Book Review: The Rosie Effect, by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Effect is the charming and hilarious sequel to Graeme Simsion’s bestselling debut novel The Rosie Project.

With the Wife Project complete, Don settles into a new job and married life in New York. But it’s not long before certain events are taken out of his control and it’s time to embark on a new project . . .

As Don tries to get to grips with the requirements of starting a family, his unusual research style gets him into trouble. To make matters worse, Don has invited his closest friend to stay with them, but Gene is not exactly the best model for marital happiness. As Don’s life with Rosie continues to be unpredictable, he needs to remember that emotional support is just as important as practical expertise.

You may have recently seen my review for The Rosie Project, for which this book is the sequel. I absolutely adored the first book, so while I couldn’t wait to get started on this one, I did have that slight reservation we readers get of ‘what if it’s not as good?’

Fortunately, I needn’t have worried at all. Graeme Simsion has absolutely nailed it again with the sequel. In fact, I think the emotional factor was turned up ten-fold. I loved it.

Having joined Don on his amazing journey to find the perfect wife, we now re-join them as a married couple, preparing to start a family. They have relocated to New York, where we meet a wonderful new cast of characters from all different walks of life, all of whom add a fantastic variety of colours to the story and to Don’s life.

While he has been lucky enough to find true love, Don’s struggles are far from over as he starts to prepare for fatherhood. For a man with Don’s relationship skills, who doubted he was capable of love at all, the idea of a child is a hard one to grasp. He does, indeed, love Rosie, and has shocked himself by the emotions he discovered for her. But to relate to a baby that isn’t even here yet? That’s a whole new challenge. While his methods may not be exactly orthodox, Don tries his best to learn to be the worlds best father in the only way he knows how – meticulous research. Unfortunately for him, some things you can’t learn from a book, but his efforts are endearing and my heart reached out to him so much.

As for Rosie, she certainly loves Don, but the idea of starting a family makes her wonder too if Don is really up to the challenge, and she too struggles with her emotions and instincts as she tries to prepare for bringing a child into their world.

This sequel was the perfect continuation of Don and Rosie’s story. It’s equally as hilarious as the first one, with Don’s usual unusual methods of research getting him into ridiculous situations. The friendships he forms add new depths to his character as he becomes more practised in social encounters, and the ongoing challenges he and Rosie face are utterly heart-wrenching in this second instalment.

The Don Tillman books are a breath of fresh air. I shed tears of both pain and joy throughout this book, and can’t recommend it enough.

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Buy: The Rosie Project on Amazon
Pre-order: The Rosie Effect on Amazon (Released September 25th)