Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Emma, a college freshman, has grown up comparing herself to a more beautiful and accomplished older sister. With her life plagued by embarrassing situations and constantly feeling odd, Emma thinks she will never fit into the world around her. Little does she know; most of her family and friends feel exactly the same way about their own lives.

Emma's tale starts as she attempts to save an annoying goose whose life is scheduled to end because she has finished her psychology experiment. Heartsick at the thought of Freud's cremation, she packs him up in a borrowed cage and takes him home for the weekend. Her parents are not pleased, but they accept it as a typical example of Emma's normal, yet peculiar, behavior.

It turns out that the goose changes their lives when Emma's father uses "golden" as inspiration in the purchase of a lottery ticket and ends up winning an astonishing $50 million dollars. That's when Emma's story truly begins. Does having money improve life or simply make a mess of it?

EVERYTHING YOU WANT details Emma's experiences as she struggles to find her place in the world. Having money doesn't mean that everything falls easily into place. Instead it tends to muddy the waters and make choices less clear and focused.

At times I found Emma an annoying complainer, but as she gradually comes to terms with her situation and begins to recognize that her personal problems are no different or special than anyone else's, I found her more likeable and relatable as a character.

Barbara Shoup takes readers into a world we all dream about, only to reveal that things may not be - everything we want. ( )

It's all because of a goose that Emma's family wins the lottery. Fifty million dollars. You'd think it would make life easier, but suddenly everything gets more complicated. Emma's been immersed in her first semester of college and it's Not Going Well. Her best friend from high school isn't speaking to her because she told him she was in love with him. Emma stays in the psychology lab late on Friday night because her roommate's always making out with her boyfriend. Emma feels lost and alone and she wishes more than anything that she could return to the time when she was small, when her parents took care of her, when things were simple.

Everything You Want is a story about getting, well, everything you want. And then realizing that it's changed you and the things you used to want no longer apply. As a person who felt plenty lost myself during my early college career, I really identified with Emma's struggles. She felt very real to me and I liked that she described her life as both depressing and hilarious. Other characters in the book are pretty well developed, especially her family members who each have different problems adjusting to the money. I also loved that Barbara Shoup painted such a vibrant picture of life at Indiana University. She made me feel like I was walking down Kirkwood all over again. :)

Read more on my blog: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/12/book-review-everything-you-want.html ( )