Bad things happen in threes: A mother and two daughters.
Yet another middle aged woman gets dumped by her hubby for another woman. This time instead of a job or BFF coming to her rescue, her two dysfunctional daughters show up. Losers every one, how would they could "help" each other seemed implausible. The cover and title made me want to love it. It is well written so that's why the three stars, but it really was kind of depressing.

I couldn't put this book down, and didn't want it to end--both cliches, but both true in this case. It started slow for me, because the first chapter is focused on Janice, the older of the three women in the book, and not necessarily an immediately sympathetic character, at the moment that her husband, CEO of an ultra-successful company, lets her know that he's leaving her for her best friend. Somewhere between "I'd leave her too" and "I don't know if I want to read about that", though, I found myself hooked by the writing. It was clear this wasn't just going to be another ampowered first wives book, and it's not.

What follows is the story of not just Janice but her two daughters as well, nearly-thirty Margaret, the most-likely-to-succeed girl who hasn't been able to pull it off, and the youngest, a teenager as reluctant to face up to reality as her older sibling and her mother. All three are busy hiding their problems from each other, which lets them put off dealing with things themselves. What makes the book fun is watching them yank the scabs off of each other's wounds, and then all figure out how to deal with them.
I loved this book. It was a good read--something to get lost in, well written and engulfing and a real pleasure as well. I just sent a copy to my mom.

I don't know how this tome got any good reviews. I don't know how this author made teen sex, quarter-life crisis, food porn and mean-girl politics boring. Very wordy with non-compelling characters. I couldn't wait to finish this tedious tale. I don't think the writing is up to par, I felt like I was reading a college kid's first novel - and not in a good way. Lacked soul and depth. Sorry, take a pass.

I would not recommend this book to anyone - it's was very boring. I kept waiting for it to get better. It never did.

After reading this books description I was very intrigued and the book definitely didn't disappoint. I was left wanting a little more from the ending, but overall it was a very good read. Once I started it, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Brown's descriptions of these women definitely makes you think a bit about yourself and how your life compares to theirs, and that sometimes what other people think shouldn't matter so much. Can't wait to see what else Janelle Brown has up her sleeve!

this book was very good it only took 3 days to read! I think its a great book for the beach!ENJOY

Janelle Brown writes with such wit and hilarity and i laughed so much. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to laugh with a good book that has amazing writing.

Editor of Jennifer Winston's women's bestseller How to Snag a Guy and Keep Him Hooked: 99 Ways to Make Him Ache for You

I am an avid reader, especially in the summer (I am a teacher). Honestly, I was so intrigued by the inside cover of this book, that I went over my budget to buy it. I was SO disappointed!!!! Such a TERRIFIC idea, and it was so slow, and amateurishly written. There was little character development, and the story went on, and on getting nowhere. I kept thinking that maybe the next chapter would be better, I was wrong. Save your money on this one, it is so disappointing. I am hoping someone will use a similar story line, and come up with a better read!!!

i had to put the book down. i had such a hard time getting through it! i have a 50-page rule. i give each book a 50-page test. if it can't get me spellbound in 50-pages then i'm done with it. after 50 pages, i couldn't even continue. i just couldn't get into this book. i don't know why b/c i really wanted to get into the book. i was excited about reading it! oh well. maybe i'll try again and let you know!

Janelle Brown is a rising star in the world of fiction. Her first novel is an amazing read. I predict a bright future for this lady.

Editor of Michele Cozzens' award winning women's fiction A Line Between Friends

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, by Janelle Brown, was the type of book I both wanted to linger over, to make it last, and to zip through, because it was hard to put down.

Enough reviews reveal the plot that I won't repeat.

The book begins with a bang and never slows down. Brown interweaves the stories of three main characters, Lizzie, Margaret and Janice flawlessly. Each woman has her own set of issues and the voices are strong,distinct, and memorable.

My only (slight) disappointment came at the very end of the book, where I would have preferred to see more, or a different, ending.

Highly recommend.

By the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.

Being married is so hard when outside issues come into the picture. Whether it is one person suddenly wanting something else or the arrival of a lot of money or as in this case the loss of a lot of money, it is never easy to find that balance between two people. And when it starts going wrong, boy does it go wrong. It can be really hard to turn it around.

I thought that this book was an interesting slice of married life in some of the most difficult circumstances. The author does a good job of writing about the desperation here though this is definitely not the light read that the book jacket suggests. I gave it four stars because I thought the writing was a little cold and impersonal, but it is a very good book despite this problem.

Amateurish writing, dull plot. No real character development. Doesn't even qualify for a trashy summer novel IMO.

I am still reading this book. I am completely absorbed in the characters and their world - a very specific and vivid depiction of three women (well one is a girl) and a place (Silicon Valley) I knew very little about until a few hours ago. Very well written and observed.

Was intially surprised to see reviews of "1" and "2" stars. Am midway - and while I would not describe this book as "impossible to put down," the book is well written - and speaks to and from the heart.

Perhaps if the reader has not loved someone deeply and had them no longer want to wake up beside you - they would write a dismissing review of this book. Or if they had not known the joy of giving birth to a child, prioritizing the child over all other (perhaps even the marriage that was the origin of said child) then seen the child's need for them shift as they become their own person, then a reader may not be compelled to read this book.

I am very appreciative to Janelle Brown for writing this book and greatly look forward to more of her writing!

I bought the book becuase the title captured my attention... I was GREATLY disappointed in everything about it. The author dragged the story and if the mother was so addicted to meth,is it realistic to think that she can just stop after firing the pool boy? I was forcing myself to read the last few chapters hoping I could find one great thing about this book, AND Unfortunately, there was NONE!
Keep your money! I wasted mine.

I was surprised by how much I got into this novel. It isn't my usual type of book. But after not having anything else to read I decided to forge on. Good thing I did, I really liked it. Some pages were so real I actually got nervous for the character.

I picked this book up because of it's touted Silicon Valley setting, looking for some interesting/funny/insightful commentary on life in this spot in the world, and was completely disappointed. Brown's writing is fine, not remarkable, and the plot is middling-average, but the SV setting is a faux-backdrop that she plops her characters in front of -- perhaps to justify the plot construct of an IPO? It reads like she did a drive-by weekend visit once to pick up some local "color" to throw in to the writing, and rings false, false false. . .if you want a really funny/good book relating to Valley life, pick up Options by the Fake Steve Jobs. . . .

A perfect beach read, this more cerebral, Desperate Housewives vs. not-quite-as-evil Gossip Girls romp of a read captures three very different women (all family)at their very worst -which actually makes for fun (though sometimes far-fetched) entertainment. The keeping up with the Silicon-Jones' mother, her debt ridden 20 something, liberal editor of a daughter, and the unfortunately naive 14 year old sister each have voices that are surprisingly distinct and engaging.

This novel won't stick with me long, but held my interest for the six or so hours it took to read. Might be interesting for a book club that's not uptight talking about sex, drugs, and the veneer that holds together upper-middle class suburbia.

Janelle Brown's debut novel pulls back the curtain on "the good life" in Silicon Valley. Just as Janice Miller's family reaches for their moment of triumph as her husband's pharmaceutical company goes public, making the Millers multimillionaires on paper, Janice's world crumbles around her in a day.

The story covers the following summer as Janice slides into despair, along with her fourteen-year-old daughter Lizzie, who is looking for validation in all the wrong places; and her former wunderkind daughter Margaret, now 28, who is returning home from Los Angeles, in debt and without direction, after her feminist magazine has failed. Janice's husband Paul is a mere phantom in the story, practically gone before he left, an entitled, ruthless, self-proclaimed "libertarian" Wizard of Oz figure.

Janelle Brown's keen eye for detail and razor-sharp wit keep the story afloat, but there is little but despair and missed chances for connection between the Miller women. I am giving the book 5 stars based on its literary merit, but as a reader I wished that the story had continued a little farther down the path of redemption and transformation. Perhaps it was a braver artistic choice not to make it that easy for the characters or the book's readers.

As sad as these three women are, on a metaphorical level I recognized a part of myself in each of them. Brown takes each woman to the edge of destruction, but she always maintains a sliver of their essential humanity. The bonds between mother, daughter, sister are stretched to the limit but do not break.

This would be an intriguing book club read. I'd love to talk with others about ambition, feminism, judgment, redemption, and the complex nature of Brown's attitude toward her characters. I just finished reading the book and I have a feeling my reaction will evolve over time.

Brown's writing is specific and original and at the same time her novel brings to mind a number of other works: women in limbo, not yet responding to their wake-up call as in Meg Wolitzer's The Ten-Year Nap; the suburban self-destruction of Tom Perrotta's Little Children (with less sex); and the biting social satire of Perrotta's Election. Finally, the Miller women's propensity to turn to boys and men again and again to escape or solve their problems could be a case study out of Leslie Bennetts' The Feminine Mistake.

I confess that I was drawn to this novel partly by its catchy title, and I picked it up on impulse at Costco (of all places!) But I am incredibly glad I made this purchase, as this is a sharp, fabulously written, insightful novel from a writer about whom I think we will be hearing for some time to come.

*All We Ever Wanted Was Everything* is edgy social satire that incorporates withering, significant social criticism. It's a draw-you-in read that never becomes tiresome. I was sorry to see it end!

Its main focus is the problems and inner lives of three principal female characters (sorry, you can't have everything; men are definitely relegated to the background here). Each of the Miller women represents a recognizable type within contemporary American society, revealing how even "having it all" does not mean that life becomes easy or uncomplicated. Clearly, a major theme here is that behind the facade of wealth, success, and comfort, people (in this case, women) who live the American Dream in places like the Santa Clara Valley struggle and suffer in a variety of ways.

For me, the most impressive characteristic of Brown's narrative is her uncanny ability to "get inside the heads" of her characters, thinking along with them as they react to events and rationalize their sometimes self-destructive behaviors. Brown is able to reproduce the inner voices of a fifty-ish career executive wife, a former academic *wunderkindt* turned frustrated feminist social critic, and a bufuddled, love-starved teenager. Their confused, sometimes pathological behaviors somehow come to "make sense" within the sharply drawn context of who they conceive themselves to be and the ways they perceive their life-situations.

In short, this is a terrific, funny, intelligent novel that is both entertaining and insightful. Janelle Brown can flat-out write. I look forward to her next novel with eager anticipation.

(Disclaimer: some time ago I worked with Janelle Brown. However, I knew her as an amazing journalist but had no idea she could craft a novel like this!)

I happened upon the book, decided to give it a try and was drawn in immediately. Reading it on my commute each morning, I immediately wished I lived further from work.

It starts with a suburban facade and a dash of self-delusion, a promise of wealth ... and then the characters' quirks start to reveal themselves. Lies are protected, hopes dashed then resurrected then dashed again, and characters try to find some inner store of ... ok, character, for the most part. Though other words might apply. I can't wait until friends of mine read this so I can discuss the plot.

I'd love to see this as a movie, frankly. It caught my imagination in that way. What excellent roles these would be. There's humor, there's disfunction that will seem familliar, there's audacious tenuous balance and plenty of momentum. I can't believe this is a first novel.

I read Brown's book "Everything They Ever Wanted Is Everything" in a single sitting. Its completely gripping -- alternating between a quick-paced narrative that's deftly edited and hilarious social observation. Brown's subject is ambition, in this case of her three female protagonists: Margaret, a flailing feminist 'zine editor in Los Angeles, who keeps up appearances using credit card debt; her little sister, Lizzie, so mired in teenage sexual angst she bounces from being the school slut to a born-again christian; and their mother, Janice, an epicurian country-club member blind-sided by her wealthy husband's decision to divorce. The father's departure sets the novel in motion, and each woman's attempts to keep up appearances is the narrative's engine. The backdrop of the story is Santa Rita, a Silicon Valley-esque Californian town that sizzles with keeping-up-with-the-Jones's nosiness and consumption. Brown succeeds in evoking cliches and then breaking them with great humor -- clearly getting "Everything" requires her characters to come through personal crises quite scathed but with a new sense of of their own wit and worth.