A aspiring writer breaks through with a book birthed out of heartache. Then we follow nine readers to see the power of words an d how the impact people differently. This is a beautifully written story about how words impact different people. I loved this.

This is an engaging book that shows how one book can connect differently with people. It is like 10 individual stories put together as one book. Thanks NetGalley for the audio eArc

This one is interesting. I love the overall premise of how a single book effects so many different people in different places in their life and in different ways. It explores how a book touches people's lives for years to come. But I also expected all the different people to at some point cross paths, and they don't all do so. In a lot of ways it felt like one of those cameo movies with 20 big name actors that all have little roles with small stories just to get so many names and faces on the ad cover. Like Valentine's Day with Ashton Kutcher and a million others! But those movies typically bomb. I think it worked better as this story simply because it all surrounded a single book. But at the same time, it felt a lot like little short stories, developing a bunch of little characters very quickly (but with shocking depth so kudos to the author on that point) without a complete picture of what happens to them.
Again though, what it mostly showed was the author's ability to dive in to a character so quickly and get a reader invested in them within a very short timeframe. Brilliant in that way.
As a writer and as a reader, I related to so many of the characters, but none so much as the author at the beginning. Wow. That was so well done.
What I wanted most thought was to read Theo, the book all this hubbub is about! That had me intrigued more than anything!
As for the audiobook, fantastic cast of characters. Very well done. There was not a single narrator that I didn't like.

What is going on between the covers

No Two Persons is a captivating and heartfelt exploration of books’ impact on readers’ lives. It relies heavily on the power of a story trope and explores it uniquely. The beautifully woven narratives show how one book affects nine readers, each connecting differently to the story. It’s more than how readers connect to a story through their experiences. It’s also about how authors pour their hearts into their characters and stories. Aspiring writer Alice is at the story’s heart, after experiencing a devastating event, she pours her heart into her book. Her book finds its way to diverse readers, including a homeless teenager, an ambitious free diver, an enraged artist, a bookseller, and a grieving widower.

My Two Cents

Lately, I have read a few books with the trope “the power of a story,” it seems to be a book trend, and I am a sucker for that theme. I read very few books where the characters don’t teach me something, or I see something different than I did before reading it. I loved how No Two Persons explores that while using an interesting and unique structure as we see how readers engage with stories and their impact on different readers. I loved how Alice’s story opened the characters’ minds, and they discovered new perspectives and paths forward.

“When Nola was young her mother used to tell her that books were like a giant neighborhood where every family is different, and every door was open. You can just go on in. Try on a new life. See how it fits.”

I loved the way the stories celebrates the power of literature through the distinct characters, each with their own hopes, struggles, and desires and I enjoyed the way I connected with the relatable and compelling character in some way and like Nora I find books to answer questions and tell the truths that people can’t or won’t say.

I mostly listened to the audiobook and loved the cast of narrators. I loved that a different narrator tells each chapter with a character connecting to Theo. I enjoyed listening to the different voices of each character, and it was easy to engage with the characters while enhancing their connection to Theo. I highly recommend listening to the story.

2.5 stars I hate to be an outlier on this one but I am. The writing was beautiful and each character was carved out in great depth. It was a deeply moving and lyrically written story that illustrated how one book can impact readers differently. I must say it resonates for me right now as I craft this review, seeing how many others loved this story.

However, this book read like a series of short stories rather than one long story. Each chapter introduced a new character and then delved into that character's circumstances and how the book "Theo" affected them. There was also a chapter about the author of "Theo" and how writing this book changed her life. For this reason alone, I wasn't able to connect to this book very well. Each time I got wrapped up in a character's life and started to bond, they were gone and a new one was introduced. The plot was entirely character driven so this added to my angst as I had to start yet again learning about someone new.

I can absolutely see why others loved this story and its unique execution. Unfortunately, it just didn't have a strong impact on me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Who does not like books about books? I went into this book expecting it to be the best book I've read in a long time, but the narration of this book ruined it for me.

Narration: 2/5 I felt like the narration in this book could have been better. The book seemed to be depressing, and there was not that much expression in the tone of voice the narrator was given. It made me feel like I wanted to DNF the audiobook; truthfully, I was lost during the whole book because the narrator's voice did not grasp my attention.

Book: the book itself was a solid 4/5. If there was a better this book would have been excellent on audio. I have seen so many good reviews on the book alone that I will buy a physical copy to read it on my own. Overall, people who pick up a physical copy of this book will love the storyline.

Thank you so much, Netgalley, for this audiobook.

I liked this story, but I didn't love it. I enjoyed meeting all of the different characters and liked learning how they all connected to each other. But I always get a little tripped up when the thing that connects characters in books like this is something normal that has become extraordinary. In this case, the normal/extraordinary thing is a book. This book is SO SPECIAL that it connects all of these characters in mysterious, almost magical ways.

I get annoyed when writers create paintings, novels, sculptures, etc. within their stories that are just so extraordinary they transcend all other works of art. Perhaps it's because I can't imagine any work like that. Perhaps it's because it creates a feeling of magical realism that I typically don't enjoy.

But setting aside that aspect of the book, I enjoyed the story that came from it.

I loved the premise of this book but I felt that the frequent changes in narrator prevented me from getting to know each character in depth. That said, I thought this book was well-written and is definitely worth a read.

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

The premise of this book was promising to me. I listened to the full cast narration and thought that added the right depth to each storyline. This book follows a book, "Theo," and its different readers. My issue was that I didn't want to leave characters when the author did. I wanted to stay with them and see how Theo really affected them. For the most part, it just felt like a blip on their radar. The last portion of the book tied a few more characters to each other, and I appreciated that. Overall, I felt like I was missing something, like I "missed the point."

What reader doesn't love a book about a book? ""No Two Persons" by Erica Bauermeister did not disappoint. The story pulls you in immediately with Alice who is a teenager who is essentially an orphan but one who has the talent to write her debut novel "Theo" which is the thread that ties all of the other nine people in this book together as they come across the book.
Each chapter is about one of these people, their lives, and how the book enters it and how they interact with it. The writing is very good and the individual stories are sure to resonate differently with each person who reads them. The narrator of the audiobook was excellent as well. As the title says no two persons are affected in the same way by what they read and this is shown in the book with our nine readers of "Theo," and I am sure it is true of the actual readers of the book.
I felt like this book was unique and as someone who wants to love short stories, but usually doesn't, this book really worked for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook (I bought the ebook to read along with it) for an honest review.

A book about a book written for those who truly love books. The most beautiful piece of being a reader is experiencing a story in your own personal way. Not every book is for every person. This one might not even be for everyone. But it fully encompasses that idea! I felt like some of the perspectives were a bit drawn out and harder to connect to. It was the last 20% of the book that really made me feel!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Erica Bauermeister for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A compelling collection of interwoven short stories all about a book and the lives that it has touched. I loved the premise of this collection, as I imagine many readers will. The addition of the cast reading it, really added some depth to the characters as we really spend so little time with each. Like most short story collections, I found myself wanting a bit more from the characters but that speaks to how fully fleshed out they were.

Oh my goodness did I love this book - I was recommending it to book-loving friends before I even finished it, which is rare for me. It was such a fascinating premise for a booklover like me - essentially it's 10 short stories, all of which exemplify the saying that "No two persons read the same book." And oh, how beautifully it illustrates that idea. Starting with the author of the particular book in question and how she came to write it, it then segues into stories about how that book fell into 9 different people's hands and how it affected them. The subtle differences in what message they got from the book, which bits resonated with each character, was illuminating. I highly recommend the audiobook - there's a different narrator for each story, and each is brilliant. If you've ever been in a discussion about a book that you loved (or didn't love at all) and thought "Wow, did we read the same book??" - you'll relate.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Is this book on your radar? It should be. I usually pause over a passage once maybe twice in a book but in this one it was too many times to count.

I had both the audio and ebook and both were great. It was slightly easier to digest every word with the ebook but I loved how each of the readers was narrated by a different narrator and it seemed they were all the perfect pick.

A young debut author, who’s lived through some issues, writes a book that resonates with nine readers. We get a glimpse into each of their lives as the book touches them.

I loved how they unexpectedly touch each other’s lives. While I’m not sure if it was intentional or me, but as I went through I was reminded of others books I’ve read.

It really is a great premise that is delivered. This is a readers book and it will stay with me for a long time.

The premise of this book sounded wonderful. I just love the idea of books changing lives, and the same book affecting different people was so exciting to me.
I enjoyed this book, but it didn't quite have the impact I had hoped for. I felt like every chapter had a different character to get to know and understand the way the book helped them. When I got used to one character, there was a change of POV and it was pretty jarring.

This was very well written and the narrator was able to really click with the main character. As well as it was written, the story just didn't click with me. I DNFed at 4o%. Again, not a bad book, but I was not feeling it at this time. With what I read I would give it a solid 3/5 stars.

No Two Persons • Book Review

Synopsis:
One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. 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. 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.

My thoughts:
If you are into books about books, this is for you. The brilliant thing about this book is that it’s told in a collection of interconnected short stories whereby each chapter is the story of one character. This book has depth, and emotion, and makes you think about how a book can alter the lives of so many in different ways. I loved it!

Typically, having so many characters in an audiobook can be overwhelming for me, but the narration was spot on. Since this reads more like nine individual short stories, I think having nine different narrators was impactful and helped me clearly identify whose story I was listening to. Very clever and extremely well done!

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the audiobook! It was an excellent cast 👏🏽

Excellent full-cast audio! (thank you, @netgalley and @macmillan.audio)!

I really, really enjoyed the company of this powerhouse of an audiobook on a day off last week and although I can't tell you everything about each of the specific characters (there are basically 10 who are very loosely connected), I can tell you that each of their short stories and experiences with this one book were impactful and immersive. There were many quotable sections and the story did come a bit full circle but not in a predictable way.

I absolutely recommend this one as a book for book lovers and otherwise I'd say it falls very firmly in the category of contemporary fiction /literary fiction. It was smartly written and made me think a lot about how we all experience books differently.

(A Spoiler-free review)
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I am infinitely glad this book crossed my radar. It was an impulse pick based on the cover and summary and I absolutely loved it!

The novel follows 10 different individuals, all of varying ages, locations, and professions, and all at different points in their lives. Many of them never meet. The only thing they have in common is a book titled Theo and the profound impact that book has on each of them in turn.

The execution of this story is flawless. Despite the short time we have with each of these people, it's easy to feel like we know them based on the few but profound things we learn about their lives.

I love looking at the wildly different kinds of impact one event or one piece of media can have on different people. Some love it, some hate it, some learn from it while others miss the point entirely.

There's love, loss, friendships, missed connections, and everything in between. From the moment of an idea's conception until the point it grows beyond the author's control, this book is an adventure of emotions and mentalities.

I feel like nothing I say here can do this book justice and I would only encourage you to read it yourself to have your own experience and connection!

No Two Persons...

It's about a book. But is it, really?

What is it about this one book that connects so many people in very different ways?

This one really made me think about how we can all read, watch, or listen to the same thing, but take forward different perspectives from it. Everyone comes from a different background with diverse life experiences. This novel shows how that can turn into different messages and meanings that come from a book; tailored to the reader, however they choose to interpret it.