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    Everything We Ever Wanted: A Novel
    Everything We Ever Wanted: A Novel
    Everything We Ever Wanted: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    Everything We Ever Wanted: A Novel

    Written by Sara Shepard

    Narrated by Coleen Marlo

    3/5

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    About this audiobook

    “Sara Shepard delivers the perfect read….A brilliant storyteller.”
    —Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine

    “[Written] with unflinching honesty and unstinting compassion.”
    —Jacquelyn Mitchard, author The Deep End of the Ocean

    “This riveting, provocative and well-crafted family drama surprised and delivered at every turn. I could not put it down.”
    —Sarah Mlynowski, author of Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)

    Sara Shepard, the bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars, delivers a powerful novel of family dreams, lies, and delusions.  Everything We Ever Wanted begins with a phone call with allegations that rock an upper crust Philadelphia family to its very foundations, unlocking years of secrets and scandals that expose the serious flaws in outwardly perfect lives. A moving, intelligent, and unforgettable novel, Shepard’s Everything We Ever Wanted is exceptional contemporary women’s fiction that will be embraced by book clubs everywhere.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 11, 2011
    ISBN9780062099402
    Author

    Sara Shepard

    Sara Shepard is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, as well as the series The Perfectionists. She graduated from New York University and has an MFA from Brooklyn College.

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    Reviews for Everything We Ever Wanted

    3/5

    64 ratings19 reviews

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    • 2/5
      This book was tough to get through. The plot was weak and confusing, and the characters annoying. No one spoke to one another, spending all their time assuming the worst and feeling sorry for themselves. The family secret was a joke. I pretty much spent the entire novel waiting for something to actually happen, and it never did. This book could also have used a more thorough edit, as I kept encountering inconsistencies in the story (example: one character checks into a one-story motel, yet when he goes back to his room that night, he "went up the metal stairs to his room") that were really annoying.
    • 2/5
      This was my first introduction to Sara Shepard. I’ve heard of the success of her Pretty Little Liars and Lying Games series and while this is an adult novel, I thought I’d give it a try.

      The story is centered around a very dysfunctional family. Sylvie - the matriarch of the family - is awaken by a phone call. There is a death at the private school that her adopted son, Scott, works in as a wrestling coach. There is talk of hazing. Then the assumptions start; or, I should say continue.

      It’s clear, from the beginning, that this family hardly talks to each other about anything substantial. Everyone assumes that Scott had something to do with the death of the student, yet, no one talks directly to him. The family history is shown through flashbacks from Sylvie and her biological son, Charles. Even in the flashbacks it’s clear that there is no communication. Charles carries this attitude into his marriage with Joanna, who, while a little better than Sylvie, Scott and Charles, also makes a lot of assumptions.

      It seemed as though all the conflicts were centered around conjectures by one or more parties. It made for a very comedic tragedy in a sense, a reflection on a society that could sometimes be together, but yet be alone.

      I was a bit confused with the ending. There didn’t seem to be any solid resolution and the last several chapters read as a very long epilogue. In the very end we finally hear Scott’s point of view, which turns out to be a little anti-climactic.

      The story dragged in a few places and the conflict between Joanna and Charles was never resolved in the narrative, however, one can assume that they worked it out somehow.

      Overall I found that the story itself wasn’t enough to engage me - most likely because of the lack of communication between the characters. Yet, there were a few subplots that were interesting enough to keep me turning the pages.
    • 5/5
      Rating 9/10

      Incredible, this is the word I want to start my review with. Now let me tell you why.

      I have read two novels by Sara Shepard before, and I enjoyed both. But this novel was absolutely fantastic! The character dynamics and character development took me by surprise and it was really a delight to read.

      I found the story engaging, with twists and turns around every corner, some even making me gasp out loud! I have said before that I love it when a book surprises me and when I can't predict the outcome... I count this book as one of them.

      I found myself Identifying with each character and I think most people will. I also found it very interesting how these characters "assume" a lot of things and we can see how assumption and drawing conclusions can affect people’s lives. The same with bunching people in certain categories before even knowing them.

      I can't recommend this novel more and I hope that everyone that loves a good story reads it! I also hope there is a sequel!
    • 2/5
      It felt like nothing happened for the whole book - absolutely nothing. Very disappointing having read some of the authors other books.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book! I loved the characters and was happy that Sara Shepard is writing other than YA! She is a wonderful writer and you can tell through her stories that she loves to write. I'll be reading more of what she puts out!
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 2/5
      Sylvie Bates-McAllister leads a privileged life. She lives in her grandfather's ancestral home. Her children, one of which was adopted, attended Swithin, a private school founded by her grandfather. Her life begins to crumble when she receives a call from the President of the Swithin School Board, of which Sylvie is a long-time member, and tells her that a child at the school has died and it appears that his death was a result of bullying going on at the school. Worse, it seems that Scott, Sylvie's adopted son and a wrestling coach at Swithin may have known about the bullying and didn't stop it.The story is told from three points of view, Sylvie's, Charles' (Sylvie's oldest son) and Joanna, Charles' wife. The bullying incident at Swithin brings into view the many cracks in Sylvie's perfect life...her husband's possible affair before he died, the fractious relationship between her two sons, her adopted son's almost repudiation of the family that raised him, and many things that were ignored over the years and have no come back into the light.In some ways, this was an interesting book, but was ultimately a let-down. There are numerous plot lines, but in the end, nothing is resolved.
    • 3/5
      Originally posted at Christa's Hooked on BooksAs 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.
    • 3/5
      2.5 stars This book was my first novel by Sara Shepard that i've read, and was really excited to read it, but was let down. I felt that the storyline was all over the place and wish it focused on one main issue instead of having a million different issues being highlighted. Sylvie Bates-McAllister is a recent widow with two sons, one of which is biological (Charlie) while the other is a mixed boy that was adopted (Scott). Sylvie recieves a phone call from the well-known prep school that her grandfather founded that a boy was found dead and they believed it was a suicide due to hazing being comminted by members of the school wrestling team, which her adopted son, Scott coaches. This book focuses on many issues, and many of which are important issues, but personally I wish the story focused more on the hazing and assumed suicide of the student, which is what I thought the book was primarly about, but so many more issues are involved in this book, adultery, racial issues, secret pasts, etc. It was a decent story, but just a bit of a miss for me. I felt like nothing was coming to play because the story was all over the place and so many smaller issues were being discussed rather then that main issue at hand. I'm interested to read Sara Shepard's YA series, Pretty Little Liars and the Lying Games, and because I've heard so many good things about this series, I think maybe Sara Shepard's voice is that of a YA author and less of an Adult Fiction writer, and maybe her YA books will be more enjoyed by me!
    • 3/5
      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 just couldn’t make myself like this book. The subject material is so harsh it almost seems overly so – like Shephard jumped into the adult arena guns drawn and blazing and forgot that subtlety can also be a virtue. I wanted one character I could like – just one. I wanted a character with strength and honesty, a character who felt love without it being a weakness and I wasn’t given that. Instead, I got an entire cast filled with flaws and an ending that gave me a resolution sapped of all the joy I had hoped for.In spite of all of this, and the fact that the actual story just did not appeal to me, I can definitely see that this book would have huge book club potential. The subjects to talk about are numerous and I can imagine that debate after debate would happen if a group of folks got together to discuss the themes apparent in Everything We Ever Wanted.
    • 4/5
      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
    • 2/5
      I got this through Early Reviewer's and it took me forever to finish it because I just didn't care about the characters. I finally finished it out of a sense of obligation for Early Reviewers. I felt completely unsatisfied with the book and the ending especially.
    • 2/5
      I also received this book from Early Reviewers. There are other reviews on here already that do a decent job summarizing the plot; normally, I'm not this tearse about books that I've received to review, but I have to go with the majority of my fellow reviewers on this one and say that I'm not impressed enough by it to say much about it.The plot was predicable and formulaic, the characters unlikeable and unsympathetic and I only finished the book out of duty. I had guessed at all the twists and found the ending ot be unsatisfactory. I konw that this doesn't have much to do with the quality of the book, but I didn't realize that the main family you are following (the Bates-McAllisters) were white until it was mentioned specifically about a third of the way through the book; I thought they were African-American for the first part and was surprised to learn otherwise. I think that Sara Shepard should stick with the young adult genre, which is more suited to her and I would not recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 2/5
      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 reason I almost gave this three stars instead of two but I don't think it had enough for another star), but I just didn't like any of the characters. I thought a majority of them were annoying and awful people! Sylvie was probably the worst parent I've ever read about. I mean, she can't even talk to her own son! It's not like she tried and failed, she just didn't even attempt to because she was so intimidated around him. The total lack of communication was just annoying. I was just like, "Talk already!!!!" Maybe it was supposed to be like that to create the problems in the first place, but I didn't like it. The only character I liked was Joanna and that's pretty much it. Maybe I liked Scott a little, but everyone else I just didn't care about. It was neat to see how the family's past unwound throughout the story, but everything else was just not interesting. And I'm not really a fan of the paperback cover (with the trees and pathway full of leaves). The hardback cover is so much prettier that I have no idea why they would change it. As for reading the book, Sara Shepard fans should NOT read this, but if you like slow books with good writing maybe you should pick this one up.
    • 3/5
      The story of a family torn apart by secrets and things left unsaid. I found Shepard's characters to be interesting, and I raced through the book wanting to find out more about each of them. I did find the conclusion of the book a bit sudden, and would have liked a bit more closure to some of the conflicts in the book. This isn't great literature, by any means, but it was an engrossing beach read.
    • 2/5
      This book was tough to get through. The plot was weak and confusing, and the characters annoying. No one spoke to one another, spending all their time assuming the worst and feeling sorry for themselves. The family secret was a joke. I pretty much spent the entire novel waiting for something to actually happen, and it never did. This book could also have used a more thorough edit, as I kept encountering inconsistencies in the story (example: one character checks into a one-story motel, yet when he goes back to his room that night, he "went up the metal stairs to his room") that were really annoying.
    • 1/5
      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 and everyone went nuts without knowing any details at all – before any formal investigation or charges were brought. An autopsy on the boy that died hadn’t even been done.The characters were all very one-dimensional, especially Scott. Sylvie and her late husband adopted Scott when he was a toddler. He is biracial (African-American and white) and Sylvie and the rest of the family are white. Scott’s character is such a stereotype of the urban, angry black man that I was actually angry myself (at the author) as I was reading the book. I think (and hope) that the author’s intent was to show that he was more than that on the inside but that no one gets to know him well enough to figure that out. However, if that was indeed her intent, she did not do a very good job.The story took a weird turn about three-fourths of the way in and some of the storylines were just dropped with no resolution at all. The way Sylvie’s storyline ended was totally out of left field and left me scratching my head.Sara Shepard is also the author of the Pretty Little Liars series which I haven’t read but gather must be quite popular since it’s been made into a TV series. Only having read this particular book by Shepard, I can’t see myself reading any of her other books.
    • 3/5
      Overall, a good story with one great twist. Good use of social and racial elements as part of the story without being preachy or overly politically correct. I was slightly unsatisfied with the ending.