Golden Years: What I’ve Learned from Love, Loss, and Reality TV

by Gerry Turner

From beloved inaugural Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner, an uplifting memoir about a fresh start after heartbreak and a peek behind the reality TV curtain.

When his high school sweetheart and wife of over forty years passed away unexpectedly, Gerry Turner’s life was indelibly changed. In that moment, his and Toni’s shared vision of living out their retirement together was shattered. In the wake of this profound loss, Gerry had to move forward—for himself, for his daughters, and for Toni.

After years of grieving and uneven healing, Gerry finally felt ready to find the next woman he couldn’t live without—to help him take on new adventures and live out his golden years the way Toni would have wanted him to. When he applied to star in ABC’s The Golden Bachelor, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change.

In Golden Years, Gerry chronicles his grief after Toni’s death, his unbelievable experiences on The Golden Bachelor, and the life-altering lessons he took away from both. Rich with behind-the-scenes insights into filming the show and hard-won rules he lived by when putting himself back into the dating world, Golden Years tells Gerry Turner’s complete story for the first time.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Autobiography

224 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Sarah Sandoval · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to it on audiobook at 1.7x speed. If you listen at 1x speed, a turtle will have passed you on the audiobook lane.

Extremely disappointed in Gerry. He complained about the food she bought while in NYC - salmon, eggs, and green salad. He wanted carbs! Couldn’t she read his mind?! How dare he let her know what he wanted to eat?! She should have bought NYC bagels and cream cheese.

GERRY! Go buy them yourself. He acted like the food she bought was prison food. You wanted a thin little wife & you got that. She eats a very clean diet.

“Where am I going to cook my food?” In reference to her using her stove as a vanity. He acts like this pitiful boy who is just going to starve.

Why couldn’t he have asked some men in his life for advice. If Jesse was your man crush, why couldn’t you have called him up? Nope, he’s talking to Faith. It’s just all weird.

Gerry loved his 15 minutes of fame and he is riding the coattails as long as possible. I find it really sad that he had to drag Theresa in the mud to complain about her “tiny house” and smoothies. That’s what you’re upset about????

[Lauryn Wasil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read for the gossip 😂

[Jean Tytla]

God forbid a woman treats herself to a little smoothie to get through the day 🙄

[Brianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ew

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

LET ME JUST SAY, I am aware that Theresa Nist has said on the Dear Shandy podcast that a lot of the things about her in this book aren't true — and I tend to believe her version of things, though this is a he-said-she-said conversation and none of us will ever really know an objective version. I also think that the situation is pretty low-stakes (no one was really harmed) and nothing Gerry has actually done is THAT bad. He and Theresa weren't for each other! That's fine!

But even if a lot of the stories in this book didn't happen exactly the way Gerry described (and I would never expect perfect recollection in a memoir anyway), I still enjoyed the book. It gave a perfect amount of background about Gerry's life, including clarifying the details of his wife's death and how that affected him, and it also included juicy enough details from Golden Bachelor to sate me. Whoever helped Gerry put this thing together did a great job, because he came across very likeable in my opinion. The story about meeting the Kardashians was particularly charming.

All in all a good reality tv memoir that didn't disappoint me!

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Smear campaign on Teresa. Not classy.

[Ashley Patterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eww....

[Alyssa Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ This book was far better than I expected it to be. It was overall very entertaining and gave some insights into his time as the Golden Bachelor. His chapters about his time married to Theresa were CRAZY

[DV K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watched the Golden Bachelor and Gerry struck me as disingenuous. I heard the rumours that he had dated prior to coming on the show, although he said he hadn’t since losing his wife. There was something about him that I found untrustworthy, but that’s just me. I also didn’t like Theresa. She seemed clueless in her interactions with the other women. Did she think they would like that she was reading the book, “How to Win the Bachelor”? She also seemed 100% mismatched to Gerry. How she ended up being his final choice is kind of explained in his book. How they ended up divorcing so soon after their wedding is also clarified.

That Gerry wrote a book about his time with Theresa, that doesn’t paint Theresa in the best light, tells me all I need to know about him. He’s with someone else now. We shall see…

I don’t recommend this book.

[Yvette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I read it for the tea because The Bachelor franchise is my guilty pleasure.

I went in with full understanding that this is Gerry’s story only and how he chose to spin it. Whether or not things happened as noted in this book, we’ll never know. Either way, it was entertaining for the few hours I spent with it.

[Edna Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoo boy, I have lots of thoughts about this one. First of all, it’s no secret that I want to be a contestant on the Golden Bachelor. When Gerry was announced as the first GB and they released his bio, I said to myself, “no way”. Between the lack of international footprint and the house on the lake in the middle of nowhere, I knew he wouldn’t be a good fit. It turns out that Theresa had similar misgivings about the house in Indiana. Gerry goes to great pains to portray himself as a wholesome hard working guy with nary a flaw, but I’m not buying it. Similarly, he claims he dumped Faith because she was “too young” and Leslie because she seemed incapable of making a commitment. This never came up on the show, but it paints him in a good light…. Methinks Garry doth protest too much. I will say, though, that I enjoyed the first part of the book about his life with Toni which is what bumped this up to three stars.

[Angela Langlois · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like I was reading the memoir of my good friend’s ex who chose to share his version only of things (and I do not have the pleasure of being good friends with Theresa 😊) I adore Theresa, Leslie, Susan, Kathy, Joan and Faith.

What did we learn?
Don’t marry someone you don’t know very well or haven’t known very long. After each of them had successful 40-year marriages, this is the last thing either of them needed.

[KC · Rating 1 out of 5]

He is full of himself. He “got the lead” on GB. He praises himself and apparently lies a lot. Through his ex wife under the bus.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bachelor(ette) franchise are other reality shows I’ve been watching a lot in recent years. Although I truly hated the most recent season of Golden Bachelor, I think Gerry’s debut season was endearing and entertaining. It wasn’t until reading this book I found out he and his final choice Teresa weren’t even still together and how poor of a match they ended up being.. which is too bad and unfortunately how most of these reality dating shows go. I enjoyed the parts of the book that discussed how Gerry ended up on the show, some behind-the-scenes gossip that happened during his season, as well as some of his inside thoughts about the women, but the rest of the book especially the end seemed like it was written geared toward damage control and defending his name to the public from the narrative surrounding the break up with Teresa which turned me off a little bit. Still overall had a good time with it.

Thank you to Gerry and Hachette Audio for the advance audiobook!

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I might have watched half a dozen episodes (at the most) of the bachelorette when it first started way back when…… and saw it for what it really was….. cringe worthy, acting, role-playing, out of touch with reality about how relationships really are, not getting to know somebody, instant kissing, flaunting and being totally fake for the cameras. It was such a major turn off. I’m not even sure why I wanted to read this book. I thought maybe i’d get a different perspective on the show but honestly I barely got through the book. It was all of the above …and worse. People are so phony and have no class. And that’s why they were only married for three months. He didn’t even know the lady he proposed to. It was all for show.

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew before it started that, having read all of the other Bachelor/Bachelorette books, this probably wasn't going to be good, and sure enough this memoir copies the failures of the rest. The first two-thirds of this autobiography is mostly a dull rerun of the first season of Golden Bachelorette--it was as if Turner just sat and watched the episodes, then rehashed the plots and added only a few behind-the-scenes details. Over 90% was nothing new.

Then after he proposes, leaving all sorts of gaps and unanswered questions, the book improves dramatically because the author pulls back the curtain on what happened in real life once the series was done. That was not only intriguing but the author firmly puts his new wife in her place, revealing she wouldn't allow him to sleep with her, cared so much about her work that she wouldn't compromise on anything, the two barely saw each other in their three months of marriage, she really had wanted fame and fortune by acting sweet on screen but changed to a cold-hearted bitch off-screen, and very quickly they agreed to divorce.

There are a few oddities. He spends most of the book tossing in his late first wife's name, at times that make no sense, trying to make himself look good by convincing us their marriage was almost perfect. It sounds he was fictionalizing in order to take criticism off of him to make his new wife look evil by comparison. Then there's the fact that this "Indiana" senior is really an almost lifelong Iowa city boy. He had just moved to a lake home weeks before his first wife died but the series led us to believe he was a longtime rural Indiana hick.

Then he writes, "I am not a liar" but proceeds to say that yes, he did "misstate" that he had never dated between when his wife died and he started shooting the series. That was quickly proven false by online investigators that found he actually had dated many women in the two-year period before the TV show. Caught in a whopper of a lie, Turner tries to make himself look honest by saying that he didn't explain what he meant because he didn't think of any of those dates being "serious." Um, saying on tape that you didn't date after your first wife died is pretty firm in meaning! The first woman he went out with was one he met at his wife's funeral and quickly Turner asked the new girlfriend to move in with him! How can he claim he's not a liar yet the book has a number of times when he doesn't tell the truth to the women in the house nor to the public when doing publicity?

Then he gloats with his newfound fame, misstating the popularity of the show. Throughout the book he mentions how huge the Golden Bachelor's ratings were and how it "saved the franchise." He repeatedly says it was "record-setting" but that's totally inaccurate.

His claims are apparently based on ABC press releases meant to spin viewership numbers, but the facts are show did NOT set ANY actual television network ratings records (the lamest they can come up with is "the highest numbers since 2020," which doesn't qualify as a record in the 20+ years of the Bachelor franchises). The 6.1 million at its peak was nowhere near the viewership in earlier seasons of the franchise, most of which only did single-night numbers and didn't count 35 days repeat streaming numbers.

Then the Hulu results ("ABC's most watched episode of an unscripted series ever on Hulu after 35 days of viewing") may be true but is meaningless because the streamer doesn't release comparative stats for all series to the public, there aren't many ABC reality shows, and Hulu has only been operating for 15 years. There are many other reality series that have had many more viewers for a premiere night (American Idol's were 10.8 million on Fox in 2002).

No matter how you look at it, the show had a bump in viewership over a few recent seasons, but it set no record that can be verified. So don't trust Gerry's version of "facts" when they don't go beyond the ABC PR team's skewed self-serving press releases.

While Turner complains constantly about how the media and negative online comments were "misinformation" and a "vilification of my reputation," he responds in this book by hypocritically spreading inaccurate info and tearing down others, especially the reputation of a wife he divorced after a wedding three months earlier where he said, "I promise that if you're my partner in life, I will make you the happiest woman on Earth. I promise to choose you everyday as the one I love."

Let's hope that in his golden years Gerry Turner will think twice before making any such promises.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprising treat. I watched The Golden Bachelor and was sad to hear that it didn’t work out and that they divorced so quickly (though his pick was one of my least favorites so I wasn’t too surprised).

I read Colton’s memoir from his Bachelor season and I sort of expected the same sort of book here –– a lot of setting his own story straight and making himself out to be a hero and victim. Instead, this was a really refreshingly honest retelling of Gerry’s experience, complete with lots of regrets and admissions. And tea! I have to admit to enjoying that too. While he had remarkable restraint in his telling of Theresa’s behavior behind the scenes, I am sure she’ll be livid over how she ultimately comes across. That’s not because of anything on his end though. I think he was more than fair and ultimately just showed why they were just not good fits for each other.

I have no doubt that Gerry will find love again, with the right person this time. Pick this book up in the meantime if you want a look behind the Bachelor franchise curtain and to get to know the first golden bachelor before and after his fame (and infamy).

I read a digital advance copy of this book via netgalley.

[Manda Marigold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Golden Years offers snippets of Gerry Turner’s life, starting with his brief courtship and subsequent marriage to his soulmate, Toni, and his heartfelt reflections on the grief he experienced after her untimely passing. He also takes readers through his journey to becoming the leading gentleman on *The Golden Bachelor*, sharing details of the casting process and his time on the show.

Overall, this book was decent. It’s perfect for any Bachelor franchise fan, but much of the content centers around the show, and I found it didn't offer much new insight into his life. It felt more like a recap than a deep dive. While I understand the show’s role in his notoriety, I left the book wanting to know more about Gerry the person, rather than Gerry the "Golden Bachelor."

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for access to the e-arc. All opinions in this review are my own.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the 6.5 hour audiobook on Spotify as I have watched ALL of the Golden Bachelor seasons and I’m always curious about any “behind the scenes” details of any reality TV I watch. Gerry Turner narrated his own memoir and I cringed as he detailed the aftermath concerning Theresa-in a typical midwestern passive aggressive way. Hopefully Theresa can defend herself on podcasts as I don’t think she’ll be able to publish her own book. I mean-I think everyone was quite shocked when Gerry didn’t pick Leslie and instead picked who Kathy told to “zip it”. Sounds like he found happiness as this book hits the stands. I hope my 70s are just as interesting as his!

[Paula Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest heartfelt account from the Golden Bachelor describing his complicated journey to find love at 72. He exposes the unglamorous life he encountered behind the scenes of The Golden Bachelor and the long journey of mixed emotions. Jerry Turner is a man who is in touch with his feelings and knows himself well. With that said, he still struggled at times to say no and stand up for what he really knew about himself but was afraid to verbalize. Post Golden he is stronger but in recovery from the experience. Good read for anyone grieving the loss of a spouse.

[Darcie Treutle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have ridiculously strong opinions about this book. If I was giving this book a rating based purely on entertainment, I’d probably give it 5 stars.

Memoirs are tricky, because you aren’t supposed to give out stars for someone’s life story. For this book, though, I’m taking away stars for Gerry. How on earth can one man be so flawless and wise and insufferable all at the same time? This Golden Bachelor is tarnished at best.

[Sherry Erdly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about TV adventures Gerry was a part of. What person in their right mind goes on TV as a 70+? Did he find love, no not on the show but I believe him when he says he's still hopeful. It's takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there and the backlash from the show was horrific. I had never watched much reality TV but I watched this show. I'm still hopeful he will find his happy ending!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched this entire series, so it was a good book to hear "The Bachelor's" prospective on his journey to finding a woman for the final rose. Unfortunately, after they finally were able to come out in public, they found that they have totally different life styles. They fortunately had a prenuptial agreement since they divorced only 3 months after the televised wedding. It was a very easy read.

[Elaine Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never super in to Bachelor nation but something about this book sounded interesting! I listened to the audiobook with Gerry narrating, it was super interesting and I loved hearing about all the behind the scenes that goes in to filming this kind of show!

[Jasmine York · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really low expectations for this book. It's not bad but it's also not good. Gerry details his "journey" as the Golden Bachelor and what went wrong in his 3 month marriage to Teresa. I listened to the audiobook and he reads pretty slow so you'll want to speed this up. 🤪

[Carol Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. If it’s true l, made me like him better.

[Katie Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy book to listen to, and enjoyed Gerry as the narrator. I enjoyed the behind the scenes of the show and was shocked by his brutal honesty!!

[Moriah Ottley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 typical tell all. Does fill in some blanks. Interesting to hear his side of the story. Easy read.

[Liz Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Val Weigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a bit embarrassed to log this one but I’m short on my 2025 book goal! It was interesting to hear a little of the behind the scenes stuff.