No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is a book within a book.

This is my first read by this author and have already seen so many raving reviews so I had to request on netgalley.

Well..... no two people read the same book. This is a collection of short stories highlighting the author Alice and her book called Theo. 9 different people read her book.

I definitely enjoyed the first story of Alice but after that it was a slog for me to finish. I could not connect to any of the other short stories and was wanting more depth to each character.

It was a struggle for me to finish unfortunately. But, many others have given praise and 5 star reviews for this.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and netgalley for my copy.

2.75/5 stars

Pub date: 5/2/23

Wow!
The first time I read a book by Erica Bauermeister I had intended to skim the 1st chapter only and ended up powering through it in 5 hours (and I am a slow reader!). Once again, I was sucked into her book and emerged hours later, completely amazed at the journey I’d just taken.

No Two Persons is such a unique and captivating story about the number of people through who’s lives a book passes. Some people are more impacted than others, some are readers, writers, narrators, others never read the book but are changed in some way by it’s presence in their lives anyway.

Bauermeister is a master of telling a story through the senses, pulling readers deep into the storyline so that they experience it on nearly the same level the characters must. She’s done it again with No Two Persons.

Each chapter offers a different character, life, perspective, and literary experience. And the thread that weaves through each of them is a novel entitled “Theo”, which I’m so curious about, but don’t feel that anything is missing in really not knowing what’s in that book.

No Two Persons is a well-paced, engulfing, emotional reading experience that I highly recommend.

No Two Persons comes out May 2. 2023.

*I received a copy of No Two Persons from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The premise and storyline for “No Two Persons” is truly a distinctive one. In the first section of the novel, the reader becomes acquainted with Alice, a budding young writer, who finally gets published the novel that she has been working on for years, one entitled “Theo.” It becomes a great success. What follows are nine sections, each dealing with an unrelated character and depicting how Alice’s “Theo” has affected him/her. Each of these characters is touched and influenced by Alice’s novel in various ways, hence the underlying theme of “No Two Persons”: a work of literature provides very different insight and has a unique effect on a person who reads it. No two persons read and process such a work in the same way.

An interesting fusion of novel and short story collection, “No Two Persons” is beautifully written and gives the reader a look into why we are all so different yet so alike at the same time. It is an exquisite read and truly a great piece of American literature.

Did I just read one of my favorites of the year? I think so.

No Two Persons is a book about a book and the impact it had in a handful of it's readers lives. It has a unique format that might not be for everyone, but I truly loved it.

A book for people who love books and the way they can transform our lives in the most wonderful ways.

I can't wait for this one to release so I can immediately buy a copy for my forever shelves.

Well I loved the idea of this story, the way a book connects so many people, it was such a lovely metaphor for life and relationships.

And while I will always be a big fan of the magical way Bauermeister writes I needed a bit more development of the characters, and because there were so many of them the book felt a tad fleeting.

Great concept, loads of potential, a little stunted in execution.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advanced copy all opinions are my own.

I usually love books with multiple storylines but this book either had too many or it just didn’t bring them together soon enough for me. I kept trying to remember who was who through the book for when connections might happen.

I jumped into reading No Two Persons somewhat blind; without really knowing the premise or remembering why the book was in my TBR library. I was a tad confused initially because I was trying to find some connections between each chapter or character besides the fact that they all read or were touched by Theo. Then it occurred to me the whole point was that there was none. No Two Persons is really about how completely different people can read the exact same book and be affected in dramatically different manners. One book, so many lives, so many interpretations, so many outcomes... Once I had my "duh" moment my appreciation for the book changed. What a pleasant surprise! I am glad to not have abandoned it after a few chapters. Another good read courtesy of NetGalley.

This book was too much of everything. Too many storylines, too many characters and too much dialogue. Give it a hard pass

Put two people in a room and ask them a question and there is quite the possibility that their answers would differ. We like to think of ourselves as individuals with different thoughts, dreams, and ways to look at life. In No Two Persons, the author takes us on a journey of exploration centering on nine people and their reactions to one story.

Alice, a young aspiring writer, is the author of this story, and over the years as her book makes the rounds, the lives of the nine people are viewed. We learn of their tragedies, the power that drives them, the loss of a loved one, and unexpected love. Each of the nine feels a connection to the book and although they come from backgrounds that are so very different, they find that the book speak to them in all sorts of ways. The characters range from a homeless teen to a widower, an artist to a free diver, and a bookseller, and of curse the author herself. Each have their own mountain to climb combating the life they have chosen for themselves.

The amazing ways these words moved people is a powerful element in this tale. The written word that makes a change in our lives is a glorious experience, and these nine people come away better for their reading of it. What a way this author chose to celebrate the written word! 

This was definitely a fabulous book that was very hard to put down without its meaning making the reader think, wonder, and agree with the author. A definite recommendation from me as a book that would definitely pop up on my top reads of 2023.

Thank you to Erica Bauermeister, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this wonderful book which published in May. Don't pass this one up book lovers!

Great mystery about family and loyalty and secrets Children trying to figure out who to give their loyalty to and who to believe

Coming across this book on NetGalley, the description- "One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives"- is what encouraged me to request a copy. Alice writes a book and we get glimpses of how it has an effect on the lives of multiple people. Moving forward in time and place we see how her novel shaped the lives of those who read it.

I enjoyed many of the characters, seeing the lives and watching how the book shows up. I was a bit disappointed in not getting more of their stories-but that's one of the points of the book-we don't always get to know. It's also a little slow in the beginning-I didn't start to enjoy it until I was half way through.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy to read.

A book about a book, for book lovers and everyone else. I adore books that are creatively crafted, and this is definitely one of them. There are several things that I loved most about this book:

1. It has such an ingenious plot. Each chapter is a story about a different person, and a book called Theo is weaved into all the different character's lives.

2. Each chapter is cleverly thought out and executed. At first, I couldn't figure out why the chapters were dated, but everything eventually became clear as the story unfolded.

3. The writing contained so much depth of feeling. It felt like each chapter was saying, "Hi! Do you want to hear my story?" And I most certainly did!

Finally, this novel demonstrates how the right book will ultimately reach out to the right person at the right time and what a great impact books can have on our lives. It was most definitely the right book for me!

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book. Pub date: May 2, 2023.

After falling in love with The Scent Keeper, I was anxiously awaiting the next creation by this author. This compilation was exquisitely crafted and uniquely unexpected.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration.

I loved everything about this book starting with this quote: “No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture”. - The Writings of Madame Swetchine, 1860.

This was the first book I had read by Erica Bauermeister and now I have added all of her past books to my TBR pile.

The book was told in connected stories which is not a form that I like to read but this was the exact right format for this book! The ability to blend the 10 characters and their lives together while each stands alone was beautiful.

The book was character driven, emotional and very intricate.

Publish Date is May 2, 2023
Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

⭐️: 4.5/5

Alice always wanted to be a writer, but struggled with connecting enough to the world to have anything to write about. After suffering a large personal trauma, she finally creates a debut novel. As the novel finds its way through publication and into the hands of readers, those readers find themselves changed in unique and unexpected ways.

I loved the concept behind this book, that no two people will ever read or experience the exact same piece of art, because part of the experience of ingesting it comes from each individual person’s past experiences and personalities. It’s one of the reasons why reading the same book as a group of friends is so interesting, because everyone will find something different to take away from it. The inclusion of so many different types of stories in the form of the readers of Alice’s book was so impressive, since each came with their own unique backstory and personality. Some of the readers had backstories that made me wish that there was a whole book about them and what was going on in their life, instead of just a part of a whole. The overall effect was a cohesive book that also read a little bit like an anthology of short stories, all connected by a single, fictional novel. The small overlaps between the stories made it kind of like an Easter egg hunt to read, and the result was a book full of characters with stories that I already know will stick with me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

No Two Persons, by Erica Bauermeister, is an unusual book that follows a novel instead of a person. The novel is first written by a woman who lost her brother. You then meet, through other short stories, various people who the novel affect. This was a wonderful book! I’ve never read anything quite like this style.

The tagline for 𝐍𝐎 𝐓𝗪𝐎 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 (pub 05.02) reads "𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴." I loved everything about this book.

I love books about books and a book within a book- this is both and so much more. The structure of this book pulled me in from page one. The story begins with Alice "The Writer". Her history is tender and complicated which she pours into the pages of her novel. From there we follow The Assistant, The Actor, The Artist, The Diver, The Teenager, The Bookseller, The Caretaker, The Coordinator, The Agent, and then Alice again in the Epilogue.

While each character's contribution and connection to the overall narrative is a short glimpse, each one is robust, vivid and complete. The way Bauermeister wove their stories together was clever and poignant.

If I had a print copy it would be brimming with book darts because I highlighted passage after passage. Not to wax too poetically, but I appreciated how this book made me reflect on my personal connection with books. How books have both shaped & saved, entertained & educated and transformed & transported me. The opening line is "“𝘕𝘰 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦”. - The Writings of Madame Swetchine, 1860. This is a heartprint read and a new favorite for me. Perhaps it will be for you too.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free eARC.

Honestly, after I read Alice’s opening chapter and the POV changed, I thought, nope this isn’t the book for me. I wanted to stay in Alice’s world. But being someone who does not easily abandon a book, I read the next chapter, then the next until I reached the end.
I am so glad I gave No Two Persons a fair chance because I wound up really enjoying the story. Throughout these chapters, we discover how one book means so many different things to different people.(It was just like joining a book discussion on Goodreads or bookstagram.)
There were several POVs that resonated with me the most. Alice(of course), Rowan,Nola,and Madeline’s stories touched me the deepest, but every character had a unique story and perspective. I could have spent way more time with each of them. Some of the characters come together in unexpected ways but what they all have in common is Alice’s book, Theo. I won’t say more because of shark infested spoiler territory, but just like the characters who read Alice’s book, this story touched me in so many ways.

I have to admit that at the first this book seemed to be like short stories, and actually put it aside for a while. I have read several of Erica Bauermeister's books that I enjoyed so I eventually came back to it. I'm glad I did. Each chapter describes how that one person interacted with the book. By the end of the book, we find the connection between the book and all of them. It is amazing when you think about it, how one book can mean something different to each individual who reads it. No Two Persons is a great book to read and ponder. Thanks to author Erica Bauermeister, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

What an utterly beautiful, and touching story. Filled to the brim with humanity and emotion, this is an unforgettable novel. Days later and I'm still in that world, still in love with Bauermeister's characters!