Take note: Seattle author Andrew Palmer is one to watch after the release of his debut, “The Bachelor.” The unassuming, sharp novel quietly questions love and the nature of perception in an overconnected world.

“The Bachelor” starts off with an unnamed narrator beginning a stint as a housesitter for a friend of his mother’s. He has ended up in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, in an attempt to process a breakup with his almost-fiancée, Ashwini. With not much to keep him entertained — he barely knows anyone in Des Moines anymore — the narrator quickly becomes infatuated by two contrasting interests: the reality show “The Bachelor” and the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet John Berryman.

These juxtaposing preoccupations end up serving two points. One is to distract him from writing, an expectation that has filled him with anxiety and pressure ever since the release of his debut novel only a few months prior. And two, to allow the narrator to become removed from his current reality, blurring the lines of what’s fact and fiction. It is this shift of perception that becomes a significant driving theme throughout the novel.

“He’s convinced himself he’s the role he’s playing, or else — which may amount to the same thing — he doesn’t believe he’s playing a role at all,” writes Palmer in the early stages of the narrator’s “Bachelor” obsession. “This, it struck me with the force of an epiphany, must be how what is called character is formed.”

Not much happens in the overall storyline (readers who enjoy fast-paced novels will have a hard time with this book). Most of the story takes place in Des Moines, with a short stretch at a new housesitting gig in a “Bachelor”-esque mountaintop California mansion. The driving plot of “The Bachelor” is what is happening to the main character’s mentality. “How did I spend those first few days back in Des Moines?” writes Palmer. “To an observer, it might have appeared like nothing was happening.”

The novel is a mediation on the inner workings of someone who has lost themself, and reads like a journal or stream-of-consciousness memoir. “I don’t remember most of what I said in response,” writes Palmer of his real-life breakup. “I didn’t react well, I think.”

In a sense, “The Bachelor” is akin to Ottessa Moshfegh’s 2018 “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” (minus the constant, Ambien-induced haze) and “The Idiot” by Elif Batuman. Palmer’s novel features a quirky, aimless protagonist, with smart insights, dry humor and a character-driven narrative. But it’s all anchored in poignant, amusing, relatable observations of “The Bachelor” and Berryman, many of which make excellent pulled quotes.

“Strange that the reality we’re given isn’t enough,” writes Palmer. “Continents, oceans, antelopes, skyscrapers, neutrinos, Melville, sex, the internet, our Chicago Bulls — not enough. For Berryman, in any case, nothing sufficed.” “The Bachelor” is a story of the mundane that’s a slow rumination on the self. Or selves.

As the narrator reflects on love, “The Bachelor,” Berryman, reality and relationships, he begins to rebuild the semblance of a new sense of life via platonic and romantic relationships with a series of women, including the house’s owner. The way Palmer portrays this, however, can be seen as the book’s strength, or its weakness. The stories of these women, and a few others, are told through pages-long monologues, conversations and biography-esque writing (what makes a biography good or not is another topic of discussion in the novel) that can be either thrilling or meandering — a story of many stories.

The focus is the people in his life, and perhaps that’s why the narrator doesn’t have a name. Not that he doesn’t matter, he’s just not the novel’s focal point — contrary to the reality show. These are women who live out loud, and he’s learning to live again, through them.

“The Bachelor” excites for what’s next from Palmer, a new literary talent. This stimulating debut is a refreshing, thoughtful foray into what defines a human. “What makes you, you?” the novel wonders — and what are we if not creatures built on a million influences from others, focusing on the reality we choose to see?

Pretty ok - as a big bachelor fan I was super excited when I came across this book. I think I was left wanting more. Thanks for the opp to read it!

To be honest, I saw the cover and read the part where the narrator becomes obsessed with the Bachelor and I knew I needed in. However, I was quickly underwhelmed and almost DNF’d it. While some aspects were interesting I just found that I felt no connection to the narrator and the stream of consciousness style just got repetitive and boring for me. I also felt like I didn’t get half the story because I had literally never heard of the poet John Berryman and that obsession was much more discussed than the Bachelor. This one definitely wasn’t for me and while I try to be optimistic I’m not really sure who the audience for this book is/would be.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hogarth Press for the ARC!

Charming, insightful, clever and very funny. This novel is sly and captivating. I recommend it highly.

I did not finish this book. It was not my style. I found it rambling and difficult to know who the characters were. I was missing a lot of backstory and not invested in the characters.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this novel.

Sorry to say that the writing was difficult for me to follow. I kept on getting lost and I could not follow the story. I expected the writing to be better since I had read a similar premise last year about a woman who becomes the Bachelorette.

Perhaps this novel was not the right fit for me.

I’m so beyond glad a book exists that elevates The Bachelor to the brilliant social experiment (and lens to look through love) it is. Even those who feel they are “too good” for The Bachelor will enjoy this book.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. It felt like an MFA experiement with so much introspection and self-congratulation that I was rolling my eyes non-stop. Thank you for the opportunity.

I just could not get into this book. It seemed to be just rambling on at times. Of course, I do not watch the Bachelor or the Bachelorette shows so maybe I am just not the right person to be reading this.

An unusual and deceptive debut that explores male identity, notions of love and commitment, high and low culture. It can be persuasive and appealing, also a bit too slick and self conscious. But the author is clearly one to watch.

As an avid reader and writer, the narrator of The Bachelor finds himself at a crossroads. After breaking up with his fiancée, he finds himself back in the Midwest looking to figure out his next move. He finds himself enraptured by the successful TV franchise, The Bachelor, as well as the works of John Berryman, the poet. As he navigates love and life, he finds solace in TV, literature, and unexpected relationships.

I wish I had enjoyed this book more than I did. It seemed more of a rambling of the narrators thoughts than anything else. Nothing happens at all, and I wasn't a fan of the lengthy descriptions of John Berryman - I really didn't find the point in those parts. This book just wasn't for me. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a digital arc of this title.

I will begin by admitting (not proudly) that I do watch The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, AND Bachelor in Paradise. In other words, I am no stranger to the Bachelor franchise (once again, this is not something I am particularly proud of).

While I loved the premise of this story, it did fall a bit short for me. As interesting as the plot could have been, the writing felt a bit choppy and the narrator seemed to ramble. I wanted to love the main character but he was ultimately hard to empathize with or sympathize for. It wasn't awful, it just didn't seem to match the description.

I'm a HUGE fan of The Bachelor franchise and *really* wanted to love this book. Sadly, it fell short for me.

The first half was a bit boring. It picked up later. And some of the musings of the main character were entertaining. But the entire story felt disjointed to me and often times I had a hard time following along and knowing what was happening. I was able to muddle through and enjoyed parts of the book, but overall not a favorite for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

I was lucky to receive a copy of The Bachelor from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions.
I am embarrassed to admit but The Bachelor is a guilty pleasure of mine and was excited to read and review this!
I found it to be a funny book that will be enjoyed by many. It's a fun, easy read.

Containing nuggets of heartfelt clarity within its disjointed narrative, The Bachelor is an unique, albeit not always enjoyable, musing on modern day relationship, juxtaposing the protagonist's romantic journey with the perceived 'reality' of dating shows and documented biographies.

The incorporation of both highbrow (the life of American poet John Berryman) and lowbrow (The Bachelor Season 15) is both the novel's strength, as well as its Achilles' heel; while the armchair philosophizing on the reality show yields thought-provoking observation, the John Berryman portion feels like a lengthy Wikipedia entry, halting the narrative momentum every time it makes an appearance. Even though I understand its thematic relevance—these dry, monotonous sections lack the crackling commentary that makes the reality TV portion compelling.

At its core, The Bachelor is a piece of literary fiction on unconventional love, and there remains some exceptional character studies and plot developments that are memorable and highlighter-worthy. However, the heavy-handed reference to a specific The Bachelor season and John Berryman means this book will likely be enjoyed only by an extremely niche audience, who is equally invested by either subjects. Overall, I appreciate the ambitious concept and research effort (it's almost 3-books-in-1), but this will likely have a tough time finding its readers (the rom-com styled cover art certainly will only add to the confusion).

Sadly couldn’t get into this book — paragraphs were long and winding and the ratio of dialogue to description/thought didn’t match my preference at all.

I initially picked this up to hype myself up for the new season of The Bachelorette, buuuut unfortunately, this wasn’t it for me. I was expecting a rom-comesque read, but this was more like a memoir as the MC watched Brad Womack’s second season of The Bachelor and he became invested in the dates. I gave up about halfway through, which doesn’t happen often for me, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care about a main character who’s name wasn’t even revealed. I may enjoy this more as an audiobook, but for now I’m putting this down in exchange for something else.

I'm a fan of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise. I haven't watched every season but I have watched since the first episode. I was not a fan of this book. I was expecting it to be better. The author seems to think a lot of himself and the story was really choppy. It jumps around and can be confusing.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

As an avid Bachelor(ette) fan, I knew I wanted to read this from the moment I read the description. I was sucked in by the first chapter - I love that the main character is living parallel to Brad Womack's season of the Bachelor. Some parts moved slower than others but the unique storyline kept my attention. I'd recommend this as a summer beach read. Light and not too much of a mental commitment (in the best of ways)!