“You really are a hell of a producer,” I whisper to him.
“Don’t say that,” he tells me. “Or I’ll have to spend an entire therapy session unpacking it.”
“I’m just going to go send an email,” I tell him. “And then I’ll come help you cook.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “Open a bottle of champagne. I’ll finish dinner and then we’ll celebrate.”
Unable to stop smiling, I walk out through the kitchen and into the living room, scooping up my laptop as I go, flopping down onto the couch and getting comfortable with an armrest behind my neck and my feet propped out in front of me.
I open up my computer and start typing out an email to my new agent.
Released from my NDA. Book draft will be in your inbox shortly.
I hit send, close my computer, and sit in the quiet. The sound of Henry cooking in the next room, of Yank’s toes tap-tap-tapping on the tile. The quiet of a life.
I breathe.
Publishers Weekly: Not the One by Jacqueline Matthis
Jacqueline Matthis is pissed. She also may finally be at peace.
The controversial contestant from season 32 of popular reality dating show the 1 has penned a memoir about her life and time on the show, exposing the manipulations and humiliation tactics many have long suspected are used on contestants while filming reality shows. Even juicier, she has exposed her own romance with a producer on the show (no actual names are used to protect the privacy of those involved, but it has long been rumored that the subject of her romance was longtime the 1 producer Henry Foster, who left the show following Marcus Bellamy’s season, on which Matthis was a contestant) as well as machinations by the male lead of the 1 itself.
What truly makes Not the One stand out is Matthis’s insistence on being seen as more than a villain while still embracing her own flaws. She is certainly not unapologetic, but, wielding her words like a scalpel, she paints the picture of the misogynistic culture of reality television dating shows that often leave the contestants with long-term trauma. She does all of this while also coming to peace with herself, even if that means embracing being cast as the villain.
You’ll be happy to see Matthis get her happy ending after all.
(First printing: 250,000)
Email from Charlotte Summers
CS
to Jacqueline Matthis ▾
Hi! Sending this via self-destructing email and if you ever tell anyone I messaged you, I will deny it until I am in the grave.
I read your book, and it was pretty great. I was my favorite character, and I’m thrilled you wanted to be my friend. From the bottom of my heart and even knowing you probably wouldn’t accept it, I would be your friend, too. I only get a Jac Matthis every couple of seasons. I’m sorry you’re such a good bitch! I would be one, too, though, if I was on the show! That’s why you’re my favorite.
Mainly I’m writing to say congrats on the success. I saw them talking about you on Good Morning America this morning and saying you were a bestseller in like twelve countries, and that’s what I always wanted for you! #1 on the NYT! Five weeks in a row!! Marcus Bellamy wishes (related: I heard after he lost out of Dancing with the Stars in the second round, he moved to LA to continue his “influencing” career and his only current sponsor is mobile card games—ick!). And okay, I wish you wouldn’t have played us to get out of the NDA, but, as the kids say, game respects game.
Anyway! I’ve got a crying kid. Your breach of contract is still sort of gnarly, but I’m sure you cleared it all with your publishing team and hopefully, we just keep on churning along. It’s good publicity for the show, ya know? That’s what I’ve been selling John on.
Much love and see you in court etc. xo Charlotte
Instagram Post from Jac Matthis
Time stamp: Thirteen months after the finale of the 1
[Photo of a Polaroid of two people in a dive bar, sticky bar top and shitty, barely stuffed seats. Henry Foster, in profile, with his arm wrapped around Jac Matthis’s neck as he kisses her cheek while Jac Matthis looks defiantly at the camera, flipping it off.]
No caption.
Acknowledgments
Well, another book down, and it almost goes without saying, I have SO many roses to hand out.
My sincerest thanks go to my agent, Sarah Landis, whose belief in this book sometimes outweighed even my own.
Rachel Kahan lent a keen editorial eye, helping strengthen all the parts of this story I love the most. I can’t thank her enough for her advocacy and passion.
Every show needs a strong crew behind the scenes and publishing a book is no different. Diahann Sturge crafted the fantastic interior design and tweaked for me right down to the emojis. Ariana Sinclair kept the whole process on track. I’m also so grateful for the support of Erika Tsang, Brittani DiMare, Jennifer Hart, and Clifford Haley.
Thanks to Amy Lukavics, Courtney Summers, and Kaitlin Ward for reads on early drafts of this book—what I couldn’t include in the text lives on in emails forever. I am so appreciative to Maurene Goo for invaluable feedback. Love to my petite sorciere, Diya Mishra—we’ll always have France. And of course, to the other writers who keep me sane amid the turmoil of the publishing industry: Somaiya Daud, Kate Hart, Michelle Krys, Veronica Roth, and Kara Thomas.
Many nights of Bachelor research were conducted with Jaime, Kayla, and Sarah B. Thanks for the wine, cheese, and the memes. In addition, much love to Sarah S., Sarah W., and Erin, just for being pals.
Hearts always to my wonderful parents, Bob and Pam Devore, and my sibs, Drew and Chambe Devore.
Lastly, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, the show we keep tuning in for and are never quite sure why, The Bachelor. It’s true, I know more about it than any single person should. And for that, I must give shout-outs to a LOT of research material. First and foremost, I Didn’t Come Here to Make Friends: Confessions of a Reality Show Villain by Courtney Robertson. It is widely considered the best Bachelor memoir; I wholeheartedly agree. Also helpful on my journey were Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure by Amy Kaufman and The First Time: Finding Myself and Looking for Love on Reality TV by Colton Underwood, along with excerpts from It’s Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak into Happily Ever After by Andi Dorfman and God Bless This Mess: Learning to Live and Love Through Life’s Best (and Worst) Moments by Hannah Brown. Equally as helpful were the plethora of Bachelor Nation podcasts, including Dear Shandy (as well as Sharleen Joynt’s fantastic All the Pretty Pandas blog), Game of Roses, Bachelor Party, and the gone but not forgotten Mouthing Off with Olivia Caridi. Even more interviews and tidbits were consumed along the way, but this list should at least help you to get started. To all former and future dating show contestants who provided me with fodder along the way: God bless and good luck.
For non-dating book research, I was so fortunate to read Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H Mart, a book that cracked my heart open, exactly when I needed it. And, of course, I wouldn’t be who I am without the many pop punk bands of the 2000s, who made a girl in upstate South Carolina imagine she was driving down the Malibu coast.
Lastly, thanks so much to YOU, my wonderful readers, who make this all possible. Will you accept this rose? 
About the Author
