closedthecover

This book is so much better than I expected it to be when I first picked it up. I received this book as an ARC from their publicist and though it sounded interesting it wasn't a book I expected to really grab my attention but I couldn't have been more wrong. I finished this book in two nights and truly enjoyed every moment of it. I expected it to be full of monotonous details about restoring an old home on the edge of ruin but instead it was a story of overcoming obstacles, achieving dreams and pursuing passions.

Ron and Jill (at the time his girlfriend of only six months) decide to embark on the adventure of a lifetime when Ron cashes in his retirement fund to purchase a 4,500 sq.ft. Victorian row house in a historical neighborhood in Baltimore. The neighborhood's historian said, "You'll never bring that old house back," their Realtor said, "That house will eat you alive," even their closest friends and family thought they were crazy. After their first Christmas in the home Ron's mother thought they would kill themselves trying to restore that house. At times even Ron had doubts about their ability to do it but they persevered and in the end, they restored a gorgeous home to it's former glory.

There were times when I found myself extremely annoyed with Jill. When she started taking up a kitchen floor that was perfectly fine when Ron wanted to wait since there were more important priorities I wanted to yell at her, "Don't you know there's an important deadline coming up?! Leave that floor alone!" When she brought home a second dog despite Ron's wishes I wanted to yell at her again. Her reluctance to help restore a home she encouraged Ron to purchase simply because her name wasn't on the deed I was angry at her petulant attitude and selfish nature. She was his girlfriend of six months, why would she be put on the deed to a home she had invested no money into purchasing? By the end of the book I found myself more tolerant of her nuances and decided to look past her willful nature. In the end their differences worked together to restore a beautiful home. There is no doubt, however, that I relate much more closely with Ron than I do with Jill.

From Animal House to Our House is a romantic love story of the best kind. He fell for her, she fell for him and together they overcame a monumental challenge to achieve their dream.