Miss Me With That By Rachel Lindsay
Star Rating: 5 Stars
My Bachelor History
What’s to say about a book you already knew you’d love?
I started watching the Bachelor in 2016. When Rachel joined Nick’s season, I remember her standing out simply because she was being herself. I never felt she was putting on for the cameras. Consider me shocked when I found out she was being selected as the new Bachelorette for the following season. Not because she was undeserving, but up until then—the franchise hadn’t ever selected a Black woman to serve in that capacity before. So, this was a moment.
I love that Rachel and Nick are friends today. That’s how you know their attraction to one another was real. They even speak about this on his podcast.
Team Bryan Forever
I can admit while her season was airing, I was apart of the majority that was team Peter. After learning more about her reasoning behind selecting her now husband, I wholeheartedly change teams. Well, I changed from team Peter to team Bryan a while ago. It’s just nice to know a little more about her selection process and unaired conversations that helped with her decision making. No surprise, but it turns out quite a few of the men were there for the wrong reasons.
Mild Tea Was Spilt
Straight up, I most excited to read more about what exactly went down between her and Raven. If you saw that Andy Cohen interview, you were left with just as many questions as I was. She provides a little bit of insight into their uncoupling, but not as much as I would have liked. I understand why she’s choosing to remain hush about certain things, but dang—-I just want know it all.
I had my hands in the air as if I were listening to a Sunday sermon while reading Rachel’s frankness upon realizing some of her Black suitors competing for her heart preferred non-Black women. She even tried to explain this to the production team about a few of the Black male contestants she was wanting to send home only to be met with blank stares and confusion Whew, this hit me in my soul. There’s nothing wrong with anyone choosing to date or marry outside of their race. I’ve just experienced this exact scenario firsthand after meeting and interacting with a couple Black men while out and have too not been believed or understood. So, yeah. Just trust me when I say I know.
The Resilience Was Real
Though her presence on the franchise was historical, she admits and unearths the reality that her season was used as a sort of social experience. Her ‘After The Rose’ and ‘Men Tell All’ segments were prime examples. No other lead had to endure what she did during their respective post season interviews. I do not know how she remained so clam and levelheaded throughout their live tappings.
The Backbone of this Book
Rachael shares about her experience growing up in school environments where she represented a small group of Black students, her upbringing/Lindsay family expectations, her mental health journey, and her dating history that lead her to star as ABC’s Bachelorette.
It’s because of Rachel, I’ve stuck to watching the franchise where she made a name for herself long after her departure. It’s a sad reality that once you start it, it’s hard to stop. I’m still keeping hope alive that Natasha will be the next season’s Bachelorette. She deserves it.
No Prior Bachelor Experience Necessary
Being familiar with the franchise helps, but it’s not a necessary prerequisite to enjoy and appreciate this read. It might even play in your favor if you haven’t the slightest clue about the show or the persons she mentions from her season.
So much of Rachel’s life reminded me of my own. It became uncanny. Her wisdom, fears, vulnerabilities, lessons learned, self awareness, and candidness with every shared life experience grabbed my attention as well as resonated with me. I didn’t know it was possible to admire her anymore than I already do, but this book came around and did just that.
I highly recommend this one!
