All This and More: A Novel

I don't necessarily regret reading this book, but it's not one I think I'll ever come back to.

The choose-your-own-adventure aspect was enjoyable enough. Fun at first, maybe a little less so as the book went on. One of my main issues with this book is the pacing- especially if you take the time to travel down every path with Marsh, the story drags on and on with not much actually happening in the plot. I think there could be one or two less locations, one or two less realities we got to see Marsh live through, and it wouldn't have felt so slow.

Another issue I have: Marsh herself. She is an annoyingly dense main character. It's not that she isn't smart, but that the way being able to make so many different choices and tweaks in the Bubble changes her from sympathetic and relatable into an incredibly shallow self-centered person was frustrating to read, especially near the end where her choices really mattered. The scene near the very end with the full casts of season two and three at her senior high school prom made me groan. I picked the ending that I would pick if I were her- the ending where she goes back to her original life with Dylan- and it was unsatisfying because it felt like Marsh devolved as a character and there was no real payoff for her time in the Bubble. Even after everything she went through there she was unhappy with her real life and seemed like a shell of her former self, which makes sense in the story but doesn't make for a good ending. I don't know how the other endings read because I'm not interested in reading them- maybe they're a little better. But when I finished this book I found myself thinking, why did I power through this? I just feel depressed; no one has learned any kind of lesson or faced any consequences for all that happened in the Bubble. Again, her behavior makes sense for the story, but it isn't compelling or satisfying.

Some positives: love the concept, and I love how the chapters are structured into episodes, cuts in scenes, etc. I liked Talia's character, though I think she would've been more interesting if Marsh had figured out she was working with Chrysalis earlier on. The imagery in the Iceland episode was great; honestly, that whole episode was a blast to read. I think that's the part of this book I enjoyed the most.

Oh this book is absolutely wild. You have to have a lot of patience for it but the bad reviews are almost all about Marsh’s personal faults. She is a flawed and human character and she gets the ending(s) aligned with the fact that she is flawed. It poses a lot of existential questions and it is very interesting and is a very intellectual speculative piece. Less entertaining by miles than the Cartographers, which is why I was significantly less invested.

walmart eeaao + experience machine (and in this case the sum is NOT greater than the parts)

there’s a part near the end where the mc goes “omg it was that all along? how could i have not seen this?!” girl idk because it was obvious for so long. but the mc made a lot of dumb moves, like ignoring a massive part of the plot because she thinks it just won’t affect her or something?? not sure how to describe it without spoilers but she was FRUSTRATING me…

there’s a part where there’s confusion about the daughter’s bio dad and i was like ??? because i imagined those guys as two very different looking races like we would not be getting mixed up about who was in her genetic code (this is not a critique i just found it funny)

+0.5 stars for the fun premise but SO MANY plot holes + too many boring details on dumb stuff + annoying main character + the obvious “message” (btw shepherd just bc you put the characters saying how predictable the plot was doesn’t make the plot interesting all of a sudden! it’s not cheeky and cute)… speaking of not cute: the book title being a jingle at the end of like every other chapter

i just do NOT recommend. go play bandersnatch on netflix again

rating: 1.5 stars

Peng Shepard’s “All This & More” is a choose-your-own-adventure novel centered around a reality television program of the same name, where contestants experience various iterations of their lives. Forty-five-year-old Marshmallow “Marsh” Lee (her real name remains undisclosed) has recently divorced after discovering her husband Dylan, with whom she spent twenty years, was unfaithful. Marsh met Dylan in college during a camping trip with her best friend Joanna “Jo” Hall. As she was preparing for law school, she fell deeply in love with Dylan, a physics PhD student. An unexpected pregnancy led Marsh to drop out of law school and raise their daughter, Harper. In the present day, Marsh, newly single, reconnects with her high school sweetheart, Ren Kurosaki—the person who gave her the nickname Marshmallow. After a few dates, the relationship hits a snag when Marsh accidentally calls Ren by Dylan’s name, leading to a breakup. The next day, Marsh is fired from her job as a paralegal. Desperate, she applies to join All This & More and is accepted by Talia, a former contestant and the current host. The show, set in Phoenix, Arizona, features ten episodes with a mid-season finale. Contestants attempt to improve their lives through quantum bubbling, a fictional process that allows them to alter their past and future by manipulating observable instances. After the tenth episode, contestants rejoin the real world with their changed lives. Marsh’s journey begins with her recounting her regrets and humiliations. Talia presents her first choice: either have Ren not break up with her or go to law school. With reader input, Marsh explores various paths that impact her relationships, career, and personal life. She can become an actress, environmental photographer, poker player, lawyer, astronaut, and more, depending on the choices made. It soon becomes clear that Ren is destined to be Marsh’s romantic partner, even if she revisits and rekindles her relationship with Dylan. Season 2 of All This & More collapses shortly after filming, and the identity of its contestant remains a mystery. Marsh’s season becomes increasingly bizarre when the word “Chrysalis” appears repeatedly, and a briefcase Dylan bought for Marsh keeps resurfacing. Fans of Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch or choose-your-own-adventure games may appreciate Shepard’s innovative approach. However, some readers might find the novel tedious and repetitive, especially if they need to revisit earlier choices to explore different outcomes. Marsh’s character development seems lacking; she is portrayed as constantly seeking perfection but remains unsatisfied. Her focus on minor details, like Ren’s dance steps and appearance, detracts from her strength as a lead. Additionally, the array of career paths available to her feels far-fetched and excessive. The novel, spanning 460 pages, could benefit from a reduction of about a hundred pages to alleviate its exhausting nature. While the twist and explanations regarding Season 2 and the mechanics of Marsh’s season are addressed, they lack sufficient detail to fully grasp the concept of quantum bubbling. The idea is intriguing but falls short in providing a clear visualization of the bubble and its workings.