Book Review - All This & More by Peng Shepherd

Title: All This & More
Author: Peng Shepherd
Genre: Science Fiction
Published: 2024
 
Description: 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 the teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsch 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 elected to be the star of the global sensation “All This and More”, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the change to revise their pasts 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?
 
Review: Peng Shepherd’s “All This & More” attempts to build an ambitious bridge between a modern sci-fi thriller and the nostalgic “choose your own adventure” books from our childhood. Although the concept of a quantum-powered reality show in which you can rewrite your past is fascinating and intriguing, the execution unfortunately gets bogged down in repetition and superficiality.
 
Marsh hasn’t won in life; failing marriage, estranged daughter, no fulfillment from her job. She could use a do-over. To her surprise, Marsh is elected to take part in a reality TV show called “All This and More”, where quantum technology allows her to go back to her past life and make different life choices, altering her path.
 
Marsch is a protagonist that I just couldn’t sympathize with. Despite her chance to change everything, she often remains indecisive and naïve, which is frustrating. Her characters feels flat because she is constantly swept along by circumstances rather than truly steering them. These choices also felt meaningless. The book’s unique interactive element ultimately proves disappointing. Instead of truly different paths, you’re often led to the same storylines and I felt like the book wanted to direct us into certain paths too. You never feel that your choices really influence the fundamental outcome of the story until the very last pages.  
 
It’s a science fiction book, but the science behind the “bubble” and quantum mechanics is barely explored. Making the world-building feel paper-thin.
 
I loved the concept and how it actually plays with the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect life. Whatever choices you make in life, there will always be some bad moments. The book has three different endings. Two of these paths I wasn’t interested in and the ending I eventually choose wasn’t satisfying either. The book lacks depth, I didn’t sympathize with the main characters and the choose-your-own-adventure element was exciting at first but ended up being more controlled because it never really affected the storyline. For a book about life’s choices, I would recommend “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig, not this.
 
Rating: 2/ 5