Scan barcode
kelleemoye's review
2.0
Was written very well, but the story was only okay for me. Will read more from Griffin though.
weweresotired's review
2.0
See the full review at Short & Sweet Reviews.
Ever read a book where you finish it and realize you have absolutely no sympathy for any of the characters? Even if you should? That's how I felt about Alex and Thea in All You Never Wanted. These are girls who are handed everything they could ever want, thanks to their new, wealthy step-father. On the surface, their lives look easy, but problems lurk underneath the surface, making their lives anything but the fairy-tale stories that they appear to be. Alex is popular and pretty and has opportunities given to her right and left, but is also dealing with a pretty debilitating anxiety disorder. Thea, her younger sister, used to be kind of nerdy and bookish, but as Alex declines, Thea sees a way to climb her way to the top, inventing a new, devious persona to escape her less-than-cool past and get what she wants.
Both of our narrators here are very unreliable, Thea especially. It's established early on that she's manipulative and a liar, willing to do anything to climb the social ladder. So it's easy to question everything she does, right up until the closing pages of the book. I don't have anything against unreliable narrators -- it's an interesting technique that keeps a reader on their toes if done well -- but Thea was so absolutely unsympathetic of a character that I lost interest in trying to wade through her lies very early on. By the end, there was a large part of me that just didn't care what happened to Thea. I just wanted Alex to get out of all of her dysfunctional relationships and start over.
There are a couple of moments in this book that made me stop and go "WAIT YOU'RE KIDDING ME". There's a huge insta-love thing between Alex and Xander; they share hardly any page time at all before she's realizing that she loves him and suddenly starts making drastic changes in her life. Like, it's a positive thing for Alex that helps her cope with her anxiety, but as a reader it made me want to throw things.
Ever read a book where you finish it and realize you have absolutely no sympathy for any of the characters? Even if you should? That's how I felt about Alex and Thea in All You Never Wanted. These are girls who are handed everything they could ever want, thanks to their new, wealthy step-father. On the surface, their lives look easy, but problems lurk underneath the surface, making their lives anything but the fairy-tale stories that they appear to be. Alex is popular and pretty and has opportunities given to her right and left, but is also dealing with a pretty debilitating anxiety disorder. Thea, her younger sister, used to be kind of nerdy and bookish, but as Alex declines, Thea sees a way to climb her way to the top, inventing a new, devious persona to escape her less-than-cool past and get what she wants.
Both of our narrators here are very unreliable, Thea especially. It's established early on that she's manipulative and a liar, willing to do anything to climb the social ladder. So it's easy to question everything she does, right up until the closing pages of the book. I don't have anything against unreliable narrators -- it's an interesting technique that keeps a reader on their toes if done well -- but Thea was so absolutely unsympathetic of a character that I lost interest in trying to wade through her lies very early on. By the end, there was a large part of me that just didn't care what happened to Thea. I just wanted Alex to get out of all of her dysfunctional relationships and start over.
There are a couple of moments in this book that made me stop and go "WAIT YOU'RE KIDDING ME". There's a huge insta-love thing between Alex and Xander; they share hardly any page time at all before she's realizing that she loves him and suddenly starts making drastic changes in her life. Like, it's a positive thing for Alex that helps her cope with her anxiety, but as a reader it made me want to throw things.
jessnorton's review against another edition
1.0
Can't write a review because I couldn't get into it enough to even finish it. I can get into some young adult fiction, but this was not one of them. Just not for me..
bookgirlandthewombat's review against another edition
2.0
A boy can not fix the compulsion to not eat, nor can a vacation adventure. It's wishful thinking.
heather425's review against another edition
3.0
If I could I would give this book 3.5 stars. The only thing keeping me from a four was feeling like the book ended abruptly. This story is about two sisters who find themselves swept into the lap of luxury when their mother marries a very wealthy man. The author alternates between the sister's point of view from chapter to chapter. I did find it interesting that Alex's chapters are in third person, while Thea's were in first. Alex is the older sister who is struggling with an eating disorder and several other issues. Thea is a jealous younger sister who wants the life she thinks her sister has. Thea has been working on redefining herself at school and most of that has involved her making up stories about people to make herself seem cool. This left me questioning many things Thea says in the book. The author definitely had fun with Thea's character and succeeded in leaving the reader wondering what was fact and what was fiction.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I thought the author captured the adolescent need for acceptance from your peers and family and yet, trying to figure out who you are within those groups. She also does a nice job of showing how money doesn't mean happiness and absent parents are not really the ideal.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I thought the author captured the adolescent need for acceptance from your peers and family and yet, trying to figure out who you are within those groups. She also does a nice job of showing how money doesn't mean happiness and absent parents are not really the ideal.
ohkaykayreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
This one was just okay for me. I found it a little bit slow in the beginning however it did pick up a little toward the halfway point. The story was interesting but I just didn't really enjoy it as much as I thought I would, I could have done with some more depth of the characters and their relationships.
wombat_88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
4.0
ALL YOU NEVER WANTED is a tough story about sibling rivalry that sticks with you – because it’s amazing to look at two sisters, and see how bitterness can truly screw up a relationship.
I’ve read a bunch of books lately that have multiple points of view that are also in different perspectives or tenses. It can drive a wedge between you and the book, and shake you out of the flow. But with ALL YOU NEVER WANTED, I didn’t really have this problem. I think it’s mostly because Alex’s voice is so lyrical and strong, yet weak and scared at the same time. Her perspective suits the character, and I think it actually brings us closer, because we’re seeing how she sees herself, but not through her own eyes.
Alex is the older sister, overcome with anxiety in every way. She’s so afraid and so ridden with anxiety that she tries not to leave the house. She also develops what might at first seem like an eating disorder (she eats so little and drinks so little), but it’s a deep-rooted fear of losing control of her bodily functions that controls her, instead. It might be hard for some readers to identify with her – after all, she’s rich now, and some of it might seem like White Girl Problems: The Novel. But when you get past the glitz and glamour of a new life, you might understand: she didn’t ask for it. She didn’t necessarily want it. She was thrust into this new world, and it’s terrifying. Seriously, have you ever watched Gossip Girl? Those rich people sure have some issues.
Thea is the younger sister brimming with jealousy. The new social class her family fits into has taken hold of her, tempting her to become the person that Alex might have been. She lies to interest her sister’s old friends, she manipulates people to get what she wants, and she has no problem going after her sister’s boyfriend. That’s your standard sibling rivalry, but there’s something else going on under the surface. That something is Gia, but I’ll let you read and figure out what’s going on, there.
That’s what I really liked about ALL YOU NEVER WANTED. Adele Griffin brought forth the twisting, winding lives of these two girls and didn’t lay it all out. There’s some nuance in the way things are written. If you’re used to pounding back silly book after silly book, you might have to stop and re-read some things to understand how psychological it actually is.
But every book comes with some frustrations, and for me, Alex and Xander were my main frustration. The connection develops too quickly, and it’s once again “dude comes along and magically fixes a girl,” and although you can argue she isn’t fixed by any means, it’s at least hinted that’s what going on.
ALL YOU NEVER WANTED has an ending that doesn’t send us off with restored faith that these two will make it through and great together. In fact, it leaves us hanging – and I like it. If you enjoy books by Courtney Summers, I’m guessing you’ll love this one.
I’ve read a bunch of books lately that have multiple points of view that are also in different perspectives or tenses. It can drive a wedge between you and the book, and shake you out of the flow. But with ALL YOU NEVER WANTED, I didn’t really have this problem. I think it’s mostly because Alex’s voice is so lyrical and strong, yet weak and scared at the same time. Her perspective suits the character, and I think it actually brings us closer, because we’re seeing how she sees herself, but not through her own eyes.
Alex is the older sister, overcome with anxiety in every way. She’s so afraid and so ridden with anxiety that she tries not to leave the house. She also develops what might at first seem like an eating disorder (she eats so little and drinks so little), but it’s a deep-rooted fear of losing control of her bodily functions that controls her, instead. It might be hard for some readers to identify with her – after all, she’s rich now, and some of it might seem like White Girl Problems: The Novel. But when you get past the glitz and glamour of a new life, you might understand: she didn’t ask for it. She didn’t necessarily want it. She was thrust into this new world, and it’s terrifying. Seriously, have you ever watched Gossip Girl? Those rich people sure have some issues.
Thea is the younger sister brimming with jealousy. The new social class her family fits into has taken hold of her, tempting her to become the person that Alex might have been. She lies to interest her sister’s old friends, she manipulates people to get what she wants, and she has no problem going after her sister’s boyfriend. That’s your standard sibling rivalry, but there’s something else going on under the surface. That something is Gia, but I’ll let you read and figure out what’s going on, there.
That’s what I really liked about ALL YOU NEVER WANTED. Adele Griffin brought forth the twisting, winding lives of these two girls and didn’t lay it all out. There’s some nuance in the way things are written. If you’re used to pounding back silly book after silly book, you might have to stop and re-read some things to understand how psychological it actually is.
But every book comes with some frustrations, and for me, Alex and Xander were my main frustration. The connection develops too quickly, and it’s once again “dude comes along and magically fixes a girl,” and although you can argue she isn’t fixed by any means, it’s at least hinted that’s what going on.
ALL YOU NEVER WANTED has an ending that doesn’t send us off with restored faith that these two will make it through and great together. In fact, it leaves us hanging – and I like it. If you enjoy books by Courtney Summers, I’m guessing you’ll love this one.
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review against another edition
4.0
A story of siblings who have some damage in them. Thea lies and Alex is a mess. Ever since she did her senior internship at Haute, she doesn't eat and she can barely even leave the house. Alex is definitely hiding something, and Thea and Joshua (Alex's boyfriend) seem powerless to help. With Thea's lying getting more and more out of control and Alex feeling like Xander (the guy who runs the volunteers at her new senior internship) could be someone to lean on.... things are bound to explode.
I really got into this book. I absolutely loved the writing in this book! I was semi-obsessed with it. The way the characters talk and think, they just have such an authentic voice. These characters have personalities that I really haven't seen in other books (and I read A LOT). I have never met another Thea. I felt achingly bad for her, and she wasn't even supposed to be the sister with the problems. She wanted to fit in with her sister, to be noticed by her.... and it kind of turned her into a headcase.
Alex on the other hand was harder for me to get. Yes something happened to her that caused her to feel out of control, but what I didn't get was how Xander made that all better for her. This guy that she didn't really pay much attention to, one day... BOOM it's insta-love? Not quite sure I was feeling that. I said earlier this week on my blog that I dislike it when a girl needs a guy to solve her problems... I think it relays a bad message.
One other thing that was different about this book was the chapters were alternating POV's in alternating tense. Thea's chapters were all in first person... Alex's in third. I didn't mind it though, it made it easier to follow actually.
So, I really liked this book and the thing that is putting me off a full 5-Star rating is the insta-love and the ending! I like when an author gives you some credit and gives you a chance to imagine where the characters might go, but I like some problems cleared up.... these problems were just blowing up! And the ending left me feeling like Alex is a bad sister, and I don't think she really was deep down.
PS- Not a fan of the cover. When I first saw it I thought the book was going to be about a WWII girl. It's fine, but it just doesn't say modern-day at all.
I was give this to review via NetGalley...thanks!
My Blog:
http://pinkpolkadotbookblog.blogspot.com/
I really got into this book. I absolutely loved the writing in this book! I was semi-obsessed with it. The way the characters talk and think, they just have such an authentic voice. These characters have personalities that I really haven't seen in other books (and I read A LOT). I have never met another Thea. I felt achingly bad for her, and she wasn't even supposed to be the sister with the problems. She wanted to fit in with her sister, to be noticed by her.... and it kind of turned her into a headcase.
Alex on the other hand was harder for me to get. Yes something happened to her that caused her to feel out of control, but what I didn't get was how Xander made that all better for her. This guy that she didn't really pay much attention to, one day... BOOM it's insta-love? Not quite sure I was feeling that. I said earlier this week on my blog that I dislike it when a girl needs a guy to solve her problems... I think it relays a bad message.
One other thing that was different about this book was the chapters were alternating POV's in alternating tense. Thea's chapters were all in first person... Alex's in third. I didn't mind it though, it made it easier to follow actually.
So, I really liked this book and the thing that is putting me off a full 5-Star rating is the insta-love and the ending! I like when an author gives you some credit and gives you a chance to imagine where the characters might go, but I like some problems cleared up.... these problems were just blowing up! And the ending left me feeling like Alex is a bad sister, and I don't think she really was deep down.
PS- Not a fan of the cover. When I first saw it I thought the book was going to be about a WWII girl. It's fine, but it just doesn't say modern-day at all.
I was give this to review via NetGalley...thanks!
My Blog:
http://pinkpolkadotbookblog.blogspot.com/
daniellecalifornia's review against another edition
I’m not in the right headspace for this.