I came in without having read any of Peng Shepherd's books before, and I came out putting her previous two books on hold at my library!

It's been such a long time since I've read a "choose your own adventure" book. I was obsessed with them as a kid, putting in multiple bookmarks so I could redo all the choices. And I won't lie, I did the same with this novel, except now my bookmarks are digital.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun reading this! If you love sci-fi thrillers in the vein of Blake Crouch's books, then give this a try.

If you could redo your life choices, would you jump on the opportunity? This book is very Truman Show meets WandaVision (minus the witches). I enjoyed seeing how Marsh's life could play out in fun and unexpected ways (from being a wildlife photographer or choosing whether to go through with a threesome). I wasn't bored at all and flew through this book in less than a week.

I will have to say though, this would've been a perfect 5 stars for me if the reader found out about the reveals at the same time as the MC. This might be a me thing, but I'm not really a fan of knowing the reveals and then waiting for the MC to catch up to what's going on.

Also, some spoilery thoughts about the endings...

***SPOILERS AHEAD***


So... I'm pretty much a doom and gloom type of person, but I would've loved at least one ending that was happy and *close* to perfect. I read all of the endings and everything was pretty depressing. MY GIRL MARSH DESERVES BETTER. FREE MY GIRL!!!

Also, as much as I liked this book, the bad guy reveal was kinda corny. Lbr here lol


***END SPOILERS***

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this arc.

3.5 -⭐⭐⭐💫

After all, who wouldn't want the chance to change their life?

All This & More is an adult speculative fiction standalone with a sci-fi vibe. It follows Marsh, a forty-five year old woman who's life in shambles - a stagnant career, a marriage that was destroyed, and a daughter she's losing touch with. Yet she thinks her luck may be changing when she is selected for the highly popular show, All This & More, which offers contestant a chance to change their fate using quantum technology. As she navigate this world of changing fate she discovers there is a lot more secrets to this show than meets the eye. She begins to wonder...can you truly change fate for the better?

So I am a mainly romance girly and I do think this didn't really hit the romance spot...but I do dabble with other texts and I want to focus on that for this review. If you like the times I dive into strange fiction then come along for the ride.

The best way to describe this book is a choose your own adventure style of Black Mirror . Essential in this VR type situation, Marsh goes through alternative versions of pivotal moments in her life where she makes one decision to change it. As the reader you have the choice to turn the page and follow the story's natural rhythm OR you can take a different path.

As someone who is mainly character driven in my reads, this book is a bit of a sticky situation. This book deals with a lot of meta elements where the characters are being changed by outside sources (either you by choosing a different path or by the quantum technology) to fit a mold and therefore the essence of who they are is hard to tease out. I found this fascinating to explore Marsh's life because of the style of the story but I wasn't actually invested in her. I was curious about her choices and the consequences of them only. In addition, I couldn't really nail down how I felt for different characters as new information was constantly flowing because of changed fate so I didn't know how to feel.

This story itself does take some fascinating twists that I was not expecting - this is where sci-fi lovers will get a kick. I loved the rabbit hole readers walk into as a result and I enjoyed the addition of a live chat in the story to highlight the changes and reactions to changes - remember this is a tv show. I was hit with things that really changed how I viewed other characters. I will say, I HIGHLY recommend reading this as a paperback if you are someone who likes to flip through choose your own adventure style books because reading it as an e-book I think stifled that exploration for me. It led to me getting confused at times and wishing I could go back during the middle parts where things really escalate. The ending itself offers three choices and I read the all. I preferred one the most but still felt I was missing something.

Now I could dive deeper into the characters and story but this is a book that is best read with not a lot of information. The less you know, the better. What I will end off is that if you are here for a journey and a curiosity more than anything else than you will have a blast.

Thank you William Morrow for this arc!

What if you had the chance to change everything about your entire life until it was perfect? Main character Marsh gets the chance to change her life on "All This & More," a TV show that uses complex physics to create a bubble in which the contestant can make changes and see every possibility and side effect before finalizing the changes in the real world. She can fix her love life, career path, and get her daughter into the most prestigious of music schools. What could go wrong?

I love Peng Shepherd's concepts and how well she pulls them off every single time. This book was extra fun because it has a choose-your-own-adventure aspect so you can decide which paths Marsh follows. There's also some mystery and suspense as the book continues which was really well thought out. I cheated and read all the endings and have a personal favorite but none of them disappoint. I'll recommend this all day.

All This and More was pitched as a Choose Your Own Adventure but for Adults. The main character Marsh was chosen to be a constant on a reality television show where she can change her past, influencing her future, by making choices in a Quantum "Bubble." Things obviously spiral and depending on what you choose as the reader, you can have wildly different variations on the story. There are two ways that you can read it- in chronological order, or jumping around- but either way, you have to make a choice at the end! It's a cautionary tale but a really unique and fun experience. Highly recommend if you want to shake up your reading patterns.

Shepherd’s latest is a little out of my wheelhouse but I couldn’t resist the “choose your own adventure” twist. As a child of the 90s, being able to decide the main character’s fate was totally nostalgic and so much fun. But it makes it hard to review a book that is going to give a different reading experience to every reader. While it was a little long and I was sometimes distracted by the possible other options, it was a unique reading experience that makes me eager to read some of her backlist!

You know those books you read as a kid where you could choose what happens? This is very much like that. Marsh goes on a reality TV show where she can change her past for a better future outcome. it's through quantum bubbling or some such science. She has eight or nine episodes and she gets to make choices about her career, partner, daughter, where she lives, etc. The reader actually gets to make a lot of these choices. I had an electronic version, so I was offered two links at the end of a choice chapter. The links would take me to different places in the book. You likely can just flip around in the physical book. It made for a fun reading experience.

That being said, it's a bit long. Things don't always go as they should in the quantum bubble. There's a glitch that keeps popping up in each episode. Marsh is determined to find out what's behind the glitch. By the end of the book I was a bit tired of choosing which way she should go. I was ready to find out what would happen to Marsh.

Overall, a fun read. The Cartographers is still my fave by this author.

I’m sad to give this a lower rating, but it turns out this book just wasn’t for me. I loved the idea, and it did start out really strong. At first I found Marsh to be very relatable, I mean, who in their 40s doesn’t have a thing or two they’d do differently. But when I hit the stretch where there were few choices I started to dislike her more and more. It was like she had the mother of all cases of FOMO, and she wasn’t trying to fix her life, so much as hide from it by trying infinite ridiculous scenarios. Then, add in trying to solve the Chrysalis mystery while the Bubble is collapsing in on itself and it just seemed to drag on in circles. Finally, when everything is coming to light Marsh is furious that Ren and Talia have been manipulating her and taking away her choices, as if she hadn’t been doing the same thing to her friends and family the whole time. She spoke of tweaking Harper’s musical ability and leaving episodes just because she didn’t like Ren’s hair. At the end of the day, I just feel like it went on way too long with an increasingly unlikable character. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for access to the eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was INCREDIBLE. It was so I'm interesting and well done, I flew through it. The concept I was worried about being bland at first just got blown out of the water. The pacing was well thought out, the twists well done, it was like inception the book. Really really cool.

Loved the Choose Your Own Adventure concept. I loved them as a kid. That is what pulled me to this book. I am one for a conventional type read though as it was a little outside my norm. I had a hard time deciding how to read it: straight through or choose?! How would my experience be different? I dont like that being left up to me.

This is the second book I’ve read from the author, and I found it a twisty and enjoyable read. The idea of a choose your own adventure novel was intriguing and reminded me of books I used to read as a kid. The story itself was interesting and kept me guessing. Definitely will continue reading this author in the future.

I am a fan of Shepherd’s writing, having really enjoyed The Cartographers a couple of years ago, so I was very excited to see a new release from her. This high-concept story reads like an adult version of the choose your own adventure books I loved so much as a kid. Here we follow middle-aged Marsh as she’s chosen for a new reality show which uses quantum physics to give contestants the opportunity to create their perfect new reality by revisiting the choices they’ve made in the past.

I’m a sucker for a sliding doors story and this one MOSTLY worked for me. The characters were well-drawn and though I was frustrated with Marsh several times, her story was compelling and propulsive. Reading this on an eReader was challenging to say the least, as there are many opportunities to choose different directions in the story. I often wished I had a print copy so I could flip back and forth with greater ease. The ending and ultimate motivations of some of the characters did not quite come together for me as well as I had hoped. I found them confusing and a bit messy, perhaps just a side-effect of the story structure. However, the concept and characters were interesting and the story kept me turning pages. This one felt like Dark Matter meets The Truman Show.

All This and More releases July 9th, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader copy.

This was quite a fun book. I loved that it was an actual choose your own adventure, and at some point I want to go back and try the different paths presented. I thought it was a very interesting concept for a novel - combing that what-if, It’s a Wonderful Life, what if you could change things vibe with reality TV made for a fun story. And the structure was not only cool but really fit that theme.

The plot kind of fell apart for me at times, but I genuinely liked the big reveal so I didn’t completely mind that. My best advice is that you really need to suspend your disbelief for this book to work, but it’s an enjoyable ride so it’s worth it.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for this ARC. All This And More is out 7/9!

Thank you for this ARC!

Oh my gosh, what a spectacular concept! I really enjoyed getting to pick me own adventure and it really took me back to my Goosbump childhood, creating endless stories.

While I do feel like the characters weren’t fully fleshed out and I didn’t buy their relationship 100% of the time, I think that is just to be expected with the genre of the book.

I had a wonderful time and absolutely devoured the book.

All This & More is a fun mash up of reality TV, quantum mechanics, and choose-your-own adventure. I really enjoyed the ability to choose how the story progressed and went back a few times to pick other choices. The story itself was enjoyable, if not particularly interesting. I think the novelty of the choose your own story aspect outweighed the strength of the story, but still a worthwhile read.

3.5/5

This was a case of awesome concept, so-so execution for me. I think it would've worked better if I'd read a hard copy of the book and could easily flip around the pages like the old Choose Your Own Adventures books of yore.

That said, the writing is solid here and the characters were relatable, if a bit meh. Which was kind of the point. It shows how an everyday woman can change her life. I can see why the show-in-the-book was such a hit. I'm not usually a reality TV fan, but I'd check it out.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Read if you like:
🛣️ Choose your Own Adventure
⏳ Time Hopping
✨ Fate versus Choice
🔭 Sci Fi
3️⃣ Alternate Endings
📺 Reality TV

Have you ever wondered what your life would look like if you made different choices? When Marsh gets the opportunity of a lifetime to be the star in season three of the reality show All This & More she gets to explore just that…

Which couldn’t be better timing on the heels of a breakup and the ruin of her 20 year marriage where she definitely has regrets….

So when Marsh starts exploring different choices for her life based on her career, her romantic relationships, her daughter, and even where she lives, things start to get weird the longer she is in the bubble and with every new change she makes throughout the process…. Especially when she keeps realizing there is something looming with her in the bubble as she makes more and more choices that get her further and further from her real life, but all have a common theme of love with the hunky Wren and getting further and further from the relationship she once had with her ex husband and father of her child.

I really loved how the mystery of what was going on in the bubble mixed in with the romance, pick your own adventure, reality tv aspects, and looming feelings kept me so engaged and wanting to know what would happen as Marsh continued to mess with her life and explore all her alternate realities.

If you like books that make you wonder and explore the idea of what if, I highly recommend checking out this awesome story that had me on the edge of my seat!

Thank you William Morrow and Harper Audio for my ARC, ALC and gifted finished copies in exchange for my review!

**Features:**
- A once-in-a-lifetime chance to rewrite the past but things aren’t all what they seem
- A Science Fiction “choose your own adventure” story with a dose of mystery
- Explores how our choices influence both our own lives and the lives of those around us
- Examines what it means to feel fulfilled in a career, relationship, family, and life in general.


Do you ever wish you could do something over? Ever wonder what your life would be like if you had made different choices? On the show All This and More, one lucky contestant will be able to do just that! This adult ‘choose your own adventure’ story is extremely clever and you quickly find yourself fully invested in main character Marsh’s life. Though the book allows you to skip around (make choices) at certain points, you are also able to read straight through on a ‘golden path’ if jumping back and forth isn’t for you. Because of its structure, the heart of the story takes a while to develop (or piece together) and there may be times you loop back to sections and choices you might have already made. As a result, this book will speak more to readers who don’t mind a slower paced story or who like the idea of wandering around in a story for a while. Overall, this book far exceeded my expectations and it is definitely one I would recommend!

**Cleverly immersive and encourages exploration**

It was a night like any other when suddenly the show All This and More came on and changed the world. Using a new technology called ‘quantum bubbling’, the show’s contestants can rewrite their past in order to live the life of their dreams. After season 2 was mysteriously canceled, the show is finally back for season 3 with middle-aged Marsh as its star. Marsh will face a series of choices that will help the bubble create the life she dreams of. But nothing is ever that simple, is it?

I was interested to see what an adult choose your own adventure book would look like and this one did not disappoint! I appreciate that the book never tries to hide what it is going to be and the concept of the TV show All This and More is a clever framework for the choices you are going to be making. As a character, Marsh is very cookie-cutter and somewhat bland, but it really works in this scenario. There is something about Marsh that everyone can connect to and so you are personally connected to the choices you are making.

The experience of making choices is further enhanced by some of the overall mysteries surrounding the show itself. From the beginning, the narrative encourages you to explore many different pathways and I found myself more than willing to do so in order to uncover more information about what is truly happening. Ultimately, I was left with a lot of interesting thoughts about the ‘role’ of the reader in this story and I love that this book was able to make me approach it in this way.

**A long and winding road**

This book is a choose your own adventure. However, each of the ‘episodes’ that comes as a result of your choices are pretty long. In fact, there are relatively few choices to make throughout the book and it is also structured in a way that allows one to read straight through if they really wanted. However, there are only a few endings it is possible to get no matter your choices and some of the choices you make will loop back on each other as you jump around the story. Where I think this makes an interesting statement about the nature of these choices and it is easy to skip through sections you have already read, it sometimes makes the book feel like it’s dragging on.

The factors that make Marsh easy to get invested in also make her less compelling once a choice has been made. Marsh occasionally makes some intriguing observations, but it takes a while to get from one choice to the next and not every section develops the mystery or Marsh as a person in meaningful ways. I chose not to read straight through at the start, but I can see how this factor would be more noticeable if you are reading straight through. I think some of this is purposeful because another choice is being set up and the reader still needs to feel free to make it, but it is worth noting.

This is one of the most unique books I have ever read. I could not put it down! The characters were engaging and fun. The story jumping from different scenes still kept its continuity and engagement. The ability to control the story and choose your own path was so fun and inventive. I will be thinking about the story for a long time.

Holy mackerel, this was an adventure! ALL THIS AND MORE is definitely one of the most ambitious and clever books I’ve read in a long time.

At its core, this book is about choices and their consequences. When we meet Marsh, she is a very passive character; someone who has let circumstances and the decisions of others dictate her life. As Marsh begins her journey on “All This and More”, we slowly see her gain confidence and begin to speak up for what she wants. Hooray, right? But there’s always a catch- as Marsh begins to make choices that improve her life, the lives of her loved ones around her seem to crack and diminish. This leads Marsh (and the reader) to wonder… can she really make her life “perfect” without ruining the lives of others?

In addition to the exploration of choices and consequences, this book is a distinctly sci-fi/dystopian thriller. There are a lot of questions about the technology, who is in control, and more than a few “blips” and anomalies that make you feel like something is just not right. This creates a gentle, creeping sense of unease that really starts to pick up at the halfway point. I was racing through the pages to see how it all ended; however, “how it all ended” ended up being completely up to me! You really do get to choose your own ending to Marsh’s story- not just an ambiguous ending but more than one scenario that you, the reader, get to choose. It was a bit jarring at first to realize there isn’t a “true” ending, but the more I thought about it the more I loved it. Even though I read the book and finished the story, I still feel like there was so much more to explore. I really want to pick up a physical copy to play with the alternate paths I didn’t pick!

Overall, ALL THIS AND MORE was a highly original and engaging reading experience I won’t soon forget! Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

P.S. I would highly recommend reading this one in print form! I think the “choose your own adventure” style is most effective (and least confusing) when you can physically flip back and forth or jump around.

I wanted to love this and for a long time I was but then the plot got so convoluted and confusing. I’m not even sure I know how this one ended because it was hard to read as an ebook.