The Road to Roses: Heartbreak, Hope, and Finding Strength When Life Doesn't Go as Planned Hardcover – June 22, 2021

I wish that every young woman could read this book and take it to heart. I wish that I had read it in my younger years! God's way is the right way. His love makes us worthy. I notice on the shows that most of the women are truly looking for a loving, committed relationship that could hopefully end in marriage. Many of the guys seem to still be single, years after being on the show. Were they there for the right reasons? ;-) I am glad that Des and Chris chose each other.

THIS IS A MUST READ!! This book is a look into Desiree’s life and it is a wonderful book. It is wonderfully written and it is open and honest. It is true to the heart. SO GLAD I BOUGHT IT!!

I enjoyed watching Desiree's & Chris' love story play out on TV and am really happy that Chris was the last man standing. I felt like Desiree & Chris had more in common than any other man pursuing her heart. It looks like they're having a full life with two sons, her bridal gown business & podcast. Where does she get the energy?!! I'm really touched by Desiree's faith, she seems like such a really nice girl with such a big heart. I enjoyed reading how life has worked for her and her growing family. How her faith keeps her centered and she knows when she turns everything over to God that he leads her right where she's supposed to be! This book was such a joy to read and kept me captivated until the end.

I haven’t even finished it, and felt I should go ahead a leave a review. Desiree is open and honest with sharing her life, it’s so wonderful to see someone’s faith in God’s plan and where it led her.

Nice story from a great bachelorette. Glad she found true happiness.

Desiree wrote a beautiful book capturing the perspective on how God had a plan for her life through Ending up with Chris at the end, and I loved all the details that were in her journey through going on the Bachelorette. Plus, some background and stories of when she grew up and her own hardships before she became america's sweetheart. She opens up about the emotional ride with being the bachelorette and how she is so grateful to be where she is at now. Her faith is very strong and is definitely the essence in her memoir. It was a great read for me :- )

I am guilty of reading the majority of bachelor/bachelorette contestant books, and it's from this lens that I review this story. To start, I can't imagine the sheer guts it takes to put yourself out there not only on national tv, but in print as well. Desiree's story on TV was just so gosh darn wholesome, like eating a cream puff: devoid of any major substance (as is characteristic of the series generally), but so sweet it was hard not to enjoy. I was certainly no hater for choosing Chris over Brooks, and Des's proposal speech was by far the best of any in the long-running series. Out of curiosity I checked out her bridal website and she has SO MUCH talent! I've seen other contestants suddenly become clothing designers just because they can easily call themselves that while weathering an identity crisis, but Desiree has serious skills, training, and a great eye.The reason this review isn't higher is because her book just doesn't stack up to some of the insanely detailed--and therefore hilarious--accounts from other stars, namely Courtney Robertson and Andy Dorfman. Both surely had to have turned deep crimson every time they thought about what it was going to be like for their ex-future-mother-in-laws, grandparents, old teachers, future kids, and a laundry list of people to read their book. And it wasn't just for the details surrounding sex: seeing this listed under the category of "Christian Marriages" I held no such illusions that she'd spill everything. Still, Andi and Courtney's books (as well as Jamie Otis's and Sean Lowe's for that matter) had much more detailed, mortifying vulnerability. Desiree's... not so much. So, Desiree getting to keep her dignity in tact is the main reason why I'm not going to throw two extra stars her way for her book. Though, to be fair, she should be far more happy to have the former and not the latter! Other contestants have and will pay such a higher price for their candidness than Desiree. I can't blame her for making that arguably safer choice, but it definitely didn't make for the most exciting story. In asking myself, "did this book tell me anything I couldn't have already guessed from the show?" The answer is, "no, not really." I can't really distinguish much about her story that would differentiate her from the average 20 to 30-something. Breakups, growing up poor, trying to start a business, finding God, communication issues in marriage... most of us have been there, done that. It's hard to say if I should fault Desiree or her storyteller, Autumn Kraus, but such themes generally lacked specificity that her life experiences were hard to distinguish from anyone else's. The line crossed "relatable" to "run of the mill" quite often.If one is looking for some serious tea about the show, other contestants, and the major downsides of dating/married life post-show, I'd recommend them passing on this book. This is a decent read for anyone who may be wondering how best to choose a life partner. After all, it's great seeing Desiree overcome her weaknesses to ultimately make a great choice in Chris. This theme, however, was hammered so hard that at times it came across as excessive justification for choosing Chris. After 8-9 years of what appears to be a lovely and happy marriage, she really doesn't owe anyone an explanation. Having said that, I still think Desiree's season embodies the best of the show in terms of wonderful, heart warming and relatable characters, drama, suspense, cheering for the dark horse/underdog... loved it. I suppose I like reading books from characters to try and peel back the saccharine, too good to be true layers of LA editing and over the top musical score. This book didn't offer much from that vantage point, but if it is in fact because Desiree is living such a beautiful life, then that's worth far more than any book review.

Des was an instant bachelorette favorite of mine. She let us in what led to her selecting Chris. Her genuine feeling about herself and her journey was so heart felt and is a book to read for women striving to start a business and what true support looks like

Loved this book. Des’s heart shines through this book. She’s open and honest. It’s a book of finding yourself in faith, in confidence and self love.