This novel-in-vignettes follows a single book through the stories of ten people who interact with it, from the author who writes it to the agent who discovers it, to readers (many of them accidental) whose lives are changed by the story. I initially thought it would be a slow and heavy read due to the disconnected format and the difficult subject matter (many of the focal characters experience significant trauma). But the lyrical prose pulled me along, and I found myself quickly drawn into each of the vignettes. Several of them are haunting, a few are inspiring, and all are interesting. Although this is clearly a book-lover's book, it is masterfully written and memorable.

It took me 3 nights to get me to read 20% of the book. I had to read the first 10 pages twice because it wouldn’t sink it. Finally, after 20% in the book, I decided to DNF it. I can’t continue any longer. Some books aren’t for everyone.


Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC.

I usually enjoy Baumeister's books a lot. This one was just okay. I liked the concept but the execution was a bit disjointed. Characters were interesting and relatable, but story elements just didn't gel well for me
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a beautiful story!! The description of the story is great and it’s amazing to me that this book includes storylines from 10 characters and I can remember them all at the end with details on each still running through my mind. It’s an amazing story of how one book can affect each person differently, such strong character development. You will fall in love with this book!! Definitely read this book!!

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion!!

I’m having a hard time reviewing this one. I’ve read so many rave reviews about this book, and I want to like it, but I just can’t get into it. I’m having trouble connecting the characters, and I will admit that I haven’t finished the book. It may be that I’m not in the right frame of mind at the moment, but I will try to go back to it at a later date. I will say, the writing is fantastic. The author has a beautiful way of describing people and their emotions and experiences.

'Books spoke to specific people for specific reasons, and it had everything to do with where they were in their lives.'

This is a novel about reading a book. As the author says, after a book is written and published, it goes on to live in the readers' heads. Here we follow one such book titled 'Theo,' written by a young woman named Alice Wein, who lives in Maine. She has spent five years writing her story with the help of her professor and then struggles to get it published. The short stories that follow depict nine other people the book touches in some way over the next several years. There's the assistant at a literary agency who reads the manuscript and passes it on to her boss; the actor whose movie career is fading but moves on to doing audio books; the artist who uses pages of the book in her best creation; an injured diver who finds healing for his broken spirit; the homeless girl whose classroom teacher assigns the book; the bookseller who keeps putting off reading it until he meets the author; a ghost-town caretaker whose late wife loved the book just before she passed; the movie movement-coordinator who connects with the audio voice while listening to the story; and finally the literary agent, the Queen Maker of Literature, who originally 'discovered' the book. Several of the characters in these separate vignettes tie together in interesting ways. And, of course, we slowly learn the plot of 'Theo' through these different readers. Enthralling and very different!

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new novel via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is cultivated, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Once her novel, ‘Theo’, is released to readers, she knows it will no longer just be ‘hers’ but also a part of every reader who chooses to read it. One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. Each chapter reads almost as a short story as you are introduced to a new character and learn how Alice’s book impacts their life. As the story spans years, connections between the seemingly disparate plotlines are revealed in a powerful reminder that we are all connected in more ways than we recognize or often remember.

Wow. No Two Persons is an incredible book! Every sentence was crafted to deliver an emotional impact. I was drawn in from the opening scene, moved to hopeful tears by its conclusion, and mournful when it was over. I know for a fact I will be purchasing my own copy, gifting several copies, and rereading this impactful story. Each of Bauermeister’s uniquely crafted characters had some facet I could connect with and even see myself reflected back to me from their experiences. From an insecure debut author, a free spirited yet angry artist, former actor turned audiobook narrator, world champion free diver, teenage girl experiencing homelessness, new mother juggling her full-time editor position, a book seller searching for love, to a new widower yoked with grief; I saw myself. Erica Bauermeister brilliantly reminded me not only of the power of a book, but the power of connecting and empathizing with a diverse variety of characters.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I will be posting a review reel on Instagram closer to release date.

“Picking up a book was a decision: I’m going to go away. The exciting possibility: I may not come back the same.”

Truer words have not been spoken. This book is one of my favorites of the year. Possibly THE favorite. I started it late at night and wished I could have kept my eyes open just a little bit longer. I woke up the next day a little afraid that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered but it was better. The premise, the characters, the amount of thoughtful quotes I underlined, this book will stick with me and be something I think about for some time to come. This book is the reason I read books and you HAVE to read it. I cannot recommend this one enough

5 plus stars

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the early copy

Make sure you get your copy out May 2nd!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the free book.
This is a beautiful testament to how books can make such an impact on so many people going through so many different things. It will definitely be in my top books of the year. This book starts with a character that writes a book and then each chapter after is a different person who reads the book and you get to see the impact of this story. What an endearing way to show how literature is so impactful and necessary. I was swept up in each of these person's lives and I was excited to see how Theo would impact them all. I just love books that focus on the powers of reading and storytelling, and this was the perfect homage to that. I laughed, cried, and felt so deeply.
I HIGHLY recommend going the audiobook version if that's available to you because this is a full cast book and their narrations really bring each individual and their stories to life. I loved how it kept each person distinct and brought this story to life.

This is the poignant story of how a book can affect different people. The story of the author, Alice is told first, and it is absolutely heartwrenching. Alice writes a book, simply called Theo, based on her brother. She works hard to have it published, and her publishing journey is not an easy one. Following Alice's journey, the way that the book affects the lives of different readers is shown in several short stories that follow the main story of Alice. It is wonderfully woven together. It shows how the same book can affect different readers in surprisingly varied ways. This is beautiful, touching literary fiction.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It is a gem.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

My expectations of this book were completely surpassed and I was captivated by every word. I had expected a group of people being impacted differently by the same book, what I got was a beautifully entangled tale of stories that each expanded beyond their boundaries and then pulled themselves back together to create something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Amazing read.

No Two Persons is a wonderfully special and unique book. I just loved how it felt like a short story collection held together by one book. I loved how all the different characters were so well developed and how the book that connects them changes them.

This reader loved this magical story and cant' help but think of it as an ode to the written word and to the novel. To me it is a beautiful tribute to the stories we tell.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for this honest review.

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

The above quote was the inspiration for Erica Bauermeister’s book, No Two Persons. The sentiment behind the quote is quite profound. The beauty of literature is that while a book tells one story, it can be viewed in endless ways. After all, each reader’s outlook on the world is based upon their individual experiences with people, places, and things.

I had the pleasure of both reading and listening to this book. Usually, I would prefer one format over the other. However, just like no two people read the same book, the way a reader consumes a book, impacts how they view it.

I loved physically reading this book because it allowed me to see the words as I slipped into the worlds Bauermeister created. She is an articulate writer gifted with turning emotions into words on a page. As a result, there are tons of quotes that I had to stop and jot down. Reading allowed me to go at my own pace and ruminate on the things that stood out to me.

As much as I loved physically reading the book, I equally adored listening to it. They way the book is organized, each chapter is told by a new person whose life was impacted by the book. Thus, each chapter is narrated by a different voice actor. Hearing the distinctive differences in the way the narrators chose to read their parts impacted the way I viewed the characters and their stories. It was easily the best audiobook I have ever listened to.

I highly recommend picking a copy of the this book up in any and all formats. I loved my time with No Two Persons. I see this being a huge literary hit!

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written and executed set of stories connected to the power of reading and how books can mean different things to each of us. The stories all reference a book titled Theo, but revolve around the challenges each character overcomes or endures and their choices both positive and negative. It’s hard to describe but I looked forward to each new story and couldn’t stop reading. Loved it.

Absolutely LOVED this one! Book of the summer for sure. Highly recommend. Could see it being book club picks.

What a wonderful book about books and readers and stories. The title refers to the idea that no two persons ever read the same book because we all bring our own thoughts, feelings, and experiences to the pages. This book focuses on one novel that has a deep impact on several characters lives. It's a series of interconnected stories about this particular story. I especially love this line, “.. that was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go.” Perfect for any book lover!

I love the premise of no two people reading the same book, we all interpret stories in our own way. I loved the concept and the writing of this book.

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective and presents new pathways forward for their lives.

Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways—and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.

Out on May 2.

In a series of short stories that begins with Alice and the process of writing her haunting but beautiful book Theo after a tragic event in her personal life, we learn that the simple act of reading a book can take shape for people of all different backgrounds and timelines. The characters are from different walks of lives, occupations, timelines, and who don't know each other but still are intertwined through the reading of Alice's book. Each find their way to Theo at separate points in their lives, but the book itself becomes a distinct story and defining point to each of them.

I found this book to be beautiful. It was hard to put down. All the stories were created so fully, but left me wanting more. I loved how all of them had tie-ins to each other, and feel that the author could pick right back up on their stories at any given time and make a full length book off of the characters that she developed. I also felt like this book gave me insight into how writers might view creating their own books. I never considered how they might not want to release a book because it felt too personal to them; the story too true. Especially one such as Theo. It was important as well that each character touched on different parts of the book and it was interesting to see what they got out of it without, so to speak, spoiling the entire plot line of the fictional book. I felt it was imaginative, and special, and will be recommending this book to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers as well as the author for an advanced copy of this book. I highly recommend this story to fellow readers, and all opinions within this review are my own.

Books! I have always turned to them. They have gotten me through times of sorrow as well as times of happiness. They can be powerful. This story really elaborates on that idea. The idea that words and books are not only powerful to the reader, but to each reader, a book is unique. I may love something, while someone next to me may hate it. That's okay. We are all different, and so to each reader their own. So to speak.

I can say that in terms of this book, it was a good read and one I enjoyed. It was written well. Looking back after finishing it really has me thinking, so yes, I believe that's the sign of a good book.

I want to finish by thanking netgalley and the author for this review copy in return for an honest review. This story was greatly enjoyed.

I’ve been sitting on this book for entirely too long. It was an utter delight to see multiple points of view on the same book. As a book-lover, audiobook lover, mother, daughter…. it resonated with me on so many levels.