All You Never Wanted

by Adele Griffin

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 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.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Fiction, Family, Audiobook, Teen

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2012

About the author

from Wikipedia:

Adele Griffin is the author of over thirty highly-acclaimed books across a variety of genres, including Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be, both National Book Award Finalists.

Her debut adult novel The Favor explores themes of friendship, surrogacy, and nontraditional family building.

Find her on TikTok at @adelegriffinbooks and Instagram at @adelegriffin or www.adelegriffin.


website: www.adelegriffin.com


Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/adelegriffi...

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adele-G...


Open Road Media interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSa3P...

Reviews

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over the past year, I've been discovering a love for realistic fiction, my home base having always been fantasy novels for pretty much all of my YA-reading past. When I was an actual teen, my favorite genre to read was chick lit: humor, sexy times, and a hot man for every woman; I pretty much hoped that would be my future. As I've gotten older and seen that this would not be my future, these happy novels have failed to move me most of the time, seeming much less realistic than their depressing counterparts. With Adele Griffin, I have found another author who writes books full of broken characters and feels.

At its core, All You Never Wanted is the story of two sisters, Thea and Alex. Both are broken, unable to exist comfortably in their own skins. They used to be happy, even after their parents' divorce and father's abandonment. What undid them was their mother's remarriage. Interestingly enough, the problem was not Arthur, the mother's new husband, who treats them well and would do anything for them. The issue is his wealth, and that he travels so much on business, taking their mother with him.

During the time where they had very little money, both girls working to help the family scrape buy and pay the bills, the three of them were a tight family unit. They were close and happy. With the money and resulting luxury, the three have grown apart. More separate and free, the two girls find it hard to figure out who they are or how to behave. The fact that both are classic 'poor little rich girls' is made less obnoxious by their acknowledgment and distaste of that fact, as well as by the fact that they have not always been this way.

Alex speeds toward hermit status, afraid to leave Camelot (the name of their immense house) because of a traumatic experience she had during her internship at a fashion magazine. She withdraws more and more, skipping school, shutting out her boyfriend and sister, refusing to eat, and only barely managing to continue tutoring at Empty Hands, a volunteer center. This last may seem the least important, but her work there, kids like Leonard who count on her, are the only tether keeping her from closing herself inside permanently.

Thea has always worshipped her prettier, older, better-liked sister. Before, Thea was a nerd, who delighted in essay contests and winning trophies for academic achievement. As Alex disappears, Thea overcompensates for the loss of her idol by trying to become Alex, single white female style. No longer caring about her grades, she throws herself into a web of lies in an effort to entertain the highest echelon in her high school, to become one of the popular kids. On top of that, Thea wants Alex's boyfriend, Joshua.

Griffin uses an interesting narrative style to accomplish this tale: Thea's perspective is first person, and Alex's third person limited. This can be a tricky technique to pull off with multiple perspectives, but Griffin does so marvelously. Thea's personality fits a first person narration perfectly, since she's such a storyteller. She wants to be able to tell the audience what's going on in her life her way, put her spin on it and make it a better story. Alex has no desire to be known, feels foreign even to herself.

I ripped through this brief novel, caught up in the drama and pain of their lives. My biggest issue with the book is that I just could not believe the truth of Alex's trauma once I heard it. Call me a terrible person, but I definitely laughed, though it does allow for a nice joke at the end. Also, complex and real as they were, I never bonded with Alex and Thea. Of the two, though, I liked Alex best, despite her weird issue, especially since she has a touching romantic story line.

From what I've heard, this is not Griffin's best novel, but, even so, I can tell that I need to read more Griffin. Her writing has a unique flair and she does not turn away from darkness. Given its brevity, this is well worth a read if you find the concept intriguing or have enjoyed Griffin before. This would make a great readalike for Denise Jaden's Never Enough or Sarah Wylie's All These Lives.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 motivations and actions to the conflict and denouement. A disappointment that failed to deliver from start to finish, I don't think I will be rereading or recommending this particular novel in the future.

[Kelly Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark and disturbing story of sibling rivalry, All You Never Wanted is unlike any contemporary I've ever read. Both protagonists have their own issues - one is a pathological liar while the other is literally wasting away to nothing because of her anxiety - yet those issues pale in comparison to the underlying jealousy motivating every action. With an overnight romance and a vaguely abrupt ending though, All You Never Wanted left me wanting more.

Thea is Alex's younger sister, tired of living in her shadow. Having decided to re-imagine herself in her inner popular self's image, someone she calls Gia, she's desperate to fit in. And that means becoming best friends with Alex's friends, a group she calls the Blondes, and secretly coveting Alex's boyfriend, Jason. Thea's storyline in All You Never Wanted was enough to capture my attention, as her imagination was constantly in overdrive, working on a new story that might help her to become a part of the popular crowd.

This story is nasty and everyone is spelbound and that's power. They're all hooked and I'm in focus, I'm mixing up this thing like I'm the smoothest bartender in the newest club for people who've all decided at this moment I'm one of them. And if there's guilt down my spine, it's nothing like the heat on my skin as I raise my voice to land it. Likes take nerve, which I'm working on. But nobody needs to know that.

She wasn't above making up a lie in order to become the center of attention, and she had no concern for the consequences; she fully believed she'd be able to talk herself out of any situation with another lie.

While watching Thea descend into desperation, we also had to endure Alex's anxiety-ridden neurosis, which at times, was completely debilitating. Having experienced something traumatizing during a summer internship, Alex has become a shell of the person she once was. Fearful of losing control over her body, she limits what she eats/drinks to the point of developing what seems to be an eating disorder. She has distanced herself from both her friends and family (leaving room for Thea to weasel her way into their lives) and has days where she's unable to pull her car out of the driveway.

With such compelling backstories, All You Never Wanted had me completely hooked. But as Thea's lies became more outrageous and she became more desperate to replace Alex, my concern for her mental health increased to the point where I had to wonder if she would have been clinically diagnosed with some sort of psychosis - and why none of her friends/family thought the same and thought to seek out professional help. And because of the extreme reaction Alex showed to her traumatizing event, I was convinced something extremely damaging had to have happened to her. When the details surrounding the event unfolded, I was left feeling...underwhelmed? What happened would definitely have been mortifying, but I can't imagine it affecting my life as drastically as it affected Alex's.

Towards the end, I loved watching Alex begin to recapture control and live her life again, but I was annoyed that she needed a guy to help her find herself. My annoyance was only strengthened by Alex and Xander's instant romance. Their relationship was so sudden and out-of-the-blue, that I was left wondering if I had missed a chapter. Alex's entire outlook on her life was completely changed by one interaction, and with Xander at her side, it was like her traumatizing event had never happened. And after only one day together, Alex was talking about possibly being in love with Xander! I just wasn't buying it. Add in the completely vague ending, where Thea tells Alex a secret that we're never privy to, and I was left quite disappointed after All You Never Wanted's potential-filled beginning.

With absolutely no resolution for Thea, and something that might be seen as running away from her problems for Alex, All You Never Wanted really came up short in the end. I love that Griffin didn't try to tie everything up in a nice bow, but some resolution is necessary so I don't feel like I've wasted my time. But a really well-done, though complicated, relationship between sisters and a writing style that I enjoyed did make All You Never Wanted a mostly entertaining read.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

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, this sudden change in status is not everything she'd hoped for. It comes with immense pressure. Sure, having her step father get her that amazing internship at Haute was great, but that internship was far from what she'd hoped it could be. In fact, it's that internship that causes Alex the worst kind of humiliation, which in turn leads her to developing an eating disorder in order to control every aspect of her bodily functions as possible. There is also a boy between the two girls, but that boy plays very different roles to each of them.

This could have been a poor little rich girl story. It could have been a story about two mean sisters. But it's about two very broken people who are broken for not the money nor the change in power. Instead, they're broken because of much deeper rooted issues. It was the changes that amplified and complicated them.

Griffin's writing is not the easiest to fall into but it's masterful. This story is told both through the eyes of Alex and Thea, Thea's story is told through the first person, and Thea is a thoroughly unlikable character. Alex's story is told through third person. And while this is initially a jarring way to read the story, it makes perfect sense for Alex. At the Haute internship, Alex pees herself during preparation for a huge event. It seems like a small thing, but it's utterly embarrassing for her on a number of levels. She's not only embarrassed for herself, but it carries a lot more weight knowing that this internship came through favors and not through her own abilities. Thus, she feels even worse about the situation because she's proven herself not worthy of it on numerous levels. This little action is Alex's moment of removing herself from her life. This is when she develops disordered eating. It's when she stops living her life entirely. The third person perspective gives us this and gives it to us hard. Forcing us into first person for Thea makes sense, too, because Thea's all about becoming that First Person in the story, even at the expense of her sister.

I thought Xander was a bit of a convenience in the story, but I was okay with it. I think what Griffin does in this story is noteworthy: she tells us a story about rivalry, about money and power and popularity and love and self-love and respect, but she does so in a way that is extremely teen. What these girls experience and go through on a daily are not LIFE ALTERING THINGS. They're struggling with popularity. With the way that a mother's new relationship changes their lives. With the way that money has an impact on their own self-perceptions. With how embarrassing it is when your own body misfunctions on you! . Xander's ultimately what Alex needs in her life, as much as he's what Thea needs.

Full review here: http://www.stackedbooks.org/2013/01/a...

[Amy Lignor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It will be no surprise for readers to learn that this particular author, Adele Griffin, is a ‘National Book Award’ finalist, considering the stories she weaves are among the most beautiful and heartbreaking tales ever told. And with this offering, the wealth of emotions are no different.

Here we join the lives of two sisters, who see each other in a far different way than they see themselves. Thea, the younger sibling, was one a bookworm. She was the brainy one who was always getting good grades and impressing one and all. Over the years, she has wanted more and more to become her popular, beautiful sister. And she uses her ‘other personality’ named Gia, to tell stories (lies that could hurt others), dress in the latest fashions, and basically act like a jerk in order to sit at the ‘popular’ table at school.

Alex is the older sister. A senior in high school, Alex has always had it all - from the outside, anyway. But when her parents broke up and she ended up living in the ridiculous mansion of a rich man her mother married, her life seemed to twist and turn, leaving her more scared than anything else. In fact, Alex finds herself on many occasions sweating profusely, absolutely scared of the rest of the world. Her mental faculties are beyond confused and she is basically wasting away.

Alex’s boyfriend is Joshua Gunner - nice, yet makes extra money by selling dime bags to the rich kids of the neighborhood so that he can save up to one day head to Hollywood and work at his dream job in special effects. Thea is beyond in love with Joshua and wants nothing more than to take him away from her sister - yet another thing about Alex she is more than jealous of.

This story is one of drama and pain, as readers watch Thea covet her sister’s life and work beyond hard to get it for herself. What she doesn’t realize is that the more you cry wolf, the more lonely you become.

Dark and light - this author has written a story where issues of wealth, sex, love, health and the world of the ‘popular’ ones are revealed to show exactly how bad everything can get. But the love and support of two sisters who have always cared for each other does shine through.

Until Next Time, Everybody,
Amy

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars.

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.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

All You Never Wanted takes you on a dark journey into sibling jealous, a dysfunctional family. Griffin delivered a unique disturbing contemporary unlike anything I have ever read. This tale takes you on a journey dealing with the effects of instantly having money and emotional issues. It gives you a dark and sinister look at sibling rivalry. While I certainly became entangled in the tale, it left me wanted more.

The tale takes place over the course of a few days and is told from the perspectives of each sister. Thea is the youngest sibling and parts of her personality could have been conceived by Stephen King himself. She is a pathological liar and determined to finally outshine the shadow her older sibling, Alex. Alex has had a melt down and feels as if her life is spiraling out of control. She is living in a state of severe anxiety. Thea is planning a party, spreading lies and secretly coveting Jason who is Alex’s boyfriend. The tale that unfolds gives us unique insight into each sister and I found myself swept up in their tales.

Thea immediately captured my intention. She has this dual personality, is a compulsive liar and you never knew what she was capable of from one moment to the next. I began to question whether or not she was psychotic. Let’s just say I would never turn my back on her. Alex on the other hand, I felt sorry for. She definitely needs help and her absentee Mom and new stepfather certainly didn’t win any of my love. We often see this theme of absentee parents in YA to develop the story line. Here it’s quickly obvious that this family is seriously dysfunctional. During the time period this takes place Daddy Warbucks is at a big meeting out of town and Mom accompanies him leaving Alex in charge. Alex!! Who sometimes is so anxiety ridden that she cannot leave her room for days on end. GRR!

The world building was both engaging and frustrating for me. I was captivated by both sister’s and certainly could not stop reading. However things didn’t fit or fell flat for me. I certainly question the parents, and school where Alex was concerned. While her problems were psychological they manifested themselves in very physical ways. Thea seemed to waiver between being concerned for Alex and being angry at her. The reasons for Alex’s breakdown when revealed left me feeling like I missed something. Perhaps there were underlying problem but it wasn’t adequately revealed. Thea's perspective stole the show as far as keeping me enthralled, I felt like I was in the mind of a future serial killer. An unexpected insta-love threw me for a loop as it seemed to come out of left field. While, the ending seemed to offer an escape and a ray of hope for one sibling it left things open for the other. When I closed the book, I was left feeling like I wanted more.

Do I recommend All She Never Wanted? Absolutely because despite all of the issues I noted, this dark, disturbing tale engaged me and was so unique I think it’s worth the read.

I want to thank Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[BAYA Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This books seems to explore the different ways that lying to others and lying to yourself can be damaging. Thea and her older sister Alex are now living in a too-extravagant house (nicknamed “Camelot” by Thea) in posh Greenwich, Connecticut after their mom marries a wealthy man. Before this marriage, the girls and their divorced mother were barely getting by in their tiny apartment but they had each other and were pretty close. Now their mom seems to be always flying somewhere with her new husband - for vacations or charity events - and the girls are often left alone to adjust to their new reality. Told alternately in first person (Thea) and third person (Alex), we learn that these sisters have dealt with the changes in their lives in very different ways. Formerly nerdy Thea has decided that conspicuous consumption and outrageous but borderline believable lies will make her interesting and popular. Meanwhile, Alex, who has always been somewhat of a golden girl, seems to be in the midst of a nervous breakdown that is getting progressively worse - for a specific reason that is revealed later in the novel. Alex feels repulsed at the idea of eating and will also often be frozen in place by an intangible fear - her reaction to the upsetting incident in her recent past is causing her to slowly disappear, both mentally and physically. Younger sister Thea is simultaneously protective of her fragile older sister and secretly gleeful that she has a chance to usurp Alex’s popularity, which might just include stealing her sexy badboy boyfriend Joshua.

Thea’s narration will grab readers with its audacity, pride, and jealousy. You might not admire Thea as a person, but her ability to manufacture drama and strife is riveting, and you do somewhat empathize with her desire to reinvent herself. It is a lot easier to sympathize with Alex, who, with the encouragement of a cute boy named Xander, is trying to get over her disturbing incident by tutoring poor kids and reaching out to an anorexic girl in a rough part of New York City. But when readers finally find out what the Big Incident was that has caused Alex so much pain, they might wonder how such an incident could really cause her to be so debilitated. In the end, however, it’s not really about the specific incident that Alex experienced, but rather the fact that she is so ashamed about it that she has to constantly lie to herself and suppress the memory of it. Her psychological self-hatred turns into physical self-hatred. While Alex damages her body by lying to herself, Thea is damaging her home, her reputation, and her sister’s relationship with Joshua by lying to everyone else.

All the adults in these girls lives are completely absent, as if they don’t even exist. The story contains an out of control party scene and sexual situations. While this book has some strong writing and explores some interesting psychological issues, there are too many aspects that seem rather unrealistic, and the ending is somewhat abrupt. For older readers only.

[Michelle (Pink Polka Dot Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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....

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was nothing like what it promoted itself to be. I thought that there would be this huge, dramatic battle for a boy, one sister who has him and one sister who wants him. While that did happen, it didn't happen in the dramatic way that it was perceived to be, mainly because the sister with the boyfriend didn't care after all.
Alex Parrott is beautiful, popular, has a boyfriend and pretty much everything else. Thea Parrott, is the younger sister, and feels exactly like it. She is considered the brainy one in the family, and hates that moniker. She wants to be popular like her sister, and like her sister, she wants Alex's boyfriend.
Thea will do pretty much anything to be like her older sister. Including telling massive lies to get ahead. Unfortunately, Thea has told so many lies that Alex no longer believes a word she says, which made the end of the book so annoying because you're not sure if what happened, really happened.
Alex, on the other hand, seems to be having a massive meltdown. To the point where I wasn't sure at first if she was pregnant and had had an abortion or not. Alex is also suffering from a severe case of Anorexia, to which no one is doing anything to help her. Alex has a volunteer job as a tutor, and catches the eye of a guy who works there. In a complete and totally weird and unexpected twist, especially since this character was given maybe a few pages of explanation before this, Alex winds up making out with this new boy. Alex had been having problems with her current boyfriend, but it still made no sense for her to go after another guy.
Alex and Thea's mother and step-father were absent from this entire book, and it seems as if they are not really in the picture much anyway, which explained why Alex and Thea were both falling apart. What I didn't understand was why Alex's so called best friends and boyfriend didn't interevene, and why Alex didn't call her mother about her sister's pathological lying.
The writing also left a lot to be desired. Thea's chapters are written in the first person, while Alex's chapters are written in the third person. That being said, I was very bored with this book, and if it hadn't been for Hurricane Sandy wiping out my cable, I wouldn't have bothered finishing this.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex and Thea are sisters who have survived some tough times with a divorce and no money. Now their mom has married a gazillionaire and they can have anything they want. But the problem with that is their close knit family has now become splintered by sibling rivalry and a dangerous competitiveness that can only lead to disaster. Alex, the older sister seems to have everthing--beauty, brains and a widely coveted boyfriend. But she is also struggling with an eating disorder. Little sister Thea aspires to everything that Alex seems to have so effortlessly. To get her way, she is willing to tell horrible lies about fellow students to ingratiate herself with Alex's popular friends. Worse, she is gunning for Alex's boyfriend. Told in the alternating voices of Alex and Thea, Adele Griffin's mesmerizing new novel is the story of a disastrous sibling rivalry and how money definitely cannot buy happiness. A fascinating look at the forces that drive teens to do just about anything to achieve popularity.

[Jody Casella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book--but it's hard to characterize.

The blurb on the back plays up the sibling rivalry between sisters Alex and Thea. They're living a fairy tale life in upscale Greenwich, Connecticut, (their single mom recently married a bazillionaire tycoon) but there's turmoil under the surface. Older sister Alex is beautiful and popular and seems to have it all. Thea is brilliant and envious, coveting Alex's enviable life, which also includes Alex's boyfriend, and she'll do anything to get it. Cue soap-opera-y music.

But this book is not a soap opera...
see rest of my review here:
http://jodycasella.blogspot.com/2012/...

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its not a good thing we you don't connect with the characters until over 150 pages in. Especially when the book is only 200 something pages long. These two sisters were hard to like. The only character I liked was xander, and there was no where near enough of him.


Men. Disorder book, lacking, hard to connect with any of the characters.

2.5 stars for me.... big sigh...

[Danya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of my Psychtember reviews will be formatted differently than my standard reviews, to reflect the mental health theme. I've structured things as though the book is the patient and I'm giving it an assessment. Each axis is an aspect of the book that I'll give my thoughts on (characters, plot, etc.), and the validity score refers to how psychologically accurate I think the book is. Then I may list some other books that this one "shares symptoms with" (i.e. novels dealing with similar topics) and provide the patient's "statement" (quote) before giving the "diagnosis" (my shooting star rating). The rating still reflects my overall view of the book, using my standard rating system.

Assessment:

Axis 1. Characters

Adele Griffin is just so good at writing complex characters. Characters who do the wrong things for the right reasons, the right things for the wrong reasons, and the wrong things for the wrong reasons...but not so often the right things for the right reasons. Her characters are so flawed — but in All You Never Wanted at least one of the two main characters is one you can root for. 

The sisters: Alex is obviously the more sympathetic, likeable sister; she has a whole host of issues to deal with (which will be discussed below) and certainly shows some less than honourable behaviour, but she is definitely easier to like than Thea.

Her sister, on the other hand, is a real pain in the neck. She's the 'bratty kid sister' taken to an extremely toxic level. I never felt like she truly cared about Alex (even though she said she did), because she went around sabotaging her sister — trying to take her friends and boyfriend, be "better" than Alex, and capitalize on the fact that Alex is struggling. Thea is never satisfied; she always wants more, and the only reason she wants it is because Alex has it. This life of luxury she's been given has opened up a realm of possibility. Suddenly there's all this stuff that she never wanted that she has now, and it's almost like she doesn't know what to do with it exactly, but it makes her want more. And she begins treating people like objects, stuff for her to accumulate. I suspect something clinical is going on with Thea as well, so her behaviour will also be addressed in detail on Axis 4. 

I wasn't strongly connected emotionally to either sister, although I found Alex easier to relate to than Thea, but they're very flawed and multi-dimensional. The story is kind of irresistible anyway, though, because it's clear that these two sisters are heading for disaster.

Xander and Joshua: Xander is the one person here who's sensible, the voice of reason/sanity. He's Alex's "rock" in a way. He's pretty awesome and the day he and Alex spend together is cute. While he's not perfect (he does get angry at times), he's pretty steady, and certainly preferable to Joshua. I couldn't get a read on Joshua for a long time, but basically, he's a jerk. I never liked him that much and I don't think we're supposed to!

Other side characters: We don't really get to know Alex's friends, "The Blondes," that well, but they're pretty much there just to show us that Thea is trying to steal them away from her sister. Honestly, I don't know why Alex wants to hang out with them anyway, because they don't seem that nice; I guess Alex and Palmer in particular have a long history and a strong connection. I wish we'd seen a little more about the mom (and Thea's and Alex's connection with her) as well as Arthur. At one point it's mentioned that Alex feels so bad about disappointing Arthur and I was like, "Really? Because you didn't seem to care about him for most of this book..."


Axis 2. Premise/plot

I was really confused for the first few chapters, but then it started making more sense as I got further into it. The whole story takes place in this glitzy glamour world of money, that Thea and Alex were pushed into when their mom remarried. It's almost soap opera–ish in a way; you can see it playing out kind of like the TV show 90210 with all these really rich teens. It conveys that vibe very well, and it's difficult to stop reading (especially towards the end) because you can't tear your eyes away from this glittery, frothy life of these rich people — and how destructive they are in their opulence. This kind of life is tearing Alex up inside, even as she weakly tries to rebel, and Thea is just destroying herself. 

It would have been interesting to have seen more flashbacks to when the mom first remarried, and been shown the effect (as it happened) of the money on Alex and Thea. As Alex acknowledges at one point, the whole thing does seem very "poor little rich girl". I couldn't feel that bad for people who have so much, but on the other hand, I guess I can kind of understand how it would completely change your world and how you live, messing with your values and making you doubt yourself. I think how much it changes someone would depend on the character of the person, though. Thea didn't have a strong enough personality to resist it, and was tempted by the money and everything it gave her. It's pathetic how concerned she becomes with what people think of her. I have a hard time buying it's just the money's fault; you can point your finger at the fact that her stepdad's so rich, but really, it's how she reacts to that — the money is just an excuse. 

Plotwise not that much happens here, but it doesn't really matter — it's rich in social drama. Plus, there's the party at the end, and you know that's where everything's going to go down. And does Adele Griffin ever know how to end a book! It's exploiting some shock value, yes, but there's a sickening sort of ambiguity at play here; you don't really know what happened, but you are certainly left to suspect. The very last couple of pages gives us a brilliant dose of irony by being juxtaposed with what just happened previously.

Thea is a mess at the end, and Alex's behaviour really says something about how much Thea has torn apart their relationship (although Alex is a little to blame as well for that). However, I had to feel bad for Thea in a way (that is, given a particular interpretation of events), because she is pretty young and doesn't know exactly what she's doing. She's cluelessly reaching for fire, thinking she wants it...and then she finds out that she doesn't. There's definitely a message of "reap what you sow" with this book, and Thea cannot for the life of her figure out that there will be consequences to her behaviour, and that she'll just wind up hurting herself.

Unfortunately, we don't get much resolution about Alex's psychological problems. It looks like she's taking the first steps to getting herself back on track and getting help, though.

Axis 3. Writing Style

I just get so impressed by Adele Griffin's books because she's a really good wordsmith and the quality of writing is always high. In particular, I have to commend her talent for subtlety. She's excellent at insinuating twisted things; it's almost like the spaces where she doesn't say something are as important as all the words she does say. It's masterful writing technique when you can make those blank spaces mean as much (or more) than the actual words.

Alex's chapters are written in third-person and Thea's in first-person, which is interesting, because I feel like I couldn't understand Thea's perspective and attitude as well as I could relate to Alex's. It took a bit for me to switch between the viewpoints for the first little while, but this approach works to separate the two perspectives and keep them distinct.

Present-tense is not usually my favourite, but here I think it really gives the reader that sense of immediacy; the time passing is important because it all happens over a fairly short period. In particular, Xander's and Alex's relationship develops very quickly, and yet despite that we see they share a meaningful emotional (and physical) connection.

Some of the description in here may seem somewhat unnecessary, but it balances out some of the really important things that happen "off-screen" (otherwise it would be really short and simple!). There's also a fair bit of brand name–dropping (they are rich people, after all) which didn't do anything for me, since I didn't get most of the references; some of the slang was lost on me as well.

Griffin is great at creating meaning with fresh or unusual analogies/metaphors, and her writing feels quite powerful; it's not really a book to skim, because you could miss something important. She writes warped behaviour so effectively. I don't know how she does it, but somehow she manages to pull it off really well, so that instead of interpreting the characters as so unbelievable or unlikeable you don't want to read about them anymore, you're sucked in, wondering what they're going to do next. She also uses the unreliable narrator technique to good effect a couple of times, tricking the reader very nicely ( there are a couple scenes when Thea thinks up a lie, but you don't realize at first she's making it all up in her head, because it's written as though it's real, woven right in there).

Axis 4. Psychological Accuracy

The psychology here is mind-boggling — there are so many issues that both sisters are dealing with.

Alex: she definitely has some kind of anxiety disorder, specifically related to the fact that she's worried she will lose control of her bladder in public. While she does appear to have something akin to panic attacks, I don't think she'd qualify for full-blown panic disorder. She certainly displays some symptoms present in a panic attack — pounding heart, trembling, jumbled thoughts — but I don't know that she has enough, or to the extent, that they would meet the criteria for a panic attack.

What I suspect may be going on with her is agoraphobia without panic disorder. Symptoms of anxiety can still occur with this, but they are not at the same level as panic disorder. This page about the disorder states that the individual is afraid of something embarrassing happening in public, and gives a loss of bladder control as an example. Of course, it might also be possible Alex has a form of social phobia or a specific phobia — it's difficult to say without a diagnostic interview! Regardless, what happened to her at the internship was absolutely humiliating, and I can see how that would make her feel ashamed and set off an anxiety disorder that snowballs.

Alex also shows hints of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). She has a need for perfection; she was always the admired, sociable sister that everyone looked up to, and while she didn't excel academically the way Thea did, she was planning on going to college. Now she's scared of losing control again and being imperfect. I doubt she is at the clinical level of OCPD, though.

Alex's phobia has led to other difficulties in her life. For instance, she barely eats at all now, because she wants to keep herself "void" to decrease the chance that she will have a repeat of the previous incident. I don't know if it would be classified as an eating disorder — it certainly isn't a typical case of anorexia, as Alex doesn't have body image issues — but it has similar effects. She's unhealthily thin and her menstrual cycle has become irregular. These kinds of problems are not touched on in most YA "issue books", so it's refreshing to see something more unusual being focused on.


Thea: she is such a weird, twisted character. I suspect she might have histrionic personality disorder. She craves attention, going so far as to invent the most outrageous stories and spreading hurtful rumors. Pathological lying can be associated with histrionic disorder. It seems like she does a lot of rash, self-flaunting things, including flirting with her sister's boyfriend.

This behaviour particularly happens when she's being "Gia", this "alter ego" of Thea's who makes her feel like a sexier, more confident person. She's aware of Gia, so I wouldn't classify it as dissociative identity disorder, but there are moments with hints of dissociation, and she certainly feels like she's playing two different roles.

It's creepy that Thea can be so cold and ruthless, and yet she has her innocent, naive side as well. We very occasionally see glimpses where Thea's real self (or at least her old self) comes back — for instance, when she feels guilty about something. A lot of the time, however, she just wants to be a manipulative Queen Bee. I wish we'd seen more of Thea before and witnessed the change in her; it's pretty sad what she's become. I think I would have liked her a whole lot more back when she was "bookworm Thea".

Validity Score: How psychologically accurate was All You Never Wanted?

Axis 5. Miscellaneous 

The girl on the cover doesn't look like either of the sisters, in my opinion. (But it is a striking image!) Also, I think All You Never Wanted is a really good title for this book, as it works on a few levels.

Patient's statement:

"Everyone knows your written story is a lie. But if you're going to get people to believe your lie out loud, then you have to muffle them in your breezy, shocking, junky, juicy, sexy, needless words. As for your darlings? That's the goo of anticipation. What sticks 'em to their seats. And the whole entire point of the project is that you're launching yourself into the void. Spitting in blood and crossing your heart to vouch for an experience you'd never known. That you couldn't feel, touch, or taste until the moment it was on your tongue and you realized — Everyone is buying this crap. Even me.

It pumped me up just to think about."

Diagnosis: 4.5 shooting stars. 

This book counts towards my goal for the Just Contemporary challenge.

Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC from the author for review.

Note: this book has some mature language/references.

Read my Psychtember interview with Adele Griffin here!

[Dominick Sellers · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of my book review could be misleading, just like the cover of the actual book.

When I picked this book up from the library I was hopeful it would be an exciting read, such as a mystery or thriller. That was not the case. This book was more of a family drama. I didn’t like any of the characters, and was not able to relate to any of them. Thea and Alex are two sisters who have a bit of sibling rivalry. Alex is living her best life, with a great boyfriend, good grades, and being the most liked in her family. Thea, on the other hand, wishes she could have the life that Alex has.

Although I enjoyed the climax. I think the author could have developed some of the characters better. Most of the characters were forgettable. The only characters I could remember are Thea, Alex, and Arthur. Arthur is the guy Thea and Alex’s mom is dating, and I only remember him because he didn’t annoy me. One thing I found annoying was Thea’s petty jealousy of her sister. She became so jealous of her sister she tried to publicly humiliate her. Overall it was a lot of teenage drama and family conflict that did not keep my attention.

[Jillian Ferry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A single mom and her two daughters marry into a wealthy life. The adjustment is different for everyone and close knit trio is sought after regardless of their new status.

[Clementine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sisters Alex and Thea are the personification of the Cinderella story: essentially rescued by their mom’s new billionaire husband, the girls live in a mansion in Greenwich. They have little supervision, everything they could ever want when it comes to clothes and cars, and are both totally miserable. Each girl deals with the change in their circumstance in a different way: older sister Alex restricts her enjoyment of their opulent lifestyle in the same way she restricts what she puts in her body while younger sister Thea attempts to reinvent herself, using whatever lie she needs in order to make it into the top of the social stratosphere. One night and one party will alter the girls’ lives forever.

Adele Griffin is a National Book Award finalist, and with her most recent offering, it’s easy to see why. Filled with gorgeous prose and characters who feel uncomfortably real, Griffin offers a gripping story about two sisters who are self-destructive in very different ways. Oftentimes hard to read because of its unflinching honesty, this is a novel that will resonate with readers who like their YA raw, a little gritty, and totally real.

There’s the fact that Griffin manages to get into the heads of her characters in a way that few authors can. Griffin has an unparalleled skill when it comes to getting at what makes her characters tick. Both Alex and Thea have incredibly distinctive, authentic voices. Both girls carry a great deal of pain, and neither one knows how to deal with it. The increasing absence of their mother only adds fuel to the fire, and the result can be painful to read about.

It’s not just the characters themselves that propel this novel forward. Griffin manages to get the details exactly right. Her descriptions of the ridiculously luxurious lifestyles that these teens live are pitch-perfect. Griffin’s ability to contrast the girls’ past with their presence is particularly astute, making this novel not only entertaining but also thought-provoking when it comes to issues of socioeconomic status.

Highly, highly recommended. This is excellently written, beautifully characterized, and well-paced. There’s particular appeal here for teen girls who like their YA stories a little grittier.

All You Never Wanted is out today.

All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Electronic galley accepted for review via NetGalley.

[Alanna (The Flashlight Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know there are mixed reviews out there on this one, and honestly I’m stuck somewhere in the middle. On a small level, this is the story of two sisters that suffer the devastating effects of becoming nouveau rich. On a much larger and deeper level, however, this is a story of sibling rivalry… and that story is dark and troubled.

Thea is the younger sister tired living in Alex’s shadow. She has developed this image of what her life should be like and it eats away at her. It consumes her, really. Thea’s story sucks you in from the beginning. She is so screwed up that you can’t help but continue to read because you want to find out where that train wreck is heading. And what a train wreck she is! Is she crazy? Yes, but that’s an understatement. Border line psychotic? Oh yeah. Pathological liar? Mmm, yep. An endangerment to herself and those around her? Right again! Like I said, complete train wreck.

While Thea’s highly disturbing story unfolds, the mystery surrounding Alex’s neurosis also unravels. You can tell that Alex was once this amazing person (that probably wasn’t too likeable), but her unfortunate “event” has left her scared and damaged. So is so damaged, in fact, that she is allowing herself to fade away—literally. She’s got a plate full of issues to handle too!

So yes, I thought the story behind these two sisters was very interesting. Compelling even. I was captivated for the most part. But the other characters did not hit the mark for me, and I think they took away from the book as a whole. For starters, Alex’s boyfriend was a douche bag. Barf. I understand the purpose he played, but geez. Then there was Xander… I really liked Xander, but the whole Alex-Xander “thing” was too rushed. It happened so quickly. In one paragraph the entire orbit of this book changed and I wasn’t fully buying it. Sorry. I’m happy with the ending. I think it worked, even if it left a lot of questions unanswered. I can certainly say there is no neat little bow ending to annoy you, and that is commendable.

Overall, I think what could have been a phenomenal story was rushed in places, which ultimately took away from the force of the story between the covers. It was still a good read for older YA readers, but not my favorite in this genre.

[Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adele Griffin is one of very few authors on my automatic-read list. After reading and being entranced by her novel Tighter, I knew that Adele was magic and that I must get my hands on everything she writes. She did not disappoint with ALL YOU NEVER WANTED. This book was indeed a story of sibling rivalry, on speed, just like the synopsis says. I couldn’t put it down. It was this crazy tail-spin, nose-dive, downward spiral, bottlenecking story that just didn’t stop.

Alex is wasting away. Ever since that terrible thing happened, she’s been starving herself. She is little more than a shell of who she used to be. She was once the queen of the school, pretty, with the most popular friends and most sought-after boyfriend. But then that thing happened. And she’s never been the same.

But underneath that Barbie-doll exterior, there is something more to Alex. She is kind and thoughtful. She loves deeply. She is hurting, from her father’s abandonment and her mother’s remarriage. And even though most days she can’t even pull herself out of bed (or her car out of the driveway) Alex is still hopeful.

Thea is crazy, though. She envies her older sister like any younger sibling would, but she takes it way, way too far. She spun the craziest lies and a web of stories, for no other reason than to get attention from Alex’s popular friends. She spreads nasty rumors about innocent classmates. She makes up wild and incredulous stories about herself, always making herself the hero. Even though I was in Thea’s head, I couldn’t tell where the truth ended and the lies began. So when she took it too far, it was hard to say whether it was true or not. You didn’t want it to be true, but it would crush you to think she lied about something that serious.

ALL YOU NEVER WANTED was emotionally exhausting. Trying to wade through all of Thea’s lies, to get to the bottom of her character and what make’s her Thea. All the while rooting Alex on in her struggles to face her past and move toward her present. It hurt to read this book, but that doesn’t take away from it in any way. Adele Griffin’s writing is beautiful and bold and her characters are true to life and pop right out of the pages.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, but compelling. Thea and Alex share the narration of one week in their moneyed, messed-up lives. Thea wants everything and wants to glory in the power and excess that their mother's marriage to noveau-riche, somewhat tacky, but kind Arthur has brought. Alex doesn't know how to handle going from a middle-class striver to a rich girl who's handed everything on a platter, so she tries wanting nothing - including food. Both miss their newly-absent - emotionally and often physically - mother. As the week progresses the girls move on their separate trajectories - Alex towards hope and healing through caring about others and Thea towards somewhere much darker helped along by the outrageous lies she fashions. The two girls are perfectly wrought as are most of the characters (Joshua and Arthur), but Xander is a wee bit too exactly what Alex needs and the mother remains a cipher. Also, now that I think about it, where are Thea's former friends? Alex has friends who at least try to be supportive although they are only somewhat successful, but Thea's friends are all gone once her one boyfriend moved away? Consequences, actions and reactions are cleverly illuminated so that both girls' journeys seem inevitable. The mystery of what happened to Alex at her Haute internship is tense and built up to seem horrible and the choice of incident is perfectly banal and humiliating and horrifying. The love, tenderness, competition and jealousy between Thea and Alex are well-balanced to show the complexity of their relationship. This is good stuff; the more I think about it, the more I like it, particularly because it could just be read on the level of a Gossip Girl novel, but holds so much more.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Claudia Burgoa]

First things first, I need to get this out of my chest: “Where the Heck were the parents”??? !!!

Im not sure how many stars should I give this one. Everything we never wanted deserves five stars for tons of reasons, and also it deserves one for a few others.

The book is told from two different perspectives, one is from Thea as a first person and the other is Alex –Thea’s her older sister- and is told as a third person. Both sisters have a lot of issues. Thea has a huge feud against Alex, and like all little siblings, she wants everything that her sister had –included her little drug dealer boyfriend. On top of it Thea is a pathological liar. Then Alex has anorexia and anxiety attacks due to an episode at an internship.

The writing is great and fluid. However, there were a lot of things that just didn’t click. The huge build up before this Alex episode had me expecting something so painful she might not ever get over it. When she tells one of her BF’s what happened, it took some of the excitement of the story. I sympathize with her anymore, only wanted to slap her and tell to get over it.

I didn’t need a happy ending, but throw me a closure over here please. I needed a little more sense thrown into the book. Yet, I did enjoy reading it, I know, I don't make sense.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book once I got into it. The beginning confused me because there was a lot of information that wasn't given to you upfront and that you had to keep reading to find out and understand. I thought the book was an eye opener about how wealth can affect people in different ways and how family should always come before your appearance and reputation.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Definitely not what I expected. Solid though, I enjoyed the complicated relationship between the two sisters. I felt disconnected throughout the story, but I'm sure this will appeal to readers who enjoy reading about family bonds and what can alter them.

[Small Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted at Small Review.

5 stars, Special Shelf
Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

A moment to fangirl

Gosh I love Adele Griffin's books. Not only is she a fantastic writer, but she always manages to make me break all my hard rules on what I like and don't like in a book (and I'm stubborn to a fault, so that's saying something!)

I mean, look, I really do NOT like issues books. At all. I have no sympathy for the characters and I'm usually bored by the super predictible plots. I also don't like characters who do certain immoral things, I have no patience for non-action-packed plots, and insta-love is not my cup of tea.

And, yes, all of those things are present here. But I'm gleefully ripping up all my rules (at least when it comes to Adele Griffin—hey, I'm not that flexible) because I LOVED this book!


What are you getting yourself into?

The chapters alternate between the two main characters, with Alex's sections written in third person and Thea's in first. I loved when Adele Griffin used this technique in her other sisters book Where I Want to Be and she uses it just as effectively here.

Not only does the tense switch help differentiate the speakers (though this isn't necessary considering Adele Griffin's books always score highly on the Who's Talking Test), but they almost functioned as another brilliant layer of character description. Alex's emotional distance and secrets were emphasized by the third person narration style, whereas Thea's internal corruption was put on stark display through the use of first person narration.

All You Never Wanted is a short book, but it is a book to be savored. Adele Griffin writes the kind of sentences I feel compelled to go back and reread because they just sound so good. The kind of sentences I'll read out loud because I like how they feel. The words come together in a way that's almost musical—words precisely chosen, sounds flowing and clashing up against one another, creating a beauty (and sometimes it's a horrific beauty) that stand all on their own.

Though, much as I SAY the book should be savored, it's not like I was able to. Reading All You Never Wanted was like putting a slice of chocoalte cake in front of me and saying, "Now make it last." Sure I might start out trying to ration it (only a bite here and there) but, yeah, I can't keep that up for long. Pretty soon I'd scarff that sucker down and there wouldn't be any cake left.

That's pretty much what I did with All You Never Wanted. I had grand plans to "Make it last" but it wasn't long before I was putting life on hold, eyes glued to the page and nothing short of death capable of tearing me away from finding out what would happen next to these troubled sisters. (Luckily, unlike chocolate cake, you can do a do-again with books by rereading them).

So I'm going to issue the Don't Make Plans warning. Seriously, don't even glance at the pages unless you're ready to commit. When I first got the book in the mail I thought I'd just take a peek. I was already in the middle of another book that I was enjoying and would be released soon, and All You Never Wanted wasn't coming out for almost three months. So I'd just take a peek.

Famous last words. My household is lucky I wasn't the one cooking dinner that night.

Also? Forget the blurb. It's not that it's inaccurate, but the book is so much more than that little blurb makes it seem.


Ok then, what IS it about?

Though it's short and it's contemporary (sorry, I always associate "contemporary" with "not much happening"), All You Never Wanted has a lot of stuff packed into a short amount of space.

On the surface, it's a book about two sisters thrown into a rich lifestyle after their mother's remarriage. One is struggling with an eating disorder, cause mysteriously unknown for a significant part of the book, and the other desperately trying to remake herself from a wallflower bookworm into an even more popular version of her sister.

It's about wealth and materialism. It's about jealousy, fear, anxiety, and control. It's about dating and parties, climbing the social ladder and the lies it takes to get there. It's about all these things, and more, but at it's core, All You Never Wanted is, I think, a book about family.

So often in YA, parents take on an absent role and the teen characters seem largely (and unrealistically) unaffected. All You Never Wanted has the same absent parents, but every single thing the girls grapple with stems from this absence. The lack of parental support, guidance, love, and involvement is the elephant in the room, and though it is never directly addressed, it drives the story nonetheless.


Not your typical issues book

All You Never Wanted is tense, provocative, unsettling, and deeply emotional. I felt for these girls and desperately needed to find out what was going to happen to them, even though I didn't actually like either of them.

And take note, I did say unsettling. There are a few scenes, though one stands out for me in particular (the confrontation with Thea right before she buys the dress), that are horrific to watch unfold but so brilliantly visceral. Adele Griffin does not shy away from or romanticize the problems these girls deal with. Their issues are on stark display, and is is as fascinating as it is disturbing.

Though I think that's why I liked this book more than the typical issue book. Usually issues books follow the same mold: cool main character with Very Bad issues that are usually glamorized or sugarcoated to make the main character look appealing to the reader and a neat, easy peasy fix at the end (usually complete with "I know it's a long road to recovery, but I'll make it" *fist pump*). I don't know whether I'm more annoyed by the eye-rolling lack of realism, the glorification of issues, or the predictability of the entire plot.

Thankfully, All You Never Wanted doesn't fall into any of the usual issues-book traps. Not only aren't the girls held up on the cool pedestal, but their issues aren't played out to the point of becoming a predictable stereotype.

The impetus of Alex's eating disorder is not revealed for a large part of the book, though it is hinted at in a way that led me down a total garden path. I thought I had it all figured out, and while I would have accepted that, it would have been disappointing in its Been There Done That predictability.

But holy cow, I should have never even let the tiniest bit of doubt enter my head. Adele Griffin's plots are predictable only in consistently defying predictability. I was straight up shocked when the secret was finally revealed, and that's a very good thing.

Also, note I said impetus, not cause, because I don't think that was the cause. I'd say her absent mother was far more the cause and The Event was just the avenue all of her feelings latched on to.

Also, the ending? Oh my gosh, it is perfect! Movement has definitely been made in the sense that both girls end the book at very different points than they began the book, but neither has a firm resolution or happy ending. Usually I don't like that sort of open-ended conclusion, but in the case of All You Never Wanted, I can't think of a better way to end the book.


Bottom line

Adele Griffin is the type of author where I've learned I need to ignore the blurbs on her books no matter how unappealing they may sound (contemporary?! Really??) and just go ahead and read them because I will LOVE them. They are brilliant, transcendant, powerful, and never fail to astound me. She's the type of author who is just so unbelievably good at creating characters that come alive off the page and sucking me into even the most unappealing plots that I need to just forget what I think I know about what I like and dislike and just READ her books.

This would make a fantastic book club pick.


Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Originally posted at Small Review.

[Nia Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sharpness of this book is mesmerizing. I was supposed to be studying for my history test, but I just couldn't stop reading. The story is focused on two sisters, Thea and Alex, but it's about so much more than that. It's about being so drowned in problems you've created that there's no escape. We've all felt that temptation to be popular, to belong. To say what feels right even if it's not truthful. To fit a certain image and a size 2 dress. To be so lost that you turn to dangerous methods for a way out. Thea and Alex both cracked under the pressure of expectation, and I couldn't help but be touched by their story.

I will say that this book is emotionally draining and may be hard for some people to swallow. However, to me, it's these kinds of books that are the most important because they're honest. There are girls out in the world right now battling with the same problems as Alex and Thea. It's astounding how the lives of two girls could twist down such a dark path. And in the midst of all this, there's a boy named Xander who melts your heart with a smile. That's what I call a kickass realistic fiction book.

[Serenaay_D1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even in a family that has money that can buy anything for their children, there's still conflict. Between the two sisters, Alex and Thea, the jealousy from Thea of being Alex. Alex was always the perfect one, the one with al the friends, the pretty one, the one with good grades. Thea with their rich step dad, she doesn't care about school, she wants her step dad to buy her colleges. Thea wants Alex's boyfriend and she's planning to steal him away.

[Samarium Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. It really captivates your attention. The portrayal of characters through different viewpoints: Thea in first person and Alex in third person. It really gave the narrative a neat quirk. Made it stand out from other works where the narrative is singular through out. The different narratives really fits the characters: Thea being self absorbed and Alex being more collected and in sync with the world.

[Steph · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like it because it touches on how badly anxiety can affect your relationships but....I just....no. I can't recommend it to anyone. The writing wasnt great. There was a lack of character development and the characters seemed to constantly contradict themselves. And dont get me started on the ending.