The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Book Summary
An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a "wonderful" husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical--most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.
Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent--and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie--and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.
"The Rosie Project" is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.

Flo's Review
Aww, so much love for this book! So. Much. Love. This is a book that I finished reading 15 minutes ago,but I still have a big smile on my face because I feel all happy inside after reading it. This book is for the underdog; this book is the for the social outcast; this book is for anyone who feels like they are being laughed at. 

It was surprisingly very easy to get inside Don's head -- probably because he's so rational about everything. But even though he doesn't do well with physical contact, you want to hug him throughout the book. Simsion does a great job of being in Don's head and bringing the reader there, too. Even though I may understand a social norm or a social nuance, I see it through Don's mind and understand why he doesn't understand it. 

I loved the fact that Rosie found his quirkiness endearing. I was cheering for her to fall for him because of it and she did not let me down. I loved seeing Don come to realize things after he has taken himself (and the reader) through his steps of logic. I even love the bright yellow cover of the paperback! 

Again, on a personal note that I've shared in my reviews of The Reason I Jump and Isla and the Happily Ever After -- I have a nephew with autism and it will never fail to warm my heart seeing someone on the spectrum have a life full of friends, love and purpose. Don cares about people and they care about him -- Claudia, Gene, Daphne. He is fulfilled by work and extracurriculars. This is the life I want for my nephew. 

I have to take a minute to recognize the narrator of the audiobook. I listened to a lot of this one and he was perfect! His accent and more especially his way of saying certain words and his intonations are exactly how I think Don would have said or thought them.

At times I found myself laughing and then feeling bad, like I was laughing at Don? But that's not it. Like Rosie, I think he would be fun to hang out with. I would learn a lot and every so often he would bust out with a little joke. He's a fast learner of basically everything, and we could drink wine all the time. He's so endearing -- that's a good word for Don -- endearing. This is definitely a definition of a "feel good" book! I definitely recommend this one!

Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster for providing me a copy for review.