No Two Persons is a wonderful reminder that an author might just write one novel, but that one novel actually leads to infinite stories in the minds of its readers. Early on, we are introduced to Alice, an aspiring author who goes on to write Theo, her first novel. Maybe more importantly though, we’re then introduced to nine readers of Theo. Each reader has quite a unique story. Their love lives, professions, careers, all unique and challenging in some way, and while they all end up reading the same book, each of them sees themselves and their lives reflected in a different way. Different perspectives of the same material… my favorite quote in the book sums it up well, “the beauty of books is they take you places you didn’t know you needed to go.” To these nine readers, Theo was exactly what they needed it to be in that moment in their lives.

I enjoyed the premise of the book and each character was certainly unique and even heartwarming. I’m not sure if it was due to the number of mini-stories, but having finished I couldn’t name more than maybe 4-5 of the characters/sub plots. Some were certainly more memorable than others, but some were downright forgettable. There could have been some trimming done and still achieved the same end goal that “one thing can be so many things at once.” With that being said, I did enjoy how No Two Persons tied up nicely in the end and I also thought it was interesting to spin the Theo novel within this book. I found myself wanting to read it based on the characters’ reactions and descriptions, which was very clever.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC of this novel.

What a very interesting title because revolves around alice who wanted to become a writer. Book opens when an author comes to her school to talk about writing and this just one ship fell in love with written words. She decided to become a rider. Her brother peter was really important to her but they took off the college and then disappeared. He nicely died of an overdose. She writes a book called THO.. Before she wrote this book she went to school and me and she had a teacher call robert. After her brother died she could not concentrate in school anymore so she started to swim every day. Then she wrote this book. How it affected different people in different ways. Everybody had a saying this book. The chapters would explain how these people were involved in this book. Everybody had a story how they had to struggle and how they overcame the problem.. Madeline was the one who was the publisher who started this. She published this book from Alice. It was an artist involved and movie involved and it was really good book. I think people are helped by this book by alice who wrote it. People can be different and change and I think when you're in books like this. That helps you see where you can become

Wow! The premise of this book where each person takes away something different from the same book resonants with me because it is so true. I know that in our book club, when we discuss a book, it always makes me see a story or characters in a different light when I hear other people's opinions. I love that. In this book, Alice wants to write, she feels compelled to do so but needs to find that magic to do so. As the reader, we follow her journey as she struggles through the process encouraged by an amazing professor who believes in her. After a tragic event, Alice finally writes the story that has been blooming within her based on her brother and their lives as children, which becomes a debut bestseller. Then we hear how this book affects various people in different ways, impacting their lives and sending them in different directions. This story lasts with you long after the last page. Words matter, books are important and they bring us together to show we have more in common that we think. I loved this book and did not want it to end. I'll be getting a hard copy of his one to read again and again. I am going to highly recommend this to my book club and I recombined it to you as well.
Many thanks to #netgalley #ericabauermeister #notwopersons #st.martinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is designed as a collection of short stories, featuring characters that are all impacted by the same story in different ways. Most chapters focus on a different people, although there is some overlap toward the end. Each perspective evokes different emotions.

It's a beautiful collection that highlights the way storytelling can support human connection.

Thank you to #Netgalley for granting me an ARC on this novel. Normally I do not enjoy books written with individual stories in it, but I do love this author and I really enjoyed this book. I liked how one story connected all the stories continuing on in this book, different lives and how they were affected by the first story. Well done!

“No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture”. - The Writings of Madame Swetchine, 1860.

This quote that appears on the dedication and is explained even more in the Author’s Note had me really thinking for a moment and truly is what is at the heart of this book. No Two Persons is not really one story, but rather the story of ten different characters, each of whom is touched by the novel, Theo, in a different way. We hear the story of the author, then nine other people who find the book in their hands for various reasons, and learn what the book means to them based on the context of their lives the moment the book finds them. In each story, we learn more about each character and how exactly this one book changed their life. What is so special and so magical is the idea behind the opening quote: despite each of them reading the same book, they each find a different meaning in it based on their current circumstances. And how beautiful is that? To make it all even better, as you read you start to find some of these characters are interconnected, despite finding the book in different years and different locations around the US.

This book is one that will stick with me for a long time and will likely be one I continue to recommend for years to come. In fact, immediately after closing it, I was already texting people telling them this NEEDED to be their next read. Not only is the premise such a unique love letter to books and how they can change us, but the writing itself is beautiful. I was fully immersed in this story from the moment I picked it up, and could not stop until I was finished. I can without a doubt say that this will be one of my favorite books of 2023.
The audiobook is read by multiple narrators which is perfect as we hear each unique story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copy.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

This wasn’t an immediate home-run, but it did gradually grow on me and I appreciated its uniqueness. Although this wasn’t my first book by the author (I read The Scent Keeper and really enjoyed it), I seemed to struggle with her writing style with this latest novel.

I loved the premise that no two people have ever read the same book. We all interpret books and art differently based on our distinct life experiences or current mindset. At the center of “No Two Persons” is a book-within-a-book called: Theo. Each chapter is a quick vignette highlighting the various people involved in the creation of the novel and then individual readers impacted by the book after its publication.

We begin with the author, Alice, as she formulates her debut novel. From there, we move onto the literary assistant who plucks the book from obscurity and advocates for its release. Then we have the actor who brings the audiobook to life with his narration. After that, there are various readers from all across the US who stumble upon the novel over the years and form a unique connection to it. Each reader has a hurdle they’re trying to overcome and “Theo” finds them at a pivotal time. None of them read the book in the same way and each person is able to gather from it what they need to make a significant change in their life.

My favorite chapters were the first three that involved the actual publishing industry (the final chapter as well). I loved learning how the novel was concocted and distributed, and I wish we had stuck with that theme more. However, we then switched gears and meet 4-5 separate readers and while these sections were still interesting in the moment, I wanted more depth. Each chapter is essentially a short story and there just wasn’t enough time to really develop these characters and understand why the book moved them so much.

In the end, I did enjoy this but wanted more of an emotional punch.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an electronic Advanced Reader Copy of this title.

I was intrigued as soon as I read about the concept of this book, and I'm so glad I was approved to read it through NetGalley. This story may be fictitious, but it truthfully demonstrates the power of books and words as it follows one singular story and shows how it affects multiple people. The writer, a homeless teen, an artist, and a free diver are only a few of the 9 humans we meet along the way. It is beautifully simple yet complex, and will make the reader think twice about where the stories they read come from, and how many others they have touched.

A story about what happens when different people read the same book. Some become inspired to change something in their lives–job/relationship/attitude. Some find hatred in themselves or things and people around them. Some fall in love with the words and binge the story; while others go slowly and savor it because they don’t want it to end.

I found this to be a beautiful read. I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter and every character.

This book is a representation of your art making a difference to the world around you. Even if you are not confident in your art–whatever form that might be–if you share it it will connect with someone. Be vulnerable in your art and your truth will show and will be appreciated by others.

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
.
One book. Nine readers. Ten lives changed.
.
This book was such a lovely story. There are ten people and we read about each person’s interaction with a book simply called “Theo”. We start with the author and her story of writing the book. We move through an assistant, a bookseller, a student, a caretaker, an actor and several more. Each section feels like it could be a moving short story and yet they are all connected simply through this one book.
My favorite sections were The Student, The Author and The Agent.
There were a lot of great quotes throughout the story about life in general and having a love for reading. Any book lover would enjoy this book.
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is not a typical book I would read but I absolutely enjoyed it! We follow the story of a book’s inception, its publication, and its impact on readers, near and far, across multiple years. It's amazing how one person's writings can impact generations and stand the tests of time. It makes you think about different things you've read and the longevity. I would recommend this and probably will read it again!

Such an interesting concept for a story and very well done! No Two Persons follows ten different stories intertwined by one book and the impact it had on each of the ten lives. It's a beautiful story of the importance of books and stories in our lives and that we can all lead different lives but still be effected by that same story. It's the journey books themselves take in our world. And it was beautifully done!

Loved how all the storylines are connected by the book the author wrote. Books impact people in different ways and can sometimes can give you perspective. Some of the characters knew each other which adds to that character's development. On the other hand, if you don't like the story jumping so many times, it may not be the book for you. Definitely worth the read!

A powerful exploration of the meaning of books and stories in one's life

The story of a writer and how she turned tragedy into an extraordinary novel. The lives the novel touches and what the story means to people in all walks of life.

I wanted to really love and be touched by this novel but it didn't hit the way i was expecting it to. But many of the individual stories were quite powerful and impactful.

Almost an anthology of stories on a common theme, a book titled Theo, this culminates into an engaging story overall.

No Two Persons tells the story of one book and the ten lives it touches. First, with the author who always had a dream of publishing a book. Her story leads into other, sometimes interconnected, stories where the book features in different ways.

As a book lover, I truly enjoyed this unique take on reading and books. Books come into our lives and can shape it in so many ways – and that can look very different to different people. I feel that No Two Persons really brought this to the surface and celebrates the affect books can have on people.

I both listened and read to this book. The audio experience is especially nice with a cast of narrators.

Special thanks to the NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

I finished NO TWO PERSONS a few weeks ago, and it easily has taken my top spot for favorite book of this year (out of 52 so far). I loved this book. It’s a book about books, made for book lovers, but not in a cheesy way at all. There is such great depth to these characters and their stories and how their lives are individually impacted by the same book. The writing is beautiful and the way the characters are linked and come together at the end is so perfect. I was so immersed, I wanted to go quickly, but at the same time I didn’t want it to end. This is one of the most unique books I’ve read in a long time and I can’t say enough good things about it. I will be buying a physical copy to reread and tab so many things!

I had a very hard time finishing this book. It was essentially short stories about people who had encountered the same novel. I would start to get into a character, and then that chapter would end and the author would introduce a new character. In the end it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

I love a "book within a book" premise and enjoyed The Scentkeeper so much that I knew I had to pick up this title. RBC author Erica Bauermeister is a brilliant writer and storyteller. This was a memorable and engaging read

This book starts with a quote, "No two persons ever read the same book," and then goes on to prove this exact point. The story begins with Alice who writes a book, but it is more than that. You learn about Alice, who she is, and what motivates her. The following chapters are different people who read her book and how the story affects them. Each of these different people are a rich story in itself, and I would have been happy with more, lots more, on each of these different stories, as each of these sections were so good all on their own. While the characters seem unrelated, it becomes obvious there are little connections among multiple characters, so you get little glimpses into what happens next for several of the characters. This book is very clever and definitely proves that no two persons ever read the same book. An excellent read and one I highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy. My opinions are my own.

To quote Lara “THIS ONE”.

No Two Persons is an incredibly special novel that brought me to tears several times. Words can’t express how much I love this book and how much of an impact it had on me. I took my sweet time savoring every beautiful written sentence and each person's story. In just 320 pages, my hope for humanity was restored. I love how each character was going through something and the different ways the book helped them; as well as how each person's story weaved together by the end. This will forever be one of my favourite books and a book I’ll always recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.