Hysterical, true to life love story! Just makes you feel good and that yes, there is someone for everyone. Don is a socially 'weird' professors of genetics and Rosie is sent to him by a colleague to be part of his 'wife project.' Rosie is all wrong for Don, she is a smoker! But, as with life, the ones who are wrong for us are actually quite right. A lovely mystery is involved too! I can't wait for the sequel!

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"The Rosie Project" is probably my new favorite love story. Ironically, there is very little "love" in it. At least not in the traditional sense. It was certainly no Julie Garwood or Catherine Coulter. And yet, there was so much non-traditional love, that it melted my heart.

I found that I have many of the same qualities as the main character, Don. In fact, there were lines at the end that nearly had me in tears because it was so true to my life, and I completely understood where Don was coming from when he thought them. "I was not wired to feel love. And faking it was not acceptable. Not to me." And then, "I knew so much shit and I still couldn't fix myself."

Don is a Professor, who (most likely) has Asperger's. Though it is only hinted at through the story-telling, and subtly brought up by a supporting character, we never really know. For logical reasons, Don decides that he needs a wife, and starts working on The Wife Project. (Which, by the way, I think is bloody brilliant!) The Wife Project consists of a 30-something page questionnaire, internet dating sites, speed dating and a blind date. Throughout the book, he slowly realizes that these methods are not working and gives up on the project. It's not really giving anything away to say that Don falls for the 1 person he found wholly unsuitable, it was quite predictable just from reading the jacket. But this book wasn't really about the ending, it was how Don and Rosie get there. And that is how you get suckered in to loving the characters and their story.

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I'm in the minority on this one. I usually like geeky, social misfit types so was surprised that Don fell flat for me. This book is slated to be a movie, hopefully an actor will be able to make the part believable so the story would be fun.

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A superficial reading of this book offers a pleasant story, along the lines of Big Bang Theory: let's laugh at the antics of the nerds and misfits. But unlike the TV show (which I find unwatchable), The Rosie Project also tells a deeper story.

The real genius of this book is in the characters. Granted, most of them are merely sketches, and are often way over the top. Don himself is practically a buffoon, unless the reader knows a little about Asperger's. With that knowledge comes a certain understanding that makes Don's portrayal more real. Sometimes his actions are hilarious, but they are also almost always laced with poignancy. Simsion manages the balance between funny and sad with great finesse.

But Rosie, I think, is just brilliant. She's all wrong for Don, and they both know it. But she loves him, not because he has Asperger's--the "I'm the woman who can save him from himself" mindset would have been awful. Nor does she love him in spite of his Asperger's, as if it made no difference to their relationship. She's a realist, who just loves Don as he is. She wants to expand his horizons, make him more comfortable in the "normal" world, but she does not, fundamentally, want to make him other than he is.

Overall good writing and the unexpected chemistry between Don and Rosie add up to a funny, touching, offbeat novel that I'm glad I read.

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3.5 stars. Really sweet story and at times hilarious. I love that Don got his HEA!

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This was a true delight that made me both laugh out loud and cry. If you're looking for an unconventional love story, this is the book for you!

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