How to turn a Standard formula of a Story of People growing up in a small town, with dramatic Events Happening in the past that Change everything and not talked about, into something a Little different by telling it from a male and a female. We have two stories of the same pivotal Events and how they were altered by virtue of what sex our main character was at the time. Characters are well written and the Family secrets are nicely drip fed to Keep you interested.

A fascinating concept for a book - a life lived twice from a male and female perspective. The novel takes us through the lives of Louis and Louise, the same person except for that one chromosome and explores the different paths the protagonists lives take. It made me question a lot about whether if I were born a male if I would have made the same choices and if my life would have turned out the same.

I found the portrayal of the complicated process of watching someone you love be consumed by cancer to be staggeringly accurate and brought me to the point of tears. Thought-provoking, emotional and haunting. I will be thinking of this book for a long time.

What would you be like, right now, if you'd been born a different gender? Would it simply be a matter of genetics, and your life would still have unfolded in the same way? Or would the way you had been raised affect who you became in life? This latest novel by Julie Cohen looks at all of the above, covering the stories of Louis and Louise, born on the same day, to the same parents, but in one storyline Lou is a boy, and in the other a girl. Does it really make a difference, the gender box that is ticked when we arrive in this world? We all know that men and women are treated differently, but this story really highlights how things have been in the past, how they still are, and prompts you to think about how they could be...

The story moves between being about Louis, or being about Louise, or just being about Lou (so about both of them). As confusing as that might sound, it never interrupted the flow of the story, as you somehow naturally understand the ebb and flow between the two characters as you read, the points where their stories are the same and then those when they diverge. I really liked how the stories met and parted, moving in parallel then diverging away. I liked the differences that are highlighted, and then the sense that they could be/were the same but for their gender.

Most of Julie's books have been set in the UK, so it was good having the small-town America setting for this one, with the town coming to life in my mind and seeming very real. I could imagine the town where they'd grown up, and their childhood it's wonderfully drawn. Whilst much of the book feels very current and contemporary, it also has the wonderful, timeless feel of a family generational drama. Both Louis and Louise are engaging characters, and though I naturally felt I identified more with Louise, both stories had me thinking. I liked the unfolding of who they each were, and why. Julie's skill also lies in creating an entire cast of people you care about and want to read more about. I always find I have a sideline character who I particularly care about, and this time it was Louise's daughter, Dana.

Much of the story revolves around dealing with terminal illness, so there are some very dark moments in the book, and extremely emotional moments too. They're all handled gently, and with care. I also really liked that in some ways the story felt a little like a mystery, with the unravelling of what pushed both Louis and Louise away from their hometown, and what resolutions they both need to come to, to be able to move forwards in the future. Again, the reveals on this are quite dark, but again it's all handled sensitively.

It's a beautifully written, lyrical story, that leaves you thinking about what our different genders mean, how both genetics and life experience impact on who we are, and that whilst we've made many advances in societal judgements based on gender and sexuality, we still have a long way to go.

The premise for this book is really interesting: one life lived two ways - one as a male and one as a female. The early parts of the books depicting the different ways Louis/e was treated depending on their gender were excellent and quite thought provoking.
I found it interesting that although the two lives went in very different directions there were the same threads running through each - the same idea for a novel for example. Also both had hidden secrets, rifts within the family, and history with lost friends.
The gradual reveal of both sides of the secret was well done and quite shocking in places, but I didn’t find that either side of the tale quite hit the spot somehow. I had expected the book to be a commentary on gender and how men and women, boys and girls are treated differently, with differing outcomes as a result, but it ended up being just two stories told side by side, featuring the same characters.
Sadly it didn’t quite live up to the promise of a great start, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

I loved the author’s previous book ‘Together’ but unfortunately this book wasn’t in the same league.

Louis & Louise is full of so much emotion - pain, heartache, fear.... but above all else, love. Such a great concept and I really enjoyed the journey this book took me on. To forgive and accept, that's one of the greatest and hardest lessons to learn no matter what our background, who we are, where we've come from... no matter who we are and this was clearly shown in this book.

I was sent an advance uncorrected proof of Louis & Louise by Julie Cohen to read and review by NetGalley.
This book wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. I had formed an opinion from my quick glance at the blurb (I prefer to know as little about a book as possible before I read it) that this was a story concerning transgender but this was not the case. It is actually one story told in tandem by Louis and Louise, collectively known as Lou, with the premise of what the individual Lou’s life would have been in relation to which gender they happened to be at birth. This inevitably led to some repetition as it was to all intents and purposes the same basic life told in two gender specific ways. I suppose you could liken the genre of this novel to that of Anne Tyler, with its small town characters with family and relationship issues, but for me at least not quite at the same standard. I’m afraid that I wasn’t blown away by this book, although I did read it to the end so it can’t have been that bad, I just didn’t feel it was that good either.

A fascinating thought exercise into how gender and the way people treat you because you are one gender or another. Louis and Louise are created carefully to be recognisably the same person, but the way that their lives have developed change the way their life goes. It's interesting how something as small as the fact that they make friends with the same gender as children, both of them making friends with a twin boy and girl, but with Louis being closer to the boy and Louise being closer to the girl.

In the early stages, it was a little repetitive. Hearing both Louis and Louise's birth twice was a bit dull, even though they had the viewpoint from a different parent for each child. But soon it moved to either focusing on one of the Lou's at a time or talking about them both with a neutral They pronoun.

I honestly wasn't sure what I'd think of this book when I requested it. I thought it might be interesting, but wasn't sure what it would be like, but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was well written and the two different versions of Lou were really well written and engaging.

An interesting concept and a really engaging story.

Louis & Louise, using the sliding doors format, is a novel that explores the topical issues of gender identity and stereotypes and how both of these impact the way a person lives their life. The plot follows Louis & Louise in alternating chapters with the only difference is their lives being the gender to which they were born. It covers some weighty topics in respectful and deeply compelling ways, and the subtle differences between Louis & Louise are brought to the fore. We all know that males and females are treated differently, but this novel really hammers this home with a clarity I've rarely seen before and makes it very easy to empathise with the characters. Each character is beautifully drawn and I felt invested in them from the first chapter onwards.

This is so much more than a fiction book, in fact, it uses fiction as a device to explore ever-present topics encountered in everyday society and challenges our preconceived ideas of gender identity, sexuality and the lifestyle of those struggling to reconcile their position with those of some of the population. It's a raw, powerful and very clever way of looking at the importance we place on gender and the decisions we make based on our identity. It will leave you with a myriad of questions about life and although it indirectly asks you to look at the way you view societal norms, it never comes across as preachy. This is a beautifully written book, and despite the structure, it reads really well. It's emotive and thought-provoking and highlights how far we have come in terms of our evolving views, but it also addresses the fact that we still have so much further to go.

Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.

This is wonderful, thought-provoking story.

A baby is born in 1978. In one version of the story, it's a girl (Louise) and in the other, it's a boy (Louis). Both are often called Lou.
Lou is the grandchild of the owners of the papermill around which the whole town is built. They have two best friends - the twins, Benny and Allie. As adults, they both get summoned home to be there for their mother as she navigates the final stages of cancer.

The main events in the timeline are the same, but their impact differs depending on whether it's Louis or Louise. Both the stories are compelling and you want to keep reading to find out what happened. The differences in the stories make you consider the roles that society imposes onto children because of their gender and also what danger means when you're a boy vs when you're a girl.

This was a deeply affecting book. I enjoyed in massively.

After Julie's Cohen's last novel which is basically written backwards, I didn't think she could come up with anything that would blow my mind quite as much as that. Well this novel did that, it is just such an original concept, I literally don't know how she does it. If you are looking for something completely different from the things you usually read then stop what you;re doing and read this now, you won't regret it.

It took me a little while in the first stages of this novel to realise that we would be living each scene in Louis/Louise's hometown twice because we needed to see how it worked out differently whether we were talking about Louis or Louise. It just completely baffles me how different a life can be based on whether the doctor says you're a girl or a boy a birth and yet how much can be the same too. It is such a thinker of a book and I really took my time over reading it so I could digest and take it all in.

The origins of both of these characters are so full developed as well. We know about their parents and grandparents, their friends and also their future and so these characters fell completely real and like their story really could have happened. I could relate to and enjoyed spending time with both of them. Louise is a teacher and has a child and so perhaps I feel I could relate to her a little more but I liked them both equally. I liked hearing about their lives outside of their home town, their relationships and their issues and then I liked being able to see how well or not they slotted into their old lives and with their old friendships. Let's face it that kind of thing is hard for anyone.

I loved the setting of this novel too. The Maine landscape, its damp and its beaches really does add something to the undulating nature of the plot. I enjoyed reading about the contrast between small town Maine and New York (whether that be Brooklyn or Manhattan) and the ways that it has changed over the years the Louis/Louise have been away.

The fact that this novel deals with what happens if you're born a boy versus if you're born a girl means that there is a lot of gender inclusive language used, that the LGBTQ+ community is represented and the notion of gender and sexuality are not set in stone. Julie Cohen did this really well throughout this novel and I love the fact that there is an author note and acknowledgements included that address these issues head on.

I really enjoyed this novel. I cried, I laughed, I related but as I keep saying, I feel like my mind was expanded from reading it. It is time.y and it is well-executed and I don't really think I'll get to read anything like this ever again!

This is a truly brilliant read from the wonderful Julie Cohen. It's engrossing, thought-provoking and emotionally-satisfying.

I was intrigued by the Sliding Doors premise. And the novel in itself is great, but yet lacks that satisfying edge - there is something stilted about the writing and wooden in the characters. It just lacked that “real feel” for me - didn’t grab me and chuck me out at the end of the book.

This read had quite a unique feel to it, although there are those who draw similarities from movies such as Sliding Doors. I was a bit worried about how this story would be told, but the way the author does it was genius.

Louis and Louise are one and the same, except for one being male and one being female. They have similar lives, yet slight details vary throughout. It isn’t an easy story to read due to the turmoil and upset these characters go through in the course of it.

I loved the way the author finishes the story. After everything the characters have gone through, can they find a happy conclusion, and will it be the same regardless if their gender?

A great read. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

I received a copy for my honest feedback thank you.
You will find the concept of this book really intriguing. The same baby born but looking at its life from dual perspectives, it's life as a boy or it's life as a girl.
I have to say I found the first section of the book confusing with the crossover between different perspectives and nearly have up on it. It also took me a while to warm to the chatacters.
If you feel this,keep going as this book really comes into its own when Lou returns home as their Mother is dying.
I was expecting this to look at gender in a more specific in-depth way so please be aware that isn't this book. I think my pre conceived ideas affected my overall enjoyment of this book which is down to me and not the author.
A refreshing change to have something a little different and if that's what you are looking for U think you will enjoy this one

I could not get into this book at all. The characters were so wooden that I could not manage to have any empathy with them and the story itself was not interesting enough to keep me reading. Sorry. DNF.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

What a truly extraordinary book! Told as a parallel storyline we follow the lives of both Louis and Louise Alder. The story does occasionally converge into non-gender-specific chapters referring to both siblings simply as 'Lou'.

Louis and Louise grow up in small-town America, Casablanca, Maine to be more specific. It's a place divided along the lines of those who work at the local mill and those who own and oversee it. They live a pretty idyllic life: school, best friends (twins Benny and Allie), plans to leave someday. Until graduation night when everything changes and their seemingly utopian existence comes crashing down and Lou's instant instinct is to make an immediate escape, swearing never to return to Casablanca.

Thirteen years later, Lou's mother Peggy is dying and reluctantly our protagonists return to their hometown. This is where Cohen's sheer brilliance comes to the fore. The nuance and skillful use of inference and allusion used when referring to sexuality and gender reference are truly masterful. The theme is dealt with gently and with the utmost perception and empathy.

Similarly, Louise's confusion and frustration in dealing with her prickly relationships with both her mother and teenage daughter Dana are handled with less frenzy and temper than would be expected. There are obviously one or two outbursts - the result of Lou's anxiety at returning to the place that ended her childhood and damaged the memory she holds of home, but overall not as much as you'd imagine.

I've never really thought of how my life might have been different if I'd been born a male, and to date, I've never experienced any major incidents of gender-based bias. Julie Cohen explores different aspects of the gender theme in ways that will make the reader want to question gender roles if they haven't done so in the past. If this is something you do question and negotiate on a regular basis, then you will relish the fact that the author has written this significant piece that brings these issues into sharp focus.

I really enjoyed the 2 stories in this book - the town and characters are so well described I felt I was really there. However, during the first half of the book I really felt like I was reading two different stories and wondered if the concept of this book would really lead to anything different…. but when I reached the second half it all came together and how clever it was! I always knew they would end up together but had no idea how it would happen or in what format. I loved the endings, I was left feeling happy and very satisfied.

This is a novel of friendship, family, love, loss, forgiveness and, most striking for me, was the message that we should all try not to let a moment in our life, no matter how shocking, define our being and our future.

Definitely one for book clubs - although I have read this in advance of its publication, I will most definitely vote for it if it ends up on my book club choices, I would love to have a discussion with my book club about this one!

I liked this. It’s not perfect, and I had some frustrations, but I think it mostly achieves what it is trying to do. This is a parallel (ish) narratives story of Louis and Louise. They are the same baby - just one is a girl and one is a boy. Think sliding doors but at birth. After their birth and a brief bit about their early childhood, we rejoin them as they return home to Casablanca, Maine because their mother is dying. Through flashbacks we see why they left and how their lives diverged and differed and how they move on from where they are now.

It’s moving at times - did make me cry at one point 1 but I think I wanted a few more answers. It would make a great beach book though.

Louis and Louise are the same person. They were both born on the 8th September 1978 to Peggy and Irving Adler in Maine but they are in two alternate realities. In one version Louis is a boy, he is dressed in blue, expected to inherit the family business and is described as ‘strong’ and ‘clever’. In another version, Louise is a girl, she is dressed in pink, expected to marry well and is described as ‘pretty’ and ‘sweet’. Louis & Louise follows these two people who are the same, but different and examines what happens when they have to return home to Casablanca, Maine and unearth the secrets that have buried there.

I love books like this. I was a huge fan of Laura Barnett’s The Versions of Us which examined three different versions of a relationship between two people so I was really excited to read Louis & Louise. It is written beautifully and has an almost lyrical quality to the prose and, whilst the premise of two different versions of the same life could be clunky or complicated, it is an easy read with moments of humour and pathos.

Both Louis and Louise return to their hometown, a place they have both avoided since they left at 18. They have been back sporadically, visiting for short periods of time only, in Louise’s case this was usually an arrival late on Christmas Eve and a departure first thing on Boxing Day. There is a mystery in the past of both our protagonists and the way that Julie Cohen unfurls both of their stories is beautifully done. My mind made leaps to conclusions and theories which meant that at times I didn’t want to read on lest they became true. I was invested in both characters and loved them both.

There are wonderful moments where their two separate lives converge and they have the same people in their lives and the same worries and fears. Both Louis and Louise are friends with twins Benny and Allie, a duo who have a huge impact on their childhood and teenage years. Then there is the relationship they each have with their parents and the complexities which come with being the daughter of a mother or the son of a father. It was so interesting to read the differences between these relationships and the nuances and grievances that can build to create a seemingly insurmountable abyss.

Overall though, it is the casual asides that build a picture of the impact of gender upon our lives which makes this such an intriguing book to read. At school both Louise and Louis get As and Bs but Louise’s report card says, ‘Can do better, is always chattering’, whilst Louis’ states, ‘Does well despite frequent distractions’. It really made me think about gender and expectations and I found it such an interesting read which gave me real food for thought. It is excellent stuff.

Overall, this is a beautiful book about two wonderful characters who are distinctly different but also, the same and it contains compelling observations of gender, class and parent/child relationships. It builds to a conclusion that made me sob and left me feeling slightly bereft at leaving them both behind. It is a testament to the skill of Julie Cohen that she has created two characters are fully rounded and believable. Louis & Louise is a gorgeous book that has lingered in my mind long after reading.