The Magnolia Story

by Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines

An exclusive look at America's first family of renovation! Taking you behind the scenes, Chip and Joanna Gaines share the story of how they met, the ups and downs of being an entrepreneurial couple, and how they built a life they love.

The Magnolia Story is the first book from dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. Offering their fans a detailed look at their life together, they share everything from the very first renovation project they ever tackled together to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.

While they both attended Baylor University in Waco, their paths didn’t cross until Chip checked his car into the local Firestone tire shop where Joanna worked behind the counter. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Soon they were married and living in their first fixer upper.

Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garnered the attention of a television producer who noticed her work on a blog one day, leading to the incredible Fixer Upper phenomenon.

In The Magnolia Story, fans will finally get to join the Gaines family behind the scenes and discover:

• The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping baby
• Joanna’s agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their children
• When Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreck
• Harrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial couple
• Memories and photos from Chip and Jo’s wedding
• The significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they do
• The way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the way

And yet there is still one lingering question for fans of the show: Is Chip really that funny? “Oh yeah,” says Joanna. “He was, and still is, my first fixer upper.”

• ISBN10: 0718079183
• ISBN13: 9780718079185
• Publish Date: 17 November 2016 (first published 18 October 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thomas Nelson Publishers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 208
• Language: English

Reviews

[mrs_mander_reads]

From beginning to end, this book is hilarious. I've always been struck by how genuine Chip and Joanna seem on tv, and their narration of their relationship and life together has cemented that for me. There are some really great insights about life in the story, as well as hilarious stories about Chip leaving their children or buying ridiculous things. I've always wanted to visit Waco and Magnolia, and now I've even more set on that adventure.

[Kait ✨]

I loooove me some Fixer Upper, so I was so excited way back when I heard this book was coming out — and luckily I was not disappointed! Chip and Joanna's story is a sweet one about perseverance, trust, and knowing yourself, about taking risks on the things that are most important. It's a message that comes at the right time of my life.

It's also just a lot of fun (and very funny)... it's a delight to get a peek behind the curtain and to have some questions answered, like why Jo never puts a TV in the houses she designs and how they ended up living on a farm as both came from a suburban background.

If you're a fan of the show, you'll really enjoy this. It's fun & sweet, just like Fixer Upper is, and it gives a whole new layer of understanding when watching the show now!