Thanks for sending me an arc, I do appreciate it. I wasn't able to get into this one and haven't been able to get back to it so I won't be leaving an official review at this time.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I was able to listen to the audiobook, and I highly recommend that format for reading this book; it’s narrated by the author (and I love the way she says “anything”). It was sometimes difficult to understand what timeline we were following, and I would get confused, but it was worth it. This was a powerful memoir and I’m impressed.

This was, as you have probably guessed, a story about the building of a house. The house, of course, symbolises the rebuilding of a life, the making of a home, a sanctuary, somewhere the family in question can breathe and feel safe.

It is the tale of a family who was constantly running, constantly looking over their shoulders in fear of their past, part of that being a man, Adam, who descended into insanity via schizophrenia. The book was divided into two parts:the rise and fall, the dreamy hopeful journey of a family intent on not being victims vs the darkness of past and present. We saw the lead’s dealings with domestic violence, then having to contend with life with or without a man who was neither in control of himself or his actions. We got enough backstory to see how chilling life had been, while acknowledging of course how life was for both him and his family. I found the toughest of this story come towards the end of the book and wished I could have got it that little bit sooner so that I really knew why the family were so on the edge. Saying that even before I knew the true depths of the horror they had to endure there were a few moments that sent actual chills.

I felt nervous as to whether Adam was looking for them, as you could never tell whether she was (justifiably) being paranoid or whether it was Adam straightening things around the house or looking in the window. The building of the house had a lot of detail to it, which I think many people will enjoy. I will admit it wasn’t always my cup of tea (I’m the sort of person who watches Grand Designs for the people story, finished product and the issues that arise, the nuts and bolts of the building process go over my head!) I suppose that the analogy to Eat, Pray, Love is acceptable, although like said book, I found some of it to be just the slightest bit repetitive in terms of the reminders of what they had to lose, what they had achieved and what the house symbolised but mix that with more darkness and a scene that I think some people will find a little tough in terms of the picture it paints. This was a book that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go, especially when I read the final chapter, which brought home the fact that this was a true story and really made me appreciate the journey. By the way I also have to direct you to her blog and website, which I really enjoyed. Thanks so much to the author and St Martin’s Press for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5

My past is something that is extremely hard to talk about. There are glimmers of goodness but the majority of my past is peppered with darkness due to domestic violence. I survived physical, mental, and emotional abuse and am thankful that I did survive, but telling my story is extremely hard and painful. Who wants to relive a nightmare?

I love hearing stories about other women who also have survived abuse and commend any woman who can tell her story because personally I am not there yet. Rise: How A House Built A Family is the story of Cara Brookins, a woman who takes control of her life and family after an extremely abusive situation, and builds her life back while also building her own house.

The premise of this book is intriguing, especially when you have came from an abusive situation yourself. I can't imagine going through what I went through AND building a house from the ground up!

I wanted to love this book, but it was a hard read for me. There are FALL chapters, which go into detail about her trials with her two abusive ex-husbands, one who is schizophrenic and continues to terrorize Cara and her children. These chapters brought back a lot of memories for me, and in that regard, were hard to read.

The RISE chapters go into the details about building your own home and struggles and injuries that the family endured. I did find these chapters pretty neat since I have helped build a house before but I struggled to get through these chapters. You feel the author's pain as a mother and a woman, but Cara tends to get a little wordy and it's easy to get lost in the details.

Mixed throughout the book are two characters that are seen in the authors mind while she sleeps and meditates and I thought that whole part of the story was odd. I could not relate to these "beings" at all and did not think that they were pertinent to the story in my opinion.

My favorite part reading Rise was reading about Cara's four children and how they overcame despite everything they had to endure. My children were very little when I was going through my own abusive situation and I've always worried about how it would affect them. These kids dug deep and did what they had to do to build this house and I find that awe-inspiring. They built a house and they were stronger people for it, both mentally and physically.

The story itself is a wonderful testament of strength, endurance, and focus. You walk away feeling like you can accomplish anything you set your mind to! For me, the author's writing style was not in my taste and I don't see me reading any of her other books, but despite my reservations on writing style, I would still recommend this book. This woman built her own house with the help of YouTube!! Why would you NOT want to read that story!

Cara Brookins calls herself an optimist, and you certainly need to be one to build an entire five-bedroom house with your kids and no previous knowledge in housebuilding - and not give up in the middle of the construction. Brookins doesn't make it sound easy, but her clear narration shows how building a house is a lot like life : things move forward when you take decision and action, getting help can make you move faster, but depending on the wrong people can also keep you back (seriously, those electrician guys were the stuff of nightmare for every housebuilder). And going through hellish moments and get out in (mostly) one piece can (re)build a strong link between people.

The book alternates between sequences of the house-building, and parts of her past with two of her ex-husbands, one violent, the other schizophrenic. Brookins does a great job at describing the alienating fear she felt and how she tried to preserve her children from it, without success. Chapter 20 is especially chilling, even though you know that it can't end badly because you know what happens next.

"Rise" is a lot more than a "buzzy" pitch about a family building their own house with youtube videos. It's a moving story about shedding out fear and reclaiming one's life and family through the perfect crazy project.

In the span of about 3 days, I saw this book probably 12 times in various newsletters and review blogs. I was intrigued after the first reference, and by the 12th, knew I NEEDED TO READ IT.

Rise: How a House Built a Family is a memoir about a mother and her four children building a house by watching YouTube videos. Cara Brookins and her children (ages 17, 15, 11, and 2) have lived through two abusive marriages. They've spent most of their lives afraid and broken. When they finally get out from under the second husband, Brookins proposes the idea of building a house as a way to rebuild their family. After all, they need a place to live, and they need a sense of rebirth. A sense of purpose, something positive and unsullied. Nevermind that they have no experience, no skills, and no idea what they're getting into.

I was immediately interested, but I was also immediately skeptical. For one thing, I saw the picture of the house. I was convinced they'd just sorta remodeled it, rather than building from the ground up. (Spoiler - I was wrong.) For another, I was a bit wary of how hyped the book was. Sometimes the idea of a story is better than the story itself, and I was afraid of disappointment. (I've never really gotten over Eat, Pray, Love.) I wanted to read Rise, but I also didn't want to find out I'd been misled by powerful marketing. And finally, I was worried about the writing. I'd never heard of this Cara Brookins person, who, according to Goodreads, is a computer analyst.

Before I go on, I've seen a couple of other reviews mention that the organization is confusing. It's not, actually. The chapters alternate between Rise and Fall. "Rise" chapters are the story of the house, and how they built it. "Fall" chapters describe the path leading up to the two bad marriages and the domestic violence. In other words, rise and fall are symbolic, and used to show the breadth of experience. Make sense?

Brookins writes about the past without anger, accounting the years leading up to the house's conception in a straightforward manner. Yet, it's not cold or detached. There's emotion there, but it's handled in a way that makes you empathize with her.

As for building the house, it quickly becomes clear that Brookins and her kids have bitten off an enormous project. Brookins is up front about that - and writes in a way that makes you laugh and shake your head along with her, all the while cheering her on. She's able to convey the absurdity of the situation in a way that makes the reader applaud her tenacity, rather than judge her ineptitude. But, to be clear, she's not inept - not even close. The sheer amount of determination, research, and willingness to just try are critical to her success, both with building the house and healing her family, and with telling her story.

In some ways, Cara Brookins reminds me of Cheryl Strayed (of Wild fame). Both undertake a task they're incredibly ill-prepared for, that's way out of their comfort zone, but that will ultimately shape the rest of their lives. However, where Strayed is often bitter and, frankly, clueless, Brookins is optimistic and adaptable. Perhaps the differences are more in the telling than the doing - I suppose we'll never know.

Rise: How a House Built a Family is definitely not a disappointment; in fact, quite the opposite. I found it interesting, humorous, and most of all, inspiring.

I could not finish this book. I saw it The story on the new and thought that i would really enjoy the book. It was confusing. I felt like the book was jumping from one subject to the next, with no flow.

Inspiring book about a woman and her children building their own home. Hope all continues well for her!

Rise is the story of a family. Following multiple abusive marriages, where does she find these guys I wonder, Cara and her children reconstruct their family while constructing their house using little more than determination and YouTube videos.

Cara Brookins and her young children rose from being victims of terrible domestic abuse by building their own beautiful home. Relying on YouTube DIY videos, they built a sanctuary, one concrete block and one piece of plywood at a time, without the help of a building contractor. Cara tells their story in her memoir, "Rise."

Her family had been the victims of two domestic abusers, both ex-husbands. One, Adam, a paranoid-schizophrenic, who, despite a divorce, and restraining orders, still managed to terrify the family by making death threats, chasing their car, torturing their dog, rearranging furniture and leaving psychotic messages. The second man, Matt, had subjected Cara to frequent violent, life-threatening rages and, as most batterers do, blamed Cara for his rages.

Cara describes the abuse in chapters interspersed with others describing the building of the house. At first, the lack of chronological order was a little confusing. Nonetheless, since Cara's story is not linear, the way she unfolds it makes sense. Her family had been deeply scarred by the abuse. Removing the abusers from their life did not, by itself, remove the fear or the scars. Building their house together, however, as rough and exhausting as it was, helped to exorcise the bad experiences. Indeed, placing the abuse stories between chapters describing the building of their home seems akin to burning sage in a new house to remove bad karma.

During the build, the family's transformation from victims to joyful house builders was not without humor. Astonished to learn that a neighbor could save them days of work by cutting out the windows and doors with a chainsaw, Cara writes: "Five minutes later, he fired up his chain saw in my bedroom. I shook my head: There’s a thing not every girl can say with a straight face."

At the end of the day, Cara's memoir makes clear that she and her children dealt head on with the many hardships and obstacles that came their way, and they succeeded in a task that many thought was impossible, they built themselves a home.

~ After escaping an abusive marriage, Cara Brookins had four children to provide for and no one to turn to but herself. In desperate need of a home but without the means to buy one, she did something incredible.

Equipped only with YouTube instructional videos, a small bank loan, a mile-wide stubborn streak, Cara built her own house from the foundation up with a work crew made up of her four children.

It would be the hardest thing she had ever done. With no experience nailing together anything bigger than a bookshelf, she and her kids poured concrete, framed the walls and laid bricks for their two story, five bedroom house. She had convinced herself that if they could build a house, they could rebuild their broken family.

This must-read memoir traces one family’s rise from battered victims to stronger, better versions of themselves, all through one extraordinary do-it-yourself project.
I received an eARC courtesy of the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book is about a domestic violence survivor and her family, and includes some graphic descriptions of domestic violence, stalking and abuse. It also has a schizoaffective character that is incredibly dangerous to the family. Please be careful with your mental health, friends.

~ Nothing makes a person feel smaller, weaker, or more insubstantial than taking a thousand times more than you can handle.
Rise: How a House Built A Family told an amazing story, with a narrative style that read like it could be fiction, but it's a memoir.

It's told in split sections. The "Fall" chapters that detailed Cara's relationship with her ex-husband Adam, who was an untreated schizophrenic and became incredibly violent to her and their children. The "Rise" chapters walked us through Cara breaking free of her currently abusive husband, Matt, and the construction process that helped build the Brookins family back up, and teach them to trust each other again.

This book broke my heart, and helped me put it back together. Cara is an amazing narrator, and their story is an important one. I was amazed that they were able to get everything done in their time frame. It really was an awesome effort to get done, and I'm proud of these people I've never met.

However, I wish that both in reality and in this book that Adam was treated for his psychological disorders, because he so desperately needed it. I wish that Adam's family had been more interested in getting him help so he could be himself without being dangerous. My heart broke for Adam as much as it did for any of the others in this story.

Overall, I'm gonna go with a four star rating for this book. It's probably closer to a 3.5. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, you can pick up a copy on Amazon, Indiebound or your other favorite bookseller!

three stars

Cara Brookins is a computer analyst and social media marketing expert based in Little Rock. You can read more about her, as well as see shots of her home and family at http://www.carabrookins.com/. Her memoir, Rise: How a House Built a Family details the house she built with her children after they had left a domestic violence situation. She is also the author of seven middle grade and young adult novels and one adult novel.
Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.

This book was both engaging and inspiring. Very enjoyable read.