Desiree Hartsock Siegfried - The Road to Roses: Heartbreak, Hope, and Finding Strength When Life Doesnt Go as Planned

Desiree opens her heart authentically once again, proving that true love always prevails. The message I most cherish from this book is to remember to trust the process. It might not always be pretty, but it will be worth it. The Road to Roses is a beautiful reminder that even when you are shattered, the process of piecing yourself back together and becoming whole is not only divine but is the master plan.

KIMBERLY CALDWELL-HARVEY, TELEVISION HOST, SINGER

Desirees honest voice and engaging story will captivate you with each turn of the page. With her desire to be true to who she iswho God made her to beshe navigated the spotlight. Through her story you will learn how to unpack the lies the world has told you so that you too can write your own fairy tale through the life you are living every single day. She invites you to live boldly, love hard, and follow the call that God has for your one beautiful life.

JENNA KUTCHER, HOST OF THE GOAL DIGGER PODCAST

Desiree Hartsock is an incredibly talented, passionate, kind, and honest woman. I admire her openness and vulnerability as she shares her heart with the world. Over the years, it has been an honor to watch her grow, fall in love, and build her happily ever after with Chris, Asher, and Zander. I am grateful to call Desiree one of my friends.

DEANNA STAGLIANO, STAR OF THE BACHELORETTE, SEASON 4

Desirees story is a beautiful testament of Gods grace and his ability to give us beauty for our ashes. The Road to Roses takes us on a journey of identity and ultimately reveals Gods unending faithfulness in each and every season.

MARIELA ROSARIO, FOUNDER OF SHE SPEAKS FIRE MINISTRIES

ZONDERVAN BOOKS

The Road to Roses

Copyright 2021 by Desiree Siegfried

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ISBN 978-0-310-36197-8 (audio)

Epub Edition April 2021 9780310361961

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Hartsock, Desiree, author. | Krause, Autumn, author.

Title: The road to roses : heartbreak, hope, and finding strength when life doesnt go as planned / Desiree Hartsock Siegfried, with Autumn Krause.

Description: Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2021. | Summary: Desiree Hartsock was single, broke, and looking for love when she was offered the starring role on The Bachelorette, and she thought that she was getting everything she wanted. Now Desiree tells all in this honest reveal about the off-camera experience of the show, and her comeback journey to finding real love through it allProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020058503 (print) | LCCN 2020058504 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310361947 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780310361961 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Bachelorette (Television program) | Reality television programs. | Women on television. | Christian womenBiography.

Classification: LCC PN1992.77.B2454 H37 2021 (print) | LCC PN1992.77.B2454 (ebook) | DDC 791.45/72dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020058503

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020058504

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Group, Ltd., 10152 S. Knoll Circle, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130.

Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst

Cover image: Brandon Hill Photos

Interior design: Phoebe Wetherbee

Printed in the United States of America

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To my husband, Chris.

God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.

XO, Des

To my mom, Melanie.

Thank you for letting me write when I shouldve been doing

math schoolwork. You knew I was a writer before I did.

Love, Autumn

I t was supposed to be a fairy tale. Literally! My season as the ninth Bachelorette on ABC was branded as a modern-day fairy tale in which I was handed the keys to the castle. But in my case, they were the keys to a $224K turquoise Bentley and a Malibu villa complete with a mini design studio. Im not complaining. Oh, and Prince Charming was part of the deal. Twenty-five Prince Charmings, to be exact.

I knew being Americas Cinderella for three months would be akin to a glam yet grueling boot camp, but I was ready to find love. Prior to the show, I had begun to take my Christian faith more seriously. I knew who I was in Christ, and that identity was more important than any happily ever after that reality TV could offer. Buuut, I thought, if reality TV can lead me to the man God has for me, then sign me up!

Only, things took a turn. In fact, thats probably why youve picked up this book: to see what really happened with my very own He Who Must Not Be Named. Look, I get it. And you probably get it too. Its easy to allow ourselves to fall into old ways, old patterns, and old thoughts only to lose sight of who we are and what we want, to suddenly look around and think, How did I get here?

In my case, there was the added dynamic of four million viewers who watched our breakup on national television. Let me tell you: the aftermath wasnt pretty. The breakup trended on Twitter and was splashed across the covers of tabloids, which described me in extremely unflattering termsnamely, as the cover of Us Weekly put it, humiliated, betrayed, and driven to tears. Then when I accepted Chriss proposal, I was accused of being fake, and the internet at large declared that he was a rebound.

Time has passed, and a marriage, a successful career as a wedding gown designer, and two beautiful children separate me from that chapter of my life. But heres the thing: that breakup has followed me. Just a few years ago, I was hooked up to a polygraph test by producers on a marriage therapy reality TV series so they could ask if I settled by choosing my husband.

So I want to tell my side of the story, once and for all. Its easy for people to define my seasoneven meby that relationship, but thats not the whole story. He Who Must Not Be Named (okay, so his name is Brooks) wasnt the problem.

Even though I was dressed up in beautiful gowns that cost more than six months wages at my old job, I was hiding deep hurts underneath my camera-ready smile. I knew God loved me and that I didnt have to do anything to deserve a happily ever after. But somewhere between the first night in the Bachelor mansion and the breakup in Antigua, I lost sight of those truths. Thats the thing about old lies: theyre hard to rewriteand mine came back with a vengeance.