As a deaf person, I was excited to read this book. I don't have cochlear implants like Abigail does, but I learned a lot from her. I also loved how she shared the perspectives of her and her sister on using their cochlear implants -- how they both differ in adjusting to them. It's such a sensitive subject in the deaf community and I hope this book will help to understand why cochlear implants are not a 'cure' for deafness/hearing loss. I admired Abigail her for maturity, honesty and advocating on this subject. I'm really happy that Abigail wrote this book, it was very informative but also fun to read about her 'The Bachelor' experience. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC - all opinions are my own.

This memoir was a great read. I am a nurse so I know more than the average person about deafness, but found myself learning so much from Abigail. She presented an excellent and intimate look into how a young mother and then her own self deal with deafness. I am also a Bachelor fan so I loved watching her on screen, and enjoyed the peak behind the curtain. I still am cheering her on via social media. Highly recommend this short and easy read.

I loved this book! I feel like anyone, Bachelor fan or not, would benefit from, and enjoy, reading this book. I learned a lot about the deaf community and gained insight on what her experience was like growing up.

My only issue with this book was the last paragraph. It felt very abrupt and rushed.

I enjoyed learning more about Abigail’s journey with a cochlear implant and that the book offered some perspective from her sister and mother. Ultimately it felt like it was a bit flat and didn’t have as much depth into other aspects of her life

The Deaf Girl - Abigail Heringer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Every time I failed to understand something and the people around me had to repeat themselves, I was an annoyance. It wasn't easy to communicate with me, and I was conscious of that.”

A memoir from a Bachelor Nation fan favorite, narrating her childhood growing up deaf to becoming the first deaf contestant on The Bachelor.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I knew this book would resonate with me but I didn’t realize how much. As someone who grew up with a hearing disability, so many of the descriptions hit dead on, down to the hearing testing booths I sat in all my life. I felt seen in so many of the fears and thoughts she had, from school with a disability (always a good reminder as a teacher) to dating. Obviously, I also enjoyed all the BTS of the Bachelor casting and filming process. Abigail is an amazing advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing community!

Admittedly, I'm probably not the appropriate audience for this book. I haven't watched the Bachelor in twenty years (unbelievable that the show has been on the air since 2002) and I hadn't watched the show that included the author. Recently I've read books that highlight challenges with people who are deaf or blind. (Live Like a Guide Dog by Michael Hingson, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice by David Tatel, The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team by Thomas Fuller). I like memoirs and overcoming challenges.

The author and her sister both grew up deaf and both had gotten cochlear implants. It seems that the sisters seemed to have very different approaches to the implants. One really seemed to really integrate it into her life and the other seemed to opt to turn it on when it was convenient. I kept thinking about how the Bachelor episode might have gone if the other sister had been on the show instead.

My other thought was that the author seemed to want to explain "her side" of the Bachelor experience. (Are connections on reality TV really real? Love only works if both people feel the connection.) I wonder how I would have felt about reading The Deaf Girl had I watched the episode that included the author. I'm guessing that if you are a regular Bachelor watcher, you will really enjoy The Deaf Girl.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for approving my request to read The Deaf Girl in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is Sept 10, 2024. Approx 240 pages. Seems like the book was written in conjunction with Abigail's mother.

Abigail left such an impression on me back in her Bachelor days that I knew I had to read her story! This memoir is short, sweet, and empowering. We only got to see a glimpse of Abigail throughout her time on television so it was refreshing to learn how she got there and where she is now. I FLEW through her story which is rare for me with memoirs hehe! Although I am not a member of the deaf community, I related to the personal struggles of Abigail figuring out who she was while making sure her adversities didn’t cause her to lose her sense of self. It feels a little silly to give a rating for someone’s life and experiences but this was a lovely glimpse into the life of a girl who is more than her time on the Bachelor. More than her cochlear implant and disability. A girl who is just Abigail! 5/5 stars!!

A endearing and insightful memoir about the challenges and triumphs Abigail experienced growing up deaf. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

As a casual Bachelor Franchise fan, this was an interesting read! I'm glad I got to learn more about Abigail aside from what we saw in Matt James' season and in Paradise. I learned a lot about the Deaf and deaf community through reading.

I grew up watching the Bachelor and Bachelorette and I can not even begin to say how much I adored Abigail. She had such a beautiful soul and this book just shined with that.

While I've been a loyal Bachelor viewer since the beginning, that wasn't what drew me to Abigail Heringer's memoir. It was actually her experience as a hearing-impaired person in a very hearing world, a life of which I'm very intimately familiar myself. The book, written with the help of a ghostwriter, charts Heringer's journey from a deaf child getting a cochlear implant to a woman meeting her now-fiance on the beaches of Bachelor in Paradise and watching him accept her disability without question or judgment. This book is told in first-person narration and its physically very short. While it is mostly about her self-discovery and empowerment journey, there are some nuggets for Bachelor Nation faithfuls -- it's just not the main point of this read.

I was happy to be able to read this as I am Deaf as well. I had heard of a Deaf contestant on the Bachelor but did not know her name until this book as I am not a fan of that show. It was easy to relate to most of Abigail's experiences, her sister's as well, as a Deaf person. My only issue is with the cochlear implants as I am adamant that such a voluntary surgery should wait until the patient is old enough to say yes or no to it - I don't agree with doing such a thing with young children since it is not a matter of life or death. But I'm also aware that hearing people insist on "fixing" the Deaf. Anyway, Abigail's mom has a lot of redeeming qualities when it comes to that. Interesting read.

I loved getting to learn more about Abigail’s background! She kept it interesting while also informative. I felt like it was a little repetitive at times but overall a great read and made me love her even more!!

Abigail Heringer's memoir is a quick, easy read- in a good way. Full disclosure, not a fan of The Bachelor. Abigail shares her experience as a (small d) deaf person. I found it interesting and it would be beneficial for those unfamiliar with Deaf culture or the experience of people with disabilities. Two caveats: I know why Abigail wrote so much about Rachel's experience but it took some away from reading about Her experience, in my opinion. Unfortunately, Heringer falls victim to what many women do in relationships and put the other person first to the exclusion of herself and quite frankly, I think she still is, even with Noah from her description. Abigail is okay all on her own and doesn't need validation from a guy to be okay.

When I picked this book on @netgalley it was because of the title and the fact that it was a memoir about disability that made me pick it. But once I got into reading it, and found out that the author was on The Bachelor, my love of reality tv also made this book a winner!

In The Deaf Girl @abigail_heringer tells her life story growing up as one of two deaf children in her family. Both Abigail and her sister Rachel have cochlear implants and can read lips. Abigail shares her journey learning how to communicate with others, the challenges of learning to adjust to hearing in different environments and how she learned to self-advocate. She also shares perspectives of the Deaf community, some misconceptions the general public have about hearing loss and Cochlear Implants (and disability in general), as well as what it was like being the one deaf person in a lot of situations even though she grew up with a deaf family member and went to schools where she was very much a part of the Deaf/deaf community. Of course the final section of the book also looked at her time on The Bachelor and The Bachelor in Paradise and what things were like behind the scenes and being deaf in a house full of people all vying for the spotlight.

I really enjoyed this memoir, and even watched a bit of #thebachelor to see her season and see what Abigail was really like on TV. I think she is a fantastic role model for young women and people with disabilities, as well as a great advocate for disability rights and awareness. Throughout the story she demonstrates the importance of being true to yourself and being proud of who you are.

I did find the writing style a tiny bit juvenile or simplistic at times, especially earlier on in the story when Abigail was writing about her childhood and even before she was born. This could be because she was writing about a time that she couldn't remember or it could just be her writing style as a debut author. As the book went on I found the writing style improved a bit and was easier to read and connect with. It was still a great book, but I think the author's voice really came through about 2/3rds of the way in.

This would be a great read for anyone who wants to know a bit more about disability advocacy and representation, as well as bachelor fans! It is a fairly light and quick read, but also gives you lots to think about! I would definitely recommend it, and would like to thank @sourcebooks for the chance to read and review it! The Deaf Girl is out September 10!

I was immediately drawn to this memoir because I remember Abigail as one of the sweetest and most authentic people to ever grace The Bachelor. Her story was inspiring and she made such a big impression on me. Her memoir was just so readable and I loved hearing her story. Her struggle with her deafness, especially on such a public forum, had us rooting for her. This story was super interesting and I really enjoyed hearing about her time on The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise. While I think the book could have been a little better written, I really couldn’t put it down (which is incredibly rare in a memoir format). I highly recommend this one! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing a copy of this with me in exchange for an honest review!

I knew I was going to love this one! I’ve been following Abigail’s journey since The Bachelor and love how she uses her platform to educate - and this book is an extension of that. I enjoyed reading about her family’s experiences to getting cochlear implants, and her mom’s commitment to supporting her daughters. Abigail’s journey to self discovery was full of ups and downs, and she’s vulnerable and honest through it all. The book had a perfect combination of pre-Bachelor and Bachelor days. Of course, I fangirled all over those behind the scenes moments and swooned over her relationship with Noah.

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC!

I’m a huge bachelor/bachelorette fan and was very intrigued by Abigail when she was on the show. I was so eager to hear her story and learn more about her, so when I saw this book I was very excited. However, I felt like this work could have used more editing and help from a publisher- I wanted more. For being called the deaf girl, it didn’t have as much depth to the story as I hope but instead felt very repetitive and surface level. This is nothing against her as a writer, I just wanted more. I feel like I learned more from hearing about her sister than I did her own story. It’s not bad but it just expected and wanted more. I’m thankful for the opportunity to read an early copy!

Cute book and easy read. I loved learning about Abigail growing up and finding herself before learning about all the bachelor details. I just wish there was more to read!

I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for fair and an unbiased review. I have watched the Bachelor since the beginning. I liked the author on the Bachelor. I really like biographies. I have had an interest in deaf culture.

I had low expectations for the book. It really grabbed my attention. I finished the book in 2 days. I was interested in what the author had to say.

It is a very easy to read book. It is a positive and uplifting book. Everyone has a story. Everyone deals with stuff. What the author deals with is put in a realistic life aspect. The book is very human and heartwarming.

I feel like this book is for almost everyone. It deals with living an authentic life. It deals with being vulnerable. I think these to aspects are difficult for most of us.

I would really like to see the author in person. When's the book tour? Thank you to the author and Netgalley for such an inspiring and beautiful book.