Friday, March 25, 2016

Steph Reviews The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Series: Don Tillman #1
Format Read: Paperback
Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

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..

Steph's Thoughts:

I was offered this book and its sequel a while back. They have been sitting in my TBR pile waiting for me to pick them up.

The Rosie Project is hilarious. Don Tillman has decided he needs to get married and comes up with a questionnaire to weed out the unsuitable women from his potential dating pool. The questions are so specific they are funny. The correct time for arriving for an appointment is on time because “a little early” is a habitual waste of time. I giggled at this because I would be unsuitable for Don because I am early for everything.

His attempt at speed dating had me in stitches. One question and boom, she was listed as unsuitable. Ultimately he gets fixed up with Rosie, who is everything he DOESN’T want in a potential partner. She turns his world upside down as they fall in love. I was practically rolling on the floor during their first date.

In short, this book is a romantic comedy. I can’t help but picture Don as looking and behaving like Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. He is socially awkward but sweet in his own way. If you want a sweet funny romance then this book is for you. It has earned a forever spot on my shelf.

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Series: Don Tillman #2
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are back. If you were swept away by Graeme Simsion’s international smash hit The Rosie Project, you will love The Rosie Effect.

The Wife Project is complete, and Don and Rosie are happily married and living in New York. But they’re about to face a new challenge.

Rosie is pregnant.

Don sets about learning the protocols of becoming a father, but his unusual research style gets him into trouble with the law. Fortunately his best friend Gene is on hand to offer advice: he’s left Claudia and moved in with Don and Rosie.

As Don tries to schedule time for pregnancy research, getting Gene and Claudia back together, servicing the industrial refrigeration unit that occupies half his apartment, helping Dave the Baseball Fan save his business and staying on the right side of Lydia the social worker, he almost misses the biggest problem of all: he might lose Rosie when she needs him most.

Get ready to fall in love all over again

Steph's Thoughts:

After enjoying The Rosie Project, I dove straight into The Rosie Effect. I was about 50 pages into the story when I realized that I had not giggled once.

I was mildly disturbed about Don’s reaction to Rosie being pregnant, even if she wasn’t. It bothered me. I am not sure how I would have handled it if my husband roughed up the neighbor because I had an unplanned pregnancy.

Don is trying to figure out the whole pregnancy thing, while trying to get his friend Gene to get back together with his wife. It was not quite as humorous as the first book. I smiled a few times while reading but I did not laugh out loud like I did with The Rosie Project. It could be that my mood was not in the right place for laughing or it could be that this book is not at the same level as the first one. I DID enjoy it but not as much as the first one.

2 comments:

  1. See I've heard great things about the first as well, but the second entertained an eerie quiet. Still, sounds like a good duo. Thanks for the glimpse between the pages!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These have been on my radar for awhile, but I just haven't found the time or right mood to take a good hard look at them. Everyone seems to love the first book, while the second has that whole sophomoric slump thing going on. I think that eventually, one day, I will try these out on audio. Great review. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I enjoy hearing from my readers. Let's talk!