Book Review: Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard

Summary: 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’sEverything We Ever Wanted is exceptional contemporary women’s fiction that will be embraced by book clubs everywhere.


Review: 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.