A smart, comic page-turner about a Silicon Valley family in free fall over the course of one eventful summer from the author of Watch Me Disappear and the upcoming Pretty Things When Paul Miller’s pharmaceutical company goes public, making his family IPO millionaires, his wife, Janice, is sure this is the windfall she’s been waiting years for—until she learns, via messengered letter, that her husband is divorcing her (for her tennis partner!) and cutting her out of the new fortune. Meanwhile, four hundred miles south in Los Angeles, the Millers’ older daughter, Margaret, has been dumped by her newly famous actor boyfriend and left in the lurch by an investor who promised to revive her fledgling post-feminist magazine, Snatch. Sliding toward bankruptcy and dogged by creditors, she flees for home where her younger sister Lizzie, 14, is struggling with problems of her own. Formerly chubby, Lizzie has been enjoying her newfound popularity until some bathroom graffiti alerts her to the fact that she’s become the school slut. The three Miller women retreat behind the walls of their Georgian colonial to wage battle with divorce lawyers, debt collectors, drug-dealing pool boys, mean girls, country club ladies, evangelical neighbors, their own demons, and each other, and in the process they become achingly sympathetic characters we can’t help but root for, even as the world they live in epitomizes everything wrong with the American Dream. Exhilarating, addictive, and superbly accomplished, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything crackles with energy and intelligence and marks the debut of a knowing and very funny novelist, wise beyond her years.
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"What happens to a family when everything they've built up, apart from their relationships- their reputations, material possessions, and dreams- come crashing to a halt? They are stripped down and forced to find themselves and each other amidst the wreckage. And they learn that everything that was destroyed doesn't really matter in the end. As I read this, the characters I didn't want to like in the beginning, I grew to love by the end."
— Amber (4 out of 5 stars)
" okay - a little depressing. "
— Denise, 2/18/2014" Again a reminder to surround yourself with women to help you when the men screw you over. Just kidding... or am I? "
— Erin, 2/15/2014" A good fun read with a good ending. "
— Corina, 2/13/2014" Really, more like two-and-a half. It kind of reminded me of "Valley of the Dolls," but not nearly as trashy--which is why "VOD" is better. Still, it was a good pool read, and I polished it off in two days... "
— Rain, 2/13/2014" A truly awful book filled with caricatures of suburban stereotypes, I finished it just to see how the ending would pile on the cliches of suburban self-destruction. "
— Myriah, 2/7/2014" Very predictable story. Easy chick lit. "
— Rebecca, 1/18/2014" Hard to feel bad for people who have so much, but keep making mistakes over and over again. Margaret complains about her mother not communicating, yet she never does. Characters do not seem to learn anything. Book has a very whiny tone. Same old repeating mistakes. ... what's the point. "
— Carol, 1/18/2014" Now one of my favorite books. "
— Beth, 1/11/2014" Ending was sad but the journey took a little too long "
— Ceping, 1/3/2014" It was the only paperback I took to the beach, so I read it, but did not enjoy it. "
— Janet, 12/18/2013" Pretty depressing book. I would say, don't bother with it. "
— Kim, 12/15/2013" A unique taste of what live can really be like. It's about learning to pull together when EVERYTHING seems to be going wrong. Also a pleasant reminder that you really don't have it as bad as you could. "
— Ocean, 12/3/2013" Decent read. Thought it was a little long and annoying at first and then it became weirdly addictive. Would be a good book to read at the beach. Girly drama, not usually my favorite, but I ended up liking the unexpected twists and turns. "
— Marjie, 5/1/2013" Not very engaging. The story was okay, but had slightly static characters that were all predictable. All the women in the family were in crisis, but none of it was very believable and I didn't really care about the characters or what would happen to them. "
— cassie, 4/13/2013" Loved this -- never wanted it to end. The cover makes it look far less appealing than it actually was -- I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I hadn't read a review of it somewhere else. But it was brilliant: funny and clever and engaging, and the characters were absolutely spot-on. "
— Holly, 2/4/2013" I needed something mildly entertaining that didn't require a lot of concentration while I was dealing with a family crisis. It served it's purpose. Very fluffy. "
— Shannon, 12/19/2012" This is a cute and easy summer read that keeps you coming back for more. The picture perfect So-Cal mother becoming a meth addict kept me intruiged enough to suffer through the bland dissertation on the oldest daughter's depression and the youngest daughter's menstrual cycle. "
— Mark, 6/26/2012" Read the whole thing on a flight from Boston to Denver. It's a quick summer read, but I found the writing to be a bit irksome at times. "
— Elizabeth, 5/24/2012" This book had the makings to be really great... but fell so short at the end. I found the conclusion totally unsatisfying. "
— Kori, 8/24/2011" Fast read - good summer book with characters who are unique and have depth. "
— Angela, 8/16/2011" This book was 95% drama and 5% good feelings. I told this is intentional to keep us turning the page. There's two areas that I totally disagree with regarding the Mr. Miller and FOXNEWS. Totally unnecessary! "
— Sharon, 5/22/2011" Janelle Brown is an artist and she has satire and humor down to science. To write like that; oh, I envy her. This is a great book. The storyline will knock you back when you start to read it. It's funny and poignantly sad at the same time. Loved it! "
— Katherine, 5/12/2011" Silicon Valley drama. Wife left on day husband's company goes public. He leaves to be with her best friend. More drama to end which I will not reveal. <br/> <br/>I finished this book last week and had to skim read to remember what it is about. Not earth shaking, for sure. "
— Marilyn, 4/26/2011" This is an awfully melodramatic drama in which all the problems are solved rather casually. The characters are sympathetic, up to a point, but we’re never truly engaged by them. The big confrontations and surprises are predictable, and the story itself feels much too episodic. "
— Katherine, 4/14/2011" Good book - a fast, entertaining, mindless read. Great for the beach, the pool, or the long commute. "
— Jen, 4/6/2011" Not my cup of tea. "
— Claudia, 4/6/2011" Hard to feel bad for people who have so much, but keep making mistakes over and over again. Margaret complains about her mother not communicating, yet she never does. Characters do not seem to learn anything. Book has a very whiny tone. Same old repeating mistakes. ... what's the point. "
— Carol, 4/4/2011" I bet this is made into a movie. It was an easy read about entitled, rich, white women and men with some drugs, Hollywood, sex, etc...thrown in. Yep, made for film. "
— Christine, 4/3/2011" This book is well written, the characters well developed & the story very realistic. However, I found it difficult to find any redeeming qualities in the main characters & that always diminishes my enjoyment of a book. I just wanted to strangle these women for not learning anything. "
— Wende, 3/29/2011" A good read, but I had the strange feeling that I read it already! "
— Kristina, 3/10/2011" FABULOUS...could not put this book down. One story line is more shocking than the next! "
— Colleen, 3/7/2011" ok. Fairly pedestrian story - divorce after 25+ years, two messed up kids, drugs, sex, over extended finances, multimillion dollar pharmaceutical IPO.... "
— Ruth, 3/5/2011" I was given this book as a fluff book, and it was ... but I couldn't put it down! I probably should have saved it for the beach because it was that kind of book you can easily get lost in. Need to escape a bit? Highly recommend! "
— Michelle, 2/25/2011" Fast read - good summer book with characters who are unique and have depth. "
— Angela, 2/23/2011Janelle Brown is the author of This Is Where We Live and All We Ever Wanted Was Everything. She is also an essayist and journalist whose writing has appeared in Vogue, the New York Times, Elle, Wired, Self, Los Angeles Times, Salon, and numerous other publications.
Rebecca Lowman is an actress and audiobook narrator who has won numerous Earphones Awards. She has starred in numerous television shows, including Law & Order, Big Love, NCIS, and Grey’s Anatomy, among many others. She earned her MFA from Columbia University.