This is a cute little book.

Ben has been with Daphne for years but in 2020, he feels like not all is perfect between them anymore. He arranges to meet up for drinks with a girl he was friendly with in his uni years on 29th December, five days away.

He goes for Christmas Eve drinks with his friend Harv, ready to tell him how he's feeling but as they don't usually talk about the serous stuff in life, he chickens out. This is where the story takes a sort of Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' turn.

A man in the pub gives Ben a broken watch, with the hands stuck just before midnight. Ben then goes back in time to the same date, Christmas Day, in the past, present and future, to show him things he hadn't realised in the past and to see what his present and future held.

I honestly thought it would be a little cheesy but it wasn't at all. It is written seamlessly and I didn't guess the ending at all. An enjoyable read!

I loved this book and I really couldn't have predicted the ending. Quite a simple story and yet one that kept me reading. I loved the way the story is ever changing. It is funny and also sad and just a really good easy read. I took it on holiday and read it in 3 days!!

A new twist on A Christmas Carol, a touching read that proves the grass is not always greener. Who hasn't ever dreamed about the Sliding Doors moment, a what if story? I really enjoyed this, thanks NetGalley!

I loved this book - I read a lot of this genre lately, love stories and the like but this is my first one from a male perspective and it was fantastic.

Ben is struggling to see if he’s made the right life choices and we see him transported in time in a modern Christmas carol-esque book.

Tom Ellen has a way with words that means you’re hooked from the get go. I didn’t want to put it down. A must read

A really well written story about our choices in life. Ben gets the chance to go back in time. Did he make the right decision marrying Daphne? This a thought provoking read and a romantic story with some time travel and second chances.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of time travel through the history of a relationship. Unusually for a chick-lit novel (which this definitely is), it's both written by and about a man. I think this is refreshing, because men have just as many doubts and worries about their lives and their relationships, their careers, their parents, and as many daddy issues as women, but they are far less frequently written about. And when they are, they seem to be weighty literary tomes, rather than refreshing, readable experiences like this one.
Ben, our main character, is in rather a bad spot at the moment. He's not happy with his life, his job, and especially not his wife. This means he's now thinking hard about 'the one that got away', the girl he spent the first term of university getting close to, but never sealed the deal with. Recently having come back into his life, she's texting and looking to meet up, and Ben's thinking hard about whether he made the right decision between Alice and Daphne all those years ago.
A chance encounter with a friendly watch-seller in a bar on Christmas Eve gives Ben the chance to really think about his decision, as he ends up travelling back to the night he first met Daphne. Suddenly stuck in his eighteen=year-old body, stumbling through the first day he met his wife, Ben has the chance to make his decisions all over again. But will he do things the same way?
Well, obviously, no. Nobody who's thirty five can remember the way they acted when they were eighteen, so there are some very entertaining scenes as Ben forgets his lines in a play, and awkwardly tries not to act like a crazy stalker with a woman he's just met, since he sees her as his partner of more than twenty years. But as Ben relives this day (and more in his past), he begins to realise aspects of his life might not have been just as dreary and terrible as he thought.
There's a lot of thought put into this book. Ben is a terribly self-centred, and honestly not particularly likeable character at times. But what's really great about this book is that as Ben relives his own past, he realises that he's actually been a prize knob in several situations, and that taking a gentler, more thoughtful approach to his life can really give him a better understanding of both who he is, and the value of the people around him.
This book takes the structure of A Christmas Carol, with some twists (much like the play in 2005), and like old Ebenezer, Ben experiences days in and around his Christmases past. Also like Scrooge, Ben's not a very likeable character at the beginning. But as he re-experiences his life and sees the people he has around him, he becomes far more likeable. It's refreshing also that this book doesn't wrap everything up neatly in a bow at the last moment, but shows some of the real visceral work that goes into maintaining a long-term relationship. This is Tom Ellen's first solo-authored book, but it's beautifully written, and I'll definitely look out for more from this author in future.

A modern day Christmas Carol!
This book was well written with great characters. Instead of a ghost we have a man with a watch, which he gives to Ben, that is stuck at a minute to 12.
Ben’s at a difficult stage in his marriage to the love of his life from university; they seem to have forgotten what made them laugh and be happy.
Is this a chance for him to change what happened in the past as he is taken back to relive significant events that helped shape who he is today.
I enjoyed the story and the anticipation of what was going to happen next and whether Ben actually could change events in the past or not. Would he want to?!

Compelling, captivating and totally different, if you are prepared to go with the unbelievable then this is a brilliant read, Ben is worried, it's coming up to Christmas his marriage is stale and lacks excitement, he has had a chance encounter at a friends wedding when an old friend kisses him while they are in a photo booth, he can't stop thinking about her and arranges to meet up. On Christmas Eve everything changes when he is given a watch by an old chap in a pub when he he out with his best mate. The watch stops just before midnight and Ben is transported into his past, it is just the beginning of an emotional rollercoaster which he has no control over, some of what he sees is good and some not so good.. A fantastic read

An enchanting love story which shows how the decisions we make shape and change our lives in the future. The whole story takes you on a journey with Ben and how he coped or not coped during life events.
It makes you as the reader think about the decisions that you’ve made and if you had the chance again to make them or would you still make the same choice.
This isn’t a light hearted love story but more a journey on which you travel with Ben. This book was a delight and I’d definitely read it again and again. My first novel by this author so I’m excited to see what he writes next.

I couldn't put this book down and I loved every minute of it! A heartwarming tale which shows the impact that your choicea have on your life! A lovely story that will leave a smile on readers faces to the very end

All About US is an absolutely delightful, poignant, profound, and modern day love story, that I simply could not put down.

It is a unique tale with a very clear message woven throughout - "If you don't like your life, you can change it."
Told from the POV of Ben, we are taken on a journey that will see him transported to the most significant moments in his past, and then he'll take a frightening and enlightening glimpse into his future.

Ben is married to Daphne, and they have been together since university. He is seemingly very troubled and very unhappy in his marriage and has lots of regrets, one of which is that he thinks he may have chosen the wrong woman. An unlikely encounter with a chap in a pub on Christmas eve 2020, takes him on a journey of self discovery. A journey that will remind him of why he made the decisions he made. Along the way, his eyes are opened to some very important things that he missed along the way, or maybe chose not to see. His journey is one of forgiveness and redemption. Of finding oneself, amidst the everyday chaos and cacophony of your inner thoughts.

This is an emotional, real and very poignant story that tugged at my heartstrings.
I can't wait to read more from Tom Ellen. His writing is wonderful and I have a feeling that this book will not only fly off the shelves, but may possibly be made into a movie.
I highly recommend this novel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, for providing me with an early copy for review purposes.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s not my usual type of book but I really enjoyed it. I was really gripped throughout Ben’s journey and found the time travelling element really intriguing. The whole book was well-paced and thought provoking. A great read.

Ben, and Daphne, once soul mates, have a marriage that seems to be heading to the rocks. They’ve lost their way and Ben has started to think it’s time to move on for them both. An encounter in a pub with a mysterious watch seller sends Ben on a rollercoaster journey through some of the pivotal moments in his life and he starts to reevaluate, his life, career, and most importantly his relationships.
This is an entertaining and touching story, with a nod toward A Christmas Carol and Scrooge’s enlightening visits to Christmases past, present and future. An enjoyable seasonal read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is almost a modern day retelling of A Christmas Carol. Rather than being about parsimony this is about love and missed chances alongside potential consequences.

Ben and Daphne have been together since university but 15 years later all is not running smoothly and Ben is skating around emotional issues and life decisions. In a pub on Christmas Eve he is given a watch by a man unobserved by anyone else. At 1159 that evening he starts to skip around time always landing around Christmas somewhere in the 15 years of his relationship with Daphne. Events as he re-experiences them allow him to change previous ones without anyone else involved remembering once he slides into the next time period.

I had a sort of love / hate relationship with it for a while. It seemed like he was just being allowed to "window dress" his past. Ben is not a particularly loveable character but neither did i feel drawn to standing shoulder to shoulder with Daphne. The most memorable and vivid character was Ben's mother. In the end the author draws past, present and potential future together well to create an emotional and romantic outcome.

I don't think i would have this up there with the best of books that I have read but it is a largely memorable narrative with well drawn if not likeable characters

Tom Ellen is typically a Young Adult author – but his debut Adult Fiction novel is a pleasant surprise and definitely a genre that he should delve into more often. It’s refreshing to read a poignant novel from a male point of view and All About Us is just beautiful.

This book will remind you of your roots. Of where it all began. Whether it’s a friendship or a relationship – it will take you right back to the start and make you happy and frustrated in equal measures. It’s a beautiful love story and in its own unique way is a modern re-telling of the underlying story behind A Christmas Carol. You won’t fall in love with the characters straight away, in fact Ben will probably annoy you – but stick with him, we are all annoying more than once in our lifetimes.

I read this novel very quickly and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was heartwarming and made me think of the importance of our choices and how they can affect the way we end up living our lives. A great title that will make the readers realise that they always have time to change the course of their lives and that second chances do truly exist

I went into this book blind and when the time travelling started I nearly put it down, but I’m so glad I didn’t. It’s a beautiful take on A Christmas Carol.
The characters felt real and going through real life what ifs, I really felt for Ben the whole way through (even though I wanted to shake him at times!)
I loved this book, it was such a heart warming, magical read.

Thank you Netgalley, HQ Stories and Tom Ellen for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story based on the psychology of reviewing life by reliving the key turning points.
What I actually did...... what happened?
If I had done something different ......what would have changed?
We all do this to a certain extent when reviewing our past decisions so it translates really well into a thought provoking story. Something that makes you review your own life again. Well,paced and written and would make a great romantic comedy film.
Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for the opportunity to read this for an unbiased review.

This is a very sweet book, all about hindsight and regrets, what life might be like if we take a different path. This also deals sensitively with grief. Like A modern day Christmas Carol but revolving more around feelings.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

I adored All about us!!! I read it on my kindle but deem it “worthy” to buy as a paperback as I enjoyed the story so much I want to hold the book as I devour it over and over again. The time travel showing all parts of Ben’s possible relationship outcomes had me gripped and I wa rooting for him and Daphne all the way! Please more from this author, this is bound to become a movie.