All You Never Wanted

Name: All You Never Wanted
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Adele Griffin
ISBN: 9780804123792

Author: Adele Griffin

Narrator: Annalie Gernert, Erin Mallon

Unabridged: 6 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Listening Library

Published: 10/08/2013

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, Social Themes, Family

Synopsis

With my eyes closed and Alex's core friends all around me, it was like I'd become my big sister, or something just as good. And so who cared if they were calling it Alex's party? One thing I knew: it would be remembered as mine.

Alex has it all—brains, beauty, popularity, and a dangerously hot boyfriend. Her little sister Thea wants it all, and she's stepped up her game to get it. Even if it means spinning the truth to win the attention she deserves. Even if it means uncovering a shocking secret her older sister never wanted to share. Even if it means crying wolf.

Told in the alternating voices of Alex and Thea, Adele Griffin's mesmerizing new novel is the story of a sibling rivalry on speed.

About The Author

ADELE GRIFFIN is the acclaimed author of many books for young readers, including Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be, both National Book Award finalists. She is also the author of Tighter, Picture the Dead, The Julian Game, and the Witch Twins and Vampire Island middle-grade series. Adele lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sarah

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,......more

Goodreads review by Jessie (Ageless Pages Reviews)

2.5 Flat, with a cast of unengaging and thoroughly unlikeable characters (except Xander!), that offers little real resolution offered for any of the ongoing issues. All You Never Wanted tries to do too much with its short span of pages, and the result is a book that feel short-changed from character......more

Goodreads review by Kelly

Alex and Thea's lives changed when their mother married the rich Arthur. They've gone from being the girls with part time jobs to being the girls who have it all. For Thea, this is her chance to become popular. It's her chance to be the kind of girl her sister has always been: the IT girl. For Alex,......more

Quotes

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2012:
“A sumptuously written examination of sibling rivalry and socioeconomic class.”

Starred Review, Booklist, September 1, 2012:
“The book is so raw that at times it’s difficult to read—yet it’s impossible to put down.”

Starred Review, School Library Journal, October 2012:
"Loss of bodily control, anorexia, social phobia, sibling rivalry, and compulsive lying are all explored as each girl’s story unfolds. An excellent choice for teen girls’ discussion groups."

Publishers Weekly, September 17, 2012:
"Griffin shows her customary skill at honing in on her protagonists’ perceptions, internal conflicts, and uncomfortable relationships."