This book felt more like a collection of short stories than a novel. It traces how a book affects everyone who reads it in a different way. While I enjoyed the premise, I did find the connection between stories lacking. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

i see so many posts and comments over books people love or dont like and i always say to myself that eveyone views a story differently. there is a few popular books that almost everyone loves but yet i didnt so this book was brilliant to read.

No Two Persons reads like a collection of short stories, It is an interesting approach to storytelling that words and stories can move people in different ways.

As a mood reader, this is a great book for me! I'm hoping to read more books like this one and I'll definitely be reading Ms. Bauermeister's other books. I highly recommend.

thank you netgalley and St. Martins Press.

all my reviews are my own thoughts and opinion and arent influenced by anyone else

This book is a testament and a tribute to the people that just *get* books. The book shares the story of nine different people, each touched in some way by a particular book. It's not a back-and-forth narrative; each person's story is told in its own chapter. You'll see flashes of other characters within each different story which just shows how one book, one author's idea, can spread and touch so many people.
The story flows well, the writing is great and there is emotional drama without being overly angsty. It's an easy read but not an insubstantial one. I definitely recommend this one!

Taken from the adage that no two persons read the same book, and rather than follow the life of one person, No Two Persons follows the life of one book, Theo, from its writing to publishing to being read by a teenager, a bookseller, an artist and more. No Two Persons reads almost like a collection of short stories, all strung together by the common thread of the book Theo. We watch as the book Theo touches each of its readers in different ways. It is a unique and interesting approach to storytelling that illuminates that ways words and stories can move people in different ways at different points in their loves.

NOTE: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. I love how one book impacts so many different people. I also thought the ending was well done.

What a brilliant, gorgeous book. The premise, the ways that we all read a book - that no two people read the same book twice - is both simple and complex. No Two Persons begins and ends with Alice, the author of the novel that touches various characters lives, and in between, each chapter is a story of these characters, what they're going through when the book arrives in their lives.. This is a book for people who love books. Alice says, "It's weird, when one thing can be so many things at once, you know?" I felt such a sense of connection in reading this book, the myriad ways that we're all connected is one of the themes Erica Bauermeister so gracefully explores. I absolutely love this book, it's an early 2023 favorite. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin Press for allowing me to read these beautiful words.

I loved this book! What a beautifully rendered reminder of the important part one book can play in different people's lives, and how it means something unique to each person. Readers, writers, librarians, anyone who loves books should read this. I'll be recommending it widely - and buying multiple copies as gifts.

I'm very grateful to have had a chance to read an egalley in advance of publication.

Quite a read and I think uniquely done. A novel, but also a collection of “short stories”. The core of the novel IS a novel-“ THEO”- and how this book is read and how it affects the lives of ten diverse characters. Every reader will I’m sure have one or two favorite characters ,but as is pointed out : “no two persons ever read the same book”- hence the title. Those who say I “I don’t read fiction, you never learn anything“ should read this book.

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is About a Book Within a Book!

Alice always knew she had a special book locked inside her just waiting to get out one day. She continues to keep it safely tucked away until two events take place in her young life.

The first event is a tragedy that rips Alice's heart out. She's raw with the pain and hole it leaves in her life.

The second event is when Alice meets someone who believes in her creative abilities to become a writer. This person mentors her and offers the final push she needs to find the words that make her story flow forth and take shape.

The result is Alice's debut novel titled Theo. Her book finds its way to nine different readers, some drawn to it more than others, but all are impacted by what they read, in different ways...

No Two Persons became my closest friend for a few days. I started each day with it, it was the last thing I saw each night, and it evoked deep emotions in me. Yep, I cried and seriously, who doesn't love reading about a book within a book?

The premise is original and the book is character-driven. Each chapter felt like a separate story and I connected to each character as I traveled story to story. I loved how some characters were intertwined with other stories giving an overall "small world" feel.

I thought No Two Persons was a fantastic book. What I loved the most were the emotions it stirred in me about memories I hadn't thought about for a very long time. As an emotional reader, that's the definition of a great book for me! I'm hoping to have many more books like this one in my 2023 reading year and I'll definitely be exploring Ms. Bauermeister's backlist. I highly recommend!

5 Original-Emotional-Character-driven Stars!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin Press, and Erica Bauermeister for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

"No Two Persons" is the best book I've read in a really long time. I typically read about 80 books a year and after a while, they all start to blend together. This book will stay with me for a while and I will recommend it to others. I honestly read it slowly on purpose so it wouldn't end!

The book revolves around a book called "Theo" and each chapter is essentially a short story told about a different character and how "Theo" affected their lives. It's such an interesting theme - where this book affects everyone differently and comes into each person's life bringing different meaning to the reader at the time. Such an interesting and usual concept - but so meaningful! Loved it!

I want to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review No Two Persons by author Erica Bauermeister.
“All that matters is that we try”.
Alice knew as a child that she wanted to be an author. She gave up her scholarship and dropped out of college. Nothing inspires her for a long time. Finally her first book, Theo.
Each successive chapter is headed by a different person. Almost like a book of short stories but they are somehow bound together by Theo. The stories include an actor, a diver, a caretaker for a ghost town and a homeless teenager among others. You soon look forward to finding out how each of them connects to the novel.
This book should definitely become a good discussion book for bookclubs. Maybe it could have a subtitle, Theo.
No Two Persons publishes 05/02/2023.
No Two Persons

This book was just magical, intertwining lives with a single book as the common element. As the storyline of the fictional book, Theo, is slowly revealed through multiple stories, the central theme of how important books can be to our lives is clear. There is quote near the end of the book that sums this theme up perfectly, although the message is evident without it being told directly to the reader:
"Books spoke to different people for specific reasons, and it had everything to do with where they were in their lives".
As a librarian, I would love to believe that I might hand a book to a student at just the right time in their lives to make a difference. Each individual story within this book is beautiful and could easily become a book itself. I highly recommend this book.

Book Title: No Two Persons
Author: Erica Bauermeister
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: May 2, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars

I have only read one author, Erica Bauermeister novel which was "The Scent Keeper" which I loved.

This story is how ten different lives are affected differently just by reading a book called “Theo”.

Alice Wein is the writer of “Theo”; and we learn about her story and how she came up with this title. I totally loved this part of the story. Took me back to my college days but I was never a wannabe author. Had a couple awesome English prof but I knew I was lousy at writing. Loved to read and thought writers were amazing! I believe I would have loved Professor Roberts and certainly would have learned something from him
.
Then nine others~ Lara, Rowan, Miranda, Tyler, Nola, Kit, William, Juliet, and Madeline ~
- an Actor-
- an artist- furious at the world around her,
- an Assistant - a twin as well as a tired mom
- a bookseller - in search of love,
- a caretaker -
- A coordinator-
- a diver- pushing himself beyond endurance,
- teenager - hiding her homelessness,
- a widower - in grief.
Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; and they each discover something different. Their stories reveal how books can affect us and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.
Hmm this did make me think of “The Seven Degrees of Separation", that any two people are separated by at most seven connections- these connections are social and can be an acquaintance, friend, relative, etc.
However, that isn’t really what happened.
These characters were interesting but they didn’t have the hold on me like Alice!

I always enjoy the author’s acknowledgements. She tells us her inspiration came from a variety which lead her to do research. In her ‘Author’s Note’ she tells us that her research of other books talks about how we readers never really read a story that the author really wrote. Just as one can never read the ‘same’ book twice.
Thus the saying – No two persons ever read the same book or saw the same picture.

I have no doubt that this is going to be a big hit with book club discussions.

This story is certainly a very unique read!
Love the cover.

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 2, 2023

A single book passes through many different readers' hands, touching each one in a unique, provocative way. Theo is the book, and author Erica Bauermeister has brilliantly captured the mind of a writer and how stories connect and influence us. There were so many beautiful phrases--flawless writing-- it was hard not to feel every word. Few authors master the exploration and complexities of the human condition like Bauermeister. She pulls the readers and threads together in a conclusion that will make you wish for more of these characters. Stunning novel.

No Two Persons has a unique premise - the reader is introduced to Alice Wein in the first chapter, and she writes a book entitled "Theo". It is based on her own experiences and is quite poignant. Each of the next nine chapters is a story about different individuals interacting with the book and how it has had a significant impact on their lives. These include a publishing assistant who discovers the manuscript, an actor who narrates the audiobook, a blocked artist, a driven free diver, a deserted teenager, a bookseller, a ghost town caretaker, an intimacy coordinator (this is explained in the book) and a powerful publisher who has received unwelcome news.

This book is a hybrid between a novel and a collection of short stories. While all the characters have "Theo" in common, each of them comes to the book in different ways and they also use it in different ways. Because it resembles a short story collection, No Two Persons has an issue inherent to that genre. By the time I was coming to understand the new character in each chapter and getting invested in their story, the chapter ended. I was left wanting more of some of the characters' stories but overall the book was beautifully written and Erica Bauermeister gave each of the characters depth even though we are only with them for a chapter. It's a unique concept well-executed.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on May 2, 2023.

An absolute gem! This book is the perfect read for book lovers everywhere. Anyone who has ever experienced the power of connecting with a book will relate to this novel. I loved the connecting threads between the characters, knowing their backstories when they entered each other's lives. This story shows us how the ripples from a book spread out through the world as people read it.

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

Young Alice is writing a book- mirroring her life- drawn to words that pour out her feelings and memories, creating an array of characters of many ages, life circumstances and experiences.
Each character is drawn in literary, emotional, deeply-felt imagery, as the reader is taken by how they respond to their past and present.
This is a book of a book and those who find it. From the beginning to the end, Bauermeister writes the stories of the author and the readers, as well as the story of the book itself as it moves back and forth from author to agent.
It is stated that a book is like an invitation, something that we, the reader, will think about later and may or may not find a concrete answer, but certainly a revelation.
As you reluctantly come to the end, the Epigraph is the truth.
However, I believe we, the readers and book lovers, will all be astonished and wordless.

I love how each character was effective by the story. I’m sure each of us can relate to one or more of the characters. This book kept me wanting more. I definately recommend this one.

Five stars! Best book of the month for me (Jan. 2023) - what an amazing and creative story idea. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review.

Erica's writing is superb and I have not read a book like this before. Books and stories are celebrated and the way different people get to experience a story. Read it and get a copy for your fave book lover!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I love the originality of this book and how the same book can have many lives depending on who reads it. The writing was also beautiful and thought provoking. The issue I have is that it read more like a series of short stories. It was easy to get lost in each one, however, it felt disjointed when you went on to the next chapter. Eventually, some of the short stories connect, but it was hard to remember how they fit into the main story originally. I would have liked to see some of it come more full circle and also would have liked to have a better understanding of the book that inspired all of these readers.