You may know Drew and Jonathan Scott from their shows Property Brothers or Brother vs. Brother on HGTV. It Takes Two: Our Story is the story of how they got their start as entrepreneurs, how they began working in real estate, and when they landed their show on HGTV. It is also a memoir in which they take turns alternating chapters and telling about their childhood growing up on a ranch in Canada.
I will be the first to admit that I was never a huge fan of Property Brothers. The reason being that I didn’t really care for Drew and Jonathan’s style of comedy, particularly when it appears that they are poking fun at the expense of their clients. But I will tell you that after reading this book I have a better understanding of who they are and what they stand for. Based on the stories they’ve shared and the behind-the-scenes details about the show, I can see now that they aren’t what they appear to be on screen. There is a lot of planning that goes into each episode, and both Drew and Jonathan go out of their way to only poke fun at each other, rather than other people. Whether or not this comes across as being the case is up to the viewer, but I can tell you that I see their personalities differently, in a good way, after reading this book.
I was especially intrigued to hear about their early life growing up on a ranch in Canada. Both Drew and Jonathan were passionate about having careers in entertainment, whether it was acting or performing. They worked as clowns as children (yes, really!) because they loved performing and making people laugh so much. They even started their own business selling homemade hangers, which was their first entrepreneurial pursuit.
I was surprised by a few things I learned, one of which was how determined Jonathan was to have a career as a magician. He was inspired by David Copperfield and his magic show, and illusions in particular. It was so disheartening to read about the unfortunate events that led to his work being stolen, and the hiccups along the way that ultimate meant he couldn’t pursue that dream. But Drew was there for him to help pick up the pieces so Jonathan could return to their real estate business, and the rest is history!
If you enjoy Property Brothers or any sort of behind-the-scenes of reality TV stories, you will certainly love this book 🙂
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