All You Never Wanted

by Adele Griffin Narrated by Annalie Gernert, Erin Mallon

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Money is no object for sisters Alex and Thea Parrott after their divorced mother marries Arthur, “the McDaddy of Sugar Daddies.” However, where they end up isn’t where they want to be. The internship at a fashion magazine that Arthur finagles for high school senior Alex ends up being a disaster. When she returns home humiliated and too anxious to eat, socialize, or leave the house, Thea, a junior, thinks it may be her turn to steal the spotlight, as well as Alex’s pot-dealing boyfriend, Joshua. Thea discovers too late that making up stories isn’t the best way to win friends. Spanning one frantic, life-changing weekend as the sisters prepare to throw a party, Griffin’s (Tighter) hard-edged novel offers an in-depth examination of two teens coming to painful terms with what they need, as well as what they’ve lost by having extreme wealth dumped in their laps. If the “poor little rich girl” theme is somewhat well-worn, Griffin shows her customary skill at honing in on her protagonists’ perceptions, internal conflicts, and uncomfortable relationships. Ages 14–up. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

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."

Kirkus Reviews

Two sisters painfully discover that money can't buy happiness in this provocative family drama. When Alex and Thea's struggling single mom marries a Greenwich, Conn., millionaire, the girls' responses to their elevated lifestyle demonstrate the differences in their personalities. Older sister Alex tries to ignore the new wealth by restricting her enjoyment of it, including the food she allows in her body. Thea, though, sees the money as an opportunity to reinvent herself, even if it means telling elaborate lies to gain entrance to the in crowd. Both girls miss the bond they shared with their mother during the lean times, but that doesn't keep them from throwing a party at the mansion they call Camelot while the 'rents are away. Their self-destructive behaviors come to a head during the bash, and one finds unexpected redemption, while the other discovers just how low she will sink to get her sister's attention. National Book Award finalist Griffin repeatedly nails the details of this tony community and its 1-percent residents with perfectly turned phrases that are just right. A high-end handbag is "plopped like an overfed tabby cat on the seat," while a financially struggling classmate owns a wallet "as ancient as the Dead Sea Scrolls and always flat as a pita besides." A sumptuously written examination of sibling rivalry and socioeconomic class. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169322248
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/08/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

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