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| For the Right Reasons |
Title: For the Right Reasons: America's Favorite Bachelor on Faith, Love, Marriage, and Why Nice Guys Finish First
Author: Sean Lowe
Publication Date: 1/27/15
Pages: 272
How I Found It: I am, admittedly, a fan of the Bachelor franchise.
Date Completed: 7/2/15
Summary: Sean Lowe, of Bachelor franchise fame, reflects on his involvement on the show, what led him there, and how it changed his life.
What I Thought: When Kevin and I were preparing to move to North Carolina, I expressed my reluctance to make new friends to my best friend. In a moment of sage advice, she counseled me to just find some girls who watch The Bachelor. I did just that. We've been gathering in each other's living rooms all summer as Kaitlyn Bristowe searches for love as The Bachelorette; we'll be there tonight as the Men Tell All and next week After the Final Rose. The show is ridiculous and so over the top at times, but it sure provides a fun way to bond with new friends and laugh together.
Ok, but at the heart of it, I know it's total TV trash. If any of you are watching Lifetime's Unreal, you are getting a (probably only slightly exaggerated) glimpse of behind the scenes life on reality TV. Moral of the story: don't believe what you see. It's one of the many reasons so many of the franchise's relationships end with awkward interviews or overly polite joint statements to People magazine. When a relationship from the show does make it to the alter, people pay attention.
Such is the case with Bachelor-no-more Sean Lowe. He had his heart broken by Emily Maynard, my favorite Bachelorette of all time, and went on to woo his own group of girls as the Bachelor. While on the show, and particularly in interviews afterward, he spoke out about his faith and the ways it impacts his life choices (most notably in the press, his and Catherine's commitment to abstinence until their wedding night).
His book is nothing ground breaking. After reading Courtney Robertson's memoir last year, Lowe's offered little behind the scenes information on the franchise itself that Robertson left out. Rather, Lowe focused on his personal journey. He spends the first part of the book reflecting on his childhood, college football career, and career struggles before appearing on The Bachelorette. It is all fairly interesting if you are familiar with Lowe and his family (his sister Shay has a food and lifestyle blog which I find equal parts interesting and entertaining).
He does not dish dirt. He stays decidedly PC on most issues, including commentary about some of the show's more dramatic moments. The whole thing is about as squeaky clean as a book about the Bachelor process could be; like I said, the antithesis of Robertson's memoir. Lowe stays true to himself and further emphasizes the importance of faith in his life, a move I greatly respect and which cannot always be easy.
The book is not ground breaking or even particularly captivating, but it knows its audience and, for the most part, delivers what was expected. More than anything, it solidifies Lowe as a normal person who happened to find his wife on TV. That's how he sees himself and how he clearly hopes the reader will see him, too.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Will I Re-Read: Unlikely
If You Liked This Try: I Didn't Come Here To Make Friends / Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? / Still Lolo
A Reduced Review: An interesting read for fans of The Bachelor franchise or Sean Lowe himself, thought it fails to deliver anything beyond the expected.
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