A Review of Sean Lowe's Book + a GIVEAWAY!

I have to say, as much as I loved Sean on Emily's season of The Bachelorette and on his own season of The Bachelor, I was skeptical of how much I would actually enjoy reading his book.

One of the reviewers of the book called it a page turner and said that he read half of the book in one sitting. When I read that I thought, "Really?! It's a biography... about a reality TV show."

But y'all. It really was so good! And I would even agree that it was a page turner at times. The way Sean (with the help of co-author Nancy French) captured the events of his weeks on both The Bachelorette and The Bachelor and managed to share the foundations of his faith in Christ that led him to conduct himself a certain way on and off the show gave a unique perspective to a show that I've been kind of obsessed with for the last 10 years. There were even times that I felt inspired by his words and felt as though I was reading a devotional rather than a biography of a person who found fame through reality TV.

He spoke about recommitting himself to Christ after college and was honest about some destructive decisions he made prior to getting to that place. (You can watch Sean's testimony here.) He shared about a conversation he had with his dad in which he gave Sean a copy of a book called When Critics Ask by Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe (original book here; updated version here). Sean read that book and the entire Bible over the course of several months and said that those months of digging deeper into his faith, "...transformed how I thought. I noticed when I got away from reading it, my mind and life got away from thinking biblically. However, when I immersed myself in the Bible, I saw the world differently."

Excerpts like the one above are all throughout the book. Before watching Sean's season and reading this book, I wondered if a person leading a Christ-centered life could date 25 women at one time (on national television no less), stay grounded in his faith, and find his wife through the process. But reading about Sean's journey (token Bachelor word), I felt inspired by the way he prayed through his decisions and even led Bible studies with the guys in the house each morning.

He also spoke very highly of the show and gave interesting facts about what goes on behind-the scenes. As a big fan of the show, it was interesting to read these parts of the book.

What surprised me the most was how honest Sean was about the whole process. There were many times throughout the book where I thought, "Would I be okay with reading this if I ended up as his wife?!" (The night before he proposed, he was still unsure of who he would choose... and a conversation the producers let him sneak in that night solidified his decision.) But again, his honesty is what made the book so compelling. I feel like even non-Bachelor fans would enjoy reading the way he found his wife through the show and what they experienced as a couple after filming ended.

I'll close with a post that was sent to me through Sean's camp:

Sean Lowe Shares His 3 Biggest Pieces of Advice for Newlyweds

This is an exclusive guest post written by The Bachelor’s Sean Lowe. Sean fell in love with Catherine Giudici and they married in a nationally-televised fairytale last January. But this is just the beginning for the newlyweds.

In his new autobiography, For The Right Reasons, Sean tells all about the backstage drama that fuels The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, how he overcame heartbreak to find his true love, and the personal struggles and Christian faith that have made him the man he is today.

What I’ve learned in the first year of marriage

Place a lot of focus on compromise. As a single guy, I only had to worry about myself. The decisions I made, I made just for me. Being married is a real adjustment because now I put someone else before me. That’s not always easy and it doesn’t come natural, but it’s been so important for both of us to place focus on compromise, and not just on ourselves.

Be thoughtful. I’m not the most emotional guy in the world and most women are certainly more emotional than men. I’ve had to remind myself that being thoughtful isn’t the same thing as being emotional, though. Being thoughtful, to me, means doing little things to show Catherine I love her.

She really appreciates that, whether that’s writing a small note or bringing home flowers. Little acts of kindness go a long way and though I might not see it like that, Catherine certainly does!

Try to spend as much time together as possible. I know everyone gets caught up in their day job at times. There are always things that are pulling us away from the house, but dedicate time to your spouse. Whether it’s just hanging on the couch, watching movies at night, or taking her on a date - whatever you can do - spend time with your spouse!

Life gets busy and schedules get hectic. A lot of times, we can make excuses to be away, but that certainly won’t help a marriage grow in the beginning. Spend time together, even when you don’t have to. It pays off, and in your first year of marriage, it’s very important!

You can purchase a copy of Sean's book here.

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