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All This & More
What is the price of a perfect life?
Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she’s missed her chance at everything—romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure—and is desperate for a do-over.
She can’t believe her luck when she’s selected to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their past and change their present lives. It’s Marsh’s only shot to seize her dreams, and she’s determined to get it right this time.
But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, gets back together with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that All This and More’s promises might be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off.…
Can Marsh really make her life everything she wants it to be? And is it worth it?
Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she’s missed her chance at everything—romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure—and is desperate for a do-over.
She can’t believe her luck when she’s selected to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their past and change their present lives. It’s Marsh’s only shot to seize her dreams, and she’s determined to get it right this time.
But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, gets back together with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that All This and More’s promises might be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off.…
Can Marsh really make her life everything she wants it to be? And is it worth it?
816 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 2024
About the author
Peng Shepherd
9 books3,379 followersPeng Shepherd is the nationally bestselling, award-winning author of All This and More, The Cartographers, and The Book of M.
Her novels have been acclaimed as a “Best Book of the Year” by the Washington Post, a “Best Book of the Summer” by the Today Show and NPR, and featured in the New York Times, the LA Times, and on Good Morning America, as well as a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. Her work also has been translated into more than ten languages, and optioned for TV and film.
A graduate of New York University’s MFA program, Peng is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona, where she rode horses and trained in classical ballet, and has lived in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mexico City, and New York. When not writing, she can be found planning her next trip or haunting local bookstores.
Her novels have been acclaimed as a “Best Book of the Year” by the Washington Post, a “Best Book of the Summer” by the Today Show and NPR, and featured in the New York Times, the LA Times, and on Good Morning America, as well as a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. Her work also has been translated into more than ten languages, and optioned for TV and film.
A graduate of New York University’s MFA program, Peng is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona, where she rode horses and trained in classical ballet, and has lived in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mexico City, and New York. When not writing, she can be found planning her next trip or haunting local bookstores.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 656 reviews
October 1, 2024
once i read the first page of this book, i knew reading it would be a huge gamble.
the first page is “how to read this book” and, as someone who gets anxiety when making major decisions, i knew a “choose your own adventure” type novel would not be the best thing for me. especially one that revolves around helping a women relive her life and changing her past to choose a more perfect future. reading this sounding like a personal recipe for disaster.
buuuut PS is an auto-read author for me, so i figured if i was going to read a “choose your own adventure,” PS is the only author i would trust enough to not only make it work, but also make it enjoyable. and i was sorta right.
is this style of novel for me? nope - i should have trusted my gut on that one. but that didnt really let me down. the whole concept is fascinating and i do like what PS chose to do with it. the story is an interesting blend of genres and i can totally see where PS started her idea and where she wanted it to end up, which i think she succeeded in achieving. and while not for me, i do think the interactive element is unique and most readers not prone to anxiety should have fun with it.
so a fascinating idea and execution, i just wish i personally clicked with it more.
↠ 3.5 stars
the first page is “how to read this book” and, as someone who gets anxiety when making major decisions, i knew a “choose your own adventure” type novel would not be the best thing for me. especially one that revolves around helping a women relive her life and changing her past to choose a more perfect future. reading this sounding like a personal recipe for disaster.
buuuut PS is an auto-read author for me, so i figured if i was going to read a “choose your own adventure,” PS is the only author i would trust enough to not only make it work, but also make it enjoyable. and i was sorta right.
is this style of novel for me? nope - i should have trusted my gut on that one. but that didnt really let me down. the whole concept is fascinating and i do like what PS chose to do with it. the story is an interesting blend of genres and i can totally see where PS started her idea and where she wanted it to end up, which i think she succeeded in achieving. and while not for me, i do think the interactive element is unique and most readers not prone to anxiety should have fun with it.
so a fascinating idea and execution, i just wish i personally clicked with it more.
↠ 3.5 stars
August 25, 2024
If you're up for a mind-bending, unconventional, intelligent, futuristic, shocking, bizarre, extra-eccentric, and complex read, then this book is tailor-made for you.
Imagine having a magical technological wand that allows you to rewrite your life story, refining it countless times until it's perfect in your eyes. What if there was a reality TV show that turned you into a star, manipulating the strings of your life like a puppet master, delving into the main logic of quantum physics and jumping into different realities until you find the one that suits you best? But what if you didn't choose the best one, leaving behind a potentially far less perfect life?
In this mind-crushing novel, we meet Marsh, a 45-year-old recently divorced housewife raising a music prodigy daughter. After leaving her cheating husband of a 20-year marriage, she feels depressed, believing she hasn't accomplished anything in her life. But what if she didn't give up her law school dreams to raise her daughter? What if she could be a hotshot lawyer and have a second chance at her marriage or even reunite with her high school sweetheart, Ren? With the opportunity to join the third season of the reality show, host Talia, who was also a contestant in the first season, is there to help her embrace her dreamy future.
However, as Marsh explores the endless possibilities in her life, striving to make everything perfect, she encounters numerous inconsistencies that blur her mind. The season progresses, and instability grows: breaks in the continuity of her life, fragments of memories left on cast members, old pathways encroaching on new ones, and mysterious deleted texts from an unknown user. Is she trapped in a delusional bubble from which she cannot escape? Is embracing her less perfect life the only path to freedom?
Reading this book is like being trapped in a labyrinth: you keep turning the pages to escape, only to find yourself back where you started, jogging like a hamster on a treadmill. It's smart, mind-shattering, and incredibly original. I couldn't stop reading and marveling at the author's brilliant mind.
I'll admit this book isn't for everyone; it will undoubtedly garner mixed reviews. Some readers may find the premise confusing or disappointing, while others will be enthralled by it. Thankfully, I'm one of the fans who consider this the author's best work. I highly recommend it to sci-fi lovers and anyone bold enough to get lost in the abyss of possibilities and enjoy the wild ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a digital review copy of this fantastic sci-fi novel in exchange for my honest opinions.
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Imagine having a magical technological wand that allows you to rewrite your life story, refining it countless times until it's perfect in your eyes. What if there was a reality TV show that turned you into a star, manipulating the strings of your life like a puppet master, delving into the main logic of quantum physics and jumping into different realities until you find the one that suits you best? But what if you didn't choose the best one, leaving behind a potentially far less perfect life?
In this mind-crushing novel, we meet Marsh, a 45-year-old recently divorced housewife raising a music prodigy daughter. After leaving her cheating husband of a 20-year marriage, she feels depressed, believing she hasn't accomplished anything in her life. But what if she didn't give up her law school dreams to raise her daughter? What if she could be a hotshot lawyer and have a second chance at her marriage or even reunite with her high school sweetheart, Ren? With the opportunity to join the third season of the reality show, host Talia, who was also a contestant in the first season, is there to help her embrace her dreamy future.
However, as Marsh explores the endless possibilities in her life, striving to make everything perfect, she encounters numerous inconsistencies that blur her mind. The season progresses, and instability grows: breaks in the continuity of her life, fragments of memories left on cast members, old pathways encroaching on new ones, and mysterious deleted texts from an unknown user. Is she trapped in a delusional bubble from which she cannot escape? Is embracing her less perfect life the only path to freedom?
Reading this book is like being trapped in a labyrinth: you keep turning the pages to escape, only to find yourself back where you started, jogging like a hamster on a treadmill. It's smart, mind-shattering, and incredibly original. I couldn't stop reading and marveling at the author's brilliant mind.
I'll admit this book isn't for everyone; it will undoubtedly garner mixed reviews. Some readers may find the premise confusing or disappointing, while others will be enthralled by it. Thankfully, I'm one of the fans who consider this the author's best work. I highly recommend it to sci-fi lovers and anyone bold enough to get lost in the abyss of possibilities and enjoy the wild ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a digital review copy of this fantastic sci-fi novel in exchange for my honest opinions.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium.com
July 8, 2024
2.5 stars, rounded down. Very original concept with only fair execution
Did you like "Choose your own adventure" books as a child? I did, but...I always would keep my finger on the choice page and then go back and read the other choice(s). This is an adult take on that concept, but to me it was only partially successful. I think it would have been most successful had each choice somehow wrapped around so that all of the sections were included. As it was, there was a lot of repetition because certain things had to be presented to make the story flow.
The basic premise is that Marsh is given the opportunity to participate in a reality show where "quantum bubbling" has made it possible for her to change the course of her life at various points in order to change her life and future to be more fulfilling. As she gets more involved with the show, things begin to get stranger and more confusing, what exactly is going on?
I think this would be a great book club choice, as there are many things here that I'd love to discuss and pick apart with people. The overall idea of this story is great, but the middle got so mushy and confusing and downright weird, and then it got better and a bit more twisty, and then the ending was a huge letdown. We start with the choose your own path thing, then go away from that for a long time, and then go back for a rushed, pat, choice of endings.
I never warmed to Marsh, I never felt like she was learning or growing through all of her various iterations. I understood what was going on when she decided to redo her life and pursue law school, but then we got into a strange tangent of acting in a telenovela and wildlife photography in Iceland and she just goes along with it like it's what she wants and like it's no big deal. The book really lost me at that point.
And seriously--all Marsh could come up with as to why her marriage failed was that she said no to a threesome? Which in her redo turned out to be a foursome? That whole tangent was just ick for me and really unnecessary, it felt wedged in and bizarre to include. (When you get to the end you can generally get why it happened, but I disliked it completely)
It would have been a 1-2 star book but there is some redemption in the story arc about 75% through, but it was almost too little too late to save things. I give the author props for coming up with a unique concept, but the execution of that concept was not very good.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Did you like "Choose your own adventure" books as a child? I did, but...I always would keep my finger on the choice page and then go back and read the other choice(s). This is an adult take on that concept, but to me it was only partially successful. I think it would have been most successful had each choice somehow wrapped around so that all of the sections were included. As it was, there was a lot of repetition because certain things had to be presented to make the story flow.
The basic premise is that Marsh is given the opportunity to participate in a reality show where "quantum bubbling" has made it possible for her to change the course of her life at various points in order to change her life and future to be more fulfilling. As she gets more involved with the show, things begin to get stranger and more confusing, what exactly is going on?
I think this would be a great book club choice, as there are many things here that I'd love to discuss and pick apart with people. The overall idea of this story is great, but the middle got so mushy and confusing and downright weird, and then it got better and a bit more twisty, and then the ending was a huge letdown. We start with the choose your own path thing, then go away from that for a long time, and then go back for a rushed, pat, choice of endings.
I never warmed to Marsh, I never felt like she was learning or growing through all of her various iterations. I understood what was going on when she decided to redo her life and pursue law school, but then we got into a strange tangent of acting in a telenovela and wildlife photography in Iceland and she just goes along with it like it's what she wants and like it's no big deal. The book really lost me at that point.
And seriously--all Marsh could come up with as to why her marriage failed was that she said no to a threesome? Which in her redo turned out to be a foursome? That whole tangent was just ick for me and really unnecessary, it felt wedged in and bizarre to include. (When you get to the end you can generally get why it happened, but I disliked it completely)
It would have been a 1-2 star book but there is some redemption in the story arc about 75% through, but it was almost too little too late to save things. I give the author props for coming up with a unique concept, but the execution of that concept was not very good.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
March 14, 2024
peng shepherd has written a choose-your-own adventure and i've never been hornier for a book.
August 3, 2024
On and on it went
September 2, 2024
this started off very fun but then quickly turned into the equivalent of feeling lost in an ikea
February 28, 2024
Hmm…this is a fascinating idea. What if you could have endless do-overs at pivotal points of your life? I’m sure we all have a few things in our past we’d like to rewrite. I can think of some things I’d want to prevent from happening in the lives of my loved ones…but in this story, you can only change things in YOUR life.
In this case, Marsh is the lucky lady chosen for season three of the famous reality show, “All This And More”, wherein the sole contestant has the past at her fingertips. What if you could see how each path turned out…and just choose yet another one if you aren’t satisfied? The science here is glossed over and explained away as a breakthrough in quantum mechanics that allows this selective time travel, so just go along with it. This also has Choose Your Own Adventure-type options throughout, which made the reading experience even more fun.
Things are going great for Marsh….until they aren’t. Something is off. It’s okay, though—she can just move onto the next life, right?
Right?
My only (minor) quibble here is the same one I had with Shepherd’s “The Book of M”—it’s much longer than it needs to be. I think it would be a better book at 75-100 pages shorter, at least. However, it’s still highly entertaining as is, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I would happily read another Peng Shepherd book, and I was thrilled to get an ARC of this one. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow!
4.25 stars!
In this case, Marsh is the lucky lady chosen for season three of the famous reality show, “All This And More”, wherein the sole contestant has the past at her fingertips. What if you could see how each path turned out…and just choose yet another one if you aren’t satisfied? The science here is glossed over and explained away as a breakthrough in quantum mechanics that allows this selective time travel, so just go along with it. This also has Choose Your Own Adventure-type options throughout, which made the reading experience even more fun.
Things are going great for Marsh….until they aren’t. Something is off. It’s okay, though—she can just move onto the next life, right?
Right?
My only (minor) quibble here is the same one I had with Shepherd’s “The Book of M”—it’s much longer than it needs to be. I think it would be a better book at 75-100 pages shorter, at least. However, it’s still highly entertaining as is, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I would happily read another Peng Shepherd book, and I was thrilled to get an ARC of this one. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow!
4.25 stars!
February 19, 2024
1.5 - Ahh I hate to give this such a low rating because the concept behind it sounded so cool and I was very excited! I loved choose your own adventure books as a kid, and was really excited to see the idea built upon in this book. Unfortunately this book ranked low for me for a few reasons. The first was just that it felt so unbelievably long. It dragged and dragged to the point that I was excited for it to be done. It felt really repetitive. The second reason is that the main character was not very strong or well developed. I don’t enjoy passive characters, and Marsh was just very passive the entire book. I felt like she did not get any stronger or more developed throughout the story. There is a mystery going on, with clues and direct comments thrown in her face and she just kind of sits around and lets things happen to her. This leads into my third gripe, which was that there was too much focus on her alternate life paths rather than the mystery, and the life paths were too fantastical and unbelievable that they did not hold my attention. It was just too out there for me to take seriously. I was interested in the weird patterns and repeated words/themes but the main character kept ignoring them. The fourth was that I felt there were too many storylines that weren’t followed to completion or that the main character just didn’t care about or get upset enough over. A lot of things felt very half-baked to me and Marsh didn’t seem to care when some twists were revealed. Overall, this book didn’t hold my attention, partially due to a passive main character, and I felt the plot wasn’t fully developed.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2024
In the novel 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 & 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦, a reality television program of the same name shows a contestant living out different iterations of his or her life. In each of the ten episodes of a season, the contestant follows a path that branches out from a choice he or she makes about love, family, or career, thanks to a scientific discovery called “quantum bubbling.” Season 3 heroine Marsh is an ordinary woman living an unspectacular life in suburban Phoenix, Arizona. She is a sweet and kind person, loyal and dependable friend, devoted single mom, and former law student-turned-paralegal. But in other realities in which she is less passive and more confident and daring, she is luckier in love, holds a more impressive career, and leads a more glamorous lifestyle.
The structure of 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 & 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 is a fun one, set up like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book. Opportunities are given to the reader throughout the novel to select between two different paths until one of three conclusions is reached. What if Marsh had repaired her relationship with her ex-husband? Or she gave a renewed relationship with high school sweetheart Ren a proper go? What if she had taken the bar exam after all? Or she pursued a job in a completely different field? It’s a very fitting concept given the storyline as well as the book’s ruminations on choice and true happiness.
I admit I chose the option to read straight through to the intended ending… and I’m wondering if that was the correct decision. Though the plot was captivating at times, the storytelling wasn’t as tight as I would have liked and seemed a bit long-winded to me. I felt like it took much too long to get to the central conflict, and once it was revealed, the momentum continued at a slow, almost sluggish pace, despite the action and thriller components of the storyline.
But overall I do applaud the imaginative plot and interesting framework of 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 & 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦. I would recommend this to those who are looking for a unique reading experience and enjoy the vibes of 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯, and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
The structure of 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 & 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 is a fun one, set up like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book. Opportunities are given to the reader throughout the novel to select between two different paths until one of three conclusions is reached. What if Marsh had repaired her relationship with her ex-husband? Or she gave a renewed relationship with high school sweetheart Ren a proper go? What if she had taken the bar exam after all? Or she pursued a job in a completely different field? It’s a very fitting concept given the storyline as well as the book’s ruminations on choice and true happiness.
I admit I chose the option to read straight through to the intended ending… and I’m wondering if that was the correct decision. Though the plot was captivating at times, the storytelling wasn’t as tight as I would have liked and seemed a bit long-winded to me. I felt like it took much too long to get to the central conflict, and once it was revealed, the momentum continued at a slow, almost sluggish pace, despite the action and thriller components of the storyline.
But overall I do applaud the imaginative plot and interesting framework of 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 & 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦. I would recommend this to those who are looking for a unique reading experience and enjoy the vibes of 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯, and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 22, 2024
3-3.5 stars, i listened to this one on audio bc my fave Helen Laser narrates, however i think it would work better as a physical read! the “choose your own adventure” style was harder to follow and bop around on audio. i switched at about 80% to the physical and wish i did sooner. so this could be a “me” problem!!
what is super fun about this one is it’s possible to have 3 different endings 🤯 bc of that, this would make a fun book club book bc everyone could have a different route and ending! i chose one specific ending, but ofc i went back and re-read the other two ;)
i loved the premise / plot and genre of this one, but it fell off a bit in terms of pacing and execution. the beginning 25% was great, but i started to get confused or bored at 35%, especially when i realized there was 60% of the book left!!! trimming this down could have helped me stay more invested. but again, maybe it was the audio version!
TLDR; very interesting and lots of action, better on physical vs audio!
what is super fun about this one is it’s possible to have 3 different endings 🤯 bc of that, this would make a fun book club book bc everyone could have a different route and ending! i chose one specific ending, but ofc i went back and re-read the other two ;)
i loved the premise / plot and genre of this one, but it fell off a bit in terms of pacing and execution. the beginning 25% was great, but i started to get confused or bored at 35%, especially when i realized there was 60% of the book left!!! trimming this down could have helped me stay more invested. but again, maybe it was the audio version!
TLDR; very interesting and lots of action, better on physical vs audio!
August 15, 2024
I finished this in the afternoon after planting myself down to trudge through the final 75% of this and needed to let the thoughts marinate and allow the words to percolate (thank you Mary J. Blige/ChaCha!!!). This is the ultimate concept, using the immediate nostalgia for "choose your own adventures" to get the reader on board with this insane futuristic concept of a reality show that will alter the space-time continuum just to get you back with your high-school sweetheart, if you so choose (I did not). I should really love this for that and I do: the concept is awesome and has a lot of potential to make this a sci-fi story with an overarching philosophical problem-dilemma that gets attacked from all angles as Marsh tries to find what her "perfect" life really is. Could be a little too on the nose and cheesy or it could be excellent. Peng Shepherd, however, chose to off-road it and pick a dastardly 3rd option: "None of the above: just make it boring instead!"
I ate UP "The Cartographers", even if my star rating wasn't necessarily the highest. It, like this novel, had a fascinating, reality-bending plot that was just SO COOL in my opinion. Loved the plot, disliked the execution, particularly the abundance of the most simplistic, cookie-cutter vocabulary and syntax. The "tell, don't show" writing was an even bigger eyesore this time around, probably since I wasn't invested in the plot or the subject matter enough to turn a blind eye. The "episodes" of the show get to be incredibly formulaic and predictable by the time Marsh chooses her third life to try out. She's gonna show up, find Ren, think he's hot but could be hotter, watch her daughter who she may or not be close to play some stringed instrument, get a meaningful briefcase, wear corporate-coloured lingerie, try to find Dylan, shudder at the persisting butterfly imagery and lust after a trip to Hong Kong, Iceland and/or Mexico.... for some ridiculous reason. Yes, that continued trial and error is the ENTIRE premise of the"alternate realities" show, but the reader is meant to find the new settings unique and exciting each time they change and this is just not the prose for the job.
Characters were also disappointing. I hate Marsh's name and its origins with all of my being. We never learn her real name, perhaps to continue the charade that she is meant to be a neutral, "everywoman" that the viewer/reader could project themselves onto. As I have learned, rather than be an "everywoman", Marsh is simply boring in every alternate timeline she exists in. I would be hard-pressed to choose one of her lives where her unique job or unbelievable successes finally gave her the personality that she was looking for. She reacts either blandly or over exaggerately to any given trigger and does not have any defining traits. It could be argued that that is an """""authorial choice"""""" (I hope this reads as sarcastic) to emphasize any protagonist element I already discussed, but I would reject that. By the end of the novel, Marsh is suddenly gifted with a self-assuredness and confidence that she doesn't start out with and is never shown to have earned in the 500+ pages. She just has an intuition and a deep understanding of every question that has been plaguing her since she entered the Bubble. If you got a problem, yo, she'll solve it: I didn't take notes because I might have lost my mind but there are many examples. Go. Find them. I dare you.
Spitfire takes about stuff (bc this is getting too long), go: Ren is so clingy ew how did she find that attractive even in high school he was that way like what, this book tried soooooo hard to make the light a marshmallow on fire phrase a thing and it is truly one of the stupidest things i have ever heard rarely do i find myself referring to something in a novel as stupid maybe unfounded, misguided, or random but damn that is just too stupid for me, Harper is literally a regular teenager who dgaf what about your relationship needed fixing??? why were the physicist twins even there you what a waste of trees, the fonts of the "chapters" made me irrationally mad but the cover is grabby but simple i really liked it, damn we rushed into marsh's season so quickly that the ground rules of the bubble and the logistics of how everything works are never explained which made for a very confusing first few sections, why did we skip past the fact that 30+ PEOPLE WERE IMPRISIONED IN AN ALTERNATE REALITY BUBBLE FOR 3 YEARS?????? MARSH WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER PICKLE WAS A RABBIT OR A DOG THAN ABOUT THE REALIZATION THAT SHE MIGHT BE STUCK THERE TOO FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
At the end of this all, I still have more thoughts, but this was sufficient literary rage to keep me going for the next few weeks.
I ate UP "The Cartographers", even if my star rating wasn't necessarily the highest. It, like this novel, had a fascinating, reality-bending plot that was just SO COOL in my opinion. Loved the plot, disliked the execution, particularly the abundance of the most simplistic, cookie-cutter vocabulary and syntax. The "tell, don't show" writing was an even bigger eyesore this time around, probably since I wasn't invested in the plot or the subject matter enough to turn a blind eye. The "episodes" of the show get to be incredibly formulaic and predictable by the time Marsh chooses her third life to try out. She's gonna show up, find Ren, think he's hot but could be hotter, watch her daughter who she may or not be close to play some stringed instrument, get a meaningful briefcase, wear corporate-coloured lingerie, try to find Dylan, shudder at the persisting butterfly imagery and lust after a trip to Hong Kong, Iceland and/or Mexico.... for some ridiculous reason. Yes, that continued trial and error is the ENTIRE premise of the"alternate realities" show, but the reader is meant to find the new settings unique and exciting each time they change and this is just not the prose for the job.
Characters were also disappointing. I hate Marsh's name and its origins with all of my being. We never learn her real name, perhaps to continue the charade that she is meant to be a neutral, "everywoman" that the viewer/reader could project themselves onto. As I have learned, rather than be an "everywoman", Marsh is simply boring in every alternate timeline she exists in. I would be hard-pressed to choose one of her lives where her unique job or unbelievable successes finally gave her the personality that she was looking for. She reacts either blandly or over exaggerately to any given trigger and does not have any defining traits. It could be argued that that is an """""authorial choice"""""" (I hope this reads as sarcastic) to emphasize any protagonist element I already discussed, but I would reject that. By the end of the novel, Marsh is suddenly gifted with a self-assuredness and confidence that she doesn't start out with and is never shown to have earned in the 500+ pages. She just has an intuition and a deep understanding of every question that has been plaguing her since she entered the Bubble. If you got a problem, yo, she'll solve it: I didn't take notes because I might have lost my mind but there are many examples. Go. Find them. I dare you.
Spitfire takes about stuff (bc this is getting too long), go: Ren is so clingy ew how did she find that attractive even in high school he was that way like what, this book tried soooooo hard to make the light a marshmallow on fire phrase a thing and it is truly one of the stupidest things i have ever heard rarely do i find myself referring to something in a novel as stupid maybe unfounded, misguided, or random but damn that is just too stupid for me, Harper is literally a regular teenager who dgaf what about your relationship needed fixing??? why were the physicist twins even there you what a waste of trees, the fonts of the "chapters" made me irrationally mad but the cover is grabby but simple i really liked it, damn we rushed into marsh's season so quickly that the ground rules of the bubble and the logistics of how everything works are never explained which made for a very confusing first few sections, why did we skip past the fact that 30+ PEOPLE WERE IMPRISIONED IN AN ALTERNATE REALITY BUBBLE FOR 3 YEARS?????? MARSH WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER PICKLE WAS A RABBIT OR A DOG THAN ABOUT THE REALIZATION THAT SHE MIGHT BE STUCK THERE TOO FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
At the end of this all, I still have more thoughts, but this was sufficient literary rage to keep me going for the next few weeks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2024
Peng Shepherd does it again once more proving she’s an out of the box writer. Her “The Book of M” is still one of my favorite books so I knew I had to read All This & More.
And wow, Peng’s imagination knows no end. This book is a Choose Your Own Adventure style book with the reader being able to make the protagonist’s choices.
The premise of this story is a reality TV show where, because of a “quantum-bubble”, the contestant is able to go back and make different choices in her life. She can become rich, or famous, or find the love of her life, or all of the above.
Needless to say, the adventures go quite over the top and it was really fun to see what would happen next.
*Thanks so much to William Morrow and to NetGalley for the gifted eARC!*
And wow, Peng’s imagination knows no end. This book is a Choose Your Own Adventure style book with the reader being able to make the protagonist’s choices.
The premise of this story is a reality TV show where, because of a “quantum-bubble”, the contestant is able to go back and make different choices in her life. She can become rich, or famous, or find the love of her life, or all of the above.
Needless to say, the adventures go quite over the top and it was really fun to see what would happen next.
*Thanks so much to William Morrow and to NetGalley for the gifted eARC!*
February 9, 2024
The concept was creative, engaging & original but ultimately the plot became too convoluted and story was way too long.
With thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this e-ARC.
With thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this e-ARC.
August 21, 2024
This is a midlife crisis book. When I was midlife I got a great deal out of these books.
Now I am 54 and I think to hell with all of that. I’m so past it. Every day on this side of the dirt is a good day.
Obviously I am not the target audience for this book so take my three starts for what they are worth.
Now I am 54 and I think to hell with all of that. I’m so past it. Every day on this side of the dirt is a good day.
Obviously I am not the target audience for this book so take my three starts for what they are worth.
March 14, 2024
A choose your adventure book for grown ups.
August 14, 2024
All This and More by Peng Shepherd features an interesting choose-your-own-adventure format that drew me in right away. The story jumps right into the fascinating setup without any boring introductory sections.
As I read, the book made me stop and ponder deep questions. What would I be doing if I wasn’t on my current path in life? Did things go wrong at some point or is this the right track? Could an alternate life be even worse?
It started off so well. I had such high expectations. I’m not sure exactly where it went off the deep end for me, but I was never able to make my way back. The fantasy elements started to feel a little over-the-top and the storyline became harder for me to follow. While there was a good twist, it wasn’t enough to make up for the muddled second half in my opinion.
The ending left me dissatisfied and confused, though I may just not have been smart enough to fully grasp it. However, the compelling premise, intriguing format and strong beginning demonstrate Peng’s talent. I could envision this story making an excellent film adaptation.
Overall, All This and More started with great potential but lost its way as it became increasingly convoluted. Still, Peng Shepherd is a gifted writer who crafted a unique reading experience, even if it ultimately didn’t fully come together for me.
As I read, the book made me stop and ponder deep questions. What would I be doing if I wasn’t on my current path in life? Did things go wrong at some point or is this the right track? Could an alternate life be even worse?
It started off so well. I had such high expectations. I’m not sure exactly where it went off the deep end for me, but I was never able to make my way back. The fantasy elements started to feel a little over-the-top and the storyline became harder for me to follow. While there was a good twist, it wasn’t enough to make up for the muddled second half in my opinion.
The ending left me dissatisfied and confused, though I may just not have been smart enough to fully grasp it. However, the compelling premise, intriguing format and strong beginning demonstrate Peng’s talent. I could envision this story making an excellent film adaptation.
Overall, All This and More started with great potential but lost its way as it became increasingly convoluted. Still, Peng Shepherd is a gifted writer who crafted a unique reading experience, even if it ultimately didn’t fully come together for me.
Read
August 16, 2024I sort of read this book, meaning I speed-read about 200 pages of it, reading most of the beginning, skipping around some and then reading the finale and all three endings. It is billed as an adult choose-your-own-adventure book, so some skipping around is part of the plan, but maybe not quite the way I did it! And the protagonist is also choosing her own adventure via some technobabble contraption that allows her to experiment with rewriting her life, so all in all this made for a disorienting experience.
Why did I do it? Well, I was curious about the gimmick, and Shepherd’s writing is decently propulsive, but I was never fully convinced. It feels like a gimmick, with a blank-slate protagonist and nothing particularly grounded about her story. For me the wrench-in-the-matrix thriller elements took away from the question of what it would really be like to relive your life differently, as did the fact that Marsh was just being plunked into the highlights reel of different lives without actually having the chance to make everyday choices, gain different skills and actually live those lives.
Also, Marsh’s two big dilemmas felt pretty trite to me. There’s a love triangle involving her ex-husband and an old flame. And there’s a career-vs.-motherhood plotline that feels broad and stereotypical, in which it’s assumed that if Marsh isn’t the primary caretaker (and, post-divorce, custodial parent) for her daughter, they’ll have no meaningful relationship, whereas on the other hand stepping back career-wise when her daughter is young means she’ll have a meaningless and unfulfilling professional life despite having the talent to be a star. I was unconvinced in both directions. Kids’ affections are not a mathematical equation where love is directly proportionate to time invested, and non-custodial parents often get the advantage of being the fun parent rather than the disciplinarian. Also, a paralegal with the talent and drive to be a great lawyer would be an MVP at any firm worth staying at. A lot of this stuff felt like it was trading on stereotypical fears of what’s being given up, and social media highlights reels for what’s being gained, rather than feeling real.
At any rate, the choose-your-own-adventure is a fun concept, as is the idea of a time-travel thriller involving multiple iterations of one’s own life. So while it didn’t fully grab me, I can see it being lots of fun for others.
Why did I do it? Well, I was curious about the gimmick, and Shepherd’s writing is decently propulsive, but I was never fully convinced. It feels like a gimmick, with a blank-slate protagonist and nothing particularly grounded about her story. For me the wrench-in-the-matrix thriller elements took away from the question of what it would really be like to relive your life differently, as did the fact that Marsh was just being plunked into the highlights reel of different lives without actually having the chance to make everyday choices, gain different skills and actually live those lives.
Also, Marsh’s two big dilemmas felt pretty trite to me. There’s a love triangle involving her ex-husband and an old flame. And there’s a career-vs.-motherhood plotline that feels broad and stereotypical, in which it’s assumed that if Marsh isn’t the primary caretaker (and, post-divorce, custodial parent) for her daughter, they’ll have no meaningful relationship, whereas on the other hand stepping back career-wise when her daughter is young means she’ll have a meaningless and unfulfilling professional life despite having the talent to be a star. I was unconvinced in both directions. Kids’ affections are not a mathematical equation where love is directly proportionate to time invested, and non-custodial parents often get the advantage of being the fun parent rather than the disciplinarian. Also, a paralegal with the talent and drive to be a great lawyer would be an MVP at any firm worth staying at. A lot of this stuff felt like it was trading on stereotypical fears of what’s being given up, and social media highlights reels for what’s being gained, rather than feeling real.
At any rate, the choose-your-own-adventure is a fun concept, as is the idea of a time-travel thriller involving multiple iterations of one’s own life. So while it didn’t fully grab me, I can see it being lots of fun for others.
August 12, 2024
I really enjoyed Shepherd's previous book, The Cartographers, and I feel compelled to say that writing a book is super hard and an achievement no matter what. That said, boy oh boy, no part of this worked for me whatsoever. The only reason I finished it was so I could feel wholly justified in ranting about everything I disliked.
In broad strokes, I found it to be poorly constructed, extremely confusing (not in the way it seems was intended), and filled with extremely wooden characters who rarely if ever rose above the most lowest-common-denominator stereotypes of the role they played in the story.
For context, the book is structured like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, so depending on the choices you want the MC to make, you might not read every page linearly. Either as a result of that, or just in an unfortunate coincidence, the narrative was exhaustingly repetitive, with no organic build toward a conclusion.
(mildish spoilers but just keep reading bc don't read this book. Actual spoilers are tagged)
Marsh, the protagonist, did not hold together as a character. The reader is led to believe that she grows to become this uber-competent rockstar over the course of the narrative, but simultaneously needs to be beaten over the head ceaselessly with signs that all isn't as it seems for 80% of the book before she decides to do anything about it. Her inner thoughts and decisions seem almost wholly dependent on what the next scene requires, which is especially annoying when the whole conceit of the novel is that she can bend her life to her will through her choices.
For much of the book, Marsh is employed as a lawyer or adjacent to the legal industry, and the book doesn't remotely care about how a law firm would actually function beyond the most inane "everyone can't stop talking about your big case!" style drivel. I could let this slide if it didn't behave the same way about every job in the book, from software to tv production to journalism. I think there's an effective way to yada-yada real world things that you want in your book but don't want to spend too much time on, but this was not it.
Much of the narrative involves Marsh dropping into different permutations of her life and trying to slyly get up to speed on what's different and what's the same, and while this has the potential to be fun and display Marsh as canny and capable, what actually happened is that other characters are constantly exposition dumping in their dialog and not talking like a real person who doesn't know they're in a tv show. A couple examples:
- "With these shots, you’re going to be the star of the annual international wildlife conservation gala tomorrow!”
- “I’m surprised you’re here,” he says. “I thought you had a meeting about that big client Victor’s been talking about all week.” “Big client.” She nods at last. “Of course.”
I could go on, but suffice to say this book really frustrated me, especially because I think the central conceit and skeleton of the plot was quite cool. The execution was just awful, imo.
In broad strokes, I found it to be poorly constructed, extremely confusing (not in the way it seems was intended), and filled with extremely wooden characters who rarely if ever rose above the most lowest-common-denominator stereotypes of the role they played in the story.
For context, the book is structured like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, so depending on the choices you want the MC to make, you might not read every page linearly. Either as a result of that, or just in an unfortunate coincidence, the narrative was exhaustingly repetitive, with no organic build toward a conclusion.
(mildish spoilers but just keep reading bc don't read this book. Actual spoilers are tagged)
Marsh, the protagonist, did not hold together as a character. The reader is led to believe that she grows to become this uber-competent rockstar over the course of the narrative, but simultaneously needs to be beaten over the head ceaselessly with signs that all isn't as it seems for 80% of the book before she decides to do anything about it. Her inner thoughts and decisions seem almost wholly dependent on what the next scene requires, which is especially annoying when the whole conceit of the novel is that she can bend her life to her will through her choices.
For much of the book, Marsh is employed as a lawyer or adjacent to the legal industry, and the book doesn't remotely care about how a law firm would actually function beyond the most inane "everyone can't stop talking about your big case!" style drivel. I could let this slide if it didn't behave the same way about every job in the book, from software to tv production to journalism. I think there's an effective way to yada-yada real world things that you want in your book but don't want to spend too much time on, but this was not it.
Much of the narrative involves Marsh dropping into different permutations of her life and trying to slyly get up to speed on what's different and what's the same, and while this has the potential to be fun and display Marsh as canny and capable, what actually happened is that other characters are constantly exposition dumping in their dialog and not talking like a real person who doesn't know they're in a tv show. A couple examples:
- "With these shots, you’re going to be the star of the annual international wildlife conservation gala tomorrow!”
- “I’m surprised you’re here,” he says. “I thought you had a meeting about that big client Victor’s been talking about all week.” “Big client.” She nods at last. “Of course.”
I could go on, but suffice to say this book really frustrated me, especially because I think the central conceit and skeleton of the plot was quite cool. The execution was just awful, imo.
January 22, 2024
I got an early review copy of this book from the publisher and was totally thrilled because I was already a huge fan of The Book of M. All This and More is one of the most innovative, captivating books I've read all year! The story is a compelling page-turner -- seriously, I couldn't put it down -- but it also gave me all those warm fuzzy feels by tapping into some choose-your-own-adventure memories from my childhood. Peng Shepherd is an amazing writer, and this is her at some of her best. Read it!!!!
August 9, 2024
My review of the audiobook experience:
This is a true Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book where you can flip to a certain page to continue the story in the way you want. I listened to the audiobook, which comes with a note that its chapters have been laid out in a way that flows best. So you can just keep listening and get a full story. This worked well until the end. Everything seems to converge in the end where you are left with 3 choices, then all of your skipped chapters/choices from earlier in the story all play out, and finally the 3 main endings play out. By this point I couldn't remember what had led into those skipped choices, or where they had fit into the story.
Honestly, that experience of trying to know every possibility and forgetting where they all fit in was the same as the CYOA print books I read with my son. So I don't think there's much difference between the audio and print experience. However, I would recommend print as you could more easily flip around to find where things fit.
This is a true Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book where you can flip to a certain page to continue the story in the way you want. I listened to the audiobook, which comes with a note that its chapters have been laid out in a way that flows best. So you can just keep listening and get a full story. This worked well until the end. Everything seems to converge in the end where you are left with 3 choices, then all of your skipped chapters/choices from earlier in the story all play out, and finally the 3 main endings play out. By this point I couldn't remember what had led into those skipped choices, or where they had fit into the story.
Honestly, that experience of trying to know every possibility and forgetting where they all fit in was the same as the CYOA print books I read with my son. So I don't think there's much difference between the audio and print experience. However, I would recommend print as you could more easily flip around to find where things fit.
July 4, 2024
Big thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow Books, and the author for the gifted eARC!
The description of this book immediately intrigued me. A choose your own adventure book for adults?! Count me in! And it really is. First, we are taken through an entrancing summary of the FMC’s life. Marsh is so relatable: a middle-aged woman who feels like her life passed her by as she settled for a mediocre existence instead of taking chances. Don’t we all have a “what if?” hidden in the back of our minds? What if you could go back and take that chance? We are presented with multiple points where we, as readers, can choose which path Marsh should go down. The suspense at the end of each chapter had me so captivated that I physically couldn’t put this down!
Then, about midway through, I hit a snag. I was reading a new chapter that I had been instructed to jump to, and wasn’t given a choice at the end. This isn’t abnormal, but then I was led through 2 chapters I had already read, which culminated in the same choices I had been given previously. So, I picked a different one, and then the book just went on… it was extremely confusing. Why was I made to reread two full chapters that I had already read? Was the storyline I had chosen supposed to have ended, and I accidentally just kept reading? Did I do something wrong at some point? I backtracked a few times and couldn’t find any place where I hadn’t followed the ebook’s instructions.
After that confusing debacle, I lost a lot of motivation to continue because I found the book to be longer than it needed to be. It started to lose its fun for me, and I was happy to reach the book’s suspenseful conclusion.
Overall, this is SUCH an ambitious novel and I cannot remember the last time I was so engrossed in a storyline. Choose your own adventure books were like the holy grail to us 90’s kids, so this was so nostalgic and just plain fun! Shepherd’s writing is beautiful, and I wish I was able to quote it, but could not due to it being an advanced reader digital copy. I want to stress that since I did read an ARC of this book, the issue I ran into midway through (and the reason for my overall rating) might not even be in the finished version. Or, it very well may have been user error on my part.
I’m so excited to read more by Peng Shepherd, and give many thanks to her for giving this 90’s kid an awesome choose your own adventure read experience!
The description of this book immediately intrigued me. A choose your own adventure book for adults?! Count me in! And it really is. First, we are taken through an entrancing summary of the FMC’s life. Marsh is so relatable: a middle-aged woman who feels like her life passed her by as she settled for a mediocre existence instead of taking chances. Don’t we all have a “what if?” hidden in the back of our minds? What if you could go back and take that chance? We are presented with multiple points where we, as readers, can choose which path Marsh should go down. The suspense at the end of each chapter had me so captivated that I physically couldn’t put this down!
Then, about midway through, I hit a snag. I was reading a new chapter that I had been instructed to jump to, and wasn’t given a choice at the end. This isn’t abnormal, but then I was led through 2 chapters I had already read, which culminated in the same choices I had been given previously. So, I picked a different one, and then the book just went on… it was extremely confusing. Why was I made to reread two full chapters that I had already read? Was the storyline I had chosen supposed to have ended, and I accidentally just kept reading? Did I do something wrong at some point? I backtracked a few times and couldn’t find any place where I hadn’t followed the ebook’s instructions.
After that confusing debacle, I lost a lot of motivation to continue because I found the book to be longer than it needed to be. It started to lose its fun for me, and I was happy to reach the book’s suspenseful conclusion.
Overall, this is SUCH an ambitious novel and I cannot remember the last time I was so engrossed in a storyline. Choose your own adventure books were like the holy grail to us 90’s kids, so this was so nostalgic and just plain fun! Shepherd’s writing is beautiful, and I wish I was able to quote it, but could not due to it being an advanced reader digital copy. I want to stress that since I did read an ARC of this book, the issue I ran into midway through (and the reason for my overall rating) might not even be in the finished version. Or, it very well may have been user error on my part.
I’m so excited to read more by Peng Shepherd, and give many thanks to her for giving this 90’s kid an awesome choose your own adventure read experience!
July 5, 2024
All This & More was one of my most-anticipated novels of 2024 and I have never been more sad to be let down by a book. I loved Choose Your Own Adventures books as a kid, I am absolutely fascinated by physics, and I love Peng Shepherd's writing. I should never think, “How could things go wrong?”
Where did it go wrong? It’s not the plot. That’s actually pretty solid. It’s not the storytelling device, either (though I will tell you that reading this on a Kindle Paperwhite wasn’t very fun in it’s eARC format, so this might be one of those books where a physical copy might be the preferable format). No, the issue with this book was the protagonist, how poorly-written she was (in my opinion), and how I couldn’t connect with her at all.
I understand speculative fiction. I understand the premise of this book necessitates a plot-forward approach. But some readers need to connect with the protagonist in a story in order to stick with it. I’m one of those people. On the surface, you’d think I would connect with Marsh: I’m in my 40s, I’m a mom, I’m divorced, I have a lot of things I wished I’d done better or different with my life. But it stops at the surface, because I didn’t connect with her at all beyond those superficial traits. As the pages went on I just found myself more and more annoyed with both her and Talia, the main supporting character in this book.
I wish I could tell you I liked this book more, but I didn’t. You can have the best plot and the best idea for a story, but if the characters aren’t the least bit appealing then some readers just can’t vibe with it.
I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Owing to the fact this review is rated three stars or under it will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.
File Under: Speculative Fiction
Where did it go wrong? It’s not the plot. That’s actually pretty solid. It’s not the storytelling device, either (though I will tell you that reading this on a Kindle Paperwhite wasn’t very fun in it’s eARC format, so this might be one of those books where a physical copy might be the preferable format). No, the issue with this book was the protagonist, how poorly-written she was (in my opinion), and how I couldn’t connect with her at all.
I understand speculative fiction. I understand the premise of this book necessitates a plot-forward approach. But some readers need to connect with the protagonist in a story in order to stick with it. I’m one of those people. On the surface, you’d think I would connect with Marsh: I’m in my 40s, I’m a mom, I’m divorced, I have a lot of things I wished I’d done better or different with my life. But it stops at the surface, because I didn’t connect with her at all beyond those superficial traits. As the pages went on I just found myself more and more annoyed with both her and Talia, the main supporting character in this book.
I wish I could tell you I liked this book more, but I didn’t. You can have the best plot and the best idea for a story, but if the characters aren’t the least bit appealing then some readers just can’t vibe with it.
I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Owing to the fact this review is rated three stars or under it will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.
File Under: Speculative Fiction
July 31, 2024
All This & More by Peng Shepherd is one of the most unique books I have ever read, and while I KNOW it won't be for everyone, it blew me away! I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was younger, and this was a more adult and complex take on that. I did not love Marsh all the time, but I could certainly understand the draw to make your life absolutely perfect. Instead of jumping around the way I would have in a CYOA book, I decided to read straight through since I was listening to the audiobook. This did get repetitive at the end and a little weird, but I still loved it.
The audio is narrated by Helen Laser, and I thought she did an excellent job! She certainly made me connect to Marsh more as a character, and she was also just really easy and fun to listen to. Due to the format, I would definitely have a copy of the physical book as well, and during the card portion, there were actually pictures of the cards in the book which I thought was really cool. I don't know how it would work, but I think All This & More would be awesome to see on TV too, especially as something like a series. This would make an excellent book club choice and I think it would garner lots of discussion. Shepherd made an instant fan in me with such a clever and unique novel!
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
The audio is narrated by Helen Laser, and I thought she did an excellent job! She certainly made me connect to Marsh more as a character, and she was also just really easy and fun to listen to. Due to the format, I would definitely have a copy of the physical book as well, and during the card portion, there were actually pictures of the cards in the book which I thought was really cool. I don't know how it would work, but I think All This & More would be awesome to see on TV too, especially as something like a series. This would make an excellent book club choice and I think it would garner lots of discussion. Shepherd made an instant fan in me with such a clever and unique novel!
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
March 29, 2024
I’ve been a fan of Peng Shepherd for a while as their use of literary fiction commingled with science fiction that isn’t necessarily explained is right up my alley.
This is basically a baby of The Bachelor and The Circle meets Bandersnatch (Black Mirror) with beautiful and intricate writing that takes us on an incredible journey. If you like reality tv this is for you, and if you don’t, this is still for you.
It’s been quite some time that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading a book as much as this since Invisible Monsters Remix by Chuck Palahniuk. It takes an impeccably detailed writer to pull off a tell your own story book in the way that Shepherd does. I quite literally lost sleep by choosing to continue reading this far past the time I should have.
A complaint I was hearing was that it was too long, but it ended so quickly for me that I could’ve read another 100-200 pages. Shepherd writes in a way that is exhilarating and you never want it to stop. I was completely hooked after a single page and that momentum didn’t end until the acknowledgements.
I truly cannot wait for this to release as I will immediately purchase the book so I can explore all the choices I didn’t make and see what I missed out the first time around. Utterly breathtaking and am blown away.
This is basically a baby of The Bachelor and The Circle meets Bandersnatch (Black Mirror) with beautiful and intricate writing that takes us on an incredible journey. If you like reality tv this is for you, and if you don’t, this is still for you.
It’s been quite some time that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading a book as much as this since Invisible Monsters Remix by Chuck Palahniuk. It takes an impeccably detailed writer to pull off a tell your own story book in the way that Shepherd does. I quite literally lost sleep by choosing to continue reading this far past the time I should have.
A complaint I was hearing was that it was too long, but it ended so quickly for me that I could’ve read another 100-200 pages. Shepherd writes in a way that is exhilarating and you never want it to stop. I was completely hooked after a single page and that momentum didn’t end until the acknowledgements.
I truly cannot wait for this to release as I will immediately purchase the book so I can explore all the choices I didn’t make and see what I missed out the first time around. Utterly breathtaking and am blown away.
Read
October 3, 2024TECHNICALLY I finish this book, but there’s still like 1/5th of it that I haven’t read because of the different paths you can choose for the story!
I will be buying the HARDCOVER book (very telling for me, I hate hardcovers) JUST to reread it and see all of the directions it could go and figure out how much the story changes based on different decisions I could’ve made.
I loved this book, it was so interesting and there’s so much going on. The main character could be quite frustrating, but also if I was a star on a reality TV show that took me through all of the different directions my life could go based on different decisions I made, I think I’d be frustrating and annoying too so quite relatable.
Definitely opt for the physical book, or the physical book alongside the audiobook over just the audiobook, especially around the 2/3rds mark.
I truly could not feel time passing as I read this book, and was left with my mouth agape in the middle of work because I was so shocked.
I will be buying the HARDCOVER book (very telling for me, I hate hardcovers) JUST to reread it and see all of the directions it could go and figure out how much the story changes based on different decisions I could’ve made.
I loved this book, it was so interesting and there’s so much going on. The main character could be quite frustrating, but also if I was a star on a reality TV show that took me through all of the different directions my life could go based on different decisions I made, I think I’d be frustrating and annoying too so quite relatable.
Definitely opt for the physical book, or the physical book alongside the audiobook over just the audiobook, especially around the 2/3rds mark.
I truly could not feel time passing as I read this book, and was left with my mouth agape in the middle of work because I was so shocked.
July 6, 2024
I really liked this book until I started to become so bored. And it gets really confusing. I listened to an ALC of this and I wasn’t able to skip around and chose my own path because I didn’t know the track number for the different paths. I’m not even sure I know how this ended. Very confusing on audio.
August 23, 2024
A choose your own adventure for grownups! Kind of.
3 stars feels harsh- I’d give it 3.5 stars if half stars were a thing.
I really enjoyed it at first. I was invested in the main character. A book about a woman in her 40s! A single mom! I can relate! (Okay I’m not in my 40s yet but I’m close enough.)
I think if you are preparing to read this book, the best way to read it is to commit to your choices and stick with those choices only. The endings are quick and varied enough that it is worth checking out all three.
I marked all the pages where choices were and checked out the alternate paths. The differences were not significant enough to make the extra scenes worth reading. It’s not meant as a dig at the book, all the choices seem to lead to the same three endings, so there are limits in how different they could ultimately be. I only say that for future readers- the best experience I think is just to commit to whatever path you choose.
I do think there is a point where the scenes become a little repetitive. Marsh trying on every lifestyle your five year old self dreamed of. Secret agent! Astronaut! Wildlife photographer! It became silly at some point.
So it’s fun and it’s light hearted. I thought the endings were a a little unhinged and a 10/10.
So there is nothing inherently wrong with it and the right reader could have a ball with this. It’s meant to be fun.
My personal disappointment just came from wanting this to be a book about choices and the effects of those choices. A book for anyone who has ever asked themselves, how did I get here?
The choices in this book are somewhat magical in nature and we aren’t really talking about consequences of choice, just trying on different lifestyles.
So that’s it. Not a bad diversion for a tired brain.
3 stars feels harsh- I’d give it 3.5 stars if half stars were a thing.
I really enjoyed it at first. I was invested in the main character. A book about a woman in her 40s! A single mom! I can relate! (Okay I’m not in my 40s yet but I’m close enough.)
I think if you are preparing to read this book, the best way to read it is to commit to your choices and stick with those choices only. The endings are quick and varied enough that it is worth checking out all three.
I marked all the pages where choices were and checked out the alternate paths. The differences were not significant enough to make the extra scenes worth reading. It’s not meant as a dig at the book, all the choices seem to lead to the same three endings, so there are limits in how different they could ultimately be. I only say that for future readers- the best experience I think is just to commit to whatever path you choose.
I do think there is a point where the scenes become a little repetitive. Marsh trying on every lifestyle your five year old self dreamed of. Secret agent! Astronaut! Wildlife photographer! It became silly at some point.
So it’s fun and it’s light hearted. I thought the endings were a a little unhinged and a 10/10.
So there is nothing inherently wrong with it and the right reader could have a ball with this. It’s meant to be fun.
My personal disappointment just came from wanting this to be a book about choices and the effects of those choices. A book for anyone who has ever asked themselves, how did I get here?
The choices in this book are somewhat magical in nature and we aren’t really talking about consequences of choice, just trying on different lifestyles.
So that’s it. Not a bad diversion for a tired brain.
Shelved as 'want-to-read-new'
February 7, 2024Is this a Choose Your Path adult contemporay fiction? Sign me the heck up!
Read
August 19, 2024This is basically the adult version of those choose-your-own-adventure books, enhanced with time-travel and mystery elements, all set on a reality TV show. It's an unexpected and fresh combination, but somehow it manages to work for the first half of the story.
However, the latter half was where things started to get redundant. The excessive "telling" and repetition undercut the most emotional moments, making it difficult to root for or sympathize with Marsh even when she was supposedly living her best life. And while I admire the concept, the weak writing style (& attempts at humor), unsatisfying endings, and dull cast of characters made it difficult for me to enjoy it fully.
Biggest takeaway? If I named my child Marshmallow because they're so "sweet and soft" I would not be able to live with myself. I'm sorry, Marsh, it's not you, it's me, but I could not bring myself to take you seriously.
However, the latter half was where things started to get redundant. The excessive "telling" and repetition undercut the most emotional moments, making it difficult to root for or sympathize with Marsh even when she was supposedly living her best life. And while I admire the concept, the weak writing style (& attempts at humor), unsatisfying endings, and dull cast of characters made it difficult for me to enjoy it fully.
Biggest takeaway? If I named my child Marshmallow because they're so "sweet and soft" I would not be able to live with myself. I'm sorry, Marsh, it's not you, it's me, but I could not bring myself to take you seriously.
July 13, 2024
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***
***END SPOILERS***
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this arc.
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***
***END SPOILERS***
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this arc.
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