An interesting story about the LGBT community in Vienna circa 1900. Quite liked it.
Will watch out for this writer.

"All of You Every Single One" by Beatrice Hitchman offers an intriguing premise set in 1911 Vienna, revolving around the lives of Julia, Eve, and Ada. The story delves into the LGBTQ community in a time when societal norms and expectations were stringent.

While the book has its merits, such as its exploration of an often overlooked historical setting and the complex characters it presents, it falls short in terms of execution. The narrative is somewhat detached, leaving readers feeling like they are watching the story from a distance rather than fully immersing themselves in the characters' emotions and experiences. This detachment makes it challenging to connect with the characters on a deeper level.

One of the issues with the book is the pacing, as it meanders and at times feels directionless. The multiple storylines and characters are not effectively woven together, leading to a lack of cohesion in the overall narrative. The characters' connection with each other and the central plotline is not as strong as it could be, and the various perspectives do not come together as seamlessly as in other books with multiple viewpoints.

Moreover, the story often includes unnecessary details and lengthy descriptions that make the book feel longer than necessary. It may leave readers feeling that the story could have been more concise and focused. The character development, while promising, does not reach its full potential, and the period is not vividly brought to life.

However, the book does touch on important themes, such as LGBTQ history, discrimination, and the struggles faced by those who did not conform to societal expectations during that era. The characters' journeys and their navigation of the challenges they encountered are compelling and thought-provoking.

Overall, "All of You Every Single One" is a well-intentioned work of LGBTQ historical fiction set in an interesting time and place. While it provides insights into the lives of its characters, the detached narrative, pacing issues, and disjointed plotlines may limit its appeal to some readers.

Sometimes historical fiction has a hard time holding my interest, but I found myself immediately invested in the lives of these characters. ALL OF YOU EVERY SINGLE ONE follows a rotating cast of queer characters who cross paths across pre-WWII Vienna, and all of them (every single one) felt like fully fleshed-out, honest depictions of complex humans. Ultimately it's a story about the necessity of queer community as the characters come together to create a space for themselves and each other in a tumultuous period of time for gay and lesbian people.

I do think the story could have made better use of its time in the last 50 pages, as the plot comes to a climax and then wraps up far too quickly given how much buildup it took to get there.

Thanks to Overlook Press for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! I also listened to the audiobook, and would like to shout out Sophie Ward and Lara King for being excellent narrators.

In 1911, Julia leaves her husband for Eve, and the pair move to Vienna. The city is not without discrimination, but they find a chosen family there with like-minded friends. However, Julia’s longing for a child stops her from being truly happy. Ada Bauer’s family send her to Dr. Freud with the hope of curing her selective mutism. Soon, Ada’s path will cross with Julia and Eve’s in an unexpected way.

I felt like we watch this story unfold from a distance, never made to feel what the characters were feeling. As such, it made it hard for me to get into the story. There were two narrators for the audiobook, but I didn’t notice a difference between their voices while listening. Most books with multiple storylines weave them together in some way. This book really only had one point of connection, with a lot of wandering around throughout the book like it wasn’t quite sure where it wanted to go.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

I fell in love with Every Single One of these characters. From beginning until the end, you follow a diverse cast of incredibly brave and resilient people that fought against all odds in world that was ultimately against them. I felt extreme physical pain while I immersed myself in the lives of Julia, Eve, Ada, & Rolf...people who wanted to be understood, who wanted to love who they love without being condemned for it. Wanting to live ordinary lives, yet couldn't.

I did find parts to be a bit slow, and some of the sections I had to re-read for context. I would agree that the beginning half was stronger than the latter due to the introduction of more characters and plotlines and it felt a bit fuzzy (for lack of a better word).

I still think about this book often, which is why I highly recommend it to friends and family whenever they are seeking a new read.

All of You Every Single One is an intriguing book about two women in their twenties who embark on a relationship in Vienna in the early to mid 1900s. At the start they move into a bohemian Viennese neighborhood. I loved the setting and relationships they developed with their new neighbors. The characters were a little flat at times, but I was interested in where the story would go and about learning about queer communities did in the early 20th century. The audiobook was well-narrated and helped put me into the time and place of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This should have been an excellent book. An exploration of one of the most turbulent periods in the history of Vienna, through the perspective of the LGBTQ community should have shed new light on ways of life and survival, and even thriving, among people whose lives would have had to be secretive at the time. This book was none of this, and I could barely bring myself to finish it. The characters are not well etched at all, the period is not brought to life well, and the author's knowledge of the city seems suspect - you can't see the Zentralfriedhof and Looshaus from Leopoldstadt, or walk from Leopoldstadt to Prater in the blazing heat ( well, you can, but you won't survive!!) She also leaps forward nearly 30 years which were amongst the toughest in the city's history, with scanty details on how the characters survive. The kindest thing I can say about it is that at least it had a happy ending.

A love story between two women at a time when relationships between same-sex couples didn't have as much freedom as they do now (although there's still a lot to build).

An entertaining and poetic read, but that's it.

The plot of the book is AMAZING.

An absolute and utter glory of a book. So many messy queers. So many complicated choices. The characterization is stunning. It's a portrait of a queer family being built, stitched together scene after scene. The plot is full of tension but it's never dramatic; everything stems from the relationships between the characters. Read it in two sittings and never wanted it to end. Will be thinking about this one for a long time.

This is one of those books where I feel the parts are better than the whole. It’s a historical fiction novel that spans decades and while the concept is great, I feel like the book was trying to do too much. It really started to drag in the middle and the last half really didn’t captivate me all that much.

A wonderful read, about the family we find rather than the family we are born with. I became attached to all of them. Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley

An interesting historical novel about lesbian and gay couples in Vienna in the first half of the twentieth century. For me the book started well with story of Julia and Eve who move to Vienna together in 1910 but got bogged down as more characters and more background is introduced. Still a fascinating time to set the book.

Such a neat capture of complicated, messy queer life in early 20th century Vienna! Really enjoyed this historical fic.

This was an alright read for me. I was enjoying it while reading, but wouldn't have the urge to pick it up again when I wasn't. The story, though I really liked reading a story set in Vienna and about a queer community of sorts during that time, felt a little bit all over the place at times, it felt like there was a bit too much going on. I think this made the impact of some events less impactful. I thought the writing was fine, but it didn't wow me either. The characters were the highlight for me. A solid three stars I would say.

I liked the cover of this book and that it was a LGBTQ+ story set in Vienna, the city I´m living in. This fact also made it interesting for me to follow the lesbian couple and their friends around town and through the history of the first and second World War. A pity it dragged, and the original story got out of hand, with several other themes included that were partly not finished.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

There are many thoughts that come to me when it comes to this book, good and bad. First, it's LGBT+ historical fiction, so I was already very interested in the premise of this book. Second, it has different points of view, which I usually enjoy but I think there were too many voices and it was hard for me to follow, I connected everything towards the end or I kept going back to remind myself who the character was. In addition, the story had a lot of unnecessary details that made me feel like the book was longer than it really was. I think the author wanted us to understand each of the characters actions and behaviors by giving those details. For example, Frau B’s backstory did make me feel sympathy towards her but I don't think it was necessary because I would have eventually liked her by the sacrifice and risks she took for Julia and Eve. The story is good, very deep and emotional, it had tear jerking moments but it was too long and the fast forward leaps made me lose grip from the story I was just starting to get the hang of. There was so much information to connect and the ending although it was heartwarming felt a little rushed.

I did love some of the characters seeing them mature , grow old and wise. Rolf was just that friend you want to have in your life, Julia although she evolved she never lost her sensitivity and Eve such a strong character. I enjoyed the writing and how this was more of a life story than a love story, it had different approach and perspective on what the life of queer people was like at the time and how they fought for their little chosen family through all the trials and tribulations that life would throw at them. I was satisfied by the ending, knowing they were all good and were still close. I want to love this book so much and it does leave you thinking, which is always good, the main characters are excellent. It just took a lot of effort to get there. I had to sort of soak in my thoughts for days to digest it and over analyze every aspect to justify all the fluff. I don't know, I think this is just something that is open to debate, love it, hate it or don't care about it kind of vibe.

review will be posted Jan 4th on Instagram @Jessential.reads

A different sort of historical novel. Set in Vienna between WWI and WWII, it's the story of three LGBT couples who have defied their families and others to come together but who struggle for happiness. Julia left her husband for Eve but she wants a baby desperately. Is she the one who steals the child early on? Rolf falls for Emil, Ada for Isabelle. There are multiple points of views but know that some characters are better explored than others. This felt a bit incomplete to me, in part because it has two distinct parts and the ending was...no spoilers. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Worthy of your time and others likely will enjoy it more than I did.

There's plenty of food for thought in this book, an important topic and a fascinating setting.
Unfortunately it drags and the story didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A really fun and creative plot but the writing itself was tedious and the story ended up dragging. I did like both of the main characters and think that Hitchman has good potential, maybe this book just needed a touch more editing.

“people do live like us. they find ways. with a little money and discretion.”

a lyrical tale exploring the fictional lives of a charming group of queer people in the midst of the second world war but more as a backdrop than as protagonist. this was one of those books where i simply could tell the author pondered over all the words and chose them carefully, beautifully. the characters felt fleshed out, each having their own inner dialogues and secrets and trauma (i suggest checking trigger warnings because there are some depictions of assault). the relationships, not only romantic but all of them felt like they added a lot to the story. reading this was truly a pleasure and it felt like hitchman was offering me gifts all throughout the process. highly recommend!