As per the latest remote work statistics, 11% of employees now work remote, and another 27% working hybrid.

Gone are the days of working 9 to 5, commuting through the traffic jam twice daily, five days a week. Whether you like it or not, today, people can work from anywhere with a more flexible working schedule.

While there are tons of proven benefits of remote working, our research shows that leaders and employees encounter challenges too.

In this article, you will find a list of the best 21 remote work books divided into four sections:

• Books that help you thoroughly understand the concept of remote work
• Books for C-levels and business leaders to know how to build a thriving remote work culture
• Books for managers to learn how effectively manage your remote teams
• Books that help professionals become productive and succeed in remote work settings 
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21 Must-Read Remote Work Books for Remote Managers and Employees

In this section, we’ll recommend high-rating books that discuss the general benefits and challenges of remote work from knowledgeable authors.

Best for: anyone interested in learning more about remote work in general, including managers, employees, and business leaders. It is also a valuable resource for anyone considering transitioning to a remote work arrangement.

1. Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson

This is one of the best-selling books about remote work, written by 2 Co-Founders of 37Signals, the team behind one of the most successful remote-first models, Basecamp.

Key Features:

• The authors discuss why remote work benefits both employers and employees, improving the quality of work done by removing office distractions.
• Recommendation on how to avoid pitfalls from the pioneers in building effective remote work policy.
• Their personal journey while building BaseCamp

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.2

📚 Print length: 256 pages

Click to Buy: Remote: Office Not Required

2. Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere by Tsedal Neeley

In this book, Harvard Business School professor and leading expert in virtual and global work, Tsedal Neeley reveals how to thrive in remote and hybrid organizations.

The book was long-listed for the Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book Of The Year in 2021.

Key Features:

• Remote Work Revolution provides evidence-based answers to pressing concerns of remote work, such as building trust, using digital tools, and managing agile teams remotely. Plus, practical guidance for how you can, together with team members, internalize and apply the best practices that matter the most.
• In both content and structure, this book is designed to engage directly with members and leaders of remote teams on practices that will help you bond and grow together.
• Each chapter draws from the work of leading experts in psychology, sociology, and technology, fields that are crucial to remote work success.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.3

📚 Print length: 245 pages

Click to Buy: Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere

3. Running Remote: Master the Lessons from the World’s Most Successful Remote-Work Pioneers by Liam Martin, Rob Rawson

Rob and his team were initially office-based, but he decided to cut the office costs and to have the ability to hire and work remotely from any region rather than just one location. He founded Time Doctor with his co-founder Liam - the employee management software to provide transparency and improve productivity in his fully remote team.

This book was a Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly Bestseller.

“Most of all, we needed to learn not how to equal the office model, but to outshine it, to discover the rhythm of collaboration from afar, and even collaboration without collaboration. Things did not really come together until we made the lack of in-person connection our superpower (in other words, until we discovered the async way).”‍

Key Features:

• Master the fundamentals of the async mindset by exploring three overarching principles—deliberate over-communication, democratized workflow, and detailed metrics.
• Take a penetrating look at how to develop a thriving async company culture, with a special eye on the true nature of on-the-job autonomy.
• Gain a better understanding of why hiring, on-ramping, and managing in a remote context is totally different—again, with methods and first-hand stories from the founders and leaders that did it first.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.2

Click to Buy: Running Remote: Master the Lessons from the World’s Most Successful Remote-Work Pioneers

4. Virtual Culture: The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore, a Manifesto by Bryan Miles

Tip over the virtual water cooler, culture can be present in a virtual workforce!

Bryan and his wife co-founded BELAY, a premium virtual staffing company that serves businesses all over the United States. Bootstrapping their business with no outside funding, the company has exploded to over two thousand team members all working from home.

Key Features:

• Discover how Bryan Miles champions the benefits of remote working, which will save your company tons of money and create an atmosphere of trust between you and your employees.
• Read real-life stories from the pioneers and insiders

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.2

📚 Print length: 210 pages

Click to Buy: Virtual Culture: The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore, a Manifesto

In this section, we’ll dive into the books highlighting the importance of building a strong culture in remote team collaboration and business success. All the books will guide you with practical tips and real-life stories to illustrate it. Bring to life with the experience and minds of all the experts and CEO of remote companies.

Best for: Leaders or managers who love building a culture of success for their remote teams. HR Professionals in charge of remote company culture. Or anyone interested in the science of happiness.

5. Remote Not Distant: Design a Company Culture That Will Help You Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace by Gustavo Razzetti

"Hybrid and remote work is here to stay. What will it take for your company to succeed in the new normal?"

Top culture thought leader Gustavo Razzetti answers this question in this practical, meticulously researched book which ranked #1 in Amazon Book Store, category Office Management.

Gustavo Razzetti is the CEO and founder of Fearless Culture, a culture design consultancy that helps teams do the best work of their lives.

After spending years studying businesses, including Amazon, Slack, GitLab, Volvo, Microsoft, and other successful organizations, his solid grasp of the topic will challenge your perspective of hybrid and remote work.

Key Features:

• Learn Anywhere/Anytime Culture roadmap to create and maintain a healthy, vibrant culture in a hybrid workplace.
• Each step includes a "Your Turn" activity with a QR code to download the corresponding tool. You'll be able to download additional valuable resources at the end of the book, plus find a surprise to help you on your journey.
• Most importantly, let go of "the way we do things here" and make room for new ideas.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.6

📚 Print length: 328 pages

Click to Buy: Remote Not Distant: Design a Company Culture That Will Help You Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace

6. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh

Happiness is not a nice thing to have. It’s essential for business success.

In this book, Tony Hsieh - the late visionary CEO of Zappos, explains how emphasizing corporate culture can lead to unprecedented success.

After debuting as the highest-ranking newcomer in Fortune magazine's "Best Companies to Work For 2009”, Zappos was acquired by Amazon valued at over $1.2 billion.

“There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” - MORPHEUS, THE MATRIX

Key Features:

• Read the different lessons Tony Hsieh has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more.
• Discover how to build a strong company culture to make your employees and coworkers happier and create more employee engagement, leading to higher productivity.
• Learn from all the mistakes at Zappos over the years so that your business can avoid making some of the same ones.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.6

📚 Print length: 255 pages

Click to Buy: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

7. Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams by Larry English

Virtual work isn't the model of the future - it's here now. But many companies found their culture suffers. This book is here to guide the way.

Larry English is president and co-founder of Centric Consulting, a management consulting firm that guides you in the search for answers to complex digital, business, and technology problems.

‍Key Features:

• This book is designed to be your remote culture guide, showing you how to build a great culture when you have to interact virtually with employees in many different ways to get work done.
• Larrey explains how they build their virtual culture so you can have ideas on what makes a strong culture when people operate virtually.
• The book is structured according to how you usually think about building culture: from foundation to hiring and training, including how-tos and tools. Each chapter ends with summaries, quick lists of actions you can take immediately, and challenges you will face.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.6

📚 Print length: 232 pages

Click to Buy: Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams

8. Remote Work: Redesign Processes, Practices and Strategies to Engage a Remote Workforce by Chris Dyer, Kim Shepherd

Chris Dyer is a recognized company culture and remote work expert and has two bestselling books, The Power of Company Culture and Remote Work.

Kim was the CEO of Decision Toolbox, which has been virtually operated since 2002. The company has 3 Awards from the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.

Leading a remote or partly remote company requires significant structure, culture, meetings, and leadership style changes.

The Remote Work guide provides a blueprint for leaders from companies of any size to improve their leadership, enhance employee performance, and gain a competitive edge.

Key Features:

• Remote Work focuses on resilience in a new business environment and gives you the tools to thrive through crisis and change. Leaders need this book and its powerful insights now more than ever.
• Whether you’re building a new remote culture or refining one, Remote Work offers insights in a practical, step-by-step approach.
• Join the ongoing conversation about the book on Kim and Chris's platform. Share your experiences and learn from others.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.5

📚 Print length: 291 pages

Click to Buy: Remote Work: Redesign Processes, Practices and Strategies to Engage a Remote Workforce

9. The Year Without Pants by Scott Berkun

“This book has two ambitions: first, to share what I learned as an old dog in a futuristic workplace and, second, to capture the behind-the-scenes story of a good team at a fascinating company. I'll share what I learned, what I loved, and what drove me crazy, with insights for the rest of the working world.” - Scott Berkun

Scott Berkun is the best-selling author of seven books, including Making Things Happen, The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker, and The Year Without Pants.

His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Fast Company, The Economist, Forbes Magazine, and other media.

Key Features:

• A behind-the-scenes look at the firm behind WordPress.com and the unique remote work culture that contributes to its phenomenal success, 50 million websites, or twenty percent of the entire web, use WordPress software.
• Scott brings real stories that will delight you through a journey of creativity, productivity, and leadership from the kind of workplace that might be in everyone's future.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.2

📚 Print length: 277 pages

Click to Buy: The Year Without Pants

Business schools don't teach would-be leaders how to manage during a pandemic. Indeed, most common sense and leadership clichés need to be re-examined, rethought, and ultimately updated to work in a world where "work" is more of a verb than a noun.

This section equips you with all the essential books to accelerate your remote leadership journey. You'll gain insights from the most brilliant minds in the field, learning from their triumphs and downfalls. With this knowledge, you'll be able to apply their principles and actionable tactics to your team successfully.

Best for: Remote managers and leaders want to boost their remote team productivity, achieve goals together and engage from a distance.

10. Leading From Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams by David Burkus

Many employees will be permanently working from anywhere, which means leaders need a plan to lead from anywhere.

Dr. David Burkus is a sought-after international speaker and bestselling author. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times, CNN, and so on.

Key Features:

• This book covers the full range of what leaders need to know about teamwork in the remote-work era by examining the complete life cycle of a remote team: from setting the context to hiring, performance management, and even how to say goodbye to your remote members.
• Specific insights, ideas, tools, tactics, and techniques for leading remote teams.
• An extra offer: a run-down on what technologies you can use to lead your team

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.5

📚 Print length: 255 pages

Click to Buy: Leading From Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams

11. Remote Leadership: How to Accelerate Achievement and Create a Community in a Work-from-Home World by David Pachter

Remote Leadership - the journey of a CEO through a pivotal transformation in Leadership. While offices across the world experienced a chaotic new world of online meetings, JumpCrew successfully leveraged its commitment to three pillars for growth and success:

• Reflective Leadership
• Coaching Culture
• Peer Learning

David Pachter is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who leads a portfolio of companies. In addition to co-founding JumpCrew, he also founded Bond Street Group and co-founded LocalVox, serving as CEO for both.

Key Features:

• Understand the three pillars - how they made a great impact at JumpCrew and how you and apply them to build a high-performing organization based on deeper relationships, a sense of community, self-acceptance, courageous questioning, and mutual accountability
• If you've not yet achieved something significant in your career, this book will help you get closer by doing a bunch of small things well.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.5

📚 Print length: 240 pages

Click to Buy: Remote Leadership: How to Accelerate Achievement and Create a Community in a Work-from-Home World

12. The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership by Kevin Eikenberry, Wayne Turmel

Managing a remote team can be challenging for leaders. To help, the Remote Leadership Institute's co-founders, Kevin Eikenberry, and Wayne Turmel, offer guidance on leading effectively by using basic leadership principles.

“Principle comes first; action thereafter.” - Todd Stocker, speaker and pastor.

While we need to make adjustments to lead in a world with more distance between team members, there is far more that won't need change. This book is about both concepts. It will show you the principles and nuances and help you recognize the difference.

Key Features:

• The book begins by delving into the fundamental distinction between traditional and remote leaders. It then proceeds to guide you through all the crucial aspects of remote leadership, including various leadership models, practical methods for achieving distant goals, strategies for engaging remote teams, and tips for developing your remote leadership skills.
• There are 19 rules outlined for individuals in leadership positions who work remotely. Every rule comes with well-explained details. 
• This resource contains a plethora of exercise and reflection prompts that can aid in improving your learning experience.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.3

Print length: 266 pages

Click to Buy: The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership

13. Influencing Virtual Teams: 17 Tactics That Get Things Done with Your Remote Employees by Hassan Osman

In "Influencing Virtual Teams," Hassan focuses on the most critical element of remote work: communication.

Hassan Osman is the Amazon Bestselling author of several management books, including "Influencing Virtual Teams" and "Don't Reply All." Hassan is currently a PMO director at Cisco Systems.

Key Features:

• A quick read with a straightforward list of seventeen tactics that are science-backed, recommended, and carefully curated by the expert.
• This book focuses on actionable tips that show you exactly how to apply these management techniques with your team. You'll also get some great examples that help reinforce those tactics.
• Bonus: Meeting Template to have better meetings with your remote team.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.3

📚 Print length: 69 pages

Click to Buy: Influencing Virtual Teams: 17 Tactics That Get Things Done with Your Remote Employees

14. Work Together Anywhere: A Handbook on Working Remotely Successfully by Lisette Sutherland, Kirsten Janene-Nelson

In Work Together Anywhere, Lisette Sutherland offers a complete blueprint for optimizing remote team success.

She is an international champion of virtual-team strategies and the director of Collaboration Superpowers, a company that helps people work together from anywhere through online and in-person workshops. 

Key Features:

• A thorough guide packed with hands-on materials and actionable advice for cultivating agility, camaraderie, and collaboration.
• This guide helps remote managers understand how to manage their teams effectively. It provides insights from the staff's perspective. It covers everything from translating on-site needs to online work and creating a team agreement for everyone to work together productively and enjoyably.
• The resources section offers help and ideas on technology, etiquette, HR, icebreakers, and retrospectives.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.2

📚 Print length: 357 pages

Click to Buy: Work Together Anywhere: A Handbook on Working Remotely Successfully

15. How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do The Best Work of Their Lives by Sheela Subramanian, Brian Elliott

Employees want the freedom to choose when and where they work, and they would quit their jobs if there were no longer an option for flexible work.

Successful leaders will need to do more than just offer occasional remote work days; they'll have to overhaul every aspect of work, including redefining how they measure success and training managers accordingly.

Sheela and Brian are the brains behind Future Forum, a Slack-supported think tank that aims to create a more flexible, connected, and inclusive way of working.

In this book, they combine much original research from Future Forum and provide practical advice on how to give employees more freedom without sacrificing performance.

(For more, see our interview with Brian Elliott on leading hybrid and remote teams.)

Key Features:

• This book is a comprehensive guide to managing a flexible team, beyond just office vs remote, nicely capturing all the essential leadership principles and key concepts in one place.
• It provides a step-by-step process for identifying your flexible work strategy, measuring productivity, and reskilling managers.
• Each chapter ends with a useful checklist, and the book includes a flexible work toolkit to help you turn your learnings into an actionable plan.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.5

📚 Print length: 240 pages

Click to Buy: How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do The Best Work of Their Lives

As an employee, it's crucial to take ownership of your own responsibilities, regardless of your position within the company. In this section, we'll explore books that can assist you in thriving in a remote work environment. These resources will teach you how to communicate and collaborate effectively from a distance while also enjoying the benefits of remote work.

Best for: Anyone who wants to level up in their remote games as a contributor and an essential piece of a team. 

16. Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work . . . Wherever You Are by Robert C. Pozen, Dr. Alexandra Samuel

Discover “Remote, Inc.” - the concept that productivity experts Robert C. Pozen and Dr. Alexandra Samuel use to describe the mindset that lets people thrive while working remotely.

Remote, Inc. means thinking like "Business of One."

Whether you're early in your career with a large organization, managing a small team, or a self-employed freelancer, you should adopt the mindset and habits of a small business owner.

(For more, see our interview on remote work and AI with Dr. Alexandra Samuel.)

Key Features:

• Get a holistic guide on how to be a productive remote worker - from How to organize your work to effective online communication to how to thrive in a remote world.
• You will find "From a Remote Worker" stories at the end of each chapter. They've shared their experiences and insights that can make remote work more accessible and fulfilling for other people.
• Have a virtual team reading or discussion to get more out of this book. It’s not only an excellent way for your team to bond, but also a chance to implement the “Remote, Inc.” guide and tips together.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.3

📚 Print length: 309 pages

Click to Buy: Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work . . . Wherever You Are

17. Working From Home: Making the New Normal Work for You by Karen Mangia

Working from Home: Making the New Normal Work for You provides readers with a detailed strategy for turning working from home into a powerful career choice from the employees’ perspective.

With over 20 years of experience in corporate strategy, technology, and innovation, Karen's career highlights include senior leadership roles at Salesforce, Cisco, and AT&T, where she drove revenue growth, improved customer loyalty, and accelerated business transformation.

Key Features:

• Karen provides readers with helpful insights on redefining their approach, adapting to new ways of working, and achieving success with detailed tips.
• This book covers the “work aspect,” like meeting rituals, teamwork, and making a high-performance remote work culture, to the “home aspect,” like setting boundaries, and managing your kids. It gives you a better understanding of remote work.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.5

📚 Print length: 192 pages

Click to Buy: Working From Home: Making the New Normal Work for You

18. Work-From-Home Hacks: 500+ Easy Ways to Get Organized, Stay Productive, and Maintain a Work-Life Balance While Working from Home! by Aja Frost

Stay productive with these 500 easy-to-follow hacks that instantly improve your work-from-home experience.

Aja Frost is a writer specializing in productivity, professional development, and technology. Her work has appeared in over 100 publications, including The Muse, TechCrunch, The Next Web, and Forbes.

Key Feature:

• Get tips for successful remote work, from setting up your workspace to effective communication with colleagues.
• Working from home can be challenging with household distractions, friends and family not understanding boundaries, noisy roommates, pets, and more. Staying focused on your job is important to avoid getting pulled away.
• Maintain work-life balance by setting boundaries and so on.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.3 📚 Print length: 255 pages

Click to Buy: Work-From-Home Hacks: 500+ Easy Ways to Get Organized, Stay Productive, and Maintain a Work-Life Balance While Working from Home!

19. The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work from Home by Laura Vanderkam

Drawing on her 18 years of experience working remotely, plus original interviews with managers, employees, and free agents who've perfected their remote routines, Laura Vanderkam shares strategies for productivity, creativity, and health in the new corner office.

Laura Vanderkam is a time management and productivity author with several books and a popular TED talk with over 5 million views. She regularly contributes to publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune.

Key Features:

• Laura studied time management all her career. Her goal is to motivate you to take charge of your workday and work life and achieve results that would not have been possible under the old operating instructions.
• Work From Home is a skill. Hear real-life stories from some of the most successful people who fueled their careers with carefully perfected work-from-home routines long before the pandemic happened.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.2

📚 Print length: 66 pages

Click to Buy: The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work from Home

20. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated) by Tim Ferriss

Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.

Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company‘s ‘Most Innovative Business People’ and one of Fortune‘s ‘40 under 40’. He also authorizes four #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers.

Key Features:

• Ferriss introduces the concept DEAL can help you focus more on what is essential by Defining your success, Eliminating what doesn’t matter, Automating your work, and Liberating yourself from your limits.
• Updated version: More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers (including families) who have doubled income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book as a starting point

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.2

📚 Print length: 483 pages

Click to Buy: The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content

21. The Digital Nomad Survival Guide: How to Successfully Travel the World While Working Remotely by Peter Knudson, Katherine Conaway

digital nomad (noun): a person who earns a living working online in various locations of their choosing (rather than a fixed business location).

Working whenever and wherever you want may seem like the ultimate fantasy. But what's the catch? This book is chock-full of useful tips from seasoned digital nomads.

Katherine Conaway has been to almost 40 countries. And she has been working from wherever she goes since June 2014. She met Peter Knudson - a fellow digital nomad, and the two collaborated to publish “Nomad Survival Guide.”

Key Feature:

• Real-life advice and tips from hundreds more nomads across 70+ countries. Packaging lists, sample budgets, app recommendations, website suggestions, and more are included.
• Self-Assessment to help you consciously prepare as the first step in becoming a digital nomad.

⭐ Amazon Rating: 4.4

📚 Print length: 206 pages

Click to Buy: The Digital Nomad Survival Guide: How to Successfully Travel the World While Working Remotely

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Key Considerations for Selecting Remote Work Books

With countless remote work books out there, how do we choose the one that truly delivers value?

Here are some key considerations (which also is the way we curated the list of best remote work books in 2023):

Relevance with your objective

When searching for a book, it is essential to have a clear understanding of what you are looking for. Do you wish to gain knowledge about remote work in general? Are you a leader seeking to improve your remote culture? Or maybe you are a manager searching for effective ways to manage remote teams. You could also be an employee who wants practical tips for maximizing your remote work experience. 

Identifying your objective will assist you in finding the most suitable resources to fulfill your requirements.

Author Expertise

Check the credentials and experience of the authors. Look for experts with firsthand knowledge of remote work or successfully managed remote teams.

Reader Reviews

Don't just take the book's description at face value. Dive into reader reviews to get a sense of how helpful and practical the book's advice is. Hearing from others who have read the book can provide valuable insights.

By considering these factors, you can make informed choices and find remote work books that will truly make a difference in your professional lives. So, let's explore the world of remote work literature and unlock the secrets to remote work success!
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Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a manager or an individual contributor, check out helpful resources to improve your remote work performance and strategy.

This list of 20 curated books is carefully selected to provide valuable knowledge, insights, and practical strategies to make your remote work life easier. Amidst the challenge of remote work, you can always find a book that can guide you in building a culture that works for everyone, adapting your working styles and mindsets, and becoming a better remote leader. Enjoy the read!
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Find more helpful resources about remote work at:

[Research Report] Myths VS. Reality: Remote and Hybrid Managers Report High Productivity and Trust

Stay Ahead: Top 55 Remote Work Thought Leaders You Should Follow

Remote-First Strategies from Top 5 Pioneering Companies

20 Must-Dos for Managing Remote Teams in 2024 [Expert Leaders Sharing]

5 Virtual Workspaces That Make Remote Teams Feel Like You're in The Same Room