I'd Give Anything: A Novel

Written by Marisa de los Santos

Narrated by Caitlin Kelly

From the New York Times bestselling author of Love Walked In and Belong to Me comes a profound and heart-rending story about a horrific tragedy that marks one woman and her hometown and about the explosive secrets that come to light twenty years later.

Ginny Beale is eighteen, irreverent, funny, and brave, with a brother she adores and a circle of friends for whom she would do anything. Because of one terrible night, she loses them all—and her adventurous spirit—seemingly forever. While the town cheers on the high school football team, someone sets the school’s auditorium ablaze. Ginny’s best friend Gray Marsden’s father, a fire fighter, dies in the blaze.

While many in the town believe Daniel York, a notoriously troubled local teen, set the fire, Ginny makes a shattering discovery that casts blame on the person she trusts most in the world. Ginny tells no one, but the secret isolates her, looming between her and her friends and ruining their friendship.

Over the next two decades, Ginny puts aside her wanderlust and her dreams. Moving back to her hometown, she distances herself from the past and from nearly everyone in it. She marries a quiet man, raises their daughter, Avery, and cares for her tyrannical, ailing mother, Adela. But when Ginny’s husband, Harris, becomes embroiled in a scandal, Ginny’s carefully controlled life crumbles, and, just when she believes she is regaining her bearings, the secret she’s kept for twenty years emerges and threatens to destroy her hopes for the future.

With the help of fifteen-year-old Avery and of friends both old and new, Ginny must summon the courage to confront old lies and hard truths and to free herself and the people she loves from the mistakes and regrets that have burdened them for so long.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: May 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062844538

Marisa de los Santos

Marisa de los Santos is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning poet with a PhD in literature and creative writing. She lives in Wilmington, Delaware, with her family.

Reviews for I'd Give Anything

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’d Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos is a 2020 William Morrow publication. Uneven- but quick and engrossing read-The story begins with teenage Ginny- nicknamed- ‘Zinny’ writing out her thoughts in her journal. She a teenager full of confidence and energy. She’s in love, has close friends, and lives her life with gusto. Her home life, though, is troubled. Her mother is not a warm person by any stretch of the imagination and Ginny’s brother, Trevor, is constantly at odds with her. Fast forward to present day- and we find Ginny married- not to the great love of her life- but to a safe, rather boring man. The bright spot in her life is her teenage daughter, Avery. Her stable existence is shaken up when her dependable husband goes off the rails by having an emotional affair with an eighteen- year- old and loses his job as a result. On top of that, an old secret that Ginny has held close all these years, is threatening to surface again. Thankfully, Ginny has her friends at the dog park to confide in- but she has no idea how close they are to the very secret she is so terrified will finally be revealed… I can’t explain why I found myself so caught up in this drama. I read it one sitting despite the over used themes and the flat characterizations. Avery was the best character as she seemed to have no patience with half-truths or secrets. She was braver than most of the adults in the story, who still held grudges dating back to high school! The conclusion was a little too pat, but I was happy that everything was wrapped up in such a way that the characters can now move forward knowing the truth, hopefully finding peace, while also grabbing some emotional maturity and learning from past mistakes. Overall, the writing started out lush, only to become uneven and uninspired. The dialogue is often immature, and the topics are hardly original- oversaturated even at the moment- but I still found myself needing to discover all the secrets and find out how it would work out in the end. Therefore, because the book held my attention despite its flaws I’m giving it three stars.

[beamis12 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A nice easy read. When they were 18, Zinny as she was called then, and her three friends were torn apart by a tragedy and then a secret. Twenty years later, now called Ginny, she finds again her life being turn apart by scandal. Her concern is for her sixteen years old daughter, Avery. When the four friend reunite the secrets are revealed.So much is going on here. When the four friends reunite they still seem and sound as if they are 18. Avery, at her young age seems the grown-up. Just didn't sit right with me. All the problems, secrets, a bit soap operish, though they touch on important issues.The ending though I have to admit was perfect.

[soubhikiewiet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this story of high school friends 20 years later, looking back at a traumatic shared experience and how it changed their relationship dynamics. There's also a deep family drama in here. I really liked this, even though I saw the end coming.This author never fails to hold my attention.Thank you to Library Thing Early Reviewers program and William Morrow books for the review copy.

[smallwonder56_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In her books, Marisa de los Santos easily shows us that her other gig is poetry. The novel is written with beautiful prose, sentences you want to read out loud. The plot was interesting and compelling to read. The characters were ones you cared about and wanted to see "come out the other side" at the end of the book. I truly enjoyed and appreciated the book. The only thing that bothered me about the book was her insistence on every character being gorgeous. If there were any less than perfect looking people (either as young people or as adults) you sure didn't hear about it. They have one friend in their group who really isn't described physically at all, but most of the other characters were the most attractive looking people in any group, and you never got to forget that. It was an essential part of who they were. That said, though, I enjoyed the story and loved the writing.

[justacatandabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At eighteen, Ginny "Zinny" Beale is a lighthearted, fun, brave girl with a close group of friends and brother with whom she can unite against their uptight mother. But one night changes all of that. Someone sets the town's high school on fire and in the aftermath, the father of Ginny's best friend, Gray, is dead. The townspeople look for someone to blame--leaving most of it on a troubled teen--but Ginny learns some news that changes her entire world. She tells no one, but the secret alters her life and leaves her an outcast among her friends and family. Over the next twenty years, Ginny transitions, settling down, returning to her hometown and marrying Harris, a professor. They have a daughter, Avery, and Ginny cares for her mother, who is dying. But when scandal rocks the town again--this time focused on Harris--Ginny has to make some choices. It's time to confront the past and the secret she's kept buried all this time."In one night, one night, I lost all of them."I adore Marisa de los Santos and her writing, though this wasn't my favorite of her books. Still, she's just so good at capturing the little moments in life: nailing down the feelings and emotions of her characters. Ginny, Avery, and others spring to life in this one. The story swings between past and present, with older excerpts often told from Ginny's diary entries. It takes a while to learn Ginny's big secret, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: I'm not always a fan of dragging out a secret.This is a poignant and sad read, delving into marriage, love, and parenthood. My favorite character was fifteen-year-old Avery, who is hit hard by the incident involving her father, Harris. In many ways, I was far more invested in Avery's growth than Ginny's--I liked Ginny, but I couldn't quite find myself fully wanting to root for her. Although the juxtaposition between young Zinny and present-day Ginny was quite well-done.Did you stop being your old selves? Did they fall away? Were you always only the self you were in the present?The book explores how one secret can so change a person and the ripple effect it has on many lives. Ms. de los Santos examines her characters very closely via her writing, and I will always love picking up her books and getting an intimate look at her cast of players. In the end, this is a touching and well-written novel, even if I couldn't always find myself fully engaged in Ginny's world. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.I received a copy of this novel from William Morrow in return for an unbiased review.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd Give Anything by Marisa de los SantosThere's two stories in this one book that intertwine together.Story starts out with Ginny and she's just learned from her spouse, Harris that he's been fired.She learns so much more, but he keeps a LOT of other secrets to himself. The teen daughter also finds out, not much but she reaches out to the girl he was a mentor to where he worked.Avery learns her side to the story and at times can't believe her father did some things.While this is all going on there is another story here in between the pages. Ginny when she was in high school and the group of her friends one night a terrible secret came out to destroy one and a fire kills a fireman...Ginny spends time in later years at the park talking to Daniel and others at the dog park. She is able to discover some clues to that night so long ago...Harris has a sit down with his wife and daughter as they ask him questions and he informs them of his hardships dealing with everything and who he turns to for help.Very emotional story and how it all works out I found unbelievable.Received this review copy via giveaway at Library Thing and this is my honest opinion.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’d Give Anything is a contemporary stand alone novel from Marisa de los Santos, best known for her ‘Love Walked In’ series.“...sometimes families and worlds, no matter how careful everyone is, no matter how much love, fall apart and there’s not a thing you...can do to stop it.”As a teenager Ginny Beale imagined that her future would be extraordinary, buoyed by her ‘forever’ friends, Kirsten, C.J., and Gray, she would take risks, have wild adventures, and create art to gift to the world, until tragedy left her dreams in ashes. Two decades later her staid life as a suburban wife and mother falls apart when her husband, Harris, is fired amid a scandal involving a young woman barely older than their daughter, and just days later her terminally ill mother suicides. Forced to reimagine her future in the midst of this upheaval, Ginny is offered a way to reconnect with the girl she once was, and perhaps reclaim all that she lost.I’d Give Anything is told through diary entries, and the perspectives of Ginny and her fifteen year old daughter, Avery. This is a story that focuses on relationships - those between parent and child, siblings, between lovers, and friends - and explores the limits of their resilience. It features themes of loss, regret, forgiveness, redemption and the courage it takes to be honest with the ones we love. Santos infuses her main characters with nuance, truth and emotion, and while in frame her minor characters such as Ginny’s mother, Adel, and Gray receive the same treatment.However I thought the story was a bit messy in places. I felt that the central plot involving the fire that separated teenage Ginny from her brother and friends was well handled, but that ultimately Harris was superfluous in Ginny’s story, and I think this creates flaws in both character and plot which affected my engagement.In the end my feelings about I’d Give Anything are mixed, which is a shame as I have really enjoyed several of her previous novels which I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

[lvmygrdn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an easy read with likable characters. It's a story about truth friendships, and forgiveness. It's a good mother daughter story with a tidy ending. Thank you LibrayThing and William Morrow for the ARC.

[tamidale · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Marisa de los Santos has been on my radar for quite some time now and I'm glad to say that I have finally read one of her books and am looking forward to reading some of her past novels.In this latest story, readers learn about the life of Ginny Beale, told through flashbacks to her high school days and from her present day life. When the story begins, Ginny's marriage has hit a huge road block and her mother is terminally ill.Gradually readers learn about Ginny's past and how a tragic event and a doomed romance have shaped her into the woman she has become. As Ginny deals with the loss of her mother and her marriage, she begins to understand how those past hurts have affected her current relationships and she begins to make amends.I loved Ginny's relationship with her teen daughter and how she affirmed her feelings and gave her the freedom to express herself. Ginny also had a group of friends that anyone would love to have--especially Kirsten. But what made the biggest impression on me was the relationship she had with Gray, her first boyfriend and her first heartbreak.If you need a story that's full of nice characters and not too heavy on the troubles of life, this is a great choice. Their troubles are not sugarcoated, but they are presented in such a way that shows they're not too big to get through.Many thanks to William Morrow for allowing me to read an advance copy and give an honest review.

[pegmcdaniel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is my first novel by Marisa de los Santos. I was not aware but apparently this book is one of a series. I found it is easily a stand-alone novel.The first half moved slowly for me just like other novels where the author sets the characters and story line. The second half was better paced and I liked that it's told from different perspectives. Ginny is the protagonist who, along with her three best friends in high school, experience a tragic incident that changes their lives. Since the emotional results were not resolved in her teen-age years, Ginny carries them into adult life. The time element switches between Ginny's teen-age years and the present time when she is married and has a teen-age daughter.There were so many things in this novel that go against my beliefs as a Christian and were written into the story line as acceptable ways to behave or live your life. Since I don't live under a rock, I am well aware these things exist in life but that doesn't make me happy to read about them. Of course, there is no way to know what all is in a novel when I start reading so I try to understand and tolerate.Thanks to the publisher, William Morrow, via LibraryThing, for an Advance Reader's Edition, in exchange for my honest review.

[indygo88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ginny is a senior in high school with a gift for writing and a positive outlook on life. She has a small group of close friends and she is ready to take on the world. But when a couple of events occur in succession, one of them tragic, her life changes and she essentially becomes a different person. Fast forward nearly 20 years. Ginny has mostly put her past behind her and is going through another unfortunate event, this time with her husband. While she comes to terms with that, the ghosts from her past re-emerge and she's forced to confront the dissolution of her previous friendships, while in the meantime she tries to protect her 15-year-old daughter from both the past and the present. I remember really enjoying de los Santos' earlier books. I'd consider them higher quality beach reads/chick lit, though that's not a genre that I typically read a lot of. The last couple of her books were decent, though I didn't enjoy them quite as much. But I did like this one. It was a quick read, but she's a good writer and does a good job capturing the witty banter between characters. And I liked the story line in this one. Overall, I'd recommend it.

[msnick_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm in agreement with others who have deemed I'd Give Anything a "beach read." While one twist caught me off guard; the main "whodunnit" plot line was completely obvious to me from the beginning. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable to follow (adult) Ginny's relationships as they began to unfold and bloom.

[tloeffler_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book moves around in time between when Ginny Beale is in high school, with her three best friends and her brother/best friend Travis, to when she is a married adult with her own daughter. When a fire is set in the school during a football game, her friend Gray's father, a firefighter, is killed. Ginny learns a horrible secret about the fire, and as a result, she cuts off connections with her friends. Her brother leaves after a fight with their mother, and Ginny goes on to a different life, marrying someone else and having her daughter. When her daughter is in high school, the events of the past come blaring back, and it appears everyone is keeping secrets,I enjoyed this book and read it in one evening. It could easily have gone into something maudlin and ridiculous, but it didn't. Marisa de los Santos does a great job of keeping the action moving, and even insignificant characters turn out to be significant in the end. A good mystery, a good character study, and over all, a very good book.

[pdebolt_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book's main character, Ginny, is portrayed as a teenager and also as an adult. She had a close-knit group of friends in high school, and then a tragedy occurred, which completely ruined one of the closest friendships for Ginny. Ginny goes on to a marriage, which ends in divorce. Her unresolved issues from the past continue to haunt her adult life. This was easily read without much substance.

[kimaoverstreet · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Marisa de los Santos book and I wasn’t a big fan. I expect I’d Give Anything will be popular with her fans. For me, it felt too”fluffy” and would probably be categorized as a “Beach Read.” My favorite feature of the story were the dogs and dog park mentions!

[hccpsk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Marisa de los Santos is a really good writer. So good, in fact, that she turns cliched characters in absurd situations into something pleasantly readable. In I’d Give Anything, main character Ginny doesn’t really care about anything in her life except her beloved daughter, Avery and her time at the dog park. Through old journal entries, we learn that in high school she was completely different--fearless and enthusiastic about everything. What changed? Don’t worry--all will be explained as the mysterious event unfolds slowly through the journal and her current day life. In less skilled hands this book would have been too ridiculous to even consider, but de los Santos crafts clever and funny dialogue, likable characters and a plot that moves along fast enough the reader never really has time to consider much else. Readers looking for a quick and easy “beach” read will not be too disappointed.I received a free copy through the Librarything Early Reviewer program

[cyncie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos is the story of adult Ginny Beale dealing with her present crisis of a suddenly imploding marriage, while revisiting the tragedy of her senior year in high school that changed her personality and life choices. The story is told through excerpts from the journal that she kept her senior year and the narrative of present day circumstances. The book is intense, profound, and mysterious.

[jfe16 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review of Advance Reader’s EditionIn the face of a domineering and intolerant mother, eighteen-year-old Ginny Beale and her brother, Trevor, often escape to their private place where they can share their thoughts and speak the truth. Ginny relies on the brother she adores as well as on the small group of friends for whom she would do anything. But everything changes one terrible night as an unspeakable tragedy robs her of all of that . . . and of herself. Putting all her dreams aside, she marries a quiet man and raises their daughter, Avery. Twenty years later, she finds herself facing an unexpected scandal and new tragedy. Can Ginny find the courage to face the truth and the lies of the past to free herself and those that she loves the most from the regrets and mistakes of the past?Although a stand-alone, this book is fourth in the “Love Walked In” series. There’s little mystery here; rather, the narrative focuses on the connections between the characters. Although flawed, each character is well-drawn, believable, and relatable. However, readers are likely to be disappointed to discover that the reasons for the mother’s behavior remain a mystery.A series of journal entries provides the backstory for when Ginny, Gray, Kirsten, and CJ were in high school. Told mostly from Ginny’s point of view [with a few later chapters from Avery], this story of family and friendship shines a bright light on their joys and sorrows, on their love, and on their forgiveness as the unfolding plot speaks to their relationships and reveals a few unexpected surprises. The resulting narrative is emotional, speaking to the power that secrets can hold and the strength that honesty imparts.Recommended.I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program