| Title | : | First Impressions: Off Screen Conversations with a Bachelor on Race, Family, and Forgiveness |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 166861510X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781668615102 |
| Format Type | : | Audio CD |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | Published May 3, 2022 |
On the show, Matt could only go so far in sharing his own story with America. In First Impressions , Matt shares his views on controversial topics like race and opportunity that defined his season on The Bachelor. Matt lives at the intersection of these important issues and shares the wisdom his experience has granted him.
Matt describes the joys and difficulties of being the youngest of two Black sons, raised by a single, working-class, white mother in Raleigh, North Carolina. He elaborates on the spiritual closeness and sense of duty he felt for his mother, but also the complex relationships he had with the many male figures in his his prejudiced, Italian grandfather, who had trouble accepting Matt as his own; his father, whose womanizing and petty crime put strain on the family; and his older brother, who was Matt’s protector in youth, but who struggled with the long shadow of their father’s legacy.
Simultaneously inspirational and informative, First Impressions will leave readers with a deeper understanding of the life experiences that prepared Matt for such a divisive moment in television history.
First Impressions: Off Screen Conversations with a Bachelor on Race, Family, and Forgiveness Reviews
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I have to be honest… I got this audio book because I watch the bachelor, I follow Matt and Rachael on Instagram, and their relationship feels more genuine than any other bachelor couple. This is not a behind-the-scenes bachelor tell-all in any way though (nor does it claim to be). Aside from the 30 minute epilogue, he does not talk about Rachael or the drama surrounding his season at all.
This book will stick with me though. His stories growing up were powerful and feel like they should have been highlighted on the show - how he came to be the man he is. He has a very positive perspective, and although the Christianity felt a bit much at times, it is clear that it is genuine and true to him. His stories from ABC food tours - I knew nothing about this and can’t believe it wasn’t mentioned on his season - moved me to tears. I’m glad I read it and feel embarrassed to have been interested for the bachelor intel initially. -
If you watch ABC’s hit show, The Bachelor, then you know who Matt James is. Or do you? It’s interesting to learn how little people know about the first Black lead on the show after watching him each week for an entire season.
In FIRST IMPRESSIONS, Matt reveals what matters most to him, the lessons he’s learned, and what he’s been through (and overcome,) after feeling he’d given much of his story and his power away during filming. He hopes to give a true impression of himself that didn’t come through on the show.
One of the main things I’ve discovered about Matt is that he is a positive person. Much of the book contains his failures, adversities, or struggles, but these are still embraced with acceptance, fortitude, opportunity, purpose, and positivity. I enjoyed learning, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”
Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book. -
You know, I didn’t even hate this book even with all the talk about Christianity and pulling yourself up by the bootstraps. It’s clear that Matt James has worked very hard to achieve all that he has, and he seems like a fine person. But on the last page of the epilogue he starts spouting off about how great cryptocurrency is… instantly ruined the book for me lmao.
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Loved Matt’s story/how he thinks about the world and drives himself and the bachelor behind the scenes
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A very solid, engaging memoir!
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I liked this book a lot! I am a big fan of Matt and Rachael and was probably one of the few people that enjoyed his season on the bachelor. This was definitely not a “bachelor book”. Most of the pages detailed his life stories, values, lessons learned, and mindsets gained. The snippet on the bachelor was interesting but felt lacking.
I really enjoyed reading Matt’s perspective on race relations as he grew up and what that looked like for him as it translated to national TV. I learned a lot from him and was grateful for his willingness and vulnerability to share these with the world.
My only complaint is that, understandably, this book is sold as a bachelor book. As someone with a PR degree I know how and why marketing works. But, even the tagline seems like the book would be written about his season exclusively. This leads you to be a little disappointed on the short epilogue about bachelor nation and his reconnection with Rachael.
Overall, I see the things missing to be largely private and intimate to someone’s life, so I get why they were excluded. I am still very glad to have read it. I learned a lot of career advice and have several foodie bucket list spots on my radar as well. -
5⭐️ if you know me, you know how much i’ve loved matt james ever since his season! i’m so excited to have finally gotten a chance to read his audiobook, and it definitely delivered. he just sounds like SUCH a great guy- i especially loved hearing more about growing up with his mom, abc food tours, and the epilogue with more about the bachelor and his relationship with rachael. i recommend if you watched his season!
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We learned so very little about Matt James during his season of the Bachelor. The show spent so much time on the petty drama of a few female contestants and spent very little time helping us get to know Matt James and some of his top 4 contestants. This book is not your typical Bachelor book but an honest and vulnerable look at Matt James' life, his family, his faith and how he became the incredible man he is today. It was no small task being the first black lead of the Bachelor in 20 years and Matt came in never having been on the show as a contestant. The poor guy was thrown to the wolves and ABC did a poor job of showing us the INCREDIBLE and stand up person that he is. Thanks for writing this book Matt, I only wish that we had learned all about you during your season and you could have written this book about your experiences with ABC Food Tours. Is there a second book in you?
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In First Impressions, Matt James opened up about his personal life story and how he became the first Black Bachelor on the hit reality tv show, The Bachelor after two decades of it being on air. He explained how he led a prayer to God at the start of the first episode and this led to controversies. In the book, he shared how his mother accepted Jesus as her Savior. Most of it was because she saw her coworker life and how joyful she was. He explained how his mother married his dad and how unfaithful he was in their marriage. She stated how she never trashed him in front of her two children. She chose forgiveness towards him and Matt revealed his personal struggle with forgiveness and seeing it as a weakness. He explained how he grew in his own personal faith and how his brother stopped believing later on after he went to prison a few times. In the book, he also opened up about being half white and how people viewed him differently when they learned that his mother was white. He opened up about his experiences growing up and how his own grandfather treated him differently. He also discussed the topic of racism, the wrongful death of George Floyd, and the protests that occurred. In the book, he also shared how he became an NFL athlete and the experiences he faced during that.
I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who enjoyed watching him on the Bachelor. I don’t watch this show personally but I enjoyed reading about his personal life and how he is a Christian trying to assist others through his nonprofit, ABC Food Tours. I loved how in his Bachelor book he focused more on his roots and Christian values. I was deeply touched by his story of his grandfather and how he refused to tell his brother, John and him that he loved them. He also shared how he wouldn’t help John with his math homework and judged him for his grades. Even though he has a degree in chemical engineering. He would show the other grandchildren more love and attention then John and Mark. I also love reading about how all that changed when his grandfather needed help after falling down. This story is a wonderful example of forgiveness and change.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.” -
Yes. I followed Matt James on The Bachelor and really was impressed by everything about him - especially his opening prayer at the first cocktail party Yes. I am a NC native and a graduate or NC State. Yes. I was accepted to attend Wake Forest. Yes. I am a retired Human Resource professional and a career coach. Yes. I have already given this book to a new client and recommended it to others.
But none of this factored into how very much I love this book.
Matt seeps grace and depth, humility, mercy, incredible character, authenticity and a work ethic and drive at a level rarely seen. His discernment is amazing. This book tells you how all Matt’s hard and harsh times melded together to shape him and his future.
For anyone feeling stuck anywhere in your life, this is your boost. A voracious reader, I have read one other book in two years while beating cancer. First Impressions broke the cycle and brought reading back. I could not out this book down.
READ THIS BOOK!
Well done, Matt! -
I always love getting a better idea of who the people you see on TV really are. I don't remember much about Matt's season on the Bachelor, but the honest and hard-hitting stories and quotes that came out of this book were so inspiring and spoke to the hardships so many people in this country face every day. Matt is really using his platform to make a difference in the lives of those around him, and I enjoyed getting a more inside scoop that was less about his experience on the Bachelor and more about who he is as a person
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I listened to this on Audible, and it was really good! Matt James’ story is interesting, surprising, and really well told. I loved his story to success, how he overcame hardships, and how he was able to identify what he wanted for himself at such a young age. The book touches just a little on his journey as the bachelor, and I really like how he focused on how he set and met goals for himself throughout his life. He also seems like he’s really good at building relationships!
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I didn't watch Matt's season of the Bachelor, but I have some sort of obsession with reading every Bachelor-related memoir, so here we are.
I am shocked at how much I enjoyed this. The emphasis on forgiveness especially was so beautifully done, and this was just a really inspiring read.
Side note, though - I am truly shocked that Matt is so close to Tyler, because when I read Tyler's memoir he came across as everything Matt isn't. Guess there must be more to Tyler than meets the eye. -
This is a great read for those who enjoy the Bachelor franchise! I really enjoyed hearing about Matt’s experience growing up biracial and the struggles he faced to become successful. It was very insightful and heartfelt. I enjoyed the audiobook version as well as it was read by the author. Thank you Hachette audio for the gifted copy!
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2.8 - I read all the bachelor books so I figured I should give Matt's a read... it was good. I liked learning about his past because I feel like they didn't talk about that on the show. I loved learning more about ABC Food Tours, I knew he was a founder but didn't know much about the organization so that was insightful! All in all this was a fine book
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Great book. Fast read. Shows so many things about Matt that we didn’t get to see in the Bachelor that were crucial to who he is and they passed over opportunities to show us this in the show in order to include petty drama. So glad he wrote it.
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I really enjoyed hearing Matt's life story...the one before The Bachelor. It was refreshing & inspiring. It's a shame that we didn't learn more about all he overcame on air. I'm grateful he was vulnerable & shared it in this autobiography.
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I loved reading about what Matt had to say about his walk with God, race, his childhood & how he worked hard to get where he is now, & how he gives back to his community by doing ABC Food Tours.
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Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.
I honestly skimmed most of it.
If you love Matt James you’ll love the book! Otherwise not worth it. -
I don't know what I expected.
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best bachelor book ever
I have read all the bachelor books and this is by far the best one. So relatable and so authentic.
