for each other but simply present. Add to all that a whimsical element, well it had me smiling a little more. But that there's friendhip, old and new, both as complicated and nuanced as the other, had me wanting more. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Mim has a set of rules about what NOT to become, about how to get out. I suppose the story line of being stuck and wanting to get out, to escape has been done time and again... It has. But, Mim's story stuck to me, is sticking to me. Her version of wanting to get out is so honest... and skewed at the same time. It's angsty and peppered with 'my life is shit' moments, yet I can not find it in me to poke fun at her (as I probably would have otherwise.) Why? What she knows of her 'people' is not a pretty picture and how she grew up was unconventional but like I said, her version of things is skewed. And that ending, had me hoping a little more for her mainly because of her 'people.'

She could be such a brat... and she could act like one knowingly! I admired her spunk, but at the same time I also wanted her to open her eyes. She kept saying she didn't look down on them, kept saying she didn't hate any of them... but she did, didn't she? So when friendships started to unravel, and her ~~lofty~~ world view started to get shaken up... I needed to know how things would turn out for all of them, Mim, her mother, and Mim's friends.

I can't say that I was surprised by her behavior... because she simply wanted something different. But when it came to other aspects she could be so slow on the uptake. Don't get me wrong, the boy in this one had lovely moments. But moments alone! On the whole he behaved worse than she did. And what's worse is his awareness of her, though much craved earlier, came at the heels of what I felt as 'I want it because I can't have it.' (I hope I'm making sense.)

There are a lot of bitter moments between her and her bestfriend. Their shared history came clear across in how they behaved with each other. And while I didn't like what either of them did or how ~~thoughtless~~ cruel they could be to each other, I bought that there was a them. As to the new friendships formed, I enjoyed the discoveries they made in each other, and how their assumptions of the other turned out otherwise as with Lola and her job, or Kate and her nerddom... and how those two saw Mim, as brave out there and sure of herself. Then there were even more bitter moment between her and her mother. And yet, all was not as she had assumed.

I loved this... the people are far from perfect, so she viewed them as such... and almost missed out on the good in them.

* I went back to copy some good lines out of this. I stopped counting my bookmarks somewhere around
fifteen.

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Quotes from All I Ever Wanted

“A text message has no soul, no matter how many commas you shift.” — 15 people liked it

“I know that this is as close as I'll ever get. He's broken in ways I'm not.” — 5 people liked it

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All I Ever Wanted

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