The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters

by Joanna Gaines

“Readers will be inspired by Gaines' desire to find strength in self-discovery.” –– Publishers Weekly Joanna Gaines invites us on an authentic and vulnerable journey into her story, a story of doubt and belief, shame and acceptance; a journey from insecurity to self-discovery, and finding truth on the other side of lies. Star of Fixer Upper and New York Times bestselling author, Joanna grew up in a multiracial family, the product of a unique and beautiful love story between her Korean mother and her American father. Experiencing regular teasing as a child because of what made her different, it wasn’t until later in life that she started to see those differences as the most beautiful part of her story. From stories that brought shame and her soul’s deepest insecurities to the page to stories about healing and hope and having just a little bit more fun, join Joanna as she journeys through the years of becoming a wife, mother of five, and business owner―looking back to mend what’s broken and gain clarity in places that are cloudy so she can look forward with grateful and certain eyes, believing that every chapter has its purpose. The Stories We Tell reminds us that every piece of our story matters to who we are today and who we’ll become tomorrow. “This book is not an autobiography. I still have too much to learn and discover about myself, and I feel as though I am only halfway there. This book also is not a how-to, because I certainly don’t have all the answers. What I hope this book is for you is an invitation to come as you are. To join me, with a vulnerable and open heart, as we connect the chapters of our life stories, and figure out where we go next, learning to move forward from within. "The only way to break free was to rewrite my story. Because something would happen every time my pen it was like my soul was coming back to my body. Like the deepest parts of me that got knocked around and drowned out by all the crap I let the world convince me about who I was came back to the surface. And what was left was only what was real and true. I was, finally, standing in the fullness of my story. I felt hopeful. I felt full. Our story may crack us open, but it also pieces us back together. I’m grateful to have found truth on the other side of lies. Vulnerability on the other side of fear. Empathy on the other side of pain. This is how I know that every season has a purpose, and that holding, even when it leads to letting go, is what clues us into the bigger story being told.” ― Joanna Gaines

Genres: Audiobook, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Self Help, Biography Memoir, Book Club

Audio CD

First published November 8, 2022

About the author

Joanna Gaines is co-owner, co-founder and lead designer of Magnolia Homes, and co-stars in HGTV’s Fixer Upper with her husband Chip Gaines. She is the mother of five and lives in Waco, Texas.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 VERY generous stars. I expected this book to be a memoir from her viewpoint, but it feels a lot like a self-help book. I like Chip & Joanna, her design work & their shows quite a bit & I admire her as a business person. But she's really not the one to tell people how to fix their problems. Also, while I'm sorry to hear that she experienced some bullying in school, many of us are living with deep wounds from serious trauma, she's incredibly lucky & now very, very privileged, and this just seems a bit preachy & insincere IMHO!! Next!

[Brianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a hard time giving a memoir-ish book a bad rating.. but this was not it. Joanna writes at the beginning that this is not an autobiography and it’s not a self help book. It also isn’t even a memoir. So what is it? Pointless. Bad. A waste of time.

This felt like when you are trying to reach the word count on an essay so you start to say the same thing over and over again but just in a *slightly* different way. So redundant and pointless, I truly do not know why this was written other than it being a money grab.

[Shelby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I generally enjoy the Gaines's products, including some Christmassy plaid pillows I bought from Target yesterday and their newest series Fixer Upper: The Castle on Magnolia Network, which I subscribe to with my money each month. As I'm going through a tough season of family emergencies, I downloaded this audiobook thinking it'd be an easy, potentially insightful listen.

I got what I expected: this was an easy read. Very easy. I think I understand what Joanna is going for, but the entire memoir was vague and redundant. She discusses some hiccups such as being bullied as a child and watching her children become independent, and these can certainly be core experiences that affect one's self-esteem, but I don't feel like she reveals her true self to the reader—which is literally what she's advocating for in the book.

RIYL Brené Brown, journaling, words like journey and storytelling

Thanks to Libro.fm for the Advanced Listening Copy.

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joanna Gaines does an exceptional job of sharing her truth and looking to connect with her audience in what feels like an authentic way. She shares memories of her childhood, motherhood, marriage, and business that have shaped her, considers the things that mean the most to her, and discusses her journey to finding her purpose.

My big takeaway from this book is that she’s had a little and she’s had a lot. Gaines hasn’t forgotten where she comes from and decided that she was willing to trade fame for a life that encompassed her family and allowed her to focus on the little things (which, spoiler alert: are actually the big things). While much of this book is repetitive, it honestly has a lovely message that is worth repeating.
Joanna Gaines is relatable and this story is genuine. I loved what she had to say and it made me think about what means the most to me.

Thanks to Harper Select and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Stories We Tell is scheduled for release on November 8, 2022.

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly think you could read the first chapter of this book and you have read the whole book. I just didn't get it. I appreciated her honesty once in a while. I could empathize with her chapter on her back pain but other than that I am not really sure what she was trying to say.

[Jordan Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

It saddens me to leave such a low review. I'm a fan of Joanna's and everything she's put out, so I'm honestly taken by surprise at this book.

Things I enjoyed:
-The book itself is beautiful. I love the creative dust jacket, the binding, the hot pink pages separating the chapters, and the page thickness. 10/10 on design. For that reason, I'll probably hold onto this book.
-Every few pages there are some great snippets and words of wisdom.
-I liked hearing anecdotes of her life and how she runs her business.

Things I didn't enjoy:
-I still don't really know what this book was about. The way it's packaged led me to believe it was a memoir, but it mostly read like a self-help book. But then she'd go back to stories of her life, so it felt like a lot of back and forth.
-Every chapter felt like the same subject matter. Often, the content of each chapter had nothing to do with the title or the initial concept she began with. It was very repetitive. I think this whole book could've been reduced to 50 pages.

Again, I hate leaving such a negative review because Joanna Gaines' products have always been 10/10 for me. I'm a subscriber of her magazine, I own all her cookbooks, and some of her home decor is in my house. I wish this book lived up to the rest of her creative repertoire. I'd recommend buying any of her other books, as they are the ones that showcase her expertise.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ]

No rating - I downloaded this but then changed my mind. I like Chip and Joanna so much, I don’t want to take the chance that I read this and really don’t care for it. Based on the excerpt and what some other reviewers have noted, that seems like a real possibility.

[Sarah Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely wanted more from this book. As a lifelong lover to Fixer Upper and Joanna Gaine's aesthetic, I was hoping to hear more personal stories from her. I did appreciate her opening up and sharing about her struggles as a working mom. I empathized with her guilt and her feelings of awe looking at her toddler. I truly did enjoy the moments of the book where she shared those personal stories. However, what I was not a fan of was then the generalizations that followed. It began to feel like a self-help book that told me to get a hobby or practice being in the moment. The extrapolation to life lessons was a bit much for me.

If you are looking for a book that is a mix of personal stories and self-help, this is for you. That is not for me.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the hugest crush on Joanna Gaines and her newest book/memoir only made me love her more. In this book she delves into the way her second act in life has made her reconsider what's most important. She is refreshingly honest about her journey to lean into being vulnerable, taking the time to relish being present in the moment, embracing empathy and learning how to make time for fun.

Excellent on audio read by the author herself. If you were a fan of Fixer Upper you won't want to miss this one!! Much thanks to NetGalley and Librofm for early digital copies of one of my most anticipated 2022 reads!!

**Interesting note, the author refers several times to a picture of her as a child as the cover photo but they must have made a photo change without updating the audio/text of the book. I can totally understand from a marketing perspective that adult Joanna would sell more than child Joanna but it's sad to see the author's wishes lose out in the end in the interest of sales.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Joanna but this was a DNF. I went in thinking it was a memoir as advertised but was 2% memior 98% self help, very repetitive too

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so behind on my reviews for 2023...because, well LIFE. I'm hoping to catch up in the next week or two.

This isn't a memoir but more of an encouraging, self help, positive book. I love Joanna Gaines and I thought this was written well and enjoyable.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️’s Couldn’t even finish it. Rambling and repetitive. Found my mind wandering. I’ll keep my opinions on the point of it to myself.

[McKenzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was hard for me to finish. Feels like she is trying to say something profound, but just ends up being very vague and repetitive.

[Bettys Book Club · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fixer upper…

I like Joanna a lot. I think she has that rare gift of genuine authenticity. I’m always keen to read the words of wise women who have made it in a very dominated male industry like broadcasting.

If I was to compare this to another book I would say it’s like a less annoying version of Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. I WANT Joanna’s advice. I thought she would share specific examples of her life/business that were challenging and how she got through them. Not even close. Everything was very surface level. Let’s not just put a fresh coat of paint on it Joanna, strip that shit to the studs!

I haven’t read her other books so not sure if she goes there in them, but if you’re looking for insight other than the genesis of her love affair with shiplap then I advise you look elsewhere.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of The Stories We Tell, by Joanna Gaines, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have always liked Joanna Gaines, since watching on hgtv, to her now having her own network. It was nice to see that famous people deal with anxiety, just as much as the rest of us do. Joanna wants to help us write are own stories, that we should tell.

[Cara Putman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and challenging invitation to explore our stories.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book with the word "stories," in the title, there are surprisingly few stories in this. I'm not sure if I'd even truly classify this as a "memoir."

This book focused more on Joanna's thoughts on things like vulnerability and living in the moment. These were sometimes loosely paired with a short few sentences on a related experience, but Joanna's personal experiences definitely wasn't a focus here.

However, this book was the strongest when it focused on Joanna's personal stories. I don't really know much about the Gaines family, and I've only seen a handful of episodes of Fixer Upper, but I really enjoyed the brief stories Joanna shared.

I don't want to totally knock this book. I could tell that Joanna had put a lot of thought and love into this book, and I did enjoy her writing style. I think I would really enjoy a memoir by Joanna Gaines that had a more balanced ratio of story to reflection.

I think people who are huge fans of the Gaines family, particularly those who are in a similar life stage to Joanna, will probably get a lot out of this, but for people like me, it might not be the right match.

Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy!

[Mai M Ibrahim · Rating 2 out of 5]

كنت متوقعه الكتاب يكون احسن من كده ويكون فعلا biography ولكن اول كام صفحة كان عن التنمر اللي اتعرضت له لأنها كانت الآسيوية الوحيدة ف المكان اللي كانت فيه واللي حسيته مش حاجه قوية اوي يعني ..

وبعدين الصفحات المتلاحقة بتتكلم بشكل عام جدا عن حياتها ، يعني مثلا كل ١٥ صفحة كلام عام وإنشاء بعدين صفحة واحدة بتتكلم عن زوجها واولادها ال٥ بشكل سطحي جدا برضوا .. كأنها مش عايزه تعرفنا عن حياتها الشخصية .. طيب بتعملي كتاب ليه ؟

حد ناجح وعنده قناة تليفزيونية خاصة وكتب وبزنس لتصليح البيوت وبيعها وبرنامج طبخ ومجلة موجوده ف كل حتة وباين اوي حبها لل journaling والكتابة اللي ذكرته مليون مرة ف الكتاب ... لكن الناجح ده معرفتش توظفه صح ف الكتاب ....

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love her style of writing. And that she shared somethings she has struggled with over the years. I enjoyed her perspective and her willingness to grow. Also, that she brings her relationship with God into her story as well.

[Heather M L · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s an old saying that writers should show, not tell. This book was a lot of the same things that kept being cycled through over and over, very redundantly. However, other than a few stories, we didn’t really get to know much about the author.

I know as a celebrity it can be tough to reveal so much of yourself, but then I’m left to wonder why she wrote the book. I’m a fan of hers and I feel like I know what she was trying to accomplish but it just didn’t work.
In protecting herself and holding herself back in a book about owning your story, it just fell flat. There’s no context to which her lessons apply and it ends up reading like a really long journal entry of someone struggling through some things where the answers magically float to the surface. There were a lot of missed opportunities to go deeper and it felt like a first draft.

It also gets very much into Brene Brown territory but without the expertise and context for how to cope with shame and develop resiliency. I’m really left scratching my head.

[Stephanie Affinito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is calling to us and for us. It’s calling for us to get quiet and honor our inner selves and our innermost thoughts, dreams and wishes that we might have kept hidden for quite some time. It’s a book to be devoured for the clear, compelling call to action to find ourselves, but it’s also a book to be read slowly and to journal alongside. If I’m honest, I had a hard time reading this. I wanted to rush through the goodness, to get to the next chapter that seemed to be better than the last, to find the wisdom that I was carefully annotating and recording in my notebook. But Joanna’s writing begs to be savored, reread and internalized in a way that I’m not used to living. And that’s the point. This book is for everyone who wants to find themselves again by telling their stories, disrupting their automatic ways of thinking and living and embracing the stillness, the pause and yes, the fun.

[Valerie Keinsley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel guilty giving this a negative review, because I have always loved Joanna Gaines! But man, this one was a letdown. I got halfway through before calling it quits. To be honest, I have no idea what she’s trying to say with this book. It felt like a lot of buzzwords strung together - story and intention and purpose and clarity and soul and rhythm and moments - but I cannot make sense of the point as a whole. And I’m even a bit of a recovering “self help book” junkie…but I don’t think this would even qualify as “self help.” More like just her stream of consciousness, without any real takeaways or action items for the reader. It’s also very repetitive - it is organized loosely into chapters, but each chapter says basically the same thing as the one before. Still love you Jo, but this one missed the mark for me.

[Pam Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this book as I do enjoy watching the Gaines' on TV...but this really was rather dull and repetitive. The first few chapters were pretty good with good perspective of situations where many could relate. But as the book progressed it became very preachy and Joanna's "problems" in life are not really relatable as "problems". I heard "mindfulness" more than I cared to and though I finished the audiobook, I was quite ready to be done. Better for Joanna to stick to home design than writing books!

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read. Gaines is so brutally honest and so transparent in this book. You get to know a side of her like never before. I always liked watching her in the past but after reading this book I have a whole no outlook and admiration for her. This is a perfect Christmas gift you to give this year. I plan to give it to those that I love dearly. Now if I can just tell my story.
5 stars I HIGHLY recommend this book!

[Maggie Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaaaah! I just love her. Self narration was perfect and this will definitely end up being a reread.

[heather | booksbyheath]

mid

[Christina DeVane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7 🌟
This is more of a self help book talking about how everything that you experience has a place and purpose in your life. She calls for vulnerability in digging into those stories to become a fuller and healthier person. She opens up about her fear and perfectionism that has held her back and made her miss out. She doesn’t tell many stories from her life until the ending.
She has found calm and fulfillment in writing amidst her busy life. She admitted her personality of efficiency and productivity has left her worn out and tired. 😅
Nothing too earth shattering, but it was a fun listen as she reads it. 😁
*FREE on Hoopla!

📖 “None of us know how much more of our story we have left to write.”💞

[Cassie Conger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self awareness is what I look for in true friends and when reading. She is so self aware. Just love her, her family and her outlook on life. It’s very introspective- different than her first book. And I’ll be buying roller skates after this one :)

[Emily Pope · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so boring. No disrespect whatsoever but I’m sorry, I have to say it like it is. Still love Joanna though.

[Darcy Schock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines

Topic or themes I saw: Worthiness, insecurity, past pain to present healing, progress over perfection, beauty in the moment, getting back to the things we value over trying to please everyone.

Story: Wow, this story felt so close to home I wondered if I had written the book. Joanna Gaines opens her heart wide, welcoming us into her struggles, fears, and the internal strongholds she has worked through. It’s the best when I come across stories I resonate with so deeply. The ones I can say, me too on. The ones that loosen the tight bands around my lungs so I can breath free knowing I am not alone, that the strongholds can be overcome. Thank you Joanna, for your vulnerability, it gives me courage to step fully into mine. And even more, thank you—your story has given me courage to believe mine matters too.

This is a very up-close and personal book paving a path that shows each piece of our story matters and why. It’s a book that is less in how to, and more in—this is what I’ve learned from my experience…maybe you can relate? And I could.

Main takeaway: As I read, the thing that kept coming to my mind was something Jesus said. The truth will set you free. Lies come at us but when we write the truth over our hearts we will find freedom.

I jotted down so many quotes, here are a few:

“Safety feels less like control, more like love—less like performing, more like belonging.”

“There is strength you don’t know is yours until you resist the flow. And there is strength that’s sown in secret when you’re willing to rebuild one piece at a time.”

“When you live for endings, the middle is a nuisance.”

“There is more that binds is than breaks us.”

“Fame requires that you’re seen, with no
Guarantee that you’ll ever be known.”