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The star of The Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars, and special correspondent for Good Morning America shares her story with warmth, enthusiasm, and humor.
Best known as the girl who was proposed to by The Bachelor star Jason Mesnick and then dumped on national TV six weeks later, Melissa Rycroft immediately turned her life around. Now married to her original love, Tye Strickland, and expecting her first child, Melissa shares her Cinderella story of overcoming heartbreak and finding happiness.
Melissa Rycroft got her start on the CMT reality TV series Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team and was selected for the 2006-2007 NFL Season. That's when her personal life first fell apart, and the man that she was in love with broke up with her. To help her get over her heartbreak and overcome depression, her friends nominated her to participate as a contestant on The Bachelor. When Mesnick revealed that he was breaking his engagement off with her because he chose the wrong girl, she garnered a lot of respect for handling the shock with such grace and decorum even though she was angry and heartbroken. Two days later, Melissa clinched a spot on Dancing With The Stars, placing third in the competition, and reconciled with her true love. In a girlfriend to girlfriend voice readers love, Melissa shares entertaining stories and valuable survival tips from a woman who has been there and back!
Best known as the girl who was proposed to by The Bachelor star Jason Mesnick and then dumped on national TV six weeks later, Melissa Rycroft immediately turned her life around. Now married to her original love, Tye Strickland, and expecting her first child, Melissa shares her Cinderella story of overcoming heartbreak and finding happiness.
Melissa Rycroft got her start on the CMT reality TV series Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team and was selected for the 2006-2007 NFL Season. That's when her personal life first fell apart, and the man that she was in love with broke up with her. To help her get over her heartbreak and overcome depression, her friends nominated her to participate as a contestant on The Bachelor. When Mesnick revealed that he was breaking his engagement off with her because he chose the wrong girl, she garnered a lot of respect for handling the shock with such grace and decorum even though she was angry and heartbroken. Two days later, Melissa clinched a spot on Dancing With The Stars, placing third in the competition, and reconciled with her true love. In a girlfriend to girlfriend voice readers love, Melissa shares entertaining stories and valuable survival tips from a woman who has been there and back!
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
December 9, 2020
I used to like Melissa Rycroft until I read her book--instead of the innocent girl-next-door she comes across as a complete whackjob who does nothing but blabber on and on about her insecure feelings about men. This book sounds like she just talked into a tape recorder as she'd be talking to one of her girlfriends, then they transcribed the words without proper editing because it's filled with contradictions and non-stop repetitiveness (like saying the same thing dozens of times, going back throughout the book to insecure feelings she had years earlier). And the thing you're most interested in, background details on The Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars, are almost completely missing.
This book is about one thing--Melissa Rycroft falling for a Texas guy named Tye. It's really their story but we're only hearing Melissa's side of it. The first 44 pages could be summarized in one sentence: after a year of dating occasionally she wanted a love commitment and Tye wasn't interested. There--I just saved you having to trudge through her acting like a basket case in crying over a guy she liked.
Then she went nuts and flew into a screaming rage. When she got no reaction from him she spent the next few months rehashing the breakup with others before one of her friends put in an application for her with the TV show The Bachelor. Her behavior during this time period is so psychotic that it's hard to believe any of her friends would stick by her. Maybe they sent her away on The Bachelor to stop having to hear her crazy rehashing about Tye's faults over and over again, which is what she does throughout the book.
When it gets to the section on the show, there are few details as to what went on. She does not give any specifics beyond the first night and the final rose ceremony. Possibly she was contractually barred from it but it makes the book much less interesting. When she gets back from being engaged to Jason, Tye is waiting for her and has suddenly decided he wants her! He must have caught her psychosis, or he was just a typical competitive guy who wanted to prove no Bachelor star was going to beat him. So she goes out with him. Huh? She's secretly engaged to another man! This is a woman who has no idea how to deal with men or handle relationships. She blames it all on the two guys (who end up going stone silent when she starts verbally assaulting them) but in truth this book shows exactly how not to be a female in a relationship. Her needy, insecure ramblings do nothing but turn guys off. And Tye is a textbook silent egotistical jerk that preys on insecure women and they fall for him.
She eventually gets to the part where Bachelor Jason breaks up with her, she goes back to Tye, she turns down being the Bachelorette and does Dancing with the Stars, all without saying much about any details. She marries Tye and turns into an entertainment correspondent who loves meeting celebrities, which is ironic since she says she first started to dislike Jason when he went on interview shows and began to like becoming a celebrity. It appears that this is just a woman who wants all the attention to be on her.
The contradictions in the book are numerous. At one point she said she never thought about people back home while on The Bachelor, then a couple paragraphs later says she thought often about Tye or her parents (who refused to be part of the show). She said when she got back home she was no longer interested in Tye and didn't talk to him, then turns around and says she went out to eat with him or picked up the phone when he called. She claims to have morals and faith (and on her TV show is a vocal Christian) but she lies on her Bachelor questionnaire (failing to report her relationship with Tye) and says nothing in this book about her faith, attributing things to "the universe." This woman is not being honest with herself.
This was one of the first Bachelor-alum books to come out, and might fulfill a need for viewers who love her, but I was dumb enough to read this twice (2012 and 2020). Since the first time many other strong women have published Bachelor-related books, so instead of wasting your time on this read the best (from Courtney Robertson) or something objective writers that give behind-the-scenes details.
This book is about one thing--Melissa Rycroft falling for a Texas guy named Tye. It's really their story but we're only hearing Melissa's side of it. The first 44 pages could be summarized in one sentence: after a year of dating occasionally she wanted a love commitment and Tye wasn't interested. There--I just saved you having to trudge through her acting like a basket case in crying over a guy she liked.
Then she went nuts and flew into a screaming rage. When she got no reaction from him she spent the next few months rehashing the breakup with others before one of her friends put in an application for her with the TV show The Bachelor. Her behavior during this time period is so psychotic that it's hard to believe any of her friends would stick by her. Maybe they sent her away on The Bachelor to stop having to hear her crazy rehashing about Tye's faults over and over again, which is what she does throughout the book.
When it gets to the section on the show, there are few details as to what went on. She does not give any specifics beyond the first night and the final rose ceremony. Possibly she was contractually barred from it but it makes the book much less interesting. When she gets back from being engaged to Jason, Tye is waiting for her and has suddenly decided he wants her! He must have caught her psychosis, or he was just a typical competitive guy who wanted to prove no Bachelor star was going to beat him. So she goes out with him. Huh? She's secretly engaged to another man! This is a woman who has no idea how to deal with men or handle relationships. She blames it all on the two guys (who end up going stone silent when she starts verbally assaulting them) but in truth this book shows exactly how not to be a female in a relationship. Her needy, insecure ramblings do nothing but turn guys off. And Tye is a textbook silent egotistical jerk that preys on insecure women and they fall for him.
She eventually gets to the part where Bachelor Jason breaks up with her, she goes back to Tye, she turns down being the Bachelorette and does Dancing with the Stars, all without saying much about any details. She marries Tye and turns into an entertainment correspondent who loves meeting celebrities, which is ironic since she says she first started to dislike Jason when he went on interview shows and began to like becoming a celebrity. It appears that this is just a woman who wants all the attention to be on her.
The contradictions in the book are numerous. At one point she said she never thought about people back home while on The Bachelor, then a couple paragraphs later says she thought often about Tye or her parents (who refused to be part of the show). She said when she got back home she was no longer interested in Tye and didn't talk to him, then turns around and says she went out to eat with him or picked up the phone when he called. She claims to have morals and faith (and on her TV show is a vocal Christian) but she lies on her Bachelor questionnaire (failing to report her relationship with Tye) and says nothing in this book about her faith, attributing things to "the universe." This woman is not being honest with herself.
This was one of the first Bachelor-alum books to come out, and might fulfill a need for viewers who love her, but I was dumb enough to read this twice (2012 and 2020). Since the first time many other strong women have published Bachelor-related books, so instead of wasting your time on this read the best (from Courtney Robertson) or something objective writers that give behind-the-scenes details.
June 15, 2012
I liked the inside scoop on The Bachelor, but wasn't crazy about her story. It didn't "flow" for me and instead seemed to jump around a lot and dwell on the fact that her "now-husband" was rude and disrespectful to her for the majority of their relationship. She also stated in the book that she wants privacy for her personal life, but she now has her own reality TV show, which is a little confusing.
December 2, 2016
I never watched Melissa on The Bachelor, but I knew all about the guy dumping her at the finale because he wanted the other girl instead. How could I not, it was all over the Internet for weeks afterwards. I have some sort of weird fascination with Bachelor memoirs, so when I saw this at the library and recognized her name I decided to read it.
Wow... Melissa sure does come off as psychotic in this. This entire book is about her acting like a psycho to get her boyfriend back, who frankly does not sound like much of a prize. Worst of all, she actually marries him at the end, after 200 or so pages of showing us how much he sucks. Are we actually supposed to root for this couple?
I was also annoyed that she criticized Jason for seeking fame but she did the EXACT same thing, and continues to do so to this day. Also, the info about The Bachelor and Jason is blink-or-you'll-miss-it, because this book is truly about nothing except for her dysfunctional relationship with Tye.
So why 2 stars instead of 1? Because I somehow found myself entertained by this insipid book. It was awful, but it was almost a "this is so ridiculous it's awesome" kind of awful.
And on a side note, how was Tye okay with her writing this book? There can't be a single person on this planet who would read this and think he's a good guy or that their relationship is going to make it. If he didn't seem like such a jerk I'd almost feel sorry for him.
Wow... Melissa sure does come off as psychotic in this. This entire book is about her acting like a psycho to get her boyfriend back, who frankly does not sound like much of a prize. Worst of all, she actually marries him at the end, after 200 or so pages of showing us how much he sucks. Are we actually supposed to root for this couple?
I was also annoyed that she criticized Jason for seeking fame but she did the EXACT same thing, and continues to do so to this day. Also, the info about The Bachelor and Jason is blink-or-you'll-miss-it, because this book is truly about nothing except for her dysfunctional relationship with Tye.
So why 2 stars instead of 1? Because I somehow found myself entertained by this insipid book. It was awful, but it was almost a "this is so ridiculous it's awesome" kind of awful.
And on a side note, how was Tye okay with her writing this book? There can't be a single person on this planet who would read this and think he's a good guy or that their relationship is going to make it. If he didn't seem like such a jerk I'd almost feel sorry for him.
December 10, 2012
Melissa really does have a great story to tell - there have been hundreds of contestants on The Bachelor, and Melissa has probably turned her stint on the show into one of the biggest successes, with two appearances on Dancing with the Stars, acting as a correspondent for shows like GMA and Entertainment Tonight, and having her own reality show about her life with her family.
I really wanted to read this because I was interested about more details on her time with The Bachelor, but that's not really what this book is about. I know contestants sign a confidentiality agreement, so that's probably why she is pretty vague about her time on the show.
Instead, the majority of her book is really about her on-and-off relationship with boyfriend Tye, who is now her husband. Their relationship was initially unhealthy and very one-sided, with her desperate for his love and him only giving her the time of day when it suited him.
When she gets back from The Bachelor, all of a sudden Tye has a change of heart and she has to fight him off while she tries to make her TV-made engagement with Jason work. When Jason dumps her on national TV, Tye is there for her and all of a sudden Melissa is a mini celebrity.
Melissa has a very likable personality, but she doesn't come off as very likable in the first chapters of the book. I was very embarrassed reading about her behavior during her relationship with Tye, and he seems like a total jerk. It's hard to understand why she even loved him in the first place, and why she took him back later on.
I feel that of Melissa, Jason, and Molly, Melissa definitely is the one who benefited from that whole scandal of him dumping her for Molly, so I don't really feel sorry for her about it anymore. Especially since she admits she still loved Tye the whole time and never really loved Jason. Yet, she still seems a little bitter about what happened, and gets a little hypocritical at two points when talking about Jason:
First, she criticizes him for being excited about going on Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel to promote The Bachelor before it aired, and notes that those types of things didn't impress her. Yet half of her book goes on to show how much she embraced the chance to be a celebrity and she details people she met, shows she went on, paparazzi following her, etc. Thus it seems like that kind of stuff DOES impress her, so her criticizing him in retrospect about that is just ironic.
Secondly, she makes a big statement about how she cherished her private life, and she wants to keep her career on TV and her private life at home. She talks about how she's sure what Jason and Molly went through after putting their relationship on TV (note: she was on the exact same show as them and did the same thing as them) made them stronger, but she would never want to put her relationship to that test.
But this past spring she and her husband and daughter had a reality show about their lives, so I'm confused about this change of heart?
I don't dislike Melissa at all, I think she's a beautiful girl with an outgoing personality which is perfect for TV, and more power to her for embracing the opportunities an undesirable situation provided. I just think that she was a little hypocritical at points, not that I expect her to be open-minded when it comes to Jason/Molly. Also, this "love story" with her husband was kind of sad and worrisome - they've been married for three years now and have a daughter, but the beginning of their relationship was very unhealthy, and it seems they rushed into an engagement and marriage after her Bachelor and DWTS stints. Just wasn't very romantic.
All that said, this was a very fast and easy read and did provide some insight to everything she went through leading up to and after The Bachelor. It was for the most part interesting to read.
I really wanted to read this because I was interested about more details on her time with The Bachelor, but that's not really what this book is about. I know contestants sign a confidentiality agreement, so that's probably why she is pretty vague about her time on the show.
Instead, the majority of her book is really about her on-and-off relationship with boyfriend Tye, who is now her husband. Their relationship was initially unhealthy and very one-sided, with her desperate for his love and him only giving her the time of day when it suited him.
When she gets back from The Bachelor, all of a sudden Tye has a change of heart and she has to fight him off while she tries to make her TV-made engagement with Jason work. When Jason dumps her on national TV, Tye is there for her and all of a sudden Melissa is a mini celebrity.
Melissa has a very likable personality, but she doesn't come off as very likable in the first chapters of the book. I was very embarrassed reading about her behavior during her relationship with Tye, and he seems like a total jerk. It's hard to understand why she even loved him in the first place, and why she took him back later on.
I feel that of Melissa, Jason, and Molly, Melissa definitely is the one who benefited from that whole scandal of him dumping her for Molly, so I don't really feel sorry for her about it anymore. Especially since she admits she still loved Tye the whole time and never really loved Jason. Yet, she still seems a little bitter about what happened, and gets a little hypocritical at two points when talking about Jason:
First, she criticizes him for being excited about going on Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel to promote The Bachelor before it aired, and notes that those types of things didn't impress her. Yet half of her book goes on to show how much she embraced the chance to be a celebrity and she details people she met, shows she went on, paparazzi following her, etc. Thus it seems like that kind of stuff DOES impress her, so her criticizing him in retrospect about that is just ironic.
Secondly, she makes a big statement about how she cherished her private life, and she wants to keep her career on TV and her private life at home. She talks about how she's sure what Jason and Molly went through after putting their relationship on TV (note: she was on the exact same show as them and did the same thing as them) made them stronger, but she would never want to put her relationship to that test.
But this past spring she and her husband and daughter had a reality show about their lives, so I'm confused about this change of heart?
I don't dislike Melissa at all, I think she's a beautiful girl with an outgoing personality which is perfect for TV, and more power to her for embracing the opportunities an undesirable situation provided. I just think that she was a little hypocritical at points, not that I expect her to be open-minded when it comes to Jason/Molly. Also, this "love story" with her husband was kind of sad and worrisome - they've been married for three years now and have a daughter, but the beginning of their relationship was very unhealthy, and it seems they rushed into an engagement and marriage after her Bachelor and DWTS stints. Just wasn't very romantic.
All that said, this was a very fast and easy read and did provide some insight to everything she went through leading up to and after The Bachelor. It was for the most part interesting to read.
January 5, 2014
I am a fan of The Bachelor and Dancing With the Stars, and definitely became a fan of Melissa's after watching The Bachelor. I was excited to read her book to learn more about what went on behind the breakup with Jason and her relationship with Tye.
I found Melissa to be insecure in her book. Here's a line that took me by surprise:
"I was in this weird limbo, where Jason and I weren't really talking anymore, and Tye and I weren't really talking, either. And so, everything in my life felt shaky and uncertain."
...what?! So because the two guys that you loved were not talking to you, your entire life felt uncertain? That was a red flag to me. She seemed to be very dependent on men, and unhappy when she wasn't in a relationship. Finding this out through her book disappointed me, as she seemed so secure, down to earth, and independent on the shows.
I also found quite a few contradictory statements in her book. Towards the end of her book, she mentioned that Tye never saw her upset or angry , but at the beginning, she talks about the breakup and how she would yell at him, cry, and storm off. Also, she said that it never struck her as abnormal to be on the Bachelor and fighting against 25 other women for a guy but a few paragraphs later, she mentions that it was completely abnormal. It was hard to gauge exactly what she was thinking.
What I did like about the book was what she wrote about the entire Jason breakup and how the communication tapered off before he broke up with her on tv. It was a perspective that fans would probably be interested in reading about.
I found Melissa to be insecure in her book. Here's a line that took me by surprise:
"I was in this weird limbo, where Jason and I weren't really talking anymore, and Tye and I weren't really talking, either. And so, everything in my life felt shaky and uncertain."
...what?! So because the two guys that you loved were not talking to you, your entire life felt uncertain? That was a red flag to me. She seemed to be very dependent on men, and unhappy when she wasn't in a relationship. Finding this out through her book disappointed me, as she seemed so secure, down to earth, and independent on the shows.
I also found quite a few contradictory statements in her book. Towards the end of her book, she mentioned that Tye never saw her upset or angry , but at the beginning, she talks about the breakup and how she would yell at him, cry, and storm off. Also, she said that it never struck her as abnormal to be on the Bachelor and fighting against 25 other women for a guy but a few paragraphs later, she mentions that it was completely abnormal. It was hard to gauge exactly what she was thinking.
What I did like about the book was what she wrote about the entire Jason breakup and how the communication tapered off before he broke up with her on tv. It was a perspective that fans would probably be interested in reading about.
October 29, 2017
This book was surprisingly better than I’d expected it to be. I like hearing her version of what happened after the Bachelor aftermath. It’s bachelor fluff that you actually care for...like I felt compelled to go follow Melissa on Instagram just so I can continue to keep up with her life.
March 20, 2017
This didn't feel like Melissa's reality so much as her and Tye Strickland's reality. For someone who had such a big impact on her life, he felt like a cardboard cutout of a person/character. There was no depth to him. It made her undying love for him that much harder to understand.
I had trouble relating to her as a narrator because I've never been defined by my relationships the way she was. She was taken for granted, disrespected, and she liked it. If asking for what you want ruins your relationship, you didn't have much of a relationship to start with.
I knew a girl like this who was too in love to admit she was unhappy and too scared to do anything to fix it. When it was over, she was very willing to take him back for a while. I never understand women like this. Is having a spine so last season or something?
Her writing style was also pretty repetitive. I felt like she kept saying the same things and using the same phrases over and over again. I wanted her to be a bit strong and more independent but we can't all be me.
That said, she does have an interesting story to tell. It's a fun, fluffy, easy read. I could have read it in a day with enough time. If you're curious, give it a shot. Just accept you will want to slap her at some point.
I had trouble relating to her as a narrator because I've never been defined by my relationships the way she was. She was taken for granted, disrespected, and she liked it. If asking for what you want ruins your relationship, you didn't have much of a relationship to start with.
I knew a girl like this who was too in love to admit she was unhappy and too scared to do anything to fix it. When it was over, she was very willing to take him back for a while. I never understand women like this. Is having a spine so last season or something?
Her writing style was also pretty repetitive. I felt like she kept saying the same things and using the same phrases over and over again. I wanted her to be a bit strong and more independent but we can't all be me.
That said, she does have an interesting story to tell. It's a fun, fluffy, easy read. I could have read it in a day with enough time. If you're curious, give it a shot. Just accept you will want to slap her at some point.
December 31, 2015
wow, I have always been a fan of Melissa. when she was on the Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars. I really wish I hadn't read this book. I really wonder if she regrets sharing her wacky relationship with her now husband. For someone so beautiful she is a great example of someone with no self esteem and desperate . After reading this book I have to wonder how much of her fame influenced Tye to pay attention to her because before she was famous he could care less about her and she like a fool would anxiously wait for his calls. Soulmates? Whatever.
December 7, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I have a lot of interest in other women's experiences in relationships, and Melissa tells all about her ups and downs with the man she did marry.
I liked the tone of this book, which was like a friend telling a story. I laughed at times like when she described packing for her "Bachelor" trip.
I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the real life of a "Bachelor" contestant.
I liked the tone of this book, which was like a friend telling a story. I laughed at times like when she described packing for her "Bachelor" trip.
I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the real life of a "Bachelor" contestant.
November 27, 2019
Are you interested in reading a book by a 30-something year old reality TV star that sounds like it was written by a boy crazy 13 year old??? Then this is the book for you!!!
I don't watch the "Bachelor" so i only know who Melissa is from "DWTS." I wasn't a huge fan of her during either of the "DWTS" editions she was on, but she seemed like a nice enough person. So, out of curiosity, I picked up her book in my library and read it.
Well, for one thing, if you're looking for anything deep or any advice, forget it. She doesn't have anything like that to offer you. Instead, I found myself sort of disturbed when I was reading this by how needy and superficial she came across.
Basically, here's what happened. She dated this guy, Tye, who wasn't interested in committing to her, so he broke it off. She remained obsessed with him, pretty much stalking him.
That pretty much sums up the majority of this book. Not sure if that's a spoiler, but anyhow...
Then, she went on the "Bachelor," got dumped on TV, and then got a spot on "DWTS." How convenient that, once she starts getting all this attention, THEN all of a sudden he comes along and wants her back. She gets third place on "DWTS" and then, wham! bam! by the end of that year she and Tye are married.
Also how convenient that she gets married and engaged so quickly, and all before the guy who broke up with her on TV had his own wedding Coincidence? I think not. That whole thing was done far too quickly, probably to keep her name relevant.
The number of times she mentions Tye's name is actually disturbing, it must have been in the thousands. Did she have no life before meeting him? At one point, she says her friends yelled at her for talking about him so much. I'd be very surprised if that only happened once. I applaud any of her friends during that time period for sticking by her. She sounds like a stalker! She sounds like someone who cannot handle any kind of rejection, and she seems like she has no idea how to function without a man in her life.
But it's not only her who comes off badly in this book. She makes her husband, Tye, sound like a complete opportunist, not the man of any (rational) girl's dreams. I dated a guy all through college who was exactly like she makes Tye sound. He broke up with me, and then a few months later wanted to get back with me once he found out I'd scored a better job than he had. THEN, all of a sudden, he wanted back in a relationship. Unlike Melissa, though, I was not obsessed with him and I instead told him to go away and to lose my number.
I really hope Melissa isn't raising her children to believe that this kind of behavior is acceptable by anyone. Stalking and "capturing" the guy of your dreams is not the way true love works. I truly hope both she and Ty are more mature in real life than they sound in this book.
As beautiful as she is, Melissa also seems to have very poor self-esteem, especially since she basically let Tye treat her terribly during their initial relationship.
I don't watch the "Bachelor" so i only know who Melissa is from "DWTS." I wasn't a huge fan of her during either of the "DWTS" editions she was on, but she seemed like a nice enough person. So, out of curiosity, I picked up her book in my library and read it.
Well, for one thing, if you're looking for anything deep or any advice, forget it. She doesn't have anything like that to offer you. Instead, I found myself sort of disturbed when I was reading this by how needy and superficial she came across.
Basically, here's what happened. She dated this guy, Tye, who wasn't interested in committing to her, so he broke it off. She remained obsessed with him, pretty much stalking him.
That pretty much sums up the majority of this book. Not sure if that's a spoiler, but anyhow...
Then, she went on the "Bachelor," got dumped on TV, and then got a spot on "DWTS." How convenient that, once she starts getting all this attention, THEN all of a sudden he comes along and wants her back. She gets third place on "DWTS" and then, wham! bam! by the end of that year she and Tye are married.
Also how convenient that she gets married and engaged so quickly, and all before the guy who broke up with her on TV had his own wedding Coincidence? I think not. That whole thing was done far too quickly, probably to keep her name relevant.
The number of times she mentions Tye's name is actually disturbing, it must have been in the thousands. Did she have no life before meeting him? At one point, she says her friends yelled at her for talking about him so much. I'd be very surprised if that only happened once. I applaud any of her friends during that time period for sticking by her. She sounds like a stalker! She sounds like someone who cannot handle any kind of rejection, and she seems like she has no idea how to function without a man in her life.
But it's not only her who comes off badly in this book. She makes her husband, Tye, sound like a complete opportunist, not the man of any (rational) girl's dreams. I dated a guy all through college who was exactly like she makes Tye sound. He broke up with me, and then a few months later wanted to get back with me once he found out I'd scored a better job than he had. THEN, all of a sudden, he wanted back in a relationship. Unlike Melissa, though, I was not obsessed with him and I instead told him to go away and to lose my number.
I really hope Melissa isn't raising her children to believe that this kind of behavior is acceptable by anyone. Stalking and "capturing" the guy of your dreams is not the way true love works. I truly hope both she and Ty are more mature in real life than they sound in this book.
As beautiful as she is, Melissa also seems to have very poor self-esteem, especially since she basically let Tye treat her terribly during their initial relationship.
August 28, 2016
Melissa Rycroft was once the dumped girl from the Bachelorette, then a Dancing with the Stars finalist, and a correspondent for various entertainment news shows. Also, she is not a very good writer, and this book is not any good. At one point in the book, one of her friends snapped at her for talking so much about her on-again, off-again boyfriend Tye, and honestly, I'm shocked that didn't happen all the time. I am pretty sure the amount of times she put his name in this book (and yes, she married him, and no, that is not a spoiler, as its in the About the Author synopsis on the jacket) had to be well into the thousands. Not an exaggeration. I was so sick of reading about Tye that I nearly didn't bother finishing the book. This book is the epitome of what is wrong with how we treat young women who don't get married right out of college- they become insecure and willing to be treated like doormats and base their self-worth on what guys think about them. I don't hate the author, but this book was just crappy and boring-- even the parts about the Bachelor were vague and over-simplified and boring. As a long time Bachelor fan, making the Bachelor boring to someone like me is nearly impossible, but she did it. Yuck. One star.
June 13, 2017
Anyone close to me knows that my biggest guilty pleasure would be all-things Bachelor franchise. I don't watch a ton of TV (really none next to the Bachelor shows) but I cannot get enough of these shows. That said, of course I'm going to read the books that these people put out there - hello guilty pleasure! Unfortunately this one was, without hesitation, the worst that I've read. Rycroft comes across as hypocritical and unbelievably repetitive. I don't mean to slam her but her story wasn't all that different from a lot of women's- with a side of 'celebrity' from reality television. If you're going to go down the rabbit hole that is Bachelor nation, skip this one and pick up Courtney Robertson or Sean Lowe's stories instead.
December 13, 2012
I've been a Melissa Rycroft fan for a while. The Bachelor used to be my guilty pleasure (until I realized that it gave me more anger than pleasure), and DWTS still is. I think she's is adorable.
I found her back story engaging and interesting, but only because I've been seeing her public persona for a few years now.
Her writing style was shockingly similar to my 12-year-old's (who, for a 12-year-old, is a great writer, but still...). For sure, this ain't literature, and there's NO reason to read this unless you are already a fan.
It's more like reading a 300-page People Magazine article.
I found her back story engaging and interesting, but only because I've been seeing her public persona for a few years now.
Her writing style was shockingly similar to my 12-year-old's (who, for a 12-year-old, is a great writer, but still...). For sure, this ain't literature, and there's NO reason to read this unless you are already a fan.
It's more like reading a 300-page People Magazine article.
December 29, 2012
After DWTS the All Star season ended, I was bummed for the end of Melissa Rycroft in the public eye. I picked up this book not expecting it to me a great read. In fact, I was expecting a Bachelor Tell All and this was much more than I bargained for. I like that it really focused of life before and after The Bachelor for the majority of the story. Obviously Melissa is not a professional writer but the way the chapters were laid out made for a captivating read and the story told a lot of good lessons that she learned and that others could benefit from.
September 14, 2014
This is an excellent book for what it is, and it is not really for anyone who doesn't know of Melissa Rycroft. It's a quick, easy read though not perfectly written... but it's just the story of her relationships, her time on The Bachelor, and her career and romantic life after. It is very interesting, and there is a lot to learn from her mistakes - and she is not shy about telling you every one of her mistakes, at least while admitting that she sounds pretty pathetic. IF you know who Melissa is, or are interested in The Bachelor (even if only to laugh at it), then this book is pretty fun.
June 7, 2012
I enjoyed her conversational style of writing about her journey to find love and how she ended up becoming a reality TV star. She gives a lot of good advice about what not to do when you are a girl trying to date a guy. She seems open and honest, and her story is in line with the persona that she presents on camera. My only complaint is that she couldn't go into more detail about her experience on The Bachelor.
June 21, 2012
I have to say Melissa definitely has guts and she is a much stronger woman then people give her credit for! She bounced back from Jason better than anyone thought she would, even herself! I am happy that she finally got her happy ending and stayed true to herself and what she truly wanted! I have to say even I was pissed at Jason when he just dumped her but I understand the situations that they were put in as well in the "Bachelor Bubble"
July 12, 2012
You know, this was a pre-vacation library impulse on the new book shelves.
And it was pretty good.
I'm a Bachelor/ette watcher and Melissa was my pick for her season to win, and I watched that ATFR episode and hated Jason along with the rest of the world, and cheered for her on DWTS.
I really enjoyed her book, and the insights she shared about her sudden stardom. I liked this.
Nice job, Melissa.
And it was pretty good.
I'm a Bachelor/ette watcher and Melissa was my pick for her season to win, and I watched that ATFR episode and hated Jason along with the rest of the world, and cheered for her on DWTS.
I really enjoyed her book, and the insights she shared about her sudden stardom. I liked this.
Nice job, Melissa.
August 4, 2012
I really enjoy reading memoirs and thought Melissa Rycroft's story about her experience on the bachelor would make for an interesting read! Enjoyed the insight she gave about the struggles with relationships she experienced and all that she went through to get to her happy ending! Didn't realize until I read the story of how grounded she still is after all the good things that came after her Bachelor experience.
August 2, 2012
I wish this book would have been out last year, it was a great post break-up read. I enjoyed her honesty and openness. She had some great typical girl relationship moments in there. I am not a huge fan of the conversational aspect of the book though. It made it a little more disjointed seeming for me. As a fellow Texas gal, I've always been a big fan of hers and am glad she's stayed true to herself and found her strength through her story.
September 13, 2012
I loved this book. I read it at a time when I needed an easy read and it gave me a lot of insight as to the Bachelor/Bachelorette series. I was so sick for her when Jason broke up with her on TV. It was the best thing for both of them in the end unfortunately it had to unfold in front of America which was unfortunate. I am happy for her that it all turned out well. She is someone I would enjoy knowing in real life.
December 5, 2013
I am a big bachelor fan (in spite of vowing never to watch again after each couple breaks up in the after the final rose special) so I was excited to read Melissa's story. I was drawn in by her easy breezy writing style and it felt a little like listening to a friend telling a story. This is a nice and easy read if you need a break from your own reality and I'm very happy that Melissa finally got her happy ending.
February 1, 2017
This is about as terrible as you would expect. Poorly written. It sounds like she is talking to her girlfriend over drinks, and not in a relatable way. Not sure why she didn't get a ghost writer. She lacks insight and the book is really more about her relationship with her now husband and mostly breezes through her time on The Bachelor except to complain about Jason and how he maintained a relationship with Molly, which is pretty much what she did with her ex/now husband.
June 25, 2012
Umm, I am definitely one that writes as if I am talking and it is clear Melissa is too! I read it in a couple of hours, so it is an easy read. I am just happy she ended up with the right guy. I love her opinion on Jason and Molly. Before I read this book, I thought she married Tye, so it wouldn't look like she was hurt about Jason. Boy, was I wrong!
September 9, 2013
I love Melissa Rycroft Strickland! I remember saying multiple times while watching the Bachelor that somebody needed to give this girl a tv show!! The book is SO funny. I was laughing out loud SO much that my husband kept asking me what happened! He should have just read the book because I basically told him everything in it. If you're a fan of Melissa Rycroft Strickland you should read this.
July 14, 2017
2.5 stars
I'm struggling a little putting this in the 'nonfiction' category, because it felt pretty managed to maintain/improve her public reputation. It was fun, though. I wish there had been more behind-the-scenes descriptions of The Bachelor (producer trickery, contestant drama). There was none of that.
I'm struggling a little putting this in the 'nonfiction' category, because it felt pretty managed to maintain/improve her public reputation. It was fun, though. I wish there had been more behind-the-scenes descriptions of The Bachelor (producer trickery, contestant drama). There was none of that.
August 13, 2012
This was such a quick read and I've followed her from watching her on Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, to the Bachelor, to her new reality show now. It was a very interesting book to learn about her relationship with Tye.
December 29, 2012
This book is about emerging from difficult circumstances stronger and it was appropriate for me at this time in my life. I have always thought Melissa Rycroft was awesome and I have a new respect for her after reading this.
January 21, 2013
I didn't expect to like the book, as i don't normally read autobiographies, but it was a super easy and honest read. No excuses, no over embellished experiences, no blaming on the past. Just an honest account of something that happened. I enjoyed it!
March 1, 2014
This is an enjoyable read for any Bachelor/DWTS fan out there! While it's not the most eloquent story ever written, it's an easy and fun read. Love reading about the "behind-the-scenes" details and her thoughts on how things played out. I'm a fan of Melissa Rycroft and her book. Great story.
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