I love Chip Gaines and I really enjoyed both of his other books, but honestly this one should have just been an essay or an inspirational Instagram post. It feels like a long rambling of one idea that feels a bit flimsy and stretched thin. It is missing a lot of the character and charm you come to expect (and ironically he uses this book to address this feeling without realizing he’s imposing it on every page). The hashtags and gimmicky blurbs and imposed highlights on sections his editor deemed important were really a degradation of an otherwise mediocre text. I don’t mean to take him to task but in trying to talk about things that make life more wholesome and worthwhile, he only managed to make them feel like a veneer over a money grab and self-congratulatory-pat-yourself-on-the-back opportunity. It didn’t feel substantive and was therefore really hard to get through. It chipped away (pardon the pun) at my impression of someone I deemed really genuine and wonderful.

I feel he never got around to showing you how to build the deep supportive network. Basically, find your passion and pursue it. Surround yourself around people that will be there for you whether that pursuit fails or succeeds.

There was a good section about truly getting to know people, both with similar views but also opposite. Understand why they think the way they do and to appreciate the diversity - learn from everybody’s experiences

I'm a huge fan of almost every flip show out there on HGTV. I love seeing that transformation in a home and a part of me likes trying out little projects of my own after being inspired by these shows. I'm saying this because it's a big reason why I was curious about this book.

I've probably watched 80% of the Fixer Upper shows and I was genuinely interested to see what Chip Gaines had to talk about in a book. It wasn't what I was expecting and at first I wasn't sure if I would be too interested in learning about networking. However, the more I read, the more I really felt like this was more than just learning to network in a Chip Gaines way.

This actually felt more to me like an inspirational book about following your dreams and to not let your fears hold you back. The message to me was to not stifle myself to the standard way of doing things. To be bold and reach for what I envision, what I am passionate about, but also to be smart about it. To listen to your gut, your instincts but also learn from others even when you have opposing personalities or views. To always be open to learning and growing because things change on a constant basis and you have to be open to those changes or you become stagnate.

It really was very inspiring. I do need reminders in my life to be more open, to be a better listener, but to also take chances. It is so easy to hold yourself back with the doubts that creep into your mind telling you that you will fail. Even as I type this, the fear of opening myself up like that is already hitting. I don't know if after reading this book if I will take more chances and dare to make my dreams become a reality, I hope I can at least make a few small steps in the right direction, but I think if someone out there reading this book does take that chance, Chip has accomplished what he wanted by writing this book.

Not a single one of their books has ever disappointed but this one hit the nail on the head for me. Ever feel like you were just given permission to put yourself first and make changes for you, that's was this felt like. An pep talk that gave me perspective and encouragement during some tough recent moments. Wish it hadn't been a library book so I could have marked it all up. I'll have to find myself a personal copy.

I've read this book before, but after recently re-reading The Magnolia Story, I wanted to re-read No Pain, No Gaines. I really love Chip and Jo's back story, but to hear how hard Chip has worked to do what his passion is and to make it a living just really makes you realize you don't have to follow the mold. The mold isn't meant to be for everyone, in fact it isn't meant for one person. We are all meant to do what drives us, what our passion is, and to live this crazy beautiful life. Sure following the 'plan' can get you to that country club faster, but does it mean you are happy? Absolutely love reading their story and their visions.

I’ve read all the Gaines’ books with the first Magnolia Story being my favorite. I wasn’t even going to venture into this one. I thought the name was a little silly and I didn’t care for his first book, but this was in at my library as an audiobook so I snatched it up.

This book would be great for a young person who was struggling to find themselves. Think of someone maybe going into the trades! For me, I was past most of the content but did find so much of it refreshing. I appreciate how Chip talks about his passion to win in life, his strong work ethic, (love who he attributes that to) and was especially endeared to his quest for humility. I think that’s what most of us loved about Fixer Upper, right? They made something so skilled look so easy. They are incredibly talented and smart and you throw in that sense of humor and it’s a personality homerun!

I appreciate people that are lifelong learners - something Chip is proud to be. Being a reader, that really resonated with me. His leadership style is something to be admired, so giving this book to a young leader to read will allow it to be heard in it’s truest voice! Enjoy!

3.5

"No Pain, No Gaines" is a refreshing voice in both the business and personal-growth genres!

I'll admit, I'm new to the whole Chip/Joanna Gaines world; I know *of* them and have flipped through the occasional 'Magnolia' magazine or "Magnolia Table" cookbook at my parents', but that's about it. So my picking up "No Pain, No Gaines" was due more to hearsay--"I _should_ read this"--than anything else.

I think I might be the newest Gaines fangirl, haha.

I've read one or two or twenty business books in my life, and this one quickly rose to the top. Chip writes engagingly, down-to-earth-ly, and as charismatically as he sounds like he is in person--the extroverted friend many of us introverts want fronting conversations for us, ha! (The tackle or guard to our quarterback? :D Maybe? Based on my cursory Wikipedia skim just now? LOL. Correct me gently as needed.)

In "No Pain, No Gaines," Gaines lays out in laymen's terms the power of a network. We are made to be in community, and the pandemic has made pursuit of that even harder than it was already. He uses entertaining and sometimes humbling examples to illustrate his main takeaway: "build a network of people around you who can help you answer [your God-given] reason for living" (eARC loc 2175). He and his family are living proof of the power this network has.

Especially in the digital age, "infinite options can be paralyzing" (eARC loc 242)--curating a powerful "blue-chip network" (loc 258 and elsewhere) helps us ask the right questions and live into the answers. "The ride is the thing--our one unpredictable, irreplaceable life that is ours...to live wildly, freely, uniquely as ourselves. That's the goal...what we should be reaching for." (eARC loc 285) As life advances in more ways than one, this book helps remind me of what's truly important--God and others.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.