I don't know why I put this book off for so long, but I'm so glad I finally picked it up – what a joy of a book! This story is made for book lovers. A novel in stories, the reader gets to see how one book impacts nine very different people. Each brief look into their lives is touching, heartwarming, and makes you grateful to be a reader. I did both print and audio for this one, and each was fantastic. The audio was especially great, with a different narrator for each person's story. For fans of The Story of AJ Fikry and Mike Gayle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

Why oh why did I sleep on this book?! The way my heart broke and mended and broke and mended over and over again. Just beautiful. A gorgeous tribute to the impact that one book can have.

The full cast narration is so well done and only adds to the overall experience of reading this novel.

No Two Persons was an interesting story. We often say that "no two people read the same book" as we each come to a story from a different point in our lives, and we take different things from it. This book takes that expression and runs with it. The first vignette is from the POV of the author, her motivation for the book, her journey while writing it and finally letting it go out into the world. We than get the stories of 9 others who interact with the book. We learn what is happening in their lives and how it affects them. I found this an intriguing book and I really enjoyed hearing the various stories and how "Theo" affected each of them. I thought the story from the artist's perspective very original and really liked it. From an actor, who narrates the story to a Homeless teenager, an Agent and more, I found what they took from the story and how it affected their lives genuine and intriguing. I definitely recommend this different book to those who enjoy reading about books and readers. The audiobook was narrated by a whole cast, with each character's story being told by a different narrator. A couple of them are among my favourites: Barrie Kreinik, Braden Wright, Carol Jacobanis, Cassandra Campbell, Gabra Zackman, George Newbern, Jesse Vilinsky, Max Meyers, Rachel L. Jacobs, and Stephen Graybill. Although I very much enjoyed the audiobook, I did need to listen at a slower speed than I usually do, so as not to miss anything. I highly recommend the audio if that is a format you enjoy.

Despite loving books within books and multi pov, I could not get into this and DNF'd it which I almost never do. I was in a bit of a book slump when trying to tackle it and I found I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters and never got invested. The pacing was so slow and although I was excited about the read and I know others loved it, I just couldn't get into it at this time. I would still say give it a chance if the subject matter interests you and thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for a egalley version.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL STORY!! I gobbled yp this story in a day! Bauermeister is a master and if you have read any of her other books, tgus one might be the best! It is so beautifully written and the story has such relatable characters.

The story follows different characters and their experiences with a beautiful story written in a book. It is filled with such sollow and longing, an emotion that can be so hard to capture, but Bauermeister does it well.
The audiobook features multiple narrators which really enhanced the listening experience.
I highly recommend this book. Although you may finish the book, the story will stick with you!

I really loved this series of interlinked short stories which showed the impact a book can have on so many different people. I thought each of the characters were interesting and kept wanting to see who was next and how they would tie in with the overarching story. The writing was just so beautiful and poetic, and the book is really short that it makes it accessible to a lot more readers.

Every book club needs to read this book. I LOVED this book. I loved how the book made me feel like it was a collection of short stories but then the book also had a cohesive feel all based on THEO. I will be recommending this book to everyone

Have you ever wished you could read a book again for the very first time, experiencing all the emotions and feels it evoked as it did the first time you read? No Two Persons was like that for me. It’s a story about a book called Theo, and each chapter is a new characters experience of reading it for the very first time. I love that I got to re-experience the story through each characters perspective, feeling the emotions it invoked in them and seeing how the story impacted their life. Isn’t that the joy in reading after all, the ability for the same book to connect with each of its readers in profoundly different way?

I thought the title was absolutely perfect because truly no two persons ever read the same book. The first line of the story sets the tone for the reader and experience and point of view impact how the story speaks to us as though it were written just for us.

The Audio narration was fantastically done with a full cast of narrators breathing life into each of these characters. Absolutely wonderful. Highly recommend.

A hearty thank you to the publisher Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of this fantastic story. The opinions above are my own and this is my honest review.

The heart of No Two Persons beats with Alice Wein, an aspiring writer who weaves her pain into a striking debut, Theo, inspired by her brother's tragic overdose.

The book, told through loosely intertwined short stories, explores how one novel can affect people from all walks of life. We follow characters like Alice, a lonely bookseller, a homeless teenager, a free diver pushing limits, an outraged artist, and a grieving widower. Each person connects with something unique in Alice's creation, changing their viewpoints unexpectedly.

As a fellow author, I connected with the dream of wanting to create a story that not only gets read but passionately shared. Yet, No Two Persons left me hanging. The brief chapters and abrupt endings made it tough to really get into the characters’ heads. I hungered for more depth; some plot points felt a bit too simple and underdeveloped.

I gave the eBook a boost with the audio version, and the full cast performance was exceptional. The voices gave life to the characters, enhancing the experience. Despite my gripes about the book’s length and pacing, I settled on a solid 4-star rating.

I received a digital copy of the book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick. Our library purchased and our patrons have been checking out and and enjoying the book. I see it is a popular book club choice as well we hope to have more oppurtinies to support authors like them

This book is genius! Interlocking short stories - so well done! As an avid reader, I love how this book highlighted how differently books are taken in by different readers. The same book can be experienced so differently by various readers. I thought each individual story was so well crafted. I had the honor of hearing the author speak at my local indie and I was inspired to reread to find the hidden easter eggs throughout. The audio for this book is exceptional.

An interesting collection of short stories that demonstrate the power of the book and how it echoes across various people

This is a novel about a young woman, in the throws of grief who writes a story. Then we see the journey of that story and how it touches people's lives differently. Some people need the same book for different reasons. They latch on to different parts and characters. They gleam something very individual from the same novel. Simply put, I thought this book was beautiful. The multiple narrators did great, and because it was an audiobook I could listen in my spare time doing tasks like driving. Also looking back at the cover you will find such a surprise as each character was depicted on the front.

There's something about Erica Bauermeister's writing that paints a mural. When you step back and see all the pieces she's presented you together as a big picture, you just fall in love with all the little details and how they come together.

No Two Persons was fabulous. I fell in love with Bauermeister's voice with The School of Essential Ingredients, and I haven't really looked back since.

No Two Persons was such a compelling read. It was written for readers and writers to celebrate the life a book can take on as several people read it. I loved seeing the impact Theo had on each reader over different times and situations. I love stories with multiple perspectives, and this book checked off all the boxes.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Super interesting premise of having nine short stories that weave together. The premise is to reveal how books can affect us in beautiful and unexpected of ways—and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.

This program is read by a full cast:

Rachel Jacobs as The Writer
Barrie Kreinik as The Assistant
Braden Wright as The Actor
Jesse Vilinsky as The Artist
Max Meyers as The Diver
Gabra Zackman as The Teenager
Stephen Graybill as The Bookseller
George Newbern as The Caretaker
Cassandra Campbell as The Coordinator
Carol Jacobanis as The Agent

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy via the NetGalley app.

The book starts with a character writing a book and then shows how that book effects different characters at different points of their life. The running theme is feeling lost. Each character feels lost in their life for varies reasons and they encounter the book "Theo" which each of them find something in it they needed to hear/learn. Each chapter was read by the a different narrator and when you have that many separate voices and everyone reading at different paces, it can become tedious when you want to speed up or slow down. Overall, the story had an interesting structure and was nicely done.

No Two Persons
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Erica Bauermeister

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This was a beautifully written, slightly poignant story about how ten lives are changed from just one story over the span of years. This was a book in a book story but unique as I have not read one like this before. An author finally gains the courage to write a book and then this book goes to the assistant for review for publication, then after its published goes to a variety of people, an actor, a diver, an artist, a teenager, someone who cares for others, a coordinator, back to the publishing agent, and the bookseller. Each of these lives are affected by reading this story. Just one of the most beautifully, poignant stories I have read in a few years.

The story is narrated by the writer and nine readers, from their respective POVs. The storyline is character driven, rather than plot driven. The characters were well developed, even if they only have a short vignette, with compassion, emotion, and relatable. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, thought-provoking, and just absolutely brilliant! The story takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. While usually I do not like a short story type of novel, I really loved this one. I just felt like I could relate one way or another with each of the characters. I also loved how some of the characters showed up in other character’s stories, showing that this really is a small world. When I would have to stop the book, I could not wait to go back to the book. This book definitely had me thinking about it afterwards and I think it will for a long while.

The narrator for the audiobook was amazing, did the voice variation so well that you really felt connected with each of the characters. This was a very unique story, one that has not been done before. While we as readers, read books differently, and our life experiences shape how we will interpret the book, this really brings that to light and I loved see this fresh perspective on it. This is one my top books for this year, without a doubt. I HIGHLY recommend picking up.

Just Wow! Once of my favorite books of all time! So different that you need to read it!

Reading books has changed my life and in this book we learn how a book changes the life of everyone that comes into contact with the book.

One book. One author. Nine stories including "the book". Ten lives changed forever!!

Erica Bauermeister is a very gifted story teller. A new story about "the book" would start and she would introduce me to the characters. She would hook me with their story and then it would be over and she would go to the next story. I was always left wanting more of each story. I got so involved with each one thanks to this wonderful author.

Each separate story has people in it that just really need "the book" and all of the reasons are different. I did learn something very important during the reading of this book. People spend a tremendous amount of time and effort making stories come to life for people that love audiobooks. I don't know why, but I had never really thought about this. Now I appreciate narrators so much more. I listened to the audiobook of this amazing story and the narrators did a great job.

There’s certainly an audience for this, but it requires a certain surrender to the saccharine that I cannot stomach.

This is a frequent problem with books about loving books. The concept is appealing when it’s well done and it sometimes is, but too often quality is sacrificed in favor of the overly sentimental, as is the problem here.

The writing itself is fine, but the plot is too schlocky and mostly left this reader feeling annoyed. I imagine there are plenty of readers who aren’t bothered by or even enjoy this sort of ardent sincerity and sentimentalism, but for me the sappiness outweighs any sweet and delightful “love of reading” themes that made it into the text.

While I love being a mood reader, I also think this can affect how I feel towards pacing in books, and my overall thoughts while reading.

I was so excited to read NO TWO PERSONS after seeing so many great reviews from my book friends, and decided to save this audiobook for the drive home from the beach recently.

Unfortunately, it came down to the pacing for me, and I just felt lost as my connection to the initial characters waned from the start.

I thought the narrator was great however, and hope to give this a listen again sometime.

*many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy