Thanks very much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC of this interesting book, another fast read.

No Two Persons is more like a series of interconnected short stories (a la Magnolia or Love Actually) than a novel, all relating to a fictitious novel, Theo, and its different effects on *this* book’s characters. In general I liked this book, though certain of the stories resonated more with me than others (the audiobook narrator, the diver). The author’s prose is wonderful, and I’d be interested in reading her other works, with which I am not familiar. I wished we learned more details about the plot of Theo (the novel-within-a-novel) earlier in the book, to help understand better why most of the characters here loved it so much.

But, if you are a fan of the interconnected short story format and are a book lover, you will likely love this novel.

loved this book told in many different point of views and how a book touches each person. I liked how it ended up connecting all of the people from all different places. loved this story

This is a powerful collection of interwoven short stories that tell about how a book can move each of us in a different way. It is beautifully written. Destined to be a favorite of 2023. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

What a delightful book about the power of story and books. Each chapters is a different persons experience with a certain book and how it meets them in their life. I really enjoyed how things were loosely connected and just seeing how this book met each characters. Now I really wish the book in the book was a real book!

"It was something she would tell her son later, when he was learning to read himself—how your first read of an extraordinary book is something you can only experience once."

This book is a premise that I hadn't read before. It's a story of ten different people. The first one writes a book to help cope with deep sorrow in her life and the nine others experience the book in their own unique way, through the lens of their own lives and get affected differently.

Some of them are connected to each other in small ways, some in bigger ways, and some not really. And yet this book flows through their life and doesn't leave them the same as a result.

"It was probably six hours later when Theo met the love of his life. There were no fireworks, no steamy glances across a room. Just two human beings, falling together like puzzle pieces, which made sense because both of them were broken, their edges not the smooth arcs or straight lines of others, which fit easily into so many situations. No, there was only one place each of them belonged, and that was with the other. It sounded dramatic, but wasn’t. More like an animal finding its natural habitat."

Some people will say it's cheesy and it's more like interconnected short stories than it is a novel. And some of the characters have a lot of telling vs showing. And yet I loved it. I loved the broken characters. I loved waiting to see how they'd be connected. I loved waiting to see when and how the book would show up and I loved seeing how it would change them. I felt connected and invested in each of these characters.

"Different from sleeping, where you had no choice where you went. Picking up a book was a decision: I’m going to go away. The exciting possibility: I may not come back the same."

I am not the same because I read this beautiful book. Because, books, they change you. And I am so grateful for that.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was incredibly unique. No Two Persons takes you on a journey through several individuals having a pivotal moment in their life that was influenced by reading a book called “Theo”. Some of the mini stories were more enthralling than others. One was fairly slow going. For the most part this is a book that helps you gain perspective on how life and simple events can have profoundly different effects on different people.

A gem of a book a story with characters stories that come alive.A book about books a story that captured my heart a book I will be recommending.an author that never fails to keep me turning the pages.#netgalley #st.martinsbooks

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this title.

This emotional book reads as interconnected short stories that are told by different characters but all center on one thing: a published novel. The first story is told by the author of the fictional novel, giving background on the grief that she wants to move past. The subsequent stories are told from those who are affected by her novel, and what it means to them in their lives. Near the end, you start to see some of the characters come together in different ways, which nicely ties the book together.

This is definitely a slow burn, but one that I enjoyed, especially since it shows the power that books can have over us all.

One book. One Author. Nine Readers. Ten reactions, ten responses, ten connections. Ten different ways the book spoke directly to them. It's a truly innovative and creative storytelling.
Bauermeister put into ten stories that which all readers know--we may read the same book, but we won't read the same story in it. That's the one of the most amazing thing about books, right?You and I will never respond to a book in the same way.

I enjoyed the different voices, each was unique and came from such different places. No character came across as flat, all were carefully crafted and multi-faceted. Each person was markedly changed by one book, written by a person who just needed to get the story out of her head and heart and on paper. I don't know that I've ever considered so carefully how a book speaks to its author before.

The most important voice, in my mind, is that of the book itself. Theo (the book in the stories) is honestly the main character, interacting with its author and each reader, ultimately connecting some the people who connected with it.

This is book club/literary club material. I highly recommend it, and am honestly heading over to pre-order a hardback copy for my shelf so I can revisit it again and again.

What a book! The stories were compelling, the writing was exquisite, and it left me thinking about the people inside for days after it ended. One of the best books I read this year!

No Two Persons takes us on a journey, told in multiple points of view, from the inspiration for a fictional novel to the lives it touched. I fell in love with the characters and was reluctant to turn the last page and leave the world the author wove. This is the best book I’ve read in a year. Read this immersive novel today!

"No two persons ever read the same book." This book is a love story, in its own way, about stories, readers, and books. Switching points of view in each chapter, there is one book that ties the characters together across time. There were little pieces of each person's story that made me want to stop, set the book down, and sit with the feeling they invoked, yet at the same time, I wanted to fly through the book because I enjoyed it so much! I can't wait to read it a second time and relish it again. Books have been important to me for as long as I can remember and No Two Persons really hit that feeling for me of the impact books can have. I was provided an advanced reader copy of this book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

" No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture"
No Two Person's is such an unusual book and I really enjoyed it. One person writes a novel that touches many different people in a different way. Each chapter is a different person who we learn a little about, and how the book came into their life, and how they were changed because of it. The stories are heartwarming and I loved how the author was able to write her book this way. So unique! I always tell my book club that we all read the same book but get something different out of it, some of us like it, some don't, and I love hearing the discussions. Sometimes I'll be listening and think, wow, I never thought of that! Such a great book!

We are all caretakers of the story- the writers are just the lucky ones who get to know them first."

Did I manage to squeeze in a last minute 5 star read?? YES!! 🙌

This book is really 10 mini stories in one. Longer chapters allow an in depth look into the world of readers, all focused around the same book. A truly unique perspective that pulled on my heart strings.

How can one book be so many things at once? Stories live in a readers head in a particular way to them. No Two Persons celebrates that idea. Also, the cover...perfection!🤌

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced read. I will be raving about it everyday.

These deftly linked, gentle but vivid stories of estrangement and transformation are held together by the writing and reading of a fictional book.

Whether the main character in each story is a homeless teenage girl, a once-famous actor, a frazzled new mother, a grieving widower, an artist, a diver, or a 76-year-old woman at the end of her successful career, each story follows an arc of uncertainty, understanding, and growth.

The stories span 2010-2019, and travel the US coasts, from Maine and New York to California, and Washington State to Florida. The reader can feel a quiet pleasure as the main character of an earlier story turns up as a small player in a later one.

As the epigraph says, “No two persons may read the same book,” but in this author’s hands, the same book can impact all readers.

I absolutely adored Bauermeister's No Two Persons. I sped through it at breakneck speed and was devastated when there were no more vignettes--though she ended it full-circle and I appreciated that. The plot is basically a series of stories, loosely connected, about how a single book can affect all the people who engage with it--not always as readers, even. It was just so good and, in tune with the themes of her book, I just want to go back and live in it. A rare five-star read.

This was a fascinating novel… I don’t believe I’ve ever read anything quite like it before! As a writer of fiction myself, I appreciated reading the different readers’ stories about their response to one novel called “Theo”. It made me stop and think about the people who read my novels and how it may affect each person so differently. I enjoyed all of the stories but Nola’s was my favorite. I also appreciated how the stories came together at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a fun premise - No Two Persons tells the story of how’s different people’s lives are impacted by one book. We first meet the author and then are introduced to nine readers, loosely connected to one another.

I enjoyed reading this though I found it a bit too sentimental. Would recommend it to book lovers looking for a heartwarming read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

This book is comprised of several short stories that are interwoven and related to one book. This shows the power of a story and how.everyone views it differently. This book is worth the read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I wanted to like this but I overall found it pretentious, much in the way I could THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY pretentious.